Patent Publication Number: US-9835321-B2

Title: LED mechanical lighting fixture

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a mechanical lighting fixture comprising an LED light. 
     BACKGROUND 
     LED lights are becoming more popular because they provide more light, yet use less power than older lighting systems. With new LED lighting, heat management is a significant issue. LED lights generate high heat, and if not cooled, will shorten the life of an LED. The LED light consists of an LED chip and a driver circuit. The LED chip gets hot and the heat needs to be dissipated or the LED chip and the driver will be damaged. Various methods have been proposed for cooling an LED light. These methods include fans and flat metal plates. The current model is to use normal heat sinks with metal fins which radiate heat from the surface of the fin to the air surrounding it. 
     SUMMARY 
     The method of this invention creates an air movement over a metal surface by way of convection. This keeps the LED unit significantly cooler than with just fins alone. This is accomplished by the design of the lamp. The LED chip transfers the heat to the metal surface and the hot air near that metal surface rises and starts a flow through channels designed into the lamp. This brings in cooler air over the metal surface in a directed method to achieve better cooling on the chip area. Applicant&#39;s lamp is especially useful in indoor facilities, such as parking garages, where the LED lamps provide significant more lighting than existing florescent lighting at less cost. However, Applicant&#39;s lamp, with some modification, are also very useful for outdoor lighting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the lamp of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the lamp of this invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the lamp; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the lamp; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of a wired lamp: 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of another wired lamp; 
         FIG. 8  is a an exploded view of a junction box lamp; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the lamp of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of an upper directed lamp; 
         FIG. 11  is a top perspective view of the lamp of  FIG. 10 ; and, 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom perspective view of the lamp of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 through 5  show an exploded view of the LED mechanical lamp in  FIG. 1  and other views in  FIGS. 2-5 . Starting from the top of  FIG. 1 , is a water resistant cap  11  which is connected to tube  1 , which is a driver housing and provides a wire entry through tube  1 . Cap  11  has a hanger  27  at the top of cap  11  for hanging the lamp to a roof, ceiling or other location. 
     Driver circuit board  9  modifies current and voltage to match LED requirements, and fits into tube  8 , which is a potting capsule for driver circuit board  9 . Tube  8  fits into tube  1 . Metal module  2  has a plurality of fins  2   a , forming a plurality of inserts or channels  2   b , to create heat channels. Metal cover  3  is a shroud to complete and cover of the air channels creating an air duct and also to direct the LED  6  light. Set screw  4  mechanically attaches module  2  to tube  1 . 
     LED chip set on a circuit board  6  is attached to metal module  2 . Optionally, LED circuit board  6  can be attached to a heat transfer pad  5  by any convenient method such as screws or can be glued to heat transfer pad  5 . Heat transfer pad  5  helps to dissipate heat from circuit board  6 . Screws  7  attach LED circuit board  6  to module  2 . A protective lens  10  attaches to module  2  by glue or a mechanical method, such as a retaining ring. 
     With LED lighting heat management is a significant issue. The LED chip set gets hot and the heat needs to be dissipated or the LED chip and the driver will be damaged. The current method is to use normal heat sinks with metal fins which radiate heat from the surface of the fins to the air surrounding it. Fans have also been used. 
     The system created by the lamp of this invention described above, creates air movement over the metal surface via convection. This keeps the unit significantly cooler than with fins alone. This is done by the design of the lamp. The LED chip circuit board  6  transfers the heat to the surface of metal module  2  and the hot air near metal module  2  rises, and by convection, starts a flow of air up through the channels  2   b  between fins  2   a  in metal module  2 , surrounded by cover  3 . This brings in cooler air over the metal surface of module  2  in a directed method to achieve better cooling on the chip area. 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the lamp and shows the lamp module  2 , the shroud  3 , the LED circuit board  6 , and screws  7  to attach the LED circuit board  6  to module  2 . Also shown is lens  10  which is a protective lens for the LED. Lens  10  can be attached to module  2  by glue or a mechanical method. 
     An air path intake  12  provides a path for cooler air to enter due to the draft of the hot air rising, shown in more detail in  FIG. 4 . Item  12  points to one air path intake channel, but there will be a plurality of air path intake channels depending upon the design of lamp module  2 . Eight air path intake channels  12  are shown in  FIG. 3   
     Referring to  FIG. 4  there is shown metal tube  1  which is a driver housing, used to contain the driver assembly  9  in tube  8 , the lamp module  2 , shroud  3 , LED circuit board  6  and screws  7  to attach LED circuit board  6  to module  2 , all previously described. Also shown are potted driver capsule  8 , driver circuit board  9 , lens  10 , and cap  11 , also previously described. Lines  12 - 13  depict the air path, showing air path intake  12 , and air path exit  13 . Heated air, in contact with the upper surface of lamp module  2 , exits upward, thereby creating a convection draft, to pull cool air through the air path channels  12 , cooling module  2  and LED circuit board  6 . 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the lamp showing lamp module  2 , shroud  3  cap  11  and air path exit  13 . Wires passing from driver circuit board  9 , up inside cap  11  to a power source, are internal and not shown. 
       FIG. 6  shows another embodiment of the lamp in which parts  1  through  11  are the same as described above. Shown in  FIG. 6  is a typical chain  15  used to hang a lamp. Wires  14  connect driver circuit board  9  to a power source. This lamp can be used indoors but can also be used outdoors, since any water, such as rain water, will run down the wire and drip off the lowest point of the wire  14   a  away from the internal electronics. This lamp will withstand heavy rainfall without water entry and does not need to be sealed to stay dry. 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the lamp in which parts  1  through  11  are the same as described above. In this embodiment there is a typical chain  15 , used to hang a lamp. Wire  16  is looped through chain  15 , and again, this lamp can be used indoors but can also be used outdoors since the lowest point of the wire  16   a  is where any water, such as rain water, must drip, away from the LED. This lamp will withstand heavy rainfall without water entry and does not need to be sealed to stay dry. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show another embodiment of the lamp in which parts  1  through  10  are the same as described above, except there is not a driver circuit board  9  or a potted driver  8 . In this embodiment, there is a standard junction box  20  which contains a driver circuit board  18  and a retainer ring  22  for conduit tube connector  19 . Cover plate  17  is a standard one hole cover plate for a standard junction box, using screws  21  to attach to junction box  20 . Tube connector  19  is a standard conduit connector held by screw  4 . 
       FIGS. 10, 11 and 12  show another embodiment of the lamp using the convection cooling system for LED modules that are pointed up, to provide an upper shining LED light. Parts  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  9  and  10  are the same as described above. Referring to  FIG. 10  there is shown from the top, a lens  10 , screws  7  to attach LED circuit board  6  and an optional heat transfer pad  5  to metal lamp module  23 . Driver circuit board  9  fits into metal lamp module  23  which is covered by shroud  24 , which covers all of the parts with the light shining upward. Heat, at the LED and metal lamp module  23 , rises as hot air rises. 
       FIG. 11  is a top perspective view of the upward lamp, showing shroud  24 , lens  10 , metal lamp module  23  and one of a plurality of air path exits  26 .  FIG. 12  is a bottom perspective view of the upward lamp showing shroud  24 , lamp module  23  and one of a plurality of air path intakes  25 . Cool air enters at air path intakes  25  and rises through air path exits  26 , cooling lamp module  23  and LED circuit board  6 . 
     While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.