Patent Abstract:
An LED lighting apparatus is provided. The LED lighting apparatus includes a case part which covers a residual part, excluding a light-emitting surface, to provide a reflective space and has a predetermined depth and in which an upper edge of the inside thereof has a slope. Further, a receiving surface has a lateral surface portion of the case part that is bent toward the inside of the case. A substrate is fixed on the receiving surface and a plurality of LEDs are provided. A reflective part located in an upper center portion of the inside of the case part reflects the light of the LEDs and enables reflection and diffusion of light within the reflective space provided from the case part.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2013/009629 filed on Oct. 28, 2013, which claims priority to Korean Applications No. 10-2012-0121277 filed on Oct. 30, 2012 and No. 10-2013-0073097 filed on Jun. 25, 2013, which applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an LED lighting apparatus, and more particularly, to an LED lighting apparatus that can provide a variety of purposes and an extended installation function thereof. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In general, indoor lighting apparatuses using LEDs may be divided into apparatuses of a bulb type that replace typical bulbs, and surface-lighting apparatuses that replace fluorescent lamps. 
     Most of the surface-lighting apparatuses adopt a diffusion plate of a specific area as shown in Korea Patent No. 10-0998980 (registered on 1 Dec. 2010). The Patent discloses a configuration that includes a substrate having a plurality of LEDs for emitting light upwards mounted thereon, and at least one diffusion layer on the surface of the substrate, such that the light emitted from the plurality of LEDs is diffused to illuminate the entire surface of a specific area at a uniform intensity of illumination, as shown in the primary drawing, i.e., FIG. 4. 
     Such a configuration is usually adopted by the typical surface-lighting apparatuses, wherein the diffusion plate can prevent the light from emitting intensively from a specific portion to thereby eliminate the dazzle of a light, but the light-efficiency is lowered due to a significant light loss. 
     Accordingly, a multitude of LEDs, more than are needed, need to be used in order to provide a surface-lighting source that has a sufficient intensity of illumination. This may cause the strength of LED lights, i.e., low electric power consumption, to be useless. In addition, since it is not easy to deal with the heat emitted from the LEDs, the LED life-span may be shortened due to the heat. 
     Moreover, in the surface-lighting apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4 of the Patent above, if a typical lighting apparatus of 40 W is designed to be altered to a lighting apparatus of 20 W using LED chips of the same electric power, the design of a case should be changed. 
     In this case, the number of LEDs used in the lighting apparatus of 20 W is only half the number of LEDs used in the lighting apparatus of 40 W, so the gap between the LEDs become bigger due to the decrease in the number of LEDs. Accordingly, the diffusion plate just below the light-emitting surface of the LEDs shows bright portions and dark portions, which cause uneven illumination on the light-emitting surface. 
     In order to eliminate the unevenness of illumination, the distance between the LEDs and the diffusion plate should be adjusted to be longer through the change of the design. Alternatively, while the size of the light-emitting unit is to be reduced by half, another half of the light-emitting unit should be replaced with a reflection plate. 
     SUMMARY 
     In order to address the problem above, one aspect of the present invention provides an LED lighting apparatus that emits a uniform light with low electric power consumption without changing the size of the lighting fixture. 
     Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides an LED lighting apparatus in which the number of LEDs is reduced to thereby minimize the problem caused by the heat emitted from the LEDs. 
     In addition, still another aspect of the present invention provides an LED lighting apparatus that can prevent the dazzle of a light without using the diffusion plate. 
     In addition, still yet another aspect of the present invention provides an LED lighting apparatus an LED lighting apparatus that can provide a variety of purposes by easily replacing existing indoor fluorescent lighting fixtures, and can provide an extended installation function to satisfy the intensity of illumination required in the installed location thereof. 
