Thermally managed LED recessed lighting apparatus
First Claim
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, an 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 an 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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An LED recessed lighting apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
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(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, an 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 an 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An LED recessed lighting module, comprising:
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(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 in said lens; (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 condenser portion of said heat pipe and intimately thermally conductively coupled to said condenser portion of said heat pipe. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification