Patent Publication Number: US-7909489-B2

Title: LED road lamp holder structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, and more particularly to an LED road lamp holder structure. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Light emitting diode (LED) is used extensively as a light source for lamps, but LED is one of the electronic components with waterproof and dust-resisting issues when the LED is used as an outdoor lamp. Furthermore, it is necessary to take the heat dissipation into consideration. 
     At present, a conventional heat sink or heat dissipating device used in a computer system is mainly used as the heat dissipating structure in an LED road lamp holder, but none has a lamp holder with an enhanced heat dissipating effect. Unlike computer systems, the LED road lamp holder has an internal structure in contact with a heated portion, and thus it is an important subject for LED lamp manufacturers to improve the heat dissipating device in conformity with the internal structure of the LED road lamp holder, so as to enhance the heat dissipating effect of the LED lamps. 
     In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed an improved LED road lamp holder in accordance with the present invention to enhance the heat dissipating effect of the road lamps. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an LED road lamp holder structure, wherein a heat source of the LED road lamp holder is generally situated at the bottom of a lamp guard structure for dissipating the produced heat to the top of the lamp guard which is situated at a position away from the heat source, and the lamp guard is used for discharging the heat to the outside to enhance the heat dissipating effect. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides an LED road lamp holder structure, comprising a lamp guard, an LED unit, and a heat dissipating device, wherein the LED unit is installed at the bottom of the lamp guard, and the heat dissipating device is installed in the lamp guard and includes a base attached onto the LED unit, a vapor chamber and two heat dissipating elements, and the vapor chamber has a heated section attached to the base, two heat transmitting sections bent and extended upward to both sides of the heated section respectively, a cooling section bent and extended laterally and separately from the two heat transmitting sections, two heat dissipating elements, each having a heated base, and a plurality of heat dissipating fins disposed on the heated base, and the two heated bases attached onto external sides of the two heat transmitting sections of the vapor chamber respectively, and two cooling sections of the vapor chamber attached to the internal periphery of the top of the lamp guard. 
     The present invention can conduct a portion of the heat produced by the LED unit to the two heat dissipating elements through the vapor chamber of the heat dissipating device, and the remaining portion of the heat can be discharged from the lamp guard to the outside by the attaching the two cooling sections of the vapor chamber with the internal periphery of the top of the lamp guard, so as to enhance the heat dissipating effect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the internal assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the internal assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the overall structure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of Section  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the internal structure of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the internal structure of a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The technical characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the preferred embodiments are used for illustrating the present invention only, but not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3  for an exploded view of an internal structure, a perspective view of the internal structure, and a perspective view of the overall structure of the present invention respectively, the present invention provides an LED road lamp holder structure, comprising a lamp guard  1 , an LED unit  2 , and a heat dissipating device  3 . The LED unit  2  is installed at the bottom of the lamp guard  1  for providing illuminations, and the heat dissipating device  3  is installed in the lamp guard  1 , attached to the backside of the LED unit  2 , and extended towards the top of the lamp guard  1  for conducting heat and providing the required heat dissipating effect for the LED unit  2 . 
     The lamp guard  1  is comprised of a chassis  10  and an upper casing  11 , and the LED unit  2  is installed at the bottom of the chassis  10 , such that the light source of the LED unit  2  can be projected towards the bottom of the lamp guard  1 . A cover plate  12  is formed and erected separately on both left and right sides of the chassis  10 , and the slightly curved upper casing  11  is disposed between two cover plates  12 , and a plurality of ventilation holes  120  are disposed on the cover plate  12 . A stud  100  is erected in the chassis  10 , and a screw hole  110  is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper casing  11  for passing a screw  111  and securing the screw  11  into the stud  100  to combine the chassis  10  and the upper casing  11 . In addition, a wire tube  13  is installed in the lamp guard  1  and connected to one of the cover plates  12  for installing a power cable (not shown in the figure). 
     The heat dissipating device  3  is installed in the lamp guard and comprises a base  30 , at least one curved vapor chamber  31 , and a heat dissipating element  32  disposed separately on both left and right sides of the vapor chamber  31 . The base  30  is in the form of a sheet attached on the backside of the LED unit  2  for dissipating heat. The base  30  has a groove  301  disposed at the bottom of the base  30  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) and provided for embedding and containing the LED unit  2 . The vapor chamber  31  is in the form of a long sheet with both ends bent upward along the lengthwise direction to form a heated section  310  attached onto the base  30 , and two heat transmitting sections  311  are bent and extended upward from both sides of the heated section  310 , and a cooling section  312  is bent and extended laterally from each of the two heat transmitting sections  311 . In addition, the two heat dissipating elements  32  can be an aluminum extruded heat sink (as shown in the figure), a stacked heat sink or any other heat sink (not shown in the figure) having a heated base  320 , and a plurality of heat dissipating fins  321  are formed on the heated base  320  and arranged with a gap from each other. The two heat dissipating elements  32  are attached onto external sides of the two heat transmitting sections  311  of the vapor chamber  31  by their respective heated base  320 , such that each heat dissipating fin  321  is extended from the space sideway to increase the heat dissipating area. 
     In summation of the description above, each of the two heat dissipating elements  32  has a slot  322  disposed on the heated base  320  and proximate to the bottom of the base  30  for abutting the corners on both sides of base  30 , a plurality of through holes  300 ,  323  for passing the base  30  and the heated base  320 , and a screw device  324  such as a bolt for securing the base  30  with the heated base  320 . In the meantime, the heated base  320  of the two heat dissipating elements  32  has an embedding groove  325  disposed proximate to an external side of the vapor chamber  31 , wherein the embedding groove  325  has a width corresponding to the vapor chamber  31  for installing the vapor chamber  31  between the embedding grooves  325  of the two heat dissipating elements  32 . 
     In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the two condensing sections  312  of the vapor chamber  31  are bent sideway in the same direction with each other (as shown in the figures) or bent sideway in opposite directions with each other (not shown in the figure). In this preferred embodiment, the two condensing sections  312  are not in contact with each other. In the preferred embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , the two condensing sections are disposed corresponding to each other and in contact with each other, and the quantity of vapor chambers  31  is increased to more than one. Most importantly, the two condensing sections  312  of the vapor chamber  31  are extended upward through their respective heat transmitting section  311  and attached onto the internal surface of the upper casing  11  of the lamp guard  1 , such that after the base  30  of the heat dissipating device  3  absorbs the heat produced by the LED unit, the vapor chamber  31  will conduct a portion of the heat to the upward direction, and the two heat dissipating elements  32  dissipate another portion of the heat to the outside. The two condensing sections  312  of the vapor chamber  31  are attached onto the internal periphery of the top of the lamp guard  1  for sharing the burden of discharging the remaining heat from the lamp guard  1  to the outside. 
     In  FIG. 6 , the vapor chamber  31  is formed by arranging a plurality of heat pipes  313  closely adjacent with each other. 
     In summation of the description above, the invention can achieve the expected objectives and overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. The invention complies with the requirements of patent application and is thus duly filed for patent application. While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.