     In accordance with a technical solution of the present invention, there is provided an LED lighting apparatus including: a case part which covers a residual part, excluding a light-emitting surface, to provide a reflective space and has a predetermined depth, in which an upper edge of the inside thereof has a slope; a receiving surface in which a lateral surface portion of the case part is bent toward the inside of the case; a substrate fixed on the receiving surface and in which a plurality of LEDs are provided; and a reflective part which is located in an upper center portion of the inside of the case part so as to reflect the light of the LEDs and enables reflection and diffusion of light within the reflective space provided from the case part. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an LED lighting apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a conceptual diagram illustrating light-emitting of an LED lighting apparatus according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a lighting apparatus configured by connecting a plurality of LED lighting apparatuses of the present invention for a high intensity of illumination; 
         FIGS. 7 to 9  illustrate sectional views of an LED lighting apparatuses according to other embodiments of the present invention, respectively; 
         FIG. 10  is a view illustrating an example of installation of an LED lighting apparatus according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a partial side view of  FIG. 10  to describe the operation thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, LED lighting apparatuses according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an LED lighting apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an LED lighting apparatus, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, includes: a case part  10  that has a shape of a box with a light-emitting surface  13  at the bottom thereof, a slope  11  formed to be slated on the upper portion inside the case part, and a receiving surface  12  formed to be slanted at the edges of both sides of the light-emitting surface  13 ; a reflective part  20  formed on the upper center portion inside the case part  10 ; and a substrate  30  that is installed on the receiving surface  12  and has a plurality of LEDs  31  mounted thereon. 
     Hereinafter, the operation and the effect of the LED lighting apparatus configured as set forth above, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described in more detail. 
     First, the case part  10  is shaped into a box with an opening at the bottom thereof. That is, the case part  10  is formed of the light-emitting surface  13  at the bottom, and the remaining space except for the light-emitting surface  13  is enclosed to thereby provide a space in which the light of the LED  31  can be effectively reflected inside the case part  10 . 
     The sides of the case part  10  are vertical with respect to the ground, and an end portion of the side is bent toward the inside of the case part  10  to thereby form the receiving surface  12 . The receiving surface  12  is at an acute angle of less than 90° to the side of the case part  10 . 
     The receiving surface  12  may be formed at both facing sides with respect to the light-emitting surface  13 , and if necessary, it may be formed at one side or four sides. 
     The upper surface inside the case part  10  is flat on the center thereof, and the slope  11  is formed on the surface between the flat center portion and the sides of the case part. The slope  11  may be slanted more as it goes to the side of the case part  10 . 
     The reflective part  20  is positioned on the flat center portion of the upper surface inside the case part  10 . The reflective part  20  is shaped into an inverted triangle in its section, and it extends to the boundary of the slope  11  of the case part  10 . 
     That is, the highest portion of the space between the case part  10  and the reflective part  20  to the ceiling is position on the boundary between the slope  11  of the case part  10  and the reflective part  20 . 
     The substrate  30 , on which a plurality of LEDs  31  is mounted, is fixed on the receiving surface  12 . Accordingly, the light-emitting surface of the plurality of LEDs  31  is perpendicular to the receiving surface  12 , and the light emitted from the LEDs  31  directly illuminates the inner surface of the side of the case part  10 . 
       FIG. 3  is a conceptual diagram in which the light is reflected in the LED lighting apparatus according to the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the light of the LED  31  is reflected by the side of the case part  10  to then continue to be reflected by the slope  11  of the case part  10  and the reflective part  20 . 
     Therefore, it brings a phenomenon in which the light emitted from the LED  31  is reflected several times inside the case part  10  to be thereby captured inside the case part  10 . 
     The light that has been captured emits downwards through the light-emitting surface  13  to illuminate. 
     As described above, the present invention provides the surface-lighting by the light that has been captured in the space of the case part  10  rather than direct illumination of the LED light, so the dazzle of a light can be attenuated without using lenses or diffusion plates. 
     As describe above, the present invention can improve the light-efficiency by eliminating the diffusion plate. Accordingly, the number of LEDs  31  can be reduced with respect to the same intensity of illumination, so a lighting apparatus of low electric power consumption can be provided. 
     In addition, with the reduction of the number of LEDs  31 , the problem of the heat emitted from the LEDs  31  can be overcome. That is, the present invention can prevent the reduction of LED life-span due to the heat generation without adopting a separate heat-radiating structure. 
     One of the reasons why the present invention does not adopt the heat-radiating structure is as follows. Since the LEDs of typical LED lighting apparatuses are installed on the ceiling, the heat radiation by air convection is not easy. Therefore, the typical LED lighting apparatuses have been developed to adopt a separate heat-radiating structure. However, the present invention has a structure in which the LEDs  31  are installed to be spaced from the ceiling, which facilitates the heat radiation by air convection. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  are sectional views of an LED lighting apparatuses according to other embodiments of the present invention, respectively. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , unlike the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the reflective part  20  may be shaped into a semi-circle ( FIG. 4 ), or may have a reflection surface of an inverted triangle, on which a plurality of stepped protrusions or embossments is formed, to have an uneven roughness. 
     The reflection surface having an uneven roughness in  FIG. 5  may be applied to the reflective part  20  of  FIG. 4 . 
     The reflective part  20  in the shape of a semi-circle in its section in  FIG. 4 , and the inverted triangle structure having a plurality of stepped protrusions may diversify the reflection angle of light so that reflection and diffusion of light can be made diversely and irregularly within the space of the case part  10 . 
     Such diverse and irregular reflection and diffusion of light may cause the diffusion of light to be more uniform, so the light emitted through the light-emitting surface  13  may be more similar to that of the surface-lighting source. 
     Although not all of the shapes of the reflective part  20  are illustrated and described in the present specification, any structure by which the light emitted from the LED  31  can be diffused in the space in the case part  10  may be applied to the present invention regardless of its detailed configuration. 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a configuration that can attain a high intensity of illumination using the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the present invention may be applied to the places that require a relatively high intensity of illumination by combining a plurality of LED lighting apparatuses shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The place that requires a relatively high intensity of illumination may be a place where the lighting apparatus is installed at a high position, such as spotlights at the factory, or streetlights. 
       FIG. 6  shows a configuration in which a plurality of LED lighting apparatuses are connected to satisfy a required intensity of illumination so that the outer surfaces of the sides of the case parts  10  contact with each other. This shows that the uniform design using a single LED lighting apparatus as a unit can be applied according to the required intensity of illumination without changing the design of the case part  10 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , in the LED lighting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, the upper and center portion of the case part  10  is bent into the shape of the reflective part  20  rather than adopting the reflective part  20  of the embodiments above. Thus, the light of the LED  31  can be reflected and diffused as enough of the reflective part  20  of the embodiments above in the case part  10 . 
     This embodiment shows that the reflective part  20  may be a component separated from the case part  10 , or the reflective part  20  may be integrally formed with the case part  10  as a single body by transforming the shape of the case part  10 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in the LED lighting apparatus of the present embodiment, the upper and center portion inside the case part  10  is flat, different from the embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
     In this configuration, the light of the LED  31  may be reflected and diffused in the case part  10 , only depending on an angle between the receiving surface  12  and the inner surface of the side of the case part  10 , and the degree of the slope  11  at the upper edge inside the case part  10  to thereby obtain the surface-light-emitting. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a sectional view of an LED lighting apparatus according to still yet another embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , in the LED lighting apparatus of the present embodiment, unlike the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the slopes  11  meets each other at the upper and center portion of the case part  10  without adopting the reflective part  20  that is integrally formed with the case part  10 . 
     Likewise, as stated in the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , in this configuration, the light of the LEDs  31  may be reflected and diffused in the case part  10 , depending on an angle between the receiving surface  12  and the inner surface of the side of the case part  10 , and the degree of the slope  11  to thereby attain the surface-light-emitting at the light-emitting surface  13 . 
       FIG. 10  is a view illustrating an example of installation of an LED lighting apparatus according to the present invention, and  FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of  FIG. 10 . In addition,  FIG. 12  is a partial side view of  FIG. 10  to describe the operation thereof. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10 to 12 , a plurality of LED lighting apparatuses, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, may be installed and fixed at both ends on the lower surfaces of a pair of support frames  2  that have socket  3  on the lower surface. 
