SEMICONDUCTOR LAMP HAVING A HEAT SINK

Abstract

The semiconductor lamp (1) is equipped with a heat sink (2, 3) which has a first part (2) and a second part (3) connected to each other by way of a press fit and which together delimit a receptacle (10, 12) for a driver (5), the first part (2) having an insert region (8) for insertion into the second part (3), which insert region consists of spring elements (21) that can be pushed inwards. The invention is particularly useful for retrofit lamps, in particular incandescent or halogen retrofit lamps.

Claims

1. A semiconductor lamp having a heat sink which comprises a first part and a second part which are connected together by means of a press fit and which together delimit a receiving space for a driver, wherein the first part has an insert region for insertion into the second part, which insert region consists of spring elements which can be pushed inwards.

2. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the insert region is in the form of an annular insert region having a plurality of slots on one side.

3. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the insert region is sloping on its outer side starting from its rear edge.

4. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first part has a hollow cylindrical shape which is closed at the front and the insert region of which is formed by a side wall.

5. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second part has at its opening for insertion of the first part at least one inwardly directed slope on which the spring elements of the first part are able to bear during their insertion.

6. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 5, wherein the second part has a cup-shaped metal body which is partly covered by a plastics sheathing and which is exposed in its front region for engagement with the insert region of the first part and is there bent outwards at the edge to form the inwardly directed slope.

7. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 6, wherein the bent edge of the cup-shaped metal body (18) is received in its forwardmost portion by the plastics sheathing, and the plastics sheathing is formed on the inside as an introduction slope.

8. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 7, wherein the introduction slope of the plastics sheathing merges into the inwardly directed slope of the metal body.

9. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second part has on the inside at least one stop for the insert region of the first part.

10. The semiconductor lamp according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor lamp is a retrofit lamp, the second part has a base at the back, and the first part serves as a carrier for at least one semiconductor light source.

Description

[0025] The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more readily understandable in connection with the following schematic description of an embodiment, which is explained in greater detail in connection with the drawings. For the sake of clarity, elements that are the same or have the same effect can be provided with the same reference numerals.

[0026] FIG. 1 is an oblique view, as a sectional representation, of parts of an assembled semiconductor lamp according to the invention;

[0027] FIG. 2 is an exploded side view, as a sectional representation, of a portion of a first and a second part of the semiconductor lamp according to the invention;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows in part the first part and the second part inserted into one another without taking into consideration a deformation in a contact region; and

[0029] FIG. 4 shows in part the first part and the second part inserted into one another taking into consideration the deformation in the contact region.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view, as a sectional representation, of a plurality of parts of an assembled semiconductor lamp in the form of an LED bulb retrofit lamp 1, namely a first part in the form of a cover 2, a second part in the form of a cup 3, a semiconductor light source module in the form of an LED submount 4, and a driver in the form of a driver board 5. The lamp 1 has a longitudinal axis L which extends from back to front.

[0031] The cover 2 has a hollow cylindrical basic shape, which is open at the rear and is closed at the front by an end wall 6. The end wall 6 is followed at the sides by a lateral surface in the form of an annular side wall 7. The side wall 7 serves with its rear half as an insert region 8 for insertion into the cup 3.

[0032] To that end, the cup 3 has an elongate shape, open at the front and at the rear, which widens at least in portions in the direction of the longitudinal axis L, or towards the front. A base element (not shown, for example an Edison screw base), for example, can be fitted to a rear opening 9 and connected electrically to the driver board 5 in order to supply power thereto. The driver board 5 is partly inserted in a cavity 10 of the cup 3, whereby it projects through a front opening 11 of the cup 3. The driver board 5 has one or more electrical and/or electronic components (not shown), which convert the electrical signals (for example an alternating voltage signal) fed in via the base element into electrical signals suitable for operating the LED submount 4.

[0033] The cover 2 is so connected to the cup 3 that the cover 2 with its inner curved portion 12 and the cavity 10 of the cup 3 together form a receiving space 10, 12 for the driver board 5. The cover 2 and the cup 3 consequently delimit or form the receiving space 10, 12.

[0034] The end wall 6 of the cover 2 is broken in order to allow electric leads (not shown) to pass from the driver board 5 to the LED submount 4 situated at the front on the end wall 6. The cover 2 thus serves as a carrier for the LED submount 4. The electric leads guide electrical operating signals generated by the driver board 5 to the LED submount 4. The LED submount 4 has a plate-like ceramics substrate 13, the front of which is provided with a plurality of LED chips 14. The LED chips 14 can emit white light, for example.

[0035] The cover 2 is connected to the cup 3 by means of a press fit. To that end, the cover 2 has been inserted by means of the part of its side wall 7 that serves as the insert region 8 into the front opening 11 of the cup 3, until it abuts a plurality of stop regions 15 of the cup 3 projecting into the cavity 10. The stop regions 15 end at the same height in relation to the longitudinal axis L. When the press fit is present, the insert region 8 is in contact with an exposed contact region 16 on the inside, or in the direction of the cavity 10, of a metal body 18 which is otherwise enclosed by a plastics sheathing 17. The metal body 18 is likewise in the form of a cup having a rear and a front opening and is at least substantially of a similar shape to the associated portion of the cup 3 along the longitudinal axis L.

[0036] The plastics sheathing 17 forms on the inside the rib-like stop regions 15 and has on its front side a receiver 24 in the form of an annular groove for a bulb (not shown).

[0037] As is shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 7 of the cover 2 has a plurality of slots 20 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis L, which slots begin at a rear edge 19 of the side wall 7. The slots 20 here extend over a large part of a height (along the longitudinal axis L) of the side wall 8. Owing to the slots 20, the regions of the side wall 7 that are broken thereby become spring elements 21. The spring elements 21 can be pushed resiliently inwards or outwards. The insert region 8 of the cover 2 thus consists of a plurality of spring elements 21 arranged annularly in a circumferential direction about the longitudinal axis L. Since an outside diameter of the insert region 8 of the cover 2 is slightly larger than an inside diameter of the contact region 16 of the cup 3, the spring elements 21 are pushed inwards when the cover 2 is inserted. The cover 2 is then held in the cup 3 by their resilient force.

[0038] A pair of mutually opposite slots 20a each have a narrowed portion 20b in order to be able to bring that portion into friction-based engagement with the driver board 5. Consequently, the cover 2 also serves as a holder and optionally guide for the driver board 5.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a graphic superposition of part of the cover 2 and of the cup 3 with the cover 2 inserted, wherein the spring elements 21 are relaxed, or not pushed inwards by the press fit. In this case, there is an overlap of a lateral depth I. In the real case shown in FIG. 4, the spring element 21 is bent inwards by that depth I, so that the resilient restoring force is generated, which effects the press fit.

[0040] As is shown in all the figures, the metal body 18 is bent outwards in a rounded manner at its front edge 22 in the manner of a collar. An inwardly directed slope 23 for the cover 2 is thus produced, which facilitates insertion of the cover 2. For the same purpose, the bent edge 22 of the cup-like metal body is received in its forwardmost portion 25 by the plastics sheathing 17. The plastics sheathing 17 is rounded on the inside in that region and thus likewise has the form of an introduction slope 26. The introduction slope 26 merges into the slope 23. For the purpose of simple introduction which is not susceptible to faults, the insert region 8 additionally has, or the spring elements 21 have on their outer side, starting from their rear edge 19, a further slope 27 which widens in the longitudinal direction L.

[0041] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by means of the embodiment shown, the invention is not limited to that embodiment and other variations can be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0042] In general, “a” can be understood as meaning a singular or a plural, especially in the sense of “at least one” or “one or more”, etc., provided that this is not explicitly excluded, for example by the expression “exactly one”, etc.

[0043] A figure can also include exactly the indicated number as well as a conventional tolerance range, provided that this is not explicitly excluded.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0044] 1. LED bulb retrofit lamp [0045] 2. Cover [0046] 3. Cup [0047] 4. LED submount [0048] 5. Driver board [0049] 6. End wall [0050] 7. Side wall [0051] 8. Insert region of the side wall [0052] 9. Rear opening of the cup [0053] 10. Cavity of the cup [0054] 11. Front opening of the cup [0055] 12. Inner curved portion of the cover [0056] 13. Ceramics substrate [0057] 14. LED chip [0058] 15. Stop region [0059] 16. Contact region of the metal body [0060] 17. Plastics sheathing [0061] 18. Metal body [0062] 19. Rear edge of the insert region [0063] 20. Slot [0064] 20a. Slot with narrowed portion [0065] 20b. Narrowed portion of the slot [0066] 21. Spring element [0067] 22. Front edge of the metal body [0068] 23. Slope [0069] 24. Receiver in the form of an annular groove [0070] 25. Forwardmost portion of the edge of the metal body [0071] 26. Introduction slope [0072] 27. Slope [0073] I Depth [0074] L Longitudinal axis