Patent Grant
7946731
This invention relates generally to electronic lighting systems and more particularly to light emitting diode (LED) systems that are useable for lighting channel letters and for other applications.
LEDs are a solid state lamps that use semiconductor material instead of a filament or neon gas. When compared to traditional (i.e., fluorescent or incandescent) light bulbs, LEDs offer a number of advantages. For example, because LEDs operate on low voltage and consume less power, they are less expensive to operate and generate significantly less heat than traditional light bulbs. Also, because LEDs are of solid state design, they are more durable and less likely to break than traditional bulbs. Another advantage of LEDs is their long life. Some LED lamps can operate for up to 100,000 hours, compared to about 1500 hours for a standard filament light bulb. Moreover, LEDs are environmentally friendly, contain no mercury and produce no electromagnetic emissions. Another advantage is that a single LED bulb can produce many different colors without the need for colored coatings or lenses.
The prior art has included a number of LED lighting modules. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,306 (Pan) describes an LED illuminating module includes a supporting frame and an illuminating unit. The supporting frame has a top surface and an elongated reflective channel indented on the top surface and defining a peripheral reflective wall inclinedly extended from a bottom wall of the reflective channel. The illumination unit includes a light circuit supported by the supporting frame and a plurality of illuminators which are electrically mounted to the light circuit and spacedly aligned along the reflective channel, wherein each of the illuminators forms as a point of light source for radially emitting light towards the reflective wall, such that the reflective wall is adapted for reflectively accumulating the lights of the illuminators within the reflective channel, so as to merge the points of light source to form a line of light source along the reflective channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,143 (Hacker) describes an LED module having a plurality of mixed-light LEDs and additional LEDs, wherein each of the additional LEDs has a plurality of LED chips. The LED chips have different emission wavelengths, which, in each instance, are arranged in a common housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,045,965 (Li et al.) describes a lighting module that includes a pair of LEDs having the same polarity connected in parallel. These parallel LEDs with the same polarity are purported to increase the reliability of the light module and make it suitable for use in light strings where a relatively large number of such light modules are connected in series and where the failure of one such light module will cause the failure of the entire light string.
One area where LED lighting modules are now used is in the lighting of channel letter signage. Channel letter sinage typically consists of a series of Iluminated channel letters, each of which consists of a channel (e.g., generally “U” shapped) housing in the form of a letter, one or more light emitters mounted within the channel housing and a translucent lens positioned over the front of the housing to transmit light from within the housing. Channel letters are commonly found on the outside of buildings and are often used to advertise the name of the business. Channel letters have typically been illuminated by neon or fluorescent light sources that are mounted within the channel housing. However, such neon and fluorescent light sources have a relatively short operating lives, are fragile, require high voltage (e.g., 7,000 to 15,000 volts for neon) and can be expensive to operate because they consume substantial amounts of power.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,495 (Sloan et al.) describes the use of LEDs for channel letter lighting and, in particular, a channel letter lighting unit that comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a linear row of light emitting elements, such as LEDs. Input wires transmit a power signal to the PCB to illuminate the plurality of light emitting elements, and output wires transmit the power signal from the PCB. The PCB is mounted within an elongate, thermally conductive extrusion such that light emitted from the row of LEDs transmits light away from the extrusion. The extrusion purportedly promotes the dissipation of heat from the LEDs. A mounting mechanism is included for mounting the extrusion within a channel letter housing. A plurality of these channel lighting units may be electrically connected to one another so that a power signal applied to the lighting system is transmitted to each of the plurality of lighting units.
There remains a need in the art for the development of improved LED lighting modules that may be useable in channel letter lighting applications and/or other applications.
The present invention provides LED lighting modules and methods useable for various applications, including but not limited to channel letter lighting.
