Actively Cooled LED Lighting System and Method for Making the Same
First Claim
1. An illumination system comprising:
- a plate comprising a material that promotes heat conduction and inhibits flow of electricity, said plate having a first side and a second side;
an electrical circuit, adjoining the first side of the plate, that is operative to cool the plate when electrically energized; and
a light emitting diode adjoining the second side of the plate.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lighting system can comprise one or more light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) that emit substantially white light and a thermoelectric cooler (“TEC”) for maintaining the LEDs within a temperature range. The TEC can comprise an electrical circuit that includes two different semiconductors or two dissimilar metals that provide cooling when electrically energized. The electrical circuit can adjoin or touch one side of a plate, sheet, wafer, or substrate of material, such as ceramic, that insulates electricity and conducts heat. In operation, the electrical circuit can cool the plate or actively transfer heat from the plate. The LEDs can adjoin or touch the side of the plate that is opposite the electrical circuit. Thus, a TEC circuit can contact one surface of a thin piece of ceramic material, while an LED contacts the opposite surface.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An illumination system comprising:
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a plate comprising a material that promotes heat conduction and inhibits flow of electricity, said plate having a first side and a second side; an electrical circuit, adjoining the first side of the plate, that is operative to cool the plate when electrically energized; and a light emitting diode adjoining the second side of the plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A lighting system comprising:
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a substrate that comprises ceramic material and that has a first side and a second side; a light emitting diode attached to the first side via solder; and an electrical conductor bonded directly to the second side and operable to conduct heat away from the second side in response to electricity flowing through the electrical conductor. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An illumination apparatus comprising:
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a thermoelectric cooler that comprises; a plate comprising a material that is electrically insulative and thermally conductive, said plate having a first side and a second side; and a first piece of metal and a second piece of metal that each adjoins the second side of the plate and that are operative to cool the plate in response to a transmission of electricity; and a light emitting diode adjoining the first side of the plate. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method, for fabricating a lighting system, comprising the steps of:
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sandwiching two different metals between a first and a second plate, wherein the two different metals are operative to transfer heat from the first plate to the second plate in response to a transmission of electricity through the two different metals, and wherein each of the first and the second plates is operative to conduct heat while insulating electricity; applying an electrically conductive pad to the first plate on a surface opposite the two different metals; and attaching a light emitting diode to the electrically conductive pad. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for fabricating a lighting device, comprising:
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adjoining an electrical conductor to a first side of a sheet of ceramic material; placing the electrical conductor in electrical series with two different materials that cool the sheet of ceramic material in response to transmitting electricity; and adjoining a light emitting diode to the second side of the sheet of ceramic material. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification