Cooling device, control device, heat sink and manufacturing method

Abstract

A cooling device comprises: a housing (2), in particular a control device (1) or a sensor housing; the invention relates to a cooling device comprising a cooling device housing (2), a component to be cooled arranged in the cooling device housing (2), a first heat-conducting component arranged on the component to be cooled, and the housing (2) having a recess (4) into which the first heat-conducting component is placed in such a way that the first heat-conducting component is mechanically aligned with and thermally coupled to the component to be cooled, a tolerance compensation material being arranged between the first heat-conducting component and the housing (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a novel cooling device, in particular a cooling device for a sensor system or a control device, a corresponding control device having the cooling device according to the invention, a heat sink for the cooling device according to the invention and a method for manufacturing the cooling device according to the invention. Technical Background

[0002] Modern vehicles such as motor vehicles or motorcycles are increasingly equipped with driver assistance systems, which detect the surroundings with the help of sensor systems, recognize traffic situations and support the driver by, for example, braking interventions, steering interventions, visual warnings or audio warnings. Radar sensors, lidar sensors, camera sensors or similar sensors are often used as sensor systems for detecting the surroundings. The sensor data determined by the sensors can be used to draw inferences about the surroundings, thereby, for example, being used to classify objects and / or the surroundings or to create a model of the surroundings. In addition, in the field of (partially) autonomous driving, the detection of the surroundings is almost indispensable, so that the further development of corresponding systems is particularly important. Electronic control units (ECUs) or control units are usually used to control actuators (brakes, motors, transmissions, etc.) and / or sensors, as well as to calculate and control driving functions and assistance functions.

[0003] An important aspect of electronic control devices is heat dissipation. The heat that the electronic control device needs to dissipate can be discharged to the outside, for example, through a housing of the control device with good thermal conductivity, such as a metal housing. On the surface of the housing or on at least one side of the housing, for example, the challenge now is how to dissipate the heat as well as possible in the case of high power loss, so as to protect the components in the housing from overheating. There are different forms of cooling, such as air cooling, if necessary with cooling fins or heat sinks, or closed cooling circuits that can be connected to the control device housing and flow through the housing wall or its surface.

[0004] Electronic control devices of the general type / this type, in particular high-performance computer systems, are increasingly used in modern vehicles or aviation as computer systems with increasingly higher performance, which must be operated at ambient temperature or at a coolant temperature of, for example, -40 to 65° C. or higher. However, some electronic components in the control device, in particular data storage devices, such as RAM (random access memory) or flash memory devices or EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), are usually subject to significant restrictions in terms of the maximum permissible temperature. In addition, in particular because of the increasing speed of data transmission and because of the need to avoid voltage drops or oscillation tendencies, fast data storage devices should be as close as possible to the microprocessor or high-performance processor (in particular central processing unit (CPU), graphics processor (GPU), switch, integrated circuit (IC) or similar device) that controls them, because the location close to the high-performance processor usually achieves the required fast writing and reading speed or communication speed the fastest. In this regard, the high-performance processor usually generates a lot of waste heat, which in conventional applications significantly heats the heat-conducting components near the high-performance processor, so this heat must be dissipated. As power dissipation, especially in high-performance processors, continues to increase, adjacent components are subject to increasing thermal loads and cooling systems must become increasingly complex in order to dissipate heat from the generator / heat-generating element and adjacent more sensitive components.

[0005] According to the current prior art, a heat sink is provided on a high-performance processor and surrounding devices to cool them to an allowable temperature. One method of dissipating heat at a correspondingly hot hot spot is a so-called "heat pipe", which utilizes the vaporization enthalpy of a medium to achieve a high heat flux density, thereby effectively dissipating heat.

[0006] The heat of a high-performance processor core is usually dissipated through the metal processor housing (LID) of the processor and the tolerance-compensating internal thermal interface material (TIM) applied between the chip (core) and the metal processor housing (LID), which also protects the processor core from mechanical damage. Here, the processor housing (LID) or chip housing (or package) is the housing of the semiconductor chip or "die" or "integrated circuit (IC) device" including the connection points (pins, solder beads or leads). If the cooling device is to be connected to a common control device housing, the metal processor housing is connected to the metal housing (usually aluminum housing) by additional tolerance-compensating thermal interface material (TIM) (adhesive paste, adhesive or thermal pad). The aluminum housing is provided with heat sink fins for air cooling or channels for liquid cooling, etc., which can dissipate heat. Relatively thick layers of thermal interface material (TIM) can have a negative effect here, since this material generally has a much lower thermal conductivity than materials such as aluminum and copper, which are also often used in the housing and, for tolerance compensation reasons, must have a thickness of several hundred micrometers up to several millimeters. As a result, a temperature drop (usually in the range of several degrees Celsius) occurs across the thermal interface material (TIM). Here, too, a temperature drop of several degrees Celsius occurs in the processor housing, depending on the thickness, type and degree of compression of the material. Such a temperature drop can lead to significant restrictions on performance.

[0007] Therefore, a solution is particularly needed that reduces the temperature drop due to the material constants. Constructive solutions are known here that use tolerance chains to achieve as thin a thermal interface material (TIM) layer as possible and / or to maximize the heat transfer surface in order to reduce the thermal resistance. However, the temperature increase of the processor or the processor housing is a disadvantage here, as a result of which adjacent components that themselves generate little waste heat are heated to a greater extent.

[0008] Technical status of publications

[0009] From DE 11 2007 002 317 T5, various thermally conductive interface materials (TIMs) are known. DE 11 2007 002 317 T5 also relates to the problem that during operation of an integrated circuit device (IC device), a large amount of heat energy is generated, which can have a negative impact on the performance of the integrated circuit device and, if this heat energy is not dissipated, can cause damage to the integrated circuit device through various mechanisms. An integrated circuit device (IC device) is disclosed, which comprises a first thermally conductive component (or a passive cooling device) arranged adjacent to the integrated circuit (IC device), and a thermally conductive interface material (TIM) arranged between the integrated circuit (IC device) and the first thermally conductive component and thermally coupled to the integrated circuit (IC device) and the first thermally conductive component. In addition, a second thermally conductive component is provided which is thermally coupled to the first thermally conductive component. Here, the first thermally conductive component can be provided as a passive cooling device, and the second thermally conductive component can be provided as an active cooling device or a second passive cooling device. Summary of the invention

[0010] The task of the present invention is to provide a cooling device of this type, so as to achieve good heat dissipation between the heat-conducting component (or heat sink or cooling element) and the component to be cooled (or the component to be cooled), and to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art in a simple, space-saving and cost-effective manner.

[0011] Solution to the task

[0012] The above object is achieved by the general theory of claim 1 and the independent claim. In the dependent claims, the design of the present invention is required according to the purpose of use.

[0013] According to the present invention, the cooling device comprises a housing, in particular a control device housing or a sensor housing, a component to be cooled arranged in the cooling device housing or the control device housing, and a first heat-conducting component arranged on the component to be cooled. In addition, the housing has a recess, and the first heat-conducting component is placed in the recess in a manner that the first heat-conducting component and the component to be cooled are thermally coupled, in particular, thermally coupled without a large gap, and mechanically aligned with each other. According to the present invention, an error compensation material is provided between the first heat-conducting component and the housing, which fixes the first heat-conducting component (or heat sink). The cooling device according to the present invention can reduce the thickness of the thermal interface material (TIM) layer and / or the number of thermal interface material (TIM) layers, thereby particularly improving the heat conduction from the component to be cooled to the first heat-conducting component or the heat sink. Surprisingly, with the new cooling device, the thermal interface material (TIM) layer only needs to be applied very thinly or can even be completely omitted.

[0014] According to a particularly preferred design of the cooling device according to the present invention, the tolerance / error compensation material (especially the fixing material) is a material that hardens, especially after or during assembly, such as an adhesive, resin, epoxy resin or the like, and is preferably not compressible or can only be slightly compressed. In an advantageous manner, the tolerance compensation material is applied in a liquid or paste state to the edge of a recess at the housing or the first heat-conducting component or the heat sink (or its flange). Here, the first heat-conducting component will only be fixed in the recess when the tolerance compensation material hardens. In addition, the tolerance compensation material will then form a stable connection between the first heat-conducting component or the heat sink and the housing, so that the force acting on the first heat-conducting component or the heat sink can be transmitted to the housing without being transmitted to the relatively sensitive component to be cooled or the processor device. As a result, the component to be cooled can be largely protected from mechanical forces that may occur, for example, during a collision or fall.

[0015] In addition, a second heat-conducting component may be provided, which is provided on the housing and / or the first heat-conducting component so as to dissipate the heat of the first heat-conducting component. In this way, heat regulation or cooling can be performed more effectively. According to a preferred design scheme of the present invention, a thermal interface material (TIM) or a thermal interface material (TIM) layer may be provided between the first heat-conducting component and the second heat-conducting component, and / or a thermal interface material (TIM) or a thermal interface material (TIM) layer may be provided between the first heat-conducting component and the component to be cooled.

[0016] The first heat-conducting component is preferably designed as a heat sink or "heat diffuser", for example, made of metal, in particular copper and / or aluminum and / or alloys thereof. According to a particularly preferred design, the heat sink can also consist of an aluminum-copper composite material, for example, it can be made as a so-called extruded component. This type of design may be particularly suitable, because aluminum is particularly flexible in terms of its usability (for example, it is compatible with aluminum components used in cooling water circuits), and copper has excellent thermal conductivity, so that the advantages of both materials can be combined. Depending on the intended use, the heat sink can have a flange, wherein the tolerance compensation material is arranged on the flange, that is, between the heat sink flange and the edge of the recess. As a result, the heat sink can be particularly well matched in the recess.

[0017] As an alternative, the heat sink can also have a rhomboidal or trapezoidal cross section. Since the rhomboidal or trapezoidal conical / tapered cross section can be adapted to different sizes and cross sections of the recesses, this design variant of the heat sink is particularly suitable for recesses without sharp edges (e.g. due to unevenness or poor machining).

[0018] Furthermore, the heat sink may also have cooling fins or heat sink junctions on the upper side, ie, on the side facing away from the assembly or part to be cooled.

[0019] According to another design solution of the present invention, the second heat-conducting component may include a "heat pipe" or a fluid cooling device, in particular a water cooling device with a fluid channel, an air cooling device with heat dissipation fins, or a fluid plate with a fluid channel. In addition, other passive and active cooling devices known in the prior art may also be provided as the second heat-conducting component.

[0020] The second heat conducting component is preferably an elastic bellows or a cooling pad at least partially made of flexible material so that the second heat conducting component or the flexible part of the second heat conducting component is close to the first heat conducting component. Due to the flexible properties of the heat sink material, it can be close to the component to be cooled, especially when expanded (for example when the heat sink material is filled with a fluid). At the same time, the second heat conducting component can also be close to the relevant position of the housing, and by virtue of the flexibility of the component, the second heat conducting component can be close to components at different levels (such as the housing and the heat sink) at the same time, without having to provide a thermal interface material (TIM) to fill the tolerance gap.

[0021] Depending on the intended use, metal foil, in particular aluminum foil or copper foil, and / or plastic film and / or laminated film and / or composite film, in particular composite film consisting of metal foil and at least one plastic film, can be provided as a flexible material, since such films can be manufactured and processed in a simple, economical and reasonable manner. Thus, the composite film or laminated film can be provided as a flexible material, thereby improving the durability and stability of the radiator in a simple manner. In addition, the radiator can also be matched to the properties of the respective cooling medium or the ambient conditions. In addition, the flexible material can also have a coating, in particular an aluminum coating, to improve the properties in terms of stability, sealing, aging resistance and durability. In particular, an anodic coating (anodic polarization process = forming an aluminum oxide layer on the aluminum surface by anodic polarization of aluminum) or an anodic coating (anodic process = electrolytic oxidation of aluminum, wherein an oxidation protection layer is formed on the aluminum surface by anodic oxidation) is also suitable as a coating for the aluminum foil.

[0022] Furthermore, a cooling medium may be filled in the second heat conducting component or a cooling medium may flow through it, wherein a fluid, in particular water, glycol, a water-glycol mixture, air, carbon dioxide, etc. may be provided as the cooling medium.

[0023] According to the purpose of use, additional tolerance compensation material can be provided to compensate for the tolerance and be provided between the first heat conducting component and the second heat conducting component and / or the circuit board carrying the component to be cooled and / or the component to be cooled, thereby further improving the protection effect of the component to be cooled.

[0024] Depending on the purpose of use, the component to be cooled may be at least one circuit board and / or printed circuit board (PCB) and / or microcontroller and / or processor and / or chip and / or integrated circuit (IC) and / or semiconductor component and / or circuit carrier and / or battery and / or other electronic device. In practical applications, the housing may be the housing of a control device or a sensor for detecting the surrounding environment. The present invention particularly includes a controller or a control device, or also includes a sensor, wherein the cooling device according to the present invention is provided for cooling the component to be cooled.

[0025] Of course, the present invention can also be used to adjust the temperature or heat the components that need to be heated in the same manner as cooling the components that need to be cooled.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention also comprises a method for producing a cooling device, which comprises carrying out the following method steps (wherein these steps do not necessarily have to be carried out in the order shown):

[0027] - providing (I) a housing, in particular a housing of a control device, with a recess, or, if the housing does not have a recess, optionally providing (II) a recess,

[0028] - Install the components to be cooled (III) into the housing of the control device,

[0029] - applying (IV) a tolerance compensation material, in particular a hardening material, for fixing the heat sink on the control device housing or on the edge of the recess, - placing the heat sink in the (VI) recess and aligning the heat sink with the position of the component to be cooled, preferably hardening the tolerance compensation material to fix the heat sink.

[0030] Depending on the purpose of use, the manufacturing method according to the present invention may also include a process step of applying (V) a thermal interface material (TIM) to the component to be cooled, wherein the process step should actually be performed before placing the heat sink into the (VI) cavity. The thermal interface material (TIM) used here may preferably be in the form of a paste, liquid or thin pad.

[0031] The individual process steps do not necessarily have to be carried out in a specified order. For example, the tolerance compensation material can also be applied (III) after the component to be cooled has been installed (IV) in the control device housing. Furthermore, the invention naturally also includes design variants in which the housing has a plurality of recesses and a plurality of first heat-conducting components or heat sinks in order to cool a plurality of components.

[0032] Advantageously, the present invention achieves thermal decoupling of the main heat generating element or component to be cooled and its adjacent components (such as memory, transistors, batteries and other components), because these components are not connected to the heat sink or the first heat conducting component, and the heat sink has only a small amount of thermal coupling with the housing.

[0033] Furthermore, the invention discloses a heat sink for a cooling device according to the invention or a control device according to the invention, wherein the heat sink is made of an aluminum-copper composite material by means of a forming process, in particular an extrusion process. In practical applications, the composite material can combine the advantages of aluminum and copper in one component, and the relevant component can be manufactured by a forming process in a surprisingly simple way. For example, a heat sink with copper or a copper alloy facing the component to be cooled can be made for liquid cooling, because copper has excellent thermal conductivity, and for fluid cooling, the heat sink can also have aluminum or an aluminum alloy, because aluminum has good robustness to the respective fluid and also good thermal conductivity. This can greatly improve cooling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The present invention is described in detail below according to the embodiments described in the application purpose. The accompanying drawings show:

[0035] Figure 1 : This is a simplified schematic diagram of a vehicle design with a control device according to the present invention;

[0036] FIG2 is a simplified diagram of a control device according to the prior art;

[0037] Figure 3 : This is a simplified diagram of the design of the control device according to the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 : This is a simplified diagram of another design scheme of the control device according to the present invention;

[0039] Figures 5a to 5h : This is a simplified diagram of a heat sink design example according to the present invention;

[0040] Figures 6a to 6f : This is a simplified diagram of a design example of the transition between the radiator and the control device housing;

[0041] Figure 7 : This is a simplified diagram of another design scheme of the control device according to the present invention;

[0042] Figure 8 : This is a simplified diagram of another design scheme of the control device according to the present invention;

[0043] Fig. 9 : This is a simplified diagram of another design scheme of the control device according to the present invention;

[0044] Fig.10a to c: This is a simplified diagram of a design example of a heat sink according to the present invention, and

