Patent Application
20140104858
This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/715,075 titled Lighting Device with Integrally Molded Cooling System and Associated Methods filed Oct. 17, 2012, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to the fields of lighting devices and, more specifically, to the design and manufacture of integrally molded base systems for lighting devices, and associated methods.
Lighting technologies such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer significant advantages over incandescent and fluorescent lamps. These advantages include, but are not limited to, better lighting quality, longer operating life, and lower energy consumption. LEDs also are being designed to have more desirable color temperatures than do traditional lamps. Moreover, LEDs do not contain mercury or any other toxic substance. Consequently, a market exists for LED-based lamps as retrofits for legacy lighting fixtures.
A number of design challenges and costs are associated with replacing traditional lamps with LED illumination devices. Some of these design challenges include thermal management, installation ease, and manufacturing cost control.
Compared to incandescent and fluorescent lamps, LED-based lighting solutions have relatively high manufacturing and component costs. These costs are often compounded by a need to replace or reconfigure a light fixture that is designed to support incandescent or fluorescent lamps to instead support LEDs. Consequently, the cost of adoption of digital lighting technology, particularly in the consumer household market, is driven by design choices for retrofit LED-based lamps that impact both cost of manufacture and ease of installation.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/420,794 by Chang and Yen discloses an LED light bulb comprising a light source and a cup-shaped lamp head, with its bottom provided with a power connector. The power connector has a screw-connection head and an electric connection point. This system of power connector and electric connection point may, however, be a difficult method to maintain when manufacturing lamps with a multi-component design due to the typically labor-intensive and error-prone conventional hand assembly or semi-automated assembly processes employed.
Much of the cost generated by the manufacture of light bulbs, specifically LED light bulbs, comes out of the time and steps in the manufacturing process. Consequently lamp designs like those described above, which feature additional assembly and parts, suffer from unfavorable costs.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved LED-based lamp for use in a space-limited lamp enclosure, such as a can light fixture. The LED-based lamp may comprise an integrally molded base which, according to embodiments of the present invention, may advantageously position an integrally molded base substantially beneath a molded outer surface. The integrally molded base may also advantageously include a spring clip which may be in electrical communication with the integrally molded base and an external power supply.
The present invention may advantageously provide an integrally molded base for a lighting device that is designed to operate in a space-limited fixture, and that is inexpensive to manufacture, install, and operate. These and other objects, features, and advantages according to the present invention are provided by a lighting device capable of being in electrical communication with an external power source and providing electrical power to the power supply and at least a portion of the lighting device.
The lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a body, a driver circuit, a light source, an electrical contact, a power supply, an integrally molded base, and a heat sink that, when in an assembled configuration, may form an integrally molded enclosure with the light source. The light source may be a light emitting diode (LED) package. The LED package may include an LED and a circuit board functionally coupled to the LED. The electrical contact may comprise at least one of a first, second, and third electrical contact.
The lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an optic. A plurality of molded housings may be configured to include an attaching lip and a circuit board receiving section. The sidewalls of the plurality of molded housings may connect to each other. The body may be configured to include a spring clip which may be in electrical communication with at least one of the integrally molded base and the first electrical contact. The spring clip may be integrally molded to the body.
The present invention may also include a method for manufacturing any of the devices described hereinabove. The method may include the steps of mounting the light source on the circuit board, molding or overmolding the circuit board with the body, and attaching the heat sink to the circuit board and the inner housing. The method may also include molding or overmolding the heat sink with the body, installing electrical circuitry in the outer housing, and integrally molding or overmolding the base to the body.
The method may further include molding or overmolding the base to the body, attaching the driver circuit to the body, attaching the first electrical contact to the body, and attaching the light source to the body. The method may still further include attaching the spring clip to the body, attaching the spring clip to the base, attaching the spring clip to the first electrical contact, and attaching the spring clip to the light source. The method may also include attaching the spring clip to the driver circuit, electrically coupling the spring clip and the light source, electrically coupling the spring clip and the driver circuit, and electrically coupling the spring clip and the first electrical contact.
