Heat dissipation body and box-shaped body

Abstract

The heat sink radiates heat generated by a heat source, the heat sink including: a base to which heat is transferred; a plurality of fins provided on the base portion and extending in a predetermined extension direction; and a wall adjacent to the plurality of fins in the extending direction. The plurality of fins includes two or more fins configured such that an interval between the fins and the wall in the extending direction increases toward one end of the wall in an intersecting direction intersecting the extending direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat sink that radiates heat generated by a radiation heat source, and a box-shaped body including the heat sink as at least a portion of an outer wall. BACKGROUND

[0002] An electrical junction box mounted on a vehicle or the like has been proposed in the related art. For example, the electrical junction box in the related art accommodates electronic components, bus bars, and the like in an internal space thereof to prevent accidental contact with the electronic components and the like (see, for example, JP 2013-240217 A).

[0003] The electrical junction box of the above-described type can include a heat sink for radiating heat generated by the electronic components during operation to the outside. However, when, for example, a power input terminal for electrically connecting the inside and the outside of the electrical junction box for power supply is provided in the vicinity of the heat sink, the power input terminal itself or a seat portion that fixes the power input terminal obstructs the flow of air along the heat sink, which can impair the heat dissipation performance of the electrical junction box. From the viewpoint of proper operation of the electrical junction box, it is desirable to improve the heat dissipation performance of the electrical junction box.

[0004] As can be understood from the above description, it is desirable to improve the heat dissipation performance not only in the electrical junction box but also in a box-shaped body that is capable of accommodating a heat source in an internal space. For these reasons, there is a need for a heat sink that has excellent heat dissipation performance and that can be applied to a box-shaped body. SUMMARY

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a heat sink having excellent heat dissipation performance and a box-shaped body including the heat sink.

[0006] To achieve the above object, a heat sink and a box-shaped body according to the present disclosure have the following features.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a heat sink that radiates heat generated by a heat source, the heat sink including: a base to which heat is transferred; a plurality of heat sinks provided on the base and extending in a prescribed extension direction; and a wall adjacent to the plurality of heat sinks in the extension direction, wherein the plurality of heat sinks include two or more heat sinks configured such that a spacing between the heat sinks and the wall in the extension direction increases toward one end of the wall in an intersecting direction intersecting the extension direction.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a box-shaped body for accommodating a heat source in an internal space, the box-shaped body including: a heat sink as at least a portion of an outer wall of the box-shaped body.

[0009] According to the heat sink of the present disclosure, the spacing between the wall adjacent to the plurality of fins and at least a portion of the plurality of fins (i.e., two or more fins) increases toward the end of the wall. Therefore, when air flows from the flow path between the two or more fins to the area between the wall and the two or more fins, the pressure in the area having a large spacing is generally lower than the pressure in the area having a small spacing. Therefore, air flows from the area having a small spacing to the area having a large spacing (i.e., toward the end of the wall). In other words, instead of simply colliding with the wall, air is guided to flow around the end of the wall. For this reason, even when the wall is present in the vicinity of the fins, the flow of air is less likely to be hindered by the wall. Therefore, for example, even when the wall and the fins for a seat portion or the like are integrally provided on the base portion and in close contact with each other, heat can be effectively dissipated from the fins. Thus, the heat sink of the present disclosure has excellent heat dissipation performance, which is useful for fixing a power input terminal.

[0010] According to the box-shaped body of the present disclosure, the heat sink is provided as at least a portion of the outer wall of the box-shaped body. Therefore, heat generated by a heat source inside the box-shaped body can be effectively radiated to the outside of the box-shaped body. Thus, the box-shaped body of the present disclosure has excellent heat dissipation performance.

[0011] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. The details of the present disclosure will be clarified by reading the modes for carrying out the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a box-shaped body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the box-shaped body in Figure 1 from the rear side;

[0015] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the box-shaped body in Figure 1 ;

[0016] Figure 4 is a plan view of the enlarged portion A in Figure 3 ; and

[0017] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the periphery of a seat portion and a bolt attachment portion included in portion A in Figure 3 , when viewed obliquely from the rear lower side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] EMBODIMENT

[0019] Hereinafter, a box-shaped body 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The box-shaped body 1 houses various electronic components such as relays and fuses therein, and thus the box-shaped body 1 can also be referred to as an electronic component unit or an electrical junction box.

[0020] As Figures 1 to 3 illustrated, the box-shaped body 1 includes a circuit board 10, a cover 20, and a housing 30 that sandwich the circuit board 10 vertically and define an accommodation space for accommodating the circuit board 10. The box-shaped body 1 is generally attached to an instrument panel that separates an engine room of a vehicle and an interior (cabin) of the vehicle, and is used in a state in which the cover 20 is exposed to the engine room of the vehicle. The housing 30 corresponds to the "housing" in the present disclosure. The cover 20 corresponds to the "cover" in the present disclosure.

[0021] Hereinafter, for ease of description, the definitions of "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front-rear direction", "up-down direction", and "left-right direction" are as Figure 1 illustrated. The front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are orthogonal to each other. The up-down direction corresponds to the "direction in which the fins extend" in the present disclosure, and the left-right direction corresponds to the "direction intersecting the direction in which the fins extend" in the present disclosure. As will be described later, from the viewpoint of smoothly flowing air along the fins 37 when the box-shaped body 1 is mounted on a vehicle or the like, the up-down direction of the vehicle or the like preferably coincides with the "up-down direction" in the present example when the box-shaped body 1 is mounted on the vehicle or the like. However, the "up-down direction" in the present example does not necessarily correspond to the up-down direction of the vehicle or the like when the box-shaped body 1 is mounted on the vehicle or the like. Hereinafter, the components that constitute the box-shaped body 1 will be described.

[0022] First, the circuit board 10 will be described. The circuit board 10 is, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB) on which various electronic components (not shown) such as relays and fuses are mounted, and has a rectangular flat plate shape in the present example as Figure 3 illustrated.

[0023] Next, the cover 20 will be described. The cover 20 is a resin molded body, and has a rectangular flat plate shape as Figure 3The cover 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The cover 20 constitutes a part of the outer wall of the box-shaped body 1. A connector 21 including a tubular portion extending forward (toward the outside of the box-shaped body 1) is provided at each of a plurality of positions on the front surface (a surface exposed to the outside of the box-shaped body 1) of the cover 20. Each connector 21 accommodates a metal terminal (not shown) electrically connected to a corresponding electronic component mounted on the circuit board 10. Each connector 21 is fitted to a counterpart connector (not shown) connected to one end of an electric wire extending from a device (not shown) outside the box-shaped body 1. Thus, each connector 21 has a function of electrically connecting the electronic component mounted on the circuit board 10 inside the box-shaped body 1 and the device outside the box-shaped body 1. Each connector 21 can be fitted to the counterpart connector in a watertight manner, and has a waterproof function of preventing water from entering from the outside when fitted to the counterpart connector. The cover 20 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 22 extending in the plate thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the cover 20 at each of the four corners of the outer periphery edge thereof.

[0024] Next, the case 30 will be described. The case 30 is made of metal (more specifically, die-cast aluminum), and also functions as a so-called heat sink that absorbs heat generated from various electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 and releases the heat to the outside. In the present example, as Figure 3 shown, the case 30 integrally has a peripheral wall 31 having a substantially rectangular tubular shape extending in the front-rear direction, and a bottom wall 32 having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape and blocking the rear end opening of the peripheral wall 31, and has a substantially rectangular box shape with a front end opening. The case 30 (= peripheral wall 31 + bottom wall 32) constitutes a part of the outer wall of the box-shaped body 1. The circuit board 10 is placed on the inner surface (front surface) of the bottom wall 32 and fixed by fastening or the like. Here, the case 30 corresponds to the "heat sink" of the present disclosure, and the bottom wall 32 corresponds to the "base" of the present disclosure.

[0025] The peripheral wall 31 is formed with a substantially rectangular annular groove portion 33 on the substantially rectangular frame-shaped end surface thereof on the opening side (front side), the groove portion 33 being recessed rearward and extending over the entire outer periphery of the peripheral wall 31 in the circumferential direction. A sealing material (liquid gasket or the like) is injected into the groove portion 33. As Figure 2As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 is provided with a bolt-attachment portion 34 having an outer shape protruding from the bottom wall 32 toward the rear side (the outside of the box-shaped body 1) at each of the four corners of the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 on the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32. The bolt-attachment portion 34 corresponds to each of the four bolt-insertion holes 22 of the cover 20. The bolt-attachment portion 34 is formed with an internal thread opening toward the front side (toward the cover 20) therein. The cover 20 is placed on the end face of the opening side of the peripheral wall 31 to block the front end opening of the housing 30, and is fastened to the housing 30 by screwing bolts (not shown) inserted into the bolt-insertion holes 22 into the internal threads of the respective bolt-attachment portions 34. When the cover 20 is assembled to the housing 30, the sealing material injected into the recessed groove portion 33 seals the gap between the cover 20 and the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 fixed to each other, achieving a function of preventing water from entering the box-shaped body 1 from the outside. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, one of the four bolt-attachment portions 34 located at the upper right corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34a", and one located at the upper left corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34b". The bolt-attachment portions 34 can also be used as positions of attaching clamps (so-called brackets) for mounting the box-shaped body 1 on a vehicle or the like.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 is provided with a bolt-attachment portion 34 having an outer shape protruding from the bottom wall 32 toward the rear side (the outside of the box-shaped body 1) at each of the four corners of the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 on the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32. The bolt-attachment portion 34 corresponds to each of the four bolt-insertion holes 22 of the cover 20. The bolt-attachment portion 34 is formed with an internal thread opening toward the front side (toward the cover 20) therein. The cover 20 is placed on the end face of the opening side of the peripheral wall 31 to block the front end opening of the housing 30, and is fastened to the housing 30 by screwing bolts (not shown) inserted into the bolt-insertion holes 22 into the internal threads of the respective bolt-attachment portions 34. When the cover 20 is assembled to the housing 30, the sealing material injected into the recessed groove portion 33 seals the gap between the cover 20 and the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 fixed to each other, achieving a function of preventing water from entering the box-shaped body 1 from the outside. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, one of the four bolt-attachment portions 34 located at the upper right corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34a", and one located at the upper left corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34b". The bolt-attachment portions 34 can also be used as positions of attaching clamps (so-called brackets) for mounting the box-shaped body 1 on a vehicle or the like. Figures 2 to 4 As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 is provided with a bolt-attachment portion 34 having an outer shape protruding from the bottom wall 32 toward the rear side (the outside of the box-shaped body 1) at each of the four corners of the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 on the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32. The bolt-attachment portion 34 corresponds to each of the four bolt-insertion holes 22 of the cover 20. The bolt-attachment portion 34 is formed with an internal thread opening toward the front side (toward the cover 20) therein. The cover 20 is placed on the end face of the opening side of the peripheral wall 31 to block the front end opening of the housing 30, and is fastened to the housing 30 by screwing bolts (not shown) inserted into the bolt-insertion holes 22 into the internal threads of the respective bolt-attachment portions 34. When the cover 20 is assembled to the housing 30, the sealing material injected into the recessed groove portion 33 seals the gap between the cover 20 and the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 fixed to each other, achieving a function of preventing water from entering the box-shaped body 1 from the outside. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, one of the four bolt-attachment portions 34 located at the upper right corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34a", and one located at the upper left corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34b". The bolt-attachment portions 34 can also be used as positions of attaching clamps (so-called brackets) for mounting the box-shaped body 1 on a vehicle or the like.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 is provided with a bolt-attachment portion 34 having an outer shape protruding from the bottom wall 32 toward the rear side (the outside of the box-shaped body 1) at each of the four corners of the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 on the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32. The bolt-attachment portion 34 corresponds to each of the four bolt-insertion holes 22 of the cover 20. The bolt-attachment portion 34 is formed with an internal thread opening toward the front side (toward the cover 20) therein. The cover 20 is placed on the end face of the opening side of the peripheral wall 31 to block the front end opening of the housing 30, and is fastened to the housing 30 by screwing bolts (not shown) inserted into the bolt-insertion holes 22 into the internal threads of the respective bolt-attachment portions 34. When the cover 20 is assembled to the housing 30, the sealing material injected into the recessed groove portion 33 seals the gap between the cover 20 and the outer peripheral edge of the housing 30 fixed to each other, achieving a function of preventing water from entering the box-shaped body 1 from the outside. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, one of the four bolt-attachment portions 34 located at the upper right corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34a", and one located at the upper left corner of the housing 30 is referred to as "bolt-attachment portion 34b". The bolt-attachment portions 34 can also be used as positions of attaching clamps (so-called brackets) for mounting the box-shaped body 1 on a vehicle or the like. Figure 2

[0028] ​Hereinafter, for the sake of description, two or more (seven in this example) fins 37 located below the boss portion 35 projecting outward from the upper edge of the bottom wall 32 and adjacent (opposite) to the lower surface of the boss portion 35 in the up-down direction are referred to as "fins 37a" (see Figure 2 and Figure 5 ), two or more (three in this example) fins 37 located below the bolt-attachment portion 34a projecting outward from the upper edge of the bottom wall 32 and adjacent (facing) to the lower surface of the bolt-attachment portion 34a in the up-down direction are referred to as "fins 37b" (see Figure 2 and Figure 5 ), and two or more (three in this example) fins 37 located below the bolt-attachment portion 34b projecting outward from the upper edge of the bottom wall 32 and adjacent (facing) to the lower surface of the bolt-attachment portion 34b in the up-down direction are referred to as "fins 37c" (see Figure 2 ).

[0029] The upper ends of the seven fins 37a are close to the lower surface of the boss portion 35, and their positions in the up-down direction are not the same as one another. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 5 , the upper ends of the seven fins 37a are arranged such that the upper end of the fin 37a located at the center of the boss portion 35 in the left-right direction is at the uppermost side, and as the position of the fin 37a approaches from the center of the boss portion 35 toward the left and right ends in the left-right direction, the upper end of the fin 37a is at a lower position. In other words, the region Sa between the seven fins 37a and the boss portion 35 in the up-down direction has an increasing interval in the up-down direction from the center of the boss portion 35 toward the left and right ends in the left-right direction.

[0030] The upper ends of the three fins 37b are close to the lower surface of the bolt-attachment portion 34a, and their positions in the up-down direction are not the same as one another. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 5 , the upper ends of the three fins 37b are arranged such that the upper end of the fin 37b located at the left end of the bolt-attachment portion 34a in the left-right direction is at the uppermost side, and as the position of the fin 37b approaches from the left end of the bolt-attachment portion 34a toward the right end in the left-right direction, the upper end of the fin 37b is at a lower position. In other words, the region Sb in the up-down direction between the three fins 37b and the bolt-attachment portion 34a has an increasing interval in the up-down direction from the left end of the bolt-attachment portion 34a toward the right end in the left-right direction.

[0031] The upper ends of the three fins 37c are close to the lower surface of the bolt-attachment portion 34b, and their positions in the up-down direction are not the same as one another. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2As shown, the upper ends of the three fins 37c are arranged such that the upper end of the fin 37c located at the right end of the bolt attachment portion 34b in the left-right direction is located at the uppermost side, and as the upper end of the fin 37c approaches from the right end to the left end of the bolt attachment portion 34b in the left-right direction, the upper end of the fin 37c is located at a lower position of the fin 37c. In other words, the region Sc (see FIG. 6) between the three fins 37c and the bolt attachment portion 34b in the up-down direction has an increased interval in the up-down direction from the right end of the bolt attachment portion 34b toward the left end. Figure 2 ) in the up-down direction from the right end of the bolt attachment portion 34b toward the left end has an increased interval in the up-down direction.

[0032] The configuration effect of the intervals of the regions Sa, Sb, and Sc in the up-down direction will be described below. Heat generated from various electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 is absorbed by the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32 of the case 30 serving as a heat sink, and is released to the outside via the outer surfaces of the peripheral wall 31 and the bottom wall 32. At this time, air in the gaps between the plurality of fins 37 receives heat released from the outer surfaces of the bottom wall 32 and the fins 37, thereby having a higher temperature (i.e., a relatively lower density) than the surrounding air, and thus flows upward along the fins 37 extending in the up-down direction.

[0033] Among the plurality of fins 37, air (i.e., fins 37 on which no protrusions are provided, such as the bolt attachment portion 34 or the seat portion 35 above) flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37 other than the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c can move above the bottom wall 32 (i.e., above the box-shaped body 1) without being hindered from flowing upward from the upper end of the fin 37.

[0034] On the other hand, air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37a can be hindered from flowing upward from the upper end of the fin 37a due to collision with the seat portion 35 or the like. In this regard, in the present example as described above, the region Sa between the seven fins 37a and the seat portion 35 has an increased interval in the up-down direction from the center of the seat portion 35 toward the left end and the right end in the left-right direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the fin 37a located at the center of the seat portion 35 in the left-right direction is located at the uppermost side, and as the upper end of the fin 37a approaches from the center of the seat portion 35 toward the left end and the right end in the left-right direction, the upper end of the fin 37a is located at a lower position of the fin 37a. Figure 5As shown, when air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37a flows into the region Sa, the pressure in the portion of the region Sa having a large interval in the up-down direction is generally lower than the pressure in the portion of the region Sa having a small interval in the up-down direction, so the air flows toward the region of the region Sa having a large interval in the up-down direction. Specifically, the air flowing into the region Sa on the left side of the center of the seat portion 35 in the left-right direction does not flow to simply collide with the seat portion 35, but is guided to flow around the left end of the seat portion 35, as shown by the white arrows in the figure. Similarly, the air flowing into the region Sa on the right side of the center of the seat portion 35 in the left-right direction does not flow to simply collide with the seat portion 35, but is guided to flow around the right end of the seat portion 35, as shown by the white arrows in the figure. For this reason, even when the seat portion 35 is present near the upper end of the fins 37a, the upward flow of air flowing into the region Sa is unlikely to be impeded, so the heat dissipation performance is unlikely to be impeded.

[0035] Similarly, air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37b can be impeded from flowing upward from the upper end of the fins 37b due to collision with the bolt attachment portion 34a or the like. In this regard, in the present example as described above, the region Sb between the three fins 37b and the bolt attachment portion 34a has an interval that increases in the up-down direction from the left end of the bolt attachment portion 34a toward the right end in the left-right direction. For this reason, as shown, when air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37b flows into the region Sb, the pressure in the portion of the region Sb having a large interval in the up-down direction is generally lower than the pressure in the portion of the region Sb having a small interval in the up-down direction, so the air flows toward the region of the region Sb having a large interval in the up-down direction. Specifically, the air flowing into the region Sb does not flow to simply collide with the bolt attachment portion 34a, but is guided to flow around the right end of the bolt attachment portion 34a, as shown by the white arrows in the figure. For this reason, even when the bolt attachment portion 34a is present near the upper end of the fins 37b, the upward flow of air flowing into the region Sb is unlikely to be impeded, so the heat dissipation performance is unlikely to be impeded. Figure 5

[0036] ​Similarly, air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37c can be hindered from flowing upward from the upper ends of the fins 37c due to collisions with the bolt attachment portion 34b and the like. In this regard, in the present example as described above, the region Sc between the three fins 37c and the bolt attachment portion 34b has an increasing gap in the up-and-down direction from the right end of the bolt attachment portion 34b toward the left end in the left-and-right direction. For this reason, when air flowing upward through the gaps between the fins 37c flows into the region Sc, the pressure in the portion of the region Sc having a large gap in the up-and-down direction is generally lower than the pressure in the portion of the region Sc having a small gap in the up-and-down direction, and thus the air flows toward the region of the region Sc having a large gap in the up-and-down direction. Specifically, the air flowing into the region Sc does not flow to simply collide with the bolt attachment portion 34b, but is guided to flow around the left end of the bolt attachment portion 34b, as indicated by the white arrows in the figure. For this reason, even when the bolt attachment portion 34b is present in the vicinity of the upper ends of the fins 37c, the upward flow of air flowing into the region Sc is less likely to be hindered, and thus the heat dissipation performance is less likely to be hindered.

[0037] Operation and Effects

[0038] As described above, according to the heat sink (the housing 30) and the box-shaped body 1 in the present embodiment, at least a portion of the plurality of fins 37a, 37b, and 37c (i.e., two or more fins 37a, 37b, and 37c) and the wall (the seat portion 35 and the bolt attachment portions 34a and 34b) adjacent to the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c have a gap in the extending direction (the up-and-down direction) in which the plurality of fins 37a, 37b, and 37c extend that increases in the intersecting direction (the left-and-right direction) toward one end of the wall 35, 34a, and 34b. Therefore, when air flows from the flow path between the two or more fins 37a, 37b, and 37c to the region Sa, Sb, and Sc between the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c and the wall 35, 34a, and 34b, the pressure in the region having a large "gap" is generally lower than the pressure in the region having a small "gap", and thus the air flows to the region having a large "gap" (i.e., to the one end of the wall 35, 34a, and 34b). In other words, the air does not flow to simply collide with the wall 35, 34a, and 34b, but is guided to flow around the one end of the wall 35, 34a, and 34b. For this reason, even when the wall 35, 34a, and 34b is present in the vicinity of the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c, the flow of air is less likely to be hindered. Therefore, as in the present example, even when the wall of the seat portion 35 for fixing the power input terminal 36 and the bolt attachment portions 34a and 34b is in close contact with the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c, heat can be efficiently dissipated from the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c. Thus, the heat sink 30 and the box-shaped body 1 according to the present embodiment have excellent heat dissipation performance.

[0039] Further, two or more of the fins 37a are configured such that the above-mentioned interval increases from a center portion of the wall 35 toward one end, and the other two or more of the fins 37a are configured such that the above-mentioned interval increases from the center portion of the wall 35 toward the other end. Thus, the air flowing into the region between the fins 37a and the wall 35 is divided and guided to flow around one end of the wall 35 and the other end of the wall 35. Therefore, the air can flow more smoothly compared to the case where all the air is guided to flow around one end of the wall 35, and thus the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink 30 can be further improved.

[0040] Further, the other wall (bolt attachment portion 34a) is located adjacent to the wall (seat portion 35) in a direction (left-right direction) intersecting the extending direction of the fins 37a, 37b, and 37c. Thus, even when the air flowing along the fins 37a is difficult to flow around the wall 35, the air is guided to flow around one end of the walls 35 and 34a, and thus the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink 30 can be improved.

[0041] Other Embodiments

[0042] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified, improved, and the like as appropriate. Further, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, arrangement positions, and the like of the components in the above-described embodiments are freely selected and are not limited, as long as the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0043] For example, as in the above-described embodiments, Figure 5 As shown in the above-described embodiments, the length of the fins 37a in the up-down direction decreases toward the left and right ends of the wall 35, and thus the interval of the region Sa in the up-down direction increases. In contrast, the fins 37a and the wall 35 can be configured such that the fins 37a have the same length, and the lower surface of the wall 35 is inclined away from the fins 37a toward the left and right ends of the wall 35, so that the interval of the region Sa in the up-down direction increases.

[0044] Here, the features of the heat sink 30 and the box-shaped body 1 according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [6].

[0045] [1] A heat sink (30) that radiates heat generated by a heat source, the heat sink (30) comprising:

[0046] a base portion (32) to which heat is transferred; a plurality of fins (37a, 37b, 37c) provided on the base portion (32) and extending in a prescribed extending direction; and a wall (35, 34a, 34b) adjacent to the plurality of fins (37a, 37b, 37c) in the extending direction, wherein

[0047] The plurality of fins (37a, 37b, 37c) includes two or more fins (37a, 37b, 37c) configured such that the interval between the fin (37a, 37b, 37c) and the wall (35, 34a, 34b) in the extending direction increases toward one end of the wall (35, 34a, 34b) in the intersecting direction intersecting the extending direction.

[0048] According to the heat sink having the configuration [1], the interval between the wall adjacent to the plurality of fins and at least a portion of the plurality of fins (i.e., two or more fins) increases toward one end of the wall. Therefore, when air flows from the flow path between the two or more fins to the region between the wall and the two or more fins, the pressure in the region having a large interval is generally lower than the pressure in the region having a small interval. Thus, air flows from the region having a small interval to the region having a large interval (i.e., toward one end of the wall). In other words, instead of simply colliding with the wall, air is guided to flow around one end of the wall. For this reason, even when the wall is present in the vicinity of the fins, the flow of air is less likely to be hindered by the wall. Therefore, for example, even when the wall and the fins for a seat portion or the like for fixing a power input terminal are integrally provided on the base portion and are in close contact with each other, heat can be efficiently dissipated from the fins. Thus, the heat sink having the present configuration has excellent heat dissipation performance.

