Projector Refrigerant Cooler Capillary Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Projectors face challenges in achieving high cooling performance while maintaining a compact size and reducing noise, as existing air-cooling and liquid-cooling methods often result in increased size and noise due to the need for larger coolers and air blowers.
Innovation Solution
A projector design incorporating a refrigerant-based cooler that generates and transforms refrigerant into a gas to actively draw heat from the cooling target, using a refrigerant generator, sender, and holder, which eliminates the need for pumps and power sources, and optimizes refrigerant distribution to prevent leakage and enhance surface contact for improved cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air-cooling or liquid-cooling is used to improve cooling performance, then cooling performance is improved, but the size of the projector increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs phase transition of refrigerant from liquid to gas state to achieve cooling. The refrigerant absorbs heat during evaporation, providing efficient cooling without requiring large cooling components. This phase change mechanism enables compact cooling system design while maintaining high cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces mechanical cooling systems (air blowers, pumps) with a passive refrigerant-based cooling system. The refrigerant circulates through capillary action and phase change without requiring mechanical propulsion, thereby eliminating the need for large mechanical components and reducing overall projector size.
2Temperature
If air-cooling is used to improve cooling performance, then cooling performance is improved, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical air-cooling systems that generate noise from air blowers with a passive refrigerant-based cooling system. The refrigerant circulation relies on capillary action and phase change rather than mechanical forcing, thereby eliminating noise-generating components while maintaining effective cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system utilizes refrigerant phase transition from liquid to gas to absorb heat without mechanical intervention. This passive phase-change cooling eliminates the need for noisy air moving devices, achieving quiet operation while providing sufficient cooling performance.
3Temperature
If refrigerant is sent to refrigerant holder to improve cooling performance, then cooling performance is improved, but refrigerant leakage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the refrigerant holder and refrigerant generator at the same gravitational potential level. This equipotential arrangement prevents gravitational pressure differences that could cause refrigerant leakage, while still allowing capillary action to distribute refrigerant effectively for cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant sender utilizes porous material structure to control refrigerant flow through capillary action. The porous structure regulates refrigerant distribution to the holder, providing controlled flow that prevents overflow and leakage while ensuring adequate cooling coverage.
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 solution provides excellent cooling performance, reduces the projector's size and noise, and eliminates the need for frequent refrigerant replenishment, while ensuring efficient heat management for the light modulator, thereby prolonging the projector's lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
transformation of the refrigerant into a gas
Implementation Method 2
transformation of the refrigerant into a gas, which is an endothermic reaction
Implementation Method 3
forming a groove or using a porous member in the refrigerant sender always allows an appropriate amount of refrigerant to be sent with no use of a pump or any other power source
Implementation Method 4
transformation of the refrigerant into a gas can be used to draw heat from the cooling target to cool the cooling target
Data Source
AI summary
A projector includes a cooler that cools a cooling target based on transformation of a refrigerant into a gas. The cooler includes a refrigerant generator that generates the refrigerant, a refrigerant sender that sends the refrigerant generated in the refrigerant generator toward the cooling target, and a refrigerant holder connected to the cooling target, the refrigerant holder holding the refrigerant sent by the refrigerant sender and receiving heat from the cooling target to transform the refrigerant into a gas. The refrigerant generator includes a heat exchanger that stores the generated refrigerant therein. In a case where the projector takes a basic attitude, the refrigerant holder and the refrigerant generator are so located in the projector that the surface of the refrigerant stored in the heat exchanger is lower in the gravity direction than the horizontal plane passing through the lowest portion of the refrigerant holder in the gravity direction.