WO2000070641A1 - Vortex cooled lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems - Google Patents

Vortex cooled lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000070641A1
WO2000070641A1 PCT/US2000/013743 US0013743W WO0070641A1 WO 2000070641 A1 WO2000070641 A1 WO 2000070641A1 US 0013743 W US0013743 W US 0013743W WO 0070641 A1 WO0070641 A1 WO 0070641A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fiber optic
optic cable
lamp box
light
box according
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/013743
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Jack Caruso
Original Assignee
Optic-Tech International Corp.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Optic-Tech International Corp. filed Critical Optic-Tech International Corp.
Priority to AU51438/00A priority Critical patent/AU5143800A/en
Publication of WO2000070641A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000070641A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V9/00—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters
    • F21V9/04—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters for filtering out infrared radiation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V29/00—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
    • F21V29/50—Cooling arrangements
    • F21V29/502—Cooling arrangements characterised by the adaptation for cooling of specific components
    • F21V29/505—Cooling arrangements characterised by the adaptation for cooling of specific components of reflectors
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V29/00—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
    • F21V29/50—Cooling arrangements
    • F21V29/70—Cooling arrangements characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
    • F21V29/74—Cooling arrangements characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks with fins or blades
    • F21V29/76—Cooling arrangements characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks with fins or blades with essentially identical parallel planar fins or blades, e.g. with comb-like cross-section
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V7/00—Reflectors for light sources
    • F21V7/22—Reflectors for light sources characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings, e.g. dichroic reflectors
    • F21V7/28—Reflectors for light sources characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings, e.g. dichroic reflectors characterised by coatings
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V9/00—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters
    • F21V9/06—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters for filtering out ultraviolet radiation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V9/00—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters
    • F21V9/08—Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a light source for fiber optic illumination systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a lamp box type light source utilizing a vortex generation internal cooling system.
  • Various kinds of lamp boxes for advertisement illumination are known. Most of the lamp boxes are provided with high voltage power sources for supplying the necessary high voltage to the illuminants. In particular, neon lamps are often used in connection with advertisements because they generate aesthetically pleasing light.
  • Typical neon light tubes have the drawback that for each tube, the color of the light it provides is unchangeable. This is due to the fact that the color of light emitted from a neon lamp is controlled by the kind of gas trapped within the lamp's tube. Thus, for a particular section of the typical neon tube, the color emitted is constant. To produce a multicolored display with neon lights requires multiple tubes, one or more tubes for each color in the display.
  • the high temperatures reached within such lamp boxes are mainly due to the heat generated by the metal halide lamp.
  • These lamp boxes generally include an axial-flow fan that produces some airflow and thus some cooling effect within the lamp box.
  • These cooling systems typically are designed to move a relatively high volume of air at a relatively low velocity within the boxes. When the cooling systems are made more powerful, however, their noise output increases, rendering them unsatisfactory for many uses where quit operation is desired. Therefore, the present invention is directed to improvements to the cooling capacity of a lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a lamp box of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bowl-shaped reflector, attached radiator, and radiator bracket which are suitable for embodiments of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a blower which is useful in embodiments of the present invention
  • FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a cut-away top elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 6 is a cut-away side view of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described. The embodiments illustrate principles of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
  • An estimate of the required airflow through a hypothetical enclosure to provide a desired heat transfer is provided by the equation:
  • W Heat dissipated in Watts
  • T F Temperature difference between ambient and internal conditions in degrees F.
  • Airflow represents the amount of air that passes a point per unit of time and is thus a positive function of velocity and a negative function of air pressure.
  • cooling airflow is generally achieved by moving large volumes (high mass) of low-pressure air at a relatively low velocity. Moving such large volumes of air generates substantial amounts of noise, however.
  • the present invention provides highly efficient cooling airflow in the form of relatively high velocity and high pressure turbulent (vortex) circulation that is created in the vicinity of the light receiving end face of the fiber optic cable. Accordingly, lamp boxes of the present invention provide greater cooling capacity than prior art devices, and at the same time are substantially quieter.
  • the present invention advantageously uses turbulent airflow to improve the cooling capacity of fiber optic lamp boxes.
  • the present invention provides cooling air of high velocity over a small area to create highly efficient heat-removing, turbulent air structures such as vortexes.
  • a light source lamp box 1 generally comprises a metal halide lamp 2 (in phantom) , a bowl-shaped reflector 3, a power source 4, a color filter (color wheel) 5 and a drive motor 6 in its body.
  • the lamp box may also include additional filter elements disposed in the light path, such as IR and/or UV filters or a combination IR/UV filter, designated by reference numeral 21 (FIG 6) .
  • the metal halide lamp 2 is positioned inside the reflector 3 so that the reflector 3 can focus radiant energy upon the light receiving end 20 of the fiber optic cable 12.
  • the inner surface of reflector 3 may be coated with an infrared reflecting layer (not shown) .
  • the power source 4 provides electrical power for the metal halide lamp 2, the drive motor 6, and the exhaust fan 10.
  • the body 13 of the lamp box is connected to a fiber optic cable 12 by means of a fiber optic cable plug assembly 7.
  • a wide variety of fiber optic cable technologies are suitable for use with the present invention.
  • the invention is particularly well suited for use in combination with fiber optic cables containing a plurality of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fiber optic strands.
  • PMMA fiber optic strands have a lower melting point than the well-known quartz (glass) fiber optic strands, but their low cost to manufacture makes them particularly attractive for commercial lighting fiber optic systems.
  • the present invention provides special advantages when used in combination with PMMA-based fiber optic cables.
  • the inventive light box may be used in connection with end- emitting or laterally light-emitting fiber optic cable systems .
  • a multi-color filter 5 is shown and is used to vary the color of the light that enters the fiber optic cable 12.
  • the filter 5 is positioned between the metal halide lamp 2 and the fiber optic cable plug 7.
  • Drive motor 6 drives the filter 5 to rotate and thus vary the color of the light reaching the fiber optic cable.
  • An axial exhaust fan 10 is provided to draw hot air out of the lamp box 1.
  • light source lamp boxes may utilize heat-sink structures around the lamp 2 and bowl- shaped reflector 3.
  • such structures include a radiator 8 which is mounted around the base of the reflector 3.
  • the radiator 8 is of a generally hollow, cylindrical shape and includes a plurality of fins to improve heat transfer away from the lamp 2.
  • the radiator is fixed to the body 13 of the lamp box through a radiating bracket 9.
  • the radiating bracket 9 comprises a top and bottom holder, 91 and 92, respectively.
  • the top holder 91 comprises a C-shaped bracket, as does the bottom holder 92. Both holders, 91 and 92, encase the radiator and secure it in the body 13 of the box 1.
  • Both the radiator 8 and the radiating bracket 9 are preferably made of a high heat conducting material, such as aluminum. This arrangement provides the advantage of drawing heat away from metal halide lamp 2 through the radiator 8 and radiating bracket 9, and in a direction away from the heat sensitive optical fiber 12. This heat can then more easily be removed by the exhaust fan 10.
  • the present invention further provides a blower 11 housed inside a separate casing 16 within the body 13 of the lamp box 1.
  • the exit vent 14 of the blower 11 is positioned to face the gap between the fiber optic plug 7 and the reflector 3.
  • the blower 11 can be of any type commercially available in the market which is small enough to fit comfortably within the body 13, yet capable of efficiently producing in the neighborhood of 50 CFM of air at temperatures in the 20° F to 200° F range.
  • the blower 11 is preferably a centrifugal blower. Centrifugal blowers are small but can produce output having both high pressure and high velocity airflow. The velocity of airflow output by blower 11 should be at least about 30 CFM.
  • An acceptable centrifugal blower is commercially available from the Torin Corporation and is known as the Torin DSG380.
  • the blower 11 draws cooler air from outside the lamp box and produces a flow of air exiting from its vent 14 at a flow rate on the order of 50 CFM.
  • the airflow produced by the blower 11 exits the vent 14 and passes through an air flow chamber 15 in which are disposed the light receiving end 20 of the fiber optic cable 12 and the IR/UV filter 21.
  • Chamber 15 is designed such that it has a cross-sectional area substantially less than that of the vent 14.
  • the high velocity, high pressure airflow output from the blower 11 may impinge upon and thereby cool other components of the light box in addition to the light collecting end of the fiber optic cable.
  • filter 21 as well as any other components disposed within the chamber 15 can be cooled by the vortex airflow.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates how the positioning of the airflow from the blower 11 in the chamber 15 encourages the turbulent flow currents 18 to form a heat removing vortex. Turbulence in the airflow is caused in part by the imbalance of air velocity and pressure in the small volume defined by chamber 15.
  • the airflow from blower 11 may be positioned away from the center of the cavity 15 so that a spiraling air flow pattern forms.
  • the cavity is designed to create a vortex in the turbulent flow currents 18 at the area to be cooled.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
  • Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)

