THERMALLY MANAGED LED RECESSED LIGHTING APPARATUS

• US 20110063831A1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wyndsor Lighting, LLC
• Original Assignee: Wyndsor Lighting, LLC
• Inventors: Cook, William V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,197,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/235
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/02 of recess-mounted type, e.g. downlighters specially adapted for vehicle exteriors F21S41/00-F21S45/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/005 the substrate is supporting also the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/51 using condensation or evaporation of a fluid, e.g. heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/717 using split or remote units thermally interconnected, e.g. by thermally conductive bars or heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 31/04 Provision of filling media
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/02 for fountains
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/10 Outdoor lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/401 for swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]

Abstract

An LED recessed lighting apparatus has a housing mountable in a recess located behind a recess opening in an architectural structure. A non-vented trim is securable in place over the recess opening. A lens that allows light from the LED to pass through the trim has a fluid-tight internal cavity containing at least the light-emitting portion of the LED. At least a major portion of the heat generated by the LED is carried directly from the LED to the outside surface of said trim by way of a thermal path that includes a first heat sink located substantially immediately adjacent and intimately thermally conductively coupled to the LED, at least one second heatsink supported by and substantially directly thermally conductively coupled to, the inside of the trim, and at least one heat pipe thermally connecting the first heat sink to the second heat sink.

Claims

1. An LED recessed lighting apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a housing at least a portion of which is mountable in a recess having a recess opening;

(b) at least one light-emitting diode (LED) disposed within the housing;

(c) a non-vented trim having an interior side, an exterior side, and an aperture extending between said interior side and said exterior side, said inside surface of said trim facing toward said recess, said trim being affixable over at least a portion of said recess opening such that said recess is substantially isolated from direct convective thermal exchange with the environment adjoining said outside surface of said trim when said housing is mounted in said recess and said trim is affixed over said at least a portion of said recess opening;

(d) a lens having a cavity within which is located at least a light-emitting portion of said LED, said lens being mounted to allow light emitted by said LED to pass through said aperture of said trim,

(e) a first heat sink of a first highly thermally conductive material, said first heat sink being intimately thermally conductively coupled to said LED and being located substantially immediately adjacent to said LED;

(f) a second heat sink of a second highly thermally conductive material, said second heat sink being mechanically supported by said trim and substantially directly thermally conductively coupled to said inside surface of said trim, and

(g) a heat pipe mechanically and thermally coupled between said first heat sink and said second heat sink, said heat pipe containing a working fluid and having an evaporator portion coupled to said first heat sink and a condenser portion coupled to said second heat sink such that the heat generated by said LED during normal steady state operation can be thermally conducted to said trim by way of a thermal path which includes said first beat sink, said heat pipe and said second heat sink.

2. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cavity is a fluid-tight cavity which cannot be infiltrated by fluid under normal operating conditions.

3. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermal path is of sufficiently high heat carrying capacity and is sufficiently low thermal resistance that not less than about fifty percent of said heat generated by said LED is thermally conducted to said trim during normal steady state operation.

4. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said LED is mounted supportably on a substrate at least a portion of which is interposed between said LED and said first heat sink such that said thermal path further includes said substrate.

5. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said substrate includes at least one electrically conductive path for supplying electrical energy to said LED to enable said LED to emit light.

6. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said substrate carries a driver for electrically driving said LED and wherein said driver is located within said cavity.

7. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a peripheral seal disposed between said inside surface of said trim and said recess opening to prevent infiltration of liquid into said recess.

8. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a wet niche.

9. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first highly thermally conductive material and said second highly thermally conductive material are comprised of the same material.

10. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first highly thermally conductive material and said second highly thermally conductive material comprise different materials.

11. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lens comprises a lens which does not significantly refract the light.

12. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lens comprises lens which diffuses the light.

13. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lens comprises a lens which focuses the light.

14. The LED lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lens comprises a lens which changes a wavelength of the light.

15. An LED recessed lighting module, comprising:

(a) at least one light-emitting diode (LED);

(b) a lens having a cavity within which is located at least a light-emitting portion of said LED;

(c) a first heat sink of a first highly thermally conductive material, said first heat sink being mechanically connected to said lens said first heat sink being located not more than a very short distance from said LED and being intimately thermally conductively coupled to said LED and being located;

(d) a heat pipe containing a working fluid, said heat pipe having a condenser portion and an evaporator portion, said evaporator portion of said heat pipe being mechanically coupled to said first heat sink and intimately thermally conductively coupled to said first heat sink, and

(e) a second heat sink of a first highly thermally conductive material, said second heat sink being adapted to be mechanically coupled to, and intimately thermally coupled to, an inside surface of a trim of a lighting fixture said second heat sink being mechanically coupled to said evaporator portion of said heat pipe and intimately thermally conductively coupled to said evaporator portion of said heat pipe.

16. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said cavity is a fluid-tight cavity which cannot be infiltrated by fluid under normal operating conditions.

17. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said first heat sink, said heat pipe and said second heat sink form a thermal path of sufficiently high heat carrying capacity and sufficiently low thermal resistance that not less than about fifty percent of the heat generated by said LED during normal steady state operation can be thermally conducted to said trim.

18. The LED lighting module of claim 17 wherein said LED is mounted supportably on a substrate at least a portion of which is interposed between said LED and said first heat sink such that said thermal path further includes said substrate.

19. The LED lighting module of claim 18 wherein said substrate includes at least one electrically conductive path for supplying electrical energy to said LED to enable said LED to emit light.

20. The LED lighting module of claim 18 wherein said substrate carries a driver for electrically driving said LED.

21. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said first highly thermally conductive material and said second highly thermally conductive material are comprised of the same material.

22. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said first highly thermally conductive material and said second highly thermally conductive material comprise different materials.

23. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said lens comprises a lens which does not significantly refract the light.

24. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said lens comprises lens which diffuses the light.

25. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said lens comprises a lens which focuses the light.

26. The LED lighting module of claim 15 wherein said lens comprises a lens which changes a wavelength of the light.