Abstract:
The invention relates to a high-power LED luminaire for public lighting. The use of individual diffusers for each LED makes it possible to obtain a light pattern similar to the I/SI type, which is ideal for public lighting. Every PCBA, which is supplied by a power controller, can be exchanged individually by means of a simple method that only requires removing the bottom lid of the luminaire, attachment means and a cover having built-in diffusers. Once said components have been removed, the PCBA can be unscrewed from the base thereof in order to be replaced. The top casing comprises outer and inner projections which improve the temperature exchange with the environment, reducing the operating temperature of the LEDs. The bottom lid has at least one groove that allows air to circulate, also reducing the operating temperature of the LEDs.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention pertains to a luminaire for public lighting that is composed of electronic cards of the PCBA type (their English initials), which are installed inside a housing, it being possible to insert, eliminate, and expand the necessary number of them, whether one or more types of LEDs or variants thereof, to provide different lighting intensities. Covers having one or more light diffusers enclose the PCBA electronic cards. The covers help project the luminous flux of the LEDs to the outside of the luminaire, providing the necessary luminous flux to illuminate the desired area. The diffusers are of parabolic shape, which helps the luminous flux to be projected to the surface being illuminated. The diffusers can have one or more types of curvature, which differ from each other due to their geometry, so that I consider my invention to lie primarily in the technical mechanical and obviously the electrical/electronic field; nevertheless, I suggest that it be evaluated in the mechanical field, since the electronic circuit in itself is not the subject of the present application. 
         [0002]    These areas of engineering, taken together, should help provide a better alternative for the development of a family of light-emitting diode (LED) high-power luminaires to achieve a high level of light. To achieve the best efficiency and performance of the product, the necessary steps will be taken to provide a product with a sufficient level of heat transfer, insulation of electronic components, electrical safety, and the best possible direction of the luminous flux emitted from the high-power LEDs. 
       PRIOR ART 
       [0003]    At present, metal-additive, magnetic-induction, fluorescent, mercury-vapor and sodium-vapor luminaires as well as incandescent bulbs are used for purposes of public lighting in Mexico and other countries around the world. Even though the metal-additive, magnetic-induction and sodium-vapor luminaires (high and low pressure) have shown advantages in comparison with some of the technologies employed in public lighting, these benefits have been surpassed by the high-power LED technology in certain cases. This technology requires one or more LED(s) to be employed to provide the required quantity of light to illuminate a specific area. There are certain characteristics that are required to provide the desired level of illumination, efficiency, and performance. Among other things, the following are some of the requirements for achieving an optimal design: Effective transfer of heat to prevent the high-power LEDs from overheating. Generally the absence of an adequate heat dissipation system increases the possibility of the LEDs becoming overheated, which causes a decline in their performance (causing a premature failure), the brightness and color are altered, and their service life is decreased unless the problem is handled promptly. Therefore, an optimal level of heat transfer is required to prevent the aforementioned problems. Also the electronic circuits, electronic cards, power sources are affected if there is a high level of moisture, dust or other type of contaminant inside the luminaires. Typically, these external agents need to be isolated from the electronic components to obtain an optimal performance. For this reason, the components of our luminaires have been designed to limit as much as possible the presence of these contaminants. In some cases, these contaminants cause corrosion and short circuits, which significantly reduce the service life of the product. Another important aspect in the service life of the LEDs is the current provided to them. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to use power sources with constant current to avoid sudden changes in current and thus assure the service life of the LEDs. Lighting technology based on high-power LEDs has shown a significant reduction in electric power consumption, increased the quality of light, and decreased the production of heat and contaminants. At present, there are companies in various countries of the world that develop and manufacture high-power LED lamps and luminaires. Some examples of high-power LED luminaires on the market are the following: CN20082172829; CN20091239635; CN201368534; CN201001229; CN201259154; the aforementioned technologies have been included as a reference, since they make use of the LED technology. The lamps or luminaires covered in the aforementioned patents include chassis and housings of aluminum, arrangements of LEDs in distinct configurations which are assembled on the printed circuit electronic PCBA cards, which in turn are components of said products. Together with the PCBA cards, which include the high-power LEDs, components with reflecting surfaces and lenses are used to obtain the desired distribution and orientation of the luminous flux. Typically, this type of product uses heat dissipaters in the form of fins, which facilitate the heat transfer from the luminaire to the surroundings and in turn prevent the LEDs from overheating and failing prematurely. Even so, the products on the market lack the ability for changing the PCBA cards if they become damaged. Our luminaires are designed so that the electronic cards can be changed if they get damaged and eliminate the risk of total loss of operation of the luminaire. That is, our invention has the ability for continuous functioning even if one or more PCBA cards is (are) damaged. The intensity and density of the luminous flux will be affected by the absence of the disabled LEDs, but the luminaire will not stop working overall, thus avoiding the purchase and installation of a new luminaire. It should also be mentioned that the capacity of the luminaires can be adjusted to the needs of the customer, since the minimum capacity of the luminaires will be 1 Watt and it could be increased to satisfy the specific need of the customers. This will be of great benefit, since the luminaires could be adapted to the need required by the customer without it being necessary to use a product of higher power than what is required, or even worse, to use a product not having sufficient capacity to illuminate the desired area and endangering the safety of the inhabitants or visitors of a town or community. 
         [0004]    In the journal MULTIPLICA construcción, arquitectura y urbanismo, pp. 22 and 23 of JULY 2011, corresponding to Vol. 6 No. 63, and on line at www.revistamultiplica.com, there is presented an article published by Manuel Huerta Galván and Alfonso Pimentel Castellón, criticizing the performance of LED technology for public lighting, defining a series of problems of the luminaires in public lighting due to the fact that the College of Mechanical Engineers and Electricians of Jalisco (hereinafter, CIMEJ) criticized the use of products making use of LEDs. The CIMEJ used as its reference the luminaires making use of this technology in some avenues or streets of Guadalajara, or municipalities like Chapala, Cocula, among others, arguing that the following reasons for failure exist for the installation of LED technology in public lighting, namely (VERBATIM):
       a) Considering the parameters of luminous flux emitted (Im/W) and service life, with the values indicated by the manufacturers of LEDs, values which are calculated in nominal conditions of 25 degrees Centigrade, but during the operation of the LED in a luminaire the latter is heated and depends on the mechanical design for dissipating the heat generated, these values are seriously affected to such an extent that before reaching ten percent of the service life in question the luminous flux was already only 51 percent;   b) As for the levels of illuminance and uniformity, it was determined that basically they do not meet the requirements of the NOM (official Mexican standard) and that given the decrease in the luminous flux at present, the peripheral traffic safety [main traffic artery of the city of Guadalajara] has critical and highly dangerous levels of illuminance;   c) Failure to keep promises in regard to service life and efficiency, due primarily to the poor heat management and the use of low-quality “drivers”;   d) And, on the other hand, in regard to lighting engineering aspects such as the use of heat temperatures that are too cold, excess lighting or poor uniformity, among other things.       
 
         [0009]    As can be seen, the engineers have identified the problems which this technology solves and which furthermore represents a solution that anticipated this very publication. 
         [0010]    Based on the development of the technology, one can present as the advantages of the high-power LED luminaire having a modular, expandable mechanism:
       1. Low consumption of light.   2. Service life of 50,000 hours or more.   3. Does not contain heavy metals (lead, mercury, tin, etc.)   4. Easy installation.   5. PCBA cards with interchangeable high-power LEDs.   6. Minimal heat emission.   7. Biodegradable components.   8. Easy assembly.   9. Fast response to the electric current.   10. No warm-up prior to use.       
 
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The high-power LED luminaire having a modular, expandable mechanism shall be described in detail in the following description and presented in the figures included in this document. The figures presented are merely a reference and should not be considered as a limitation, but only a listing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a conventional, perspective view from above of a PCBA card. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a lateral view of a PCBA card. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a longitudinal section of a PCBA card. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a top view of a PCBA card 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of a PCBA card 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a PCBA card 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  is a conventional, perspective view from above of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  is a lateral view of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0030]      FIG. 9  is a longitudinal-sectional of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0031]      FIG. 10  is a top view of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0032]      FIG. 11  is a bottom view of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0033]      FIG. 12  is a front view of a variant of a PCBA card 
           [0034]      FIG. 13  is a conventional, perspective view from above of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0035]      FIG. 14  is a front view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0036]      FIG. 15  is a lateral view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0037]      FIG. 16  is a top view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0038]      FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0039]      FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0040]      FIG. 19  is a longitudinal-sectional view of the cover with diffusers. 
           [0041]      FIG. 20  is a conventional, perspective close-up and cropped view of variants of the concave surface of the parabola of the diffuser. 
           [0042]      FIG. 21  is a conventional perspective view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0043]      FIG. 22  is a front view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0044]      FIG. 23  is a rear view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0045]      FIG. 24  is a lateral view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0046]      FIG. 25  is a top view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0047]      FIG. 26  is a bottom view of the assembled luminaire. 
           [0048]      FIG. 27  is a conventional, perspective cutaway view of the luminaire from above. 
           [0049]      FIG. 28  is an enlarged, longitudinal-sectional view of the luminaire 
           [0050]      FIG. 29  is a conventional, perspective view of the bottom lid 
           [0051]      FIG. 30  is a front view of the bottom lid 
           [0052]      FIG. 31  is a rear view of the bottom lid 
           [0053]      FIG. 32  is a lateral view of the bottom lid 
           [0054]      FIG. 33  is a top view of the bottom lid 
           [0055]      FIG. 34  is a bottom view of the bottom lid 
           [0056]      FIG. 35  is a top view of the base for PCBA cards, the bottom view being substantially the same 
           [0057]      FIG. 36  is a conventional, perspective view of the power source 
           [0058]      FIG. 37  is a lateral view of the power source 
           [0059]      FIG. 38  is a top view of the top lid 
           [0060]      FIG. 39  is a bottom view of the top lid 
           [0061]      FIG. 40  is an enlarged, lateral view of the “gland type” connector 
           [0062]      FIG. 41  is a conventional, perspective view of the multiple connector 
           [0063]      FIG. 42  is a lateral view of the multiple connector 
           [0064]      FIG. 43  is a front view of the multiple connector 
           [0065]      FIG. 44  is a conventional, perspective view of the lateral cover from above 
           [0066]      FIG. 45  is a close-up, bottom, sectional view with variants of the cavities of the cover with diffusers for the PCBA cards 
           [0067]      FIG. 46  is a close-up, bottom, sectional view with variants of the PCBA cards 
           [0068]      FIG. 47  is a conventional, perspective, close-up and sectional view of the luminaire from the bottom 
           [0069]      FIG. 48  is a conventional, perspective, bottom view with frontal cross section of the luminaire 
           [0070]      FIG. 49  is a conventional, perspective, exploded view of the luminaire 
           [0071]      FIG. 50  is a conventional, perspective view of the luminaire, showing the covers with diffusers in the housing and the lateral covers 
           [0072]      FIG. 51  is a top view of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers and some lids for diffusers 
           [0073]      FIG. 52  is a conventional, perspective view of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers and some lids for diffusers 
           [0074]      FIG. 53  is a conventional, perspective view of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers and without the lids for diffusers where no LEDs are present 
           [0075]      FIG. 54  is a front view of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers and without the lids for diffusers where no LEDs are present 
           [0076]      FIG. 55  is a longitudinal section view of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers having diffusers and without the lids for diffusers where no LEDs are present 
           [0077]      FIG. 56  is a front view with cross section of a PCBA card with cover with diffusers with diffusers and without the lids for diffusers where no LEDs are present 
           [0078]      FIG. 57  is a front view with cross section of the housing and the bottom lid showing the protuberance and channel for hermetically sealing the luminaire 
           [0079]      FIG. 58  is a front view with cross section of the bottom lid, showing the protuberance that is inserted into the channel for hermetically sealing the luminaire 
           [0080]      FIG. 59  is a front view with cross section of the housing, showing the channel serving as the plug-in for the protuberance of the bottom lid 
           [0081]      FIG. 60  is a bottom view of the assembled luminaire, showing the mesh that will serve to isolate the inside of the luminaire from the surroundings. 
       
    
    
       [0082]    Based on the above figures, the high-power LED luminaire having a modular, expandable mechanism comprises at least one electronic card of PCBA type  1  with a pair of perforations  2  at each end for fastening to the PCBA card base  19 , followed by a groove  3  where the perpendicular projection  9  of the cover  7  passes through the electronic card  1 , and the groove  3  of the PCBA card base  19 ; in the electronic card  1 , there is arranged in hexagonal shape at least one group of perforations  4  that are equidistant with respect to the center of the group and that by their arrangement along the card  1  share an opening with the adjacent group, these groups of perforations  4  accommodate the same number of high-power LEDs  6 ; the LED base  5  functions as a heat dissipater, since it is made of heat-conducting material (preferably aluminum); and said bases  5  are distributed along the card  1 , coinciding with the group of perforations  4  and the number of high-power LEDs  6  per card  1 . 
         [0083]    A variant of the above-described card is composed of an electronic card  1   a  with one perforation  2   a  at each end for fastening to the PCBA card base  19 , followed by a groove  3   a  where the projection  9  of the cover  7  passes through the electronic card  1   a  and the PCBA card base  19 ; in the electronic card  1   a , there is arranged in quadrangular shape at least one group of perforations  4   a  that are equidistant with respect to the center of the group and that by their arrangement along the card  1   a  these groups of perforations  4   a  accommodate the same number of high-power LEDs  6   a ; the bottom part of the LED functions as a thermal insulator, since it is made of a material not conducting heat (preferably ceramic); the LEDs are distributed along the card  1   a , coinciding with the group of perforations  4   a  and the number of high-power LEDs  6   a  per card  1   a.    
         [0084]    On top of any one of the previously described cards  1  is placed a cover  7  with diffusers  8  of parabolic shape, which coincide with the number of high-power LEDs  6  or  6   a  of the card  1  or  1   a ; the diffusers have a perforation that coincides with the shape of the LED  6  or with the bottom part of the LED  6   a  and allows optimizing the light beam which they emit, since the diffuser  8  is positioned exactly where the lens of the LED  6  or  6   a  begins; the cover  7  furthermore has at each end a projection  9  that is prolonged perpendicularly from the surface of the cover  7  and toward the outside of same, ending in a notch  10  which holds the cover  7  in the PCBA card base  19 , passing through the grooves  3  or  3   a  of the PCBA card  1  or  1   a  and the PCBA card base  19 , respectively, when the cover  7  is inserted by press-fitting; at the internal part of the cover  7  between each diffuser  8  on top of the walls of the cover  7  there is at least one pair of reinforcements  11  to provide firmness and stability to the cover  7  which on its upper internal surface has at least one longitudinal reinforcement  12  which extends over the upper internal surface of the cover  7  as far as the perpendicular projection  9 ; the concavity of the parabola is calculated by a predefined algorithm which optimizes the direction of the light and its orientation, the parabola having been developed so as to have at least five cardinal positions which aided the development of the surface of parabolic shape of the diffusers which help orient the light beam coming from the LEDs  6  or  6   a.    
         [0085]    Using the perforations of the ends  2  or  2   a  of the cards  1  or  1   a , respectively, which are fastened to the PCBA card base  19  by a fastening means  14  such as screws, rivets, plugs, conventional fasteners, posts, pivots, etc., preferably being removable to enable replacing at least one or more of the electronic cards when it is necessary to provide technical maintenance or replace some of the PCBA cards  1  or  1   a  and thereby prolong the service life of the technology; the housing  13  has the shape of a quadrangular prism with side walls  15  inclined at 45 degrees, which has a twofold purpose: first, to direct the flow of water to the sides of the luminaire when it is in contact with this liquid, and secondly, to force the majority of light coming from the LEDs to the outside of the luminaire; on its internal part, these walls are completely smooth, which helps to reflect the light beams emitted by the LEDs  6  or  6   a ; on the upper outer part of the housing  13 , there are located multiple heat dissipaters  18  of rectangular form, which extend from the upper surface of the housing  13 ; the internal dissipaters are separated along two axes (x, y) so that the air flow coming from the outside of the luminaire reduces their temperature and consequently the dissipaters reduce the temperature of the electronic cards, which are located in the bottom part of said quadrangular dissipaters; adjacent to said heat dissipaters  18  is placed the PCBA card base  19 , which has threaded perforations of two diameters, which will enable a fastening of the PCBA card base  19  to the housing  13 ; and, on the other hand, the electronic cards  1  or  1   a  can be fastened to the PCBA card base  19 , the first perforations coinciding with the perforations  2  or  2   a  through which passes the fastening means  14  that supports the cards  1  or  1   a , respectively, and the second perforations of the PCBA card base  19  coinciding with the perforations  20  for fastening the PCBA card base  19  to the housing  13  with similar fastening means  14 ; the housing  13  furthermore has two internal walls which contain an opening in which is inserted a “gland type” connector  35 ; in the rear part of the housing  13  through said connector pass the cables of the lamp post to supply the power source  21 ; a second “gland type” connector which is inserted in the second internal wall of said connector is used to pass from one side to the other the cables of the current controllers that supply the PCBA cards  1  or  1   a ; both walls and the top lid  25  are used to segregate the power source  21 , the current controllers  22  and multiple connectors  23  from the rest of the luminaire; the top lid  