     At this time, on the purpose of easy replacement of the LED lighting apparatus  1 , the support frame  2  includes a rotating latch  40  on the side surface thereof, which rotates about a rotating axis  41  to connect with a fixing protrusion  42  formed on both sides of the LED lighting apparatus  1  so that the LED lighting apparatus  1  is detachably installed. 
     The rotating latch  40  has a planar shape, and may rotate with its position fixed by the rotating axis  41 . The rotating latch  40  has a groove formed in the direction of rotation, and the fixing protrusion  42  fits into the groove to thereby fix the LED lighting apparatus  1  to the support frame  2 . 
     The LED lighting apparatus  1  includes a plug  5  protruding from the portion that makes contact with the support frame  2 . In addition, the plug  5  is inserted into the socket  3  provided in the support frame  2  to be supplied with the electric power, and the plug  5  is connected with a cable to supply the electric power to the substrate  30  on the receiving surface  12 . 
     It is preferable that the socket  3  is configured to have an elastic force acting on the side surface of the plug  5  so that the plug  5  is prevented from easily popping out to be thereby in the stable supply of the electric power. 
     In addition, the LED lighting apparatus  1  according to the present invention can be easily attached and detached by the rotating latch  40  as shown in  FIG. 12 . A plurality of LED lighting apparatuses may be installed on the support frame  2  by the rotating latch  40  as needed to provide a lighting apparatus of the intensity of illumination that satisfies the purpose of use, and a spoiled LED lighting apparatus  1  can be easily replaced with a new one. 
     Undescribed reference numeral  6  denotes a fixing frame that connects the pair of support frames  2  to fix the same. The fixing frame  6  is further provided with a wire for installing the same on the ceiling or other places. In addition, although it is not shown in the drawing, the fixing frame  2  may further include a power supply unit that converts an alternating current supplied from the outside into a direct current to be thereby supplied to the socket  3  through a substrate  4  provided on at least one of the pair of support frames  2 . 
     The present invention according to the configuration as described above can be easily attached and detached, and each of the LED lighting apparatus can be separately replaced as needed so that the cost of repair and maintenance can be reduced. 
     The present invention is not limited to the embodiments above, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified and transformed for implementation in various ways. 
     For example, the entire area of the inner surface of the case part  10  may be coated with a reflection surface, or a reflection sheet may be attached thereon. 
     The present invention can provide a uniform intensity of illumination at low power consumption, and can considerably reduce the dazzle of a light compared to other LED lighting apparatuses. In addition, the present invention can easily replace typical fluorescent lighting fixtures, so it has industrial usability. 
     The LED lighting apparatus of the present invention includes a case that provides a reflective space to enable the surface-lighting by reflection, and LEDs that are positioned to be slanted at the side of a light-emitting surface of the case and of which a light-emitting surface faces the reflective space so that the light emitted from the LED is reflected by the case to thereby attain the surface-lighting. Therefore, the present invention can provide an LED lighting apparatus that emits a uniform light with low electric power consumption without changing the size of a lighting fixture. 
     In addition, the lighting apparatus of volume-light-emitting, according to the present invention, can prevent the dazzle of a light without the diffusion plate by making the surface-lighting through the first reflection and the diffusion of a light of the LED by a reflection surface. In addition, the lighting apparatus of the present invention can improve the light-efficiency by removing the diffusion plate to thereby reduce the number of LEDs. 
     In addition to the reduction of the LEDs, the electric power consumption and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as well. Moreover, since a separate structure for heat-radiation is not required, as a result of the minimization of heat-generation, the weight of the lighting apparatus can be reduced, and the structure thereof can be simplified. 
     Furthermore, the present invention can provide a variety of purposes by easily replacing existing recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures, and can provide a lighting apparatus that satisfies an intensity of illumination required in the installed location thereof through the extension of the number of LEDs installed as needed.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5