Underwater light having a sealed polymer housing and method of manufacture therefor

• Main Authors: POTUCEK, KEVIN L, MITCHELL, STEVEN, CARTER, JAMES, MURDOCK, JAMES, DIORIO, JOE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.12.2011
• Subjects: BLASTING; FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMSTHEREOF; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHERARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; WEAPONS

An underwater light having a sealed polymer housing and a method of manufacture are provided. The light includes a rear housing component formed at least in part from a thermally conductive and electrically insulative material, an electronic assembly having at least one light 5 emitting element mounted thereto, the electronic assembly in thermal communication with the rear housing component, and a lens mounted to the rear housing component and forming a watertight seal therebetween, the lens and the rear housing component enclosing the electronic assembly. At least a portion of the rear housing component conducts heat away from the electronic assembly to cool the electronic assembly. Heat-radiating structures are provided on 10 the rear housing component for dissipating heat conducted by the rear housing component. The electronic assembly could be mounted to the rear component by a thermally conductive adhesive. A latch could be provided on the rear housing component or a bezel of the light, and is operable to selectively install or remove the light from an installation location. One or more optical components, such as light culminators, an internal collimator lens, and/or light pipes could be 15 provided for enhanced illumination. An optically-transparent potting compound could be used to encapsulate the at least one light-emitting element and/or the electronic assembly. A cable attachment assembly could also be provided for creating a watertight seal between the rear housing component and the cable, and terminal posts could be included for attaching conductors of the cable to the electronic assembly.