LED lighting system

Abstract

 An LED lighting system provided with an enclosure in which measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, and protection from oil mist, and the like are undertaken is to be provided. A lighting system has a main body (21) ; and a light source (19), the light source (19) having a heatsink (8) above and an LED below, and the light source (19) and the main body (21) being mounted so as to expose the heatsink (8) from an upper end of the main body (21), an angular U-shaped mounting bracket traversing a groove of the heat sink (8) in a perpendicular direction; and an enclosure configured to accommodate a control gear (4) inside the mounting bracket (1) at a midsection in the vertical direction are provided, wherein the enclosure includes: a tubular member (2) having at least one opening, a resin cover (5), and the control gear; a rib (2a) is provided inside the tubular member (2) and configured to hold the control gear (4); the resin cover (5) being configured to hold an end of the control gear (4) is provided at the opening of the tubular member (2); a groove is provided on the resin cover (5) or the tubular member (2), and wherein the resin cover (5) and the tubular member (2) are fixed to the groove via a packing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED lighting system.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] Energy saving movement is currently pushed forward in various products. In association with the energy saving movement, the demand for products employing an LED having high light-emitting efficiency and an energy saving configuration as a light source increases in the lighting industry. In lighting for home use, switching from incandescent lamps to self-balllasted LED-lamps is on the increase.

[0003] So far, mercury lamps, which provide a longer operating life and brighter light than incandescent lamps have been used for lighting in factories or the like. However, an LED lighting system has a long operating life in comparison with the mercury lamps, a capability of irradiating as bright as the mercury lamps, a better start-up capability than the mercury lamps, and less wattage than the mercury lamps, so that the lighting with the LED as the light source is desired also for the factory or the like.

[0004] An example of related art includes JP-A-2012-160259.

[0005] When the LED lighting system is used in a factory, measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, protection from oil mist, and the like need to be undertaken according to an operating environment. In the LED lighting system, specific measures should be undertaken for an enclosure which accommodates a power circuit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is an object of the invention to provide an LED lighting system provided with an enclosure in which measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, and protection from oil mist, and the like are undertaken.

[0007] An aspect of the invention provides an LED lighting system including: a main body; and a light source, the light source having a heatsink above and an LED below, and the light source and the main body being mounted so as to expose the heatsink from an upper end of the main body, wherein the heat sink includes a plurality of grooves, an angular U-shaped mounting bracket traversing the grooves in the perpendicular direction, and an enclosure configured to accommodate a control gear inside the mounting bracket at a midsection in the vertical direction. The LED lighting system is characterized in that the enclosure has a tubular shape at a center thereof, and includes a holding rib configured to fix the control gear in the interior thereof and resin covers configured to hold the control gear at both ends thereof, and/or in that the resin covers each include a groove parallel to an end surface of the enclosure and a foamable square-shaped packing in the groove of the resin cover so that the control gear is held by the resin covers.

[0008] According to the aspect of the invention, an LED lighting system provided with an enclosure in which measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, and protection from oil mist, and the like are undertaken is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] 

Fig. 1 is a side view of a lighting system.

Fig. 2 is a general perspective view of the lighting system when viewed from a direction of a floor surface.

Fig. 3 is a general perspective view of the lighting system when viewed from a direction of a ceiling.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting system.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of one end portion of an enclosure.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the lighting system.

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the enclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A feature of the invention resides in the following configuration. In a lighting system having a main body 21 and light sources 19, the light sources 19 each having a heatsink 8 on an upper portion thereof, and an LED on a lower portion thereof, the light sources 19 and the main body 21 being mounted so that the heatsinks 8 expose from an upper end of the main body 21, the invention is characterized by having a tubular enclosure 20 arranged above the heatsinks 8 and having openings on left and right sides thereof, and in that measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, and protection from oil mist, and the like are undertaken by resin covers 5 provided at both ends of the above-described member.

[0011] Referring now to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6, a configuration of a lighting system 100 according to an example of the invention will be described. For the sake of convenience of description in the example, a ceiling side, which is not illustrated, is defined as an upper side, and a floor side is defined as a lower side. The lighting system 100 is configured to be installed on a ceiling surface in an architectural structure, mainly, in a factory, and is used by being connected to an external power source and fixed to a predetermined position by being connected to internal wiring provided in the architectural structure.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a side view of the lighting system 100. As descried later in detail, the lighting system 100 includes a mounting bracket 1, the enclosure 20, the light sources 19, and the main body 21. Fig. 2 is a general perspective view of the lighting system 100 when viewing the lighting system 100 installed on a ceiling surface, which is not illustrated, from a direction of a floor surface. Fig. 3 is a general perspective view of the lighting system 100 when viewing the lighting system 100 from a direction of a ceiling. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting system 100. Fig. 5 is an exploded view of one end portion of the enclosure. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting system 100.

[0013] As illustrated in Fig. 1, Fig. 4, and Fig. 6, the mounting bracket 1 is a member formed so as to be a depressed shape in side view. The thickness and the length of the mounting bracket 1 are not limited as long as the entire weight of the lighting system 100 can be supported. The mounting bracket 1 is preferably formed of a material which supports the weight of the entire lighting system 100. The mounting bracket 1 includes a plate-shaped ceiling portion 1a and plate-shaped mounting bracket portions 1b provided substantially perpendicularly from both end portions of the ceiling portion 1a. In the lighting system 100, only the ceiling portion 1a of the mounting bracket 1 comes into contact with the ceiling (the architectural structure). When transferring heat generated from the lighting system 100 to the architectural structure, heat transfer is achieved via the mounting bracket 1. Therefore, the mounting bracket 1 is preferably formed of a material having a good heat conductivity. The mounting bracket 1 is preferably formed of a material such as iron when considering the material having a good heat conductivity and capability of supporting the weight.

[0014] As illustrated in Fig. 7, the enclosure 20 includes a tubular member 2, packings 3, control gears 4, the resin covers 5, and screws 22. An appearance of the enclosure 20 is substantially parallelepiped. The tubular member 2 is a parallelepiped tubular member having openings at both ends thereof and communicating between the openings. The tubular member 2 is provided with ribs 2a for holding the control gears 4. In this example, two ribs 2a hold one control gear 4. The ribs 2a are provided on at least one of an upper surface, a lower surface, and side surfaces in the interior of the tubular member 2, and in that case, at least two ribs 2a are provided on at least the one surface. If there are four or more ribs 2a, one or more control gears 4 may be provided. Holding the control gears 4 only with the ribs 2a may cause the control gears 4 to be dropped from the opening. When the control gears 4 are held by the ribs 2a, end portions of the control gears 4 protrude from the openings of the tubular member 2 on both sides as illustrated in Fig. 5. Here, each of the resin covers 5 is a substantially parallelepiped member having an opening on one surface thereof. The opening of each of the resin covers 5 is arranged so as to face one of the openings of the tubular member 2, and the resin cover 5 and the tubular member 2 are fixed with the screws 22, so that ends of the control gears 4 on one side are held. In the same manner, the other opening of the tubular member 2 is arranged so as to face an opening of the other resin cover 5, and the resin cover 5 and the tubular member 2 are fixed with the screws 22, so that the other ends of the control gears 4 are held. Fixing the resin covers 5 so as to cover the openings of the tubular member 2 contributes to hold the both ends of the control gears 4. Accordingly, the control gears 4 may be advantageously held in the tubular member 2 without being screwed. Since the control gears 4 may be held without being screwed, an advantage of reduction of the number of components is achieved. When screwing the control gears 4 to the tubular member 2, water or the like may enter through positions of the screws. However, in this example, such a possibility is eliminated, and hence water-proof, rain-proof, and vapor-proof are achieved.

[0015] Ring-shaped grooves are formed on at least one of the opening sides of the tubular member and the opening sides of the resin covers. The tubular member 2 and the resin covers 5 are fixed to the grooves via the packings 3. The packings are foamable members. Boundaries between the opening surfaces of the tubular member 2 and the opening surfaces of the resin covers 5 may be clogged by the fixation with the packings 3, so that effects of the water-proof, the rain-proof, and the vapor-proof which prevent entry of water or the like are achieved, and the enclosure in which the measures for vapor-proof, rain-proof, protection from damage from salty breezes, dust-proof, and protection from oil mist, and the like are undertaken is achieved.

