Submersible LED Fixture Multilayer Stack Pressure Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Underwater lighting fixtures face challenges in withstanding high pressures, particularly at deep depths, and existing designs either require fluid-filled pressure compensation or risk contamination and light beam control issues.
Innovation Solution
A submersible LED light fixture with a multilayer stack that distributes pressure around LEDs, using a transparent window supported by a metal core printed circuit board and Kapton sheets for pressure distribution, along with a sapphire window for high thermal conductivity and light transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fluid-filled pressure compensation is used, then the light fixture can withstand high pressure, but the device complexity increases and contamination risks arise
Solution Approach 1:
The light fixture is divided into distinct functional layers: a pressure-bearing window layer, a multilayer stack containing LEDs and circuit elements, and a housing layer. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function while collectively providing pressure resistance without requiring fluid-filled compensation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure combining transparent window material, multilayer stack materials, and housing materials with different mechanical and optical properties. This composite approach enables the fixture to withstand high pressure while maintaining light transmission and electrical functionality without complex fluid-filled systems.
2Device complexity
If conventional lighting sources are used, then the light fixture can be simpler in design, but the life and ruggedness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional incandescent, fluorescent, or halogen lighting sources with solid state LED elements. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical components such as filaments, gas fillings, or magnetic ballasts, thereby simplifying the overall device structure while significantly improving reliability and lifespan.
3Reliability
If the light fixture is designed for deep water operation, then pressure resistance improves, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal conductive materials as intermediaries between the LED heat generation points and the external environment. These thermal pathways, integrated within the multilayer stack and housing structures, facilitate efficient heat transfer from the LEDs to the surrounding water, enabling effective heat dissipation while maintaining pressure resistance.
4Reliability
If the housing is made larger to accommodate pressure compensation, then the light fixture can withstand deeper pressures, but the light beam control and contamination protection are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties and structural characteristics to different regions of the light fixture. The multilayer stack provides localized pressure distribution and contamination protection directly over the LED elements, while the housing provides overall structural support. This localized approach enables deep water operation without requiring excessive housing size that would compromise light beam control.
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
The design provides a pressure-resistant and waterproof solution that maintains light intensity and heat dissipation, enabling brighter lights in smaller packages while preventing contamination and ensuring reliable operation under extreme pressure.
Implementation Method 1
A multilayer stack provides a waterproof and pressure resistant barrier for an LED array mounted to one side of a PCB. Load imposed by external pressure on a sapphire window is transferred directly through the multilayer stack, through an anodized aluminum spacer to the light head body.
Implementation Method 2
sapphire window for high thermal conductivity and light transmission
Implementation Method 3
transparent window supported by a metal core printed circuit board and Kapton sheets for pressure distribution, along with a sapphire window for high thermal conductivity and light transmission
Data Source
AI summary
Lighting apparatus for high pressure underwater use are disclosed. In one embodiment the lighting apparatus comprises a housing for withstanding ambient exterior pressure at a depth of approximately 500 feet or more, a transparent pressure bearing window positioned at a forward end of the housing, and a multilayered stack for bearing substantially all of the loading applied to the transparent pressure bearing window at a depth of approximately 500 feet or more disposed in the housing behind the transparent pressure bearing window is disclosed.