The present invention pertains to outdoor lights; more particularly, the present invention pertains to outdoor lights typically used in residential applications to light walkways or to provide decorative illumination in yards or gardens.
In recent years, a popular product for homeowners has been a system of lights that are used to light a walkway leading up to the front door of a residence, to accent the border of a patio or outdoor space, or to decorate a yard or a garden. Others use the lights near a walkway as a safety precaution to properly direct those using the walkway onto its hard surface. These systems of lights are designed to use the commonly available 120 v AC electrical energy found in most U.S. residences. A transformer reduces the voltage from 120 v AC house current to a much lower level, such as 11 volts, 12 volts, or 16 volts. The reduced voltage AC is then provided to a series of low-voltage incandescent lamps which are connected one to another by electrical wiring. For decorative purposes, the low-voltage lamps are contained in a wide variety of stylized fixtures. Homeowners select stylized fixtures to blend with other light fixtures being used or to match the decor of their residence.
Some of the low-voltage AC lighting systems for residential use also include a mechanical timer. The mechanical timer is typically set to provide electrical power to the low-voltage lamps beginning at dusk and ending either a few hours later or in the early morning.
The popularity of low-voltage AC lighting systems for residential use is due to the dramatic impact that these systems can make on the appearance of a house or a yard for a relatively low cost. Additionally, these systems have become quite popular because of the ease with which a low-voltage AC lighting system is installed. Specifically, the homeowner simply pushes a stake at the bottom of each fixture into the ground, covers over the wire between the fixtures with some dirt, connects the transformer to house current, and sets the timer—and the system is operational.
In some more advanced lighting systems, each light fixture has a small connector with internal pins. For these systems, the small connector with internal pins allows the lighting fixtures to be placed anywhere along the wire conducting the low-voltage AC away from the transformer. The internal pins are configured to pierce the insulation on the wire conducting the low-voltage AC away from the transformer, thus giving the user the ability to locate the light fixture at a desired location on the wire.
While low-voltage garden-style lighting has become popular, it is not without its problems. The lamps provided in low-voltage garden-style lighting blow out frequently and must be regularly replaced. It has also been found that the cost of prior-art low-voltage garden-style lighting is above what many consumers are willing to pay for such lighting. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a low-cost low-voltage garden-style lighting system that will provide greater reliability.
In the past several years, there has been an explosion in the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in a variety of applications. Initially, LEDs were small and did not provide a significant degree of illumination. Accordingly, LEDs were often used as indicator lights and not as a source of illumination. However, as the technology surrounding the construction and use of LEDs has progressed, LEDs are now being used in many illumination applications where incandescent lamps were once previously used. However, since the amount of light produced by LEDs is still small in comparison to many incandescent lamps, there remains a need in the art to maximize the illumination provided by one or more LEDs and to place the LEDs in a package similar to an incandescent light for user convenience.
The present invention provides a combination of a low cost, low voltage power supply with a new LED bulb which, using a new design of interior light reflection, produces more illumination than that of a simple collection of multiple LED's. The garden lights of the present invention also include electronic circuitry which permits the LED bulb to be inserted without regard to polarity. Additionally, the low-cost, reliable low-voltage garden-style lighting system of the present invention, includes: 1) an electronic base transformer for converting 120-volt AC house current to a 12-volt DC, 2) an electrical power supply line extending from said transformer, 3) one or more light fixtures attached to said power line, and 4) light fixtures which include a socket and at least one LED.
A better understanding of the Low Voltage LED Garden Light System of the present invention may be had from the attached drawing figures, wherein:
While there are many applications for the Low Voltage Garden Lights of the present invention,
In the preferred embodiment, the electronic base transformer will also include an electronic timer which allows a user to set a time of day for the lights to come on and another time of day for the lights to turn off or a photo cell that operates the system from dusk to dawn.
Each of the light fixtures in the low-voltage garden-style lighting system includes a connecting adaptor having copper needles therein. These copper needles pierce the insulation around the main secondary cable so that the lighting fixtures can be located as desired on the main secondary cable, and direct current can be provided to the light fixtures.
Each one of the light fixtures includes a socket for mounting an LED lamp and an LED lamp. These LED lamps provide several advantages over incandescent LED lamps. These advantages are lower power consumption, lower glare, and substantially longer life. In addition, LED lamps are available in several colors, such as red, white, green, blue, and yellow. Accordingly, users can easily change the color of the LED lamps 10 to provide decorative lighting to match seasons or holiday decorations. Heretofore, prior-art low-voltage incandescent lamps were not offered in a range of colors.
