LED lamp cooling apparatus with pulsating heat pipe

• US 7,547,124 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Chang-Shen, Wang, Chao-Hao, LIU, JUEI-KHAI, Pei, Hsien-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, ANABEL
• Application Number:
  US11/684,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/373
• US Class Current: 362/373
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/505 of reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/51 using condensation or evaporation of a fluid, e.g. heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/717 using split or remote units thermally interconnected, e.g. by thermally conductive bars or heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/773 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/24 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/10 comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0275 Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An LED lamp cooling apparatus (10) includes a substrate (11), a plurality of LEDs (13) electrically connected with the substrate, a heat sink (19) for dissipation of heat generated by the LEDs and a pulsating heat pipe (15) thermally connected with the heat sink. The pulsating heat pipe includes a plurality of heat receiving portions (154) and a plurality of heat radiating portions (155), and contains a working fluid (153) therein. The substrate is attached to the heat receiving portions of the pulsating heat pipe and the heat sink is attached to the heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe. The heat generated by the LEDs is transferred from the heat receiving portions to the heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe through pulsation or oscillation of the working fluid in the pulsating heat pipe.

Claims

1. An LED lamp cooling apparatus comprising:

a substrate on which at least one LED is mounted;

a heat sink for dissipation of heat generated by the at least one LED; and

a pulsating heat pipe having a plurality of heat receiving portions and a plurality of heat radiating portions, and containing a working fluid therein, the substrate being attached to the heat receiving portions of the pulsating heat pipe and the heat sink being attached to the heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe, the heat generated by the at least one LED being transferred from the heat receiving portions to the heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe through pulsation of the working fluid in the pulsating heat pipe;

wherein an artery mesh is disposed in the pulsating heat pipe, and the artery mesh defines a hollow flow channel therein.

2. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a reflector in which the at least one LED and the substrate are enclosed.

3. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 2, wherein the heat sink is enclosed within a chamber defined by the reflector.

4. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 2, wherein a part of the heat sink is enclosed in the reflector, and another part of the heat sink extends out of the reflector.

5. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat sink comprises a base and a plurality of cooling fins attached to the base, the base defining a groove for the pulsating heat pipe to be embedded in.

6. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the base of the heat sink is U-shaped, and the pulsating heat pipe is bent to form a plurality of U-shaped tube sections each being attached to an inner surface of the base.

7. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the base of the heat sink is U-shaped, and the pulsating heat pipe is bent to form a plurality of U-shaped tube sections each being attached to an outer surface of the base.

8. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat sink has a cup-like profile and functions as a reflector for reflection of light emitted from the at least one LED, the at least one LED and the substrate being enclosed in the heat sink.

9. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the heat receiving portions and the heat radiating portions are evenly distributed across an inner surface of the heat sink.

10. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat receiving portions of the pulsating heat pipe are linear and the heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe are U-shaped.

11. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the heat receiving portions and heat radiating portions of the pulsating heat pipe is U-shaped.

12. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the artery mesh is attached to an inner surface of the pulsating heat pipe, and a diameter of the artery mesh is smaller than that of the pulsating heat pipe.

13. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the artery mesh is formed by weaving a material selected from a group consisting of copper wires, stainless steel wires, fiber and bundles of fiber.

14. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pulsating heat pipe is formed as a closed loop or an open loop.

15. An LED lamp cooling apparatus comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of LEDs mounted on the substrate;

a pulsating heat pipe having a heat receiving portion in thermal connection with the LEDs and a heat radiation portion; and

a heat sink in thermal connection with the heat radiation portion of the pulsating heat pipe;

wherein the pulsating heat pipe has working fluid therein, the working fluid having alternate liquid and vapor segments, the fluid moving from the heat receiving portion to the heat releasing portion in a pulsating manner when the heat receiving portion receives heat from the LEDs; and

wherein the LED lamp cooling apparatus further comprises a reflector for reflecting light generated by the LEDs to a specific spot.

16. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 15, wherein the heat sink has fins extending upwardly, and the reflector directs the light generated by the LEDs downwardly.

17. The LED lamp cooling apparatus of claim 15, wherein the pulsating heat pipe has a flexible interwoven artery mesh disposed therein, the mesh having a ring-like transverse cross section.

18. An LED lamp cooling apparatus comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of LEDs mounted on the substrate;

a pulsating heat pipe having a heat receiving portion in thermal connection with the LEDs and a heat radiation portion; and

a heat sink in thermal connection with the heat radiation portion of the pulsating heat pipe;

wherein the pulsating heat pipe has working fluid therein, the working fluid having alternate liquid and vapor segments, the fluid moving from the heat receiving portion to the heat releasing portion in a pulsating manner when the heat receiving portion receives heat from the LEDs; and

wherein the heat sink also functions as a reflector for reflecting light generated by the LEDs to a specific spot.