Phosphor Wheel Heat Exchanger Air Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current phosphor wheel devices in projection image display devices face challenges in efficiently cooling heated phosphors, leading to decreased fluorescent light conversion efficiency and potential damage to optical elements, while also being costly and bulky.
Innovation Solution
A phosphor wheel device with a housing that includes a heat exchanger and a circulation path for a circulating gas, which flows through a closed path to effectively cool the phosphor wheel without mixing with outside gas, utilizing a corrugated plate for enhanced heat exchange and space efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional heat absorber with water and heat pipe is used to cool the phosphor, then the phosphor can be cooled, but the device becomes costly and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the refrigerant (water) from the sealed heat absorber and replaces it with air as the circulating gas. The heat exchanger is opened to allow air circulation, eliminating the need for sealed containment and large volumes of liquid refrigerant while maintaining cooling functionality through convective heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses air (gas) instead of water (liquid) as the cooling medium. The circulation fan drives air through the heat exchanger and phosphor wheel assembly, using pneumatic convection to transfer heat away from the phosphor. This gas-based system replaces the hydraulic water-based system, reducing weight and volume.
2Temperature
If a conventional heat absorber with water and heat pipe is used to cool the phosphor, then the phosphor can be cooled, but the device becomes costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive components (sealed heat absorber, heat pipe, liquid refrigerant) with simpler, cheaper alternatives (open heat exchanger, circulation fan, air). The air cooling system uses readily available materials and simpler construction, significantly reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining adequate cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The air cooling system uses ambient air as the heat sink, eliminating the need for expensive refrigerant fluids and complex sealed systems. The circulation fan draws in free ambient air to absorb heat from the phosphor, allowing the system to cool itself using environmental resources rather than requiring costly proprietary cooling fluids.
3Temperature
If the phosphor surface area is widened to promote heat exchange, then cooling efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the rotational motion of the phosphor wheel to create temporal and spatial separation of heating and cooling zones. The phosphor surface is illuminated by the light source during rotation, then passes through the heat exchanger for cooling, and returns to the light source. This dimensional approach to heat management avoids the need for increased surface area complexity.
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 provides improved space efficiency and cost-effective cooling of heated phosphors, maintaining high fluorescent light conversion efficiency and preventing damage to optical elements.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger that allows a flow of a circulating gas to communicate with the housing
Implementation Method 2
the circulation flow path and the outside gas flow path are configured such that the circulating gas and the outside gas flow in thermal contact with each other without being mixed
Implementation Method 3
The housing includes a circulation fan... a circulation path through which the circulating gas sequentially passes through the first space, the second space, and the third space
Data Source
AI summary
A phosphor wheel device includes a phosphor wheel, a housing that accommodates the phosphor wheel, and a heat exchanger. A circulating gas flows between the housing and the heat exchanger. The housing includes a circulation fan, a first space in which the circulation fan is disposed, a second space in which gas is sent from the first space by the circulation fan, a third space in which the phosphor wheel is disposed, a first opening giving communication between the heat exchanger and the first space, a second opening giving communication between the first space and the second space, a third opening giving communication between the second space and the third space, and a fourth opening giving communication between the third space and the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes a circulation flow path through which circulating gas flows and an outside gas flow path through which outside gas flows.