LED luminaire having lateral cooling fins and adaptive LED assembly
10393360 ยท 2019-08-27
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F21V5/04
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V17/12
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V31/005
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/745
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/74
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21Y2115/10
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V23/001
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/507
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S8/036
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/75
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V5/007
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V15/015
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V17/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S8/088
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S8/04
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21W2131/103
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21Y2105/16
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S8/086
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F21S8/04
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V23/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V17/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/507
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V5/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V17/12
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S8/08
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/74
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V31/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V29/75
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21V15/015
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Abstract
A luminaire including a housing made of thermally conductive material having a top, a bottom and two opposite sides connecting the top to the bottom, each side having plurality of external, vertically spaced, substantially parallel cooling fins that extend longitudinally and project laterally outwardly of the housing, preferably at a shallow downward and outward angle. The housing configuration provides a large surface area per unit of housing length to optimize heat dissipation. A configurable, cartridge-like LED bezel assemblyreadily replaceable in the fieldis supported on the bottom of the housing. A driver for the LED assemblyalso readily replaceable in the fieldis located within the housing.
Claims
1. A luminaire housing comprising: a core having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side; and a group of cooling fins comprising at least three cooling fins that project laterally outwardly from the first side in a downward slope, the group of cooling fins each terminating laterally in a distal edge and each having a reach defined by the lateral distance of its respective distal edge from a medial longitudinal vertical plane of the housing, wherein the reaches of the group of cooling fins are nonuniform.
2. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the reaches of the group of cooling fins increase progressively from the top cooling fin of the group to the bottom cooling fin of the group.
3. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein each cooling fin of the group has a substantially uniform thickness.
4. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein each of the cooling fins of the group slopes downwardly and outwardly at an angle of about 5 degrees from the horizontal.
5. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the lateral spacing between the distal edges of the cooling fins decreases progressively from the top cooling fin of the group to the bottom cooling fin of the group.
6. The luminaire housing of claim 5, wherein the distal edges of the cooling fins of the group lie substantially along a constant-radius arc.
7. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the reach differential between adjacent cooling fins of the group decreases progressively from the top cooling fin of the group to the bottom cooling fin of the group.
8. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the cooling fins of the group are substantially uniformly spaced from one another in a vertical direction.
9. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein each of the cooling fins of the group has a lateral cantilevered length, and the lateral cantilevered length of each of the cooling fins of the group is greater than the space between them.
10. The luminaire housing of claim 9, wherein the ratio of the lateral cantilevered lengths of the cooling fins of the group to the space between them in the vertical direction is in the range of about 2:1 to about 8:1.
11. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the housing is substantially symmetrical about the medial longitudinal vertical plane thereof.
12. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the top and the bottom of the housing are substantially flat.
13. The luminaire housing of claim 1, wherein the core and the group of fins are made from a thermally conductive material.
14. A luminaire comprising the housing of claim 1, and further comprising a light emitting diode assembly connected to the housing and a driver positioned in the housing and electrically coupled to the light emitting diode assembly.
15. A luminaire comprising: a housing comprising a core having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side at least partially defining an internal cavity, a first groove and a second groove facing the internal cavity, and a group of cooling fins comprising at least three cooling fins that project laterally outwardly from the first side in a downward slope, the group of cooling fins each terminating laterally in a distal edge; a driver assembly comprising a driver and a component tray, wherein the component tray is slidably received in the first groove and the second groove; and a light emitter assembly connected to the housing and operatively connected to the driver.
16. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the light emitter assembly comprises: a circuit board having an array of LEDs on a front face thereof; an array of lenses corresponding to the array of LEDs, each lens covering a respective LED and having a flange abutting the front face of the circuit board; a gasket adjacent the lenses and having an array of gasket apertures corresponding to the array of lenses, each lens extending through a respective gasket aperture with the gasket material surrounding the lens abutting the flange thereof; and a bezel adjacent the gasket and secured to the circuit board, the bezel having an array of bezel apertures corresponding to the array of lenses, each lens extending through a respective bezel aperture.
17. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein at least one cluster of lenses of said array of lenses are configured to provide a directional light distribution, and each flange of said cluster of lenses has a periphery configured to complement the peripheries of adjacent flanges of said cluster of lenses.
18. The luminaire of claim 17, wherein the periphery of each flange of said cluster of lenses comprises at least one convex portion and at least one concave portion.
19. The luminaire of claim 16, and further comprising a plurality of assembly fasteners holding the bezel, the gasket, the lenses and the circuit board together.
20. The luminaire of claim 19, wherein said plurality of assembly fasteners comprise a plurality of assembly standoffs secured to the circuit board and extending through respective assembly standoff holes in the gasket.
21. The luminaire of claim 20, wherein the assembly standoffs are threaded, and wherein said plurality of assembly fasteners further comprise a plurality of assembly screws that extend through respective assembly screw holes in the bezel and engage respective assembly standoffs.
22. The luminaire of claim 21, wherein the assembly screw holes are sized to permit passage of the assembly standoffs, and wherein the heads of the assembly screws have assembly washers thereon to retain the bezel on the assembly standoffs.
23. A luminaire comprising: a housing comprising a core having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side and a group of cooling fins comprising at least three cooling fins that project laterally outwardly from the first side in a downward slope, the group of cooling fins each terminating laterally in a distal edge; a driver positioned in the housing; a light emitter assembly connected to the housing and operatively connected to the driver; and a mount assembly comprising a base plate connected to the top and an upper bracket pivotally connected to the base plate.
24. The luminaire of claim 23, wherein the base plate includes a tab and the upper bracket includes an opening configured to receiving the tab.
25. The luminaire of 23, wherein a removable hinge rod pivotally connects the upper bracket to the base plate.
26. The luminaire of claim 25, wherein the base plate includes a first side flange and a second side flange configured to receive the hinge rod and the upper bracket includes a rear channel configured to receive the hinge rod.
27. The luminaire of claim 23, wherein the base plate includes center section configured to connect to one or more mounting components.
28. The luminaire of claim 27, wherein the center section is configured to connect to a flush mount and to a pendant mount.
29. The luminaire of claim 23, wherein the base plate includes a first front flange having a first opening and the upper bracket includes a second front flange having a second opening that is aligned with the first opening.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
(1) Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail below, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(26) Referring to
(27) A top mount assembly 30 is secured to the top wall 12 of the housing by four screws 32 extending through holes in a base plate 34. The base plate has upstanding side flanges 36 and an upstanding front flange 38. A bent hinge rod 42 is pivotally connected to side flanges 36 at the rear end of the base plate 34. An upper bracket 40 has a rear channel 43 in which hinge rod 42 is removably received, an upstanding front flange 44, and a raised center section 45 with a standard set of arcuate slots 46 for mounting the luminaire to an overhead support, such as a standard single-gang ceiling junction box (see
(28) Installation of the luminaire is facilitated by the ability to disengage hinge rod 42 from channel 43, which allows upper bracket 40 to be mounted to the overhead support independently. Thereafter, hinge rod 42 (with luminaire attached) is simply placed into channel 43 in upper bracket 40, assuming the dropped position shown in
(29) Within housing 10 is an electrical assembly 60 for powering the LED engine, which is mounted to the underside of housing bottom wall 14 between spaced rails 15. Electrical assembly 60 comprises a removable, preferably aluminum component tray 62 supported above bottom wall 14 in longitudinal grooves 64 in side walls 16. When either end cap 20 is removed, component tray 62 is exposed and may be removed without the use of tools. An integral handle 66 at the front end of the tray facilitates sliding movement of tray 62 through that end. Component tray 62 supports one or more electronic drivers 68 secured by screws 70, a ballast surge protector 72 and other components (e.g., a step-down transformer) as needed. Power cord 49 supplies power to these components. Suitable electrical conductors (not shown) supply power from the driver(s) to the LEDs via apertures (not shown) in tray 62 and in housing bottom wall 14. The two drivers 68 can power two independently switched circuits that feed different LEDs, allowing for three different modes of operation.
(30) Referring to
(31) An alternative LED engine arrangement is depicted in
(32) Referring to
(33) Circuit board 102 has an array of sixty LEDs 104 mounted on its underside (visible in the inverted view of
(34) LEDs 104 are covered by a matching array of sixty refractive lenses 110, which abut circuit board 102. Lenses 110 preferably are made of optical grade acrylic, but other suitable materials can be used, such as polycarbonate or glass. The interior cavity of each lens fits closely around its LED lamp to maintain proper alignment (concentricity). Some or all of lenses 110 may be directional, i.e., designed to concentrate light output within a desired arc or area. In that case, the optic flange 112 of each directional lens has a periphery configured to complement the flange peripheries of adjacent directional lenses so as to require placement of each lens in the proper orientation during assembly.
(35) Gasket 114 is a compliant material interposed between bezel 118 and lenses 110 to ensure that the lenses are secured adequately and uniformly by being pressed against the circuit board 102. In the preferred embodiment, this material also functions as a seal between bezel 118 and the optic flanges 112 and is preferably made of silicone foam, which possesses superior compression set, aging, and thermal resistance. A single gasket can be used, cut from a sheet with apertures 116 to fit around all lenses in the assembly. During assembly, gasket 114 is simply draped over the lenses and therefore requires no backing or adhesive for proper mounting. Dispensing with adhesives in this area simplifies assembly and avoids reliance on a bond that could degrade over time due to exposure to extreme cold and hot temperatures and to the different rates of thermal expansion of the diverse bezel and lens materials during normal heating and cooling cycles. Adhesives may also cause damage to the LED lamps by damaging the LED encapsulates, possibly compromising LED life and performance.
(36) A continuous lip 126 on the underside of bezel 118 (see
(37) The purpose of bezel 118 is to mechanically secure lenses 110, to conceal and protect the LED circuit board 102 by sealing it from the elements, and to present a finished, aesthetically pleasing look to the assembly. The bezel could be made from a variety of metal and polymer materials and with manufacturing processes such as casting, molding or cutting sheet stock. The preferred bezel material is die-cast aluminum, which is inherently more rigid and dimensionally more stable than plastic alternatives, and enables incorporation of a high level of detail in the design while maintaining a smooth surface finish and tight tolerances. The bezel preferably is finished with a reflective coating, such as bright anodization or white or silver paint, in order to help salvage any LED light that may impinge on the bezel.
(38) Bezel 118 has an array of apertures 120 that correspond to the array of lenses 110 and LEDs.
(39) Assembly of LED cartridge 100 involves positioning lenses 110 over the LEDs; placing gasket 114 over circuit board 102 with the lenses 110 protruding through gasket apertures 116; placing bezel 118 over gasket 114 with the lenses 110 protruding through bezel apertures 120; and attaching bezel 118 to circuit board 102 with four assembly screws 130 and four washers 132. Compression of gasket 114 is controlled to ensure uniform sealing performance, to avoid overcompression and resulting damage to the gasket or the lenses, and to avoid undercompression, which could result in areas of non-compression due to warpage or deflection of parts and in undue blockage of light if the bezel is disposed too far from the optic flanges 112.
(40) During cartridge assembly, gasket compression control is afforded by the four taller, threaded standoffs 106, which pass through holes in the bezel 118 and receive assembly screws 130. Screws 130 bottom out on the standoffs 106, allowing the bezel to float. The height of standoffs 106 is designed to generate only a small amount of gasket compression, or possibly a small clearance, since the purpose is to hold the assembly together for ease of production and field service. However, any clearance should be minimized to keep the lenses 110 from slipping out of position. The threaded standoffs 106 pass through holes in gasket 114 and are sealed by virtue of the gasket hole being slightly smaller than the standoff diameter. This forms a light radial seal, which is adequate protection against moisture and bug entry in the typical downlighting position. When used in a vertical or uplighting position, a more robust seal may be required, for example, foam sealing washers between bezel 118 and washers 132.
