EP4056888A1 - Improved downlight - Google Patents
Improved downlight Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4056888A1 EP4056888A1 EP22167447.6A EP22167447A EP4056888A1 EP 4056888 A1 EP4056888 A1 EP 4056888A1 EP 22167447 A EP22167447 A EP 22167447A EP 4056888 A1 EP4056888 A1 EP 4056888A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- assembly according
- downlight
- downlight assembly
- solid state
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S8/00—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation
- F21S8/02—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation of recess-mounted type, e.g. downlighters
- F21S8/026—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation of recess-mounted type, e.g. downlighters intended to be recessed in a ceiling or like overhead structure, e.g. suspended ceiling
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V21/00—Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices; Hand grips
- F21V21/02—Wall, ceiling, or floor bases; Fixing pendants or arms to the bases
- F21V21/04—Recessed bases
- F21V21/047—Mounting arrangements with fastening means engaging the inner surface of a hole in a ceiling or wall, e.g. for solid walls or for blind holes
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V23/00—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices
- F21V23/003—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array
- F21V23/004—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array arranged on a substrate, e.g. a printed circuit board
- F21V23/006—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array arranged on a substrate, e.g. a printed circuit board the substrate being distinct from the light source holder
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V29/00—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
- F21V29/50—Cooling arrangements
- F21V29/502—Cooling arrangements characterised by the adaptation for cooling of specific components
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V5/00—Refractors for light sources
- F21V5/04—Refractors for light sources of lens shape
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V7/00—Reflectors for light sources
- F21V7/04—Optical design
- F21V7/041—Optical design with conical or pyramidal surface
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- F21Y2105/00—Planar light sources
- F21Y2105/10—Planar light sources comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
- F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]
Definitions
- the present invention relates to downlight luminaires. It is particularly applicable, but in no way limited, to fire rated downlight luminaires.
- Copper (k value 400) and silver (k value 429) are both better conductors of heat than aluminium but are more expensive and are not commonly used in heat sinks in fire rated downlights.
- mild steel which is the material generally used to construct the fire rated housing or can of a downlight is a relatively poor conductor of heat, having a k value in the order of 43 to 53 depending on the percentage of carbon in the steel. Because of this low k value, heat sinks for use in downlight luminaires are never made from mild steel.
- a high powered LED solid state lighting element in order to have a good working life, a high powered LED solid state lighting element must be in positioned in good thermal contact with a heat sink made from a material with good thermal conductivity that is to say with a thermal conductivity constant k of above about 100 W/(m.k), and preferably a finned aluminium heat sink.
- a heat sink made from a material with good thermal conductivity that is to say with a thermal conductivity constant k of above about 100 W/(m.k), and preferably a finned aluminium heat sink.
- Such heat sinks are referred to in this context as conventional heat sinks. This has an impact on the cost of a downlight because a separate heat sink must be provided, which costs money, uses up valuable natural resources, and adds to the cost of and time taken for assembly in the manufacturing process.
- the housing is made from a material having a melting point in excess of 1000° C.
- the fire rated housing further comprises an outwardly extending flange at or towards the front side of the downlight housing.
- This flange enables the downlight to be fixed in a partition surface, such as in a ceiling.
- the solid state lighting element comprises a plurality of LEDs.
- the heat generated is spread over a much larger surface area of the rear wall of the housing, improving the life expectancy and the light efficiency of the LED unit.
- the plurality of LEDs are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), which is preferably a metal printed circuit board (MPCB) and more preferably the metal PCB includes aluminium.
- PCB printed circuit board
- MPCB metal printed circuit board
- the printed circuit board is attached directly to the inside face of the rear end wall of the housing.
- thermally conductive interface is provided between the PCB and the rear end wall of the housing.
- Suitable thermally conductive interfaces are, by way of example, thermally conductive grease, thermally conducting pads, graphite foil, or thermally conductive acrylic film.
- control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element comprise one or more components selected from the group of components comprising power supply components, dimmer control components, control IC components, and other electronic components.
- the downlight assembly further comprises a reflector adapted to direct light from the solid state lighting element out of the front of the housing.
