Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Combined load device or load device temperature modifying... – Plural circuit elements
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-03
2004-09-07
Lee, Wilson (Department: 2821)
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Combined load device or load device temperature modifying...
Plural circuit elements
C362S800000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06787999
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The invention relates to the lighting arts. It is especially applicable to MR/PAR-type lamps and lighting systems, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, the invention will also find application in modular lighting, in portable lighting applications such as flashlights, in retrofitting incandescent and other types of lamps with LED-based lamps, in computerized stage or studio lighting applications, and the like.
MR/PAR-type lamps usually refer to incandescent lamps having an integrated directional reflector and optional integrated cover lens for producing a directed light beam with a selected beam spread, such as a spot beam or a flood beam. The integral reflector is typically of the mirrored reflector (MR) type which uses a dichroic glass reflector material, or of the parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) type. The choice of reflector affects the heat distribution, spot size, lamp efficiency, and other properties. MR/PAR lamps are available in a wide range of reflector sizes, typically indicated in multiples of ⅛
th
inch. For example, a lamp designated as PAR-16 has a parabolic reflector with a diameter of two inches. In the art, the terms MR lamp, PAR lamp, MR/PAR lamp, and the like typically denote a directional lamp having a standardized size, shape, and electrical connector. Commercial MR/PAR lamps are manufactured and sold as an integrated unit including an incandescent light source, a reflector that cooperates with the light source to produce a beam having a selected beam spread such as a spot beam or a flood beam, and a standardized base with an integrated standardized electrical connector which often also provides mechanical support for the lamp in the associated lighting fixture. Many commercial MR/PAR lamps additionally include a lens or cover glass arranged to receive light directed out of the reflector, a waterproof housing (optionally manufactured of a shatter-resistant material), or other features. Waterproof “sealed”MR/PAR lamps are especially suitable for outdoor applications or use in other harsh environments.
Commercial MR/PAR lamps exist which are compatible with a wide range of electrical input standards. Some are configured to accept an a.c. line power bus voltage, usually 110V in the United States or 220V in Europe. Low voltage lamps are configured to accept lower voltages, typically 12V d.c. although other voltages such as 6V or 24 V are also commercially used. The low voltage is typically supplied by the 110V or 220V power bus through a low-voltage transformer or other power conditioning apparatus external to the MR/PAR lamp.
Electrical power is typically supplied to the lamp via a standardized electrical base. There are many such “standardized” bases, however, including threaded (screw-type) connector bases, two-prong (bi-pin) connector bases, bayonet-style connector bases, and the like. Many of these standardized bases are available in a plurality of sizes or detailed configurations. For example, the GU-type connector known to the art comes in a variety of sized and configurations, usually denoted by GU-x where x is a sizing parameter.
In Europe, the most common electrical input standard employs a GU-10 connector configured to receive a 220V a.c. input. In the United States, the most common electrical input standard employs a screw-type connector known as an Edison connector configured to receive a 110V a.c. input. A commonplace low-voltage electrical input standard, sometimes called the “MR” standard, employs a GU-5.3 connector configured to receive 12V d.c. In addition to these standardized configurations, however, a wide range of other connector/power configurations are also in more limited use, particularly for specialized applications such as architectural and theatre lighting.
MR/PAR lamps are also increasingly being manufactured with integral electronic controllers, especially for high-end applications such as studio or stage lighting. In one known embodiment, a 12V d.c. MR lamp receives a DMX-512 control signal superimposed on the 12V power input. A DMX controller, embodied by a microprocessor arranged within and integral to the MR lamp, receives the control signal and optionally modifies the lamp operation in response to the received control instructions, for example by changing the lamp intensity or color. Incandescent MR/PAR lamps which include only a single light-generating filament are not individually color-controllable. Hence, the DMX color control is implemented through cooperation of several MR lamps of different colors, e.g. using red, green, and blue spot lights. Other controller interface protocols, such as PDA or CAN, are also known. Instead of using a superimposed a.c. control signal riding on the power input, in other embodiments a radio frequency (rf) receiver is incorporated into the MR/PAR lamp for receiving an rf control signal.
MR/PAR lamps employ a variety of light-generating mechanisms. In addition to incandescent filament lamps, tungsten halogen MR/PAR lamps are popular. In these lamps, a chemical reaction between a halogen gas ambient and a tungsten filament continually returns tungsten sputtered from the filament back onto the filament. In this way, degradation of the light intensity and color characteristics over time are reduced versus ordinary incandescent lamps. MR/PAR lamps employing other types of light generating elements, such as gas discharge tubes, are also known but have gained less commercial acceptance.
In particular, light emitting diode (LED)-based MR/PAR-type lamps are known. LEDs are solid state optoelectronic devices that produce light in response to electrical inputs. LEDs, particularly gallium nitride (GaN) and indium gallium aluminum phosphide (InGaAIP) based LEDs, are being increasingly used for lighting applications because of their durability, safe low-voltage operation, and long operating life. Present LEDs are produces relatively low optical output power, and so LED-based MR/PAR lamps usually include an array of LEDs that collectively act as a single light source. Because most LEDs produce a substantially directed light output, LED-based MR/PAR lamps optionally do not employ a reflector, or employ a reflector that is significantly different from reflectors used in incandescent or halogen MR/PAR lamps.
At the present time, LED-based MR/PAR lamps are not commercially dominant. In part, this is due to significant differences in the electrical input used by the LED arrays as compared with the input associated with conventional incandescent MR/PAR lamps, which can result in a significant portion of the development and manufacturing cost of LED retrofits going toward the power conditioning electronics and the related electrical connectors. To compete commercially, LED-based MR/PAR lamps are advantageously electrically and connectively interchangeable with existing lamp fixtures that are designed to operate with incandescent or halogen MR/PAR lamps.
The difficulty in achieving electrical and connective interchangeability is increased by the wide range of electrical power input standards used in the MR/PAR lamp industry, including voltage inputs ranging from around 6 volts to upwards of 220 volts, voltage inputs of either a.c. or d.c. type, and a wide range of different “standardized” power connection bases. The trend toward including remote control interfaces employing different communication pathways (rf versus superimposed a.c. line, for example) and different communication protocols (e.g., DMX, PDA, or CAN) further segments the market for LED-based MR/PAR lamps. The diversity of power and communications standards in the MR/PAR lamp industry influences the LED-based MR/PAR lamp manufacturer to produce and maintain a very broad lamp inventory including a large number of different lamp models, an undertaking which is difficult to justify given the present market share of LED-based MR/PAR lamps and the segmented nature of the MR/PAR lamp market in general.
The present invention contemplates an improved apparatus and method that overcomes the
Burkholder Greg E.
Petroski James T.
Schindler Robert J.
Stimac Tomislav J.
A Minh Dieu
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee LLP
GELcore LLC
Lee Wilson
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