LED lamp

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The disclosure generally relates to a lamp and, more particularly, to an LED lamp.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] An LED lamp utilizing LEDs as a source of illumination is widely used in many fields because the LEDs have features of long-term reliability, environment friendliness and low power consumption. It is well-known that a conventional lamp utilizes fluorescent lights as a source of illumination. With the development of the LED lamp, the LED lamp is intended to be a cost-effective yet high quality replacement for the conventional fluorescent lamp.

[0005] Generally, the LED lamp comprises a bracket integrally formed via a metal die casting or a metal extrusion by a die/mould and a plurality of LED modules received in the bracket. The LED lamp can achieve a fixed illumination intensity because a dimension of the bracket is fixed. For achieving different illumination intensities according to different needs, the dimension of the bracket has to be changed. However, a change of the die/mould for forming the bracket raises a considerable cost burden. Furthermore, to have different dies/moulds with different sizes requires a high manufacture, inventory and material cost.

[0006] What is needed, therefore, is an LED lamp whose light intensity can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of LEDs thereof for meeting different illumination demands.

[0016] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, an LED lamp 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure is illustrated. The LED lamp 100 can be used as a street lamp. The LED lamp 100 comprises a lamp body 10, a cap 20 and a lamp holder 30 respectively mounted on two opposite ends of the lamp body 10, a driving circuit unit 40 mounted on a bottom portion of the lamp body 10, and a cover 50 covering the driving circuit unit 40.

[0017] The lamp body 10 comprises two beams 12 and a plurality of light emitting modules 11. The light emitting modules 11 are separated from each other. Each of the light emitting modules 11 has two opposite ends thereof respectively sliding into the beams 12 and mounted to the beams 12. The light emitting modules 11 are arranged side by side.

[0018] Each of the light emitting modules 11 comprises a heat sink 13 and an LED module 14 mounted on the heat sink 13. The heat sink 13 is integrally formed of a metal with good heat conductivity such as aluminum, copper or an alloy thereof. In this embodiment, the heat sink 13 is formed via cutting an elongated extruded semi-finished product into different widths; thus, the heat sink 13 can be manufactured into different widths by severing an extruded semi-finished product, without the necessity of redesigning a mould/die.

[0019] Referring also to FIG. 4, the heat sink 13 has an elongated configuration. The heat sink 13 comprises a base 130 and a fin unit (not labeled) including a plurality of fins 131. The fins 131 extend downwards from a bottom face of the base 130 and along a width direction of the heat sink 13. The fins 131 are parallel to each other and space from each other along a length direction of the base 130. A receiving space 132 is defined in a central portion of the fin unit. Two latching portions 133 are located at two opposite lateral sides of the receiving space 132, and extend along the width direction of the base 130. Two protrusions 134 extend outwards from two opposite ends of the base 130, respectively. Each of the protrusions 134 defines an extending hole 135 extending along the width direction of the base 130. The extending hole 135 communicates with an environment via a cutout (not labeled) defined in an outer side surface of the protrusion 134. Each of the protrusions 134 defines two threaded holes 136 therein extending along a vertical direction.

[0020] When the light emitting modules 11 are arranged side by side, the latching portions 133 of one of the light emitting modules 11 are in alignment with the latching portions 133 of an adjacent one of the light emitting modules 11, and the extending holes 135 of two adjacent light emitting modules 11 are in alignment with each other, for facilitating extensions of fasteners 60 therethrough. The receiving spaces 132 of the light emitting modules 11 cooperatively form a receiving groove (not labeled) for receiving the driving circuit unit 40 therein.

[0021] The LED module 14 comprises an elongated driving circuit board 141, a plurality of LEDs 140 attached to the driving circuit board 141, a transparent envelope 143, and a sealing ring 142. The driving circuit board 141 is attached to a top surface of the heat sink 13. The transparent envelope 143 covers the driving circuit board 141 and is mounted to the top surface of the heat sink 13. The sealing ring 142 is sandwiched between the transparent envelope 143 and the top surface of the heat sink 13 to seal the driving circuit board 141.

[0022] Each of the beams 12 has an elongated configuration. Each beam 12 has a U-shaped cross section. The beams 12 are formed by extrusion. Each beam 12 defines a slot 120 along a lengthways direction thereof. The slot 120 opens towards the light emitting modules 11. Each beam 12 defines a plurality of threaded holes 121 therein along a vertical direction. The threaded holes 121 are located at a lateral side of the slot 120. The protrusions 134 of the light emitting modules 11 slide into the slots 120 of the beams 12, and the threaded holes 136 of the protrusions 134 are aligned with the threaded holes 121 of the beams 12. A number of screws (not shown) extend through the threaded holes 121 and are engaged into the threaded holes 136 of the protrusions 134, thereby securing the light emitting modules 11 with the beams 12.

[0023] The cap 20 is attached to one of the light emitting modules 11 located at an end of the lamp body 10. The cap 20 defines four through holes 21 therein. Two of the through holes 21 correspond to the extending holes 135 of the protrusions 134 of the light emitting modules 11, and the other through holes 121 correspond to the latching portions 133 of the light emitting modules 11. Each beam 12 has an end thereof attached to the cap 20. Each beam 12 has an opposite end thereof extending beyond one of the light emitting modules 11 located at an opposite end of the lamp body 10 for connecting with the lamp holder 30 to thereby mount the lamp holder 30 on the opposite end of the beam 12.