In accordance with this invention, there are provided LED lighting modules that generally comprise: a) a frame or housing, b) a circuit board that comprises a solid state circuit and is mounted on the frame or in the housing, c) one or more LEDs connected to the solid state circuit and d) at least one of the following:
In embodiments of the LED module which incorporate the heat sink, such heat sink may comprise a central portion which resides within the frame or housing (e.g., in contact with the circuit board) and one or more outer portion(s) (e.g., wing(s) or other protrusion(s)) that extend outboard of the frame or housing. The outer portion(s) may have openings (e.g., slots or other holes or apertures) through which air may circulate. Additionally or alternatively, the outer portion(s) of the heat sink may be configured such that all or part of the outer portion(s) remain a spaced distance away from a surface on which the LED module assembly is mounted, thereby allowing air to circulate between that surface and the outer portion(s) of the heat sink.
In some embodiments of the LED module which incorporate the power regulator, such power regulator may comprise a zener clamped base drive voltage in a full wave rectified voltage applied to the LED(s) to control power dissipation over load and line variations. In other embodiments, the power regulator may comprise a voltage reference and a transistor which operate on full waive rectified alternating current (AC). The inclusion of such power regulator provides better control of current to the LED(s) enables the use of AC voltage between LED serially connected LED modules thereby reducing the potential for electrolysis and/or interconnect corrosion.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there are provided channel letter devices and systems which incorporate one or more LED module assemblies of the present invention as light sources.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, there are provided methods for operating a series of LED modules, such methods comprising the use of AC voltage between the modules so as to reduce electrolysis and/or interconnect corrosion.
Further aspects, elements and objects of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading of the detailed description and examples set forth below.
The following detailed description and examples, as well as the accompanying drawings, are illustrative in nature. They are provided for the purpose of describing some, but not all, possible embodiments or examples of the invention and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.
LED lighting for use in channel letters is currently available. Such channel letter LED lighting typically consists of a series of modules, each module consisting of a circuit board with a group of LEDs mounted thereon. These LED modules are wired in series and mounted within the channel letters such that the LEDs provide uniform light which is cast through a translucent panel on the face of each letter.
The present invention provides high power LED devices and systems useable for lighting relatively large channel letters and for other lighting applications such as light box illumination, back lighting, cove lighting, signage lighting, integration into luminaries, etc. In accordance with this invention there is provided, for example, a multiple 1 Watt LED, module that is useable for a variety of specific applications including but not limited to the illumination of relatively large channel letters (e.g., channel letters greater than 30 inches in height), menu board illumination applications, illuminated street sign applications, illuminated Kiosk applications and high brightness LED applications.
In the LED module 12a shown in
In either embodiment, the heat sink 16, 16a has a central portion 40, 40a that resides between the circuit board 18, 18a and the floor of the housing 14. The outer portions 24, 24a, 28, 28a of the heat sink 16, 16a extend outboard of the frame or housing 14. A thermally conductive material, such as thermal tape 42 having adhesive on both sides may be positioned between the central portion 40, 40a of the heat sink 16, 16a and the circuit board 18 to conduct heat away from the circuit board 18 and into the heat sink 18, 18a. Such heat will then be conducted to the outer portions 24, 28 of the heat sink 16, 16a and will dissipate therefrom.
In some embodiments, the outer portions 24, 24a, 28, 28a of the heat sink 16, 16a may be configured such that an air flow space 26 exists between them and a surface upon which the LED module 12a, 12b is positioned. Also, in some embodiments, openings such as slots 30 may be formed in the outer portions 24, 24a, 2828a of the heat sink 16, 16a to allow air flow therethrough. In the particular example shown in
The following Table 1 describes the components shown in
The following Table 2 shows a list of components shown in
Two or more of these LED modules 12a, 12b may be connected in a series string to provide the desired amount and configuration of illumination, an example of which is seen in
Use Existing Architecture of low power channel letter system
Avoid use of Aluminum Clad PCB
Run on 12 VAC
75 plus Lumens per Module
Low Cost
Easy Replacement of Module in Field
Light Large Letters
Novel Design, High Reliability, Performance
Modular Interconnect
Integral Heat Sink
One Watt power LED's all require some method of heat transfer to function without over heating. Small package sizes cannot dissipate the heat from the high power dissipated in the devices themselves. A thermal conduction plate is integral to all power LED's and leaves the user the task to provide an external heat sink or other means of removing the heat from the LED. The most common way used today is to use a printed circuit card with an aluminum substrate to do this. However the board is single sided and quite expensive. Also only SMT components can be used which limits the type of on board connectors and things that can be mounted to the board.
