This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0001798, filed on Jan. 7, 2011, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field
One or more aspects of an embodiment or embodiments relate to a cooling unit using ionic wind and a light emitting diode (LED) lighting unit including the cooling unit, and more particularly, to a cooling unit having an improved cooling performance by using an ionic wind generating apparatus and an LED lighting unit including the cooling unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electronic devices generate a lot of heat when operated, and the generated heat is one of reasons degrading electronic devices. Thus, a heat radiation unit is an essential element in electronic devices.
In order to cool down a heat radiation structure attached to a heating device in a conventional electronic device, natural convection or a cooling fan is used. However, according to a conventional natural convection method, it is difficult to cool down a heat radiation structure effectively, and according to a cooling fan method, noise and power consumption may increase.
Recently, cooling devices using ionic wind instead of using a cooling fan have been actively developed due to having advantages, for example, such as low noise and low power consumption. Ionic wind is generated when a high voltage is applied to an electrode, for example, such as a probe or a thin wire to generate a corona discharge and thus ionized air, and then nearby air is moved by a strong electric field.
That is, when ions are generated by a corona discharge generated by applying a high voltage to a wire or probe type emitter and are accelerated by Coulomb force due to an electric field between the emitter and a collector electrode, ionic wind flows from the emitter to a/the collector electrode, thereby transferring motion force to nearby air molecules.
A cooling operation using ionic wind does not have any element that is driven by a motor, unlike a conventional cooling fan, and thus, various advantages, for example, such as high reliability, low noise, low power consumption, and small size may be obtained. A conventional ionic wind cooling apparatus has a structure in which a plurality of metal electrodes are located around a metal heat radiation structure at predetermined intervals to generate ionic wind. When a conventional heat radiation structure is formed of a conductive material, for example, such as aluminum or copper, it is difficult to couple a conventional ionic wind cooling apparatus directly to the heat radiation structure. Also, a corona emitter electrode of a high voltage should be separated from a conductive heat radiation structure by a predetermined distance. Thus, an additional structure to support a corona emitter electrode and electrically insulating the corona emitter electrode from a heat radiation structure is necessary in a conventional ionic wind cooling apparatus. Therefore, there is a limitation in reducing a size of an ionic wind cooling apparatus that is coupled to a heat radiation structure.
One or more aspects of an embodiment or embodiments provide a cooling unit in which an ionic wind generating unit is efficiently attached to a heat radiation structure so as to reduce an overall size, and a light emitting diode (LED) lighting unit including the cooling unit.
According to an aspect of an embodiment or embodiments, there is provided a cooling unit including: a heat radiant having a heat radiating plate contacting a heating element, and a plurality of heat radiation pins protruding from the heat radiating plate and separated from each other with predetermined intervals therebetween, and formed of an electrical insulating material; and an ionic wind generating unit including a corona emitter electrode contacting at least one of the heat radiation pins, a collector electrode facing the corona emitter electrode, and a power unit to connect the corona emitter electrode to the collector electrode and apply a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode.
According to another aspect of an embodiment or embodiments, there is provided a light emitting diode (LED) lighting unit including: at least one LED; a cooling unit including a plurality of heat radiation pins to radiate heat generated by the LED; and an ionic wind generating unit including a corona emitter electrode contacting at least one of the heat radiation pins, a collector electrode facing the corona emitter electrode, and a power unit to connect the corona emitter electrode to the collector electrode and apply a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode.
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. The above and other features of an embodiment or embodiments will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Referring to
The heat radiant 110 includes a heat radiating plate 111 contacting the heating element H, and a plurality of heat radiation pins 112 protruding a predetermined length from the heat radiating plate 111. The plurality of heat radiation pins 112 are separated from each other by a predetermined interval along a length of the heating element H, and space portions 113 are formed between the heat radiation pins 112. The heat radiant 110 may be attached or bonded to the heating element H by using a thermal interface material (TIM) having a high thermal conductivity. Otherwise, the heat radiant 110 may be integrally formed with a material used to package the heating element H.
The heat radiant 110 may be formed of an electrical insulating material, for example, such as ceramic, or may be formed of a conductive material (e.g., copper or aluminum) and coated with ceramic. Ceramic materials have high thermal conductivities and low electrical conductivities, and when the heat radiant 110 is formed of a ceramic material, a corona emitter electrode and a collector electrode may be directly attached to the heat radiant 110.
The ionic wind generating unit 120 includes a corona emitter electrode 121 that is attached to a side surface of at least one heat radiation pin 112 along a length of the at least one heat radiation pin 112, a collector electrode 122 installed on another heat radiation pin 112 that is adjacent to the at least one heat radiation pin 112 on which the corona emitter electrode 121 is installed to face the corona emitter electrode 121, and a power unit 123 connected to the corona emitter electrode 121 and the collector electrode 122 to apply a relatively high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 121.
The corona emitter electrode 121 may be formed of a wire having a circular cross-section. The corona emitter electrode 121 may be formed of a fine cylindrical wire having a diameter of about 10 μm to about 500 μm, or may be formed by patterning an electrode having a sharp edge through an etching process and then directly attached to a side surface of one heat radiation pin 112 so as to concentrate an electric field on the side surface of the heat radiation pin 112.
The corona emitter electrode 121 may be disposed on a portion of a side surface of at least one heat radiation pin 112. In
The collector electrode 122 is installed to face the corona emitter electrode 121, and may be installed to cover a side surface of at least one heat radiation pin 112 that is adjacent to another heat radiation pin 112 on which the corona emitter electrode 121 is installed.
The power unit 123 applies the relatively high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 121. When a relatively high voltage of a few kilo Volts (kV) is applied to the corona emitter electrode 121 from the power unit 123, the corona emitter electrode 121 may generate a positive corona discharge or a negative corona discharge.
