Efficiency Lighting Apparatus with LED Directly Mounted to a Heatsink

Abstract

LED efficiency in a lighting device, such as an aluminum flashlight, is increased by directly mounting the LED without use of a PCB to a heatsink that is in thermal and electrical contact with an outer casing to dissipate heat, resulting in an LED that operates much cool and therefore much more efficiently.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 : A lighting apparatus, comprising:
 a light emitting diode (“LED”) package having a first and a second electrically conductive member to provide power to cause a die within the LED package to emit light;   an outer casing that is thermally and electrically conductive; and   a heatsink assembly, said heatsink assembly comprising:
 an outer electrically conductive member that is thermally conductive and which is mechanically connected to the outer casing; 
 a core of an electrically insulating material which is held within the outer electrically conductive member; and 
 an inner electrically conductive member which is positioned and electrically isolated from the outer electrically conductive member by the core; 
   wherein the first electrically conductive member of the LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to a top surface of the outer electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member of the LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to the inner electrically conductive member; and   wherein the LED package is turned on when power from an electrical circuit is applied to the outer electrically conductive member and the inner electrically conductive member.   
     
     
         12 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the outer casing is integrally formed with the outer electrically conductive member. 
     
     
         13 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the heatsink assembly is held within the outer casing by an interference fit. 
     
     
         14 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the lighting apparatus is a flashlight and the outer casing is a flashlight barrel. 
     
     
         15 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 14  wherein flashlight barrel is made of aluminum. 
     
     
         16 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the lighting apparatus is manufactured by the process of:
 soldering both the first electrically conductive member to the top surface of the outer electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member to the inner electrically conductive member; and 
 inserting the heat sink assembly into the flashlight barrel so that the heat sink is held by mechanical contact with the barrel. 
 
     
     
         17 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the heat sink assembly is press fit into the flashlight barrel. 
     
     
         18 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the heat sink assembly is removably secured within the flashlight barrel by a mechanical means. 
     
     
         19 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the mechanical means is a nut threaded into the flashlight barrel. 
     
     
         20 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the outer electrically conductive member has a circular cross section. 
     
     
         21 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 11  wherein a thermal path is created between the outer casing and the first electrically conductive member of the LED package which is only interrupted by a first thermal junction between the outer casing and the outer electrically conductive member and a second thermal junction between the outer electrically conductive member and the first electrically conductive member of the LED package. 
     
     
         22 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 12  wherein a thermal path is created between the outer casing and the first electrically conductive member of the LED package which is only interrupted by a thermal junction between the outer electrically conductive member and the first electrically conductive member of the LED package. 
     
     
         23 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising:
 a second LED package having a third and a fourth electrically conductive member to provide power to cause a second die within the second LED package to emit light; 
 a third electrically conductive member which is positioned and electrically isolated from the outer electrically conductive member by the core; 
 wherein the third electrically conductive member of the second LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to the top surface of the outer electrically conductive member and the fourth electrically conductive member of the second LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to the fourth electrically conductive member; and 
 wherein the second LED package is turned on when power from the electrical circuit is applied to the heatsink and the fourth electrically conductive member. 
 
     
     
         24 : A flashlight, comprising:
 a flashlight barrel that is thermally and electrically conductive;   at least one light emitting diode (“LED”) package, each LED package having a first and a second electrically conductive member to provide power to cause a die within said each LED package to emit light; and   a heatsink, said heatsink comprising:
 an outer electrically conductive member that is thermally conductive and which is mechanically connected to the outer casing; 
 a core of an electrically insulating material which is held within the outer electrically conductive member; and 
 at least one inner electrically conductive member which is positioned and electrically isolated from the outer electrically conductive member by the core; 
   wherein the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to a top surface of the outer electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member of said each LED package is thermally and electrically bonded to one of the at least one inner electrically conductive member;   wherein said each LED package is turned on when power from an electrical circuit is applied to the heatsink and the at least one inner electrically conductive member; and   wherein a thermal path is created between the flashlight barrel and the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package which is only interrupted by two or less thermal junctions between the flashlight barrel and the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package.   
     
     
         25 : The flashlight of  claim 24  wherein the thermal path is only interrupted by a first thermal junction between the flashlight barrel and the outer electrically conductive member and a second thermal junction between the outer electrically conductive member and the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package. 
     
     
         26 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 24  wherein the thermal path is only interrupted by one thermal junction between the outer electrically conductive member and the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package. 
     
     
         27 : The lighting apparatus of  claim 24  wherein the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package is soldered to the top surface of the outer electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member of said each LED package is soldered to one of the at least one inner electrically conductive member. 
     
     
         28 : A method for creating a flashlight mode with increased lumens or with increased on-time, comprising:
 soldering both a first electrically conductive member of a light emitting diode (“LED”) package to a top surface of an outer electrically conductive member of a heat sink assembly and a second electrically conductive member of the LED package to an inner electrically conductive member of the heatsink assembly; and   inserting the heat sink assembly into a flashlight barrel so that the heat sink assembly is held by mechanical contact with the barrel and a thermal path is created between the flashlight barrel and the first electrically conductive member of the LED package which is only interrupted by a first thermal junction between the flashlight barrel and the outer electrically conductive member and a second thermal junction between the outer electrically conductive member and the first electrically conductive member of said each LED package;   wherein providing power to the first and the second electrically conductive members of the LED cause a die within the LED package to emit light;   wherein the heatsink assembly has a core of an electrically insulating material which is held within the outer electrically conductive member and the inner electrically conductive member is positioned and electrically isolated from the outer electrically conductive member by the core; and   wherein the LED package is turned on when power from an electrical circuit is applied to the outer electrically conductive member and the inner electrically conductive member.