[0045] Fig.11: This is a simplified diagram of the design scheme of the control device manufacturing method according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 1 Reference numeral 1 in the figure denotes a vehicle with various actuators (steering device 3, motor 4, brake device 5), which has a control device 2 according to the invention (electronic control unit (ECU) or assisted and automated driving control unit (ADCU)), by which the vehicle 1 can be (partially) automatically controlled, for example, the actuators of the vehicle 1 can be intervened by the control device 2. In addition, the control device 2 also has a storage unit for storing algorithms, control commands or modes, for example. In addition, the vehicle 1 also has sensors for detecting the surrounding environment: a radar sensor 6, a lidar sensor 7 and a front camera device 8 and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 9a to 9d, whose sensor data are used to identify the surrounding environment and objects, so that different assistance functions can be realized, such as emergency brake assistance (electronic brake assist (EBA)), distance sequence control (adaptive cruise control (ACC)), lane keeping control or lane keeping assistance (lane keeping assist (LKA)), parking assistance or similar assistance functions. In this case, the assistance functions are executed, for example, by the control device 2 or the algorithms stored therein. In this case, the cooling device according to the invention can be realized in principle in any sensor or control unit or control device 2.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a control device 200 according to the prior art. The control device 200 comprises a control device housing 201 with an integrated heat sink 202 and cooling fins 203 on the upper side of the control device housing 201. The heat sink 202 is used to conduct heat via the heat sink 202 to the cooling fins 203, thereby dissipating the power loss generated by a processor device 205 arranged on a circuit board 204 in the form of heat, wherein the cooling fins 203 are cooled by an air flow. The processor device 205 comprises an LID or processor housing 206 and a base plate 207, on which the actual processor 208 and possible additional components are arranged by means of solder beads or soldering material or solder 209. In addition, a layer of thermal interface material (TIM) 210 (for example, thermal interface material such as thermal paste) with a thickness of several hundred micrometers is arranged between the processor housing 206 and the processor 208, so that the heat of the processor 208 can be dissipated via the thermal paste and the processor housing 206. The substrate 207 of the processor device 205 is disposed on the circuit board 204 by means of solder beads or solder 211 .

[0048] Furthermore, a tolerance-compensating thermal interface material (TIM) layer 212 with a thickness of several micrometers to several millimeters is applied to the processor housing 206, the thickness of the thermal interface material (TIM) layer being in particular 10 micrometers to 5 millimeters, preferably 20 micrometers to 2 millimeters, preferably 30 micrometers to 1 millimeter, preferably 40 micrometers to 750 micrometers, and in particular 50 micrometers to 500 micrometers. Here, the thermal conductivity of the thermal interface material (TIM) layer is significantly lower than that of the housing 201 made of materials such as aluminum and copper. Therefore, a temperature drop in the range of several degrees Celsius occurs through the thermal interface material (TIM). Such a temperature drop can lead to a significant reduction in performance. For example, the maximum core temperature of the processor 208 is allowed to reach 125°C, that is, if the processor 208 is arranged on the processor housing 206, the core temperature of the processor 208 can only be allowed to reach 110°C under full load, because the temperature drop at the thermal interface material (TIM) 210 in the processor housing 206 has already caused these losses. If the thermal interface material (TIM) layer 212 between the processor housing 206 and the control housing 201 loses a few degrees Celsius, then the control housing 201 must be kept a few degrees Celsius (e.g. 15°C) below 110°C (e.g. a 15°C drop in housing temperature is 95°C). In addition, the housing material also has a high thermal resistance to the cooling medium (air or liquid), which can also be 15°C. This means that, for example, at a maximum temperature of 125°C at the silicon die of the processor 208, the maximum temperature of the transition to the cooling medium should be 80°C. Any adverse temperature drops and non-linear effects have not yet been taken into account.

[0049] Figure 3 A design of a control device 2 according to the invention is shown, which comprises a control device housing 10 with a cover 10a. A first heat-conducting component or heat sink 12 is arranged in a recess 11 of the control device housing 10 for dissipating the power loss in the form of heat of a processor device 15 arranged on a circuit board 14. The circuit board 14 can also carry other components, such as SMD (surface mount device) components, RAM (random access memory) components, EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), memories, capacitors, semiconductor components, etc. (for the sake of clarity, these components are not shown in the figure), which either also need to be cooled or do not need to be cooled.

[0050] The dimensions of the recess 11 are slightly larger than the dimensions of the heat sink 12 and are located in the area or alignment position of the component to be cooled or the processor device 15, so that the heat sink 12 can be placed with a sufficient distance from the edge of the recess 11. Here, the recess 11 preferably has an edge, and a part of the heat sink 12 is arranged on the edge at a certain distance, wherein a hardening tolerance compensation material 13 such as an adhesive, adhesive paste or other fixing medium is used to fix the heat sink 12 on the housing of the control device 2 or on the edge of the recess. During the assembly or manufacturing process, the tolerance compensation material 13 is applied in a liquid / paste state to the edge of the recess 11 or the flange of the heat sink 12, and then the heat sink 12 is placed or inserted / assembled in the recess 11. During assembly, the heat sink 12 is fixed in place by hardening or drying of the tolerance compensation material 13. In practice, the heat sink 12 is embedded in the tolerance compensation material in the recess 11, wherein mechanical forces applied to the heat sink 12, for example by impact, are transferred to the control device housing 10 via the edge of the recess 11 and the fixed tolerance compensation material 13, but not to the relatively sensitive processor device 15, whereby the processor device is particularly protected from mechanical influences. In this case, the tolerance compensation material 13 also acts as a seal to prevent the intrusion of dirt and liquids. Thus, the tolerance compensation medium and the fixing medium (usually an adhesive) can support the heat sink 12 so that the forces acting on the heat sink 12 after hardening are mechanically absorbed by the control device housing 10, thereby protecting the components to be cooled from negative effects (e.g. deformation / stress, etc.) caused by mechanical stress or force. In particular, in the case of thermal insulation from other components of the housing, the hardened adhesive (tolerance compensation material 13) can leave a wider gap between the heat sink 12 and the housing if it is filled to reduce heat transfer) and / or be made of a material with poor thermal conductivity.

