Split Chimney Heat Sink for LED Thermal Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED-based lighting devices face thermal management challenges due to shared heat sinks for light sources and drivers, leading to reduced lifetime and efficiency, and often require bulky outer fin structures that complicate retrofitting and hinder compact design.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of separate heat sinks for light sources and drivers, each with a chimney structure formed by enclosed fins and wall arrangements, enhances convection cooling by creating parallel air flows and allows for optimized thermal performance and flexible design, reducing heat transfer between components and enabling smoother retrofitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common heat sink is used for both light source and driver, then the device complexity is reduced, but heat transfer from light source to driver increases which reduces driver lifetime
Solution Approach 1:
The heat dissipation system is divided into separate heat sinks for the light source and driver components. The light source heat sink and driver heat sink are thermally isolated from each other, preventing heat transfer that would otherwise reduce driver lifetime. This segmentation allows independent thermal management for each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The driver is extracted from the common heat sink structure and placed on a separate driver heat sink. This extraction removes the driver from the high-temperature environment of the light source heat sink, protecting it from thermal damage while maintaining structural integration through the shared housing.
2Loss of energy
If outer fin structures are used for heat dissipation, then heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but the device size and weight increase which complicates retrofitting
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink fins are nested within the existing housing structure rather than extending outward. The fins are positioned inside the housing cavity, utilizing the internal volume for heat dissipation surface area without increasing the external dimensions of the device. This allows effective heat dissipation while maintaining a compact form factor suitable for retrofitting.
3Loss of energy
If outer fin structures are used for heat dissipation, then heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases which hinders retrofitting
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink structure is merged with the housing structure, where the housing serves dual purposes as both structural enclosure and heat dissipation pathway. The wall arrangements and fins are integrated into the housing design, eliminating the need for separate external fin structures and simplifying the overall device architecture for easier retrofitting.
4Reliability
If separate heat sinks are used for light source and driver, then heat transfer between components is reduced improving reliability, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural enclosure, acts as a thermal pathway for the heat sinks, and facilitates heat dissipation through integrated wall arrangements. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, offsetting the complexity increase from having separate heat sinks.
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 improves thermal performance, extends the lifetime of both light sources and drivers, reduces the weight and size of the lighting device, and facilitates easier retrofitting by minimizing the need for external fin structures, while maintaining effective heat dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
heat dissipation structure comprising chimney structures for dissipating heat from lighting devices by means of convection
Implementation Method 2
The chimney effect is utilized to create an air flow in the lighting device for cooling the LEDs by means of convection
Implementation Method 3
Each heat sink comprises fins and a wall arrangement
Implementation Method 4
The fins of the at least two separate heat sinks are enclosed by the wall arrangements to form a chimney structure
Data Source
AI summary
A heat dissipation structure (2) for a lighting device (1) is provided. The heat dissipation structure comprises at least two separate heat sinks (20, 10) for a light source (3) and a driver (7) for the light source, respectively. Each heat sink comprises fins (11, 21, 22) and a wall arrangement (15, 25). The at least two separate heat sinks are disposed along an axial direction of the lighting device. The fins of the at least two separate heat sinks are enclosed by the wall arrangements to form a chimney structure (30) arranged along (such as substantially parallel with) the axial direction of the lighting device. Further, the chimney structure comprises at least two sub-chimney structures (31, 32) arranged fluidly in parallel. The sub-chimney structures provide (accelerate) two air flows in parallel within the chimney structure, whereby cool air flows through the two sub-chimney structures simultaneously, which reduces heat concatenation.