Solid state lights with thermosiphon liquid cooling structures and methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A solid state lighting device (SSL), comprising:
- a housing having a chamber and a closed-system channel loop, the channel loop including a first channel and a second channel, wherein at least a portion of the first channel is inclined at an angle relative to horizontal, and wherein the channel loop includes a cooling structure between the first channel and the second channel;
a coolant fluid in the closed-system channel loop, wherein the cooling structure is configured to transfer heat from the coolant fluid; and
a solid state emitter (SSE) carried by the housing, the SSE having an active portion from which light is emitted and a back portion, the active portion facing toward the chamber, and one of the active portion and the back portion directly contacting the coolant fluid in the first channel.
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Abstract
A solid state lighting (SSL) device with a solid state emitter (SSE) being partially exposed in a channel loop, and methods of making and using such SSLs. The SSE can have thermally conductive projections such as fins, posts, or other structures configured to transfer heat into a fluid medium, such as a liquid coolant in the channel loop. The channel loop can include an upward channel in which the SSE is exposed to warm the coolant in the upward channel, and a downward channel through which coolant moves after being cooled by a cooling structure. The coolant in the channel loop can naturally circulate due to the heat from the SSE.
26 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A solid state lighting device (SSL), comprising:
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a housing having a chamber and a closed-system channel loop, the channel loop including a first channel and a second channel, wherein at least a portion of the first channel is inclined at an angle relative to horizontal, and wherein the channel loop includes a cooling structure between the first channel and the second channel; a coolant fluid in the closed-system channel loop, wherein the cooling structure is configured to transfer heat from the coolant fluid; and a solid state emitter (SSE) carried by the housing, the SSE having an active portion from which light is emitted and a back portion, the active portion facing toward the chamber, and one of the active portion and the back portion directly contacting the coolant fluid in the first channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 31)
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12. A solid state lighting device (SSL), comprising:
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a housing having a channel loop configured to recirculate a fluid within the SSL device, the channel loop including— an upward channel having an upward inlet and an upward outlet, a downward channel having a downward inlet and a downward outlet, an upward return between the upward outlet and the downward inlet, and a downward return between the downward outlet and the upward inlet; a dielectric coolant fluid in the channel loop; a cooling structure in the upward return; and a solid state emitter (SSE) carried by the housing with at least a portion of the SSE in the upward channel, the upward channel being oriented such that the dielectric coolant fluid in the upward channel directly contacts and is heated by the SSE and rises such that a fluid current is induced in the channel loop upward through the upward channel and downward through the downward channel to cool the portion of the SSE. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of manufacturing a solid state lighting (SSL) device, comprising:
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forming a support with a recirculating closed-system channel loop through the support; flowing a coolant fluid into the closed-system channel loop and sealing the coolant fluid in the closed-system channel loop; and attaching a solid state emitter (SSE) to the support such that at least a portion of the SSE directly contacts coolant fluid in a first portion of the recirculating closed-system channel loop, wherein the first portion of the closed-system channel loop is oriented generally vertically. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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32. A solid state lighting device (SSL), comprising:
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a housing having a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a channel loop having a plurality of channels; coolant fluid in the fluid chamber; a cooling structure configured to transfer thermal energy from the coolant fluid, the cooling structure including at least one heat transfer fin that directly contacts the coolant fluid in the fluid chamber; and a solid state emitter (SSE) coupled to the housing, the SSE including an active portion from which light is emitted and a back portion, and at least one of the active portion and the back portion directly contacting the cooling fluid. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification