Conductor component with cooling structure

Abstract

The invention provides a conductor component with a cooling structure, which can realize light weight and miniaturization. A conductor member (1) having a cooling structure includes: a conductor plate (11); a groove member (12) which is formed from an insulating resin, has a shape in which a flow path groove (121) constituting a part of a refrigerant flow path (1a) through which a refrigerant flows is provided, and extends along at least a partial shape (11a) of the conductor plate (11); a metal cap (13) which is a cap made of metal so as to constitute a refrigerant flow path (1a) by closing a groove opening (121a) of the flow path groove (121), the metal cap (13) overlapping the conductor plate (11); a pair of refrigerant inlets / outlets (14) provided in the metal cover (13); and a thermally conductive material (15) interposed between the metal cover (13) and the conductor plate (11) so as to be in close contact with the metal cover (13) and the conductor plate (11).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conductor component having a cooling structure, which connects a component terminal of an electric or electronic component as an electrical connection target while cooling the conductor component itself. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a cooling structure configured to transfer the heat of a conductor component connected to a component terminal as an electrical connection target of an electric or electronic component to a bottom wall of a device housing to dissipate heat (for example, see Patent Document 1). The cooling structure according to Patent Document 1 is configured to transfer the heat of a conductor component made of metal to the bottom wall via an insulating component to prevent leakage and to dissipate heat of the conductor component.

[0003] [Citation List]

[0004] [Patent Document]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-127302A Summary of the invention

[0006] [Technical issues]

[0007] Here, for the conductor component with a cooling structure adopting the above cooling structure for dissipating heat from the bottom wall of the device housing, it is necessary to form a bottom wall with sufficient thickness and width for heat dissipation, so that its weight tends to be heavier and its size tends to be larger.

[0008] Thus, the present invention has focused on the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conductor component having a cooling structure, which can achieve lightness and miniaturization.

[0009] [Solution to the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a conductor component with a cooling structure is characterized in that it includes: a conductor plate formed of a conductive metal into a strip shape, wherein one end side is connected to a component terminal of a predetermined electric / electronic component, and the other end side is connected to an electrical connection target of the electric / electronic component to conduct electricity; a groove component formed of an insulating resin and having a shape in which a flow path groove constituting a part of a refrigerant flow path in which a refrigerant flows is provided, and the groove component extends along at least a part of the shape of the conductor plate in the length direction; a metal cover, which is a cover made of metal to constitute the refrigerant flow path by closing a groove opening of the flow path groove in the groove component, and the metal cover overlaps the conductor plate; a pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet, the pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet being provided on at least one of the groove component and the metal cover so that the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant flow path; and a heat conductive material, which is sandwiched between the metal cover and the conductor plate to be in close contact with the metal cover and the conductor plate.

[0011] [Effects of the invention]

[0012] According to the conductor component having the cooling structure described above, it is possible to achieve weight reduction and size reduction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a conductor component having a cooling structure according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a conductor component with a cooling structure is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the conductor component with the cooling structure taken along the center line V11-V11.

[0016] Reference Mark List

[0017] 1Conductor component with cooling structure

[0018] 1a Refrigerant flow path

[0019] 11 Conductor plate

[0020] 11a Partial shape

[0021] 11b, 13a watertight joint

[0022] 12 Groove

[0023] 13 Metal cover

[0024] 14 Refrigerant inlet / outlet

[0025] 15. Thermally conductive materials

[0026] 111 Screw through hole

[0027] 121 Flow channel

[0028] 121a Slot opening

[0029] 121a-1 Opening edge

[0030] 121a-2 protruding opening edge

[0031] 121a-3 weeks rib

[0032] 122 Central groove

[0033] 123 protruding groove

[0034] 131 Central cover

[0035] 131a Flow path side concave and convex surface

[0036] 131a-1 convex part

[0037] 131b Concave and convex surface on the conductor side

[0038] 132 Protruding cover

[0039] D11 Length direction

[0040] D12 Width direction

[0041] E1 Electrical / Electronic Components

[0042] E11 component terminals DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In the following, embodiments of a conductor component with a cooling structure will be described.

[0044] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a conductor component having a cooling structure according to an embodiment. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a conductor component with a cooling structure is shown. Figure 3 is along Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the conductor component with the cooling structure taken along the center line V11-V11.

[0045] The conductor component 1 with a cooling structure according to the present embodiment is a component for connecting each element terminal E11 in a relay as an electric / electronic element E1 to an electrical connection target of the electric / electronic element E1. A pair of element terminals E11 is provided in the electric / electronic element E1, and a pair of conductor components 1 with a cooling structure is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the pair of element terminals E1. Each conductor component 1 with a cooling structure includes a conductor plate 11, a slot component 12, a metal cover 13, a pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet 14, and a heat conductive material 15.

[0046] The conductor plate 11 is formed of a conductive metal such as copper into a rectangular strip shape, wherein one end side thereof is connected to the element terminal E11 of the relay as the electric / electronic element E1, and the other end side thereof becomes a bus bar for connecting to the electrical connection target of the electric / electronic element E1 to conduct electricity. The connection of the two ends is performed by screw fastening, and a screw through hole 111 for the fastening screw to penetrate is provided in each end.

[0047] The groove member 12 is a member formed of an insulating resin, which extends along the partial shape 11a of the conductor plate 11 except for the two end portions in the length direction D11, and has a shape in which a flow path groove 121 constituting a part of the refrigerant flow path 1a in which the refrigerant flows is provided. The groove member 12 is a C-shaped groove shape in a plan view viewed from the conductor plate 11 side, and has a central groove portion 122 along the partial shape 11a of the conductor plate 11 and a pair of protruding groove portions 123 protruding outwardly in the width direction D12 of the conductor plate 11 from the two end portions of the central groove portion 122. The two end portions of the conductor plate 11 where the screw through holes 111 are provided are arranged to protrude from the central groove portion 122 in the groove member 12 in the length direction D11.

[0048] The metal cover 13 is a cover made of a metal such as copper, which constitutes the refrigerant flow path 1a by closing the groove opening 121a of the C-shaped flow path groove 121 in the groove member 12, and is a member on which the conductor plate 11 can be overlapped. The metal cover 13 is a C-shaped plate in a plan view viewed from the conductor plate 11 side, and includes a central cover portion 131 closing the central groove portion 122 and a pair of protruding cover portions 132 protruding from both end portions of the central cover portion 131 to close the pair of protruding groove portions 123 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0049] Here, according to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned groove part 12 has a stepped concave shape so that a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 in the groove opening 121a except for the above-mentioned protruding groove portion 123 can be fitted into the central cover portion 131 of the metal cover 13. Regarding the protruding opening edge portion 121a-2 of the protruding groove portion 123, its contour is formed into a shape substantially the same as the shape of the protruding cover portion 132 so that the protruding cover portion 132 can be simply overlapped thereon. The protruding cover portion 132 protrudes from the cutout of the peripheral rib 121a-3 at a high position in the form of a step in the above-mentioned portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 to overlap with the protruding opening edge portion 121a-2. The periphery of the metal cover 13 is hooked on the above-mentioned portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 and a pair of protruding opening edge portions 121a-2, and is bonded with an adhesive having a waterproof property. According to this bonding, as Figure 3 As shown, a watertight joint 13a is formed.

[0050] In addition, according to the present embodiment, in the central cover portion 131 of the metal cover 13, three weld beads extending in the length direction D11 of the conductor plate 11 are formed. Therefore, the surface on the refrigerant flow path side in the central cover portion 131 of the metal cover 13 becomes a flow path side concave-convex surface 131a, and a plurality of (three according to the present embodiment) convex portions 131a-1 protruding toward the inner side of the refrigerant flow path 1a are provided on the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a. In accordance with this configuration, the surface on the conductor plate 11 side in the central cover portion 131 becomes a conductor side concave-convex surface 131b corresponding to the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a.

[0051] The pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet 14 is a portion provided in at least one of the groove member 12 and the metal cover 13 so that the refrigerant flows to the refrigerant flow path 1a, and according to the present embodiment, it is provided only in the metal cover 13. More specifically, the pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet 14 is a tubular protrusion provided to stand upright in a one-to-one correspondence with the pair of protruding cover portions 132 in the metal cover 13.

[0052] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, water as a conductive liquid is used as the refrigerant. Then, insulation treatment such as coating of an insulating paint is applied to the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a toward the inside of the refrigerant flow path 1a in the metal cover 13.

[0053] The heat conductive material 15 is a flexible sheet member interposed between the metal cover 13 and the conductor plate 11 to be in close contact with the metal cover 13 and the conductor plate 11. As an example of the heat conductive material 15, for example, a heat conductive sheet of the Tflex SF600 series (registered trademark) manufactured by Laird Thermal Systems, Inc. can be used. Figure 3As shown, the heat conductive material 15 is sandwiched between the conductor plate 11 and the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b in the central cover portion 131 of the metal cover 13 so as to be in close contact with the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b and the conductor plate 11. Then, in a state where the heat conductive material 15 is sandwiched between the conductor plate 11 and the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b of the metal cover 13 and the heat conductive material 15 is slightly flattened by the conductor plate 11 and the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b of the metal cover 13, the conductor plate 11 overlaps with the end edge of the peripheral rib 121a-3 in the groove part 12 surrounding the central cover portion 131. The end edge of the peripheral rib 121a-3 and the conductor plate 11 are bonded with an adhesive having waterproof properties to form a watertight joint portion 111b.

[0054] According to the conductor component 1 with a cooling structure in the above-described embodiment, the heat generated in the electric / electronic element E1 and transferred to the conductor plate 11 is transferred to the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 1a via the metal cover 13 and the heat conductive material 15 to be cooled. According to this configuration, since cooling is performed by the refrigerant and the metal cover 13 is only configured to transfer heat to the refrigerant, it is sufficient to form the metal cover 13, which tends to be heavy, in the minimum required size, thereby enabling lightweighting and miniaturization. In addition, in the case where the light tank component 12 made of resin is combined with the metal cover 13 to constitute the refrigerant flow path 1a, lightweighting and miniaturization can be appropriately achieved compared to the case where a heavy component made of metal with sufficient thickness and width, such as a cooling plate, is used for heat dissipation.

[0055] Here, according to the present embodiment, a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 in the slot opening 121a of the slot member 12 has a stepped concave shape in which the metal cover 13 can be fitted. The conductor plate 11 is bonded to the periphery of the slot opening 121a in a state where the conductor plate 11 overlaps the metal plate 13 and the heat conductive material 15 is sandwiched therebetween. According to this configuration, the metal cover 13 is fitted to a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 in the slot opening 121a, so that the size of the metal cover 13 can be limited to the same extent as the slot opening 121a, and thereby further weight reduction and miniaturization can be achieved.

[0056] According to this embodiment, the surface of the metal cover 13 on the refrigerant flow path 1a side is formed as the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a. According to this configuration, by providing the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a in the metal cover 13, the contact surface with the refrigerant becomes larger, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the surface of the metal cover 13 on the conductor plate 11 side becomes the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b, and the heat conductive material 15 is sandwiched between the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b and the conductor plate 11 to closely contact the two structures. According to this configuration, by providing the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b in the metal cover 13, the contact surface with the heat conductive material 15 becomes larger, so that the cooling efficiency can be improved.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet ports 14 are formed into tubular protrusions corresponding one-to-one to the pair of protruding cover portions 132 in the metal cover 13. According to this configuration, by providing the refrigerant inlet / outlet ports 14 in the protruding cover portions 132 away from the conductor plate 11 in the metal cover 13, the central cover portion 131 overlapping the conductor plate 11 satisfactorily contributes to heat conduction to the refrigerant, thereby enabling the cooling efficiency to be improved. Furthermore, by configuring the refrigerant inlet / outlet ports 14 as tubular protrusions, for example, it is possible to connect to a flow path having another shape such as a tubular shape, and the degree of freedom of flow path connection can be improved.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the refrigerant is water as a conductive liquid, and an insulating treatment for the refrigerant is applied to the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a facing the inside of the refrigerant flow path 1a in the metal cover 13. According to this configuration, even if a situation such as the metal cover 13 coming into contact with the conductor plate 11 occurs, the conductor plate 11 can be clearly prevented from being short-circuited with other parts via the refrigerant due to the insulating treatment applied to the metal cover 13.

