Thermal regulation device for electronic systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal control device (1) for an electronic system comprising a box (2) configured to house electrical and / or electronic components (4), the box (2) having a bottom wall (21) and a pair of opposite side walls (22) defining an inner enclosure (3) able to house the electrical and / or electronic components (4), the outer surfaces (220) of the side walls (22) being defined as those surfaces facing away from the inner enclosure (3), the box (2) comprising at least one thermal control fluid supply element (5) and at least one thermal control fluid discharge element (6). According to the invention, the supply element (5) and the discharge element (6) are arranged at different distances from the bottom wall (21) on the side walls (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thermal control devices for electrical or electronic components, and more specifically, to a thermal control device for an electronic system equipped with electrical and / or electronic components capable of generating heat during operation.

[0002] The electronic systems involved in this invention may include computer servers and energy storage systems for motor vehicles, especially energy storage systems for hybrid or electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0003] The electric drive system of this type of vehicle includes electronic systems, which can take the form of batteries, and undergo continuous charging and discharging phases, requiring thermal control to protect the components they comprise. When these electronic systems generate heat, such as during fast charging, it is important to be able to cool them quickly and effectively to maintain their efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, thermal control devices can be associated with these batteries to change the battery temperature, for example, by increasing its temperature during vehicle startup in cold weather, or by decreasing the battery temperature during driving or during the charging process, as the battery tends to generate heat during use.

[0005] Typically, such thermal control devices for batteries utilize heat exchangers. Specifically, different battery cells in an electrical storage system can be cooled via cooling plates through which thermal control fluid flows, and the cooling plates contact the battery cells to be cooled. It has been found that such heat exchangers can lead to uneven cooling of the batteries within the same electrical storage system, resulting in a degraded overall performance of the system. These thermal control devices also exhibit high thermal resistance due to the thickness of the material between the thermal control fluid and the battery cells.

[0006] To address these various issues, devices for cooling battery elements in electric or hybrid vehicles are known. These devices include a hermetically sealed housing in which the battery elements of an energy storage system are partially immersed in a dielectric thermal control fluid. This ensures heat exchange between the battery elements and the dielectric fluid, with a dielectric fluid container located outside the housing and connected to it via a pump to allow the dielectric fluid to flow and to replace the dielectric thermal control fluid within the housing. Thus, the dielectric thermal control fluid, which begins to move and be cooled before returning to the housing, can also circulate around the energy storage cells within the housing. However, it should be noted that when the cooled dielectric fluid begins to move via the pump, the storage cells furthest from the dielectric fluid inlet of the housing are cooled less effectively through heat exchange with the dielectric fluid compared to those closest to the inlet, resulting in uneven cooling of the electrical or electronic components.

[0007] To facilitate the flow of dielectric thermal control fluid, it is known to associate supply and discharge elements with the housing, which are fluidly connected inside the housing and form protrusions on the housing wall. Therefore, these supply and discharge elements must be considered within the overall size of each thermal control device, whether for storage considerations such as during transport, or for optimizing the size of the electronic system when it requires a large number of electrical and / or electronic components and thus multiple thermal control devices. These supply and discharge elements are particularly detrimental in terms of overall size when multiple thermal control devices need to be arranged side-by-side. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention falls within this scope by providing a thermal control device for an electronic system comprising a housing configured to house electrical and / or electronic components of the electronic system, the housing having a bottom wall and a pair of opposing side walls defining an inner housing capable of housing the electrical and / or electronic components, the outer surfaces of these side walls being defined as surfaces opposing the inner housing, the housing including at least one thermal control fluid supply element and at least one thermal control fluid discharge element communicating with the inner housing, the supply element and the discharge element each protruding from an outer surface of a side wall of the housing, characterized in that the supply element and the discharge element are arranged on the side wall at different distances from the bottom wall.

[0009] Therefore, the thermal control device is configured such that all electrical and / or electronic components can be at least partially immersed in the thermal control fluid. The presence of the thermal control fluid is ensured by at least one supply element through which the thermal control fluid enters the housing, more specifically, the inner casing, and is renewed within the inner casing to maintain the appropriate temperature of the thermal control fluid at at least one discharge element. These elements are arranged on the housing walls of the thermal control device such that thermal control of the electrical and / or electronic components is optimized, and the thermal control fluid can flow uniformly between each electrical and / or electronic component.

[0010] Furthermore, this arrangement of the supply and discharge elements facilitates the arrangement of adjacent housings. Because the positioning of these elements allows the thermal control devices to be nested laterally within each other, these devices can be arranged side-by-side, reducing volume.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the supply element protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall of the housing, and the discharge element protrudes from the outer surface of the opposite side wall of the housing.

[0012] According to an alternative embodiment, the supply element and the discharge element protrude from the outer surface of the same side wall of the housing.

[0013] According to one feature of the invention, the distance between the supply element and the bottom wall is greater than the distance between the discharge element and the bottom wall.

[0014] According to another feature of the invention, the supply element includes a conduit extending primarily in the longitudinal direction, the conduit being longitudinally defined by two walls, in which the first wall carries an end component near a first longitudinal end of the housing, the conduit having a cross-section that gradually decreases away from the first wall in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0015] The reduction in the cross-sectional area of ​​the conduit supplying the components enables the thermal control fluid flowing through it to be uniformly distributed within the inner housing, in which electrical and / or electronic components are housed. Specifically, this reduction causes the thermal control fluid to accelerate as it passes through the conduit, thereby ensuring uniform propagation of the thermal control fluid from one longitudinal end of the thermal control device to the other.

[0016] According to another feature of the invention, the discharge element includes a conduit extending primarily in the longitudinal direction, the conduit being longitudinally defined by two walls, in which the first wall carries an end component near a first longitudinal end of the housing, the conduit having a cross-section that gradually decreases away from the first wall in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0017] According to an alternative feature, the discharge element includes a conduit extending primarily in the longitudinal direction, which is longitudinally defined by two walls, in which the first wall carries an end component near a second longitudinal end of the housing opposite a first longitudinal end of the housing, and the conduit has a cross-section that gradually widens away from the first wall in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0018] According to one feature of the invention, the conduit forms a protrusion having a U-shaped opening in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction leading to the inner shell of the housing.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes a base and a cover, the base being formed as a single piece, consisting of a bottom wall and side walls.

[0020] The base of the housing then forms a one-piece assembly, making it impossible for the bottom wall to be separated from the side walls without damaging them. This one-piece assembly can be obtained, in particular, through additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing. Because it requires only a single manufacturing operation, this embodiment offers ease of manufacturing, as well as time savings and cost reductions.

[0021] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the housing includes a base and a cover. The base is formed by a bottom wall and side walls. The base is formed by a first element including the bottom wall and two opposing side walls, and the other two side walls are attached to and fixed to the first element.

[0022] More specifically, the first element of the base can be formed of a bottom wall and laterally opposed side walls that support supply and discharge elements, with two additional side walls attached to the first element in a second step to enclose the inner housing. This embodiment requires several manufacturing operations; the base can be formed, for example, by stamping, and then the other side walls are fixed to the base by brazing.

[0023] According to one feature of the invention, the enclosure is made of a material selected based on its thermal insulation properties.

[0024] In particular, the material chosen for its heat insulation properties can be a plastic material.

[0025] Even more specifically, plastic materials can be organic sheets.

[0026] According to an optional feature of the invention, at least the bottom wall and the wall supporting the supply element and the discharge element are made of metal.

[0027] Advantageously, this metal can be aluminum.

[0028] The present invention also relates to an electronic system comprising a thermal control device as described above and electrical and / or electronic components housed in the enclosure, wherein the electrical and / or electronic components are separated from at least one electrical and / or electronic component by a separating member.

[0029] The partition member acts as a spacer, allowing two elements to be spaced apart. The partition member can be, for example, a corrugated metal plate that defines a fluid passage along each electrical and / or electronic component arranged on either side of the partition member.

[0030] According to one feature of the invention, the separating member is configured to allow thermal control fluid to pass between two electrical and / or electronic components.

[0031] For example, electrical and / or electronic components are separated by partitions at a distance between 0.2 and 1 mm.

[0032] According to another optional feature of the invention, the electronic system includes a sealing element configured to be disposed between electrical and / or electronic components and a wall.

