Patent Description:
The applications of linear light source have evolved from low-power lamps to high-power ones gradually. The increase in the power of LED light sources has included requirements in temperature control and heat dissipation.

The heat sink according to the prior art is adopted for preventing damages of the components in electronic products due to high temperatures. Thereby, the materials for heat sinks are mainly metals with superior thermal conductivity, light weight, and ease of processing, such as aluminum, copper, or silver. Since silver is a valuable noble metal, it is seldom adopted in heat sink applications. Most heat sinks are mainly aluminum alloys with high thermal conductivity. The cost of aluminum alloys is affordable. The manufacturing processes for heat sinks include extrusion, stamping, and die-casting. The heat sink technology is mostly applied to linearly extended modules and provides an effective heat dissipating method for lamps.

In addition, the lighting products according to the prior art are mainly dot or plane light sources. The major high-power dot or plane hot regions should correspond to heat dissipating mechanisms for conducting heat to heat sinks rapidly. Thereby, the lighting products according to the prior art mostly adopt traditional heat sinks. Lamps with dot or plane light sources can generate extremely high brightness. Unfortunately, owing to the disposition of heat sinks, the flexibility in lamp design is restricted, since the appearance will be limited by heat sinks.

In addition to the lighting products according to the prior art, there are decorative light bars formed by soft materials and without heat sink. Compared with the lighting products according to the prior art, decorative light bars have higher design flexibility. Unfortunately, the power and brightness cannot meet the regulation for lighting or car lamp applications. The feature of linear light sources is modulization while extending linearly. The light sources can be repeated to achieve the desired shape and length.

Moreover, to extend the lifetime of high-power lamps with excellent lighting performance, high-power lamps require heat sinks. The heat generated by LEDs can be guided to the ambient outside the lamps by heat sinks. Thereby, most LED lamps according to the prior art adopt heat sinks for heat guidance.

Nonetheless, to apply heat sinks to light bars or lamps with special shapes, such as curve or wave shapes, if the heat sinks are designed integrally with the special shapes, the total length and width of the heat sinks might be close to the maximum size of the light bars. Then customized molds and special manufacturing machines are required, leading to higher manufacturing costs. On the contrary, if the heat sinks are fabricated in composite forms, the size or angles of the heat sinks should be modified according to special shape designs. Consequently, the production advantage of modular reuse will be lost.

A heat sink structure according to the preamble of claim <NUM> is disclosed in <CIT>.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a heat sink structure applicable to light-source modules or linear light-source modules with special shapes. The heat sink is manufactured by lightweight and low-cost aluminum alloys. By connecting multiple heat sink structures to form a nonlinear structure, the formed heat sink structure can be applied to light-source modules with nonlinear shapes.

According to the above description, the present invention provides a heat sink structure and a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure. The heat sink structure according to the present invention can use the hooking part to hook to the fixing part of another heat sink structure to form a linear heat sink. Alternatively, heat sink structures with different heights can be combined to form a nonlinear structure applied to nonlinear light-emitting modules. The combination of multiple heat sink structures enables flexibility of the module of the heat sink structure for adapting to curved lamp shapes with variations. Thereby, the development costs can be reduced and various lamp designs can be improved.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a heat sink structure, which requires no multiple processing and assembly for reducing processes and development costs. In addition, it can match the width of light-emitting devices for designing special modules.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure, which can dissipate heat by disposing a flexible light-source module on the heat sink structure. Multiple heat sink structures are mutually fixed to form flexible heat sink structures. By using the flexibility of the heat sink module, the shape of the light-source modules can be highly flexible.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure, which can dissipate heat by disposing a single light-source module on the heat sink structure. By using the heat sink structure, the shape of the light-source modules can be highly flexible. Besides, the electrical connection points of the light-source module are protected to avoid breakage owing to the flexible movement of the light-source module.

To achieve one objective as described above, the present invention provides a heat sink structure according to claim <NUM>, which comprises a body, a hooking part, and a fixing part. A heat sink part is disposed below the body. The hooking part includes a first bending part connected to one end of the body. The other end of the first bending part extends downwards to form one end of a first extending part. The other end of the first extending part extends inwards and then upwards to form a hook. The fixing part is disposed corresponding to the hooking part. The other end of the body extends downwards to form one end of a second bending part of the fixing part. The other end of the second bending part extends downwards to form a second extending part. The second bending part includes a hole.

According to the present invention, the heat sink part further includes an extension and bending mechanism. A first bending part of the extension and bending mechanism extends downwards to a second bending part. The second bending part extends horizontally to a third bending part. The third bending part extends upwards.

According to the present invention, the hole is disposed corresponding to the width of the hooking part.

To achieve another objective as described above, the present invention provides a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure, which comprises a first heat sink structure, a second heat sink structure, and a flexible light-emitting device. The first heat sink structure comprises a first body, a first hooking part, and a first fixing part. A first heat sink part is disposed below the first body. The first fixing part is disposed corresponding to the first hooking part. The first fixing part includes a first hole. A second heat sink structure comprises a second body, a second hooking part, and a second fixing part. A second heat sink part is disposed below the second body. The second fixing part is disposed corresponding to the second hooking part. The second fixing part includes a second hole. The second hooking part hooks into the first hole such that the first heat sink structure hooks the second heat sink structure. The first heat sink structure and the second heat sink structure form a first nonlinear structure. The flexible light-emitting device is disposed on the first body and the second body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first hole is disposed corresponding to the width of the first hooking part; the second hole is disposed corresponding to the width of the second hooking part.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the height of the second heat sink structure is greater than the height of the first heat sink structure.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first heat sink structure and the second heat sink structure form a second nonlinear structure.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible light-emitting device includes an insulation layer, a flexible printed circuit layer <NUM>, one or more LED light source, and a flexible optical structure. The flexible printed circuit layer is disposed on the insulation layer. The one or more LED light source is disposed on the flexible printed circuit layer. The flexible optical structure is disposed on the one or more LED light source.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible light-emitting device further comprises a fixing adhesive tape disposed below the insulation layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first heat sink part further includes a first extension and bending mechanism. A first bending part of the first extension and bending mechanism extends downwards to a second bending part. The second bending part extends horizontally to a third bending part. The third bending part extends upwards.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second heat sink part further includes a second extension and bending mechanism. A fourth bending part of the second extension and bending mechanism extends downwards to a fifth bending part. The fifth bending part extends horizontally to a sixth bending part. The sixth bending part extends upwards.

To achieve another objective as described above, the present invention provides a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure, which comprises a first heat sink structure, a second heat sink structure, and two flexible light-emitting devices. The first heat sink structure comprises a first body, a first hooking part, and a first fixing part. A first heat sink part is disposed below the first body. The first fixing part is disposed corresponding to the first hooking part. The first fixing part includes a first hole disposed corresponding to the width of the first hooking part. A second heat sink structure comprises a second body, a second hooking part, and a second fixing part. A second heat sink part is disposed below the second body. The second fixing part is disposed corresponding to the second hooking part. The second fixing part includes a second hole. The second hooking part hooks into the first hole such that the first heat sink structure hooks the second heat sink structure. The first heat sink structure and the second heat sink structure form a first nonlinear structure. The two flexible light-emitting devices are disposed on the first body and the second body, respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat sink part includes a plurality of fins.

In order to make the structure and characteristics as well as the effectiveness of the present invention to be further understood and recognized, the detailed description of the present invention is provided as follows along with embodiments and accompanying figures.

The heat sink structures according to the prior art are all rigid heat sink structures. In other words, they are mainly linear structures. If the light-emitting device is designed curved or flexible, the heat sink structures according to the prior art will not be applicable. Instead, heat sinks with special shapes should be designed, resulting in increases in costs and difficulty in modulization.

The present invention improves the heat sink structures according to the prior art. By combining multiple heat sink structures to form a nonlinear structure, flexible and free bending is possible and thus applicable to light-emitting structures with curved designs. The heat sink structure of a light-source device can dissipate the heat generated by LED light sources rapidly. In addition, the heat sink structures can adapt to the shape variation of lamp designs.

