LED-based lighting apparatus with heat pipe cooling structure

• US 9,109,784 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glow One Company Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Posco Led Company Ltd. (TMS Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Su Woon, Kim, Seung Ki, Kim, Jung Hwa, Park, Seon Min, Yang, Hwi Seok, Heo, Yu Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US13/480,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20130077293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 362/547, 362/218, 362/240, 362/249.02, 362/294, 362/373, 165/104.21, 165/104.33
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/67 characterised by the arrangement of fans
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/677 the fans being used for discharging
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/71 using a combination of separate elements interconnected by heat-conducting means, e.g. with heat pipes or thermally conductive bars between separate heat-sink elements
• 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 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/767 the planes containing the fins or blades having directions perpendicular to the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• 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: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A lighting apparatus includes a housing, a light emitting module disposed on an open region at one side of the housing, and a heat sink unit placed within the housing to absorb and discharge heat from the light emitting module. The light emitting module includes a heat sink base on which a semiconductor optical device is mounted. The heat sink unit includes at least one main heat pipe having one side adjoining the heat sink base and a heat sink block adjoining the other side of the main heat pipe to cooperate with the main heat pipe.

Claims

1. An optical semiconductor-based lighting apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a light emitting module disposed on an open region at one side of the housing;

a heat sink unit placed within the housing to absorb and discharge heat from the light emitting module,

the light emitting module comprising a heat sink base on which a semiconductor optical device is mounted,

the heat sink unit comprising at least one main heat pipe having one side adjoining the heat sink base and a heat sink block adjoining the other side of the main heat pipe to cooperate with the main heat pipe, and

further comprising at least one subsidiary heat pipe independent of the heat sink block and disposed on the heat sink base.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a pipe securing unit that secures a line section of the main heat pipe to the heat sink base, the pipe securing unit comprising a lower securing plate defining a groove for receiving the line section of the main heat pipe and an upper securing plate covering the groove and fastened to an upper surface of the lower securing plate.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat sink base has a dense region where a plurality of main heat pipes is densely arranged, and the subsidiary heat pipe is placed outside the dense region.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the subsidiary heat pipe comprises a peripheral line section formed along a periphery of the heat sink base.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat sink block comprises a plurality of heat sink plates separated from each other to be parallel to each other, and the main heat pipe is disposed to pass through the heat sink plates.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein a ratio of a thickness of each of the heat sink plates to a distance between the heat sink plates is in the range from 1:

1.5 to 1;

5.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a cooling fan disposed within the housing to cool the heat sink plates with forced air, wherein the heat sink plates are separated from the heat sink base with lower ends thereof placed adjacent the heat sink base, and are separated from the cooling fan with upper ends thereof placed adjacent the cooling fan.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main heat pipe comprises a lower line section adjoining the heat sink base, an upper line section penetrating the heat sink plates, and a middle line section connecting the lower line section to the upper line section.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the upper and lower line sections has a straight line shape.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the middle line section is perpendicular to the upper and lower line sections.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the heat sink unit comprises a first main heat pipe and a second main heat pipe, and the first and second main heat pipes penetrate the heat sink plates at different heights by a height difference between the middle line sections.

12. The lighting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first main heat pipe and the second main heat pipe are alternately arranged.

13. An optical semiconductor-based lighting apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a light emitting module disposed on an open region at one side of the housing; and

a heat sink unit placed within the housing to absorb and discharge heat from the light emitting module,

the light emitting module comprising a heat sink base on which a semiconductor optical device is mounted, the heat sink unit comprising a plurality of heat pipes adjoining the heat sink base,

wherein the plurality of heat pipes comprises main heat pipes adjoining the heat sink base and extending upwards to penetrate a heat sink block, and

wherein the plurality of heat pipes comprises at least one subsidiary heat pipe independent of the heat sink block and adjoining the heat sink base.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the subsidiary heat pipe comprises a circular, arcuate, curved, or rounded pattern on the heat sink base.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the main heat pipes comprises horizontal line sections radially arranged on the heat sink base and vertical line sections vertically extending from the horizontal line sections and penetrating the heat sink block.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the subsidiary heat pipe is disposed near a periphery of the heat sink base, and the main heat pipes are disposed in a central region surrounded by the subsidiary heat pipe.

17. The lighting apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a heat sink block disposed to cooperate with at least one heat pipe among the plurality of heat pipes, the heat sink block comprising a plurality of heat sink plates.

18. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the heat sink plates comprises a plurality of air flow holes.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the housing comprises an intersection region at which an upper housing section intersects a lower housing section within the housing, the heat sink block is placed in the intersection region such that a lower surface of the heat sink block faces downwards and a side surface of the heat sink block faces the cooling fan disposed at the upper housing section.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the housing comprises an intersection region at which an upper housing section intersects a lower housing section within the housing, the heat sink block being placed in the intersection region such that flat surfaces of the heat sink plates face downwards and gaps between the heat sink plates face in a lateral direction, and a cooling fan is placed in a lateral direction of the heat sink block.

21. The lighting apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a power supply placed adjacent a rear end of the upper housing section, wherein the cooling fan is placed between the power supply and the heat sink block.

22. The lighting apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one of the heat pipes extends upwards to penetrate the heat sink plates.