[0033] According to one feature of the invention, the sealing element is arranged near the vertical end of the electrical and / or electronic component opposite to the bottom wall, the vertical end extending in a direction orthogonal to the bottom wall.

[0034] This special arrangement of the sealing elements prevents the connecting elements of the electrical and / or electronic components from being submerged in the thermal control fluid; these connecting elements are located at the vertical ends of the electrical and / or electronic components. Attached Figure Description

[0035] On the one hand, other features, details, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, and on the other hand, from the exemplary embodiments given in a non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 A perspective view of a thermal control device for an electronic system according to the present invention is schematically shown, in which an energy storage element is shown.

[0037] Figure 2 schematically shown Figure 1 A perspective view of a portion of the thermal control device;

[0038] Figure 3 A perspective view of a thermal control device according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically;

[0039] Figure 4 The arrangement of two thermal control devices according to the invention is illustrated schematically, with supply and discharge conduits for thermal control fluid arranged on opposite sidewalls of the same thermal control device;

[0040] Figure 5 schematically shown Figure 4 A front view of a variant of the arrangement, having two thermal control devices according to the invention, each thermal control device having conduits arranged on the same sidewall for supplying and discharging thermal control fluid;

[0041] Figure 6 schematically shown Figure 3 A perspective view of the thermal control device;

[0042] Figure 7 schematically shown Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an alternative thermal control device;

[0043] Figure 8 A perspective view of a thermal control device according to the invention is schematically shown, wherein the thermal control device is equipped with a sealing device.

[0044] Figure 9 schematically shown Figure 8 The thermal control unit, the enclosure of which has been wiped clean to reveal the components located inside. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The features, variations, and various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other in various combinations, provided that they are not mutually incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variations of the invention may be contemplated that include only a selection of the following features, separate from the other features, if such selection is sufficient to provide a technical advantage and / or distinguish the invention from the prior art.

[0046] In the accompanying drawings, elements common to multiple drawings retain the same reference numerals.

[0047] In the following detailed description, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," and "vertical" refer to the orientation of the thermal control device according to the invention. The longitudinal direction corresponds to the main extension direction of the housing of the thermal control device, which is parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the coordinate system L, V, T shown in the figures. The lateral direction corresponds to the main extension direction of the electrical and / or electronic components, which is parallel to the transverse axis T of the coordinate system L, V, T, and the transverse axis T is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. Finally, the vertical direction corresponds to the direction parallel to the vertical axis V of the coordinate system L, V, T, which is perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis L and the transverse axis T.

[0048] Furthermore, in this specification, the term "thermal control fluid" may refer to any heat transfer, dielectric, two-phase, or refrigerant fluid or liquid, as long as the fluid or liquid has the effect of cooling the electrical and / or electronic components of the thermal control device.

[0049] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, the thermal control device according to the invention will be described in relation to an electronic system in the form of a motor vehicle energy storage system. However, it should be understood that this type of application is not limiting, and in particular, it can be applied in the context of the invention to electrical or electronic components equipped with other electronic systems (e.g., computer servers).

[0050] therefore, Figure 1 A perspective view of a thermal control device 1 according to the invention is schematically shown. This thermal control device 1 is configured to change the temperature of electrical and / or electronic components, in this case, units of a battery module for a hybrid or electric vehicle, particularly by means of cooling. The thermal control device 1 includes a housing 2 that extends longitudinally primarily between a first longitudinal end 200 and a second longitudinal end 201 of the housing 2. The housing 2 includes a bottom wall 21 and four pairs of opposing side walls 22, which define an inner housing 3 configured to house electrical and / or electronic components 4. A portion of these electrical and / or electronic components 4 has been... Figure 1 The other components of the thermal control device 1 have been removed from the diagram shown to allow for a better view.