[0060] The above-described embodiments are merely for illustrating typical embodiments of the conductor component with a cooling structure. The conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited thereto, and can be implemented as various modified examples.

[0061] For example, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of a conductor component with a cooling structure, a conductor component 1 with a cooling structure for connecting each of a pair of element terminals E11 as an electrical connection target in a relay as an electric / electronic component E1 is shown. However, the conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited thereto, and the connected electric / electronic component may be an electric component other than a relay or other electronic component.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of a conductor component with a cooling structure, a liquid-cooled conductor component 1 with a cooling structure in which water as a conductive liquid flows as a refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 1a is shown. However, the conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited thereto, and the refrigerant may be a non-conductive liquid or a gas for air cooling. In the case of adopting a non-conductive liquid or a gas for air cooling, it is not necessary to perform insulation treatment on the inner surface of the metal cover for partitioning the refrigerant flow path. However, in the case of using water as a conductive liquid as a refrigerant, by applying insulation treatment to the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a as the inner surface of the metal cover 13, similar to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to clearly prevent a short circuit between the conductor plate 11 and other components via the refrigerant.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of the conductor component with a cooling structure, the conductor component 1 with a cooling structure in which the groove member 12 extends along the partial shape 11a except for both end portions of the conductor plate 11 is shown. However, the conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited thereto, and it may be a configuration in which the groove member is formed along the entire length of the strip-shaped conductor plate.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of a conductor component with a cooling structure, a conductor component 1 with a cooling structure in which both of a pair of refrigerant inlets / outlets 14 are provided in the metal cover 13 is shown. However, the conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited thereto, and one of the refrigerant inlets / outlets may be provided in either of the groove component or the metal cover, and the other of the refrigerant inlets or outlets may be provided in the other of the groove component or the metal cover. Alternatively, both of a pair of refrigerant inlets / outlets may be provided in the groove component.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of a conductor component with a cooling structure, a conductor component with a cooling structure is shown, in which a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 in the slot opening 121a of the slot component 12 has a concave shape in the form of a step, and the metal cover 13 can be fitted into the concave shape in the form of a step. However, the conductor component with a cooling structure is not limited to this, and a metal cover wider than the slot opening can be simply overlapped and bonded to the slot opening without providing a concave portion in the form of a step or the like in the slot opening of the slot component. However, as described above, by adopting a structure in which a concave portion in the form of a step is provided in a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 of the slot opening 121a to fit the metal cover 13 therein, it is possible to further achieve lightweighting and miniaturization of the conductor component 1 with a cooling structure. Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, it is described that the concave portion in the form of a step for fitting the metal cover 13 therein is provided only in a portion of the opening edge portion 121a-1 in the slot opening 121a, however, the formation position of the concave portion is not limited to this, and the concave portion can be provided along the entire circumference of the opening edge portion.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of the metal cover, the metal cover 13 in which the surface on the refrigerant flow path 1a side becomes the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a is shown. However, the metal cover is not limited thereto, and the metal cover may be a configuration in which the surface on the refrigerant flow path side becomes a flat surface. However, according to the metal cover 13 having the flow path side concave-convex surface 131a, as described above, the contact surface with the refrigerant becomes larger, thereby being able to improve the cooling efficiency.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of the metal cover, the metal cover 13 in which the surface at the conductor plate 11 side becomes the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b and the heat conductive material 15 is in close contact with the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b is shown. However, the metal cover is not limited thereto, and the surface at the conductor plate side may be a flat surface. However, according to the metal cover 13 having the conductor side concavo-convex surface 131b, as described above, the contact surface with the heat conductive material 15 becomes large, thereby being able to improve the cooling efficiency.

[0068] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, as an example of the refrigerant inlet / outlet, the refrigerant inlet / outlet 14 provided as a tubular protrusion erected in the protruding cover portion 132 away from the conductor plate 11 in the metal cover 13 is shown. However, the refrigerant inlet / outlet is not limited thereto, and it may be provided to penetrate the conductor plate in a portion overlapping with the conductor plate, or its shape may be a square tube shape or the like instead of a tubular protrusion. However, as described above, by providing the refrigerant inlet / outlet 14 as a tubular protrusion in the protruding cover portion 132 away from the conductor plate 11, the cooling efficiency can be improved, and by forming the refrigerant inlet / outlet 14 as a tubular protrusion, the degree of freedom of flow path connection can be improved.

Claims

1. A conductor component (1) with a cooling structure, comprising: a conductor plate (11) formed of a conductive metal in a strip shape, wherein one end side of the conductor plate is connected to an element terminal (E11) of a predetermined electric / electronic element (E1), and the other end side of the conductor plate is connected to an electrical connection target of the electric / electronic element (E1) to conduct electricity; a groove member (12) formed of an insulating resin and having a shape in which a flow path groove (121) constituting a part of a refrigerant flow path (1a) in which the refrigerant flows is provided, and the groove member (12) extends along at least a part of the shape (11a) in a length direction (D11) of the conductor plate (11); a metal cover (13) which is a cover made of metal and forms the refrigerant flow path (1a) by closing the groove opening (121a) of the flow path groove (121) in the groove member (12), the metal cover (13) overlapping the conductor plate (11); a pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet (14) provided in at least one of the groove member (12) and the metal cover (13) so that the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant flow path (1a); and A heat conductive material (15) is sandwiched between the metal cover (13) and the conductor plate (11) to be in close contact with the metal cover (13) and the conductor plate (11).

2. The conductor component (1) with a cooling structure according to claim 1, in, In the groove part (12), at least a portion of the opening edge (121a-1) in the groove opening (121a) is in a stepped concave shape, and the metal cover (13) can fit in the stepped concave shape, and The conductor plate (11) is bonded to the periphery of the slot opening (121a) of the slot member (12) in a state where the conductor plate (11) and the metal cover (13) are overlapped to sandwich the heat conductive material between the conductor plate (11) and the metal cover (13).

3. The conductor component (1) with a cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein: The surface of the metal cover (13) on the refrigerant flow path (1a) side is formed into a concavo-convex surface.

4. The conductor component (1) with a cooling structure according to claim 1, in, The surface of the metal cover (13) on the conductor plate (11) side is formed into a concavoconvex surface, and The heat conductive material (15) is sandwiched between the concavo-convex surface on the conductor plate (11) side and the conductor plate (11) to be in close contact with the concavo-convex surface on the conductor plate (11) side and the conductor plate (11).

5. The conductor component (1) with a cooling structure according to claim 1, in, The flow path groove (121) in the groove member (12) has a pair of protruding groove portions (123) protruding away from the conductor plate (11), and A pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet ports (14) are tubular protrusions arranged to stand upright in one-to-one correspondence with a pair of protruding cover portions (132) in the metal cover (13), and the pair of protruding cover portions (132) close the pair of protruding groove portions (123).

6. The conductor component (1) with a cooling structure according to claim 1, in, The refrigerant is a conductive liquid, and In the metal cover (13), a surface facing the inside of the refrigerant flow path (1a) is subjected to insulation treatment for the refrigerant.

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