Patent Publication Number: US-2009237931-A1

Title: Led lamp assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an LED lamp assembly, and more particularly to an LED lamp assembly having a large illumination angle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The technology of light emitting diodes has rapidly developed in recent years from indicators to illumination applications. With the features of long-term reliability, environment friendliness and low power consumption, the LED is viewed as a promising alternative for future lighting products. 
     A conventional LED lamp comprises a heat sink and a plurality of LED modules having LEDs attached to an outer surface of a heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the LEDs. The outer surface of the heat sink generally is a plane and the LEDs are arranged close to each other. When the LED lamp works, the LEDs mounted on the planar outer surface of the heat sink only form a flat light source. 
     What is needed, therefore, is an LED lamp assembly having a large illumination angle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An LED lamp assembly includes a receiving member and a pair of LED lamps. The receiving member has a pair of opposite slope surfaces. The LED lamps are mounted on the opposite slope surfaces of the receiving member. Each of the LED lamps includes a heat sink and a plurality of LED modules mounted on the heat sink. The heat sink has a plurality of differently-angled planar surfaces at a bottom thereof. The LED modules are mounted to the planar surfaces, respectively. The slope surfaces are tilted outwardly along top-to-bottom direction and tilted outwardly along front-to-rear direction. 
     Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled view of an LED lamp assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of  FIG. 1 , but viewed from a different aspect; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of an LED lamp of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is an inverted view of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an LED lamp assembly (not labeled) comprises a receiving member  10  and a pair of LED lamps  20  assembled on opposite sides of the receiving member  10 . A driving circuit module (not labeled) is received in the receiving member  10  to electronically connect with and supply power to the LED lamps  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the receiving member  10  has a triangular configuration and consists of a top surface  14 , a bottom surface  12  opposite to the top surface  14 , a pair of mounting surfaces  16  connecting right and left edges of the top and bottom surfaces  14 ,  12 , and a rear surface (not labeled) and a front surface (not labeled) connecting rear and front edges of the top and bottom surfaces  14 ,  12  respectively. A lamp holder  11  is secured to the rear surface of the LED lamp assembly. The lamp holder  11  is provided for securely connecting with a supporting post (not shown) whereby the LED lamp assembly can be supported by the supporting post. The bottom surface  12  and the top surface  14  are trapeziform and parallel to each other. The bottom surface  12  has a slightly larger area than that of the top surface  14 ; thus, the mounting surfaces  16  extend outwardly and downwardly from the edges of the top surface  14  to the edges of the bottom surface  12 . In addition, the rear surface is larger than the front surface; thus, the mounting surfaces  16  extend outwardly and rearwards from the front surface to the rear surface. Three spaced elongated screws  161  extend outwardly from each of the mounting surfaces  16  to be engaged with the LED lamps  20 . A pair of through holes  163  (only one shown) is defined in the mounting surfaces  16  for extension of electric wires from the driving circuit board through the mounting surfaces  16  to enter the LED lamps  20 . 
     Each LED lamp  20  comprises a plurality of LED modules  21 , a heat sink  23  supporting and cooling the LED modules  21 , a plurality of reflectors  25  over the LED modules  21 , and a housing  27  mounted around a periphery of the heat sink  23  to enclose the LED modules  21  and the reflectors  25  therein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-4 , the heat sink  23  is made of a metal with a high degree of heat conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. The heat sink  23  comprises a rectangular base  231  and a plurality of fins  233  extending from the base  231 . The base  231  comprises a top surface (not labeled) and a bottom surface (not labeled) opposite to the top surface. The fins  233  extend from the top surface of the base  231 . A centre of the bottom surface of the base  231  protrudes three elongated planar surfaces  235 . The LED modules  21  are attached on the surfaces  235 . The surfaces  235  are angled with each other. 
     Each LED module  21  comprises an elongated printed circuit board  213  and a plurality of spaced LEDs  211  evenly mounted on a side of the printed circuit board  213 . The LEDs  211  of each LED module  21  are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the printed circuit board  213 . Each LED module  21  is mounted in a thermally conductive relationship with the bottom surface of the heat sink  23  and electronically connects with the driving circuit module. 