[0051] Electrical and / or electronic components 4 are arranged side-by-side along the longitudinal direction of the housing 2, and in this case, are arranged parallel to each other perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing. At least one surface of each electrical and / or electronic component 4 extends in both vertical and horizontal planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing, opposite to one surface of an adjacent electrical and / or electronic component 4 extending in both vertical and horizontal planes. Each electrical and / or electronic component 4 is arranged at a distance from adjacent electrical and / or electronic components 4 and from the sidewall 22 defining the inner housing 3, in order to define the spacing between each electrical and / or electronic component. These spacings, in particular, allow the flow of thermal control fluid between the electrical and / or electronic components 4 and between the electrical and / or electronic components 4 and the sidewall 22, which ensures optimal thermal control of each electrical and / or electronic component within the thermal control device 1.

[0052] Electrical and / or electronic components 4 have connecting elements 41 on a vertical end face 40 extending away from the bottom wall for connecting the electrical and / or electronic components to the vehicle's power supply and / or power distribution network.

[0053] The sidewalls 22 of the housing 2 have outer surfaces 220, which are defined as surfaces facing away from the inner housing 3.

[0054] To allow the flow of thermal control fluid within the thermal control device and to allow for the renewal of this thermal control fluid to facilitate heat exchange, particularly heat dissipation, within the housing 2 of the thermal control device 1, the housing 2 includes at least one thermal control fluid supply element 5 and at least one thermal control fluid discharge element 6, which communicate with the inner shell 3. The thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 each protrude from an outer surface 220 of the side wall 22 of the housing 2.

[0055] According to the present invention, the supply element 5 and the discharge element 6 are arranged on the side wall 22 at different distances from the bottom wall 21. Therefore, it should be understood that, as Figure 1 As shown, the heat control fluid supply element 5 can be arranged on the outer surface 220, and its distance from the bottom wall 21 is greater than the distance between the heat control fluid discharge element 6 and the bottom wall 21. Alternatively, the heat control fluid discharge element 6 can be arranged on the outer surface 220, and its distance from the bottom wall 21 is greater than the distance between the heat control fluid supply element 5 and the bottom wall 21.

[0056] The thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 include conduits 50 and 60, respectively, and the thermal control fluid can flow along the conduits 50 and 60 to enter or leave the housing 2.

[0057] The supply conduit 50 of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the discharge conduit 60 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 each form a U-shaped protrusion on an outer surface 220 of the sidewall 22, which leads to the inner shell 3 of the housing 2. The protrusions formed by these conduits 50 and 60 are considered U-shaped because, in a cross-section perpendicular to the sidewall 22, the outlines of the conduits 50 and 60 lead to the shell, forming fluid communication between the conduits 50 and 60 and the inner shell 3 via openings formed in the respective sidewalls 22, which extend substantially along the entire longitudinal dimension of the conduits 50 and 60.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, the electrical and / or electronic components 4 have been removed from the housing 2. The thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 are formed by conduits 50 and 60 and end components 56 and 66, respectively. The conduits 50 and 60 are formed by deforming the sidewall 22 to create U-shaped protrusions. These conduits 50 and 60 are configured to allow longitudinal flow of the thermal control fluid and a uniform distribution of each electrical and / or electronic component arranged in the inner housing 3.

[0059] according to Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, end members 56 and 66 are located on the first longitudinal end walls 51 and 61 of each conduit, respectively, near the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2. These first longitudinal end walls 51 and 61 define one longitudinal end of the conduits 50 and 60, and the other longitudinal end corresponds to a second longitudinal end wall 52 or 62 located near the second longitudinal end 201 of the housing 2. The first longitudinal end walls 51 and 61 and the second longitudinal end walls 52 and 62 are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the sidewall 22 supporting the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6.

[0060] In addition, the catheters 50 and 60 are vertically defined by the lower walls 53 and 63 and the upper walls 54 and 64, respectively. The lower walls 53 and 63 are defined as walls whose distance from the bottom wall 21 is less than the separation distance between the upper walls 54 and 64 and the bottom wall 21.

[0061] The transverse walls 55 and 65, which are substantially parallel to the sidewall 22 of the heat control fluid supply element 5 and the heat control fluid discharge element 6, define the conduits 50 and 60 in the transverse direction, respectively.

[0062] Therefore, it should be understood that the supply conduit 50 of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 is defined longitudinally by a first longitudinal end wall 51 and a second longitudinal end wall 52, vertically by a lower wall 53 and an upper wall 54, and laterally by a transverse wall 55. The same definition can be applied, with necessary modifications, to the discharge conduit 60 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6.

[0063] exist Figure 2In the example shown, the end part 56 of the supply conduit 50 of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 is arranged on the first longitudinal end wall 51, and thus it is located near the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2. Similarly, the end part 66 of the discharge conduit 60 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 is located near the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2.

[0064] The supply conduit 50 has a cross-section that gradually decreases in size away from the first longitudinal end wall 51 and, consequently, away from the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2. This decrease in cross-section is specifically understood here as a decrease in the height of the supply conduit 50, defined as the vertical dimension of the supply conduit 50 measured between the lower wall 53 and the upper wall 54. Therefore, the height of the supply conduit 50 is greater near the first longitudinal end wall 51 than near the second longitudinal end wall 52.

[0065] Conversely, the discharge duct 60 has a cross-section that gradually widens away from the first wall 61 and, consequently, away from the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2. This widening of the cross-section is specifically understood here as an increase in the height of the discharge duct 60, defined as the dimension of the discharge duct 60 measured between the lower wall 63 and the upper wall 64. Therefore, the height of the discharge duct 60 is greater near the first longitudinal end wall 61 than near the second longitudinal end wall 62.

[0066] Depending on the characteristics of conduits 50 and 60, they have cross-sections that decrease or widen starting from the corresponding end members, allowing for variations in the available flow cross-section of the heat control fluid within each conduit. In this way, the reduced flow cross-section of the supply conduit 50 forces the heat control fluid to accelerate and flow towards the longitudinal end opposite the inlet end member of the supply conduit 50. This ensures that the heat control fluid flows to the end of the supply conduit and is evenly distributed within the inner housing 3, and thus evenly distributed among and around the electrical and / or electronic components 4. Similarly, the increased flow cross-section of the discharge conduit 60 allows more heat control fluid to enter the discharge conduit 60 in a region away from the end member 66, through which the heat control fluid exits the housing 2. This ensures that the replacement of the heat control fluid is uniform across the entire longitudinal dimension of the housing 2.

[0067] The uniform distribution of the thermal control fluid between the electrical and / or electronic components 4 within the inner housing 3 is further ensured by the fact that when the thermal control fluid supply conduit 50 has a cross-section that gradually decreases away from the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2, and when the thermal control fluid discharge conduit 60 has a cross-section that gradually widens away from the first longitudinal end 200, the cross-section of the supply conduit 50 with the greatest height is positioned opposite the cross-section of the discharge conduit 60 with the least height (when these heights are measured at the same longitudinal distance from the first longitudinal end 200 or the second longitudinal end 201). Conversely, the cross-section of the supply conduit 50 with the least height is positioned opposite the cross-section of the discharge conduit 60 with the greatest height. Therefore, the variation in the opposite cross-sections of the supply conduit 50 and the discharge conduit 60 helps to facilitate the flow of fluid between the electrical and / or electronic components 4 from one conduit to another, and makes this fluid flow uniform throughout the longitudinal dimension of the housing. The thermal control fluid is drawn to the region of the discharge conduit 60 with the largest cross-sectional height, and in order to reach this region, the thermal control fluid tends to flow in the supply conduit 50 until the facing region, and thus until the region of the supply conduit 50 with the smallest cross-sectional height, which helps to push the fluid upward to the end of the supply conduit 50.

[0068] Alternatively, the discharge conduit 60 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 may be provided with an end member 66, which is arranged near the second longitudinal end 201 of the housing 2. In this alternative, it should be noted that the shape of the discharge conduit remains unchanged, such that the cross-section with the largest diameter is arranged closer to the second longitudinal end 201, and therefore, the cross-section of the discharge conduit gradually decreases away from the end member.

[0069] This alternative is particularly in Figure 3 As shown, the sidewall 22 located at the first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2 has been removed, and the inner housing 3 has no electrical and / or electronic components 4, so that fluid communication between the interior of the housing 2 and the inner housing 3 and one of the conduits (in this case, the discharge conduit 60) is visible.

[0070] The housing 2 includes a lid 23 that closes the inner housing 3 defined by side walls 22. The lid 23 rests on an edge formed by the vertical ends of the side walls 22 away from the bottom wall, which extends toward the outside of the inner housing 3. The lid 23 extends from a first longitudinal end 200 of the housing 2 to a second longitudinal end 201 of the housing 2, substantially parallel to the bottom wall 21.

[0071] At least one wall, here the bottom wall 21, includes a retaining element 42 configured to hold electrical and / or electronic components 4 at a distance from each other and from the wall defining the inner housing 3 of the enclosure 2. For example, Figure 3 The visible retaining element is made of ribs, which form a support surface for the electrical and / or electronic components 4 at a certain distance from the bottom wall 21, so as to allow thermal control fluid to flow between the bottom wall 21 and the electrical and / or electronic components 4.

[0072] In reference Figures 1 to 3 In each of the described embodiments or alternatives, the distance between the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 and the bottom wall 21 is less than the distance between the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the bottom wall 21. However, it should be noted that, without departing from the background of the invention, the opposite arrangement can be provided, in which the distance between the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 and the bottom wall 21 is greater than the distance between the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the bottom wall 21, provided that the position of one of these conduits relative to the bottom wall is different from the position of the other of these conduits, and two similar housings 2 can be arranged side by side without the conduits 50, 60 obstructing their juxtaposition.

[0073] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The front view of two variant embodiments of the thermal control device 1 according to the invention is shown, which have an advantage in terms of volume by having a conduit, in this case a supply conduit 5, arranged further from the bottom wall than an exhaust conduit 6.

[0074] exist Figure 4 In the variant embodiment shown, the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 protrude from two side walls 22 of the housing 2, which are laterally opposite to each other.

[0075] On the contrary, Figure 5 In the variant embodiment shown, the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 protrude from the same side wall 22 of the housing 2.

[0076] In these Figure 4 and Figure 5 In this configuration, the end portion 56 of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the end portion 66 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 are both located near the same longitudinal end of the housing 2. Alternatively, an embodiment can be conceived in which the end portion 56 of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 is located near one longitudinal end of the housing 2, while the end portion 66 of the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 is located near the other longitudinal end of the housing 2.

[0077] The specific arrangement of the thermal control fluid supply element 5 and the thermal control fluid discharge element 6 facilitates the storage and nesting of the thermal control device according to the invention, which has an adjacent thermal control device of equivalent shape, such as... Figure 4 and 5 As shown by the dashed line in the image.

[0078] exist Figure 4 In the variant shown, these heat control devices can be arranged as close as possible to the fixed edges of the covers of these heat control devices that are in contact with each other, because the sidewall of the first device with the supply element 5 is arranged to face the sidewall of the second heat control device with the discharge element 6. Therefore, the difference in the vertical positioning of each type of conduit allows the discharge element of the heat control device and the supply element of the adjacent heat control device to slide up and down.

[0079] exist Figure 5 In the variant shown, these heat control devices can be arranged as close to each other as possible, and the fixed edges of the covers of these heat control devices are in contact with each other, because the sidewalls of the first device, which are formed by the stacked supply element 5 and discharge element 6, are arranged to face the conduit-free sidewalls of the second heat control device.

[0080] The fact that the thermal control fluid supply conduit 5 has a decreasing cross-section starting from the first longitudinal end and the thermal control fluid discharge conduit 6 has an increasing cross-section starting from the same longitudinal end allows the portion of the thermal control fluid supply conduit 5 with the maximum height as defined above to be positioned in the area formed between two adjacent thermal control devices. This portion is therefore aligned perpendicularly to the portion of the thermal control fluid discharge conduit 6 with the minimum height as defined above. This arrangement makes it particularly possible to prevent the end component 56 of the first thermal control device 1 from contacting the end component 66 of the second thermal control device 1, even if they are arranged near the same longitudinal end of the housing 2.

[0081] Figure 6 The thermal control device 1 as a whole is shown, and the arrangement of the end components of its conduits is similar to... Figure 3 It can be seen that the box 2 includes a base consisting of a bottom wall 21 and a side wall 22, as well as the aforementioned cover 23, the size of which is determined to be covered by the cover.

[0082] The base forms a one-piece assembly, integrally formed. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the bottom wall 21 from the side walls 22 without damaging one or the other of these components. Specifically, this one-piece assembly can be obtained by injection molding, or by additive manufacturing, and more particularly by 3D printing. In this case, the housing 2 can be made of a material selected based on its thermal insulation properties. Specifically, this material selected for its thermal insulation properties can be a plastic material. Even more specifically, this plastic material can be an organic sheet.

[0083] The cover 23 forms an empty frame at its center, which covers only the portions of the electrical and / or electronic components 4 located near the sidewall 22, thereby allowing access to the connection elements 41 of the electrical and / or electronic components 4, which are arranged on the vertical end faces 40 of these electrical and / or electronic components 4. The cover 23 can be secured to the base of the housing 2 by screws or rivets 230, thereby ensuring the sealing of the thermal control device 1.

[0084] Figure 7 It shows Figure 6 In an alternative embodiment of the thermal control device, the base of the housing 2 is formed from a first element comprising a bottom wall 21 and two opposing side walls 22, while two other side walls 22 are manufactured separately and then attached to the first element. In the example shown, the base is composed of a bottom wall 21 and opposing side walls 22, the side walls 22 carrying a thermal control fluid supply element 5 and a thermal control fluid discharge element 6, and the other two side walls 22 are attached to the first element of the base 24.

[0085] At least the bottom wall 21 and the side wall 22 that carries the heat control fluid supply element 5 and the heat control fluid discharge element 6 can be made of metal. Advantageously, this metal can be aluminum.

[0086] In this case, the first element of the base 24 can be formed, for example, by stamping, which simplifies the formation of the U-shaped cross-section of each conduit, and then the other sidewalls are fixed to the base by brazing.

[0087] for Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, the cover 23 forms an empty frame at its center, covering only the portions of the electrical and / or electronic components 4 located near the sidewall 22, thereby allowing access to the connecting elements 41 of the electrical and / or electronic components 4, which are arranged on the vertical ends of these electrical and / or electronic components 4. The cover 23 can be secured to the base of the housing 2 by screws or rivets 230.

[0088] Now refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 To describe what can be Figure 6 Implementation examples and Figure 7Additional features of the thermal control device 1 implemented in the embodiments, in Figure 9 The middle box 2 has been wiped clean to reveal the components located inside it.

[0089] Here, electrical and / or electronic components 4 are separated from at least one adjacent electrical and / or electronic component by partition members 8. Thus, each partition member 8 extends from one end of the housing 2 to the other within the inner housing, extending substantially in the lateral direction.

[0090] The separator 8 forms a spacer, which ensures a defined distance between two adjacent electrical and / or electronic components 4. The separator 8 can be inserted between each electrical and / or electronic component 4, or placed for every two electrical and / or electronic components 4, such that each electrical and / or electronic component 4 is separated from at least one other electrical and / or electronic component 4 by the separator 8.

[0091] The partition member 8 may in particular be a corrugated metal plate that defines a channel for the passage of thermal control fluid along each electrical and / or electronic component 4 arranged on either side of the partition member 8. Therefore, it should be understood that the partition member 8 is configured to allow the passage of thermal control fluid. The corrugations of the metal plate of the partition member are arranged to allow and laterally guide the flow of thermal control fluid from one sidewall to the other.

[0092] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, electrical and / or electronic components 4 are separated by a distance between 0.2 and 1 mm by separators 8.

[0093] The thermal control device 1 may also include a sealing element 9, such as a seal, configured to be disposed between electrical and / or electronic components and a wall. The sealing element 9 has a periphery 91 that rests on a shoulder 90 formed on a sidewall 22 inside the inner housing 3, thus conforming to the peripheral shape of the inner housing 3. The sealing element 9, such as the seal, also has a transverse rib 92 extending from one transverse end of the sealing element 9 across the periphery 91 to the other transverse end.

[0094] The sealing element 9 is disposed near the vertical end face 40 of the electrical and / or electronic component 4 facing away from the bottom wall 21. It should be understood that the position of the sealing element depends on the immersion height required to control the temperature of the electrical and / or electronic component. The periphery 91, adhered to the sidewalls and disposed between these sidewalls and the electrical and / or electronic component, prevents the thermal control fluid from escaping from the inner housing, and the periphery 91 must be disposed at least vertically between the conduits 50, 60 furthest from the bottom wall and the end face 40 of the electrical and / or electronic component.