[0016] In the example, small packings 23 are provided at positions where the screws 22 are to be fixed. Accordingly, entry of water or the like from positions of fixation with the screws 22 is prevented.

[0017] The positions where the resin covers 5 and the tubular member 2 are fixed with the screws 22 are located on the outer peripheral side with respect to the position where the grooves are located. Accordingly, the effects of the water-proof, the rain-proof, and the vapor-proof which prevent entry of water or the like from positions of fixation with the screws 22 are achieved and, in addition, the enclosure having a high hermeticity is achieved.

[0018] In this example, although the tubular member 2 has two openings, the number of the openings is not limited thereto. As the tubular member 2 needs only to have a function that holds the control gears 4, the tubular member 2 having only one opening is also applicable. If only one opening is provided, there exists only one boundary between the opening surface of the tubular member 2 and the opening surface of the resin cover 5 that is subject to the entry of water or the like, and hence the effects of the water-proof, the rain-proof, and the vapor-proof are achieved.

[0019] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the light sources 19 each includes the heatsink 8, a heat discharging plate 6, an insulating sheet 9, an LED 10, and an LED engaging plate 11. Each of the heatsinks 8 includes a flat panel portion and a projection-and-depression portion provided on one surface of the flat panel portion. Projecting portions of the projection-and-depression portion are each formed into a substantially plate shape, and project from the flat panel portion substantially perpendicularly therefrom. Since the projections are provided in the same direction, the depressions are also directed to the same direction. Each of the LEDs 10 is provided on the other surface of the flat panel portion. The LED 10 and the heatsink 8 are connected via the insulating sheet 9 and the heat discharging plate 6, and the LED 10 is fixed to the heatsink 8 by the LED engaging plate 11. The heat discharging plate 6 includes a heat discharging plate lower portion 6a on the heatsink side and a heat discharging plate upper portion 6b on the LED 10 side. The LED 10 includes a substrate and a light-emitting element placed on the substrate. Heat generated by the light-emitting element is transferred to the heatsink 8 via the substrate and the insulating sheet 9. The heat transferred to the heatsink 8 comes into contact with external air via the projection-and-depression portion of the heatsink 8 and is released. The invention is not limited to the shape described above as long as the heat-discharging effect from the heatsink 8 is achieved. The heatsink 8 is preferably formed of a material having a good heat-discharging property in view of the role thereof. In addition, materials as light as possible are preferable for the sake of the entire weight. Therefore, the heatsink 8 is preferably formed of aluminum and the like.

[0020] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the main body 21 includes a main body supporting member 12, reflection cylinders 14, tubular members 15, a main body side plate 16, and a translucent cover 17. The main body supporting member 12 includes a main body bottom plate portion 13 and main body supporting portions. The main body bottom plate portion 13 is a substantially plate-shaped portion. The main body bottom plate portion 13 is provided with openings in which the tubular members 15 are to be mounted. The number of the openings corresponds to the number of the light sources 19. The main body supporting portions are plate-shaped portions provided at ends of the main body bottom plate portion 13 so as to extend substantially perpendicularly from the main body bottom plate portion 13. In this example, two main body supporting portions are provided corresponding to the mounting bracket portions 1b. The reflection cylinders 14 are substantially cylindrical members each having a cross-sectional area gradually increasing from an upper surface toward a lower surface. The inner surface of the reflection cylinder 14 is a mirror-like configuration, and light from the light source 19 is reflected and guided downward (in the direction toward the floor surface). The tubular members 15 are substantially cylindrical members. The tubular members 15 and the main body bottom plate portion 13 with the reflection cylinders 14 provided therein are connected. Positions where the tubular members 15 are connected are positions where the openings of the main body bottom plate portion 13 face the openings of the tubular members 15. The main body side plate 16 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape opening on both bottom surfaces. In the example, the opening surfaces of the main body side plate 16 have a substantially same size as the main body bottom plate portion 13. However, the opening surfaces of the main body side plate 16 need only to have a size which can cover the plurality of tubular members 15. The translucent cover 17 is a substantially plate-shaped translucent member. The surface area of the translucent cover 17 needs only to be a size that can face the plurality of tubular members 15. Examples of the material of the translucent cover 17 that may be used include translucent materials such as glass and plastic. A ring-shaped translucent cover engaging member 18 is provided between the main body side plate 16 and the translucent cover 17, and prevents entry of water or the like from a gap between the main body side plate 16 and the translucent cover 17. Accordingly, the effects of water-proof, rain-proof, and vapor-proof that prevent entry of water or the like between the main body side plate 16 and the translucent cover 17 are achieved. As illustrated in Fig. 1 to Fig. 4, the enclosure 20 is connected to the mounting bracket portions 1b of the mounting bracket 1. In this example, the enclosure 20 has a parallelepiped shape, and plate portions B on the short sides are connected to the mounting bracket portions 1b. By the connection between the enclosure 20 and the mounting bracket 1, transfer of heat from the control gears 4 to the mounting bracket portions 1b is enabled via an upper plate and a lower plate.

[0021] As illustrated in Fig. 1 to Fig. 5, the mounting bracket portions 1b of the mounting bracket 1 and the main body supporting portions of the main body supporting member 12 are connected by screws. In this configuration, the main body 21 and the mounting bracket 1 are connected. In this example, the ceiling portion 1a of the mounting bracket 1 and the main body bottom plate portion 13 of the main body supporting member 12 are connected so as to extend in substantially parallel to each other when viewed from the mounting bracket portion 1b side.

[0022] As illustrated in Fig. 1 to Fig. 5, the light sources 19 and the main body 21 are connected by fixing the heatsinks 8 to the main body bottom plate portion 13 of the main body supporting member 12 with screws. The light sources 19 are connected to the main body 21 so that the LEDs are exposed from the openings of the main body supporting member 12, and the heatsinks 8 are located above the main body 21.

[0023] Here, in the lighting system 100, portions having the highest temperature are the heatsinks 8. Therefore, the temperature of the entire portion of the lighting system 100 may be lowered by performing heat discharge or heat transfer from the heatsink 8. Heat and efficiency have a correlation and lowering of the efficiency may be suppressed by lowering the heat.

[0024] As illustrated in Fig. 3, in this example, the light sources 19 are mounted on the main body 21 so that the direction of the plates of the supporting portions of the main body 21 of the mounting bracket 1 becomes the same as the direction in which the projections of the projection-and-depression portion are provided. In this example, three light sources 19 are provided, and all of the light sources 19 are mounted on the main body 21 so as to face the same direction.

[0025] In this example, although the main body 21 is provided so that the upper surface becomes perpendicular to the mounting bracket 1, the invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to provide the main body 21 so that the upper surface has an angle other than perpendicular with respect to the mounting bracket 1. For example, it is possible to provide the main body 21 so that the upper surface forms an angle of 60° with respect to the mounting bracket 1. In this configuration, the direction of irradiation of the light sources 19 may be inclined with respect to the ceiling surface of the mounting bracket 1 by an angle of 60°, so that a desired angle may be achieved.

[0026] In this example, the light sources 19 may be directed right downward even if the light sources 19 are installed on an inclined ceiling.

[0027] The plates of the main body supporting portions of the mounting bracket 1 and the projections of the projection-and-depression portion are provided in the same direction, when the upper surface of the main body 21 is inclined with respect to the mounting bracket 1, air can easily pass through the depressed portions of the projection-and-depression portion, so that an effect of further accelerating cooling of the heatsinks 8 is achieved.

Claims

1. An LED lighting system having a main body; and a light source (19), the light source (19) having a heatsink (8) above and an LED below, and the light source (19) and the main body (21) being mounted so as to expose the heatsink (8) from an upper end of the main body (21), comprising: an angular U-shaped mounting bracket (1) traversing a groove of the heat sink (8) in a perpendicular direction; an enclosure configured to accommodate a control gear (4) inside the mounting bracket (1) at a midsection in the vertical direction, wherein the enclosure includes: a tubular member (2) having at least one opening, a resin cover (5), and the control gear (4); a rib (2a) provided inside the tubular member (2) and configured to hold the control gear (4); the resin cover (5) being configured to hold an end of the control gear (4) at the opening of the tubular member (2); a groove provided on the resin cover (5) or the tubular member (2), and wherein the resin cover (5) and the tubular member (2) are fixed to the groove via a packing.

Drawing