As may be seen in
The construction of the LED bulb 10 of the present invention is best understood by reference to
Because LED lamps have a polarity, they generally must be placed in their sockets in a predetermined way. According to the present invention, the LED lamps can be placed in their sockets either way, and the electrical circuity within the system, as shown in
The terminal pins 50 receive electrical energy when plugged into openings 108 in a socket 106. This electrical energy is conducted to an integrated circuit on a chip or wafer 80 sized to fit within the lower cover assembly 40. An example of the integrated circuit 85 included in the chip or wafer 80 appears in
Connecting the leads 92 from the LEDs 90 to a power source is a pair of terminal pins 50. The terminal pins 50 are connected to an electrical circuit 85 within the LED bulb 10 which permits electrical energy to flow only in only one direction to the one or more LEDs 90 within the LED bulb 10. Such circuits 85 are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art who use a polarized power source to provide electrical energy. The terminal pins 50 are the same size so that there is no need to identify the polarity of the LEDs 90, and the LED bulb 10 of the present invention may be placed in a socket 106 irrespective of the orientation of the terminal pins 50.
The bottom of the hollow top portion 30 of the bullet-shaped enclosure assembly 20 is shaped to fit within a shoulder recess 27. The space 25 within the enclosure assembly 20 of sufficient size to accommodate one or more LEDs 90. When illuminated, the emitted light from the LEDs 90 will reflect from the sides of the concave opening 26 and from the interior surface 32 of the hollow top portion 30. This reflection of emitted light will cause the central portion 22 and the top portion 30 of the enclosure assembly 20 to give the appearance of being filled with light.
Because LEDs 90 which are used for illumination purposes also emit a lot of heat, the central portion 22 of the bullet-shaped enclosure assembly 20 includes one or more vent holes 23 to promote the entry of ambient air into the space 25 within the bullet-shaped enclosure assembly 20. To provide additional cooling, the LEDs 90 are mounted so that they are elevated to a position near the midst of the opening 25 within the enclosure assembly 20. Such mounting exposes a portion of the leads 92 from the LEDs 90 to ambient air. This exposure of a portion of the leads 92 to ambient air assists in conducting heat away from the LEDs 90.
In
Manufacture of the LED bulb utilized in the present invention may be accomplished in a variety of ways; however, workable LED bulbs 10 have been produced using the following steps:
mounting the electrically polarized LEDs 90 to a miniaturized circuit 85 having terminal pins 50 extending therefrom. The circuit 85 assures that the LEDs 90 receive electrical energy in the needed polarity to properly illuminate;
placing the LEDs 90 and a wafer containing the circuit 85 in the lower cover assembly 40;
placing the central portion 22 of the enclosure assembly 20 including at least one reflective surface therein over the LEDs 90 such that central portion 22 of the enclosure assembly 20 engages the lower cover assembly 40;
placing the hollow top portion 30 including at least one reflective surface 32 therein on the central portion 22 of the enclosure assembly 20.
While the LED bulb 10 utilized in the present invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiment in what some might call a flame or bullet shaped enclosure assembly, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that numerous other designs of enclosure assemblies may be used without departing from the disclosed invention. Such other systems may include cylinders with round or flat sides, spheres, cones, or the typical bulbous shape found in many incandescent light bulbs.
Those familiar with LED lamps will realize that the service life of an LED lamp is about 10,000 hours. That is significantly longer than the service life of a low-voltage incandescent lamp. Accordingly, the system of the present invention will provide much longer service life than the low-voltage system with incandescent lamps, without any maintenance or lamp replacement.
Finally, those familiar with LED lamps and the cost of electrical components will understand that the cost of the various components in the disclosed lighting system is significantly less than the cost of the components in a low-voltage lighting system using incandescent lamps. Accordingly, the disclosed system will be attractive to those previously not willing to pay the cost of a system with incandescent lights.
The low voltage garden lights of the present invention maximizes the illumination produced by a set of LEDs and places the LEDs in a package which is easily handled and replaced as needed for user convenience. In addition, the LEDs are wired so that the prongs or terminal pin connectors located on the base of the LED bulb of the present invention may be placed in a socket in either direction. To prolong the life of the LEDs within the LED bulb, the mounting of the LEDs within the LED bulb promotes cooling of the LEDs. Maximization of illumination is accomplished by the use of multiple reflective surfaces within the LED bulb to disperse the light rays emitted by the LEDs within the LED bulb enclosure.
While the present invention has been disclosed according to a preferred embodiment, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other embodiments of the disclosed invention will be enabled by the foregoing disclosure. Such other embodiments shall be included within the scope and meaning of the appended claims.
This utility patent application makes reference to and seeks the benefit of the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications: 1) 60/754407 filed Dec. 28, 2005, 2) 60/784613 filed Mar. 22, 2006, 3) 60/722062 filed Sep. 29, 2005 and 4) 60/725410 filed Oct. 11, 2005.
The invention described in this application was not the subject of federally sponsored research or development.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60754407 | Dec 2005 | US | |
60784613 | Mar 2006 | US | |
60722062 | Sep 2005 | US | |
60725410 | Oct 2005 | US |