Abstract

An improved light box (1) for fiber optic lighting systems includes a chamber (13) that creates a high velocity, high pressure vortex cooling air flow that impinges upon the light collecting end of the fiber optic cable (12). The vortex flow of cooling air provides a highly efficient and quiet cooling system for elements of the light box (1). The light box (1) may be used in combination with end-emitting or laterally light-emitting fiber optic cables.

Description

VORTEX COOLED LAMP BOX FOR FIBER OPTIC ILLUMINATION SYSTEMS This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application serial-number of 09/314,067 filed May 19, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a light source for fiber optic illumination systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a lamp box type light source utilizing a vortex generation internal cooling system. Description Of The Background Art Various kinds of lamp boxes for advertisement illumination are known. Most of the lamp boxes are provided with high voltage power sources for supplying the necessary high voltage to the illuminants. In particular, neon lamps are often used in connection with advertisements because they generate aesthetically pleasing light. Typical neon light tubes, however, have the drawback that for each tube, the color of the light it provides is unchangeable. This is due to the fact that the color of light emitted from a neon lamp is controlled by the kind of gas trapped within the lamp's tube. Thus, for a particular section of the typical neon tube, the color emitted is constant. To produce a multicolored display with neon lights requires multiple tubes, one or more tubes for each color in the display.
Various attempts have been made to produce variable color light sources which will overcome the disadvantages of the common neon lamp. Accordingly, Chinese Patent No. ZL97241773.7 discloses a lamp box with a color variable light source that is adapted for supplying light to a fiber optic system. The lamp source utilizes a high intensity metal halide lamp together with a multi-colored filter so that the light source lamp box can output light of varying color to the fiber optic cable. While providing a multiple color light source, such a lamp box still has its drawbacks. The temperature of the lamp box generally runs high due to the high wattage lamps employed, and the light receiving areas at the end face of the fiber optic cable are often sensitive to such high temperatures. The use of a lens to focus the light onto the end face of the fiber optic cable exacerbates this problem. Additionally, significant amounts of infrared energy are generated by the high intensity halide lamp. Due to the high temperatures and relative proximity of the fiber optic cable end face(s) and the lamp, the fiber optics may be damaged or even melted after extended operation times.
The high temperatures reached within such lamp boxes are mainly due to the heat generated by the metal halide lamp. These lamp boxes generally include an axial-flow fan that produces some airflow and thus some cooling effect within the lamp box. These cooling systems typically are designed to move a relatively high volume of air at a relatively low velocity within the boxes. When the cooling systems are made more powerful, however, their noise output increases, rendering them unsatisfactory for many uses where quit operation is desired. Therefore, the present invention is directed to improvements to the cooling capacity of a lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks with respect to the high temperature of light source lamp boxes, and provides in preferred embodiments a color variable light source lamp box with better heat dissipation. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a light box comprising a light source, a fiber optic cable have a light receiving end thereof optically coupled to the light source and disposed within a cavity, and a blower supplying cooling air to the cavity, wherein the cooling air passing through the cavity is induced to form a vortex that contacts and thereby efficiently cools the light receiving end of the fiber optic cable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a lamp box of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bowl-shaped reflector, attached radiator, and radiator bracket which are suitable for embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a blower which is useful in embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cut-away top elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a cut-away side view of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described. The embodiments illustrate principles of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. An estimate of the required airflow through a hypothetical enclosure to provide a desired heat transfer is provided by the equation:
Q = 3.16 W/TF (1) where
Q = Volumetric airflow in ftVmin, or "CFM, "
W = Heat dissipated in Watts, and
TF = Temperature difference between ambient and internal conditions in degrees F.
By way of example, for an enclosure containing a 200 Watt heat source which is desired to kept at a temperature approximately 20° F above ambient, 31.6 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow would be required, assuming negligible flow losses due to friction. Airflow represents the amount of air that passes a point per unit of time and is thus a positive function of velocity and a negative function of air pressure. In commonly available lamp boxes, cooling airflow is generally achieved by moving large volumes (high mass) of low-pressure air at a relatively low velocity. Moving such large volumes of air generates substantial amounts of noise, however. The present invention provides highly efficient cooling airflow in the form of relatively high velocity and high pressure turbulent (vortex) circulation that is created in the vicinity of the light receiving end face of the fiber optic cable. Accordingly, lamp boxes of the present invention provide greater cooling capacity than prior art devices, and at the same time are substantially quieter.
The above formula for estimating the required airflow assumes rather linear air motion. However, heat dissipation in a turbulent flow can be up to double that of a laminar flow for the same volumetric flow rate. In view thereof, the present invention advantageously uses turbulent airflow to improve the cooling capacity of fiber optic lamp boxes. In particular, the present invention provides cooling air of high velocity over a small area to create highly efficient heat-removing, turbulent air structures such as vortexes.
