Vehicle Headlight Heat Sink with Concave Thermal Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle headlights with semiconductor light sources face issues of positional misalignment and heat dissipation due to variability in thermal conductive grease, leading to defective products with non-conforming light distribution patterns and potential breakdowns under high temperatures.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle headlight design with a radiation structure featuring a concave portion deeper than the maximum particle size of inclusions in the thermal conductive viscous material, ensuring accurate positioning of the semiconductor light source and easy visual confirmation of the thermal conductive material's application, allowing for efficient heat dissipation and conforming light distribution patterns without a reflector or shade.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If thermal conductive grease with aluminum powder inclusions is used to enhance thermal conductivity, then heat dissipation performance is improved, but positional misalignment of the semiconductor light source occurs due to variability in inclusion particle size

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation performanceVSAvoidpositional accuracy of semiconductor light source

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating a concave portion in the heat sink with specific dimensional characteristics. The concave portion has a depth greater than the maximum particle size of aluminum inclusions in the thermal conductive grease, ensuring that the grease and its inclusions are contained within the concave region. This localized structural feature maintains thermal conductivity enhancement while preventing positional misalignment of the semiconductor light source by providing a defined space for the thermal interface material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional flat mounting structure is used, then manufacturing is simple, but it is difficult to visually confirm proper application of thermal conductive material

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidvisual confirmation of thermal conductive material application

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the color changes principle by utilizing the visual detectability of the thermal conductive grease through the transparent or translucent mounting base board. The concave portion structure enables the grease to be visually confirmed as properly applied, as the grease fills the concave region and can be observed from above. This allows for easy visual inspection of thermal interface material application without adding complexity to the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

3Illumination intensity

If high power semiconductor light source is used to increase brightness, then illumination intensity is improved, but heat generation increases requiring complex radiation structures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebrightness of headlightVSAvoidheat generation from semiconductor

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the taking out principle by extracting the thermal management function from a complex radiation structure and concentrating it in the heat sink with the concave portion. The heat sink is directly coupled to the semiconductor light source through the thermal conductive grease in the concave portion, creating a dedicated thermal extraction path. This simplifies the overall radiation structure while effectively managing the heat generated by high power semiconductor light sources that provide high illumination intensity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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

The solution ensures high radiation performance and positional accuracy, reducing defective products and maintaining operational integrity under severe environments, while enabling mass production of headlights with standardized light distribution patterns for various vehicle types, including small-sized electric cars.

Implementation Method 1

a thermal conductive viscous material including an inclusion that is spread or disposed in the concave portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

a heat sink including a radiating base plate

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal radiation: Thermal Radiation

Data Source

PatentUS8568007B2Vehicle headlight

Publication Date: 2013.10.29 STANLEY ELECTRIC CO LTD

AI summary

A vehicle headlight can include a semiconductor light source and a heat sink to radiate heat developed from the light source. The headlight can include a mounting base board mounting the light source and attached on a radiating base plate of the heat sink. At least one of a bottom surface of the mounting base board and the radiating base plate can include a concave portion in which a depth thereof is deeper than a maximum particle size of an inclusion of a thermal conductive viscous material that spreads in the concave portion. The light source can be located at a prescribed position in an accurate fashion without a positional misalignment while the heat developed from the light source can efficiently radiate via the heat sink. Thus, the disclosed subject matter can provide headlights including a radiation structure having a high radiating performance and positional accuracy for the light source.