[0049] [2] The heat sink (30) according to [1], wherein

[0050] The plurality of fins (37a) includes two or more fins (37a) configured such that the interval increases from a central portion of the wall (35) toward one end, and another two or more fins (37a) configured such that the interval increases from the central portion of the wall (35) toward the other end.

[0051] According to the heat sink having the configuration [2], two or more fins are configured such that the interval increases from a central portion of the wall toward one end of the wall, and another two or more fins are configured such that the interval increases from the central portion of the wall toward the other end of the wall. Therefore, air flowing into the region between the fins and the wall is divided and guided to flow around one end of the wall and around the other end of the wall. Thus, compared to a case where all air is guided to flow around either end of the wall, air can flow more smoothly, and thus the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink can be further improved.

[0052] [3] The heat sink (30) according to [1], further comprising:

[0053] Another wall (34a) is located adjacent to the wall (35) in the intersecting direction.

[0054] According to the heat sink having the configuration [3], even when air flowing along the fins has difficulty flowing around the walls due to the presence of another wall at a position adjacent to the walls, the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink can be improved by the air passing through the through-holes of the walls.

[0055] [4] A box-shaped body (1) for housing a heat source in an internal space, the box-shaped body (1) comprising:

[0056] The heat sink (30) according to any one of [1] to [3] as at least a portion of the outer wall of the box-shaped body (1).

[0057] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [4], the heat sink is provided as at least a portion of the outer wall of the box-shaped body. Therefore, heat generated by the heat source inside the box-shaped body can be effectively radiated to the outside of the box-shaped body. Thus, the box-shaped body having this configuration has excellent heat dissipation performance.

[0058] [5] The box-shaped body (1) according to [4], wherein

[0059] The wall of the heat sink (30) is a seat portion (35) configured to fix a terminal (36) electrically connecting the inside and the outside of the box-shaped body (1).

[0060] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [5], the wall of the heat sink serves as a seat portion to fix a terminal electrically connecting the inside and the outside of the box-shaped body. Therefore, the seat portion is less likely to impede heat dissipation.

[0061] [6] The box-shaped body (1) according to [4], further comprising:

[0062] A housing (30) and a lid (20) defining an internal space, wherein

[0063] The wall of the heat sink (30) is an attachment portion (34a, 34b) allowing attachment of a fixing tool for fixing the lid (20) to the housing (30).

[0064] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [6], the wall of the heat sink serves as an attachment portion allowing attachment of a fixing tool for fixing the housing and the lid constituting the box-shaped body. For example, when a bolt is used as the fixing tool, even when the attachment portion for providing a bolt fastening hole is provided in the vicinity of the fins, the attachment portion is less likely to impede heat dissipation.

Claims

1. A heat sink that radiates heat generated by a heat source, the heat sink comprising: a base to which the heat is transferred; a plurality of fins provided on the base and extending in a prescribed extension direction; and a wall adjacent to the plurality of fins in the extension direction, wherein the plurality of fins include two or more fins configured such that a spacing between the fins and the wall in the extension direction increases toward one end of the wall in an intersecting direction intersecting the extension direction.

2. The heat sink according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fins include two or more fins and another two or more fins, the two or more fins are configured such that the spacing increases from a center portion of the wall toward the one end in the intersecting direction, and the another two or more fins are configured such that the spacing increases from the center portion of the wall toward another end in the intersecting direction.

3. The heat sink according to claim 1, further comprising: another wall located adjacent to the wall in the intersecting direction.

4. A box-shaped body for housing a heat source in an internal space, the box-shaped body comprising: the heat sink according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as at least a portion of an outer wall of the box-shaped body.

5. The box-shaped body according to claim 4, wherein the wall of the heat sink is a seat portion configured to fix a terminal that electrically connects an inside and an outside of the box-shaped body.

6. The box-shaped body according to claim 4, further comprising: a case and a lid that define the internal space, wherein the wall of the heat sink is an attachment portion that allows a fixing tool for fixing the lid to the case to be attached.

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