Rotating Heat Source Cooling via Thermal Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for heat sources, particularly light sources, face challenges in maintaining effective heat dissipation while allowing flexible rotation and are prone to wear and tear due to complex and expensive joint connections between the support body and heat pipes.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a heat sink, a support body, and heat pipes, where the support body is connected to a heat transfer plate in a rotationally secure manner, allowing flexible rotation of the heat source without significant mechanical stress on the heat pipes, using materials with high thermal conductivity and optional guide plates for stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the support body is rigidly connected to the heat pipe, then heat dissipation is maintained, but the assembly becomes heavy and bulky and difficult to move
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is divided into separate functional components: the support body (with heat source), the heat pipe, and the heat sink. This segmentation allows the support body to be movable while the heat pipe and heat sink remain stationary, resolving the contradiction between maintaining heat dissipation and enabling movability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipe acts as an intermediary thermal conductor between the support body and the heat sink. It transfers heat from the movable support body to the stationary heat sink, enabling heat dissipation without requiring rigid mechanical connection, thus maintaining both movability and thermal efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If a hinged connection is used between support body and heat pipe, then movability is enabled, but the joint becomes complex and expensive to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged connection mechanism is extracted and replaced by a simpler direct thermal connection between the support body and heat pipe. The heat pipe is positioned to receive thermal energy from the support body without requiring complex mechanical joints, thereby enabling movability while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a hinged connection is used between support body and heat pipe, then rotatability is enabled, but wear and tear increases and service life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical hinged connection system is replaced with a thermal field-based heat transfer system. The heat pipe conducts thermal energy directly from the support body without requiring mechanical articulation, thereby enabling rotational adaptability while eliminating the wear and tear associated with mechanical joints, thus extending service life.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the joint is made stiff to fix the support body, then fixation is improved, but mechanical stress on the heat pipe increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe serves as a flexible thermal intermediary that decouples the mechanical stress from the thermal conduction path. It can accommodate minor dimensional variations and stresses while maintaining effective heat transfer, thereby enabling stable fixation without transmitting excessive mechanical stress to the heat pipe.
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
Enables efficient heat transfer and flexible rotation of the heat source, reducing wear and tear, and ensuring optimal operation by preventing overheating through effective heat dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
A heat pipe is a known heat exchanger that, by utilizing the enthalpy of vaporization of a medium, enables a high heat flux density
Implementation Method 2
a so-called heat pipe, i.e., a heat tube, between the support body and a heat sink
Implementation Method 3
the heat source to a thermally conductive support body and to arrange a so-called heat pipe... between the support body and a heat sink
Implementation Method 4
the waste heat generated during operation of the light source must be effectively dissipated from its point of origin and then released into the surrounding environment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Cooling device (3) for a heat source (2), comprising a heat sink (4), a heat-conducting support body (5), at least one heat pipe (6) extending along a longitudinal axis (L), wherein a first section (8) of the heat pipe (6) is thermally connected to the support body (5) and a second section (9) of the heat pipe (6), spaced apart from the first section (8), is thermally connected to the heat sink (4), and at least one heat transfer plate (11) arranged between the support body (5) and at least one of the heat pipes (6), which is connected in a region to the at least one heat pipe (6) in a region of planar and rotationally secure manner, and which is connected in a region of planar to the support body (5) so that the support body (5) is rotatable relative to the at least one heat transfer plate (11) about at least one axis of rotation (R1, R2, R3).