Electrically insulative coatings for LED lamp and elements

• US 9,657,922 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Negley, Gerald, Athalye, Praneet, Lin, Shaow B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stern, Jacob R
• Application Number:
  US13/838,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20140268819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 445 58
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/08 Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic acid esters
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/16 having terminal carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/60 Optical arrangements integrated in the light source, e.g. for improving the colour rendering index or the light extraction
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/90 Methods of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/00 Protecting lighting devices from damage protection from thermal damage F21V29/00; gas-tight or water-tight arrangements F21V31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/02 coming into action when lighting device is disturbed, dismounted, or broken
• 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 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/287 Photosensitive compositions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49146 with encapsulating, e.g., potting, etc.

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method for providing protective coatings onto an energizable LED component coupled to an electrical path. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to LED lamps comprising transparent dielectric coatings and LED lamps and devices made thereby.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining the mechanical and electrical integrity of a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, the method comprising:

providing an LED lamp with at least one LED and associated exposed energizable electrical components contained within an optically transmissive, frangible enclosure;

applying a liquid visible light transparent dielectric coating directly on at least a portion of the exposed energizable components, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating extends onto a surface of the optically transmissive enclosure;

curing the visible light transparent dielectric coating deposited on the exposed energizable components; and

maintaining the mechanical and electrical integrity of the LED lamp upon breach of the frangible enclosure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating comprises one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes, acrylates, or urethanes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising curing the one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes, acrylates, or urethanes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric is directly deposited on all of the energizable electrical components.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the LED lamp further comprises one or more of a reflector, a diffuser, or a lens, and wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is deposited on the reflector, the diffuser, or the lens.

6. The method of claim 5, further providing a heat sink thermally coupled to the LED assembly for transmitting heat from the LED assembly to the ambient environment, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating does not substantially alter heat transfer between the LED assembly and the heat sink.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating dampens external vibrational energy, external shear energy, or external impact energy introduced to the LED lamp.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating prevents fire upon breach of the frangible enclosure and provides shock protection upon breach of the frangible enclosure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating prevents short circuit events or ground-fault interrupt events after breach of the optically transmissive enclosure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the optically transmissive enclosure is glass or ceramic.

11. An LED assembly comprising:

an LED lamp with at least one LED and associated exposed energizable electrical components contained within an optically transmissive, frangible enclosure;

a visible light transparent dielectric coating directly on at least a portion of the exposed energizable components, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating extends onto a surface of the optically transmissive enclosure;

wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is deposited on the exposed energizable components; and

wherein the mechanical and electrical integrity of the LED lamp is maintained upon breach of the frangible enclosure.

12. The LED assembly of claim 11, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating comprises one or more polysiloxanes, polyacrylates, or polyurethanes.

13. The LED assembly of claim 11, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is transparent to light between about 250 nm to about 850 nm.

14. The LED assembly of claim 11, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is at least partially non-transparent to light between about 250 nm to about 850 nm.

15. The LED assembly of claim 11, further comprising a heat sink thermally coupled to the LED assembly for transmitting heat from the LED assembly to the ambient environment.

16. The LED assembly of claim 15, further comprising a base coupled to heat sink.

17. The LED assembly of claim 16, further comprising an electrical interconnect for mechanically connecting a conductor to the heat sink, wherein the conductor is in the electrical path between the LED assembly and the base.

18. The LED assembly of claim 16, further comprising an optically transmissive enclosure.

19. The LED assembly of claim 11, further comprising one or more of a reflector, a diffuser, or a lens, and wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is deposited on the reflector, the diffuser, or the lens.

20. A method of coating an LED lamp comprising:

providing an LED lamp comprising;

a base;

an LED assembly coupled to the base, the LED assembly having at least one LED operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path;

contacting at least a portion of the LED assembly and at least a portion of the electrical path thereof with a curable visible light transparent dielectric coating;

attaching an optically transmissive enclosure, and

curing the visible light transparent dielectric coating, the visible light transparent dielectric coating sealing the optically transmissive enclosure to the base.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating comprises one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes, acrylates, or urethanes.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising curing the one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes, acrylates, or urethanes, the cured oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes, acrylates, or urethanes being optically transparent between about 250 nm to about 850 nm.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes is substantially organic solvent-free.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating comprises one or more curable oligomeric or polymeric siloxanes having alkenyl-containing functional groups and/or silicon hydride functional groups.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the LED lamp further comprises a submount on which the LED assembly is coupled, wherein the submount comprises at least one of a PCB, metal core board, lead frame and metal core printed circuit board, the visible light transparent dielectric coating sealing the subassembly to the base.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the LED lamp further comprises a heat sink thermally coupled to the LED assembly for transmitting heat from the LED assembly to the ambient environment, the visible light transparent dielectric coating does not substantially alter heat transfer between the LED assembly and the heat sink.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the LED lamp further comprises one or more of a reflector, a diffuser, or a lens, and wherein the visible light transparent dielectric coating is a deposited on the reflector, the diffuser, or the lens.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the contacting is one or more of dipping, spraying, or brushing.