[0051] During the process of inserting the heat sink 12, for example, the thermal interface material (TIM) layer 22 previously provided on the component to be cooled or the processor device 15 may also be squeezed and displaced to a great extent, making it very thin or even non-existent. In particular, it should be noted that Figure 3The TIM layer 22 in the figure and the TIM layer in the following figure are not drawn to scale, because for the sake of clarity, the TIM layer is shown much thicker. The heat sink 12 is preferably made of a metal material, in particular aluminum or copper or an alloy thereof. Here, the heat sink 12 is preferably manufactured by extrusion, whereby components with good thermal conductivity can be used. In addition, the processor device 15 also includes an LID or processor housing 16 and a substrate 17, on which the actual processor 18 or chip or integrated circuit (IC) module is arranged with the help of solder beads or welding material or solder 19. In addition, a TIM layer 20 (such as a thermal interface material such as thermal paste) is arranged between the processor housing 16 and the processor 18, so that the heat of the processor 18 can be discharged through the thermal paste and the processor housing 16. The substrate 17 of the processor device 15 is arranged on the circuit board 14 by solder beads or solder 21. Alternatively, the connection can be made by adhesive or other fastening methods known in the prior art. For robustness considerations, according to known standards in the control device, there may also be other components, such as bottom fillers or corner adhesives in the process. Here, the circuit board 14 is, for example, fixed or clamped between the control device housing 10 and the base or cover 10b, or connected to the housing in other ways, wherein the cover 10b can also seal the control device 2 in a dustproof and waterproof manner.

[0052] exist Figure 3In the embodiment, the second heat-conducting component is not a traditional solid metal radiator, which is, for example, provided with heat-dissipating fins as shown in Figure 2, and is usually connected to the cooling component with a small pitch or a small gap by means of heat-conducting paste, so as to establish a thermal connection with the heat-dissipating body through which the coolant flows. Here, reference numeral 23 represents a flexible cooling pad through which the fluid flows or a second heat-conducting component through which the fluid flows, which "closes" to the cooling component, that is, it closes to the radiator 12 and the control device housing 10. Here, the cooling pad 23 is arranged between the control device housing 10 and the cover (also a fixture or other component) 10a provided as an option. Here, the cooling pad 23 can also (through outward support) especially through the support on both sides to absorb greater pressure, and close to the external wrapping material. Here, the cooling pad 23 comprises a radiator made of at least a flexible material or a film or a composite film. In practical applications, the flexible material may be a metal foil such as aluminum foil or copper foil, which preferably forms a laminated film with a thin plastic film, or the flexible material may be a plastic film, which is coated / evaporated with aluminum or the like, or may be an anodized aluminum foil. In addition, a plastic coating may be provided on one or both sides of the aluminum foil. In addition, so-called dry foils (antistatic, water vapor sealing and flexible barrier films for electronic components) may also be provided as flexible materials or combinations of the above materials. If a metal foil, especially an aluminum foil, is used here, the necessary electrical insulation and corrosion resistance may be ensured by an extremely thin plastic coating, an anodized aluminum coating, or an anodized coating. In addition, at least one fluid channel 23a is provided for the inflow and outflow of a fluid (coolant, air, water or the like).

[0053] Figure 4 A design variant of the control device 2 according to the invention is shown, in which the processor device 15 has no processor housing. Here, the cooling device can be in direct contact with the processor 18 or can be in contact with the associated processor via a thin layer 20 of thermal interface material (TIM). Here, too, a processor housing is not necessary, since its purpose is to protect the processor 18 from mechanical influences, which can be determined according to the embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 As shown, this is achieved by the cooling device according to the invention, because the forces acting on the heat sink 12 are transmitted to the control device housing 10 via the tolerance compensation material 13. In order to further protect the processor 18 from mechanical influences, a hardening tolerance compensation material 24 can also be arranged between the heat sink 12 and the base plate 17 and / or between the heat sink 12 and the circuit board 14 and transmit the relevant influences to the control device housing 10. With this design variant, the thermal interface material (TIM) layer can be reduced to a particular extent, so that the heat conduction is particularly effective. This design variant effectively protects the processor 18 without an additional processor housing.

[0054] Depending on the purpose of use, the heat sink 12 can be configured by molding technology to be connected to adjacent housing parts only by narrow bonding parts or free air gaps so that a small amount of heat can be transferred there. For example, adjacent components such as memory (RAM (random access memory), flash memory devices, oscillators) can be thermally connected to the housing through thermally conductive interface materials (TIM) where the temperature is significantly lower than the area directly affected by the heat of the power semiconductor or high-performance graphics processor (GPU) / micro control unit (MCU).

[0055] Figures 5a to 5h Shown are design variations of the first heat conducting component or heat sink 12 , wherein a top view and a related side view are shown facing the component to be cooled or the processor device 15 . Figures 5a to 5d The heat sink 12 a to 12 d in the embodiment has a flange 25 , wherein the tolerance compensation material 13 can be arranged on the flange 25 , wherein the flange 25 engages in a corresponding part of the recess 11 . Figures 5e to 5f Shown in each case are rhombic heat sinks 12 e , 12 f which, due to their conical shape, can engage in the recess 11 , wherein here too the tolerance compensation material 13 is located at the edge of the recess 11 .

