LED light fixture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9028087-B2
Application number	US-201414246776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2006
Publication date	May 12, 2015
Grant date	May 12, 2015

Abstract

An LED light fixture including a housing and an LED assembly secured with respect to the housing. The LED assembly includes a heat sink and an LED illuminator secured with respect to an LED-supporting region of the heat sink with heat-dissipating surfaces extending therefrom. The heat sink having front, rear and lateral sides and being open to ambient-fluid flow to and from the heat-dissipating surfaces along each of the sides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An LED lighting fixture comprising a housing portion and an LED-supporting heat sink having lateral, front and rear sides and being open for air/water-flow along each of the sides, the housing portion defining a venting gap permitting air/water-flow to and from the LED-supporting heat sink.

2. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein:
the housing portion includes a substantially closed chamber enclosing at least one electronic LED driver; and
the heat sink includes an LED-supporting region and heat-dissipating surfaces extending therefrom; and
an LED illuminator secured with respect to the LED-supporting region of the heat sink.

3. The LED light fixture of claim 2 wherein the heat sink includes central and peripheral portions, the central portion including the LED-supporting region and having central heat-dissipating surfaces opposite the LED illuminator, the peripheral portion having peripheral heat-dissipating surfaces along the lateral sides of the heat sink.

4. The LED light fixture of claim 3 wherein the venting gap comprises at least one central-portion venting aperture partially defined by the housing portion and facilitating ambient-fluid flow to and from the central heat-dissipating surfaces.

5. The LED light fixture of claim 3 wherein the central portion of the heat sink has a plurality of elongate fins protruding in a direction opposite the LED illuminator and extending from distal fin-ends adjacent to the front side of the heat sink to proximal fin-ends adjacent to the rear side of the heat sink.

6. The LED light fixture of claim 5 wherein at least one of the proximal fin-ends is secured to the housing portion.

7. The LED light fixture of claim 5 wherein the fins define horizontal between-fin channels open at the distal fin-ends, the proximal fin-ends configured to permit ambient-fluid flow from the between-fin channels to the at least one central-portion aperture, thereby to facilitate liquid drainage therefrom.

8. The LED light fixture of claim 7 wherein each of the peripheral portions has at least one peripheral fin along the heat sink, the peripheral fins extending from distal fin-ends adjacent to the front side of the heat sink to proximal fin-ends adjacent to the rear side of the heat sink.

9. An LED light fixture comprising:
a frame defining a forward region and a rearward region;
the rearward region having (a) an enclosure defining a chamber enclosing electronic LED power circuitry and (b) a rearmost portion adapted for securement to a support member;
the forward region having (i) a heat sink and (ii) open spaces within the frame on either side of the heat sink, the heat sink comprising an LED-supporting region and heat-dissipating surfaces extending therefrom; and
an LED illuminator secured with respect to the LED-supporting region.

10. An LED light fixture comprising:
a frame defining a forward region and a rearward region;
the rearward region having (a) an enclosure defining a chamber enclosing electronic LED power circuitry, the enclosure having upper and lower shells, the upper shell and the frame being formed as a single piece, the lower shell being movably secured with respect to the upper shell, and (b) a rearmost portion adapted for securement to a support member;
the forward region having (i) a heat sink and (ii) open spaces within the frame on either side of the heat sink, the heat sink comprising an LED-supporting region and heat-dissipating surfaces extending therefrom; and
an LED illuminator secured with respect to the LED-supporting region.

11. An LED light fixture comprising:
a frame defining a forward region and a rearward region;
the rearward region having (a) an enclosure defining a chamber enclosing electronic LED power circuitry, and (b) a rearmost portion adapted for securement to a support member;
the forward region having (i) a heat sink and (ii) open spaces within the frame on either side of the heat sink, the heat sink comprising an LED-supporting region and heat-dissipating surfaces extending therefrom, the heat sink and the frame being formed as a single piece; and
an LED illuminator secured with respect to the LED-supporting region.

12. An LED light fixture comprising:
a frame defining a forward region and a rearward region;
the rearward region having (a) an enclosure defining a chamber enclosing electronic LED power circuitry, and (b) a rearmost portion adapted for securement to a support member;
the forward region having (i) a heat sink and (ii) open spaces within the frame on either side of the heat sink, the heat sink being open to ambient-fluid flow and comprising a central portion and peripheral portions, the central portion comprising an LED-supporting region, the peripheral portions having peripheral heat-dissipating surfaces along lateral sides of the heat sink; and
an LED illuminator secured with respect to the LED-supporting region.

13. The LED light fixture of claim 12 wherein the central portion has a plurality of fins protruding in a direction opposite the LED illuminator.

14. The LED light fixture of claim 13 wherein the heat sink comprises at least one central-portion venting aperture adjacent to the enclosure and facilitating ambient-fluid flow to and from the heat-dissipating surfaces of the central portion.

15. The LED light fixture of claim 14 wherein the central-portion venting aperture is partially defined by the enclosure.

16. An LED light fixture which in plan view comprises central and outward portions, the central portion comprising (a) an enclosure with LED power circuitry therein, (b) a heat sink secured with respect to the enclosure and supporting an LED illuminator and (c) a mount adapted for securement to a support member, the outward portion defining an outer plan-view shape of the fixture and being secured to the central portion with through-space(s) between the central and outward portions.

17. The LED light fixture of claim 16 wherein the through-space(s) is/are at least along the heat sink.

18. The LED light fixture of claim 17 wherein the through-space(s) along the heat sink is/are on opposite sides thereof.

19. The LED light fixture of claim 18 wherein there are at least two through-space(s), including at least one on each of the opposite sides of the heat sink.

20. The LED light fixture of claim 16 wherein the outward portion has an outer perimeter which in plan view is substantially similar to the footprint of a cobrahead non-LED light fixture.

21. An LED light fixture comprising (a) a housing, (b) a heat sink secured with respect to the housing, the heat sink comprising forward, rearward and lateral sides, and (c) an LED illuminator on the heat sink, the LED illuminator comprising (Ti) at least one LED emitter in thermal connection with the heat sink and (ii) an optical member over at least one LED emitter for illumination therebelow, the heat sink comprising downwardly-extending shield members at the lateral sides thereof configured and dimensioned to block illumination.

22. The LED light fixture of claim 21 wherein:
the optical member is configured for directing emitter light predominantly toward the forward side; and
the central heat-sink portion has a downwardly-extending rearward shield member at the rearward side thereof configured and dimensioned to block rearward illumination, the rearward shield member extending to a position lower than a lowermost outer-surface portion of the optical member.

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Assignees

• Cree Inc

Inventors

• Wilcox Kurt S
• Kinnune Brian
• Snell Nathan
• Sorenson Jeremy
• Goldstein Corey
• Medendorp Jr Nicholas W

Classifications

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V27/00

  Cable-stowing arrangements structurally associated with lighting devices, e.g. reels  {(storing lengths of cable in general B65H; the lighting devices being vehicle headlamps F21S41/192; the lighting devices being vehicle lights F21S43/195)} · CPC title

• F21Y2103/10

  comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements · CPC title

• F21V29/83

  the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes · CPC title

• Y10S362/80

  Light emitting diode · CPC title