Referring to a preferred embodiment of the invention as depicted in the figures, a light source lamp box 1 generally comprises a metal halide lamp 2 (in phantom) , a bowl-shaped reflector 3, a power source 4, a color filter (color wheel) 5 and a drive motor 6 in its body. The lamp box may also include additional filter elements disposed in the light path, such as IR and/or UV filters or a combination IR/UV filter, designated by reference numeral 21 (FIG 6) . The metal halide lamp 2 is positioned inside the reflector 3 so that the reflector 3 can focus radiant energy upon the light receiving end 20 of the fiber optic cable 12. The inner surface of reflector 3 may be coated with an infrared reflecting layer (not shown) . The power source 4 provides electrical power for the metal halide lamp 2, the drive motor 6, and the exhaust fan 10. The body 13 of the lamp box is connected to a fiber optic cable 12 by means of a fiber optic cable plug assembly 7. A wide variety of fiber optic cable technologies are suitable for use with the present invention. The invention is particularly well suited for use in combination with fiber optic cables containing a plurality of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fiber optic strands. PMMA fiber optic strands have a lower melting point than the well-known quartz (glass) fiber optic strands, but their low cost to manufacture makes them particularly attractive for commercial lighting fiber optic systems. Thus, the present invention provides special advantages when used in combination with PMMA-based fiber optic cables. The inventive light box may be used in connection with end- emitting or laterally light-emitting fiber optic cable systems . Although not necessary to the operation of the invention, a multi-color filter 5 is shown and is used to vary the color of the light that enters the fiber optic cable 12. The filter 5 is positioned between the metal halide lamp 2 and the fiber optic cable plug 7. Drive motor 6 drives the filter 5 to rotate and thus vary the color of the light reaching the fiber optic cable. An axial exhaust fan 10 is provided to draw hot air out of the lamp box 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, light source lamp boxes according to preferred embodiments of the present invention may utilize heat-sink structures around the lamp 2 and bowl- shaped reflector 3. As depicted in FIG. 2, such structures include a radiator 8 which is mounted around the base of the reflector 3. The radiator 8 is of a generally hollow, cylindrical shape and includes a plurality of fins to improve heat transfer away from the lamp 2. The radiator is fixed to the body 13 of the lamp box through a radiating bracket 9. The radiating bracket 9 comprises a top and bottom holder, 91 and 92, respectively. The top holder 91 comprises a C-shaped bracket, as does the bottom holder 92. Both holders, 91 and 92, encase the radiator and secure it in the body 13 of the box 1. Both the radiator 8 and the radiating bracket 9 are preferably made of a high heat conducting material, such as aluminum. This arrangement provides the advantage of drawing heat away from metal halide lamp 2 through the radiator 8 and radiating bracket 9, and in a direction away from the heat sensitive optical fiber 12. This heat can then more easily be removed by the exhaust fan 10.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in addition to the above radiation means, the present invention further provides a blower 11 housed inside a separate casing 16 within the body 13 of the lamp box 1. The exit vent 14 of the blower 11 is positioned to face the gap between the fiber optic plug 7 and the reflector 3. The blower 11 can be of any type commercially available in the market which is small enough to fit comfortably within the body 13, yet capable of efficiently producing in the neighborhood of 50 CFM of air at temperatures in the 20° F to 200° F range. The blower 11 is preferably a centrifugal blower. Centrifugal blowers are small but can produce output having both high pressure and high velocity airflow. The velocity of airflow output by blower 11 should be at least about 30 CFM. An acceptable centrifugal blower is commercially available from the Torin Corporation and is known as the Torin DSG380. During operation, the blower 11 draws cooler air from outside the lamp box and produces a flow of air exiting from its vent 14 at a flow rate on the order of 50 CFM. As shown particularly by FIGS. 5 and 6, the airflow produced by the blower 11 exits the vent 14 and passes through an air flow chamber 15 in which are disposed the light receiving end 20 of the fiber optic cable 12 and the IR/UV filter 21. Chamber 15 is designed such that it has a cross-sectional area substantially less than that of the vent 14. As will be recognized by persons skilled in the field of fluid flow, air entering chamber 15 undergoes a throttling effect whereby velocity and pressure increase and turbulent flow currents 18 are created. For the purposes of this disclosure, the turbulent airflow thus created within chamber 15 is termed a "vortex." The creation of a vortex that impinges upon the end 20 of the fiber optic cable, as well as upon filer 21, has been found to significantly increase heat transfer from those components. The cooling air subsequently is vented out and away from the chamber via exit aperture 17.
The high velocity, high pressure airflow output from the blower 11 may impinge upon and thereby cool other components of the light box in addition to the light collecting end of the fiber optic cable. In a preferred embodiment, filter 21 as well as any other components disposed within the chamber 15 can be cooled by the vortex airflow. Those skilled in this field, using this disclosure as a guide, will be able to alter the geometry of chamber 15 in order to alter the characteristics of the turbulent airflow (vortex) that is created, as desired. FIG. 6 illustrates how the positioning of the airflow from the blower 11 in the chamber 15 encourages the turbulent flow currents 18 to form a heat removing vortex. Turbulence in the airflow is caused in part by the imbalance of air velocity and pressure in the small volume defined by chamber 15. For example, the airflow from blower 11 may be positioned away from the center of the cavity 15 so that a spiraling air flow pattern forms. Furthermore, as described above, the cavity is designed to create a vortex in the turbulent flow currents 18 at the area to be cooled.
Since many modifications, variation, and changes in detail may be made to the described embodiments, it is intended that all the matter in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

