IE84147B1

IE84147B1 - A utility lamp

Info

Publication number: IE84147B1
Application number: IE2005/0088A
Authority: IE
Inventors: M. Kelly William
Original assignee: William M Kelly
Filing date: 2005-02-17
Publication date: 2006-02-22

Abstract

ABSTRACT A utility lamp (1) comprises a curved reﬂector (2) having a spherically curved surface. An array of LEDS (3) is arranged in an electrical circuit on a thin substrate mounted via thermally conductive epoxy on a thermally-conductive base (4), which in turn forms an integral part of the reflector (2). The LEDS are mounted for efficient heat transfer by conduction to the reflector (2). The reﬂector (2) thus operates as both a light reflector and as a radiative heat sink. The heat radiating properties of the reflector are enhanced by integral fins (7) extending in the radial direction around the periphery of the reflector (2). The reflector (2) is of integral aluminium construction.

Description

‘A utility lamp INTRODUCTION Field of the Invention The invention relates to a utility lamp of the type for a wide range of uses such as illuminating shop windows or general domestic use.

Prior Art Discussion At present, most such lamps have as a light source a ﬂuorescent tube or an incandescent bulb. However, these suffer from having a relatively short life, some hundreds of hours, and so frequent replacement is necessary. In addition, the conversion efﬁciency from electrical power to light is not Very good, especially for incandescent sources. It has been proposed in patent literature to use light emitting diodes (LEDS) instead as the light source, since LEDS have lifetimes of more than 100,000 hours provided the operating temperature of the LEDs is kept within the required limits, and have good operating efficiencies. US6367949 describes an approach in which a heat sink housing is provided for the LEDs. US6499860 describes an approach in which a glass bulb is of conventional construction, however a prism supporting triangular arrays of LEDs is mounted inside the bulb. EPl353l20 describes a vehicle lamp having LEDs mounted on a heat conductive post for emitting light which is reﬂected from a reﬂector.

US6350041 and US2003/0227774 both describe arrangements in which heat is conducted from the LEDs through an LED support and to heat sink ﬁns protruding away on the side opposite the light—emitting side. US6799864 describes a lamp in which LEDS are in thermal contact with a thermal spreader having ﬁns extending in a direction opposed to the light-transmitting direction.

US650430l describes a lamp in which some problems associated with LED heat generation and dissipation are addressed by providing a particular type of silicone gel material which is light-transmissive, has good heat conduction and is soft so that it does not damage bond wires.

It appears that these approaches all suffer from being complex and thus difficult to produce in high volumes with low cost for the mass market.

The invention is directed towards providing an improved lamp using light emitting diodes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is provided a utility lamp comprising a group of at least one light emitting diode mounted within a reﬂector, wherein: the reﬂector comprises a base and a wall having an internal light-reﬂecting surface; and the diode group is mounted on the reﬂector base so that: some emitted light reﬂects from the internal surface of the reﬂector wall, and heat is conducted into the reﬂector, and the reﬂector radiates this heat from its exposed surfaces.

In one embodiment, the reﬂector wall comprises thermal dissipation ﬁns.

In one embodiment, the fins are on an external surface of the reﬂector wall.

In one embodiment, the diode group is mounted on a thermally-conductive circuit board which is secured to the reﬂector base by a therrnally-conductive bonding agent.

In one embodiment, the bonding agent is thermally-conductive epoxy.

In another embodiment, the reﬂector is of greater cross—sectiona1 area at the base than at the wall.

In one embodiment, the lamp further comprises a diode drive circuit mounted in a housing on the reﬂector base on a side opposed to that of the diode group, the housing being in thermal Contact with the reﬂector.

In one embodiment, an electrical connector ﬁxture is secured to the housing.

In one embodiment, the circuit board comprises a metal layer.

In one embodiment, the metal layer underlies a multi-layer circuit board structure.

In another embodiment, each diode is of the surface mount type, the anode and cathode of which are soldered to metal tracks which have a thermal path to the reﬂector.

In one embodiment, the reﬂector shape is spherical.

