Gas cooled LED lamp

• US 9,353,937 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Expired

• 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., van de Ven, Antony Paul, Pickard, Paul Kenneth, Reier, Bart P., Lay, James Michael, Lopez, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US14/268,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20140239794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 connected to a base to define an interior space;

an LED array disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure operable to emit light when energized through an electrical connection;

a gas contained in the enclosure to provide thermal coupling to the LED array; and

a heat sink structure thermally coupled to the LED array for transmitting heat from the LED array to the enclosure primarily through the gas, wherein the heat sink structure is positioned entirely inside of the enclosure and spaced from the base such that the heat sink structure is supported in the interior space at a distance from the enclosure of less than 8 mm.

2. The lamp of claim 1 where the LED array is disposed at one end of an LED assembly and the heat sink structure extends at least substantially to one side of the LED array.

3. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink structure comprises fins.

4. The lamp of claim 2 wherein the LED array is disposed toward a top of the LED assembly and the heat sink structure extends toward a bottom of the LED assembly.

5. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LED array is disposed on an LED assembly and the LED assembly is supported on a glass stem where the heat sink structure at least partially surrounds the glass stem.

6. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LED array is positioned such that it is disposed substantially in the center of the enclosure and the heat sink structure is offset to one side of the enclosure.

7. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink structure contacts the enclosure.

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

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

18. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink structure is spaced from the enclosure.

10. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure;

an LED array disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure to be operable to emit light when energized through an electrical connection;

a gas contained in the enclosure to provide thermal coupling to the LED array; and

a heat sink structure thermally coupled to the LED array for transmitting heat from the LED array to the gas, where the heat sink structure comprises an outside surface that supports the LED array and faces the enclosure and an inside surface that faces away from the enclosure where the inside surface and the outside surface are surrounded by the gas.

11. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure;

an LED array disposed in the optically transmissive enclosure to be operable to emit light when energized through an electrical connection, the LED array being thermally coupled to the enclosure; and

an electrically insulating base comprising an upper part that is connected to enclosure and a separate lower part that is joined to the upper part and an electrical connector connected to the lower part that forms part of the electrical connection to the LED assembly.

12. The lamp of claim 11 wherein the electrical connector comprises an Edison screw.

13. The lamp of claim 11 wherein the base has a relatively narrow proximal end that is secured to the enclosure where a diameter of the base gradually increases from the proximal end to a point along the base.

14. The lamp of claim 13 wherein a portion of the base with a larger diameter defines an internal space for receiving a power supply.

15. The lamp of claim 11 wherein the base has a relatively narrow proximal end that is secured to the enclosure where a diameter of the base gradually increases from the proximal end to a point along the base and the diameter of the base gradually narrows from the point to the electrical connector.

16. The lamp of claim 11 wherein an external surface of the base is formed by a smooth curved shape.

17. The lamp of claim 16 wherein the external surface of the base transitions from a relatively smaller concave portion to a relatively larger convex portion from the proximal end to the electrical connector.