- the assembly may also include a lens adapted to focus the light emitted by the solid state lighting element.
- control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element are accommodated in an annular space provided around the lens or reflector.
- control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element are thermally isolated as well as electrically isolated from the housing, and are preferably substantially located in a bottom cover and preferably the additional electronic components are substantially covered by a top cover.
- the housing comprises steel, more preferably mild steel and the housing can advantageously be pressed out of a sheet of mild steel, to keep manufacturing costs down, and preferably the housing comprises a substantially tubular body having a front side and a rear side and at least one side wall.
- the housing can thus be formed as a pressing, for example from sheet material.
- the only aperture required in the rear wall of the pressing is to allow cable entry to the solid state lighting element and any associated control gear.
- other ventilation apertures may be provided in the rear end wall or side wall(s) of the housing to assist in heat dissipation. If these apertures are small they do not impair the fire rating of the assembly in fire tests.
- a downlight assembly comprising:-
- 'LED lighting module' refers to a functioning LED light engine and its associated control circuitry, such as a power supply, dimmer, and/or control IC or electronics.
- control circuitry such as a power supply, dimmer, and/or control IC or electronics.
- 'LED module' refers to one or more LED light engines mounted on a suitable PCB, with or without any associated control circuitry.
- FIG. 1 this shows an exploded view of the components for a fire rated downlight assembly 10 which has no external or separate conventional heat sink other than a metal housing and which does not rely on intumescent material to achieve the desired fire rating.
- the assembly comprises a fire rated housing 11, an LED module 12, a reflector 13, a diffuser 14 and a seal 15 to retain the diffuser in place.
- the housing is in effect a closed shallow can with an outwardly extending flange 16 around the front face of the can.
- the rear of the can is closed off by a rear wall 17, as shown in Figure 2B .
- the assembly includes spring loaded arms 18, 19 supported by brackets 20, 21 which are attached to the can by rivets 22.
- a cord grip 23 is attached to the outside of the rear wall of the housing, with a small aperture (not shown) in the rear wall of the can to allow cable entry to the LED module and any associated control gear. This one small cable entry aperture does not affect the fire rating of the can.
- the LED module is attached directly to the inside face of the rear end wall of the can, such that light from the LED's is directed out of the front open face of the can or housing.
- the housing is fire resistant
- the housing is preferably made from metal with a melting point in excess of 900° C, and more preferably in excess of 1000° C.
- Steel is a suitable material and mild steel is particularly suitable as its melting point is over 1400° C and it can be readily and cheaply pressed into the desired shape.
- Fire resistance standards for fire rated ceilings for the United Kingdom are set out in BS EN 1365-2:2014. This requires that a fire resistant member must be able to withstand a specified temperature for a specified period of time.
- the specified temperature is around 1000°C so any metal that can withstand temperatures of that order could be used in the manufacture of a fire rated housing. It will be appreciated that other countries may specify different temperatures in their fire resistance standards.
- the present example shows a housing pressed out of one piece of metal, the housing can be formed from two, or more components welded or otherwise firmly fixed together.
- the LED PCB and thus the LED module 12 must be in good thermal contact with the inside of the rear end wall 17 of the housing 11.
- This good thermal contact may be enhanced by means of thermally conductive interface materials such as thermally conductive grease, a thermally conducting pad or pads, graphite foil, thermally conductive acrylic film, or thermally conductive nano composites or polymers. It will be understood that any suitable thermally conductive material can be used for this purpose.
- the inside face of the rear end wall 17 of the housing 11 is substantially planar to facilitate heat transfer over the whole surface area of the back of the LED PCB.
- the necessary power supply, dimmer and control IC are located in a remote driver unit (not shown).
- Embodiments are shown in Figures 3 to 8 inclusive in which the power supply, dimmer and/or control IC or electronics are located within the housing.
- a 3 x 3 array of 9 LEDs are located on a PCB situated on the rear wall 37 of a housing 31 and may be in good thermal contact with the rear wall 37 if desired. Alternatively these components may be thermally insulated from the housing if required.
- Power supply, dimmer and other control IC and other electronic components are located in a separate annular space around the LED PCB and around the outside of the lens 33.
- These other components are in one embodiment preferably mounted on one or more PCBs separate from and spaced away from the LED PCB.
- a solid substantially frustoconical lens 33 of conventional format directs light from the LEDs out of the front of the housing by total internal reflection.
- This arrangement creates an annular cavity 44 in which these additional components can be accommodated.
- a similar annular cavity is formed when a reflector plate 13 is used as shown in Figure 1 .
- FIG 8 shows the components in exploded diagram format that comprise the type of downlight assembly shown in Figures 3 to 7 .
- a housing pressed from steel includes a front flange 46.
- An LED module 42 on a PCB is fixed to the inside of the rear wall of housing 41 with a thermally conducting paste between the two surfaces.
- Set around the LED PCB is a bottom cover 54 for the power, control and driver components, which can be seen on their own PCB as 55 in Figure 8 .
- a top cover 56 is fitted over the driver components and optionally a lens, not shown, occupies the space within the top cover.
- the assembly is completed by a diffuser 44 and a seal 45.
- FIG. 11 A sectional view of a downlight assembly of this type installed in a ceiling is shown in Figure 11 , and the housing and LED module alone are shown in Figure 12 . Corresponding views of a downlight assembly with a remote driver (not shown) are shown in Figures 9 and 10 .
- control components are located in a substantially annular space around or behind a lens or a reflector, or both, is applicable to other downlight assemblies, not just those described above and in the foregoing examples. That is to say, most lenses and reflectors are substantially frustoconical in shape and this tends to leave a substantially annular space around the base of the lens or reflector. This space can be advantageously used to accommodate a wide range of electrical and electronic components.
- the downlight assembly according to the present invention is devoid of any outer housing and there is no outer housing around or associated with the housing described.
- the housing described is therefore located in free airspace when properly installed behind some partition surface, such as a ceiling.
Abstract
(i) a fire rated housing made from material with a melting point in excess of 900° C, said housing comprising a substantially tubular body having a front side and a rear side and at least one side wall and a rear end wall closing the rear of the housing;
(ii) a solid state lighting element mounted in thermal contact with the rear end wall of the housing;characterised in that the downlight assembly is devoid of a separate conventional heat sink.
Description
- The present invention relates to downlight luminaires. It is particularly applicable, but in no way limited, to fire rated downlight luminaires.
- It is well known in the lighting industry that it is most important to prevent overheating of LED solid state lighting elements. Much of the electricity used by an LED becomes heat rather than light and if this heat is not removed effectively both the life expectancy and the light efficiency of the LED unit will be much reduced. Thus efficient thermal management of high powered LED's is considered a crucial area of research and development and all such LED downlights on the market today, especially fire rated downlights where the LED solid state lighting element is contained in a fire rated housing, incorporate a separate heat sink of some sort.
- A number of methods have been used to remove heat from LED solid state lighting units such as passive and active heat sinks, heat pipes and vapour chambers. Passive heat sinks have proved to be both cost-effective and efficient in this application, particularly in downlight designs and it is the perceived wisdom that a finned heat sink is an essential requirement in any LED downlight. Of the common metals, aluminium is most often used as heat sink material because it is relatively inexpensive, can be extruded or cast, and has quite a high thermal conductivity constant k of about 200 W/(m.k) (Watts per metre Kelvin), depending on the purity of the aluminium. Copper (k value 400) and silver (k value 429) are both better conductors of heat than aluminium but are more expensive and are not commonly used in heat sinks in fire rated downlights. In contrast, mild steel which is the material generally used to construct the fire rated housing or can of a downlight is a relatively poor conductor of heat, having a k value in the order of 43 to 53 depending on the percentage of carbon in the steel. Because of this low k value, heat sinks for use in downlight luminaires are never made from mild steel.
- In summary, as a result of the above observations, it is currently the perceived wisdom in the lighting industry that, in order to have a good working life, a high powered LED solid state lighting element must be in positioned in good thermal contact with a heat sink made from a material with good thermal conductivity that is to say with a thermal conductivity constant k of above about 100 W/(m.k), and preferably a finned aluminium heat sink. Such heat sinks are referred to in this context as conventional heat sinks. This has an impact on the cost of a downlight because a separate heat sink must be provided, which costs money, uses up valuable natural resources, and adds to the cost of and time taken for assembly in the manufacturing process. It also has an impact on the total depth of the downlight, because the heat sink is inevitably located on the rear end face or wall of the downlight can. This is an important factor when there is limited space in the ceiling above the downlight or behind the panel in which the downlight is fitted.
- It is an object of the present invention to overcome or mitigate some or all of the problems outlined above.
- According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a downlight assembly according to Claim 1. For example,
- (i) a fire rated housing made from material with a melting point in excess of 900° C, said housing comprising a substantially tubular body having a front side and a rear side and at least one side wall and a rear end wall closing the rear of the housing;
- (ii) a solid state lighting element mounted in thermal contact with the rear end wall of the housing;
- Preferably the housing is made from a material having a melting point in excess of 1000° C.
- Preferably the fire rated housing further comprises an outwardly extending flange at or towards the front side of the downlight housing. This flange enables the downlight to be fixed in a partition surface, such as in a ceiling.
- In a particularly preferred embodiment the solid state lighting element comprises a plurality of LEDs. By using a number of small LEDs rather than one large LED light engine the heat generated is spread over a much larger surface area of the rear wall of the housing, improving the life expectancy and the light efficiency of the LED unit.
- Preferably the plurality of LEDs are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), which is preferably a metal printed circuit board (MPCB) and more preferably the metal PCB includes aluminium. Aluminium PCBs, or PCBs made from other metals with a high heat transfer coefficient, transfer heat away from the LED and into the housing most efficiently.
- Preferably the printed circuit board is attached directly to the inside face of the rear end wall of the housing.
- Preferably a thermally conductive interface is provided between the PCB and the rear end wall of the housing. Suitable thermally conductive interfaces are, by way of example, thermally conductive grease, thermally conducting pads, graphite foil, or thermally conductive acrylic film.
- Preferably the control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element comprise one or more components selected from the group of components comprising power supply components, dimmer control components, control IC components, and other electronic components.
- Preferably the downlight assembly further comprises a reflector adapted to direct light from the solid state lighting element out of the front of the housing. The assembly may also include a lens adapted to focus the light emitted by the solid state lighting element.
- Preferably the control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element are accommodated in an annular space provided around the lens or reflector.
- Preferably the control circuitry and components required to power and control the solid state lighting element are thermally isolated as well as electrically isolated from the housing, and are preferably substantially located in a bottom cover and preferably the additional electronic components are substantially covered by a top cover.
- Preferably the housing comprises steel, more preferably mild steel and the housing can advantageously be pressed out of a sheet of mild steel, to keep manufacturing costs down, and preferably the housing comprises a substantially tubular body having a front side and a rear side and at least one side wall. The housing can thus be formed as a pressing, for example from sheet material. The only aperture required in the rear wall of the pressing is to allow cable entry to the solid state lighting element and any associated control gear. However, it will be understood that other ventilation apertures may be provided in the rear end wall or side wall(s) of the housing to assist in heat dissipation. If these apertures are small they do not impair the fire rating of the assembly in fire tests.
- Also described is a downlight assembly comprising:-
- (i) a housing made from material with a melting point in excess of 900° C, said housing having at least one side wall and a rear end wall closing the rear of the housing;
- (ii) a solid state lighting element mounted in thermal contact with the rear end wall of the housing such that heat generated by the solid state lighting element is transferred to the housing:
- Also described is a downlight assembly comprising:-
- (a) a housing;
- (b) a solid state lighting element;
- (c) a lens or reflector adapted to focus or direct light emitted from the solid state lighting element;
- (d) a substantially annular space around the lens or reflector;
- The invention will now be described, by way of example only, in relation to the accompanying figures wherein:
-
Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of a downlight assembly; -
Figures 2A to 2F illustrate various views of an assembled downlight; -
Figures 3 to 7 illustrate various views, including sectional views, of an embodiment of the present invention in which the control circuitry and components required to power and control the LEDs are included within the housing, in this embodiment in an annular space around the lens; -
Figure 8 illustrates an exploded view of the components of a further embodiment in which the control circuitry and components required to power and control the LEDs are included within the housing; -
Figures 9 & 10 show cross-sectional views of housings including a solid state lighting element that require a remote driver (not shown), installed in a ceiling; -
Figures 11 & 12 illustrate cross-sectional views of housings that include a built in driver, including a solid state lighting element, installed in a ceiling; -
Figure 13 illustrates diagrammatically how heat from the LEDs is transferred first to the PCB and then to the housing and thus into the air and environment surrounding the rear of the housing. - In the context of the present invention the term 'LED lighting module' refers to a functioning LED light engine and its associated control circuitry, such as a power supply, dimmer, and/or control IC or electronics. The term 'LED module' refers to one or more LED light engines mounted on a suitable PCB, with or without any associated control circuitry.