[0056] Figure 5g and Figure 5h Another embodiment of the heat sink is shown, in which one side of the heat sink 12g and 12h is provided with a continuous heat sink fin 26a or a single heat sink 26b, which is similar to the structure of an air-cooled housing. Here, liquid or gaseous fluid can flow on the side of the heat sink 12g and 12h facing outward. In the case of liquid cooling, the heat sink 12g and 12h should be bonded in a fluid-tight manner. In addition, a sealing cover can be provided above the fins to seal the relevant device from the outside.

[0057] Figures 6a to 6f Different design variants of the transition between heat sink 12 and control unit housing 10 are shown. Figure 6a The height offset between the heat sink 12 and the control housing 10 is shown. Here, the gap that can be present between the heat sink 12 or 12a and the control housing 10 or the edge of the recess 11 is also clearly visible. This gap allows for aligned / contacting mounting with the component 15 to be cooled and can also have a beneficial effect on the thermal decoupling of the control housing 10. Furthermore, the tolerance compensation material 13 can be located in the gap, since the assembly of the heat sink 12 can press the tolerance compensation material into the gap (e.g. Figures 6a to 6fThis may also be the case in the illustrated / other figures - however, for reasons of clarity, this is not shown). It is also possible to inject, for example, a pasty tolerance compensation material 13 into the gap between the recess 11 and the heat sink 12 directly after the heat sink 12 is positioned, instead of applying it to the heat sink 12 or the control device housing 10. In addition, the cooling pad 23 can be provided as a second heat conducting component (e.g. Figure 6b As shown in the figure, due to its flexibility, it can be closely attached to the control device housing 10 and the heat sink 12 without further compensation material. According to a design solution not shown in the figure, the heat sink 12 can also have a protruding portion relative to the control device housing 10 (i.e., with the heat sink 12 protruding from the control device housing 10). Figure 6a ) (ie, the heat sink 12 may protrude beyond the control device housing 10 ), and this protruding portion may be compensated by the cooling pad 23 . Figure 6c A design variant is shown in which the heat sink 12 and the control device housing 10 form an almost flat surface. Figure 6d The cooling pad 23 shown may also serve as a second heat conducting component. Figure 6e A design variant is shown, in which a heat sink 12h is provided, which has cooling fins 26a on its upper side. The heat sink 12h can dissipate heat via these cooling fins, since they enlarge the surface of the heat sink 12h. Here, airflow or fluid can be used for cooling. Compared with conventional housings, the cooling fins or the heat sink can be made of a material with better thermal conductivity in a significantly more sophisticated manner. In addition, a cover 10a can be provided, such as Figure 6f As shown, the cover is arranged above the control device housing 10 and the radiator 12h, wherein a cooling channel is formed between the cover 10a and the surface with cooling fins of the radiator 12h, whereby a cooling fluid (such as air or coolant) can be guided or transported through, thereby effectively dissipating heat from the radiator 12h.

[0058] Figure 7 Shown is a design of a control device 2, in which a passive heat dissipation module 27 with heat dissipation fins 27a is provided as a second heat conducting component, i.e. so-called air cooling is performed, for example, by means of a fan or natural convection or air flow. Furthermore, the heat dissipation module 27 can also be made of, for example, copper or aluminum, so that if the rest of the control device housing 10 is made of a material with poor electrical conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy or plastic, the thermal conductivity of the heat dissipation module 27 is higher than that of the rest of the control device housing. Furthermore, the shape of the heat dissipation module 27 can also form a larger surface area (larger than the surface area of ​​the component to be cooled) on the outside by means of the air-guiding heat dissipation fins 27a. In such air systems, the height tolerance relative to the control device housing 10 is usually not important, wherein according to Figure 7The design shown in the figure shows that the heat sink 12 and the control device housing 10 form a substantially flat surface, and the heat sink module 27 is arranged on the surface. In addition, if the heat sink 12 and the control device housing 10 do not form a smooth or flat surface, that is, the heat sink 12 protrudes from the control device housing 10, or if Figure 7 As shown, the control device housing 10 protrudes beyond the heat sink 12, and an additional thermal interface material (TIM) layer 28 may be provided to compensate for possible height differences, wherein the surface area / range of the thermal interface material (TIM) is larger than that of the thermal interface material (TIM) layer 20, but the thermal resistance is lower.

[0059] Figure 8 A design is shown, in which the control device housing 10 has cooling fins 10c (or alternatively cooling junctions) as an additional cooling function. In addition, a heat sink 12h with cooling fins 26a (or alternatively cooling junctions) is used as a first heat-conducting component. Here, for example, an air flow can be provided, which flows along the cooling fins 10c, 26a (or cooling junctions) to cool them. Here, the air flow can be actively generated by a fan, for example, or it can be passively generated. In addition, it can be provided that the cooling fins 10c, 26a (or cooling junctions) are covered by a cover 10a, so that a fluid channel system or fluid channels are formed between the cooling fins 10c, 26a (or cooling junctions), and a fluid is actively or passively transported through these fluid channels. A liquid cooling system can also be realized in this way, for example, by sealing these fluid channels in a fluid-tight manner and connecting them to a fluid circuit via an inlet and an outlet.

