Cooling system for LED device
First Claim
1. A lighting assembly for cooling a light source, the lighting assembly comprising:
- a. a light source;
b. an evaporator thermally coupled to at least a portion of the light source, wherein the evaporator comprises a reservoir having a walled structure for containing a fluid within the reservoir, wherein the walled structure comprises an upper spherical portion that forms a ceiling wall of the reservoir, the evaporator is configured such that at least a portion of the fluid is vaporized by heat transferred from the light source; and
c. one or more cooling loops coupled to the evaporator, wherein each cooling loop comprises a transfer pipe coupled to the evaporator, a radiator coupled to the transfer pipe, and a return pipe coupled to the radiator and to the evaporator, further wherein the radiator is configured to receive vapor from the evaporator via the transfer pipe and to condense the vapor, and the radiator and the return pipe are configured to gravity feed the fluid to the evaporator.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lighting assembly includes a cooling system configured to enable the dissipation of a large amount of energy in the form of heat generated by a light source. Heat is dissipated without heating surrounding components, such as the one or more power supply units and device electronics. The cooling system is configured as a gravity feed system that does not require a powered fluid pump. In some embodiments, the cooling loop is configured as a thermal siphon that uses a boiling fluid to transport heat between the evaporator and the radiators. In some embodiments, the evaporator also functions as a device chassis, which reduces the overall part count. In some embodiments, the light source is a plurality of LEDs.
51 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A lighting assembly for cooling a light source, the lighting assembly comprising:
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a. a light source; b. an evaporator thermally coupled to at least a portion of the light source, wherein the evaporator comprises a reservoir having a walled structure for containing a fluid within the reservoir, wherein the walled structure comprises an upper spherical portion that forms a ceiling wall of the reservoir, the evaporator is configured such that at least a portion of the fluid is vaporized by heat transferred from the light source; and c. one or more cooling loops coupled to the evaporator, wherein each cooling loop comprises a transfer pipe coupled to the evaporator, a radiator coupled to the transfer pipe, and a return pipe coupled to the radiator and to the evaporator, further wherein the radiator is configured to receive vapor from the evaporator via the transfer pipe and to condense the vapor, and the radiator and the return pipe are configured to gravity feed the fluid to the evaporator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A lighting assembly for cooling a light source, the lighting assembly comprising:
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a. a light source; b. an evaporator thermally coupled to at least a portion of the light source, wherein the evaporator comprises a reservoir having a walled structure for containing a fluid within the reservoir, wherein the walled structure comprises an upper spherical portion that forms a ceiling wall of the reservoir, the evaporator is configured such that at least a portion of the fluid is vaporized by heat transferred from the light source; c. a transfer pipe coupled to the evaporator such that vapor formed in the evaporator rises through the transfer pipe; d. a radiator coupled to the transfer pipe, wherein the radiator includes a first end coupled to the transfer pipe and a second end, and the radiator is aligned along a non-horizontal plane with the first end positioned higher than the second end, further wherein the radiator is configured such that vapor received from the transfer pipe is condensed to fluid and the fluid is gravity fed to the second end; and e. a return pipe coupled to the radiator, wherein the return pipe includes a first end coupled to the second end of the radiator and a second end coupled to the evaporator, the return pipe is configured and aligned having the first end of the return pipe positioned higher than the second end of the return pipe such that fluid output from the second end of the radiator is gravity fed to the evaporator. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification