Lamp with inductive connection to light engine

Abstract

A lamp is provided that includes a housing including a light projecting end and a base having an electrical connector for connection with a lamp fixture; and a light engine including light emitting diodes (LEDs) that is positioned at the light projecting end of the housing. A driver assembly may be in electrical communication with the electrical connector of the base of the housing. In some embodiments, an inductive connection is positioned between the driver assembly and the light engine. The inductive connection may include a transmission coil in the driver assembly, and a receiver coil in the light engine that provides for the transfer of energy magnetically from the driver assembly to the light engine.

What is claimed and desired protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: 
     
         1 . A lamp comprising:
 a housing including a light projecting end and a base having an electrical connector for connection with a lamp fixture;   a light engine positioned at the light projecting end of the housing, the light engine including light emitting diodes on a light engine printed circuit board (PCB);   a driver assembly in electrical communication with the electrical connector of the base of the housing, the driver assembly including driver printed circuit board (PCB) having a resonant converter stage present thereon; and   an inductive connection positioned between the driver assembly and the light engine the inductive connection including an inductive transmission coil (Tx) in physical electrical communication with a resonant converter stage of the driver printed circuit board (PCB), the resonant converter stage generating AC voltage for the inductive transmission coil (Tx), and an inductive receiver coil (Rx) in physical electrical communication to the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) via a physical light engine interconnect, the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) including a rectifier section that converts the AC voltage from the transmission coil to a DC voltage supplied to the light emitting diodes (LEDs).   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the light emitting diode (LED) that is present in the light engine is a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in at least one light emitting diode (LED) filament structure. 
     
     
         4 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the inductive connection comprises a transmission coil in the driver assembly, and a receiver coil in the light engine that provides for the transfer of energy magnetically from the driver assembly to the light engine. 
     
     
         5 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the transfer of energy from the transmission coil to the receiver coil is wireless. 
     
     
         6 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein transmission coil is physically separated from the receiver coil and there is no physical electrical connection between the transmission coil and the receiver coil. 
     
     
         7 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission coil comprises at least one first wire coil and the receiver coil comprises at least one second wire coil. 
     
     
         8 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the driver assembly accepts a 120 V input or a 230 V input. 
     
     
         9 . The lamp of  claim 4 , wherein the driver assembly comprises a printed circuit board including an electromagnetic interference (EMI) rectifier, a power factor correction (PFC) regulator, and the resonant converter stage, wherein the electromagnetic interference (EMI) rectifier is in physical electrical connection with an electrical connector of the base, and the resonant converter stage is in physical electrical connection with the inductive transmission coil (Tx) of the inductive connection. 
     
     
         10 . The lamp of  claim 9 , wherein the driver assembly includes a resonant converter that generates AC voltage for the inductive transmission coil having a frequency greater than 110 KHz. 
     
     
         11 . The lamp of  claim 9 , wherein the light engine PCB includes a network matching in physical electrical connection with the inductive receiver coil (Rx), an output regulator that regulates the DC voltage to an amount for an LED load for use by the light engine, and an LED load portion in physical electrical connection with the light engine. 
     
     
         12 . The lamp of  claim 11 , wherein the output regulator that regulates the DC voltage to the amount for the LED load provides a DC voltage ranging from 5 V to 300 V. 
     
     
         13 . A lamp comprising:
 a housing including a light projecting end and a base having an electrical connector for connection with a lamp fixture;   a light engine positioned at the light projecting end of the housing, the light engine including light emitting diodes on a light engine printed circuit board (PCB);   a driver assembly in electrical communication with the electrical connector of the base of the housing, the driver assembly including driver printed circuit board (PCB) having a resonant converter stage present thereon; and   an inductive connection including at least one graphene based inductor positioned between the driver assembly and the light engine, the at least one graphene based inductor including a transmission coil in the driver assembly, and a receiver coil in the light engine that provides for the transfer of energy magnetically from the driver assembly to the light engine, the transmission coil is in physical electrical communication with a resonant converter stage of the driver printed circuit board (PCB), the resonant converter stage generating AC voltage for the transmission coil (Tx), and the receiver coil is in physical electrical communication to the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) via a physical light engine interconnect, the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) including a rectifier section that converts the AC voltage from the transmission coil to a DC voltage supplied to the light emitting diodes (LEDs).   
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The lamp of  claim 13 , wherein the light emitting diode (LED) that is present in the light engine is a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in at least one light emitting diode (LED) filament structure. 
     
     
         16 . The lamp of  claim 13 , wherein the graphene inductor comprises a bromine-intercalated graphene spiral. 
     
     
         17 . A method of powering a light engine of a lamp comprising:
 providing a housing including a light projecting end and a base having an electrical connector for connection with a lamp fixture;   positioning a light engine including light emitting diodes (LEDs) at the light projecting end of the housing, the light engine includes a light engine printed circuit board (PCB) that is in electrical communication with a receiving coil via a physical light engine interconnect, the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) including a rectifier section; and   positioning a driver assembly in electrical communication with the electrical connector of the base of the housing, the driver assembly including driver printed circuit board (PCB) having a resonant converter stage present thereon, wherein the driver assembly includes a transmission coil that is in physical electrical communication with the resonant converter stage of the driver printed circuit board (PCB), the transmission coil transfers energy magnetically from the driver assembly to the light engine, wherein the energy is received by the receiver coil, and the energy received by the receiver coil is converted to a DC voltage by the rectifier section of the light engine printed circuit board (PCB) and illuminates the light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the light engine.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the receiver coil is provided by a first wire coil and the transmission coil is provided by a second wire coil. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the resonant converter that generates AC voltage for the transmission coil having a frequency greater than 110 KHz. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein each of the transmission coil and the receiver coil is a graphene inductor.