[0095] The transverse ribs 92 are configured to be inserted between each electrical and / or electronic component 4, thereby ensuring a seal at the vertical end 40 of each electrical and / or electronic component 4.

[0096] This specific arrangement of the sealing element 9 prevents the thermal control fluid from leaving the inner housing 3. Such leakage is detrimental to the potential risk of contact between the connecting element 41 of the electrical and / or electronic components 4 and the thermal control fluid, as well as to the reduction of the thermal control fluid level within the inner housing 3 and the resulting loss of thermal control efficiency.

[0097] Therefore, the present invention proposes a thermal control device for an electronic system, wherein electrical and / or electronic components are arranged to be at least partially immersed in a thermal control fluid. The device is configured to allow optimized flow of the thermal control fluid and thus improved thermal control on the one hand, and to allow for the compact side-by-side positioning of a plurality of thermal control devices according to the invention on the other hand, whether due to space requirements during transport operations or due to the implementation of large electronic systems requiring a large number of electrical and / or electronic components.

[0098] However, the invention is not limited to the devices and configurations described and shown herein, and extends to any equivalent devices and configurations and any technically operable combinations thereof, provided that the thermal control fluid supply element and the thermal control fluid discharge element are arranged on the side wall of the enclosure housing the electrical and / or electronic components and at different distances from the bottom wall of the enclosure.

Claims

1. A thermal control device (1) for an electronic system, comprising a housing (2) configured to house electrical and / or electronic components (4) of the electronic system, the housing (2) having a bottom wall (21) and a pair of opposing side walls (22) defining an inner housing (3) capable of housing the electrical and / or electronic components (4), the outer surfaces (220) of the side walls (22) being defined as surfaces facing away from the inner housing (3), the housing (2) comprising: At least one thermal control fluid supply element (5); At least one thermal control fluid discharge element (6); The supply element (5) and the discharge element (6) are in communication with the inner shell (3), and the supply element (5) and the discharge element (6) protrude from one of the outer surfaces (220) of the side wall (22) of the housing (2), characterized in that the supply element (5) and the discharge element (6) are arranged at different distances from the bottom wall (21) on the side wall (22). The supply element (5) includes a conduit (50) extending primarily in the longitudinal direction, the conduit (50) being longitudinally defined by two walls (51, 52), wherein the first wall (51) supports an end component (56) near the first longitudinal end (200) of the housing, and the conduit (50) has a cross-section that gradually decreases away from the first wall (51) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The discharge element (6) includes a conduit (60) extending primarily in the longitudinal direction, the conduit (60) being longitudinally defined by two walls (61, 62), wherein the first wall (61) carries an end member (66) near the second longitudinal end (201) of the housing, opposite to the first longitudinal end (200) of the housing, and the conduit (60) has a cross-section that gradually widens away from the first wall (61) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

2. The thermal control device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The supply element (5) protrudes from the outer surface (220) of the side wall (22) of the housing (2), and the discharge element (6) protrudes from the outer surface (220) of the opposite side wall (22) of the housing (2).

3. The thermal control device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The distance between the supply element (5) and the bottom wall (21) is greater than the distance between the discharge element (6) and the bottom wall (21).

4. The thermal control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The conduits (50, 60) form protrusions, which have U-shaped openings in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction leading to the inner shell (3) of the housing (2).

5. The thermal control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The housing (2) includes a base and a cover (23). The base is formed by the bottom wall (21) and the side walls (22). The base is formed by a first element including the bottom wall (21) and two opposing side walls (22), and the other two side walls (22) are attached to and fixed to the first element.

6. An electronic system comprising a thermal control device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and electrical and / or electronic components (4) housed in a housing (2) of said thermal control device (1), wherein, The electrical and / or electronic component (4) is separated from at least one electrical and / or electronic component (4) by a separating member (8).

7. The electronic system according to claim 6, comprising a sealing element (9) configured to be disposed between the electrical and / or electronic component (4) and the sidewall (22).

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