- Referring to
Figure 1 , this shows an exploded view of the components for a fire rated downlight assembly 10 which has no external or separate conventional heat sink other than a metal housing and which does not rely on intumescent material to achieve the desired fire rating. The assembly comprises a fire rated housing 11, anLED module 12, a reflector 13, adiffuser 14 and aseal 15 to retain the diffuser in place. The housing is in effect a closed shallow can with an outwardly extendingflange 16 around the front face of the can. The rear of the can is closed off by a rear wall 17, as shown inFigure 2B . The assembly includes spring loadedarms 18, 19 supported bybrackets 20, 21 which are attached to the can byrivets 22. These spring loaded arms press against the concealed side of the surface in which the downlight is fitted and hold theflange 16 firmly against the visible side of that surface. Acord grip 23 is attached to the outside of the rear wall of the housing, with a small aperture (not shown) in the rear wall of the can to allow cable entry to the LED module and any associated control gear. This one small cable entry aperture does not affect the fire rating of the can. - The LED module is attached directly to the inside face of the rear end wall of the can, such that light from the LED's is directed out of the front open face of the can or housing.
- Where the housing is fire resistant, the housing is preferably made from metal with a melting point in excess of 900° C, and more preferably in excess of 1000° C. Steel is a suitable material and mild steel is particularly suitable as its melting point is over 1400° C and it can be readily and cheaply pressed into the desired shape.
- Fire resistance standards for fire rated ceilings for the United Kingdom are set out in BS EN 1365-2:2014. This requires that a fire resistant member must be able to withstand a specified temperature for a specified period of time. The specified temperature is around 1000°C so any metal that can withstand temperatures of that order could be used in the manufacture of a fire rated housing. It will be appreciated that other countries may specify different temperatures in their fire resistance standards. Importantly, although the present example shows a housing pressed out of one piece of metal, the housing can be formed from two, or more components welded or otherwise firmly fixed together.
- Use of mild steel in construction of the housing works well even if the downlight assembly does not need to be fire rated. However, if the downlight assembly does not need to be fire rated then it will be understood that a wide variety of other materials could be used to manufacture the housing, providing they have a relatively high thermal conductivity constant, or ventilation holes are provided in the housing. For example, a variety of plastics material, such as polyamides could be used for this purpose, or lower melting point metals such as aluminium.
