LED lamp with encapsulated driver and safety circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10890301-B2
Application number	US-201615549539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A lamp assembly includes a base, a hermetically sealed outer jacket mounted on the base, and a driver circuit disposed within the hermetically sealed outer jacket and electrically coupled to the base. The lamp assembly may also include a safety circuit configured to interrupt electrical power to the lamp assembly if the hermetically sealed outer jacket is compromised.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp assembly comprising:
a base;
a hermetically sealed outer jacket mounted on the base; and
a driver circuit (i) having a first end mounted on an end of a printed circuit board and (ii) being configured to provide power for driving a light source, the light source also being mounted on the printed circuit board;
wherein, the printed circuit board and the driver circuit are completely disposed within the hermetically sealed outer jacket, a second end of the driver circuit being electrically coupled to the base via a plurality of leads configured to provide power from the base to the driver circuit;
a safety circuit provided on a surface of the printed circuit board and configured to interrupt via an element the electrical power to the lamp assembly if the hermetically sealed outer jacket is compromised;
wherein the element is not oxygen sensitive prior to an activation of the element; and
wherein the element is configured to interrupt the electrical power when the activation has occurred, the activation rendering the element oxygen-sensitive.

2. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hermetically sealed outer jacket is formed of glass.

3. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hermetically sealed outer jacket comprises a polymer.

4. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , comprising one or more solid state light sources disposed within the hermetically sealed outer jacket and powered by the driver circuit.

5. The lamp assembly of claim 4 , wherein the one or more solid state light sources are LED light sources.

6. The lamp assembly of claim 4 , wherein the one or more solid state light sources are LED filaments.

7. The lamp assembly of claim 4 , comprising a circuit board on which the one or more solid state light sources and the driver circuit are mounted.

8. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the element is configured to become non-conducting upon exposure to oxygen.

9. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the element is configured to trip a fuse in the base upon exposure to oxygen.

10. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the safety circuit comprises a pressure transducer configured to trip a fuse in the base upon a change in atmospheric pressure within the hermetically sealed outer jacket.

11. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the safety circuit comprises an oxygen sensor configured to trip a fuse in the base upon a change in partial pressure of oxygen gas within the hermetically sealed outer jacket.

12. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the element is disposed within the hermetically sealed outer jacket and is configured to trip a fuse in the base if the hermetically sealed outer jacket is compromised.

13. The lamp assembly of claim 12 , wherein the element is configured to trip the fuse upon exposure to oxygen.

14. The lamp assembly of claim 12 , wherein the element is configured to become non-conducting upon exposure to oxygen.

15. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an oxygen sensor configured to provide a first signal at a first partial pressure of oxygen and a second signal as at a second partial pressure of oxygen, the second partial pressure of oxygen being indicative of the outer jacket having been compromised.

16. The lamp assembly of claim 15 , wherein the second partial pressure is at about 0.2 atmosphere.

Assignees

• Ge Lighting Solutions Llc
• Savant Tech Llc

Inventors

• Knapp Thomas Alexander
• Kuenzler Glenn Howard
• Jansma Jon Bennett
• Roberts Bruce Richard
• Allen Gary Robert

Classifications

• F21V3/04 Primary

  characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V7/05

  plane · CPC title

• F21K9/232

  specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb · CPC title

• F21V23/005

  the substrate is supporting also the light source · CPC title