     Each reflector  25  is located over the printed circuit board  213  of a corresponding LED module  21 . The reflector  25  comprises a rim  251  and a plurality of ribs (not labeled) within the rim  251 . The rim  251  and the ribs connect with each other to define a plurality of through holes  253 . The LEDs  211  are received in the through holes  253 , respectively. Light generated by the LEDs  211  is reflected by the reflectors  25  to increase the intensity of the light emitted from the LED lamps  20 . A plurality of sleeves  255  is formed in the reflector  25  along a thickness direction thereof. A plurality of screws (not shown) are used to extend through the sleeves  255  and the printed circuit boards  213  to engage with the heat sink  23  thereby to mount the reflectors  25  and the LED modules  21  on the heat sinks  23 . 
     The housing  27  comprises a rectangular frame  271  engaging with the heat sink  23 , a transparent cover  272  enclosed in the frame  271  and covering a bottom opening (not labeled) of the frame  271 , and a rectangular fixture  273  located at a bottom of the frame  271  and mounting the cover  272  on the frame  271 . 
     The frame  271  forms a plurality of protruding portions  2713  on inner surfaces thereof. Each protruding portion  2713  and each corner of the frame  271  define a screw hole  2715  therein. Screws (not shown) extend through the heat sink  23  and engage into a top portion of the screw holes  2715  to mount the frame  271  on the heat sink  23 . The LED modules  21  are enclosed in the frame  271 . A rectangular ring-shaped gasket  30  is sandwiched between the frame  271  and the heat sink  23  to enhance hermeticity of the connection between the frame  271  and the heat sink  23 . A plurality of connecting plates (not labeled) extends inwardly from bottom of the inner surfaces of the frame  271 . A plurality of supporting plates  2717  extends inwardly and downwardly from edges of the connecting plates to support the cover  272 . The fixture  273  presses the cover  272  against the supporting plates  2717 . Screws (not shown) extend through the fixture  273  and engage into a bottom portion of the screw holes  2715  to mount the fixture  273  on the frame  271 . A rectangular ring-shaped gasket  40  is sandwiched between the cover  273  and the supporting plates  2717  to enhance hermeticity of the connection between the cover  273  and the supporting plates  2717 . A centre of an elongated sidewall (not labeled) of the frame  271  defines three holes  2718  corresponding to the elongated screws  161  of the receiving member  10 . A nut  2716  is received in each of the holes  2718  to engage with the elongated screws  161 . Two through holes  2719  are defined between the holes  2718  for extension of the electric wires from the driving circuit module into the LED lamp  20 . 
     A rectangular linking plate  50  is sandwiched between the elongated sidewall of the LED lamp  20  and the mounting surface  16  of the receiving member  10 . The linking plate  50  defines three mounting holes  51  corresponding to the holes  2718  of the frame  271  of the LED lamp  20 , and two holes  53  corresponding to the through holes  2719  of the frame  271  of the LED lamp  20 . The elongated screws  161  extend through the mounting holes  51  of the linking plates  50 , O-rings  55 ,  57  to threaded engage with the nuts  2716  in the holes  2718  of the frame  271 , thereby to mount the LED lamps  20  on the opposite sides of the receiving member  10 . In this state, the heat sinks  23  extend outwardly and upwardly from the mounting surfaces  16  of the receiving member  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . By the provision of the mounting surfaces  16  which are titled outwardly along top-to-bottom direction and tilted outwardly along front-to-rear direction, and the provision of the differently-angled planar surfaces  235  at the bottom the of the heat sinks  23 , the LED modules  21  are oriented toward a plurality of different directions, whereby the LED lamp assembly in accordance with the present invention can have a large illumination angle. In addition, since the LED modules  21  have an intimate contact with the heat sinks  23 , the heat generated by the LEDs  211  can be timey dissipated to surrounding air by the fins  233  of the heat sinks  23 . Thus, the LED lamp assembly can work normally when the LEDs  211  are activated. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.