Metallic Substrate LED Light Source Thermal Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED lighting systems face challenges in efficiently dissipating heat generated by high-power LEDs, which can lead to increased operating temperatures, reduced efficiency, and shorter lifetimes, particularly when replacing traditional lighting sources like fluorescent tubes, requiring complex heat management systems that complicate design and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A light source design featuring a substrate with a metallic surface that directly dissipates heat to the ambient air, allowing LEDs to be mounted directly on this surface, ensuring operating temperatures remain below 75°C, thereby eliminating the need for heat transfer through the bottom surface and simplifying the heat management process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If high-power LEDs are used to replace traditional lighting sources, then light output and efficiency are improved, but heat generation increases leading to higher operating temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the light-emitting function and heat-dissipating function into a single integrated substrate structure. The metallic substrate simultaneously serves as the mounting platform for LEDs and as the primary heat dissipation pathway, eliminating the need for separate heat sinking components and directly addressing the thermal management challenge of high-power LEDs.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic substrate acts as an intermediary thermal pathway between the LED heat sources and the ambient environment. By providing a large-surface-area metallic structure with high thermal conductivity, it mediates the heat transfer process, distributing thermal energy across its surface for efficient radiation and convection to surrounding air.
2Temperature
If conventional heat transfer methods are used with large heat-radiating surfaces, then heat dissipation is improved, but device complexity and design difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the structural support function and thermal management function into a single substrate component. This integration eliminates multiple separate parts (LED mounts, thermal interfaces, heat sinks) and simplifies the overall device architecture while maintaining effective heat dissipation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic substrate performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for mounting LEDs, serves as a thermal conduction pathway, offers a large radiation surface area for heat dissipation, and acts as an electrical connection structure. This multi-functionality reduces the total component count and simplifies the device design.
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 maintains LED operating temperatures within acceptable limits, enhancing efficiency and longevity while reducing design complexity and costs by directly dissipating heat to the ambient air, matching or exceeding the performance of traditional lighting sources.
Implementation Method 1
the first metallic surface surrounding each component LED light generator radiates an amount of heat equal to the heat generated by that component LED light generator
Implementation Method 2
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are an important class of solid-state devices that convert electric energy to light
Data Source
AI summary
A light source having a substrate with a plurality of component LED light generators mounted thereon is disclosed. The substrate has a first metallic surface characterized by a normal that points in a normal direction. The first metallic surface is in contact with air over the first metallic surface. The component LED light generators are mounted directly on the first metallic surface. Each component LED light generator includes an LED characterized by an operating temperature and emitting light in the normal direction. Each LED generator generates more than 0.5 watts of heat. The component LED light generators are spaced apart on the first metallic surface such that the operating temperature remains less than 75° C. above the air temperature. In one aspect of the invention, the first metallic surface surrounding each component LED light generator radiates an amount of heat equal to the heat generated by that component LED light generator.