Research on thermal characteristics of LED vehicle light module

Owing to numerous advantages of high luminous efficiency, good monochromaticity, and rich colors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used in vehicle lighting. However, the enclosed operation environment has brought a high temperature scenario for LED vehicle lights (LED-VLs) during operation. This results in the reduction of luminous efficiency and lifespan. It is of great importance to achieve excellent thermal management for the LED-VL by reducing its operation temperature to guarantee long-term and stable operation. In this study, a vapor chamber (VC) was proposed to achieve effective thermal management for a LED-VL module by significantly reducing the temperature of LEDs. The temperature characteristics of a LED-VL module without VC were investigated by combining simulation and experimental verification. The effectiveness of using VC for thermal management of a LED-VL module was validated. Results indicate that the LED unit exhibits a high temperature of 73.7 °C, which is in good agreement with the testing data. This study verifies that the introduction of VC can help reduce the temperature of the LED-VL module for practical use.