I CLAIM:
1. A lamp box comprising a light source, a fiber optic cable have a light receiving end thereof optically coupled to a light path emanating from the light source and disposed within a cavity, and a blower supplying cooling air to the light receiving end of the fiber optic cable within said cavity, wherein cooling air passing through the cavity is induced to form a vortex that contacts and cools the light receiving end of the fiber optic cable.
2. The lamp box according to claim 1, further comprising a filter disposed within said cavity, wherein said cooling air vortex contacts and cools said filter.
3. The lamp box according to claim 2, wherein said filter is an IR or UV filter.
4. The lamp box according to claim 1, wherein said fiber optic cable is comprised of a plurality of poly (methyl methacrylate) fiber optic strands.
5. The lamp box according to claim 3, wherein said fiber optic cable is comprised of a plurality of poly (methyl methacrylate) fiber optic strands.
6. The lamp box according to claim 1, further comprising a variable color filter disposed in the light path.
7. The lamp box according to claim 6, wherein said variable color filter is a color wheel that is driven by an electric motor.
8. The lamp box according to claim 1, wherein said fiber optic cable is an end-emitting fiber optic cable.
9. The lamp box according to claim 4, wherein said fiber optic cable is an end-emitting fiber optic cable.
10. The lamp box according to claim 1, wherein said fiber optic cable is a laterally light-emitting fiber optic cable,
11. The lamp box according to claim 4, wherein said fiber optic cable is a laterally light-emitting fiber optic cable,
PCT/US2000/013743 1999-05-19 2000-05-19 Vortex cooled lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems WO2000070641A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU51438/00A AU5143800A (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-19 Vortex cooled lamp box for fiber optic illumination systems

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US31406799A 1999-05-19 1999-05-19
US09/314,067 1999-05-19
US44241299A 1999-11-18 1999-11-18
US09/442,412 1999-11-18

Publications (1)

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Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005096051A1 (en) * 2004-04-01 2005-10-13 Tecnostore Ag Device for cooling the end face of a fiber-optic cable when injecting high luminous powers
US8022641B2 (en) 2009-05-01 2011-09-20 Focal Point, L.L.C. Recessed LED down light
EP2369410A1 (en) * 2008-11-26 2011-09-28 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Illuminating device and projection image display device
US8941000B2 (en) 2012-02-03 2015-01-27 International Business Machines Corporation Solar concentrator cooling by vortex gas circulation

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5367444A (en) * 1990-09-06 1994-11-22 Vari-Lite Inc. Thermal management techniques for lighting instruments
US5850496A (en) * 1997-07-02 1998-12-15 Stryker Corporation Endoscope with integrated, self-regulating light source

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5367444A (en) * 1990-09-06 1994-11-22 Vari-Lite Inc. Thermal management techniques for lighting instruments
US5850496A (en) * 1997-07-02 1998-12-15 Stryker Corporation Endoscope with integrated, self-regulating light source

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005096051A1 (en) * 2004-04-01 2005-10-13 Tecnostore Ag Device for cooling the end face of a fiber-optic cable when injecting high luminous powers
EP2369410A1 (en) * 2008-11-26 2011-09-28 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Illuminating device and projection image display device
EP2369410A4 (en) * 2008-11-26 2012-05-30 Sanyo Electric Co Illuminating device and projection image display device
US8022641B2 (en) 2009-05-01 2011-09-20 Focal Point, L.L.C. Recessed LED down light
US8941000B2 (en) 2012-02-03 2015-01-27 International Business Machines Corporation Solar concentrator cooling by vortex gas circulation

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