The method may also include electrically coupling the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, electrically coupling the first electrical contact and the power supply, and electrically coupling the first electrical contact and the driver circuit. The method may further include electrically coupling the second electrical contact and the power supply, electrically coupling the second electrical contact and the driver circuit, electrically coupling the power supply and the driver circuit, and electrically coupling the light source and the driver circuit. The method may still further include electrically coupling the third electrical contact and the light source, electrically coupling the third electrical contact and the power supply, electrically coupling the third electrical contact and the driver circuit, and attaching an optic over the inner housing opposite the light source.
The present invention will now be described fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following embodiments of the present invention are only illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Likewise, throughout this disclosure, the present invention may be referred to as relating to luminaires, digital lighting, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this terminology is only illustrative and does not affect the scope of the invention. For instance, the present invention may just as easily relate to lasers or other digital lighting technologies.
Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention.
Referring now to
Example methods and systems for lighting devices with an integrally molded base 150 are described herein below. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details and/or with different combinations of the details than are given here. Thus, specific embodiments are given for the purpose of simplified explanation and not limitation.
Continuing to refer to
The heat sink 132 may be positioned adjacent to the light source 110, and may abut both the inner housing 122 and the outer housing 142. The heat sink 132 may include a plurality of fins 134. For example, and without limitation, the heat sink 132 may present a frustoconical cup into which the inner housing 122 may be positioned such that the outer periphery of the inner housing 122 may contact the inner periphery of the heat sink 132. As an alternative example, and without limitation, the plurality of fins 134 of the heat sink 132 may be configured as projecting flanges into which the inner housing 122 may be positioned such that the outer periphery of the inner housing 122 may make contact with the inner periphery of the fins 134 of the heat sink 132.
The body 143 and the integrally molded base 150 may be made by molding, overmolding, casting, or stamping of a thermally conductive material. Materials may include, without limitation, metals, metal alloys, carbon allotropes, ceramics, polymers, plastics, and composite materials.
Referring now to
Referring now back to
As illustrated, for example, in
The optic 160 may be configured to interact with light emitted by the light source 110 to refract, reflect, or otherwise redirect incident light. Accordingly, the light source 110 may be disposed such that light emitted therefrom is incident upon the optic 160. The optic 160 may be formed in any shape to impart a desired refraction. In the present embodiment, the optic 160 has a generally concave geometry. Furthermore, the optic 160 may be formed of any material with transparent or translucent properties that comport with the desired refraction to be performed by the optic 160.
Additionally, in some embodiments, the optic 160 may include a color conversion layer. The color conversion layer may be a layer of material positioned adjacent an inner surface of the optic 160. The color conversion layer may be configured to receive light within a wavelength range emitted by the light source 110 and to convert the received light into a converted light within another wavelength range. More details regarding the color conversion layer may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/745,244 titled Remote Light Wavelength Conversion Device and Associated Methods, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
As shown in
Referring now to
Additionally, in some embodiments, an inner surface of the inner housing 122 that is in optical communication with the interior volume 124 of the inner housing 122 may be generally reflective. In some further embodiments, the inner surface of the inner housing 122 may include a reflective layer positioned thereupon to increase the reflectance of light incident thereupon. Moreover, the inner surface of the inner housing 122 may be configured to reflect light incident thereupon in the direction of the optic 160. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the inner surface of the inner housing may include a color conversion layer as described hereinabove.
For example, and without limitation, the body 143 may be formed into any tubular shape, including a circle, ovoid, square, rectangle, triangle, or any other polygon. Referring to the embodiment of the lighting device 100 shown in
In order to maintain a fluid seal between the circuitry chamber 148 and the environment external to the lighting device 100, the body 143 may further include a sealing member. The sealing member may include any device or material that can provide a fluid seal as described above. For example, and without limitation, the sealing member may form a fluid seal between the body 143 and the integrally molded base 150. Other embodiments may have the circuitry chamber 148 disposed on other parts of the cooling system 120 and the body 143.
As perhaps best illustrated in
In one embodiment of the invention, and as illustrated, for example, in
In another embodiment, the lighting fixture 100 may comprise the body 143, the light source 110, the first and third electrical contacts 151, 153, the power supply 140, and the driver circuit 115. The body 143 may define the circuitry chamber 148 and include the integrally molded base 150. The light source 110 may be carried by the body 143. Additionally, the first electrical contact 151 may be carried by the body 143. The first electrical contact 151 may be positioned in electrical communication with the power supply 140.