- The
LED module 12 comprises a plurality of individual LED chips mounted on an aluminium PCB. The exact number of LED chips is not critical to the invention and will be determined by the relevant expert depending on the power rating and the lumen output required. The arrangement of multiple LED chips is preferred over a single large LED chip because the heat generated is spread over a significantly larger surface area of the PCB, and thus into a larger area of the housing. In the example shown inFigure 1 there are approximately 24 individual LED chips spread across substantially the whole area of the PCB. A reflector plate 13, in the form of a polished frustoconical reflector, serves to direct light from the LEDs out of the front of the housing. The LEDs are protected by adiffuser 14, and the downlight assembly is held in a surface such as a ceiling byflange 16 and spring loadedarms 18, 19 acting against the concealed surface of ceiling in a conventional manner. - The LED PCB and thus the
LED module 12 must be in good thermal contact with the inside of the rear end wall 17 of the housing 11. This good thermal contact may be enhanced by means of thermally conductive interface materials such as thermally conductive grease, a thermally conducting pad or pads, graphite foil, thermally conductive acrylic film, or thermally conductive nano composites or polymers. It will be understood that any suitable thermally conductive material can be used for this purpose. The inside face of the rear end wall 17 of the housing 11 is substantially planar to facilitate heat transfer over the whole surface area of the back of the LED PCB. - In the example described above the necessary power supply, dimmer and control IC are located in a remote driver unit (not shown). Embodiments are shown in
Figures 3 to 8 inclusive in which the power supply, dimmer and/or control IC or electronics are located within the housing. In the example shown inFigures 3 to 7 a 3 x 3 array of 9 LEDs are located on a PCB situated on therear wall 37 of ahousing 31 and may be in good thermal contact with therear wall 37 if desired. Alternatively these components may be thermally insulated from the housing if required. Power supply, dimmer and other control IC and other electronic components are located in a separate annular space around the LED PCB and around the outside of thelens 33. These other components are in one embodiment preferably mounted on one or more PCBs separate from and spaced away from the LED PCB. In this case a solid substantiallyfrustoconical lens 33 of conventional format directs light from the LEDs out of the front of the housing by total internal reflection. This arrangement creates anannular cavity 44 in which these additional components can be accommodated. A similar annular cavity is formed when a reflector plate 13 is used as shown inFigure 1 . - In order not to add directly to the heat load that has to be dissipated by the housing, these additional components can be thermally isolated, as well as electrically isolated, from the housing, either by using a thermal insulating material or by an air gap, or both.
-
Figure 8 shows the components in exploded diagram format that comprise the type of downlight assembly shown inFigures 3 to 7 . A housing pressed from steel includes afront flange 46. AnLED module 42 on a PCB is fixed to the inside of the rear wall ofhousing 41 with a thermally conducting paste between the two surfaces. Set around the LED PCB is abottom cover 54 for the power, control and driver components, which can be seen on their own PCB as 55 inFigure 8 . Atop cover 56 is fitted over the driver components and optionally a lens, not shown, occupies the space within the top cover. The assembly is completed by adiffuser 44 and aseal 45. A sectional view of a downlight assembly of this type installed in a ceiling is shown inFigure 11 , and the housing and LED module alone are shown inFigure 12 . Corresponding views of a downlight assembly with a remote driver (not shown) are shown inFigures 9 and 10 . - It will be appreciated that this arrangement described above by which control components are located in a substantially annular space around or behind a lens or a reflector, or both, is applicable to other downlight assemblies, not just those described above and in the foregoing examples. That is to say, most lenses and reflectors are substantially frustoconical in shape and this tends to leave a substantially annular space around the base of the lens or reflector. This space can be advantageously used to accommodate a wide range of electrical and electronic components.
- It will also be appreciated from the foregoing description that the downlight assembly according to the present invention is devoid of any outer housing and there is no outer housing around or associated with the housing described. The housing described is therefore located in free airspace when properly installed behind some partition surface, such as a ceiling.
- The method by which heat from the LED module is dissipated from the housing is shown in
Figure 13 . From the description above it will be appreciated that heat produced by the LED module in use is transferred from the aluminium PCB into thehousing
Claims (15)
- A downlight assembly comprising:-(i) a fire rated housing made from material with a melting point in excess of 900° C, said housing comprising a substantially tubular body having a front side and a rear side and at least one side wall and a rear end wall closing the rear of the housing;(ii) a solid state lighting element mounted in thermal contact with the rear end wall of the housing;characterised in that the downlight assembly is devoid of a separate conventional heat sink.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the fire rated housing further comprises an outwardly extending flange at or towards the front side of the tubular body.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the solid state lighting element comprises a plurality of LEDs.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the plurality of LEDs are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB).
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 4 wherein the printed circuit board is a metal printed circuit board (MPCB).
- A downlight assembly according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the printed circuit board is attached directly to the inside face of the rear end wall of the housing.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein a thermally conductive interface is provided between the PCB and the rear end wall of the housing.
- A downlight assembly according to any preceding claim further comprising a reflector adapted to direct light from the solid state lighting element out of the front of the housing.
