Meandering LED Lighting Assembly Thermal Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional LED lighting assemblies face challenges in achieving high intensity light output due to heat management issues, where LEDs are often overheated, reducing efficiency and lifespan, and become bulky when many LEDs are integrated, leading to inefficient thermal distribution and reduced compactness.

Innovation Solution

A compact lighting assembly featuring an elongated structure with a flexible substrate and upstanding heat conductive walls arranged in a meandering or spiral pattern, allowing effective heat transfer to a heat sink, minimizing neighbor-induced heating and enabling a high density of LEDs in a small volume, with optional channels for cooling and reflective materials for enhanced light output.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If multiple Light Emitting Diodes are assembled in an array-like configuration on a substrate to increase total light intensity, then the light output increases, but the heat generated by each LED is distributed towards neighbor LEDs causing them to heat each other up, reducing efficiency and lifetime

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetotal light intensityVSAvoidLED temperature
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the heat dissipation function by providing individual heat dissipation paths for each LED through the upstanding walls. Each LED is thermally coupled to its own upstanding wall structure, segmenting the heat flow paths and preventing heat accumulation between neighboring LEDs. This segmentation allows each LED to maintain lower operating temperature while contributing to high total light output.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from a planar substrate arrangement to a three-dimensional structure by introducing upstanding walls that extend vertically from the substrate. This dimensional change creates additional thermal pathways in the vertical direction, allowing heat to be conducted away from LEDs through the upstanding walls to heat sinks, rather than being confined to horizontal heat distribution across the substrate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Illumination intensity

If a large number of Light Emitting Diodes are integrated into a single assembly to achieve high intensity light, then the light output increases, but the area of the substrate becomes relatively large making the assembly not compact

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight outputVSAvoidassembly compactness
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention utilizes the vertical dimension by extending upstanding walls upward from the substrate, allowing LEDs to be arranged in a compact footprint while providing sufficient heat dissipation surface area. This vertical arrangement enables high light output in a smaller horizontal area, achieving compactness without sacrificing illumination intensity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges multiple functions into the upstanding wall structure: it serves as a thermal conduction path, a structural support, and a mounting surface for heat sinks. By combining these functions into a single integrated structure, the assembly achieves high light output with reduced overall size and improved compactness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Illumination intensity

If Light Emitting Diodes are arranged in an array-like configuration on a substrate, then the light output can be increased, but each LED has 4 to 8 neighbor LEDs causing heat distribution issues and reduced efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetotal light outputVSAvoidLED efficiency and lifetime
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The upstanding walls create thermal segmentation between neighboring LEDs, with each LED having its own dedicated thermal pathway through the upstanding wall structure. This segmentation reduces thermal coupling between adjacent LEDs, allowing each to operate at higher efficiency with extended lifetime while maintaining high total light output.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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

This design effectively manages heat, maintains LED efficiency, and achieves high lumen output while maintaining a compact form factor, reducing cross-heating and enhancing thermal management, allowing for a larger number of LEDs in a smaller space with improved light distribution.

Implementation Method 1

The one or more upstanding walls comprise a heat conductive material and are thermally coupled to the first side

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

The heat transferring element comprises at the first side a heat sink interface or a heat sink element. The heat sink interface is for providing an interface to a heat sink

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat sink: Heat Sink

Data Source

PatentEP3475608B1Lighting assembly for emitting high intensity light, a light source, a lamp and a luminaire
Publication Date: 2020.11.04 SIGNIFY HOLDING BV
  • EP3475608B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~1(b)
  • EP3475608B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(c)
  • EP3475608B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(c)

AI summary

A lighting assembly (100), a light source, a lamp and a luminaire are provided. The lighting assembly comprises a heat transferring element (102) and an elongated structure (120) comprising light emitting elements (122, 122') and power connections. The heat transferring element comprises at a first side (104) a heat sink interface or a heat sink element. At the second opposite side (106) one or more upstanding walls (108, 108') are provided extending away from the second side. The upstanding walls are heat conductive and thermally coupled to the first side. The elongated structure is arranged on a wall surface of at least one of the upstanding walls. The wall surface is adjacent to the second side. A surface of the elongated structure through which no light is emitted is thermally coupled to the wall surface. A pattern formed by the elongated structure is a meandering or spiral pattern.