Although only partially illustrated in
Referring to
For example, and without limitation, at least one of molding and overmolding of the body 143 and the integrally molded base 150 may be accomplished by any molding process known in the art, including, but not limited to blow molding, sintering, compression molding, extrusion molding, injection molding, matrix molding, transfer molding, and thermoforming. At least one of the driver circuit 115, the first electrical contact 151, the light source 110, the spring clip, and the heat sink 132 may be attached to the body 143. Furthermore, in some embodiments, at least one of the driver circuit 115, the first electrical contact 151, the spring clip, and the heat sink 132 may be integrally molded to the body 143. Additionally, in some embodiments, at least one of the light source 110, the first electrical contact 151, and the spring clip may be electrically coupled to the driver circuit 115.
The light source 110 may be formed by mounting LEDs 112 on a circuit board 114. Some portion of the circuit board 114 may be overmolded with the inner housing 122 such that the circuit board receiving groove 129 may be formed in the sidewall 126 of the inner housing 122, and thereby used to mate the light source 110 with the inner housing 122.
In some embodiments, the heat sink 132 may be positioned over the inner housing 122 such that the base plate 136 of the heat sink 132 may contact the circuit board 114 and such that the inner periphery of the fins 134 of the heat sink 132 may contact the outer periphery of the inner housing 122. Furthermore, some portion of the heat sink 132 may be overmolded with at least one of the inner housing 122, the outer housing 142, and the body 143 such that a head 145 of the outer housing 142 may be formed to contact the base plate 136 of the heat sink 132 opposite the inner housing 122, and such that fin guards 147 may be formed to create a channel within which a fin 134 of the heat sink 132 may be fittedly positioned. The fin guards 147 may connect to and mechanically support the body 143 that may be substantially hollow to present the circuitry chamber 148 configured to contain the power supply 140 and electronic control devices within the body 143.
For example, and without limitation, overmolding of the inner housing 122 and the outer housing 142 may be accomplished by any molding process known in the art, including, but not limited to blow molding, sintering, compression molding, extrusion molding, injection molding, matrix molding, transfer molding, and thermoforming. The power supply 140 and other electronic circuitry may be installed into the circuitry chamber 148 of the body 143. The power supply 140 may include the second and third electrical contacts 152, 153 and the driver circuit 115. The method is ended where an optic 160 may be attached to the lighting device 100 at an attaching lip 128.
Additionally, and without limitation, at least one of the body 143 and the integrally molded base 150 may consist of a material having a thermal conductivity≧150 Watts per meter-Kelvin; a material having a thermal conductivity≧200 Watts per meter-Kelvin; aluminum; an aluminum alloy; a magnesium alloy; a metal loaded plastics material; a carbon loaded plastics material; a thermally conducting ceramic material; an aluminum silicon carbide material; and a plastic.
Accordingly, the method of manufacture allows a manufacturer of the lighting device 100 to advantageously mold or overmold an integrally molded base 150 integrally into at least one of the inner housing 122, the outer housing 142, and the body 143 in such a way that minimizes costly and error-prone manual assembly, and that supports a lamp design with superior manufacturing characteristics.
The method of manufacture further allows a manufacturer of the lighting device 100 to first mold the body 143 and the integrally molded base 150. The power supply 140, the second and third electrical contacts 152, 153, the circuit board 114, the light source 110, and the driver circuit 115 may be attached to the body 143 through an opening at either end of the circuitry chamber 148. The first electrical contact 151 may be at least one of molded and overmolded with the body 143.
In one method embodiment, the method may be directed to manufacturing the lighting device 100 that comprises the body 143, the light source 110, and the driver circuit 115. The body 143 may define the circuitry chamber 148 and may comprise the integrally molded base 150 and the first electrical contact 151. The light source 110 may be carried by the body 143. The driver circuit 115 may be carried within the circuitry chamber 148. The method starts wherein the body 143 and a base may be integrally formed to define the integrally molded base 150. At least one of the driver circuit 115 and the first electrical contact 151 may be integrally connected to the body 143. The light source 110 may be fixedly attached to the body 143. The light source 110 may be positioned to be in electrical communication with the driver circuit 115. The first electrical contact 151 may be positioned to be in electrical communication with the driver circuit 115.
Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.
While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61715075 | Oct 2012 | US |
