Liquid-cooled-type cooling device

Abstract

A liquid-cooled-type cooling device includes a casing having a cooling-liquid flow channel. Fins are provided on an inner surface of a top wall of the casing. Each fin has a wavy shape on a horizontal plane perpendicular to a fin height direction. In a left fin of two adjacent fins, lines of intersection between the horizontal plane and right side surfaces of two slant portions connecting two adjacent wave crest portions and a wave trough portion therebetween intersect each other at a first point located on a first straight line. In a right fin, lines of intersection between the horizontal plane and left side surfaces of two slant portions connecting two adjacent wave trough portions and a wave crest portion therebetween intersect each other at a second point located on a second straight line. The first straight line is located on the right fin side of the second straight line.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a liquid-cooled-type cooling device which is applied to a semiconductor power converter of a vehicle or the like and which is adapted to cool a heat-generating body such as a semiconductor device.[0002]Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2007-201181 discloses a conventional liquid-cooled-type cooling device of the above-mentioned type. The conventional liquid-cooled-type cooling device includes a casing which has a top wall, a bottom wall, and a peripheral wall and on which a cooling-liquid inlet and a cooling-liquid outlet are formed, wherein a cooling-liquid flow channel is provided within the casing at a position between the cooling-liquid inlet and the cooling-liquid outlet. A heat-generating body is attached to an outer surface of the top or bottom wall of the casing. On an inner surface of a portion of the wall facing the cooling-liquid flow channel, a plurality of fins are provided such that they ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem and to provide a liquid-cooled-type cooling device which can improve cooling performance.

[0017]According to the liquid-cooled-type cooling device of par. 1), a plurality of fins projecting into the cooling-liquid flow channel and extending in a flow direction of cooling liquid within the cooling-liquid flow channel are provided on an inner surface of a portion of a wall selected from the top wall and the bottom wall of the casing onto which a heat-generating body is attached such that the heat-generating body is in contact with an outer surface of the selected wall, the potion of the selected wall facing the cooling-liquid flow channel, and the plurality of fins being spaced from one another in a width direction of the cooling-liquid flow channel; each of the fins has a wavy shape as viewed on a cross section taken along a horizontal plane perpendicular to a height direction of the fins, and has wave crest portions and wave trough portions alternately formed thereon; and the fins are configured and arranged such that the cooling liquid flows between two adjacent fins while meandering. Therefore, the cooling liquid becomes likely to flow along the wavy fins. Accordingly, the areas of the fins which effectively act for heat transmission increase effectively, whereby cooling performance can be improved.

[0018]According to the liquid-cooled-type cooling devices of pars. 2) to 7), a first fin of two adjacent fins is configured such that two lines of intersection formed between the horizontal plane and second-fin-side surfaces of two slant portions connecting two adjacent wave crest portions and a wave trough portion located therebetween intersect each other at a point located on a first straight line; a second fin of the two adjacent fins is configured such that two lines of intersection formed between the horizontal plane and first-fin-side surfaces of two slant portions connecting two adjacent wave trough portions and a wave crest portion located therebetween intersect each other at a point located on a second straight line; and the first straight line and the second straight line coincide with each other or the first straight line is located on a side toward the second fin in relation to the second straight line. Therefore, the cooling liquid flows between two adjacent fins while meandering. Accordingly, the cooling liquid becomes likely to flow along the wavy fins, and the areas of the fins which effectively act for heat transmission increase effectively, whereby cooling performance can be improved.

[0019]According to the liquid-cooled-type cooling device of par. 5), cooling performance can be improved maximally, while an increase in pressure loss produced when the cooling liquid flows between two adjacent fins is suppressed effectively.

[0020]According to the liquid-cooled-type cooling device of par. 6), catching of a foreign object between two adjacent fins can be prevented effectively.

[0021]According to the liquid-cooled-type cooling device of par. 7), the fins can be readily provided within the casing.

Problems solved by technology

Accordingly, the areas of the fins 40A and 40B which effectively act for heat transmission do not increase effectively, which limits the effect of improving cooling performance.

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