SEMICONDUCTOR LAMP WITH THERMAL HANDLING SYSTEM

• US 20110176316A1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: PHIPPS, J. Michael, Sanders, Chad N., Lyons, Steve S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,272,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/373
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/23 Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with a single fitting for each light source, e.g. for substitution of incandescent lamps with bayonet or threaded fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/00 Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting fixtures combined with outlets for air-treatment systems F24F13/078
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/506 of globes, bowls or cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/51 using condensation or evaporation of a fluid, e.g. heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/77 with essentially identical diverging planar fins or blades, e.g. with fan-like or star-like cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/02 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/40 on the sides of polyhedrons, e.g. cubes or pyramids
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A lamp for general lighting applications is described. The lamp utilizes solid state light emitting sources to produce and distribute white light and dissipate the heat generated by the solid state light emitting sources. The lamp includes a thermal handling system having a heat sink and a thermal core made of a thermally conductive material to dissipate the heat generated by the solid state light emitting sources to a point outside the lamp.

Claims

1. A lamp, comprising:

solid state light emitters;

a bulb;

a thermal handling system, comprising;

a heat sink;

a thermal core of a thermally conductive material, positioned in the interior of the bulb supporting the solid state light emitters; and

a thermal transfer element coupled to the thermal core and the heat sink for supporting the thermal core, with the solid state emitters within the interior of the bulb, and for transferring heat generated by the solid state light emitters from the thermal core to the heat sink, wherein;

at least one of the solid state light emitters is supported on an end of the thermal core in such an orientation so that a principal direction of emission of light from the at least one solid state light emitter is substantially the same as or parallel with a longitudinal axis of the lamp, and

a plurality of the solid state light emitters are supported on one or more lateral surfaces of the thermal core in orientations so that principal directions of emission of light from the plurality of the solid state light emitters are radially outward from the thermal core in a plurality of different radial directions;

a lighting industry standard lamp base for providing electricity from a lamp socket; and

circuitry connected to receive electricity from the lamp base, for driving the solid state emitters to emit light.

2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the thermal core has a plurality of radially facing surfaces supporting the plurality of the solid state light emitters in the orientations to emit light radially outward in the plurality of different directions.

3. The lamp of claim 2, wherein each of the radially facing surfaces supports at least two solid state light emitters

4. The lamp of claim 1, wherein:

the thermal core has at least three substantially flat surfaces facing outward from the longitudinal axis of the lamp in different directions each supporting one or more of the plurality of the solid state light emitters in a different orientation, and

the solid state light emitters on the thermal core produce combined emissions through the bulb approximating light source emissions from a filament of an incandescent bulb.

5. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer element comprises at least one heat pipe.

6. The lamp of claim 5, wherein the at least one heat pipe has:

a first section extending along the longitudinal axis of the lamp into the interior of the bulb coupled to the thermal core; and

a second section forming a spiral in heat communicative contact with the heat sink.

7. The lamp of claim 5, wherein the at least one heat pipe has:

a first section extending along the longitudinal axis of the lamp into the interior of the bulb coupled to the thermal core; and

a second section forming a plurality of legs in heat communicative contact with the heat sink.

8. The lamp of claim 5, wherein the at least one heat pipe comprises a plurality of heat pipes.

9. The lamp of claim 5, wherein the thermal core is formed as an integral element of the at least one heat pipe.

10. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising one or more circuit boards attached to the thermal core for providing electrical connections to the solid state emitters and for attaching the solid state emitters to the thermal core.

11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more circuit boards is a flexible circuit board.

12. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the thermal core is constructed of a material and to include electrical conductors so as to also function as a circuit board for providing electrical connections to the solid state emitters.

13. The lamp of claim 12, wherein the solid state emitters comprise packaged light emitting diodes mounted on and connected to the thermal core circuit board.

14. The lamp of claim 12, wherein the solid state emitters comprise light emitting diode dies mounted on and connected to the thermal core circuit board.

15. The lamp of claim 1, wherein:

the heat sink comprises a plurality of longitudinally arranged heat radiation fins each having at least a section extending radially outward at an angle around a longitudinal axis of the lamp; and

the radially extending sections of the fins have angular separation from each other so as to allow at least some light emitted via the bulb to pass through spaces between the fins.

16. The lamp of claim 15, wherein each of the heat radiation fins further comprises a flair section extending circumferentially away from the radially extending section, of the fin.

17. The lamp of claim 15, wherein the flairs are at distal ends of the radially extending fin sections.

18. The lamp of claim 15, wherein the Hairs are located at positions between proximal and distal ends of the radially extending fin sections.

19. A lamp, comprising:

a plurality of solid state light emitters;

a bulb;

a heat sink;

a thermal transfer element comprising;

a first section forming a pedestal extending into an interior of the bulb supporting the solid state light emitters, a plurality of the solid state light emitters being supported on the pedestal in orientations so that principal directions of emissions from the plurality are outward in a plurality of different directions; and

a second section extending from the pedestal of the first section and forming a spiral in heat communicative contact with the heat sink;

a lighting industry standard lamp base for providing electricity from a lamp socket; and

circuitry connected to receive electricity from the lamp base, for driving the solid state emitters to emit light.

20-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A thermal handling system for a solid state amp, the thermal handling system, comprising:

a heat sink comprising longitudinally arranged heat radiation fins each having a section extending radially outward and a flair section extending circumferentially away from the radially extending fin section;

a thermal transfer element comprising a first section for extension into an interior of a bulb of the lamp and a second section coupled in heat communicative contact with the heat sink; and

a multi-surfaced three-dimensional thermal core attached or integrated with and thermally coupled to the first section of the thermal transfer element to form a pedestal, for supporting at least some solid state light emitters of the lamp on surfaces of the core in orientations to emit light outward from the pedestal through a bulb of the lamp in a plurality of different principal directions,

wherein the radially extending sections of the tins have angular separation from each other, for allowing at least some light emitted via the bulb of the lamp to pass through spaces between the fins.

35-40. -40. (canceled)