Patent Application
20070023168
The right of foreign priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. ยง 119(a) based on Federal Republic of Germany Application No. 10 2005 034 998.6, filed Jul. 27, 2005, the entire contents of which, including the specification, drawings, claims and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an apparatus for cooling electronic components, of the type comprising plate-like parts which form a flow duct through which a liquid coolant can flow.
A known cooling device of this type is disclosed in commonly assigned DE 41 31 739 A1, for use in cooling electrical components. This device essentially comprises two plate-like parts, a base plate and a cover plate, which enclose a cavity through which a liquid coolant can flow. In order to improve the heat transfer, a turbulence insert is arranged in the cavity that acts as a flow duct. The electrical components are arranged on the base plate in a thermally conductive manner and dissipate their heat loss to the coolant via the base plate. Production of the known cooling device entails relatively high costs, since the cavity is produced by machining (milling) the base plate and is sealed by means of a cover plate which is screwed to the base plate. In addition, depending on the arrangement and respective power loss of the electronic components, a non-uniform introduction of heat may result for the base plate, which may result in different temperatures (non-uniform temperature distribution) and also in so-called hot spots. It is not possible to effectively cool the electronic components under these circumstances.
DE 199 11 205 A1 discloses a cooling apparatus for electronic components, the apparatus having two plate-like parts, a metal plate and a plastic box, which form a flow duct that runs in the form of a U. To this end, the plastic box has a separating web which subdivides the entire cavity between the two plates into two subspaces with a deflection element. Although this design achieves improved cooling, the same disadvantages also result in this case regarding the production costs and localized overheating when the electronic components introduce heat non-uniformly.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for cooling electronic components, in particular a more efficient apparatus and one with reduced production costs and reduced installation space.
Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a method for producing the improved cooling apparatus according to the invention.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for cooling electronic components, comprising: first and second plate-like parts that are in a stacked configuration to define a heat exchanger body having a top surface formed by the first plate-like part and a bottom surface formed by the second plate-like part; at least one plate-like frame element having at least one cutout arranged in the stacked configuration between the plate-like parts, wherein the at least one cutout defines a flow duct through which a liquid coolant can flow; and a mounting area for at least one electronic component located on at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for producing an apparatus for cooling electronic components, comprising: stacking first and second plate-like parts in a stacked configuration having a top surface formed by the first plate-like part and a bottom surface formed by the second plate-like part, wherein a mounting area for at least one electronic component is located on at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface; positioning at least one plate-like frame element having at least one cutout in the stacked configuration between the plate-like parts, wherein the at least one cutout defines a flow duct through which a liquid coolant can flow; and bonding the stacked configuration together.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments that follows, when considered together with the accompanying figures of drawing.
In the drawings:
The invention provides for at least one plate-like frame element having cutouts arranged between the plate-like parts, the cutouts forming sections of a flow duct. The cutouts are thus connected to one another on the coolant side, it being possible for the cutouts to be connected in series and/or in parallel with one another. In principle, the cutouts have any desired shape and are matched, in terms of shape and arrangement, to the electronic components that are arranged on the cooling apparatus. Turbulence inserts that are positioned through the cutouts and improve the heat transfer to the coolant can optionally and advantageously be arranged in the cutouts. The plate-like frame element and the plate-like parts are preferably connected to one another by means of brazing or soldering, whereby plate-like carriers for brazing material are preferably used for this purpose. The advantageous feature of this design is the simple structure which is achieved by stacking and brazing/soldering plate-like parts. There is thus no need for any screwed joint and/or mechanical seals between the plates.
According to one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cutouts are produced in the plate-like frame element by laser cutting or water jet cutting. This has the advantage that, on the one hand, any desired contours can be produced for the cutouts, i.e., the flow ducts, and, on the other hand, clean (non-cutting) and cost-effective manufacture is achieved. The inventive frame element can be produced in any desired wall thickness, which also corresponds to the height of the turbulence inserts, which is most preferably made from a cost-effective semi-finished material. It is also possible to use a plurality of identical frame elements which are stacked on top of one another in order to achieve a greater flow duct height.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame element has next to it an intermediate element having one or more recesses that are used as distributor or collecting ducts for the flow ducts in the frame element. This intermediate plate makes it possible to improve the inflow and outflow of the coolant and to keep the flow velocity of the coolant low, to avoid excessively high flow velocities. The intermediate element is connected to the frame element and to the plate-like parts by a material joint, preferably by means of brazing/soldering. The cutouts for the distributor and/or collecting ducts may preferably also be produced by means of laser cutting and/or water jet cutting.
According to another preferred aspect of the invention, in addition to the first frame element, a second frame element having corresponding cutouts is provided, thus creating additional flow ducts for the coolant and thus providing additional cooling capacity, e.g., on both sides of the stacked configuration.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, both sides (top side and underside) of the cooling apparatus may be in the form of cooling areas and may be fitted with the electronic components. The advantage of increased cooling capacity in conjunction with a small installation space is thus achieved.
Turning now to the drawings,
Between the recesses 9, 10, 11, the frame element 8 has webs 8a, 8b in which positioning openings 15, 16 are arranged. The positioning openings, as also shown in
The plate-like intermediate element 18 has two cutouts 18a, 18b, as well as further corresponding or similar cutouts on the opposite side (which cannot be seen in the drawing) that are used as collecting and distributor ducts for the coolant. The coolant preferably flows through the cooling plate 1 as follows. The liquid coolant enters via the coolant connection 6 and passes, via the bore 6a in the base plate 17, into the distribution cutout 18a, from which it enters the two flow duct sections 9, 10 and flows through the latter in a parallel manner. The coolant flow is then combined (which cannot be seen in the drawing) and is supplied to the third flow duct section 11. The coolant enters the collecting cutout 18b of the intermediate element 18 from the cutout 11 of the frame element 8 and then passes into the coolant exit 7 via the exit bore 7a in the base plate 17. Differing from the exemplary embodiment illustrated and described, other flow patterns through the cooling plate 1, in particular the frame element 8, are possible. For example, the coolant can flow through all three sections in succession or in a parallel manner. In addition, the shape and number of the sections may be varied and thus adapted to the respective pattern and/or capacity of electrical components that are to be carried by the cooling apparatus.
The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible and/or would be apparent in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and that the claims encompass all embodiments of the invention, including the disclosed embodiments and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2005 034 998.6 | Jul 2005 | DE | national |