(41) Compression control of gasket 114 during cartridge installation on housing 10 is afforded by the twelve shorter standoffs 108 on circuit board 102 and twelve shallow mating standoffs 134 on the underside of bezel 118 through which mounting screws 136 pass (see
(42) The construction and performance aspects of housing 10 will now be described with reference to
(43) The transverse profile depicted substantially to scale in
(44) A working example of a housing with this profile, about 12 in. long, has an overall width of about 11.3 in. (the span between the distal ends of the opposed lateral cooling fins having the greatest reach), an overall height of about 3.8 in. (excluding bottom rails 15) and a resulting height-to-width aspect ratio of about 1:3. Bottom wall 14 (excluding the bottom pair of cooling fins) is about 34% wider than top wall 12 (excluding the top pair of cooling fins), while side walls 16 are of equal length. Walls 12, 14 and 16 together define a trapezoidal core having a mean external width of about 5.7 in. (the average width of top wall 12 and bottom wall 14). The lateral cantilevered lengths of the sixteen cooling fins 18 (eight per side), vary from about 0.8 in. to about 2.6 in., most being at least about 2.0 in. long and at least about 35% of the mean external width of the core; and the longest being about two-thirds the overall height of the housing, about 45% of the mean external width of the core and about 23% of the overall width of the housing. As used herein, lateral cantilevered length means the distance along a cooling fin from its proximal side wall 16 to its distal edge. Further, the ratio of the lateral cantilevered lengths of the cooling fins to the space between them is in the range of about 2:1 to about 8:1; and the ratio of the total of the cantilevered lengths of all of the cooling fins to the perimeter of the housing core is about 1.7:1. The cooling fins have a smooth finish and slope downwardly at an angle of about 5 degrees to the horizontal; they have the same uniform thickness of about 0.125 in.; and they are uniformly spaced apart by about 0.36 in. The total thickness of the cooling fins on each side wall is not more than about 30% of the overall height of the housing. These dimensional parameters provide the housing with a heat dissipating surface area of at least about 6.9 sq. ft. per longitudinal linear foot of housing.
(45) The above preferences and concomitant advantages notwithstanding, decent thermal performance can be achieved with fewer cooling fins spaced further apart, or with more cooling fins spaced closer together, or with cooling fins having a smaller range of cantilevered lengths, or with cooling fins that do not present a cascading profile or are not downwardly sloped. The lateral cantilevered lengths of the cooling fins should be relatively large so as to provide ample surface area for dissipating much of the heat generated by the LED engine, and the cooling fins should not be so close together that heat dissipation is substantially impeded. Cooling fin thickness may vary laterally from proximal portion (root) toward distal edge, and/or from cooling fin to cooling fin, and the surface may be roughened to enhance heat dissipation. Further, as the cooling fins will shed moisture at any downward inclination or even if substantially horizontal, the downward slope angle, if any, may be less than or greater than 5 degrees but not so steep that heat becomes unduly trapped between the cooling fins.
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(47) Luminaire 138 is intended for cantilevered mounting at one end to a support, so it is devoid of a top mount assembly. Instead, the rear end of the housing is closed by an end cap 150 to which a tubular mount 152 is first secured by three screws 154. End cap 150 is secured to the housing with an interposed gasket 22 by four lockwashers 156 and four screws 158. End cap 150 also has a central hole 160 for the passage of power cable 143, and preferably has fins 162 that complement cooling fins 18 on the housing. Six set screws 164 carried by tubular mount 152 serve to fix the mount to a tubular support.
(48) The front end of the housing may be closed by a similar finned front cover 168, with an interposed gasket 22, by means of a washer 170 and a single screw 172 passing through a center hole 173. Alternatively, a more convex finned front cover 174 may be used. A backing plate 176, secured to front cover 174 by screws 178, has a keyhole-shaped center aperture 180. The front cover 174 (or 173) is hinged to the housing to facilitate tool-less access to the interior of the housing. To that end, and referring to
(49) Finally, any of the disclosed luminaire embodiments can be mounted atop a post by means of a yoke adapter 196 (see
(50) While various embodiments and have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.