Transparent LED Cooling Device Minimizing Shadowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED luminaire designs face challenges in maintaining high light transmission and efficient heat dissipation while minimizing shadowing effects, particularly when using a reflector that causes obstruction and reduces optical efficiency due to the need for additional cooling structures.
Innovation Solution
A luminaire design incorporating a transparent coolant container with perpendicular walls that minimizes reflection losses, combined with a thermally conducting element for effective heat dissipation, and potentially serving as an optical element to reduce shadowing and enhance light transmission, using a coolant with a refractive index similar to the container material to minimize interface reflections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional heatsink is used to cool the LED module, then heat dissipation is improved, but light transmission is worsened due to increased shadowing of reflected light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transparent coolant container filled with transparent coolant as an intermediary between the LED module and the external environment. This container allows heat to be conducted away from the LED module while simultaneously allowing reflected light to pass through with minimal obstruction, thus resolving the conflict between heat dissipation and light transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the cooling structure by using transparent materials (transparent coolant and transparent container walls) instead of conventional opaque metals. This parameter change enables the cooling structure to be both thermally effective and optically transparent, eliminating the shadowing effect while maintaining heat dissipation capability.
2Illumination intensity
If transparent retainers are used to minimize shadowing, then light transmission is improved, but heat dissipation is worsened due to reduced thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling function into two distinct parts: a transparent coolant container that provides optical transparency and structural support, and a thermally conducting element that provides heat dissipation. The thermally conducting element can be positioned to contact the LED module directly, ensuring effective heat transfer while the transparent container minimizes optical obstruction.
3Illumination intensity
If the coolant container walls are made with high transparency, then light transmission is improved, but reflection losses at interfaces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by selecting coolant and container wall materials with matching refractive indices. This creates a homogeneous optical interface that minimizes reflection losses at the boundaries between the coolant and the container walls, allowing maximum light transmission while maintaining the cooling function.
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 design achieves high light transmission and efficient heat dissipation with minimal shadowing, allowing virtually all reflected radiation to reach the target area, while integrating cooling and retention functions in a single component, thus enhancing the overall optical efficiency and reducing the need for additional components.
Implementation Method 1
the heat must be conducted to the outside by means of the retainers
Implementation Method 2
the refractive index of the first and the second wall and that of the coolant are so similar that the reflection losses at the interfaces between the walls and the coolant are very small
Implementation Method 3
retroreflection from the reflector, i.e. reflection of beams having an angle of incidence of less than 45°
Data Source
AI summary
A luminaire for illuminating a target area (34) by retroreflection from a reflector (30), comprising a light-emitting diode module (12) having at least one light-emitting diode; (14) and a cooling device (10) for the light-emitting diode module (12), the cooling device including as coolant a liquid (26) that is transparent to the light of the light-emitting diode module and a transparent coolant container (20) for accommodating the coolant; (26) wherein the coolant container (20) comprises a first (22) and a second transparent wall (24) between which the coolant (26) is located and which extend substantially perpendicularly to the optical axis (36) of the reflector (30) and have a surface such that in an assembled state in which the light-emitting diode module (12) and the cooling device (10) are connected to the reflector (30), at least 90% of the radiation of the light-emitting diode module (12) which is reflected from the reflector (30) and which reaches the target area (34) passes through the coolant container (20).