In one embodiment, the reﬂector shape is parabolic, or alternatively hyperbolidal, or ellipsoidal.

In one embodiment, the lamp further comprises an optical element mounted over the diode group.

In a further embodiment, the optical element comprises an internal reﬂector for reﬂecting light from the diode group onto the heat-dissipating reﬂector.

In one embodiment, the internal reﬂector is of conical or frusto—conical shape.

In one embodiment, the internal reﬂector comprises a central aperture for narrow- angle light and a lens aligned with the aperture for focusing said light.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:— Fig. l is a diagrammatic cross-sectional sketch of a utility lamp of the invention; Figs. 2 to 4 are cross-sectional sketches of alternative utility lamps of the invention; and Fig. 5 is a more detailed diagram showing mounting of LEDs on a substrate in thermal contact with the lamp’s reﬂector; Fig. 6 is a plan View showing the arrangement of LEDs in another embodiment; Fig 7 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a simple lamp, having only one LED; Fig 8 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a further lamp; and Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a lamp of the invention having a reﬂector with an elevated base for LED support.

Description of the Embodiments Referring to Fig. l a utility lamp 1 comprises a curved reﬂector 2 having a spherically curved surface. An array or group of LEDS 3 is arranged in an electrical circuit on a thin substrate mounted via thermally conductive epoxy on a thermally-conductive base 4, which in turn forms an integral part of the reflector 2. The light emitted from the array is typically distributed into a beamwidth (full width, half max) of 120°. For most practical applications this wide beamwidth makes it difﬁcult to provide adequate illumination on the target area because the intensity has dropped off so much at that point. Therefore, in order to provide a narrower beamwidth of the light from the LEDs some optical elements are provided for beam shaping, according to the application.

The reﬂector 2 is provided for this purpose.

An internal conical reﬂector 5 is mounted inside the reﬂector 2, with the apex of the cone facing towards the LEDS 3. The internal reﬂector 5 is mounted on cantilever supports, not shown, so as to provide negligible obscuration of the light emitted from the lamp. The electronic drive circuit of the LEDS 3 is connected to a standard bayonet ﬁxture 6. The ﬁxture may alternatively be of any of the standard ﬁxture types such as bayonet, two pin, or screw—in.

In use, light emitted by the LEDs 3 either directly exits the lamp, as shown by ray L1, or reﬂects from the internal reﬂector 5 and then the main reﬂector 2 as shown by the rays L2. Another possibility is shown by rays L3, which are redirected directly by the reﬂector 2. Thus, the emission angle of the light is generally, with the exception of a portion of the L1 rays, conﬁned to the required beam angle either by the reﬂector 2 directly, or by the reﬂector 2 combined with the reﬂector 5. Also, there is excellent uniformity in spatial spread of light in generally circular cross sections spreading from the lamp l.

An important aspect is that the LEDs are mounted for efﬁcient heat transfer by conduction to the reﬂector 2. The reﬂector 2 thus operates as both a light reﬂector as illustrated and described above and as a radiating heat sink. The heat radiating properties of the reﬂector are enhanced by integral ﬁns extending in the radial direction around the periphery of the reﬂector 2. The reﬂector with the ﬁns 7 is of integral aluminium construction. The short thermally conductive path from the LEDs to the reﬂector, combined with the thermally radiating properties of the reﬂector enables the operating temperature of the LED junctions to be minimised. This leads to excellent operating stability and long product life. Also, the LEDs may be densely packed. This density provides an intensely concentrated illumination, and the optic element 5 plays an important role in obscuring the illumination to avoid discomfort for users which may arise when light is concentrated very much.

It will be noted that this dual purpose role of the reﬂector allows a much simpler construction of lamp, for example, avoiding need for a heat sink protruding from underneath the LEDs. The conﬁguration of the lamp of the invention is also particularly compact because of avoidance of need for a protruding heat sink.

Regarding the LEDs, an ideal LED source would be a point source in which the required ﬂux comes from a single source of negligible dimension. In practice, because the amount of ﬂux from a single LED is likely to be less than that required in most lamp applications, a number of sources may be required. Thus, being able to pack LED sources densely is an advantage. In one embodiment the packing density of the die is 4/mmz. Alternatively, a single large area LED die, several square mm, may be used as a source and driven with a large current.

