# US 11,079,090 B1 · Cooling systems for vehicle headlights > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,079,090 B1 - Document ID: US11079090B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/099,417 - Filed: 2020-11-16 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-16 - Assignees: Morimoto Lighting, LLC - Applicants: Morimoto Lighting, LLC - Inventors: Yoshitaka Ishida - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079090B1 ## CPC - F21S 45/43: using gas - B60Q 1/04: the devices being headlights - F21K 9/23: Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with a single fitting for each light source, e.g. for substitution of incandescent lamps with bayonet or threaded fittings - F21K 9/68: Details of reflectors forming part of the light source - F21S 41/148: the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis - F21S 41/192: {Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors} - F21S 41/321: {the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated} - F21V 29/67: characterised by the arrangement of fans - B60Q 2400/20: Multi-color single source or LED matrix, e.g. yellow blinker and red brake lamp generated by single lamp - F21V 29/71: using a combination of separate elements interconnected by heat-conducting means, e.g. with heat pipes or thermally conductive bars between separate heat-sink elements - F21W 2102/13: for high-beam region or low-beam region - F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED] - F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - F21K: NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS - F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED ## Abstract Cooling systems for LED headlight bulbs are disclosed. In some examples, a headlight bulb assembly for a vehicle headlight includes a circuit board and a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board. The headlight bulb assembly includes a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board. The shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake on the first side of the circuit board, and an air exhaust on the second side of the circuit board. A circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake. The circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A headlight bulb assembly comprising: a circuit board comprising first and second sides; a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake, and an air exhaust; a circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing, wherein the circulator fan is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake, and wherein the circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust; and a headlight housing coupled to the headlight bulb assembly, creating a sealed interior volume inside the headlight housing that encloses the headlight bulb assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, wherein the first aperture includes the air intake and the second aperture includes the air exhaust. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises one or more passive heat sink fins outside of the sealed interior fan housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, comprising one or more gaskets attached to the outside of the shell and oriented to couple to the headlight housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more gaskets comprises a bulb-to-optic-base gasket and a housing-to-optic-base gasket. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, comprising a reflector oriented within the headlight housing to direct light from the first and second LEDs out through the headlamp front cover lens. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, wherein an LED distance between a first outside of the first LED and a second outside of the second LED is 2.4 mm or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 1, wherein the air intake is on the first side of the circuit board, and wherein the air exhaust is on the second side of the circuit board, and the circuit board is configured to act as an airflow divider between the air intake and the air exhaust. ### Claim 9 A headlight bulb assembly comprising: a circuit board comprising first and second sides; a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake, and an air exhaust; and a circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing, wherein the circulator fan is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake, and wherein the circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust; wherein circulator fan comprises a plurality of vanes extending in a vertical plane and a centrifugal fan motor configured to rotate the plurality of vanes about a vertical axis. ### Claim 10 A headlight bulb assembly comprising: a circuit board comprising first and second sides; a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake, and an air exhaust; and a circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing, wherein the circulator fan is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake, and wherein the circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust; wherein the shell defines first and second apertures in the shell and the first LED is oriented to face out through the first aperture and the second LED is oriented to face out through the second aperture. ### Claim 11 A headlight bulb assembly comprising: a circuit board comprising first and second sides; a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake, and an air exhaust; a circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing, wherein the circulator fan is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake, and wherein the circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust; a headlight housing enclosing the shell and the first and second LEDs and the circulator fan; and a headlamp front cover lens coupled to the headlight housing, creating a sealed interior volume inside the headlight housing. ### Claim 12 A headlight bulb assembly comprising: a circuit board comprising first and second sides; a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake, and an air exhaust; a circulator fan in the sealed interior fan housing, wherein the circulator fan is configured to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake, and wherein the circulator fan is configured to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust; and a shade cup under the circuit board and the first and second LEDs and oriented to reflect light upwards to a reflector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 12, wherein the shade cup comprises first and second halves of a hybrid ellipsoid reflector and a gap between the first and second halves for receiving the circuit board. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 12, wherein the headlight bulb assembly is an H4 bulb configured for generating high beam and low beam illumination. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The headlight bulb assembly of claim 14, wherein the first and second LEDs and the shade cup are configured for producing the low beam illumination, and wherein the headlight bulb assembly comprises at least two additional LEDs configured for producing the high beam illumination. ### Claim 16 A method for illuminating a headlight bulb assembly, the method comprising: powering, through a circuit board comprising first and second sides, a first light emitting diode (LED) on the first side of the circuit board and a second LED on the second side of the circuit board; and powering a circulator fan in a sealed interior fan housing of a shell at least partially enclosing the circuit board, wherein the shell defines a sealed interior fan housing, an air intake on the first side of the circuit board, and an air exhaust on the second side of the circuit board, and wherein powering the circulator fan comprises causing the circulator fan to draw air into the sealed interior fan housing through the air intake on the first side of the circuit board and to expel the air from the sealed interior fan housing through the air exhaust on the second side of the circuit board.