[0060] Fig. 9Another embodiment of the control device 2 according to the present invention is shown, in which other semiconductor components 30a and 30b on the circuit board 14 are contacted by cooling units 29a and 29b to cool the relevant semiconductor components. Relatively thick thermal interface material (TIM) layers 31a and 31b (according to the conventional structure) are respectively arranged between the cooling units 29a and 29b and the semiconductor components 30a and 30b. In addition, the control device housing 10 also has a substantially flat surface, and there is a slight height offset between the heat sink 12 and the control device housing 10 (tolerance compensation for close contact with hot spot components), and the height offset is compensated by the elasticity of the bag or cooling pad 23 through which the fluid flows, and the bag or cooling pad through which the fluid flows is close to the control device housing 10 and the heat sink 12 without obvious gaps, thereby playing a heat dissipation role. Here, the flow direction of the fluid in the cooling pad 23 is either a meandering flow or substantially perpendicular to the cross-sectional direction of the drawing (i.e., not from left to right or from right to left to ensure thermal decoupling of the heat sink 12 and the cooling units 29a and 29b). This design solution can achieve or improve the thermal decoupling of the component to be cooled or the processor device 15 and the other semiconductor components 30a and 30b in a particularly simple manner.

[0061] Fig.10a and 10b Shown are the designs of the heat sink 120a or 120b according to the present invention, which can be used for the cooling device according to the present invention or the control device 2 according to the present invention. Here, the heat sink 120a or 121b is made of an aluminum-copper composite material by means of a forming process, in particular an extrusion process, and has a cooling junction 121a or 121b. The heat sink 120a and the heat sink 120b have copper 121a or 122b or a copper alloy facing the component to be cooled, because copper has excellent thermal conductivity, and have aluminum 122a or 122b or an aluminum alloy facing the fluid cooling device, because aluminum generally has good robustness with respect to the respective fluid cooling device and also has good thermal conductivity. The main difference between the heat sink 120a and 120b is that in the case of the heat sink 120a, the copper layer 121a is embedded in the aluminum layer 122a or is wrapped by the aluminum layer, while in the case of the heat sink 120b, the copper layer 121b and the aluminum layer 122b form a stack.

[0062] Fig.10a / 10b each shows a special design with cooling junctions 123a, 123b (also made on aluminum or aluminum alloy). The heat sink can preferably have various shapes, such as having a flange 124a (such as Fig.10a As shown), having a rhombus / trapezoidal cross section (as Fig.10b as shown) or with heat sink fins (as shown Figure 5h , Figure 6e / f). Fig.10c The exemplary embodiment of the heat sink 120c with the flange 124c is shown. Here, the flange 124c can be formed in a simple manner, that is, according to Fig.10a In a design scheme, the embedded copper layer 121a protrudes from the aluminum layer 122a, or according to Fig.10b In one embodiment, the area of ​​the copper layer 121b is selected to be smaller than the area of ​​the aluminum layer 122b, wherein the copper layer 121c thus protrudes above the aluminum layer 122c. Here, extrusion is particularly suitable for manufacturing the heat sink 120a, 120b, 120c, because the shape parts of the copper 121a, 121b, 121c and the aluminum 122a, 122b, 122c can be well connected to each other. Here, extrusion is one of the forming processes or integral forming processes, which can be completed by a single-stage or multi-stage manufacturing process.

[0063] Fig.11 The present invention shows a design scheme for the stepwise installation of a cooling device according to the invention during the manufacturing process or a design scheme for a method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the invention. The method comprises the following process steps:

[0064] - providing (I) a housing, in particular a control device 2 (control device housing 10) with a recess 11, wherein the recess is substantially consistent with the size of the heat sink 12 and is located in the area or aligned with the component to be cooled, or providing (I) a control device housing 10, in particular a control device 2, and making the recess 11;

[0065] - Install (III) the components to be cooled in the control device housing 10, for example by placing a processor device 15 (or integrated

[0066] The circuit board 14 of the circuit (IC) module / processor 18 is arranged, for example, positioned, fixed or placed in the control device housing 10.

[0067] Method (in Fig.11 In the embodiment, the circuit board 14 is clamped between the control device housing 10 and the cover 10b);

[0068] - Applying (IV) a hardening tolerance compensation material 13 (for example an adhesive or adhesive paste) for the control device housing 10 or the recessed

[0069] A heat sink 12 is fixed on the edge of the hole 11;

[0070] - Apply (V) a paste or liquid thermal interface material to the power component or part to be cooled according to the purpose of use.

[0071] material (TIM) 22 or a thin thermal interface material (TIM) pad, and

[0072] - Place a heat sink 12 (or heat spreader or heat dissipation module) preferably made of aluminum, copper or its alloy or composite material into the recess (VI)

[0073] The heat sink 12 is placed in the cavity 11, thereby causing the thermal interface material (TIM) 22 on the component to be cooled to be squeezed and displaced to a great extent, and the heat sink 12 is fixed only after the tolerance compensation material 13 (or adhesive or another "fixing medium") is hardened.

[0074] In summary, the present invention discloses components of various solutions, whereby the thickness of one or more thermal interface material (TIM) layers can be reduced to a certain extent or even omitted. The thermal resistance is thereby reduced. In addition, according to some embodiments, the thermal coupling between the main heat generating body (such as a high-performance processor) and other components (such as a memory component) can also be reduced. In addition, the transfer area of ​​the hot spot of heat in the direction of the heat dissipation medium can be significantly enlarged by the present invention. Here, the new solution is not only suitable for special liquid cooling systems, but also for specially designed air cooling systems. In addition, the present invention also discloses how to provide mechanical support on a solid housing part instead of on a usually mechanically sensitive part to be cooled while maintaining a minimum distance between the cooling element (i.e., heat spreader or heat sink) and the component to be cooled (component to be cooled) or the thermal interface material (TIM) layer thereon. Of course, the cooling device can also be used to heat the part to be heated (so-called use as a heating device) by filling the cooling device with a medium that can heat the part to be heated. For this purpose, the cooling device can be connected to the heat circulation loop in a simple manner by a connecting device so as to be supplied with a heating medium that then flows through the cooling device or the heating device. For example, the support frame according to the invention or the cooling device according to the invention can also be used, in particular in the automotive sector, to heat one or more components.

