Gas cooled LED lamp

• US 8,757,839 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussell, Christopher P., Edmond, John Adam, Negley, Gerald H., Progl, Curt, Edmond, Mark, Athalye, Praneet, Swoboda, Charles M., Pickard, Paul Kenneth, Reier, Bart P., Lay, James Michael, Lopez, Peter E., van de Ven, Anthony Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/774,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 362/249.02, 362/227, 362/255, 313/512
• US Class Current: 362/249.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/65 the gas flowing in a closed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/85 characterised by the material liquid coolants F21V29/56
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/061 the material being glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/10 characterised by coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/00 Light sources with three-dimensionally disposed light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/30 on the outer surface of cylindrical surfaces, e.g. rod-shaped supports having a circular or a polygonal cross section
• 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

In one embodiment, a lamp comprises an optically transmissive enclosure. An LED array is disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure operable to emit light when energized through an electrical connection. A gas is contained in the enclosure to provide thermal coupling to the LED array. The gas may include oxygen.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure and a base forming at least a portion of an electrical connection;

an LED array disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure to be operable to emit light when energized through the electrical connection, the LED array forming part of an LED assembly comprising a heat sink structure where the LED array is disposed toward one side of the LED assembly with the heat sink structure extending toward the opposite side of the LED assembly, the LED array being positioned substantially in the center of the enclosure;

a gas contained in the enclosure to provide thermal coupling to the LED array where the heat sink is mounted on a support, the support being made of a thermally insulating material.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the gas comprises helium.

3. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the gas comprises hydrogen.

4. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection comprises a thermally resistive electrical path that prevents overtemperature of the LED array.

5. The lamp of claim 4 wherein the thermally resistive electrical path comprises a wire, the wire having a dimension such that the dimension prevents overtemperature of the LED array.

6. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive sealed enclosure;

an LED disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure operable to emit light when energized through an electrical connection, the LED array forming part of an LED assembly comprising a heat sink structure;

a gas contained in the enclosure to provide thermal coupling to the LED array where the gas comprises oxygen, the gas surrounding the heat sink structure such that the heat sink structure transmits heat from the LED assembly to the gas.

7. The lamp of claim 6 where the oxygen is provided in the enclosure in an amount that is sufficient to prevent degradation of the LED.

8. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas comprises less than approximately 40% by volume of oxygen.

9. The lamp of claim 8 where the gas comprises a second thermally conductive gas.

10. The lamp of claim 9 where the second thermally conductive gas has a higher thermal conductivity than oxygen.

11. The lamp of claim 9 where the second thermally conductive gas comprises helium, the helium comprising at least 40% by volume of the gas.

12. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas has a thermal conductivity of about at least 87.5 mW/m-K.

13. The lamp of claim 6 where the lamp emits light equivalent to a 60 watt equivalent bulb and the gas comprises approximately 100% by volume of oxygen.

14. The lamp of claim 6 further comprising a gas movement device.

15. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the gas movement device comprises at least one of an electric fan, a rotary fan, a piezoelectric fan, corona or ion wind generator, and diaphragm pump.

16. The lamp of claim 6 where the lamp emits light equivalent to a 40 watt equivalent bulb and the gas comprises approximately 1-5% by volume of oxygen.

17. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas comprises at least approximately 4% by volume of oxygen.

18. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas comprises less than approximately 50% by volume of oxygen.

19. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas comprises less than approximately 5% by volume of oxygen.

20. The lamp of claim 6 where the gas comprises approximately 40-60% by volume of oxygen.