Light source system

Abstract

The light source system (100) includes a refrigerant flow path (2) through which a refrigerant flows, a cooling mechanism (1) that circulates the refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path (2) and cools the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path (2), a light source unit having at least one light source (102) and to which a refrigerant is supplied from the cooling mechanism (1) to cool the at least one light source (102), a turbine (3) that is rotated by being supplied with the refrigerant that has cooled the at least one light source (102) and vaporized, and a generator (4) that is connected to the turbine (3) and generates electricity by the rotational drive of the turbine (3).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light source system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, artificial light plant factories, which cultivate plants using light emitted from artificial light sources such as LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and lasers, have been attracting attention. Artificial light plant factories are not affected by weather changes and can prevent the effects of pests and diseases, so they have the advantage of being able to produce agricultural crops with stable yields and quality.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an illumination device including an illumination unit that is installed in a plant growing section and emits light from a surface, a light source unit that supplies light of a specific wavelength to the illumination unit, and a light guide unit that guides the light from the light source unit to the illumination unit. According to this illumination device, since the light source unit is separated from the plant growing section, the light source unit and the plant growing section are each individually air-conditioned, and the energy required for air-conditioning the entire plant factory can be reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2013 / 031400 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even if the light source unit is separated from the plant growing unit and the light source, which is a heat source, is configured to be efficiently cooled, the light source still generates a large amount of heat. That is, in the lighting device of Patent Document 1, a part of the power supplied to the light source is wasted by being released into the atmosphere as thermal energy that is unrelated to plant growth.

[0006] In addition, the problem that a part of the power supplied to the light source that is not converted into light becomes heat energy and is wasted is also common to light source devices used in factories other than plant factories, such as in the fields of machine processing and semiconductor manufacturing. In particular, in recent years, there has been a demand for faster processing in order to improve productivity, and so there is a tendency for these factories to use high-output light source devices. As a result, the amount of heat energy generated by the light source has also increased.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a light source system that can effectively utilize the thermal energy generated from a light source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The light source system according to the present disclosure is characterized in comprising a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows, a cooling mechanism that circulates the refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path and cools the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path, a light source unit having at least one light source, to which refrigerant is supplied from the cooling mechanism to cool the at least one light source, a turbine that is rotated by being supplied with the refrigerant that has cooled the at least one light source and has been vaporized, and a generator connected to the turbine and generating electricity by the rotational drive of the turbine. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, a light source system capable of effectively utilizing thermal energy generated from a light source is realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a light source unit. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing the light source unit as viewed from the side opposite to the side on which the LED element group is mounted. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the AA portion shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a light source unit according to a modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion BB shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 23 is a functional block diagram of a light source system according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a functional block diagram of a hardware configuration example of a control unit shown in FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are schematic illustrations, and the dimensional ratios and the number of components in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual dimensional ratios and the number of components.

[0012] Embodiment 1 The first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a light source system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the light source system 100 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, a light source unit 101, a turbine 3, and a generator 4.

[0013] The refrigerant flow path 2 is a flow path through which the refrigerant flows. More specifically, the refrigerant flow path 2 is a pipe that connects the components of the light source system 100 except for the generator 4, as shown in Fig. 1. Note that the arrows connecting the components such as the cooling mechanism 1 and the light source unit 101 shown in Fig. 1 indicate the flow of the circulating refrigerant. This also applies to the figures explaining the other embodiments described below.

[0014] The cooling mechanism 1 has a function of circulating the coolant flowing through the coolant flow passage 2. The cooling mechanism 1 also has a function of cooling the coolant to a predetermined temperature. The cooling mechanism 1 is, for example, a chiller.

[0015] The light source unit 101 is a device equipped with a light source 102 that emits light toward an object to be processed. A coolant is supplied to the light source unit 101, and the light source 102 is cooled by the coolant. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the light source 102 equipped in the light source unit 101 is an LED (light-emitting diode) element (see FIG. 2 ). However, the light source 102 equipped in the light source unit 101 is arbitrarily selected depending on the application of the light emitted from the light source 102. For example, when the purpose is to cut, drill, weld, or otherwise process an object to be processed such as a substrate or sheet metal, the light source 102 may be a gas laser, a solid-state laser, a fiber laser, an LD (semiconductor laser), or the like.

[0016] The turbine 3 is a device that converts thermal energy into rotational energy. In this embodiment, the turbine 3 converts the thermal energy of the vaporized refrigerant into rotational energy. The generator 4 is a device that converts the rotational energy of the turbine 3 into electrical energy. The turbine 3 and the generator 4 will be described in detail later.

[0017] An example of the configuration of the light source unit 101 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the light source unit 101. As shown in Fig. 2, the light source unit 101 includes a plurality of LED elements that are light sources 102. The light source unit 101 also includes an LED mounting substrate 8 on which the plurality of LED elements (hereinafter, the plurality of LED elements will be referred to as an LED element group) are mounted, and a heat sink 9 on which the LED mounting substrate 8 is disposed.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, a group of LED elements are arranged in an array on an LED mounting substrate 8.

[0020] The LED mounting substrate 8 is placed on the heat sink 9 by adhering it to the heat sink 9 via an adhesive thermally conductive sheet. However, as long as the LED mounting substrate 8 is fixed so as not to fall off the heat sink 9, the LED mounting substrate 8 may be attached to the heat sink 9 by a method other than the method using a thermally conductive sheet. The material constituting the LED mounting substrate 8 is not particularly limited, but aluminum nitride is preferably used because of its excellent insulating properties and thermal conductivity.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a view of the light source unit 101 as viewed from the opposite side to the surface on which the LED element group is mounted. A flow path constituting a part of the refrigerant flow path 2 is formed inside the heat sink 9. This flow path cannot actually be seen with the naked eye, but is shown by a dashed line in Fig. 3. The heat sink 9 is formed with an inlet 11a for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the flow path formed inside the heat sink 9, and an outlet 11b for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the flow path.

[0022] As described above, the heat sink 9 has a flow path formed therein through which the coolant flows. In Fig. 3, the flow path is formed in a pattern extending in a spiral shape from the center of the heat sink 9. However, the pattern of the flow path formed inside the heat sink 9 is arbitrary as long as the LED element group can be appropriately cooled. The material constituting the heat sink 9 is not particularly limited, but aluminum or copper is preferably used because of its excellent thermal conductivity and workability.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the light source unit 101 at the AA portion shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, in the light source unit 101 in the first embodiment, the LED element group and the heat sink 9 are in thermal contact with each other. Here, in this disclosure, being in thermal contact refers to a state in which an object and an object are in contact with each other so that heat can be conducted. The heat generated when the LED element group is turned on is transferred to the heat sink 9 via the LED mounting substrate 8. Then, the coolant flowing through the flow path inside the heat sink 9 removes the heat transferred from the LED element group to the heat sink 9, and is discharged from the outlet 11b. That is, the LED element group is cooled by the coolant via the heat sink 9.

[0024] Next, referring to FIG. 1, the energy conversion in the light source system 100, more specifically, the conversion from thermal energy to electrical energy, will be described. The refrigerant supplied from the cooling mechanism 1 to the light source unit 101 removes heat transferred from the LED element group provided in the light source unit 101 to the heat sink 9, vaporizes, and is then supplied to the turbine 3. The turbine 3 is driven to rotate by the supply of the vaporized refrigerant. In other words, the turbine 3 converts the thermal energy of the vaporized refrigerant into rotational energy. The generator 4 is connected to the turbine 3, and generates electricity by the rotational drive of the turbine 3. That is, the rotational energy of the turbine 3 is converted into electrical energy by the generator 4. In this way, the thermal energy of the LED elements, which are the light source 102, is converted into electrical energy by the turbine 3 and the generator 4.

[0025] Here, in order to operate the turbine 3 and generate electricity, the coolant must remove the heat transferred from the LED element group to the heat sink 9, so that at least a part of the coolant must be vaporized. For this reason, a coolant with a low boiling point is used as the coolant to be circulated. In this disclosure, "low boiling point" refers to a boiling point of less than 100°C at 1 atmospheric pressure. Examples of coolants with a low boiling point include alternative fluorocarbons, ammonia water, and low-boiling-point grade fluorine-based inert liquids. A specific example of an alternative fluorocarbon is R245fa.

[0026] According to the light source system 100 of the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain an effect that the thermal energy generated from the LED elements serving as the light source 102 can be converted into electrical energy and used effectively. Note that the electrical energy obtained by the generator 4 can be used in any manner. For example, it may be used as power for driving the light source 102 or as power for operating the cooling mechanism 1.

[0027] Furthermore, when the light source 102 is an LED element or an LD, whose life span depends on the operating temperature, the effect of extending the life span of the light source can be obtained by cooling the light source with a refrigerant as in this embodiment.