The LEDs may be in any suitable arrangement, such as in a high ﬂux package. The main reﬂector may be of metal or any material with good thermal conductivity and which can provide a good reﬂective surface. The ﬁxture may be an electrical mount of any suitable conventional type other than bayonet. The optic element 5 may incorporate an anti-glare feature. Also, it may be more complex than the simple conical shape illustrated. The LEDs may be of any suitable colour or mix of colours, and a diffuser may be included. Phosphor may be included in the optic or directly over the LEDs, so as to produce white light by using ultraviolet or blue LEDS.

The surface shape of the internal reﬂector may be ellipsoidal so as to have differing beam properties in two orthogonal directions. The main reﬂector may not be spherical.

It may have a curved surface of revolution such an ellipsoid or paraboloid or hyberboloid so as to enhance source—to—beam coupling and to achieve better control of beamshape. Indeed the main reﬂector may have ﬂat walls joined at corners to form the desired shape to surround the LEDS. The reﬂector may have any numerically- generated shape for optimised distribution of light.

The back surface of the reﬂector and of the radiating ﬁns may be treated so as to increase their thermal emissivity and improve their radiative performance, such as for example by anodising them black. Also, the reﬂector may be in thermal contact with a housing for the electronics, at a location such as directly below the reﬂector base supporting the LEDs.

Fig. 2 illustrates in a lamp 15 rays 16 which reﬂect from the main reﬂector and rays 17 which directly exit. There is a similar thermal path to the reﬂector, although in this embodiment there are no ﬁns shown. Whether ﬁns are needed for any particular lamp depends upon the amount of electrical power being dissipated in the LEDS, and the maximum recommended operating junction temperature for the particular LEDS being used.

Referring to Fig. 3 a lamp 20 has a reﬂector 21 of spherical curvature and a lens 22 which converts the beams of light from the LEDs, which emit into a relatively large angle of at least 1200 full width half max, to the required smaller beamwidth (such as °) of the complete lamp. In this case the reﬂector 21 has ﬁns 23, of generally annular shape extending around the reﬂector 21. The function of the ﬁns is to increase the available surface area for radiatively cooling the heat sink. They can be arranged radially with respect to the main axis of the reﬂector, or tangential to it, or some random arrangement of ﬁns might be chosen depending upon the most appropriate type for the manufacturing processes being employed. In some cases, chemical surface treatments may be used to provide an adequate increase in effective surface BT68.

The lens may alternatively be plano-convex, or bi—convex, or any form of collimating or condensing lens. The lens may be of one or multiple components.

Referring to Fig. 4 a lamp 30 has a spherical reﬂector 31, an internal reﬂector 32 with a central aperture, and a lens 33 aligned with the central aperture. The optics focus a central part of the source beam and wide-angle rays are re-focused by the main reﬂector 31, intermediate angle rays being re—focused by the secondary mirror 32.

This solves the problem of it being difficult to achieve a single very fast lens which catches all the LED rays which miss the main reﬂector.

Referring to Fig. 5 a lamp 50 comprises a main reﬂector 51 having a disc-shaped base for supporting LEDs via their circuit board. The LEDs are of the surface—mount type, having an anode and a cathode placed on tracks of a multi-layer circuit board. The tracks and internal layers are shown as 53. These have a combined total depth of only about 0.1mm. The LEDs each have a top light - emitting layer. The layers 53 are bonded to an aluminium substrate 54 which forms part of the circuit board and allows excellent thermal conduction. This has a depth of c. lmm. A heat path from the LEDs to the main reﬂector 51 is completed by thermal epoxy 55 which bonds the aluminium layer 55 to the reﬂector. The reﬂector material in the embodiment is spun—aluminium A low profile drive circuit housing 56 is secured to the underneath of the reﬂector 51, and it contains in an unobtrusive manner drive electronics 57 connected to a bayonet fitting 58 and by wiring 59 to contacts 60 on the board 53.

It will be appreciated that this arrangement provides for excellent heat transfer to the reﬂector, and a low-proﬁle compact lamp with little protruding on the side opposed to the LEDs. A standard fitting is provided so that as far as the user is concerned it is a standard utility lamp. The arrangement of the circuit board with deep Al base layer is particularly effective for heat conduction to the reﬂector 51.

Referring to Fig. 6 the central region 70 of an alternative lamp is shown. Again, there is a disc-shaped base 71 of the reﬂector which supports the LEDs. There are LEDS 72 arranged radially and electrically driven by wire bonds 73, which connect the electrodes of the LEDS to the appropriate metal tracks on the thin circuit board layers not shown) which lie beneath. Power is provided via contacts 74 which lead to the main electrical connector (not shown).

Referring to Fig. 7 a lamp 80 has a reﬂector 81 and a single LED 82. The LED 82 is provided with positive and negative electrical connections by having its connecting leads 84 soldered to the connecting wires from the main connector ﬁxture which lies underneath (not shown.) Also, the body of the LED 82 is bonded to the reflector 81 by thermally conductive epoxy 85. While the LED 82 is of high output power and therefore high heat output, the thermal dissipation properties of the LED 82 and the manner in which it is shown connected to a thermally conductive and radiative reﬂector, allow it to be used in a confined space.

Referring to Fig. 8 a lamp 90 has a curved concave reﬂector 91 with ﬁns 92 extending from the base to the reﬂector edge. An array of LEDs 93 is placed on a thin, ﬂexible substrate 94 in good thermal contact with the reﬂector 91. Electrical leads 95 extend through a small aperture in the reflector 91. A conical optical element reﬂector 96 is mounted on—axis above the LED array 93 and is supported by un-obtrusive arms 97.

The reﬂector may in one embodiment incorporate the substrate layers before forming.

This embodiment is particularly suitable for mass—production.

Referring to Fig. 9 a lamp l00 has a reﬂector 101 with radially—extending ﬁns 102.

The reﬂector has an integral pyramid—shaped base 103 having four faces for supporting LEDs 104. The latter are electrically driven via leads 106 extending through a through-hole 105 and connected to a circuit, not shown.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in construction and detail.

Claims

1. Claims A utility lamp comprising a group of at least one light emitting diode mounted within a reﬂector, wherein: the reﬂector comprises a base and a wall having an internal 1ight—reﬂecting surface; the diode group is mounted on the reﬂector base so that: some emitted light reﬂects from the internal surface of the reﬂector wall, and heat is conducted into the reﬂector, and the reﬂector radiates this heat ﬁom its exposed surfaces; wherein the reﬂector wall comprises thermal dissipation fins on an external surface thereof; and wherein the diode group is mounted on a therrnal1y—conductive circuit board which is secured to the reﬂector base by a thermally-conductive bonding agent. A lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bonding agent is thermally- conductive epoxy. A lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reﬂector is of greater cross—sectiona1 area at the base than at the wall. A lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a diode drive circuit mounted in a housing on the reﬂector base on a side opposed to that of the diode group, the housing being in thermal contact with the reﬂector. A lamp as claimed in claim 4, wherein an electrical connector ﬁxture is secured to the housing. A lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the circuit board comprises a metal layer. A lamp as claimed in claim 6, wherein the metal layer underlies a multi-layer circuit board structure. A lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each diode is of the surface mount type, the anode and cathode of which are soldered to metal tracks which have a thermal path to the reﬂector. A utility lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reﬂector shape is spherical. A utility lamp as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reflector shape is parabolic, or alternatively hyperbolidal, or ellipsoidal. A utility lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising an optical element mounted over the diode group. A utility lamp as claimed in claim 11, wherein the optical element comprises an internal reﬂector for reﬂecting light from the diode group onto the heat- dissipating reﬂector. A utility lamp as claimed in claim 12, wherein the internal reﬂector is of conical or frusto-conical shape. A utility lamp as claimed in claim l3, wherein the internal reﬂector comprises a central aperture for narrow-angle light and a lens aligned with the aperture for focusing said light.