Patent 7866852 was granted and assigned to Texas Instruments on January, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
According to certain embodiments, an apparatus for cooling light emitting diodes (LEDs) in projectors includes one or more first LEDs, one or more first heat sinks, one or more second LEDs, and one or more second heat sinks. The first LEDs are configured to generate light, and each first LED has a first desired junction temperature. The first heat sinks are configured to dissipate heat generated by the first LEDs. The second LEDs are configured to generate light, and each second LED has a second desired junction temperature that is higher than the first desired junction temperature. The second heat sinks are configured to dissipate heat generated by the one or more second LEDs. A cooling fan directs air flow over the first heat sinks and the second heat sinks, and an exhaust vent enables the air flow over the first heat sinks and the second heat sinks.