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.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds