COOLING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

Abstract

The refrigeration device for electronic components features a plate that is equipped on both sides with heat exchanger elements (22), along whose surface two separate air stream paths are disposed, of which one guides external air and one internal air. The refrigeration device features two intakes (15, 16), which lie in one plane, that are in a flow connection with two separated chambers (19, 20). Furthermore the two chambers are in an air stream connection by means of guiding plates (25, 26) with channels (23, 24) on the upper- and lower side of the plate.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to German application 202008003516.3 filed 12 Mar. 2008.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a refrigeration device for electronic components according to the preamble of the patent claim 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Such a refrigeration device is known from DE 10 2004 030 675 A1. There a refrigeration installation is described for electronic components that feature a mounting plate to which electronic components are attached in heat-conducting contact. To the mounting plate several heat exchanger elements are attached. The mounting plate forms thereby the back wall of a switch box and is covered by means of a cover so that a flow channel forms that is located outside the interior space of the switch box and to which external air is guided by means of a blower. In the interior space an additional air stream can be generated along the mounting plate by means of convection or an additional blower.

Furthermore it is proposed there to utilize special heat exchanger elements such as they are described in DE 102 33 736.

These known refrigeration installations work in principle with an air/air heat exchange, whereby one assumes that the exterior air is colder than the interior air in the interior space of the switch box. As is well known, the heat exchange in a heat exchanger depends very significantly on the temperature difference of the media that are in heat exchange with one another. As a result the cooling performance of the known installations is not satisfactory in the case of high external temperatures.

As part of prior art active refrigeration installations that work according to the principle of a refrigerator with a compressor or with a Peltier element (compare U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,668) are therefore also already known As an example DE 10 2006 034 487 A1 describes a heat exchanger with Peltier elements that are on both sides in a heat-exchanging contact with heat releasing and heat absorbing elements, whereby respectively a fluid heating and a fluid cooling channel abuts against the heat releasing and heat absorbing elements.

Refrigeration installations with Peltier elements are also described in DE 10 2006 020 502 and 10 2006 020 503, DE 10 2006 020 499, DE 299 21 448 U1, and DE 203 01 232 U1.

The DE 201 05 487 U1 describes a refrigeration device with Peltier elements whereby a switch-over between individual cooling modes is possible, depending on the surrounding temperature, due to the fact that the Peltier elements can be switched either all in parallel, or group-wise or as a whole in series, whereby the cooling performance is controllable by simple means.

The DE 200 07 920 U1 describes a blower apparatus for a housing with Peltier elements whereby the air stream can be reversed in a selectable manner in order to switch between cooling and heating operation.

Peltier elements are obtainable today as flat platelets with heat-releasing and heat-absorbing side. Of a disadvantage is of course their consumption electrical energy and the problem that the efficiency or the cooling performance is temperature-dependent and diminishes with increasing temperature difference between heat-absorbing side and heat-releasing side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of the invention to improve the air conditioning device of the type referred to above insofar that it maintains the temperature of electronic components well within a prescribed temperature range over a large temperature range of the external temperature, that is features a high power density, is as compact as possible, and features a low consumption of electrical energy.

The problem is solved according to the characteristics indicated in patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and improvements of the invention can be deduced from the sub-claims.

The basic principle of the invention is to implement the refrigeration device as a compact device with Peltier elements that are provided on both sides with heat-exchanger elements, whereby the device features two air intakes and two air exhausts that are connected with two separated flow paths, of which one runs along one side of the Peltier element and one runs along on the other side of the Peltier element. The two intakes lie preferably parallel in one plane, whereby with each intake a ventilator is associated that guides the entering air from a intake space across guiding plates to the corresponding air stream path on the upper or lower side of the Peltier element.

The device is preferably adapted to norm switch boxes with 19 inch tracks and features a height of only one height unit, corresponding to 44.45 mm, a width of 448 mm, and a depth of 480 mm.

The device can work as a pure circulation installation that draws in the cool external air through slits or openings of a switch box and circulates it in the interior space of the switch box. If increased cooling performance is required the Peltier element can be switched into active mode and work thereby as an active chiller. The Peltier element can contain, taking the measures described above into account, up to 27 individual elements that each feature a power of 10 to 15 Watt per unit so that a cooling power of 270 to 405 Watt is possible.

In the case of the circulation operation mentioned first one of the ventilators can also be turned off.

In summary, one therefore obtains a hybrid refrigeration device of low installation height and high power density. By means of the two operation modes the consumption of electrical energy can be economized. The device can be installed in different directions in a switch box so that the cooling air can be blown out upward or downward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In what follows the invention is explained in more detail based on an embodiment example in connection with the drawing. It is shown:

FIG. 1, a perspective representation of a partially cut switch box with a refrigeration device according to the invention;

FIG. 2, a perspective, schematic representation of the refrigeration device according to the invention;

FIG. 3, a schematic top view of an opened refrigeration device according to the invention;

FIG. 4, a cut along the line A-A of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5, a cut along the line B-B of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 presents a conventional switch box 1 (without door) that features lateral tracks 2 and 3 for the sliding-in and retaining of electrical and electronic components, as well as vertical carriers 4, 5, 6, and 7, to which external walls are attached, whereby two of the carriers, in this case carriers 4 and 6, feature rows of boreholes 8 and 9 for the attachment of components to be slid in. On the carriers 6 and 7 corresponding rows of boreholes can also be provided.

