A phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system and method for a high power density PXIe controller

Abstract

This invention discloses a phase-change uniform temperature heat dissipation system and method for high-power-density PXIe controllers, belonging to the field of electronic device heat dissipation technology. This invention achieves efficient heat absorption by closely attaching a copper heat-conducting component to the power device. A composite heat-conducting pipe embedded in the top of a heat-conducting plate facilitates rapid heat diffusion and uniform temperature distribution on the plate. Furthermore, a heat dissipation fin assembly welded to the top of the heat-conducting plate, in conjunction with an adjustable-speed fan located at the air duct inlet, forces heat dissipation through convection. Simultaneously, a health management module collects the temperature of the power device in real time and intelligently adjusts the fan speed based on a predictive model and a preset objective function. This invention, through the organic combination of "phase-change uniform temperature distribution" and "intelligent control," achieves efficient heat conduction, uniform distribution, and precise heat dissipation within a limited space, improving the overall performance and intelligence level of the heat dissipation system and ensuring the long-term stable and reliable operation of the high-power-density PXIe controller under complex operating conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heat dissipation technology for electronic devices, and more specifically to a phase change heat dissipation system and method for high power density PXIe controllers. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, PXIe bus controllers, as the core control unit of modular test systems, are developing towards high computing power and high bandwidth. Mainstream products are mostly equipped with multi-core high-performance processors and matching bridge chips, and must strictly follow the 3U PXIe bus specification to achieve a compact design with 4 slots. At the same time, the requirement of fully domestically produced hardware architecture further improves its integration and power density, with a single module thermal power of up to 280W, which puts higher demands on the efficiency and adaptability of the heat dissipation system. Meanwhile, the speed control of cooling fans mostly adopts traditional PID algorithms, which have become a common choice in industrial control scenarios due to their simple structure and easy parameter adjustment.

[0003] However, the compact structure of the 3U PXIe bus specification allows the controller to only achieve single-sided, single-plane heat dissipation. Traditional air-cooling methods tend to cause localized heat accumulation at core power devices such as the processor and bridge chips, failing to achieve rapid and uniform dissipation of high-power heat. This can easily lead to overheating of devices, triggering thermal protection and severely affecting system stability. At the same time, traditional PID control is based on a linear time-invariant system design. After parameter tuning, it cannot adapt to dynamic load changes in the controller, resulting in defects such as response lag, speed overshoot, and large fluctuations. Not only is the timeliness of heat dissipation response insufficient, but it also causes problems such as high fan energy consumption and high operating noise. Furthermore, the integral term of PID can easily reduce the system response speed, and the sensitivity of the derivative term to high-frequency noise further weakens the accuracy of speed control, making it difficult to meet the fine heat dissipation control requirements of high-power-density PXIe controllers.

[0004] Therefore, how to propose a phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system and method for high power density PXIe controllers to achieve efficient uniform temperature heat dissipation of high power heat in a compact space, while taking into account responsiveness, energy saving and low noise, so as to ensure the long-term stable and reliable operation of PXIe controllers under high load is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a phase change temperature equalization heat dissipation system and method for high power density PXIe controllers. To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: On one hand, the present invention proposes a phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system for high power density PXIe controllers, including a heat-conducting plate, a copper heat-conducting component, a heat dissipation fin assembly, an adjustable speed fan, and a health management module; The copper thermal conductive component is disposed on the bottom surface of the thermal conductive plate and is in close contact with the power devices of the high power density PXIe controller; The top of the heat-conducting plate is inlaid with a composite heat-conducting pipe, which is arranged in an S-shape. The heat dissipation fins are welded to the top surface of the heat-conducting plate; The adjustable speed fan is located at the air duct inlet of the heat dissipation fin assembly; The health management module is used to acquire the temperature of the power device and adjust the speed of the adjustable fan according to the temperature.

[0006] Preferably, thermally conductive silicone grease is used to fill the gap between the copper thermally conductive component and the power device.

[0007] Preferably, the health management module is based on an MCU, obtains the temperature of the power device through the I2C bus, and adjusts the speed of the adjustable fan through a PWM signal.

[0008] On the other hand, the present invention also proposes a phase change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for high power density PXIe controllers, comprising the following steps: The heat generated by the power devices is conducted to the heat-conducting plate through the copper thermal conductive component; The composite heat pipe enables rapid heat diffusion and uniform temperature distribution on the heat-conducting plate. The heat from the heat-conducting plate is transferred to the heat dissipation fin assembly, and the adjustable-speed fan generates forced convection airflow to dissipate the heat. The health management module collects the temperature of power devices in real time, predicts the temperature change trend based on the prediction model, and solves the optimal fan speed according to the preset objective function. The speed of the adjustable fan is then adjusted through the PWM signal.

[0009] Preferably, the effective heat dissipation area A of the heat dissipation fin assembly is determined by the following formula: ; In the formula, The total heat dissipation power is given by h, where h is the convective heat transfer coefficient. This refers to the temperature difference between the surface of the heat dissipation fin assembly and the cooling medium.

[0010] Preferably, the prediction model is a machine learning-based prediction model, which is trained using historical operating data.

[0011] Preferably, the preset objective function The formula is as follows: ; In the formula, The predicted temperature is obtained based on the prediction model. For the target temperature, This refers to the fan speed. , , These are preset weighting coefficients.

[0012] As can be seen from the above technical solution, compared with the prior art, the present invention discloses a phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system and method for high power density PXIe controllers. Through the synergistic cooperation of heat-conducting plates, copper heat-conducting components, composite heat-conducting pipes, heat dissipation fins, adjustable-speed fans, and a health management module, the system relies on the efficient heat conduction of copper heat-conducting components, the uniform heat diffusion of composite heat-conducting pipes, and the heat dissipation fins combined with adjustable-speed fans to enhance convective heat dissipation. Furthermore, the health management module, combined with predictive models and objective functions, achieves precise and intelligent control of fan speed, thus constructing an integrated, efficient, and energy-saving phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system. This improves the uniformity of heat dissipation, the accuracy of temperature control, and the heat dissipation efficiency, and can stably adapt to the heat dissipation requirements of high power density PXIe controllers, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the controller. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the PXIe bus controller structure.

[0015] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of heat dissipation component design; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the heat dissipation fins; Figure 4 and Figure 5 These are schematic diagrams comparing the fan speed control curves before and after weight parameter optimization. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the location of the heat dissipation components; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the airflow path for the heat dissipation components; Figure 8 A simplified schematic diagram of the heat dissipation model; Figure 9 A simplified simulation diagram of the heat dissipation model; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the airflow direction for heat dissipation. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] The PXIe bus controller is designed according to the 3U PXIe specification, with a 4-slot width, and uses a PXIe chassis power supply. It provides a PCIe bus communication interface and PXI system triggering via the PXIe bus interface. The front panel design includes external electrical interfaces such as a DP display interface, a VGA display interface (DB15), a Gigabit network communication interface (RJ45, 2 channels), USB 2.0 interfaces (2 channels), USB 3.0 interfaces (2 channels), an RS232 serial communication interface (DB9, 1 channel), PXI bus trigger input / output interfaces (2 channels, SMB), a power indicator, a reset button, and an auxiliary power interface.

[0018] The PXIe bus controller hardware is mainly divided into processor units, memory units, and interface conversion units. The product adopts an Eurocard architecture, with each unit using a stacked design. Units are connected via board-to-board connectors. Figure 1 As shown.

[0019] The front (A-side) of the PXIe bus controller is designed for heat dissipation, housing a custom-designed heatsink. The rear (B-side) is the bottom of the interface circuitry unit, housing the mSATA hard drive. The PXIe bus interface is Gen3×16, using two differential connectors to interface with the chassis's PXIe system slots. All electrical interfaces are routed through the front panel and do not use standard electrical connectors, allowing direct connection to corresponding peripherals. The front panel is four slots wide and includes a standard puller and chassis slot-locking screws to prevent loosening.

[0020] Side A is the top surface of the processor unit. The processor, bridge chip, and power ICs are designed and planned on the top surface to facilitate the design and planning of heat dissipation components for active cooling. The memory unit is designed and planned between the processor unit and the interface circuit unit. A certain installation gap is designed between the three circuit boards. When the bus controller is inserted into the PXIe system slot, passive cooling is achieved by using the Euclid structure to conduct airflow.

[0021] According to the PXIe hardware specification, the PXIe bus controller is designed as a 3U PXIe Eurocard architecture to fully utilize the convection cooling system of each slot in the PXIe chassis for heat dissipation. The prerequisite for utilizing the PXIe chassis cooling system for convection cooling is that the heat from the power devices must be dissipated quickly and evenly to the surface of the power device's heatsink. The heat is then carried away by the airflow convection within the PXIe chassis's cooling channels to achieve thermal equilibrium for the power devices. When the heat from the power devices cannot be effectively transferred to the heatsink surface, or when the heatsink surface cannot be sufficiently dissipated, heat can easily accumulate on the heatsink, causing the device temperature to rise continuously, triggering thermal protection, and resulting in the product stopping operation due to overheating, leading to system crashes.

[0022] The PXIe bus controller employs a "conduction + air cooling" heat dissipation design. A comprehensive heatsink is planned on the A-side to rapidly dissipate heat from power devices such as the processor, bridge chip, and power IC to the heatsink, achieving thermal equilibrium. Convection cooling from the PXIe chassis system slots further dissipates heat from the heatsink. An auxiliary cooling system is also included in the PXIe bus controller design. When the PXIe chassis system slot's cooling capacity is insufficient, the auxiliary cooling system is activated to ensure the controller does not cease operation due to overheating.

[0023] On one hand, embodiments of the present invention disclose a phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system for a high power density PXIe controller, including a heat-conducting plate, a copper heat-conducting component, a heat dissipation fin assembly, an adjustable speed fan, and a health management module; A copper thermally conductive component is positioned on the bottom surface of the heatsink plate, in close contact with the power devices of the high-power-density PXIe controller. In this embodiment, the heatsink plate is designed and constructed of steel, while the thermally conductive component is designed and constructed of copper to reduce the weight of the heat dissipation components. The copper thermally conductive component is embedded in the steel-based heatsink plate, in close contact with the power devices, and the gap between the thermally conductive component and the power devices is filled with thermal grease. This gap is designed to be less than 1mm to ensure that the heat from the power devices can be fully and quickly conducted to the heatsink plate. Figure 2 As shown.

[0024] A composite heat pipe is embedded in the top of the heat-conducting plate, arranged in an S-shape. To ensure rapid thermal equilibrium, the composite heat pipe is designed and planned on the top surface of the heat-conducting plate. A groove is cut into the top surface of the heat-conducting plate to embed the composite heat pipe, fully utilizing the "phase change latent heat + capillary circulation" technology of the composite heat pipe—that is, liquid evaporation heat absorption, gas condensation heat dissipation, and capillary force driving the working cycle—to efficiently transfer heat from the heat source to the cold source, quickly achieving thermal equilibrium of the heat-conducting plate. The number of composite heat pipes can be designed and planned according to the layout of power devices. Since the main heat source is the processor, 2 to 3 pipes can be planned, arranged in an "S" shape.

[0025] The heat dissipation fins are welded to the top surface of the heat-conducting plate; heat dissipation fins are designed and planned on the heat-conducting plate to increase the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat-conducting plate.

[0026] To ensure that the PXIe bus controller's heat dissipation capacity meets its long-term reliable operation requirements, this embodiment further incorporates an auxiliary cooling system. The auxiliary cooling system employs a 12V DC adjustable fan, powered by the interface power supply unit, with its speed adjusted by the health management module based on the ambient temperature.

[0027] The adjustable speed fan is located at the air duct inlet of the heat dissipation fin assembly; The health management module is used to acquire the temperature of the power devices and adjust the speed of the adjustable fan according to the temperature.

[0028] Preferably, the health management module is based on an MCU, which obtains the temperature of the power devices through the I2C bus and adjusts the speed of the adjustable fan through a PWM signal.

[0029] On the other hand, the present invention also proposes a phase change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for high power density PXIe controllers, comprising the following steps: S1. The heat generated by the power device is conducted to the heat-conducting plate through the copper heat-conducting component; S2. Rapid heat diffusion and uniform temperature distribution on the heat-conducting plate are achieved through composite heat pipes; S3. The heat from the heat-conducting plate is transferred to the heat dissipation fin assembly, and the adjustable-speed fan generates forced convection airflow to dissipate the heat.

[0030] The effective heat dissipation area A of the heat sink fin assembly is determined by the following formula (Newton's law of cooling): ; In the formula, The total heat dissipation power is given by h, where h is the convective heat transfer coefficient. This refers to the temperature difference between the surface of the heat dissipation fin assembly and the cooling medium.

[0031] According to the above formula, heat dissipation power is directly proportional to the effective heat dissipation area. Increasing the heat dissipation area can effectively improve the heat dissipation power, that is, the system's heat dissipation capacity. The heat dissipation area is the area that can effectively transfer heat in direct contact with the cooling medium. The PXIe bus controller is plugged into the PXIe chassis system slot, and the cooling medium is air. Heat dissipation fins are planned and designed in the heat dissipation components to increase the heat dissipation area.

[0032] h reflects the efficiency of heat transfer between the surface of the heat dissipation component and the cooling medium. The larger h is, the faster the heat dissipation is under the same area and temperature difference. It is mainly determined by the cooling medium and the flow state. When using natural convection air cooling, the surface heat transfer coefficient is between 5 and 25. When using forced convection air cooling, the surface heat transfer coefficient is between 25 and 250. The PXIe bus controller is plugged into the PXIe chassis system slot and uses forced convection air cooling. Its surface heat transfer coefficient is between 25 and 250, which is related to the design of the PXIe chassis cooling system. Typical surface heat transfer coefficients can be used for design planning.

[0033] Under normal circumstances, the surface temperature of a computing processor should not exceed 85°C, and the junction temperature of a server-grade processor should not exceed 95°C. The value is generally between 30 and 40, but for PXIe bus controllers, 35 can be used for design planning.

[0034] The PXIe bus controller is designed using the 3U PXIe bus specification. The maximum board size is 160mm × 100mm. After deducting the PXIe chassis rail slot size, the maximum height of the heatsink is 95mm. The PXIe bus controller uses a 4-slot design, with a maximum width of: 20.32 × 4 = 81.28 (mm) After deducting the thickness of the stacked circuit boards and the heatsink, the maximum thickness of the heat dissipation component can be designed and planned at 40mm. The maximum area of ​​a single heatsink fin is: 95 × 40 = 380 (mm²) The power of the PXIe bus controller does not exceed 280W. Based on Newton's law of cooling, the heat dissipation area design plan is shown in Table 1.

[0035] Table 1 Heatsink Fin Design Plan

[0036] As shown in Table 1, the PXIe bus controller is designed with at least 43 heatsink fins, and the design uses a one-piece corrugated heatsink. Figure 3 As shown.

[0037] In this embodiment, the corrugated heat sink can be connected to the heat-conducting plate by welding.

[0038] S4. The health management module collects the temperature of power devices in real time, predicts the temperature change trend based on the prediction model, solves the optimal fan speed according to the preset objective function, and adjusts the speed of the adjustable fan through the PWM signal.

[0039] This embodiment employs a hybrid framework integrating supervised learning and model predictive control to achieve a fan speed control strategy that prioritizes performance, user experience, and energy efficiency. This ensures the processor temperature does not exceed the limit, the fan speed curve is as smooth as possible, noise caused by sudden speed changes is reduced, and the fan operates at the minimum necessary speed while meeting heat dissipation requirements, thus saving energy. A preset objective function is used. The formula is as follows: ; In the formula, Penalize the deviation between the predicted temperature and the target temperature.

[0040] Punishing high fan speeds is designed to reduce energy consumption and noise.

[0041] This penalizes drastic changes in fan speed, aiming to smooth the speed curve and improve the user experience.

[0042] , , Preset weighting coefficients require adjustment and trade-offs. For example, increasing them is necessary to achieve optimal heat dissipation. To achieve quiet operation, increase... and .

[0043] Simulation results show that the proposed wind turbine speed control algorithm based on predictive model (ML) has significant advantages over traditional control methods (PID) in terms of response speed, overshoot suppression, noise smoothing, and energy efficiency, achieving predictive intelligent control, such as... Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the predictive model control method produces a smoother fan speed adjustment compared to the PID control method, and its speed regulation response is more timely when processor temperature and utilization increase. Through optimization... , , With equal weighting coefficients, the fan speed control becomes smoother.

[0044] During the speed regulation design process, parameters are continuously optimized or the speed regulation control algorithm is improved: in the initial stage, the fan runs at a low speed to save energy; in the heating stage, the fan speed is gradually increased; in the over-temperature stage, the fan runs at a high speed to cool down quickly; in the stable stage, the fan runs at a stable speed to ensure heat dissipation and save energy.

[0045] In practical implementation, the operating temperature range is 0–50℃. The metal structure of the product is made of lightweight, heat-dissipating aluminum alloy. The heat dissipation components consist of heat sinks, cooling fans, etc. The processor, bridge fins, and other heat sinks are attached to the heat dissipation components via structural bosses to ensure tight contact with the heat-generating core on the circuit board. Figure 6 As shown.

[0046] The main heat sources of the PXIe bus controller are the processor and the bridge chip. The processor's TDP thermal power consumption is 200W, and the bridge chip's TDP thermal power consumption is 15W. Based on a maximum power of 280W, the total thermal power consumption of other components is estimated to be 65W.

[0047] The PXIe bus controller has a 3U, 4-slot design, uses a PXIe chassis for power supply, and utilizes the chassis and product's Euro-K architecture for heat dissipation, i.e., a through-flow airflow that runs vertically. Figure 7 As shown.

[0048] The product's heat dissipation structure model was simplified by removing complex structures, secondary components such as external interconnects and connectors, and devices that generate significant heat. The motherboard does not rely on the housing structure for heat conduction; therefore, the housing can be simplified to a thin-walled cavity with appropriate ventilation holes. The cooling fan uses a software-built-in fan module, with parameters set according to the fan curve. The simplified overall size is 135mm. 298mm 54mm, as the final size for equipment simulation analysis, such as Figure 8 As shown.

[0049] The heat sink fins are made of 5052 aluminum, and the outer casing is made of 6061 aluminum alloy. The mesh is divided according to the model dimensions and refined accordingly to optimize the thermal design simulation analysis. Based on the design inputs and preprocessing, the corresponding boundary conditions are set, as shown in Table 2.

[0050] Table 2 Boundary conditions for the heat dissipation model

[0051] The ambient temperature is set to 50℃, and the heat dissipation simulation analysis structure is as follows: Figure 9 , Figure 10 As shown.

[0052] Based on simulation analysis, the processor temperature in this embodiment did not exceed 80°C under full-power operation, which is within its safe operating range. The airflow direction for heat dissipation conforms to the design. There is a slight vortex phenomenon at the air inlet, which will not affect the heat dissipation of the product. The air vortex can be reduced and the heat dissipation efficiency improved by increasing the internal circulation airflow management measures.

[0053] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0054] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system for a high power density PXIe controller, characterized in that, Includes heat-conducting plate, copper heat-conducting components, heat dissipation fin assembly, adjustable speed fan and health management module; The copper thermal conductive component is disposed on the bottom surface of the thermal conductive plate and is in close contact with the power devices of the high power density PXIe controller; The top of the heat-conducting plate is inlaid with a composite heat-conducting pipe, which is arranged in an S-shape. The heat dissipation fins are welded to the top surface of the heat-conducting plate; The adjustable speed fan is located at the air duct inlet of the heat dissipation fin assembly; The health management module is used to acquire the temperature of the power device and adjust the speed of the adjustable fan according to the temperature.

2. The phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system for a high power density PXIe controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, Thermal grease is used to fill the gap between the copper thermally conductive component and the power device.

3. The phase change uniform temperature heat dissipation system for a high power density PXIe controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The health management module is based on an MCU, which obtains the temperature of the power device through the I2C bus and adjusts the speed of the adjustable fan through a PWM signal.

4. A phase-change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for high power density PXIe controllers, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The heat generated by the power devices is conducted to the heat-conducting plate through the copper thermal conductive component; The composite heat pipe enables rapid heat diffusion and uniform temperature distribution on the heat-conducting plate. The heat from the heat-conducting plate is transferred to the heat dissipation fin assembly, and the adjustable-speed fan generates forced convection airflow to dissipate the heat. The health management module collects the temperature of power devices in real time, predicts the temperature change trend based on the prediction model, and solves the optimal fan speed according to the preset objective function. The speed of the adjustable fan is then adjusted through the PWM signal.

5. A phase-change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for a high power density PXIe controller according to claim 4, characterized in that, The effective heat dissipation area A of the heat dissipation fin assembly is determined by the following formula: ； In the formula, The total heat dissipation power is given by h, where h is the convective heat transfer coefficient. This refers to the temperature difference between the surface of the heat dissipation fin assembly and the cooling medium.

6. The phase change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for a high power density PXIe controller according to claim 4, characterized in that, The prediction model is a machine learning-based prediction model, trained using historical operating data.

7. A phase-change temperature equalization heat dissipation method for a high power density PXIe controller according to claim 4, characterized in that, The preset objective function The formula is as follows: ； In the formula, The predicted temperature is obtained based on the prediction model. For the target temperature, This refers to the fan speed. , , These are preset weighting coefficients.

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