25  has twelve passage holes  26  through which pass the fastening means  14  that secure it to the housing  13 ; in the lower part of the housing  13  there is located a channel  39 ; the bottom lid  24  has a quadrangular protuberance  40 , which, together with the channel, help prevent water or some other liquid from seeping into the luminaire; the channel  39  and the protuberance  40  make contact once the housing  13  and the bottom lid  24  are assembled; in the central section of the housing  13  a transparent screen  25  (preferably of ultra-transparent material) will be joined to the bottom lid  24  which is secured by fastening means  14 ; the bottom lid  24  will be joined to the housing  13  to enclose the entire luminaire; the bottom lid  24  has a quadrangular opening  27  which allows the luminous flux emitted by the LEDs  6  or  6   a  to exit from the inside of the luminaire; the bottom lid  24  has at least four protuberances which couple to the bottom part of the housing  13 , the first of them being in front  28  with perforations  31  to allow the passage of the fastening means, the second one being intermediate  29 , and the two parallel rear ones  30  also having perforations  32  to allow the passage of the fastening means  14 , making it possible to close the luminaire completely; moreover, the bottom lid  24  has at its rear end two perforations  33  through which pass a pair of fastening means  14  (preferably screws with nuts), which will keep the luminaire fastened to the arm of the lamp post; when fewer cards  1  or  1   a  are required to be placed in the PCBA card base  19 , the openings which appear due to the absence of cards are covered with a cover  17  which has perforations  34  to allow the passage of the fastening means  14  through the PCBA card base  19  and in this way to secure the covers to the housing  13 ; on occasion, some of the high-power LEDs  6  or  6   a  can be eliminated from the PCBA cards  1  or  1   a  by using a lid  41  to cover the space produced by the absence of the LEDs, the lid being composed of a flat surface  37  press-fitted in the upper part of the diffuser where there is no LED; in the upper part, the lid  41  is circular to seal the diffuser  8  without any LEDs; in the lower part, it has two circular protuberances which extend for a distance equivalent to the height of the diffuser  8 , in order to seal the latter permanently; both protuberances have a notch  42 , these being inserted into the bottom surface of the diffusers  8 , preventing the lid  41  from being removed. The bottom lid  24  has at least one groove XX through which air from outside of the luminaire is introduced inside the luminaire and this is used to cool the electronic cards  1  or  1   a ; to prevent some external agent or contaminant from getting into the luminaire, the grooves xx are covered by a mesh xx in the top part of the bottom lid  24 . 
       SOME CONVENTIONAL VARIANTS OF THE LUMINAIRE 
       [0086]    It is possible to control a certain number of high-power LEDs assembled on the electronic cards which are supplied by a power source with constant current and independent current controllers for each of the cards. 
         [0087]    It is possible to control the luminaires by the use of sensors which can activate and deactivate the luminaires depending on the need for their use. 
         [0088]    It is possible to control the capacity of the lamps by the use of PCBA electronic cards which are able to limit the current and thereby control the luminous flux to decrease the luminous intensity of the luminaire at times when maximum performance is not needed. 
         [0089]    It is possible to control the internal temperature of the luminaire in a range favorable to the high-power LEDs by the use of a heat exchanger/cooling system. Said mechanism will contain a pump/compressor, a certain number of ducts, heat dissipaters and an additive/liquid that assists the heat transfer. The fluid through the ducts will help to maintain the internal temperature of the luminaire constant and thus extend the service life of the LEDs as much as possible. 
         [0090]    It is possible to increase or decrease the amount of light reflected by the diffusers by using devices (lenses, diffusers, etc.) with different geometries or different types of coatings which help to channel the luminous flux emitted by the high-power LEDs. 
         [0091]    It is possible to decrease the amount of contamination of the environment once the luminaire reaches the end of its life by the use of components made from polymers mixed with organic fibers for easy decomposition. 
         [0092]    It is possible to decrease the amount of contamination once the PCBA electronic cards reach the end of their service life by the use of chemical compounds free of lead, mercury and tin to prevent the PCBA cards from polluting the environment if they are discarded by mistake. The electronic cards and electronic components should adhere to the RoHS methodology to ensure that the use of heavy metals is limited to an adequate level. 
         [0093]    It is possible to reduce the amount of contamination once the luminaire reaches the end of its service life since the majority of its components will be manufactured from aluminum or polymers that can be recycled.