The refrigeration device according to the invention is implemented as a slide-in element that is adapted to the dimensions of such norm switch box. It for example features the dimensions mentioned above if it is utilized in a 19 inch switch box. The refrigeration device in its entirety is labeled with the reference symbol 10. By means of two lateral flaps 11 and 12 that feature holes 13 and 14 it can be attached at the carriers 4 and 6 and the rows of boreholes there, whereby it is held to the tracks 2 and 3.

As can be discerned from FIG. 2, the refrigeration device features two intakes 15 and 16 that lie next to each other parallel in a plane and at which ventilators are disposed that are not represented, by means of which the external air is drawn into two separate chambers 19 and 20 corresponding to the arrows 17 and 18, whereby the two chambers 19 and 20 are separated from each other by means of partition 21.

Adjacent to the two chambers 19 and 20 is a Peltier plate disposed that contains a multitude of individual Peltier elements that are equipped on both sides with heat exchanger elements. The Peltier plate 22 is disposed in the middle of height H and divides in its area the refrigeration device into a first channel 23 and second channel 24. The channel 23 is connected with the space 19, whereby the guiding plate 25 in connection with the partition 21 assures that the air entering by means of the opening 15 enters only into the first channel 23. In a corresponding manner the second space 20 is connected by means of a guiding plate 26 with the channel 24 so that air that is drawn in by means of the intake 16 streams only through the channel 24.

The first channel 23 ends at an exhaust opening 27 facing the front while the second channel 24 ends at one or several exhaust openings 28 that are provided at an upper or lower side of the refrigeration device depending on the installation location. In other words the device can be installed in such a manner that the cooling air is blown out upward or downward. The exhaust opening 18 can extend over the entire breadth of the device. It can however also feature other dimensions and thereby blow cooling air better aimed and in a more concentrated manner at predetermined locations.

The exhaust 27 is aligned during installation in the refrigeration device in a switch box according to FIG. 1 with an opening 29 in a back wall 30, while the opening 28 of the second channel 24 is aligned toward the interior space of the switch box 1.

The Peltier plate 22 features during active Peltier operation a hot side and a cold side. During active cooling operation the electrical voltage is applied to the Peltier elements in such a manner that the hot side points to channel 23 and the cold side to channel 24.

The device can be operated, as mentioned, in two modes of operation. In the first mode of operation it works as pure air circulation. In so doing the ventilator at the intake 15 can be switched off and only the ventilator at intake 16 can be operated. Air is then drawn, corresponding to the arrows 18 at the intake 16, into the chamber 20 and blown by means of the channel 24 to the exhaust 28. In so doing external air is drawn in through slits and other openings of the switch box and blown by conventional means into the interior space where it can flow out through openings that are not represented.

If the temperature of the external air is so high that sufficient cooling cannot be attained, the Peltier plate 22 or its Peltier elements are switched to active mode and the ventilator at the intake 15 is switched on. The air drawn in by means of the intake 16 passes corresponding to the arrows 18 across the actively cooled side of the Peltier plate 22 in the channel 24 and is blown out at the exhaust 28. The air drawn in by means of the intake 15 flows along the arrows 17 on the hot side of the Peltier plate 22 and discharges the heat there by means of the exhaust opening 27, whereby this air is transported to the outside by means of the opening 29 on the backwall 30 of the switch box.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the partially opened refrigeration device, whereby here also the ventilators have been left off. One recognizes the two openings 15 and 16 to the chambers 19 and 29, the partition 21 that separates the two chambers 19 and 20, and the guiding plates 25 and 26 that guide the respective air streams 17 and 18 (compare FIGS. 4 and 5) onto the two sides of the Peltier plate 22. One furthermore sees the exhaust opening 28 of the channel 24.

FIG. 4 presents a cut along the line A-A that indicates more clearly how the air stream gets along the arrows 18 from the intake 16 by means of the first ventilator 32 into the chamber 20 and the guiding plate 26 into the channel 24 and from there to exhaust opening 28. Correspondingly FIG. 5 shows in a cut along the line B-B the air stream along the arrows 17, by means of the intake 15, a second ventilator 33, the chamber 19 and the channel 23 to the exhaust opening 27 along the other side of the Peltier plate 22.

Claims

1. Refrigeration device for electronic components with a plate that is equipped on both sides with heat exchanger elements, along whose surface two separate air stream paths are disposed, of which one guides external air and one internal air, characterized in that the refrigeration device features two intakes, which lie in one plane, that are in a flow connection with two separated chambers,that the two chambers are in a flow con-nection by means of guiding plates with channels on the upper- and lower side of the plate,that the plate features at least one Peltier element.

2. Refrigeration device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is adapted in regard to its outer dimensions as a slide-in for a norm switch box with a norm height unit.

3. Refrigeration device according to claim 1, characterized in that a channel is connected with an exhaust opening on the front face and the other channel is in a flow connection with an exhaust opening disposed on an upper- or lower side of the device.

4. Refrigeration device according to claim 3, characterized in that the other channel has its exhaust opening aligned upward or downward depending on the installation location of the refrigeration device.

5. Refrigeration device according to claim 2, characterized in that a channel is connected with an exhaust opening on the front face and the other channel is in a flow connection with an exhaust opening disposed on an upper- or lower side of the device.

6. Refrigeration device according to claim 5, characterized in that the other channel has its exhaust opening aligned upward or downward depending on the installation location of the refrigeration device.