Lamp

Abstract

 Lamp (1) comprising connection means (10) to an electric power supply, a housing (4) comprising lamp (1) electronic components (5), and a housing (6) comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes (7), characterized in that it comprises some cooling wings (3) in the outer lamp (1) surface for the evacuation of the heat caused by said electronic components (5) and by the diodes (7) towards the outside of the lamp (1).

Description

BACKGROUND OH THE INVENTION

[0001] Lamps provided with light-emitting diodes (LEDS) are known. The main advantages of these lamps are its long lifetime and its low energy consumption.

[0002] It is known the use of this sort of lamps for the replacement of conventional incandescent lamps used in traffic lights.

[0003] Said prior art diode lamps have drawbacks in evacuating the heat produced by its inside electronic components, thus reducing its lifetime and usefulness. It has also been proved that said lamps do not show a good air or water tightness either.

[0004] In a few existing models, heat removal improvements have been tried by providing large diameter lamps. A drawback of these lamps is that this diameter enlargement obstructs the easy incandescent lamp replacement, since in many cases said replacement is carried out from behind the lamp support, through an opening which fits the incandescent lamp diameter. If there is not enough room for the diodes lamp to pass through said opening, the traffic-light frontal part has to be dismantled so as to install the lamp.

[0005] Moreover, lack of tightness in said diode lamps often leads to failures owing to water condensation. Some lamp models include rubber joints, but the pressures and depressions caused by the great thermal changes to which the traffic light lamps are subjected provoke, in the long term, the air entrance from the outside, whose humidity condensates inside the lamps.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The object of the present invention is to solve the known prior art devices drawbacks, providing a lamp comprising connection means to an electric power supply, a housing comprising lamp electronic components, and a housing which comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes, characterized in that it comprises some cooling wings in the outer lamp surface for the evacuation of the heat caused by said electronic components and the by diodes towards the outside of the lamp.

[0007] Thanks to this cooling wings it is possible to efficiently evacuate the heat from the inside of the lamp without enlarging its outer diameter. Therefore, thanks to its reduced dimensions, the lamp of the invention can be used for replacing the usual incandescent lamps used in traffic-lights in a simple and fast manner, as if they were replaced by another incandescent lamp. This avoids the need to dismantle the traffic-light front part.

[0008] Preferably, the cooling wings comprise at least part of the outer surface of at least one of the housings.

[0009] Advantageously, the housings and the cooling wings are made of a conducting material of the heat caused by said electronic components and diodes.

[0010] Preferably, the heat conducting material is a metallic material, more specifically, aluminium.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lamp comprises a sealing resin arranged inside the housings so as to prevent the water or air from entering into said housings and to increase the evacuation of the heat caused by the electronic components and the light-emitting diodes towards the outside of the lamp.

[0012] Preferably, the sealing resin is of the epoxy type.

[0013] This sealing resin keeps the housings tightness and, in combination with the wings, improves the heat transmission from the housings inside to the lamp outside. Thus, it is avoided the use of prior art rubber joints, which normally loose tightness due to sudden temperature changes to which they are subjected.

[0014] Preferably, the connection means to an electric power supply comprise a threaded metallic cap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] A drawing is attached to facilitate the description of what has been disclosed above, in which, diagrammatically and only as a non-limitative example, a practical case of embodiment of the invention is shown. This drawing shows a longitudinal cross-section of the lamp of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] As it can be seen in the drawing, the lamp 1 of the invention comprises a main body 2 which includes some cooling wings 3 in its outer surface extending perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lamp 1.

[0017] Said main body 2 defines a housing 4 in which the electronic components of the lamp 1 are located.

[0018] The lamp 1 comprises another frontal housing 6defined in one of the ends of the main body 2, in which a plurality of light-emitting diodes 7 are located. Said housing 6 is frontally closed by a transparent dome 8.

[0019] As it can be observed, the main body 2 wings 3 extends through a part of the outer surface of the lamp 1, more specifically through part of the outer surface of both housings 4, 6. These wings 3 are meant to evacuate to the maximum the heat produced by the operation of the electronic components and the diodes 7 arranged inside the housings 4, 6. In this way, the heat is transmitted from inside the housings 4, 6 through the its walls directly towards the wings 3.

[0020] The body 2 and the wings 3 will be total or partially made of any good heat conducting material or materials, preferably of aluminium.

[0021] Thanks to said wings 3, the outer diameter of the lamp 1 is smaller than the diameter of this type of prior art lamps, since the contact surface with the outside is increased, thus making more easy the heat removal without the need of enlarging the outer diameter.

[0022] The housings 4, 6 could be filled with sealing resin 9, of the epoxy or another type, good heat transmitting, so as to improve the evacuation of the heat generated by the elements arranged inside both housings 4, 6 towards the outside of the lamp and to provide the needed tightness to prevent the water or air from entering said housings 4, 6 in whatever condition. The resin 9 can be arranged nearby close to the internal wall of the housings 4, 6.

[0023] The lamp 1 includes also a standard threaded cap 10 for the electricity supplying of the lamp 1 components by connecting it to an electric network connected terminal.

[0024] Even though in the described embodiment the cooling wings 3 comprise many substantially parallel layers which extends in a plane perpendicular to the lamp longitudinal axis, the wings configuration and arrangement can vary depending on the lamp 1 design and specific needs.

Claims

1. Lamp (1) comprising connection means (10) to an electric power supply, a housing (4) comprising lamp (1) electronic components (5), and a housing (6) comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes (7), characterized in that it comprises some cooling wings (3) in the outer lamp (1) surface for the evacuation of the heat caused by said electronic components (5) and by the diodes (7) towards the outside of the lamp (1).

2. Lamp (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling wings (3) comprise at least part of the outer surface of at least one of the housings (4, 6).

3. Lamp (1), according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the housings (4, 6) and the cooling wings (3) are made of a conducting material of the heat caused by said electronic components (5) and diodes (7).

4. Lamp (1), according to claim 3, characterized in that the heat conducting material is a metallic material.

5. Lamp (1), according to claim 4, characterized in that the heat conducting material is aluminium.

6. Lamp (1), according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises a sealing resin (9) arranged inside the housings (4, 6) so as to prevent water or air from entering said housings (4, 6) and to increase the evacuation of the heat caused by the electronic components (5) and the light-emitting diodes (7) towards the outside of the lamp (1).

7. Lamp (1), according to claim 6, characterized in that the sealing resin (9) is of the epoxy type.

8. Lamp (1), according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the connection means to an electric power supply comprise a threaded metallic cap (10).

Drawing