[0028] Embodiment 2 The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. A light source system 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the light source system 100 of the first embodiment in that it includes a plurality of light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c and further includes a refrigerant selection unit 5, but has other points in common. Therefore, the following mainly describes the points that differ from the light source system 100, and explanations of the points in common will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Also, the same reference numerals are used to designate components in common with the light source system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a light source system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 5, the light source system 200 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, a turbine 3, a generator 4, and a refrigerant selection unit 5. The refrigerant selection unit 5 is composed of three gas-liquid separators 5a, 5b, and 5c arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the light source units 101a to 101c, respectively.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, light source system 200 includes multiple light source units 101a to 101c. Here, an example is shown in which the system is configured with three light source units. However, the number of light source units is arbitrary. That is, the number of light source units may be one, as in light source system 100 according to the first embodiment. The number of light source units may be more than three. The light sources included in each of light source units 101a to 101c may all be the same type of light source, or may be different light sources.

[0031] As an example of a case where different light sources are used for each of the light source units 101a to 101c, a case where the light source system 200 is used in an artificial light type plant factory will be described. It is said that light with wavelengths of about 440 nm, about 660 nm, and about 730 nm are necessary for plant growth. Therefore, for example, the light source system 200 can be configured such that the light source unit 101a includes a group of LED elements that emit light with a main emission wavelength of 440 nm, the light source unit 101b includes a group of LED elements that emit light with a main emission wavelength of 660 nm, and the light source unit 101c includes a group of LED elements that emit light with a main emission wavelength of 730 nm. In this disclosure, the term "main emission wavelength" refers to the wavelength with the highest intensity among the wavelengths of light emitted from the light source.

[0032] Next, the operation of the gas-liquid separators 5a, 5b, and 5c will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The refrigerant discharged from each of the light source units 101a to 101c is supplied to three gas-liquid separators 5a, 5b, and 5c arranged in one-to-one correspondence with each of the light source units 101a to 101c. That is, the refrigerant that has passed through the light source unit 101a is supplied to the gas-liquid separator 5a. The refrigerant that has passed through the light source unit 101b is supplied to the gas-liquid separator 5b. The refrigerant that has passed through the light source unit 101c is supplied to the gas-liquid separator 5c.

[0033] The gas-liquid separators 5a to 5c have a structure that separates the supplied refrigerant into a vaporized refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant. The structure of the gas-liquid separators 5a to 5c is not particularly limited, but for example, a centrifugal gas-liquid separator is used. The refrigerant supplied to the gas-liquid separators 5a to 5c is divided into paths according to its state so that the refrigerant is supplied to the turbine 3 when it is a gas, or to the cooling mechanism 1 when it is a liquid.

[0034] Therefore, in the light source system 200 of embodiment 2, the refrigerant that has cooled the light source units 101a to 101c and vaporized is recovered by the cooling mechanism 1 via the turbine 3, and the refrigerant that has not vaporized and remains liquid is recovered by the cooling mechanism 1 without passing through the turbine 3.

[0035] Light source system 200 of embodiment 2 provides the same effects as light source system 100 of embodiment 1. Furthermore, light source system 200 of embodiment 2 provides the effect that, even if the refrigerant discharged from light source units 101a to 101c contains liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant is not supplied to turbine 3, and turbine 3 can be efficiently driven to rotate.

[0036] In the above description of the second embodiment, the light source system 200 is described as including the gas-liquid separators 5a to 5c in a one-to-one correspondence with the light source units 101a to 101c. However, the number of gas-liquid separators included in the light source system 200 may be less than the number of the light source units.

[0037] For example, when it is known in advance that a specific light source unit will discharge only liquid refrigerant in terms of the design of light source system 200, the gas-liquid separator may be omitted for that specific light source unit. In this case, refrigerant flow path 2 is configured so that the refrigerant discharged from the light source unit in which the gas-liquid separator is omitted is supplied to cooling mechanism 1 without passing through turbine 3. In other words, it is sufficient that the gas-liquid separator is disposed in the refrigerant flow path corresponding to the light source unit from which refrigerant including vaporized refrigerant is discharged.

[0038] Variations. A modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The light source 102 included in the light source system 200 can be any of various light sources such as a discharge lamp, a halogen lamp, a gas laser, a solid-state laser, a fiber laser, and an LD depending on the application. Here, as a modification of the second embodiment, a configuration example in which the light source 102 is an LD module 202 will be described.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of light source units 201a and 201b according to the modified example. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of light source unit 201a at part BB shown in Fig. 6. Since light source unit 201a and light source unit 201b have a common structure, hereinafter, a description of the structure of light source unit 201b will be omitted.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 6, the light source unit 201a includes an LD module 202, which is the light source 102, and a housing 10. The LD module 202 according to the modified example is a receptacle-type LD module equipped with an optical connector that can be connected to an optical fiber. The receptacle-type LD module has a structure in which an LD, which is a light-emitting element, is incorporated into an optical connector. This structure makes it possible to guide light emitted from the LD to an optical fiber connected to the optical connector. The LD module 202 is connected to an optical fiber 23a.

[0041] Light guiding section 25 includes optical fibers 23a and 23b and multiplexer 24. Light guiding section 25 is configured such that light guided from LD module 202 of light source unit 201a via optical fiber 23a and light guided from LD module 202 of light source unit 201b via optical fiber 23b are multiplexed by multiplexer 24. However, it is optional whether light guiding section 25 includes multiplexer 24. In other words, light guiding section 25 may be configured only with optical fibers 23a and 23b.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 6, the housing 10 has an inlet 12a and an outlet 12b. A flow path that constitutes a part of the refrigerant flow path 2 through which the refrigerant flows is formed inside the housing 10 (see Fig. 7), and the refrigerant that flows in from the inlet 12a flows out from the outlet 12b.

[0043] 7, an opening 13 is provided in the housing 10. The LD module 202 is attached to the housing 10 so as to close the opening 13. With this configuration, a part of the LD module 202 comes into direct contact with the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 2 through the opening 13.

[0044] The LD module 202 is fixed to the housing 10 by a mounting screw 21. The LD module 202 is attached to the housing 10 via an O-ring 22 (here, O stands for the alphabet "O") so that the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 2 does not leak from the connection between the LD module 202 and the housing 10. That is, the O-ring 22 is a sealant for ensuring the airtightness of the housing 10.

[0045] 6 and 7, since power needs to be supplied to drive the LD, a power supply connector is also attached to the housing 10. The power supply connector is also attached to the housing 10 in such a manner that the airtightness of the coolant flow path 2 is ensured.

[0046] In the light source units 201a and 201b according to the modified examples, the LD module 202, which is the light source 102, is configured to be in contact with the refrigerant. With this configuration, the refrigerant directly removes heat from the LD module 202, and therefore, the LD module 202 can be efficiently cooled.

[0047] Embodiment 3 The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The light source system 300 according to the third embodiment differs from the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment in that it further includes a junction 6 disposed in the refrigerant flow path 2 between the light source units 101a to 101c and the gas-liquid separator 5d, but has other points in common. Therefore, the following mainly describes the points that are different from the light source system 200, and description of the points in common will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Also, the same reference numerals are used to denote components in common with the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment.

[0048] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a light source system 300 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 8, the light source system 300 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, a turbine 3, a generator 4, a refrigerant selection unit 5, and a junction 6. Here, the refrigerant selection unit 5 is configured with a gas-liquid separator 5d.

[0049] 8, the junction 6 is disposed in the refrigerant flow path 2 between the light source units 101a to 101c and the gas-liquid separator 5d. The junction 6 has a function of merging the refrigerants that have cooled the light source units 101a to 101c. The refrigerant that has merged at the junction 6 is supplied to the gas-liquid separator 5d, and is divided into paths depending on its state so that the refrigerant is supplied to the turbine 3 if it is a gas, or to the cooling mechanism 1 if it is a liquid.

[0050] In the light source system 300 according to the third embodiment, the refrigerants that have cooled the light source units 101a to 101c are merged in the merger 6 and then supplied to the gas-liquid separator 5d, so that there is no need for a number of gas-liquid separators that correspond one-to-one to the plurality of light source units. That is, according to the light source system 300 according to the third embodiment, the number of gas-liquid separators used can be reduced compared to the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment, and therefore an effect of simplifying the system configuration can be obtained.

[0051] The light source system 200 may include a plurality of confluences 6. For example, two confluences 6 may be used for ten light source units. In this case, two gas-liquid separators are used in one-to-one correspondence with the number of confluences 6.

[0052] Embodiment 4 The fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The light source system 400 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment in that the gas-liquid separator 5d, which is the refrigerant selection unit 5, is provided only in the refrigerant flow path 2 between the turbine 3 and the light source unit from which the refrigerant with the highest temperature is discharged among the light source units 101a to 101c, but is common in other respects. Therefore, the following mainly describes the differences from the light source system 200, and the description of the common points will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Also, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations common to the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment.

[0053] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a light source system 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 9, the light source system 400 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, a turbine 3, a generator 4, and a refrigerant selection unit 5. Here, the refrigerant selection unit 5 is configured with a gas-liquid separator 5d.

[0054] 9, in the light source system 400, a gas-liquid separator 5d is disposed only in the refrigerant flow path 2 between the light source unit 101c and the turbine 3. Moreover, the gas-liquid separator 5d is not disposed in the refrigerant flow path 2 through which the refrigerant discharged from the light source units 101a and 101b flows. The refrigerant flow path 2 through which the refrigerant discharged from the light source units 101a and 101b flows is connected to the cooling mechanism 1 without being connected to the turbine 3. The reasons and effects thereof will be described below.

[0055] The light source units 101a to 101c do not necessarily have the same number of light sources of the same type. As a specific example, the LED elements of the light source units 101a to 101c may have the same main emission wavelength, but the light source unit 101c may have more LED elements than the light source units 101a and 101b. In this case, the light source unit 101c generates more heat and discharges a higher temperature coolant than the light source units 101a and 101b.

[0056] Also, for example, there may be a case where the light source units 101a to 101c each include the same number of LED elements, and the light source unit 101c includes an LED element with a shorter main emission wavelength than the light source units 101a and 101b. The shorter the main emission wavelength of an LED element, the higher the voltage value required to light it. Therefore, in this case, the light source unit 101c requires more power and generates more heat than the light source units 101a and 101b. Therefore, the light source unit 101c is expected to discharge a refrigerant with a higher temperature than the light source units 101a and 101b.

[0057] In this way, when it is known in advance that the light source unit with the highest temperature of the refrigerant discharged is the light source unit 101c in terms of design of the light source system, it is possible to configure a light source system in which the gas-liquid separator 5d is disposed only in the light source unit 101c. In this case, the refrigerant flow path 2 is configured so that the refrigerant discharged from the light source units 101a and 101b is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1 without passing through the turbine 3.

[0058] In order to increase the efficiency of power generation in the generator 4, it is desirable to supply a refrigerant having a large thermal energy to the turbine 3 to obtain a large rotational energy in the turbine 3. As described above, in the light source system 400 according to the fourth embodiment, the gas-liquid separator 5d is disposed only in the refrigerant flow path 2 between the light source unit 101c, from which the refrigerant with the highest temperature is discharged, and the turbine 3. That is, of the refrigerants discharged from the plurality of light source units 101a to 101c, the refrigerant with the highest temperature is supplied to the turbine 3. Therefore, the light source system 400 according to the fourth embodiment has the effect of increasing the efficiency of power generation by the generator 4.

[0059] Note that the temperature of the coolant discharged from the light source unit 101c may decrease when it flows through the coolant flow path 2. Therefore, in order to suppress such a decrease in the temperature of the coolant and supply the coolant at the highest possible temperature to the turbine 3, it is desirable to make the length of the path in the coolant flow path 2 from the light source unit 101c to the turbine 3 as short as possible.

[0060] As described above, the coolant flow path 2 of the light source system 400 does not include a path from the light source unit 101a to the turbine 3 and a path from the light source unit 101b to the turbine 3. However, once the arrangement of the light source units 101a to 101c and the turbine 3 is determined, it is possible to imagine the paths of the coolant flow path 2 provided from the light source unit 101a and the light source unit 101b to the turbine 3 as virtual paths.

[0061] In the light source system 400, in order to shorten the length of the path from the light source unit 101c to the turbine 3, it is desirable to configure the length of this path to be shorter than the lengths of the virtual paths from the light source unit 101a and the light source unit 101b to the turbine 3. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress a decrease in temperature of the refrigerant until it is supplied from the light source unit 101c to the turbine 3, and it is possible to obtain an effect of increasing the efficiency of power generation by the generator 4.

[0062] Embodiment 5. The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The light source system 500 according to the fifth embodiment differs from the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment in that the refrigerant selection unit 5 is composed of a plurality of switches 5p, 5q, and 5r arranged in one-to-one correspondence with each of the light source units 101a to 101c, but is common in other respects. Therefore, the following mainly describes the differences from the light source system 200, and explanations of the common points will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Also, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations common to the light source system 200 according to the second embodiment.

[0063] Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a light source system 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 10, the light source system 500 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, a turbine 3, a generator 4, and a refrigerant selection unit 5. Here, the refrigerant selection unit 5 is composed of a plurality of switches 5p, 5q, and 5r arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the light source units 101a to 101c.

[0064] The switches 5p, 5q, and 5r are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the light source units 101a to 101c. The switches 5p to 5r have a mechanism capable of switching the path of each coolant flow passage 2 through which the coolant discharged from the light source units 101a to 101c flows, between a path in which the coolant is supplied to the turbine 3 and a path in which the coolant is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1. As an example, FIG. 10 shows a state in which the switches 5p and 5q switch the path so that the coolant is supplied to the turbine 3, and the switch 5r switches the path so that the coolant is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1. That is, the dashed arrows in FIG. 10 indicate paths through which the coolant does not flow.

[0065] In order to rotate the turbine 3, it is necessary to supply a vaporized refrigerant to the turbine 3. By arranging switches 5p to 5r corresponding one-to-one to the light source units 101a to 101c, respectively, it is possible to select the path of the refrigerant flow passage 2 so that the vaporized refrigerant is supplied to the turbine 3 and the refrigerant containing liquid is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1.

[0066] Furthermore, as described above, by supplying a refrigerant having a large thermal energy to the turbine 3, it is possible to increase the efficiency of power generation in the generator 4. By arranging switches 5p-5r in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the light source units 101a-101c, it is possible to select the path of the refrigerant flow path 2 so that only refrigerant that is vaporized and does not contain liquid and is at or above a predetermined temperature is supplied to the turbine 3, and refrigerant that is vaporized but below the predetermined temperature is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1.

[0067] Therefore, the light source system 500 according to the fifth embodiment has the advantage of being able to improve the efficiency of power generation by the generator 4. In addition, the switches 5p to 5r can select the path of the refrigerant flow passage 2 so as to supply a refrigerant containing liquid to the cooling mechanism 1, so that it is possible to prevent a refrigerant containing liquid from being supplied to the turbine 3.

[0068] Embodiment 6 The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. A light source system 600 according to the sixth embodiment differs from the light source system 500 according to the fifth embodiment in that it further includes temperature sensors 17a, 17b, and 17c for detecting the temperatures of the refrigerants discharged from the light source units 101a to 101c, respectively, and a control unit 7 for controlling the operation of the switches 5p to 5r, but is otherwise common. Therefore, the following mainly describes the differences from the light source system 500, and description of the common points will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Also, the same reference numerals are used for the components common to the light source system 500 according to the fifth embodiment.

[0069] Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a light source system 600 according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 11, the light source system 600 includes a cooling mechanism 1, a refrigerant flow path 2, light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, temperature sensors 17a, 17b, and 17c, a turbine 3, a generator 4, a refrigerant selection unit 5, and a control unit 7. In the light source system 600, similarly to the light source system 500, the refrigerant selection unit 5 is composed of a plurality of switches 5p, 5q, and 5r arranged in one-to-one correspondence with each of the light source units 101a to 101c.

[0070] With reference to FIG. 11, the control of the operation of the switches 5p to 5r by the control unit 7 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, in the light source system 600, temperature sensors 17a, 17b, and 17c are arranged corresponding to the light source units 101a, 101b, and 101c, respectively. The temperature sensors 17a to 17c detect the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the light source units 101a to 101c, respectively. The temperature sensors 17a to 17c can be configured using, for example, a thermistor or a thermocouple. However, the configuration of the temperature sensors is not particularly limited as long as they can appropriately detect the temperature of the refrigerant.

[0071] Information on the respective refrigerant temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 17a-17c (hereinafter referred to as refrigerant temperature information) is input to the control unit 7. Based on the refrigerant temperature information, the control unit 7 determines for each of the switches 5p-5r whether to set the path to supply the refrigerant to the turbine 3 or to supply the refrigerant to the cooling mechanism 1. The control unit 7 then compares the path determined based on the refrigerant temperature information with the path currently selected by each of the switches 5p-5r. If the result of this comparison shows that the determined path differs from the currently selected path, the control unit 7 determines that it is necessary to switch the path. The control unit 7 transmits a path switching signal to a switch determined to be necessary to switch the path among the switches 5p-5r, instructing it to switch the path.

[0072] Among the switches 5p to 5r, the switches that receive the path switching signal operate to switch the path. For example, when switch 5q, which had selected a path that guides the refrigerant to the cooling mechanism 1 before receiving the path switching signal, receives the path switching signal from control unit 7, switch 5q switches the path so that the refrigerant is supplied to turbine 3.

[0073] In the above description, an example has been shown in which the switches 5p to 5r switch paths upon receiving a path switching signal from the control unit 7. However, a configuration may be adopted in which information on the path determination result based on refrigerant temperature information is input from the control unit 7 to the switches 5p to 5r, rather than a path switching signal. In this case, the switches 5p to 5r compare the determined path with the currently selected path, and determine whether or not to switch paths.

[0074] Furthermore, in determining the path based on the coolant temperature information in the control unit 7, any determination criterion can be set according to the purpose of switching the path. For example, if the purpose is to prevent a coolant containing liquid from being supplied to the turbine 3, the determination may be based on whether the temperature of the coolant exceeds its critical temperature. In this case, the control unit 7 controls the switches 5p to 5r so as to supply the coolant discharged from the light source unit that discharges vaporized coolant that does not contain liquid, among the light source units 101a to 101c, to the turbine 3, and to supply the coolant discharged from the light source unit that discharges coolant containing liquid to the cooling mechanism 1.

[0075] Furthermore, in order to increase the efficiency of power generation in the generator 4, when only refrigerant that is vaporized, does not contain liquid, and has a predetermined temperature or higher is supplied to the turbine 3, the determination may be made based on whether the temperature of the refrigerant has reached a predetermined temperature that exceeds the critical temperature of the refrigerant. In this case, the control unit 7 controls the switches 5p to 5r so as to supply the turbine 3 with the refrigerant discharged from the light source unit that discharges refrigerant that is vaporized, does not contain liquid, and has a predetermined temperature or higher, among the light source units 101a to 101c, and to supply the refrigerant discharged from the other light source units to the cooling mechanism 1.

[0076] Furthermore, in order to increase the efficiency of power generation in the generator 4, when the highest temperature refrigerant among the refrigerants flowing through the paths corresponding to the light source units 101a-101c is to be supplied to the turbine 3, the refrigerant having the highest temperature may be specified in the refrigerant temperature information. In this case, the control unit 7 first specifies the light source unit among the light source units 101a-101c that discharges refrigerant that has been vaporized and does not contain liquid. Next, the control unit 7 controls the switches 5p-5r so that the refrigerant discharged from the light source unit with the highest temperature among the light source units that discharge refrigerant that has been vaporized and does not contain liquid is supplied to the turbine 3, and the refrigerant discharged from the other light source units is supplied to the cooling mechanism 1.

[0077] In the above description, an example has been described in which the control unit 7 controls the operation of the switches 5p to 5r based on the coolant temperature information. On the other hand, the temperature of the coolant discharged from the light source units 101a to 101c depends on the temperature of the light source included in the light source units 101a to 101c. That is, if the relationship between the coolant temperature and the light source temperature is previously established, the coolant temperature can be estimated by detecting the light source temperature. Therefore, instead of detecting the coolant temperature, the temperature of the light source included in each of the light source units 101a to 101c may be detected, and the temperature information may be input to the control unit 7. Also, the temperature of the light source may be estimated by detecting the temperature of a member in thermal contact with the light source, rather than directly detecting the temperature of the light source itself.

[0078] Furthermore, the temperature of the light source provided in the light source units 101a to 101c depends on the operating conditions of the light source, such as the power input to the light source. Therefore, the configuration may be such that the operating information of the light source is input to the control unit 7, instead of the detection result of the temperature sensor. Note that the operating information of the light source may be, for example, information on the input power, which indicates what percentage of the rated power of the light source is being input. Therefore, the temperature sensors 17a to 17c are not essential components of the light source system 600.

[0079] The light source units 101a to 101c are not always used with a constant power input thereto. That is, depending on the use of the light source system, the power input to the light source units 101a to 101c may change. Specifically, as a result of the change in the power input to the light source units 101a to 101c, the light source unit that discharges the refrigerant with the highest temperature may be replaced. Even in such a case, according to the light source system 600 of the sixth embodiment, the control unit 7 can appropriately operate the switches 5p to 5r, thereby obtaining an effect of improving the efficiency of power generation by the generator 4.

[0080] FIG. 12 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 7 described in the sixth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 7 includes a processor 7a and a storage device 7b. For example, the determination of the path based on the refrigerant temperature information is realized by the processor 7a and the storage device 7b. Specifically, information related to the determination criteria and information related to the path currently selected by the switches 5p to 5r are recorded in the storage device 7b. The processor 7a then executes a program stored in the storage device 7b, and determines the path by calculating the refrigerant temperature information, the information related to the determination criteria read from the storage device 7b, and the information related to the path.

[0081] The processor 7a is a device that executes a program stored in the memory device 7b. The processor 7a is also called a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a processor, or a DSP. The processor 7a may include the memory device 7b.

[0082] The functions of the control unit 7 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the storage device 7b. The processor 7a realizes the functions of the control unit 7 by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage device 7b.

[0083] Here, the storage device 7b may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc., a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD, etc. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. EPROM is an abbreviation for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. EEPROM is an abbreviation for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory.

[0084] The processor 7a may also be dedicated hardware. In this case, the processor 7a may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, or a parallel programmed processor. The processor 7a may also be an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The processor 7a may also be a combination of these.

[0085] Furthermore, each of the multiple functions of the control unit 7 may be realized by a separate control device. Also, multiple functions may be realized collectively by one control device.

[0086] In addition, some of the functions of the control unit 7 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and some by software or firmware. In this way, the control unit 7 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0087] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and appropriate design changes can be made within the scope of the configuration of the present disclosure. For example, at least one configuration in the present disclosure can be modified, added, or omitted, and further, at least one component can be extracted and combined with a component of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Cooling mechanism 2 Coolant flow path 3. Turbine 4. Generator 5 Refrigerant selection section 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d gas-liquid separator 5p, 5q, 5r switch 6 Combiner 7 Control section 7a Processor 7b Storage device 8 LED mounting board 9. Heat sink 10. Chassis 11a, 12a inlet 11b, 12b outlet 13 Opening 17a, 17b, 17c Temperature sensors 21 Mounting screws 22 O-ring 23a, 23b Optical fiber 24 Multiplexer 25 Light guide section 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 Light Source Systems 101, 101a, 101b, 101c, 201a, 201b Light source unit 102 Light source 202 LD module

Claims

1. A light source system comprising: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows; a cooling mechanism that circulates a refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path and cools the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path; a light source unit including at least one light source, the at least one light source being cooled by a coolant supplied from the cooling mechanism; a turbine that is rotated by being supplied with a refrigerant that has been vaporized by cooling the at least one light source; a generator connected to the turbine and configured to generate electricity by the rotational drive of the turbine; a refrigerant selection unit disposed in the refrigerant flow path between the light source unit and the turbine, the refrigerant selection unit supplies at least a portion of the refrigerant vaporized by cooling the at least one light source to the turbine, and supplies the refrigerant not supplied to the turbine to the cooling mechanism; The light source system includes a plurality of the light source units, The refrigerant selection unit is a gas-liquid separator that separates a vaporized refrigerant from a liquid refrigerant, the gas-liquid separator is disposed in the refrigerant flow path between the turbine and a light source unit that discharges a refrigerant at the highest temperature among the plurality of light source units; a coolant flow passage through which coolant discharged from light source units other than the light source unit having the highest temperature of the discharged coolant flows, is not connected to the turbine but is connected to the cooling mechanism.

2. The light source system of claim 1, wherein the length of the coolant flow path from the light source unit having the highest temperature of the discharged coolant to the turbine is shorter than the length of a hypothetical path that would be assumed if the coolant flow path were provided from a light source unit other than the light source unit having the highest temperature of the discharged coolant to the turbine.

3. A light source system comprising: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows; a cooling mechanism that circulates a refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path and cools the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path; a light source unit including at least one light source, the at least one light source being cooled by a coolant supplied from the cooling mechanism; a turbine that is rotated by being supplied with a refrigerant that has been vaporized by cooling the at least one light source; a generator connected to the turbine and configured to generate electricity by the rotational drive of the turbine; a refrigerant selection unit disposed in the refrigerant flow path between the light source unit and the turbine, the refrigerant selection unit supplies at least a portion of the refrigerant vaporized by cooling the at least one light source to the turbine, and supplies the refrigerant not supplied to the turbine to the cooling mechanism; The light source system includes a plurality of the light source units, the refrigerant selection unit is a switch arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of light source units, The switch enables the path of each of the refrigerant flow paths through which the refrigerant discharged from the multiple light source units flows to either a path in which the refrigerant is supplied to the turbine or a path in which the refrigerant is supplied to the cooling mechanism, in this light source system.

4. The light source system further includes a control unit that controls the switch, The light source system of claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the switch so as to supply the refrigerant discharged from a light source unit among the plurality of light source units that discharges a refrigerant that has vaporized and does not contain liquid to the turbine, and to supply the refrigerant discharged from a light source unit that discharges a refrigerant that contains liquid to the cooling mechanism.

5. The light source system of claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the switch so as to supply the refrigerant discharged from the light source unit that discharges vaporized refrigerant that does not contain liquid to the turbine, and to supply the refrigerant discharged from the other light source units to the cooling mechanism.

6. a heat sink in thermal contact with the at least one light source; A flow path that constitutes a part of the refrigerant flow path is formed inside the heat sink, 6. The light source system according to claim 1, wherein the coolant supplied to the light source unit flows through a flow path formed inside the heat sink.

7. 6. The light source system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is disposed such that the coolant flowing through the coolant flow passage contacts the light source.

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