Lightweight LED lamp

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) lamp and, particularly, to a lightweight LED lamp.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] As highly effective light sources, LED lamps are widely used in various fields. An LED lamp includes a number of LEDs, and most of the LEDs are driven at the same time, which results in a quick rise in temperature of the LED lamp. Generally, the LED lamp utilizes a heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the LEDs.

[0005] A conventional LED lamp includes a heat sink, a number of LED modules mounted on the heat sink, and a frame holding the heat sink and the LED modules therein. Each of the LED modules includes a LED and a reflector cooperated therewith. Generally, the frame, the heat sink and the reflector each are made of metal, and therefore the LED lamp may have a heavy weight and high manufacture cost.

[0006] What is needed, therefore, is a lightweight LED lamp which can overcome the described limitations.

[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, an LED lamp includes a frame 10, a heat sink 20, an LED module 30, a reflection module 40, an envelope 50 and a power module 60.

[0013] The frame 10 includes an elongated holding member 11 and a suspension member 12 engaged with the holding member 11. The holding member 11 includes two elongated side plates 111 and two baffling plates 112. The two side plates 111 are arc-shaped structures and are spaced at a distance with two openings thereof facing to each other. Each of the two baffling plates 112 has a sheet-like structure, and is disposed at one of two opposite ends of the two side plates 111 to interconnect the two side plates 111. In this manner, the two side plates 111 and the two baffling plates 112 cooperatively form an illumination chamber, i.e., the holding member 11.

[0014] The two side plates 111 each are made of plastic material and manufactured by plastic extrusion. Each of the two side plates 111 includes an elongated lower fixing portion 1110, an elongated upper fixing portion 1120 and a connection portion 1130 connected between the lower fixing portion 1110 and the upper fixing portion 1120. The lower fixing portion 1110 is configured for engaging with the envelope 50, and the upper fixing portion 1120 is configured for engaging with the suspension member 12. A first ridge 1112 and a second ridge 1113 protrude from an inner surface of the lower fixing portion 1110 and define a groove 1111 therebetween. The groove 1111 extends along a lengthwise direction of the lower fixing portion 1110, and receives one of two opposite lateral sides of the envelope 50 to secure the envelope 50 between the two lower fixing portions 1110 of the two side plates 111. The first ridge 1112 extends upwardly and inwardly to form an extension plate 1114 supporting the reflecting module 40 thereon.

[0015] The connection portion 1130 defines an elongated slot 1131 near the upper fixing portion 1120 for receiving one of two opposite lateral sides of the heat sink 20. The heat sink 20 includes a heat conducting base plate 21 and a plurality of fins 22 extending upwardly from a top surface of the base plate 21. The base plate 21 is a rectangular metallic plate, and two longer edges of the base plate 21 are received in the two slots 1131 of the connection portions 1130 of the two side plates 111, respectively, whereby the heat sink 20 is fixed between the two side plates 111. A distance between the two side plates 111 can be adjusted according to a width of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20. Thus, the two side plates 111 can accommodate various heat sinks 20 with various sizes to thereby construct various LED lamps.

[0016] The LED module 30 includes a rectangular base board 31 mounted on a bottom surface of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20, and a plurality of LEDs 32 mounted on a bottom surface of the base board 31. Structure and size of the base board 31 of the LED module 30 are similar to those of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20. Wire circuit (not shown) is laid on the bottom surface of the base board 31, and two connection terminals 33 arranged at two diagonal corners of the bottom surface of the base board 31, respectively, to electrically connect the wire circuit with a power supply, whereby the LEDs 32 can be powered to lighten.

