JP5922283B2 - Light emitting diode unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a light emitting diode unit.

  When the mirror is used in a humid place such as a wash basin or a bathroom, it is necessary to have a dew prevention means that prevents condensation by heating the mirror surface and an illumination means that ensures the visibility of the mirror surface in the dark. . Patent Document 1 discloses a mirror including a light emitting diode (LED) on the back surface of the mirror as a mirror including the dew condensation prevention unit and the illumination unit.

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is intended to efficiently propagate heat radiation from an LED to a mirror. For this reason, the heat radiating surface of the LED is attached to the mirror back surface directly or via a block-like high heat conductive material.

JP 2011-015909 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technique, it is not always easy to adjust the light emission amount and the heat radiation amount from each LED.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable the direction of light emission and heat dissipation from each LED to be set in a desired direction and to adjust the amount of light emission and heat dissipation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a light emitting diode unit that facilitates the above.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a light emitting diode unit of the present invention includes a hollow container made of metal, a light emitting diode, and a resin filled in the container. The light emitting diode is placed on the bottom surface inside the container with the light emitting surface facing upward. An opening communicating with the hollow portion is formed in at least one of the bottom surface, the top surface facing the bottom surface, and the side surface of the container.

According to another embodiment of the light emitting diode unit of the present invention, the light emitting diode unit includes a hollow container formed of metal and a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode is placed on the bottom surface inside the container with the light emitting surface facing upward. An opening communicating with the hollow portion is formed in at least one of the bottom surface, the top surface facing the bottom surface, and the side surface of the container. In addition, irregularities are formed on the inner surface of the container.

  According to the light emitting diode unit of the present invention, when a heating object having a large heat capacity is attached to any surface of the container, the heat radiation from the light emitting diode is propagated to the heating object through the bottom surface and other surfaces of the container. The At this time, the amount of heat transmitted from the light emitting diode to the object to be heated can be easily set to a desired value by the size of the opening provided in the container. In addition, when the inside of the container is filled with a resin having a high thermal conductivity, the heat radiation from the light emitting diode is propagated not only to the surface of the container but also to the object to be heated through the inside of the container. I can tell you.

  Moreover, the light emitted from the light emitting diode is emitted from an opening provided in the container. Therefore, the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting diode unit can be easily set to a desired value by the size of the opening provided in the container.

  At this time, if the inside of the container is filled with resin, the light emitted from the light emitting diode propagates through the resin and is then emitted from the opening provided in the container. For this reason, even when the light emitting diode is mounted on the bottom surface of the container with the light emitting surface facing upward, light can be emitted through the opening formed in the bottom surface of the container. .

  Instead of filling the inside of the container with resin, the inner surface of the container is provided with irregularities so that the light emitted from the light emitting diodes is diffusely reflected on the inner surface of the container, and openings are formed on at least two surfaces. The same effect can be obtained by the configuration in which the light emitting diode is mounted on the surface facing the opening.

  As described above, according to the light emitting diode unit of the present invention, the amount of heat transmitted from the light emitting diode unit to the heating object and the intensity of the emitted light can be easily set to desired values depending on the size of the opening. it can.

  Moreover, according to the light emitting diode unit of this invention, the light emission direction and the attachment location of the heating object can be set according to the application.

It is the schematic of a light emitting diode unit. It is the schematic of a mirror with an illumination lamp.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the shape, size, and arrangement relationship of each component are merely schematically shown to the extent that the present invention can be understood. In each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or corresponding part.

  In the following, a preferred configuration example of the present invention will be described. However, the material and numerical conditions of each component are merely preferred examples. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and many changes or modifications that can achieve the effects of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope of the configuration of the present invention.

(Light emitting diode unit)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing a light emitting diode (LED) unit of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the LED unit, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the LED unit.

  The LED unit 10 of the present invention includes an LED 14 and a hollow container 12 having a function as a radiator.

  As the LED 14, any suitable conventionally known LED can be used. The LED 14 is a red LED, a green LED, or a blue LED. One surface of the LED 14 is a light emitting surface, and the other surface is a heat radiating surface. The LED 14 is mounted on the bottom surface inside the container 12 via a wiring board (not shown). The wiring board may be formed integrally with the container 12. Illustration of wiring and circuits for supplying power to the LED 14 is omitted.

  The hollow container 12 is formed of a heat conductive material having a high heat conductivity. As the heat conducting material, for example, a metal such as aluminum or copper or other suitable material can be used. The container 12 may be formed by hollowing out a metal block or by bending a metal plate. An opening communicating with the hollow portion is formed on at least one surface of the container 12. The inside of the container 12 is filled with resin, that is, completely filled. This resin may be any resin as long as it can propagate the light emitted by the LED 14, but a resin having a high thermal conductivity, for example, an acrylic resin or the like having a thermal conductivity of at least 1.1 W / mK may be used. .

  As described above, when the inside of the container 12 is filled with resin, the light emitted from the LED 14 propagates through the inside of the container 12 while changing the propagation direction due to the presence of the resin, and then is emitted from the opening provided in the container 12. The For this reason, even when the LED 14 is mounted on the bottom surface of the container 12 with the light emitting surface facing upward, the LED 14 is formed on a surface that does not face the light emitting surface of the LED 14, such as the bottom surface of the container 12. Light can be emitted through the holes.

  At this time, in order to positively change the propagation direction of light, a conventionally known light diffusion resin can be used as the resin. Alternatively, a light diffuser may be included in the resin as long as it does not affect the thermal conductivity. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which only heat is propagated without propagating light through the resin, and the light is reflected on the resin surface.

  When a plurality of apertures are formed, the amount of light emitted from the LED 14 per unit area radiated through one aperture is equal to the amount of light per unit area radiated through another aperture. Equal, that is, the spatial distribution of the light intensity emitted from the LED unit 10 can be made uniform regardless of the direction of the light emitting surface of the LED 14.

  Although the figure shows an example in which the container is formed in a cubic shape and rectangular openings are provided on a pair of opposing side surfaces, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The shape of the container 12 can be arbitrarily and suitably set according to the shape of the heating object. In order to increase the contact area with the object to be heated, for example, when the object to be heated has a flat shape such as a mirror of a washstand, a surface such as a cylinder, a prism, a frustum, a frustum, or the like that faces the bottom surface It is preferable to have a flat surface. On the other hand, when attaching to the curved surface part of a heating target object, what is necessary is just to make the surface facing a bottom face into a curved surface shape according to the shape of a heating target object.

  The arrangement of the apertures can be set according to how to extract the light emitted from the LED 14. The light emitted from the LED 14 is emitted from the LED unit 10 through the aperture. For example, when it is desired to shine light on the back surface of the mirror, an opening may be provided on the upper surface facing the bottom surface. Moreover, an opening may be provided on only one of the side surfaces, or may be provided on all side surfaces.

  The shape of the opening is not limited to a rectangular shape. For example, it may be circular, a plurality of small holes may be arranged as openings, or a plurality of slit-like openings parallel to each other may be arranged.

  The arrangement and shape of these holes, as well as the shape of the container, the size, thickness and material of the container, are propagated to the output of the LED used (the intensity of emitted light and the amount of heat generated) and the object to be heated. It can be set according to the amount of heat to be emitted and the intensity of the emitted light.

  According to the LED unit 10 of the present invention, when a heating object having a large heat capacity is attached to the upper surface side opposite to the bottom surface of the container 12, the heat radiation from the LED 14 is performed on the surface on which the LED of the container 12 is mounted (for example, From the bottom surface) through each surface of the container 12 to the object to be heated.

  In this case, the heating object may be attached to any surface outside the container 12. Therefore, it is possible to set the direction in which the light is extracted from the heating object in a desired direction. For example, by attaching a heating object to the bottom side of the container and taking out light in the opposite direction to the heating object, the heating object is attached to the surface provided with an aperture so that heat is applied to the heating object. Light can be extracted to the heated object side while propagating.

  At this time, the amount of heat propagated from the LED 14 to the object to be heated can be easily set to a desired value by the size of the opening provided in the container 12. Further, the light emitted from the LED 14 is emitted from an opening provided in the container 12. Therefore, the intensity of light emitted from the LED unit 10 can be easily set to a desired size by the size of the opening provided in the container 12.

  Thus, according to the LED unit of the present invention, the amount of heat transmitted from the LED unit to the heating object and the intensity of the emitted light can be easily set to desired values depending on the size of the opening.

  For example, when it is desired to increase the amount of heat and decrease the light intensity, a high-power LED may be used to design the aperture area to be small. Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the amount of heat and increase the light intensity, the area of the aperture may be designed to be large. When it is desired to increase both the amount of heat and the light intensity, the area of the opening may be increased and the side surface of the container where the opening is not provided may be thickened.

  Here, an example in which the inside of the container 12 is filled with resin has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Roughness may be formed on the inner surface of the container 12 without filling the container 12 with resin. With this configuration, the light emitted from the LED 14 is diffusely reflected on the inner surface of the container 12 and then emitted from the opening of the container 12.

  Or the surface side which opposes a light emission surface on each surface inside a container which forms the opening connected to a hollow part in the at least 2 surface of a container, and opposes the surface in which LED was formed. It may be placed toward With this configuration, light can be extracted in a direction different from the direction emitted from the light emitting surface of one LED.

(Example)
With reference to FIG. 2, the mirror with an illumination lamp is demonstrated as an Example of the LED unit of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a mirror with an illumination lamp.

  The mirror with an illumination lamp includes a mirror body 20 as a heating object, an LED unit 10 attached to the back surface opposite to the mirror surface of the mirror body 20, and a light guide unit 30. The mirror body 20 is made of, for example, a glass plate or a metal plate having higher thermal conductivity (for example, higher thermal conductivity) than the glass plate. When a metal plate is used as the mirror body 20, it is formed by mirror-finishing one surface. As an example of the metal plate, an aluminum plate, a copper plate, or an alloy plate thereof can be used. The mirror surface of the mirror body 20 is preferably surface-coated so as not to be scratched.

  The plate thickness of the mirror body 20 is such that heat conducted from the back surface is conducted to the mirror surface and condensation is prevented. Note that the planar shape of the mirror body 20 can be any shape such as a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or a star shape.

  One or a plurality of the above-described LED units 10 are attached to the mirror body 20. Here, the upper surface of the LED unit 10 is detachably attached to the rear surface of the mirror body 20 by a known means. In this configuration example, the light emitting surface of the LED 14 included in the LED unit 10 faces the mirror body 20 side.

  The light guide unit 30 is provided so as to cover the entire back surface of the mirror body 20 and the LED unit 10. Further, the light guide unit 30 is provided so as to rise from the peripheral edge of the mirror surface of the mirror body 20 and constitutes a light emitting unit.

  The light emitted from the LED 14 is emitted from the opening of the LED unit 10 and propagates to the light emitting portion while being reflected by the inner surface of the light guide portion 30 and the back surface of the mirror body 20, and the mirror surface of the mirror body 20 from the light emitting portion. Illuminate.

  Moreover, LED14 discharge | releases the heat_generation | fever accompanying light emission from a thermal radiation surface. This heat is sent to the back surface of the mirror body 20 through the bottom surface, the side surface, and the top surface of the LED unit 10 to heat the mirror body 20.

  Accordingly, when the mirror with an illumination lamp is used in a place with high humidity such as a washstand or a bathroom, the mirror body 20 is illuminated from the periphery by light emitted from the LED 14, and further, condensation from the heat from the LED 14 is prevented. Therefore, visibility can be ensured reliably.

  In addition, although the example which uses an LED unit for the mirror with an illumination lamp which used the heating target as the mirror main body was demonstrated here, the use of this LED unit is not limited to this. It can be used in various applications that require heating and lighting at the same time, such as signs and signboards in snowfall areas, trays and coasters for placing warm food and drinks.

10 LED unit
12 containers 14 LEDs
20 Mirror body 30 Light guide

Claims (3)

A hollow container made of metal;
A light emitting diode mounted on the bottom surface inside the container with the light emitting surface facing upward;
A resin filled inside the container,
An opening communicating with the hollow portion is formed in at least one of the bottom surface, the top surface facing the bottom surface, and the side surface of the container,
The arrangement, number, shape, and size of the apertures, and the intensity of light emitted from the apertures and the direction in which light is extracted are set according to the light intensity emitted from the light emitting diodes .
Depending on the arrangement, number, shape, and size of the openings, the shape, size, thickness, and material of the container, and the amount of heat generated by the light-emitting diode, the at least one surface on which the openings are formed. A light emitting diode unit characterized in that an amount of heat transmitted to an object to be heated is set. A hollow container made of metal;
A light emitting diode mounted on the bottom surface inside the container with the light emitting surface facing upward,
Concavities and convexities are formed on the inner surface of the container,
An opening communicating with the hollow portion is formed in at least one of the bottom surface, the top surface facing the bottom surface, and the side surface of the container,
The arrangement, number, shape, and size of the apertures, and the intensity of light emitted from the apertures and the direction in which light is extracted are set according to the light intensity emitted from the light emitting diodes .
Depending on the arrangement, number, shape, and size of the openings, the shape, size, thickness, and material of the container, and the amount of heat generated by the light-emitting diode, the at least one surface on which the openings are formed. A light emitting diode unit characterized in that an amount of heat transmitted to an object to be heated is set. A heating object is attached to a surface other than the bottom surface,
The light emitting diode unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein heat generated in the light emitting diode is conducted to the object to be heated.

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