The LED's 20 may be mounted on a standard multi-layer FR-4 material printed circuit card. Cooling is achieved in a different way by using a pad on the top surface of the PCB with plated through holes thermally connecting the top layer to the bottom layer of the PCB. The bottom side of the PCB has a large copper pad which transmits heat to the heat sink 18 by use of thermally conductive double sided tape. In at least some embodiments, the plated thru holes may be filled with solder from a wave solder process. The copper pad on the bottom of the circuit board 18 will collect solder in the wave process (know as “ice sickling”) due to the large area. To correct this, the solder mask may cover the bottom pad but may be broken with an array of holes in the mask to keep solder build up down, yet provide a good thermal path to the thermally conductive tape.
In applications where a 1 Watt LED module is mounted within an enclosure (e.g., inside of a channel letter), the plastic module used in the 1 Watt LED is product family isolates the bottom of the PCB from the outside air flow such that it is desirable to create a heat sink that can conduct the heat from the bottom thermal pad on the PCB to the outside ambient air was required. The PCB is attached to the thermal tape and secured with two screws and nuts to keep the heat sink and PCB under pressure thru the thermal tape. This assures a good contact to the tape even if the adhesive fails.
The LED module of the present invention may use either 3 AlInGap or 3 InGaN LED's to match voltage drops to the source so that same design can be used for all colors and only use one power supply. This achieves an objective of keeping the product architecture and components to a minimum.
The cables should be revised to use 16 AWG wire instead of 18 AWG to lessen voltage drops caused by the increased current flows. The power modules do provide 4 connection points to allow matrix connections and multiple power feeds if voltage drop becomes an issue. This offers a number of advantages over the series resistor units of the prior art, including:
The ability to drive LED's closer to max spec without current increases;
Cuts down on dissipation when line voltage is high only have (V+)×I;
Power increase is not (V+) (I delta+I). This is about a 20 to 25% reduction depending on Vfd LED and V delta of ac line and IR drop of transformer and wiring;
Novel use of current source on AC power, Regulates on peaks of each cycle to keep power almost constant;
Provides more brightness and more constant heat dissipation over line variations; and
Heat is only on Transistor as load changes, easier to heat sink.
In use, the 1 Watt LED lighting modules of the present invention can provide:
High Brightness 75 Lumens per module
LED Design
All Colors Red, Amber, Green, Aqua, Blue, White
Modular, Matrix Connected
Low Cost Dollars per Lumen
12 VAC operation
Lights Large Letters
Replaces Neon or Florescent Tubes and Ballast
Long Life 50K-100K Hours
5 Watt Modules
Architecturally same as Existing Product
Easy Installation and Repair
It is to be appreciated that the invention has been described herein with reference to certain examples or embodiments of the invention but that various additions, deletions, alterations and modifications may be made to those examples and embodiments without departing from the intended spirit and scope of the invention. For example, any element or attribute of one embodiment or example may be incorporated into or used with another embodiment or example, unless to do so would render the embodiment or example unsuitable for its intended use. All reasonable additions, deletions, modifications and alterations are to be considered equivalents of the described examples and embodiments and are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/773,830 filed Feb. 15, 2006, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6578986 | Swaris et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 6712486 | Popovich et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
| 6846093 | Swaris et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 6932495 | Sloan et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 7045965 | Li et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7125143 | Hacker | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| 7175306 | Pan | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60773830 | Feb 2006 | US |
