Lighting apparatus
A lighting apparatus for use as a surgical headlamp is disclosed. A light emitting diode is positioned in a recess within a frustoconical, thermally-conductive heat sink that has a several circumferential ridges to provide a desired surface area for heat transfer. The diode and the heat sink are provided in a housing that also includes a fan for drawing ambient air into the housing to contact the heat sink and exhausting heated air. A lens is snap-fit into a slide that frictionally engages the interior of the housing, allowing a user to adjust the spacing between the light emitting diode and the lens as desired. Personal cooling apparatuses usable with the lighting apparatus are also described. Auxiliary undergown switches are also described as are personal cooling apparatuses.
1 . A surgical headlamp, comprising:
a head band;
a lighting apparatus connected to the head band;
the lighting apparatus comprising:
a housing having a proximal end and a distal end defining a housing length axis, and an opening at the housing distal end;
an optic having an incident surface and a transmissive surface, the optic being located in the distal end opening of the housing;
a heat sink disposed in the housing, wherein the heat sink has a proximal end and an open distal end spaced apart by a length along the housing length axis, and the housing is thermally insulating relative to the heat sink; and
a light emitting diode positioned to project light along the housing length axis, through a heat sink recess, the open distal end of the heat sink, and the distal end opening of the housing, wherein a normal vector projected from the incident surface of the optic intersects the light emitting diode, and the heat sink comprises a plurality of fins projecting away from the recess and located between the light emitting diode and the open distal end of the heat sink along the housing length axis, and wherein when the housing is oriented such that the light emitting diode is about 18 inches from the incident surface, and light projected from the light emitting diode strikes the incident surface at a ninety degree angle of incidence, a spot of light is incident on the incident surface and has a spot diameter at least about 4.5 inches,
wherein the plurality of fins is a first plurality of fins, the heat sink has a body located between the proximal end of the heat sink and the recess along the length axis and a second plurality of fins projecting away from the body, wherein the fins in the first plurality of fins are spaced apart from one another along the housing length axis.
2 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein the light emitting diode has a mounting plane located in the recess between the proximal end and the distal end of the heat sink.
3 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein the fins in the first plurality of fins are annular.
4 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein the fins in the first plurality of fins have varying outer diameters.
5 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein the light emitting diode is located between the first plurality of fins and the second plurality of fins along the housing length axis.
6 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the heat sink between the light emitting diode and the distal end of the heat sink along the length axis lies in a convective air flow path through the housing.
7 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , further comprising a fan disposed in the housing, wherein when the fan is activated, ambient air is drawn into the housing and exhausted from the housing.
8 . The surgical headlamp of claim 7 , wherein the fan rotates in a rotational plane that is oriented at a non-orthogonal angle relative to the housing length axis.
9 . The surgical headlamp of claim 7 , wherein the housing has a radial axis, and the fan is spaced apart from the light emitting diode along the housing radial axis.
10 . The surgical headlamp of claim 1 , wherein the fan is configured to rotate in a rotational plane, and the rotational plane is adjustable relative to the head band.
11 . A method of illuminating a surgical site on a patient, comprising:
providing the surgical headlamp of claim 1 ,
attaching the headband to a surgeon's head; and
energizing the light emitting diode.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising adjusting a position of the headlamp relative to the headband to point the housing distal end opening at the surgical site.
13 . A method of illuminating a surgical site, comprising:
providing a surgical headlamp, comprising:
a head band;
a lighting apparatus connected to the head band, the lighting apparatus comprising:
a housing having a proximal end and a distal end defining a housing length axis, and an opening at the housing distal end;
an optic having an incident surface and a transmissive surface, the optic being located in the distal end opening of the housing;
a heat sink disposed in the housing, wherein the heat sink has a proximal end and an open distal end spaced apart by a length along the housing length axis, wherein the heat sink has a recess extending along a portion of the heat sink length, and the housing is thermally insulating relative to the heat sink; and
a light emitting diode positioned to project light along the housing length axis, through the heat sink recess, the open distal end of the heat sink, and the distal end opening of the housing, wherein a normal vector projected from the incident surface of the optic intersects the light emitting diode, and the heat sink comprises a plurality of fins projecting away from the recess and located between the light emitting diode and the open distal end of the heat sink along the housing length axis,
wherein the plurality of fins is a first plurality of fins, the heat sink has a body located between the proximal end of the heat sink and the recess along the length axis and a second plurality of fins projecting away from the body, wherein the fins in the first plurality of fins are spaced apart from one another along the housing length axis, and the fins in the second plurality of fins are spaced apart from one another along the housing length axis;
donning the surgical headlamp by placing the headband over a user's head;
activating the light emitting diode with the user's head oriented such that light projected from the light emitting diode is incident upon the surgical site.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising adjusting a position of the headlamp relative to the headband to point the housing distal end opening at the surgical site.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the light emitting diode has a mounting plane located in the recess between the proximal end and the distal end of the heat sink along the housing length axis.
16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the fins in the plurality of fins are annular.
17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the fins in the plurality of fins have varying outer diameters.
18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein when the housing is oriented such that the light emitting diode is about 18 inches from the incident surface, and light projected from the light emitting diode strikes the incident surface at a ninety degree angle of incidence, a spot of light is incident on the incident surface and has a spot diameter at least about 4.5 inches.