Lighting apparatus

• US 20050190553A1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Permlight Products Inc
• Original Assignee: Permlight Products Inc
• Inventors: Lynch, Manuel, Wijesinghe, Rehana, Fraitag, Lenny
• Granted Patent: US 7,329,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/227
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/10 with light sources attached to loose electric cables, e.g. Christmas tree lights
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/28 rigid, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/12 by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/02 Wall, ceiling, or floor bases; Fixing pendants or arms to the bases F21V21/08 takes precedence; bases for movable standing lamps F21V21/06
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/00 Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/508
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/04 breaking the electric circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/745 the fins or blades being planar and inclined with respect to the joining surface from which the fins or blades extend
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/76 with essentially identical parallel planar fins or blades, e.g. with comb-like cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/04 characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 31/04 Provision of filling media
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A lighting apparatus is provided including an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) disposed on a base. The base is configured to move heat away from the array of LEDs to other portions of the base and further to the atmosphere or an adjacent housing. In one embodiment, a native oxide on the base electrically insulates the base from the LEDs. In another embodiment, a cover is removably disposed over the array of LEDs, and removal of the cover prevents electrical energization of the LEDs.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a base comprised of an electrically conductive material and a layer of oxide on said material;

an array of LEDs mounted on the base;

said LEDs electrically insulated from the conductive material by said oxide.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base includes electrically conductive traces on the oxide, the LEDs in the array being electrically connected to the conductive traces.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the base comprises a cavity, and at least a portion of the conductive traces and array of LEDs are disposed in the cavity.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the oxide is a native oxide of the electrically conductive material.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 10, wherein a thickness of the oxide layer is about 2 mil or less.

12. The lighting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the oxide layer is produced by anodization.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 4 additionally comprising a cover configured to fit over the array of LEDs and to at least partially cover the cavity.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the cavity is filled with a light transmissive material.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cover comprises an electrically conductive portion that is configured to electrically communicate with the conductive traces so that electrical current flows from the cover to the traces, and wherein the cover is selectively removable to interrupt the electrical current flow.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 6, wherein the base has a substantially flat mounting surface, and additionally comprising a power supply having a substantially flat mounting surface, and the base is mounted on the mounting surface of the power supply.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the power supply has an electrical supply node, and the electrically conductive portion of the cover is selectively electrically engageable with the power supply node so that electrical current from the power supply flows through the cover to the traces.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the power supply has a positive electrical supply node and a negative electrical supply node, and the cover has two electrically conductive portions that are selectively electrically engageable with respective power supply nodes, and each cover portion is selectively electrically engageable with the conductive traces so as to selectively create an electrical pathway between the nodes through the cover portions, the traces and the array of LEDs.

13. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a base;

an array of LEDs mounted to the base;

a cover configured to cover the array;

wherein power is supplied to the LEDs via an electrical pathway, and the cover is mechanically coupled to the base such that attachment of the cover completes an electrical pathway to permit power to flow to the LEDs, and removal of the cover opens the electrical pathway to prevent flow of power.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein a circuit trace is disposed on the base, the circuit trace configured to deliver electrical power to the array of LEDs, and a cover contact is configured to electrically connect the circuit trace to the cover when the cover is in place.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cover contact is permanently in contact with the circuit trace, and extends from the circuit trace.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 15, wherein the circuit trace comprises a terminus portion, and the cover contact is affixed to the terminus portion.

17. The lighting apparatus of claim 14, wherein the base is electrically conductive, and the base is coated with a non-electrically-conductive electroless metal, wherein the circuit trace is insulated from the base by the coating.

18. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cover comprises a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion and additionally comprising a second cover contact, wherein the first and second cover portions are electrically engageable with respective cover contacts when the cover is in place so that the electrical pathway flows through the first cover portion to the circuit and array of LEDs and to the second cover portion.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 18 additionally comprising a power supply having first and second power supply nodes, and the base and cover are attachable to the power supply so that the first and second nodes electrically communicate with the first and second cover conductive portions.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the base has a substantially flat mounting surface and the power supply has a substantially complementary mounting surface.

21. An ultraviolet lighting device, comprising a lighting apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the base comprises a cavity, the array of LEDs is arranged in the cavity and comprises LEDs configured to emit ultraviolet light, and the cover is configured to completely enclose the cavity when the cover is in place so that substantially no light emitted by the LEDs exits the cavity without first contacting the cover.

22. The ultraviolet lighting device of claim 21, wherein the cover comprises a phosphor.

23. The lighting apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cover comprises a fastener and a conductive insert, and the conductive insert communicates electrical power between the circuit trace and the fastener.

24. The lighting apparatus of claim 23, wherein the fastener is a threaded fastener and the insert is threaded so as to mechanically and electrically engage the fastener.

25. The lighting apparatus of claim 14 additionally comprising a housing comprising a heat conductive material, the housing configured so that the base fits therein and in contact with the housing so that heat from the base is communicated to the housing.

26. The lighting apparatus of claim 25, wherein the housing comprises heat dissipating fins.

27. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a base;

an array of LEDs mounted on the base;

a cover comprising a sheet that covers the array of LEDs and receives light from the LEDs, said sheet comprised of a phosphor which emits light in response to optical pumping by the LEDs.

28. The lighting apparatus of claim 27, wherein the LEDs are arranged in a linear array.

29. The lighting apparatus of claim 27, wherein the sheet comprises more than one layer.

30. The lighting apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sheet comprises a layer having the phosphor.

31. The lighting apparatus of claim 27, wherein the cover comprises glass, and the phosphor is mixed with the glass.

32. The lighting apparatus of claim 27, wherein the sheet consists of inorganic material.

33. The lighting apparatus of claim 32, wherein the LEDs emit ultraviolet light.

34. The lighting apparatus of claim 27, wherein the base comprises a cavity, the array of LEDs is arranged in the cavity, and the cover is configured to completely enclose the cavity when the cover is in place so that substantially no light emitted by the LEDs exits the cavity without first contacting the cover.