[0017] The reflecting module 40 is used to reflect light emitted from the LED module 30, and guides the light to travel in a desired light emission direction. The reflecting module 40 is located below the bottom surface of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20 and includes a first reflecting plate 41 and a second reflecting plate 42 respectively attached to the two side plates 111 and extending along the lengthwise direction of the two side plates 111. In detail, the first and second reflecting plates 41, 42 are adhered to inner surfaces of the two extension plates 1114, respectively, by an adhesive. A lower part of the first reflecting plate 41 abuts the inner surface of the extension plate 1114 of the lower fixing portion 1110 of one side plate 111, and an upper edge of the first reflecting plate 41 contacts the base board 31 of the LED module 30. Similarly, the second reflecting plate 42 is secured to another side plate 111 and an upper edge thereof contacts the base board 31 of the LED module 30. Thus, no gap exists between the first reflecting plate 41 and the base board 31 and between the second reflecting plate 42 and the base board 31 of the LED module 30, whereby light emitted from the LED module 30 can be sufficiently reflected by the reflecting plates 41, 42. That is, all light emitted from the LED module 30 can be effectively reflected by the first and second reflecting plates 41, 42, thereby improving an utilization efficiency of the light generated by the LED module 30.

[0018] Preferably, the reflecting module 40 includes two side reflecting plates 43, 44 disposed between the first and second reflecting plates 41, 42 and adhered to inner sides of the two baffling plates 112, respectively, by an adhesive. Similarly, no gap exists between each of the two side reflecting plates 43 and the base board 31 of the LED module 30, whereby light emitted from the LED module 30 cannot escape from the gap and is sufficiently reflected by the two side reflecting plates 43. According to such arrangement, the first and second reflecting plates 41, 42 and the two side reflecting plates 43, 44 surround and face the LED module 30, so as to effectively reflect light emitted from the LED module 30. The first and second reflecting plates 41, 42 and the two side reflecting plates 43, 44 are made of plastic material such as polycarbonate (PC) resin.

[0019] The suspension member 12 is made of plastic material and manufactured by extrusion. The suspension member 12 has an inverted U-shaped configuration and includes a securing panel 121 and two engaging walls 122 extending downwardly from two opposite lateral sides of the securing panel 121. The power module 60 is fixed to the securing panel 121 and arranged between the two engaging walls 122. Each of the two engaging walls 122 includes an arc body 122a connected to the securing panel 121 and a coupling plate 122b extend outwardly from a free, lower end of the body 122a. The two coupling plates 122b of the two engaging walls 122 are located between the two upper fixing portions 1120 of the two side plates 111. Outer surfaces of the two coupling plates 122b of the two engaging walls 122 are fixed to inner surfaces of the two upper fixing portions 1120 of the two side plates 111, respectively. The suspension member 12 is used to engage with a bottom end of a fixture (not shown) which has a top end secured to a ceiling, for example, to enable the LED lamp to hang and lighten a space below the ceiling.

[0020] In assembly, the suspension member 12 is secured to the holding member 11 by fixing the two coupling plates 122b of the two engaging walls 122 to the upper fixing portions 1120 of the two side plates 111, respectively. The two longer edges of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20 slide into the two slots 1131 of the connection portions 1130 of the two side plates 111, along the lengthwise direction thereof, whereby the heat sink 20 is fixed between the two side plates 111. The LED module 30 is mounted on the bottom surface of the base plate 21 of the heat sink 20, and the two baffling plates 112 are secured to the two opposite ends of the two side plates 111. The first and second reflecting plates 41, 42 are adhered to the inner surfaces of the two extension plates 1114 of the lower fixing portions 1110 of the two side plates 111, respectively, and the two side reflecting plates 43, 44 are adhered to the inner sides of the two baffling plates 112, respectively. The two lateral sides of the envelope 50 are received in the two grooves 1111 of the two lower fixing portions 1110 of the two side plates 111. The power module 60 is fixed on the top surface of the securing panel 121 of the suspension member 12. After the LED lamp is assembled, the LED module 30 and the reflection module 40 are received in the frame 10 and located above the envelope 50, whereby light generated by the LED module 30 can radiate downwards through the envelope 50 to lighten a space below the LED lamp.

[0021] Regarding the LED lamp, the frame 10, the reflection module 40 and the envelope 50 are made of nonmetallic material, and only the heat sink 20 is made of metallic material. Thus, a weight of the LED lamp is greatly reduced, in comparison with the conventional LED suspension lamp. In addition, the side plates 111 can cooperate with various heat sinks 20 to construct various LED lamps via changing the distance between the side plates 111, whereby a manufacture cost of the LED lamp can be lowered.

[0022] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the apparatus and function of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.