[0024] The lamp holder 30 comprises a substrate 31 and a plurality of fins 32 extending perpendicularly and downwardly from two opposite ends of the substrate 31. Two corners of the substrate 31 distant from the lamp body 10 are recessed so that each corner has a curved edge. The fins 32 are parallel to each other and parallel to the fins 131 of the light emitting modules 11. A central portion of the substrate 31 does not have any fin thereon. A socket 33 is disposed in the central portion of the substrate 31, for connecting with a lamp pole (not shown). In this embodiment, the socket 33 is a sleeve for engagingly receiving an end of the lamp pole therein. Two bulges 34 extend outwards from two opposite ends of the substrate 31. Each of the bulges 34 defines an extending hole 35 and a mounting hole 36. The extending holes 35 of the bulges 34 are in alignment with the extending holes 135 of the light emitting modules 11. Two latching parts 37 are formed at two opposite lateral sides of the socket 33, respectively. The bulges 34 of the socket 30 slide into the slots 120 of the beams 12, and the mounting holes 36 correspond to the threaded holes 121 of the beams 12. Screws extend through the threaded holes 121 and engage in the mounting holes 36, thereby securing the beams 12 and the lamp holder 30 together.

[0025] The number of the fasteners 60 is four in this embodiment. Each of the fasteners 60 is an elongated shaft. Each of the fasteners 60 comprises a head 61 at an end thereof and threads 62 at an opposite end thereof. Two of the fasteners 60 extend through the extending holes 35 of the lamp holder 30, the extending holes 135 of the light emitting modules 11, and the through holes 21 of the cap 20 in series. Nuts (not shown) are engaged with the threads 62 of the fasteners 60. At the same time, the heads 61 of the fasteners 60 resist the bulges 34 of the lamp holder 30. The other two of the fasteners 60 extend through the latching parts 37 of the lamp holder 30, the latching portions 133 of the light emitting modules 11, and the through holes 21 of the cap 20 in series. Nuts are also engaged with the threads 62 of the other two fasteners 60. By doing so, the fasteners 60 secure the lamp holder 30, the cap 20 and the light emitting modules 11 together.

[0026] The light emitting modules 11 are separated from each other, and arranged side by side to form the lamp body 10 of the LED lamp 100. In need of increasing or decreasing the number of the light emitting modules 11 of the lamp body 10, it needs to increase or decrease the lengths of the beams 12 and change the number of the light emitting modules 11 in accordance with the length of the beams 12, without the necessity of redesigning a mould/die.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 5-6, the LED lamp 200 in accordance with a second embodiment is illustrated. The LED lamp 200 can be used as a projection lamp. The LED lamp 200 is similar to the LED lamp 100 of the first embodiment. The main difference between the LED lamp 100 and the LED lamp 200 is that two caps 20a are mounted at two opposite ends of the lamp body 10a, respectively, and two brackets 30a are mounted on the caps 20a, respectively. The LED lamp 200 is secured at a predetermined position via the brackets 30a. The fasteners 60a secure the caps 20a with the lamp body 10a in a way similar to that disclosed for the LED lamp 100.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 7-8, the LED lamp 300 in accordance with a third embodiment is illustrated. The LED lamp 300 can be used as a street lamp. The LED lamp 300 is similar to the LED lamp 100 of the first embodiment. The main difference between the LED lamp 300 and the LED lamp 100 is that the socket 33b (viewed in FIG. 7) replaces the socket 33 of the lamp holder 30 of the LED lamp 100.

[0029] The socket 33b of the LED lamp 300 comprises a supporting member 330b mounted on a substrate 31b of the lamp holder 30b and a connecting member 331b mounted on the supporting member 330b. The supporting member 330b comprises two spaced sidewalls 332b. The connecting member 331b comprises a cylinder 333b and two mounting plates 334b extending from two opposite lateral sides of the cylinder 333b. The mounting plates 334b are located between the sidewalls 332b. A pivot 335b extends through central portions of the mounting plates 334b and central portions of the sidewalls 332b, thereby pivotally connecting the connecting member 331b with the supporting member 330b. The connecting member 331b is rotatable relative to the supporting member 330b.

[0030] Each of the sidewalls 332b defines two spaced adjusting holes 336b in each of two opposite ends thereof. Each mounting plate 334b defines two inserting holes 337b in two opposite ends thereof, respectively. The connecting member 331b is pivotable in respect to the supporting member 330b in such manner that each of the inserting holes 337b is movable to be aligned with one of the adjusting holes 336b located at the same end with the inserting hole 337b, whereby screws 338b can extend through the adjusting holes 336b and the inserting holes 337b, thereby securing the connecting member 331b with the supporting member 330b at the desired position, wherein an acute angle is formed between the connecting member 331b and the supporting member 330b. Due to two adjusting holes 336b defined in each of the two opposite ends of each sidewall 332b, the acute angle between the connecting member 331b and the supporting member 330b can be changed by changing the position of the alignment between the adjusting holes 336b and the inserting holes 337b. When the LED lamp 300 is mounted on a lamp pole, an angle between the LED lamp 300 and a road can be changed. In this embodiment, the maximum angle between the LED lamp 300 and the road reaches to 15 degrees.

[0031] 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 structures and functions 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 invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.