LED lamp with LEDs on a heat conductive post and method of making the LED lamp

• US 20060109661A1
• Filed: 11/22/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Tessnow, Thomas, Albright, Kim, Coushaine, Charles M., Eng, Howard, Taitel, Florence, Peterson, Fred
• Granted Patent: US 7,207,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/373
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/90 Methods of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0045 by tongue and groove connections, e.g. dovetail interlocking means fixed by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0055 by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• 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 29/80 with pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/30 on the outer surface of cylindrical surfaces, e.g. rod-shaped supports having a circular or a polygonal cross section
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0203 Cooling of mounted components H05K1/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A lamp, and a method of assembling the lamp, includes a heat sink, a heat conductive post extended longitudinally from the heat sink where the post has longitudinal faces that each has a longitudinally extending slot therein, a metal clad circuit board slid into each slot so that each circuit board is in thermal communication with the post where each circuit board has an exterior surface with an LED thereon, and a cap on top of the post where the cap abuts lateral end surfaces of the circuit boards. The cap may hold the circuit boards in their respective slots.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

a heat conductive post mounted on a heat conductive portion of a base, said post having an exterior face with a longitudinal slot therein; and

a mounting board slideably disposed in said slot, said board having an exterior surface with an LED thereon, said board being in thermal communication with said post and having a first electrical circuit for said LED.

2. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising a cap on said post opposite said base, said cap abutting a lateral end of said board and holding said board in said slot.

3. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said post has N (N>

2) of the exterior face and wherein a cross section of said post is constant along an entire length of said post.

4. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a second electrical circuit that is connected to said first electrical circuit.

5. The lamp of claim 4, wherein said second electrical circuit comprises plural longitudinally extended pins, wherein said first electrical circuit comprises plural sockets, and wherein respective ones of said plural pins and sockets are joined to each other to electrically connect said LED to said second electrical circuit.

6. The lamp of claim 4, wherein said second electrical circuit comprises a socket, wherein said first electrical circuit comprises plural contacts, and wherein said socket and plural contacts are joined to each other to electrically connect said LED to said second electrical circuit.

7. The lamp of claim 4, wherein said second electrical circuit comprises plural contact pads, wherein said first electrical circuit comprises plural contact fingers, and wherein respective ones of said plural contact pads and plural contact fingers are joined to each other to electrically connect said LED to said second electrical circuit.

8. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said heat conductive post has plural ones of said exterior face each with a respective said slot and comprising plural ones of said mounting board each slideably disposed in a respective said slot,

wherein said plural mounting boards are integrally joined with a center portion that rests on a top of said post, and wherein fold lines define a periphery of said center portion.

9. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said board comprises plural ones of said LED that are longitudinally aligned.

10. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising a reflector arranged to reflect light from said LED.

11. A lamp comprising:

a heat sink having a first electrical ccircuit thereon;

a heat conductive post extending longitudinally from said heat sink, said post having a bottom in thermal communication with said heat sink, said post having plural longitudinal faces that each has a longitudinally extending slot therein; and

plural metal clad circuit boards that are each slideably arranged in a respective said slot so that each of said circuit boards is in thermal communication with said post, each of said circuit boards having (a) a first lateral end surface abutting one of said heat sink and said first electrical circuit, (b) an exterior longitudinal surface with at least one LED thereon, and (c) a second electrical circuit that connected to said LED and to said first electrical circuit.

12. The lamp of claim 11, further comprising a cap on a top of said post opposite said heat sink that holds each of said circuit boards in a respective said slot, said cap abutting a second lateral end surface of each of said circuit boards opposite said first lateral end surface so that each of said circuit boards is captured between said cap and one of said heat sink and said first electrical circuit.

13. The lamp of claim 11, wherein each said slot comprises a longitudinal rib that presses against an interior surface of the respective one of said circuit boards and wherein longitudinal edges of the exterior surface of each of said circuit boards are held by edges of the respective said slot to hold said circuit boards in the respective said slot.

14. The lamp of claim 11, wherein said plural circuit boards are integrally joined with a center portion that rests on a top of said post, and wherein fold lines define a periphery of said center portion.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising step of attaching a reflector that reflects light from the LED.

15. A method of making a lamp comprising the steps of:

mounting a heat conductive post on a heat conductive portion of a base, the post having an exterior face with a longitudinal slot therein;

sliding a mounting board into the slot, the board having an exterior surface with an LED thereon; and

holding the mounting board in the slot in thermal communication with the post.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of holding the mounting board in the slot comprises the step of mounting a cap on the post opposite the base, the cap abutting a lateral end of the mounting board.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of mounting the cap comprisese the step of press-fitting the cap into a fitting in the post.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the post has N (N>

2) of the exterior face and further comprising the step of making a cross section of the post constant along an entire length of the post.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the post has plural ones of the exterior face each with a respective said slot and wherein plural ones of the mounting board are each slid in a respective said slot,

and further comprising the steps of providing the plural mounting boards as an integral unit where the mounting boards are arms of the unit connected to a central portion, folding the arms at fold lines at a periphery of the center portion, and inserting the folded arms into the slots so that the center portion rests on top of the post.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of providing the base with a first electrical circuit, providing the board with a second electrical circuit that is connected to the LED, and connecting the first and second electrical circuits to each other to connect the LED to the first electrical circuit.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of connecting said first and second electrical circuits to each other comprises the step of connecting a socket of the first electrical circuit to plural contacts of the second electrical circuit that are adjacent to an end of the board opposite the cap.

23. A method of assembling a lamp comprising the steps of:

providing a heat sink having a first electrical connection thereon;

attaching a heat conductive post to said heat sink, said post extending longitudinally from said heat sink and having a bottom in thermal communication with said heat sink, said post having plural longitudinal faces where each of said longitudinal faces has a longitudinally extending slot therein;

sliding a respective metal clad circuit board into each said slot so that each said circuit board is in thermal communication with said post, each said circuit board having (a) a first lateral end surface abutting one of said heat sink and said first electrical connection, (b) an exterior longitudinal surface with at least one LED thereon and (c) a second electrical connection adjacent to the first lateral end surface of said circuit board, and (d) a circuit connecting said LED to said second electrical connection;

electrically connecting said first and second electrical connections to each other; and

holding each said circuit board in a respective said slot by attaching a cap on a top of said post opposite said heat sink, said cap abutting a second lateral end surface of each said circuit board opposite said first lateral end surface, each said circuit board being captured between said cap and one of said heat sink and said first electrical connection.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of urging said circuit boards into thermal communication with said post by providing each said slot with a longitudinal rib that presses against an interior surface of the respective one of said circuit boards and holding longitudinal edges of the exterior surface of each of said circuit boards with edges of the respective said slot.