[0075] Reference numerals list

[0076] 1 Vehicle

[0077] 2 Control device

[0078] 3 Steering device

[0079] 4 Motor

[0080] 5 Braking device

[0081] 6 Radar Sensor

[0082] 7 LiDAR Sensor

[0083] 8 Front camera

[0084] 9a to 9d Ultrasonic sensors

[0085] 10 Control unit housing

[0086] 10a Cover

[0087] 10b Cover

[0088] 11. Concave

[0089] 12, 12a to 12h Radiator

[0090] 13 Tolerance compensation material

[0091] 14 Circuit Board

[0092] 15 Processor device

[0093] 16 Processor housing

[0094] 17 substrate

[0095] 18 Processor

[0096] 19 Solder

[0097] 20 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)

[0098] 21 Solder

[0099] 22 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)

[0100] 23 Cooling pad

[0101] 23a Fluid channel

[0102] 24 Tolerance compensation material

[0103] 25 Flange

[0104] 26a Heatsink fins

[0105] 26b Heat sink

[0106] 27 Cooling module

[0107] 27a Heatsink fins

[0108] 28 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)

[0109] 29a, 29b Cooling unit

[0110] 30a, 30b Semiconductor components

[0111] 31a, 31b Thermal Interface Material (TIM) layer

[0112] 120a, 120b, 120c Radiator

[0113] 121a, 121b, 121c Copper

[0114] 122a, 122b, 122c Aluminum

[0115] 123a, 123b, 123c Heat sink

[0116] 124a, 124c Flange

[0117] 200 Control device

[0118] 201 Control device housing

[0119] 202 Radiator

[0120] 203 heat sink fins

[0121] 204 Circuit Board

[0122] 205 Processor Device

[0123] 206 Processor housing

[0124] 207 substrate

[0125] 208 processors

[0126] 209 Solder

[0127] 210 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)

[0128] 211 Solder

[0129] 212 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)

Claims

1. A cooling device, comprising: A housing, in particular a control device housing (10) or a sensor housing, The components to be cooled are arranged in the housing, a first heat-conducting component disposed on the component to be cooled, and The housing has a recess (11), and the first heat-conducting component is placed in the recess in such a way that the first heat-conducting component is mechanically aligned and thermally coupled to the component to be cooled, and A tolerance compensation material (13) is arranged between the first heat conducting component and the housing.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tolerance compensating material (13) is a hardened material.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A second heat conducting component is provided, which is arranged on the housing and / or the first heat conducting component.

4. A cooling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: A thermal interface material (TIM) (28) is disposed between the first thermally conductive component and the second thermally conductive component and / or a thermally conductive interface material (TIM) (22) is disposed between the first thermally conductive component and the component to be cooled.

5. A cooling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The heat sink (12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 120a, 120c) is provided as a first heat conducting component and has a flange (25, 124a, 124c) on which a tolerance compensation material (13) is provided.

6. A cooling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The heat sink (12e, 12f, 120b) is provided as a first heat conducting member and has a trapezoidal or rhombus-shaped cross section.

7. A cooling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The heat sink (12g, 12h, 120a, 120b, 120c) is provided as a first heat conducting component and has heat dissipating fins (26a) or heat dissipating junctions (26b, 123a, 123b, 123c).

8. The cooling device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: The second heat-conducting component comprises a heat pipe or a fluid cooling device, in particular a water cooling device with a fluid channel or an air cooling device with heat dissipation fins (27a) or a fluid plate with a fluid channel.

9. The cooling device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: The second heat conducting component is an elastic bellows or a cooling pad (23) which is at least partially made of a flexible material, whereby the second heat conducting component or a flexible portion of the second heat conducting component abuts against the first heat conducting component.

10. The cooling device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The flexible material is a metal foil, in particular an aluminum foil or a copper foil, and / or a plastic film and / or a laminate film and / or a composite film, in particular comprising a metal foil and a plastic film.

11. The cooling device according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that: The second heat conducting component is filled with a coolant or a coolant flows through it, and the coolant is provided as a fluid, in particular as water, glycol, a water-glycol mixture, air, carbon dioxide or a similar fluid.

12. A cooling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that In addition, a tolerance compensation material (24) is provided, which is used to compensate for the tolerance and is arranged between the first heat conducting component and the - a second heat conducting component and / or - a circuit board (14) carrying components to be cooled and / or -Parts to be cooled between.

13. A control device (2) comprising a cooling arrangement according to any of the preceding claims.

14. A method for manufacturing a cooling device, in particular a method for manufacturing a cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: Implement the following method steps: - providing (I) a housing, in particular a control housing (10) with a recess (11), or providing (I) a housing, in particular a control housing (10) and producing (II) the recess (11), - applying (III) a hardening tolerance compensation material (13) for fixing the heat sink (12) on the housing or on the edge of the recess (11), - installing (IV) the components to be cooled in the housing of the control device (2), - Place the heat sink into the (VI) cavity and harden the tolerance compensation material to fix the heat sink.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the following method steps: - Apply (V) thermal interface material (TIM) to the component to be cooled.

16. A heat sink (12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 120a, 120b, 120c) for a cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The heat sink (12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 120a, 120b, 120c) is made of an aluminum-copper composite material by means of a forming process, in particular an extrusion forming process, and has a flange or a rhombus / trapezoidal cross section.

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