In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention are described using figures for describing the present invention in detail. Nonetheless, the concepts of the present invention can be embodied by various forms. Those embodiments are not used to limit the scope and range of the present invention.

First, please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the heat sink structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a heat sink structure <NUM> according a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a body <NUM>, a hooking part, <NUM>, and a fixing part <NUM>.

The hooking part <NUM> of the heat sink structure <NUM> includes a first bending part <NUM> connected to one end of the body <NUM>. The other end of the first bending part <NUM> extends downwards to form one end of a first extending part <NUM>. The other end of the first extending part <NUM> extends inwards and then upwards to form a hook <NUM>. The fixing part <NUM> is disposed corresponding to the hooking part <NUM>. The other end of the body <NUM> extends downwards to form one end of a second bending part <NUM> of the fixing part <NUM>. The other end of the second bending part <NUM> extends downwards to form a second extending part <NUM>. The second bending part <NUM> includes a hole <NUM> disposed corresponding to the width of the hooking part <NUM>.

A heat sink part <NUM> is disposed below the body <NUM> of the heat sink structure <NUM>. The heat sink part <NUM> includes an extension and bending mechanism <NUM>. A first bending part <NUM> of the extension and bending mechanism <NUM> extends downwards to a second bending part <NUM>. The second bending part <NUM> extends horizontally to a third bending part <NUM>. The third bending part <NUM> extends upwards.

Next, please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the heat sink structure according to a second non-claimed embodiment. As shown in the figure, the heat sink part <NUM> below the body <NUM> of the heat sink structure <NUM> includes a plurality of fins <NUM>. The plurality of fins <NUM> are the heat sink fins according to the prior art connected by screwing, soldering, or gluing. In addition, thermally conductive materials such as thermal paste can be applied between the heat sink part <NUM> of the plurality of fins <NUM> and the body <NUM> can improving heat dissipation rate. Furthermore, the plurality of fins <NUM> can be processed by aluminum extrusion, CNC, wire electrical discharge machining, or aluminum casting.

As described above, the heat sink structure <NUM> according to the present invention is different from the one-dimensional heat sink according to the prior art. Since thin metal plates can be cut and bent with ease, each single plate can be bent and holed to form a special chain mechanism with larger heat dissipating area larger than the heat sinks according to the prior art. In addition, no multiple processing assembling is required, and thus reducing processes and development costs. Besides, the heat sink structure <NUM> can be designed to match the width of light-emitting devices.

Next, please refer to <FIG> and <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the device structure and the usage status A according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> according to the third embodiment of the present invention comprises a first heat sink structure <NUM>, a second heat sink structure <NUM>, and a flexible light-emitting device <NUM>.

The first heat sink structure <NUM> of the flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> comprises a first body <NUM>, a first hooking part <NUM>, and a first fixing part <NUM>. A first heat sink part <NUM> is disposed below the first body <NUM>. The first fixing part <NUM> is disposed corresponding to the first hooking part <NUM>. The first fixing part <NUM> includes a first hole <NUM>. Furthermore, the first heat sink part <NUM> further includes a first extension and bending mechanism <NUM>. A first bending part <NUM> of the first extension and bending mechanism <NUM> extends downwards to a second bending part <NUM>. The second bending part <NUM> extends horizontally to a third bending part <NUM>. The third bending part <NUM> extends upwards.

The second heat sink structure <NUM> comprises a second body <NUM>, a second hooking part <NUM>, and a second fixing part <NUM>. A second heat sink part <NUM> is disposed below the second body <NUM>. The second fixing part <NUM> is disposed corresponding to the second hooking part <NUM>. The second fixing part <NUM> includes a second hole <NUM>. The first hole <NUM> is disposed corresponding to the width of the first hooking part <NUM>; the second hole <NUM> is disposed corresponding to the width of the second hooking part <NUM>. The first hole <NUM> is identical to the second hole <NUM>. The width of the first hooking part <NUM> is identical to the width of the second hooking part <NUM>. The second hooking part <NUM> hooks into the first hole <NUM> such that the first heat sink structure <NUM> hooks the second heat sink structure <NUM>. The first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> form a first nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. Furthermore, the second heat sink part <NUM> further includes a second extension and bending mechanism <NUM>. A fourth bending part <NUM> of the second extension and bending mechanism <NUM> extends downwards to a fifth bending part <NUM>. The fifth bending part <NUM> extends horizontally to a sixth bending part <NUM>. The sixth bending part <NUM> extends upwards.

