Spherical LED Housing for Deep Ocean Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High brightness LEDs used in deep water environments face challenges with heat dissipation, leading to thermal-runaway conditions and potential failure, especially when combined in tight geometrical patterns, and traditional fluid-filled cooling methods can compromise light beam control and increase contamination.
Innovation Solution
The use of a substantially or partially spherical housing made of metal with a transparent window and thermally conductive materials to efficiently dissipate heat laterally into the surrounding ocean, minimizing weight and maintaining pressure resistance, while reducing wall thickness to enhance thermal management and light output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If high brightness LEDs are combined in tight geometrical patterns to increase illumination intensity, then lighting output is improved, but heat dissipation becomes insufficient leading to thermal runaway
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spherical housing configuration that provides superior heat dissipation compared to conventional cylindrical or flat designs. The spherical geometry allows for more uniform heat distribution across the surface area and improves thermal contact with the surrounding environment, enabling effective heat removal from multiple high-power LEDs while maintaining compact illumination intensity.
2Temperature
If fluid-filled temperature compensation environment is used to manage heat, then thermal management is improved, but light beam control decreases and contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the LED light source from the fluid-filled environment and places it within a pressure-protected housing that is thermally coupled to the external environment. This separation allows the LEDs to be protected from both pressure and heat without being immersed in fluid that would compromise light beam control or contaminate the phosphor coating.
3Reliability
If pressure-protected housing is used to isolate LEDs from ambient pressure, then reliability is improved, but heat dissipation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal interface materials and thermally conductive housing structures as intermediaries between the LED junction and the external environment. These intermediaries provide efficient thermal pathways that bypass electrical insulation requirements, allowing heat to be conducted from the sealed LED package through the housing to the surrounding water, thus maintaining both pressure protection and heat dissipation efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively manages heat dissipation, reduces the risk of thermal failure, maintains light beam control, and minimizes weight, allowing for reliable operation at significant ocean depths with improved thermal management and reduced buoyancy requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a housing, which may be made of metal and may include a front and a rear section... efficiently dissipate heat laterally into the surrounding ocean
Data Source
AI summary
An underwater LED light for use in high ambient pressure environments having a housing, a transparent pressure-bearing window, an MCPCB having one or more LEDs, and a multilayer stack of spacers for carrying loads applied to the window to the MCPCB and to the housing.