Projector Cooling Air Collision for Heat Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-luminance projectors face challenges in effectively cooling optical elements like liquid crystal panels due to inefficient heat exchange in existing cooling structures, where cooling air flow direction changes cause pressure losses and reduced flow speed, leading to insufficient cooling.

Innovation Solution

A projector design featuring a cooling device that supplies cooling air in two intersecting directions from one edge to the other edge of the optical element, creating turbulence for enhanced heat exchange, with ducts arranged to collide and change flow direction within the ducts rather than against the duct walls, maintaining high flow speed and preventing pressure losses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling air flows through a duct and changes direction by colliding with the duct wall surface, then the cooling air can be delivered to the optical element, but the flow speed decreases and pressure is lost, reducing cooling efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling air temperatureVSAvoidcooling air flow speed

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of changing the cooling air flow direction by colliding with the duct wall surface (conventional method), the invention inverts the approach by having the cooling air collide with another cooling air stream flowing in a different direction. This collision occurs within the duct before the air reaches the optical element, allowing direction change without wall contact friction, thus maintaining high flow speed and preventing pressure losses.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Productivity

If cooling air is supplied in a single direction to the optical element, then the structure is simple, but the heat exchange efficiency is insufficient for high-luminance projectors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidcooling device structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the single cooling air flow into two separate cooling air streams that flow in different directions within the duct. These two streams collide with each other to change direction and supply cooling air to the optical element from multiple directions simultaneously, significantly improving heat exchange efficiency without requiring a complex multi-duct system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges two cooling air streams flowing in different directions within a single duct. By combining these streams and allowing them to collide, the system achieves multi-directional cooling of the optical element while maintaining a simple single-duct structure, thus improving cooling efficiency without increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Quantity of substance

If the cooling air flow direction is changed by colliding with duct wall surface, then the cooling air can reach the optical element, but the pressure loss reduces the quantity of cooling air delivered

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling air quantityVSAvoidpressure loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The invention uses a second cooling air stream as an intermediary to change the direction of the first cooling air stream. Instead of the first cooling air stream directly colliding with the duct wall (which causes pressure loss), it collides with the second cooling air stream that acts as a mediator, achieving direction change with minimal pressure loss and maintaining high cooling air quantity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 increases the efficiency of heat exchange between the optical element and cooling air, ensuring effective cooling of the optical element while preventing temperature increases in adjacent components by maintaining high flow speed and quantity of cooling air.

Implementation Method 1

the supplied cooling air collides with each other and produces turbulence by this collision. Thus, the efficiency of heat exchange between the surface of the optical element and the cooling air increases

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Implementation Method 2

a cooling device configured to supply cooling air along the surface of the optical element

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentUS9213224B2Projector having cooling device that supplies cooling air in two supply directions

Publication Date: 2015.12.15 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A projector includes an optical element and a cooling device configured to supply cooling air along the surface of the optical element. The cooling device supplies the cooling air in two supply directions crossing each other and extending from one edge to the other edge of two opposed edges of the optical element.