Moreover, the first heat sink part <NUM> and the second heat sink part <NUM> of the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> also includes a plurality of fins <NUM>. Please refer to <FIG>. The plurality of fins <NUM> are the heat sink fins according to the prior art connected by screwing, soldering, or gluing. In addition, thermally conductive materials such as thermal paste can be applied between the heat sink part <NUM> of the plurality of fins <NUM> and the body <NUM> can improving heat dissipation rate. Furthermore, the plurality of fins <NUM> can be processed by aluminum extrusion, CNC, wire electrical discharge machining, or aluminum casting. Besides, the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> dissipates heat through the plurality of fins <NUM>.

The flexible light-emitting device <NUM> according to the third embodiment of the present invention is disposed on the first body <NUM> and the second body <NUM>. The flexible light-emitting device <NUM> includes an insulation layer <NUM>, a flexible printed circuit layer <NUM>, one or more LED light source <NUM>, and a flexible optical structure <NUM>. The flexible printed circuit layer <NUM> is disposed on the insulation layer <NUM>. The one or more LED light source <NUM> is disposed on the flexible printed circuit layer <NUM>. The flexible optical structure <NUM> is disposed on the one or more LED light source <NUM>. A fixing adhesive tape <NUM> disposed below the insulation layer <NUM> for fixing the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> on the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>. The fixing adhesive tape <NUM> is selected from the group consisting of double-sided tape, thermally conductive interface material, and thermally conductive adhesive.

Next, an example will be provided. Please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the usage status A according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, the first fixing part <NUM> of the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second hooking part <NUM> of the second heat sink structure <NUM> can be connected freely. By connecting the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>, a bending structure can be produced and forming the first nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. Then the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> is disposed on the first nonlinear structure NL<NUM> such that the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> can be attached to the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> for dissipating heat. The heat generated by the LED light source <NUM> can be dissipated via the first heat sink part <NUM> and the second heat sink part <NUM> of the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>. Thereby, the lifetime of the LED light source will not be shortened due to over temperature. Moreover, thanks to the bending structure between the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>, the shape of the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> can be varied while maintaining heat dissipation performance.

According to the flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> according to the present invention, the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> are connected by hooking to form a flexible structure. No extra fixing member or connecting device is required. The first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> are connected by hooking and forming the first nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. The flexible light-emitting device <NUM> uses the formed first nonlinear structure NL<NUM> to dissipate heat. Furthermore, the flexible structure formed by the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> enables the shape of the flexible light-emitting device <NUM> be various. Even in a special shape, the heat dissipating performance is still excellent. In addition, thanks to the chain structure of the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>, a modularized heat sink structure enables unlimited extension. The length can be adjusted according to the flexible light-emitting device <NUM>. No extra process is required. Thereby, the design and fabrication of the heat sink structure can be reduced significantly.

Furthermore, if the height of the second heat sink structure <NUM> is greater than the height of the first heat sink structure <NUM>, the combined structure will form a second nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. If the second nonlinear structure NL<NUM> is formed purely by a plurality of the second heat sink structures <NUM>,, it will be the usage status of a plurality of the second heat sink structure connecting in series according to a third embodiment of the present invention, which shows in <FIG>. Since the height of the second heat sink structure <NUM> is increased as shown in the figure, a first curvature radius r<NUM> is increased. If the curvature radius is greater, the curvature will be smaller, and vice versa. Thereby, the first curvature radius r<NUM> will be increased by the increase in the height of the second heat sink structure <NUM>, leading to decrease in the curvature of the heat sink structure. Next, please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the usage status of a first heat sink structure combining with a second heat sink structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the second heat sink structure <NUM> combines with the first heat sink structure <NUM> to form the second nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. Since a second curvature radius of the second nonlinear structure NL<NUM> is partially shortened, the heat sink structure will form a greater space for flexible adjustment.