- A downlight assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the assembly further comprises a lens adapted to focus the light emitted by the solid state lighting element.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 8 or Claim 9 wherein additional electronic component(s) are accommodated in an annular space provided around a lens or reflector.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 10 wherein the additional electronic components comprise one or more components selected from the group comprising power supply components, dimmer control components, control IC components, and other electronic components.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein the additional electronic components are substantially located in a bottom cover.
- A downlight assembly according to Claim 10, Claim 11 or Claim 12 wherein the additional electronic components are substantially covered by a top cover.
- A downlight assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the housing comprises steel.
- A downlight assembly according to claim 14 wherein the housing comprises mild steel.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB1521756.5A GB2545242B (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2015-12-10 | Improved downlight |
EP16825892.9A EP3387322B1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
PCT/IB2016/057674 WO2017098487A1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
Related Parent Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16825892.9A Division-Into EP3387322B1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
EP16825892.9A Division EP3387322B1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP4056888A1 true EP4056888A1 (en) | 2022-09-14 |
Family
ID=55274494
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16825892.9A Active EP3387322B1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
EP22167447.6A Pending EP4056888A1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16825892.9A Active EP3387322B1 (en) | 2015-12-10 | 2016-12-15 | Improved downlight |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (2) | EP3387322B1 (en) |
CN (2) | CN209355087U (en) |
AU (1) | AU2016366819B2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2545242B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017098487A1 (en) |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100259919A1 (en) * | 2009-02-11 | 2010-10-14 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. | LED Downlight Retaining Ring |
EP2674671A1 (en) * | 2012-06-13 | 2013-12-18 | Panasonic Corporation | Light emitting device and lighting fixture |
GB2504133A (en) * | 2012-07-20 | 2014-01-22 | Aurora Ltd | Heat sink assembly |
GB2509772A (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-16 | Kosnic Uk Ltd | LED down light |
CN104565930A (en) * | 2014-12-31 | 2015-04-29 | 东莞高仪电子科技有限公司 | Integrated fire-proof lamp capable of covering thermal insulation cotton |
CA2879629A1 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2015-08-19 | Michael D. Danesh | Unified driver and light source assembly for recessed lighting |
-
2015
- 2015-12-10 GB GB1521756.5A patent/GB2545242B/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-12-15 CN CN201690001556.5U patent/CN209355087U/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2016-12-15 EP EP16825892.9A patent/EP3387322B1/en active Active
- 2016-12-15 WO PCT/IB2016/057674 patent/WO2017098487A1/en active Application Filing
- 2016-12-15 CN CN201921618131.0U patent/CN211600341U/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2016-12-15 EP EP22167447.6A patent/EP4056888A1/en active Pending
- 2016-12-15 AU AU2016366819A patent/AU2016366819B2/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100259919A1 (en) * | 2009-02-11 | 2010-10-14 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. | LED Downlight Retaining Ring |
EP2674671A1 (en) * | 2012-06-13 | 2013-12-18 | Panasonic Corporation | Light emitting device and lighting fixture |
GB2504133A (en) * | 2012-07-20 | 2014-01-22 | Aurora Ltd | Heat sink assembly |
GB2509772A (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-16 | Kosnic Uk Ltd | LED down light |
CA2879629A1 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2015-08-19 | Michael D. Danesh | Unified driver and light source assembly for recessed lighting |
CN104565930A (en) * | 2014-12-31 | 2015-04-29 | 东莞高仪电子科技有限公司 | Integrated fire-proof lamp capable of covering thermal insulation cotton |
GB2533864A (en) * | 2014-12-31 | 2016-07-06 | Chao Wen-Hsin | Integral type fireproof lamp for covering thermal insulating cotton |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2017098487A1 (en) | 2017-06-15 |
EP3387322A1 (en) | 2018-10-17 |
GB2545242B (en) | 2018-08-01 |
CN211600341U (en) | 2020-09-29 |
CN209355087U (en) | 2019-09-06 |
EP3387322B1 (en) | 2022-05-25 |
GB201521756D0 (en) | 2016-01-27 |
GB2545242A (en) | 2017-06-14 |
AU2016366819B2 (en) | 2019-04-18 |
AU2016366819A1 (en) | 2018-07-26 |
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