Electronic Display Cooling with Cross-Flow Heat Exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern electronic displays face challenges in cooling, particularly in outdoor environments with extreme temperatures and high brightness, leading to increased heat generation and noise emissions from existing cooling systems, which fail to evenly distribute cooling across large screen sizes.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system utilizing a combination of circulating gas and ambient gas, with a cross-flow heat exchanger to transfer heat without mixing, and additional ambient gas flow across the rear surface to cool the backlight, while minimizing noise through fan placement within the heat exchanger and manifold distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ambient gas is drawn through the display to cool electronic components, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but noise emission increases
Solution Approach 1:
A heat exchanger is introduced as an intermediary component between the ambient gas and the circulating gas. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the circulating gas to the ambient gas without requiring direct mixing, thereby reducing noise while maintaining cooling effectiveness. The heat exchanger acts as a mediator that achieves thermal transfer through a controlled interface rather than direct gas flow through the display.
2Area of stationary object
If gas flow is increased to cool large screen sizes, then cooling coverage is improved, but thermal gradients increase causing uneven cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The gas flow path is segmented into multiple regions: a circulating gas path for uniform distribution across the display and an ambient gas path for heat rejection. This segmentation allows the system to cover large screen areas while maintaining relatively uniform temperature distribution by controlling the flow characteristics in each segment separately.
Solution Approach 2:
Different gas flow characteristics are applied to different regions of the display. The circulating gas provides uniform cooling across the entire display surface, while the ambient gas is directed through the heat exchanger at specific locations. This local differentiation of flow qualities enables effective cooling of large areas without creating excessive thermal gradients.
3Temperature
If front surface cooling is implemented, then heat removal is improved, but contamination of sensitive components may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger serves as an intermediary barrier that prevents ambient gas (which may contain contaminants) from directly contacting the sensitive electronic components and display surface. Heat transfer occurs through the heat exchanger structure rather than through direct gas flow, thereby removing heat effectively while protecting against contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful aspect (contaminants in ambient gas) is extracted or separated from the cooling function. The ambient gas is used solely for heat rejection in the heat exchanger, while a separate circulating gas handles the cooling of components without exposure to contaminants. This extraction of the harmful element allows the cooling function to proceed without contamination risk.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively cools electronic displays by maintaining even temperature distribution across large screens, reducing noise emissions, and preventing contamination of sensitive components, thus enhancing the operational stability and image quality of electronic displays in varying environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a cross-flow heat exchanger to transfer heat without mixing
Implementation Method 2
circulating gas and ambient gas through the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
transfer heat away from the sensitive electronic components
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cooling an electronic image assembly with ambient gas and circulating gas is disclosed. A first fan may be positioned to force the circulating gas around the electronic image assembly in a closed loop while a second fan may be positioned to cause a flow of ambient gas. A structure is preferably positioned to allow the circulating gas to cross the flow of the ambient gas while substantially prohibiting the circulating gas from mixing with the ambient gas. A pair of manifolds may be placed along the sides of the electronic image assembly and may be in gaseous communication with a plurality of channels placed behind the electronic image assembly. A heat exchanger may be used in some exemplary embodiments.