According to the third embodiments A and B of the present invention, the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> can be connected to form the same structure (linear structure) as the rigid heat sinks according to the prior art and suitable for planar heat dissipation. Alternatively, the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> can form the first nonlinear structure NL<NUM> or the second nonlinear structure NL<NUM> to give flexible heat sink structures. The heat sink structure <NUM> according to the present invention can be applied to light-emitting devices with curved designs. Then the design of light-emitting device will no longer restricted by the rigid heat sink structure according to the prior art. More various shape designs are made possible. Moreover, the chain design can be easily extended or shortened according to light-emitting devices. No extra process is required.

Next, please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of the device structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, a flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention comprises a first heat sink structure <NUM>, a second heat sink structure <NUM>, and two flexible light-emitting devices <NUM>. The first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> according to the present embodiment are identical to the ones described in the previous embodiment according to the present invention. Hence, the details will not be described again.

The two flexible light-emitting devices <NUM> of the flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> according to the present invention include an insulation layer <NUM>, a flexible printed circuit layer <NUM>, an LED light source <NUM>, and a flexible optical structure <NUM>. The flexible printed circuit layer <NUM> is disposed on the insulation layer <NUM>. The LED light source <NUM> is disposed on the flexible printed circuit layer <NUM>. The flexible optical structure <NUM> is disposed on the LED light source <NUM>. The fixing adhesive tape <NUM> fixes the flexible light-emitting devices <NUM> on the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>. The fixing adhesive tape <NUM> is selected from the group consisting of double-sided tape, thermally conductive interface material, and thermally conductive adhesive.

As shown in <FIG>, in the flexible light-emitting device with heat sink structure <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> are connected by hooking to form a flexible structure. No extra fixing member or connecting device is required. The first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> are connected by hooking and forming the first nonlinear structure NL1. The two flexible light-emitting devices <NUM> are disposed on the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>, respectively, and uses the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM> to dissipate heat. Besides, the electrical connection points of the flexible light-emitting device <NUM>, such as the soldering portion and the component region, are protected to avoid breakage owing to the flexible bending of the first nonlinear structure NL<NUM>. In addition, thanks to the chain structure of the first heat sink structure <NUM> and the second heat sink structure <NUM>, a modularized heat sink structure enables unlimited extension. The length can be adjusted according to the flexible light-emitting devices <NUM>. No extra process is required. Thereby, the design and fabrication of the heat sink structure can be reduced significantly.

Claim 1:
A heat sink structure (<NUM>, <NUM>), comprising:
a body (<NUM>, <NUM>) having a heat sink part (<NUM>, <NUM>) disposed below;
a hooking part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) including a first bending part (<NUM>) connected to one end of said body (<NUM>, <NUM>), the other end of said first bending part (<NUM>) extending downwards to form one end of a first extending part (<NUM>), and the other end of said first extending part (<NUM>) extending inwards and then upwards to form a hook (<NUM>); and
a fixing part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) disposed corresponding to said hooking part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) at the other end of said body (<NUM>,<NUM>) extending downwards to form one end of a second bending part (<NUM>) of said fixing part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the other end of said second bending part (<NUM>) extending downwards to form a second extending part (<NUM>),
characterized in that said second bending part of said fixing part includes a hole (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) passing through said second bending part (<NUM>);
wherein a width of said hole (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is corresponding to a width of said hooking part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), so that said hooking part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is capable of hooking into the hole (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the adjacent fixing part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of another heat sink structure (<NUM>, <NUM>),
and in that said heat sink part (<NUM>) further includes an extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) has a first bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), a second bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and a third bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), said first bending part (<NUM>) of said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) extends downwards to the second bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); said second bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) extends horizontally to said third bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and said third bending part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of said extension and bending mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) extends upwards.