Locations where the corona emitter electrode 121 and the collector electrode 122 are installed are not limited to the locations shown in
A principle of generating ionic wind in the ionic wind generating unit 120 will be described as follows.
Referring to
The negative corona discharge or the positive corona discharge generates ozone (O3) as a byproduct. Since the negative corona discharge generates a greater concentration of O3 than the positive corona discharge, the positive corona discharge may be preferred; however, it is not limited thereto. In order to efficiently dissolve O3 generated as a byproduct by the negative or positive corona discharge, a catalyst, for example, such as a manganese (Mn) oxide, a palladium (Pd) compound, or a metal such as Pd may be used. To do this, a catalyst layer 130 made of the catalyst is formed to surround the heat radiant 110. In addition, although not shown in drawings, the catalyst may be used on other components installed around the heat radiant 110.
In addition, since O3 is formed by using air, the generation of O3 may be prevented in an environment where air does not exist. To do this, a device that may fill an inert gas, for example, such as nitrogen (N) or argon (Ar) into a space around the cooling unit 100 may be installed. The inert gas may prevent degradation of the electrodes.
Referring to
The corona emitter electrode 221 is installed on a side surface of at least one heat radiation pin 212, and the collector electrode 222 (denoted by a solid line) is installed to cover an upper half portion of a side surface of another heat radiation pin 212 that is adjacent to the at least one heat radiation pin 212 on which the corona emitter electrode 221 is installed to face the corona emitter electrode. The collector electrode 222 (denoted by a dotted line) may be installed to cover a lower half portion of the side surface of the another heat radiation pin 212 that is adjacent to the at least one heat radiation pin 212 on which the corona emitter electrode 221 is installed. The collector electrode 222 is not limited to an area on the side surface of the another heat radiation pin 212 as shown in
A power unit 223 connects the corona emitter electrode 221 and the collector electrode 222 to each other, and applies a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 221. A catalyst layer 230 made of the catalyst is formed to surround the heat radiant 210.
Referring to
The corona emitter electrode 321 may be attached to one of side surfaces of neighboring heat radiation pins 312 that face each other. The corona emitter electrode 321 may be attached to an upper or middle portion of the side surface of at least one heat radiation pin 312. The collector electrode 322 may be attached to the heat radiating plate 311 in the space portion 313. The corona emitter electrode 321 may be installed to be adjacent to the collector electrode 322, provided that the corona emitter electrode 321 does not contact the collector electrode 322.
A power unit 323 connects the corona emitter electrode 321 and the collector electrode 322 to each other, and applies a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 321. A catalyst layer 330 made of the catalyst is formed to surround the heat radiant 310.
Referring to
The corona emitter electrode 421 may be attached to a random point on the upper surface of every other heat radiation pin 412, and the collector electrode 422 may be installed to cover the upper surfaces of the remaining heat radiation pins 412.
A power unit 423 connects the corona emitter electrode 421 and the collector electrode 422 to each other, and applies a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 421. A catalyst layer 430 made of the catalyst is formed to surround the heat radiant 410.
Referring to
The corona emitter electrode 521 may be installed on an upper portion or an intermediate portion in the space portion 513 without contacting the heat radiant 510. Since the corona emitter electrode 521 does not contact the heat radiation pins 512, the corona emitter electrode 521 may be supported by an additional supporting member (not shown) to be installed in the space portion 513. The collector electrode 522 may be attached to the heat radiating plate 511 in the space portion 513. The corona emitter electrode 521 may be installed to be adjacent to the collector electrode 522, provided that the corona emitter electrode 521 does not contact the collector electrode 522.
A power unit 523 connects the corona emitter electrode 521 and the collector electrode 522 to each other, and applies a high voltage to the corona emitter electrode 521. A catalyst layer 530 made of the catalyst is formed to surround the heat radiant 510.
Referring to
However, a corona emitter electrode 621 may be installed at a position different from that of the corona emitter electrode 521 of
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The LED lighting unit 900 includes a plurality of LEDs 910 to emit light, a transparent cover 920 surrounding the LEDs 910 to protect the LEDs 910, a cooling portion 930 including a plurality of heat radiation pins 931 so as to radiate heat generated by the LEDs 910, and a socket 940 to connect to an electric power.
A ionic wind generating unit 950 includes corona emitter electrodes 951 attached to side surfaces of the heat radiation pins 931, collector electrodes 952 attached to side surfaces of the heat radiation pins 931 facing the side surfaces on which the corona emitter electrodes 951 are attached, and a power unit 953 to connect the corona emitter electrodes 951 to the collector electrodes 952 and to apply a high voltage to the corona emitter electrodes 951.
Principles of generating ionic wind in the ionic wind generating unit 950 are described in the above embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof are not provided here.
Referring to
A temperature of the heat radiating plate is cooled down to 74° C. when the ionic wind is generated, while the highest temperature of the heat radiating plate is 86° C. when the ionic wind is not generated. Thus, the cooling operation may be performed more efficiently when the ionic wind is generated.
It is assumed that air at a predetermined temperature, for example, 300K, is induced under a condition where a heating element is located under a heat radiant and a lower portion of a heat radiation pin is heated constantly. When a corona emitter electrode of an ionic wind generating unit is located on an upper portion of the heat radiation pin, ionic wind having a velocity of about 1 to 3 m/s is generated even in a small space having a width of about 3 mm.
When the ionic wind generating unit is located on the heat radiation pin array in the heat radiant, hot air does not stay around the heat radiation pin, but is moved in a predetermined direction by an air flow induced by the ionic wind. This becomes an advantage in efficiently cooling down the heating element in a small space.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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