Extensible and high-thermal-conductivity air-cooled heat dissipation case based on VPX standard module

Abstract

The invention discloses a VPX standard module-based extensible high-thermal-conductivity air-cooled heat dissipation case, which comprises a case body, the case body comprises a left air-cooled side plate and a right air-cooled side plate, and the left air-cooled side plate and the right air-cooled side plate form an air-cooled air duct through an air inlet, a middle heat exchange area and an air outlet; wherein a plurality of groups of vapor chambers are embedded in the middle of the middle heat exchange area, radiating fins are arranged on the outer side of the middle heat exchange area, module slots are formed in the inner side of the middle heat exchange area, the module slots are used for inserting VPX standard modules, and the module slots can be expanded according to the number of the VPX standard modules. Aiming at the condition of heat consumption increase caused by VPX standard module expansion, the heat dissipation capability of the air-cooled heat dissipation case is greatly improved by introducing a vapor chamber technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic technology, and in particular to airborne equipment, specifically a scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on the VPX standard module. Background Technology

[0002] The VPX standard, as a new generation of high-speed serial bus standard, has been widely used in airborne electronic equipment. The VPX bus improves power supply capabilities, allowing electronic devices to integrate more VPX standard modules. With the increase in modules and overall power consumption, higher demands are placed on the heat dissipation capabilities of the electronic equipment chassis designed based on the VPX bus architecture. Simultaneously, due to the structural form of the VPX standard module connectors, chassis based on VPX standard modules are mostly enclosed chassis to avoid damage to the core hardware from harsh external environments. If the chassis's heat dissipation capacity cannot cover the overall heat dissipation requirements, prolonged operation at high temperatures can easily lead to thermal failure of internal circuit boards and electronic components, directly affecting the reliability of the electronic equipment. Therefore, with the continuous expansion of functions and increasing heat dissipation power consumption of airborne electronic equipment, effectively improving the heat dissipation capacity of electronic equipment chassis has become particularly important.

[0003] Currently, the main heat dissipation methods for sealed enclosures of electronic devices based on VPX standard modules are air cooling and liquid cooling.

[0004] 1. Conventional air-cooled chassis have a simple structure and low manufacturing cost. They can supply air in two ways: external air supply and internal fan air supply. They have a certain heat dissipation capacity. However, when the heat flux density of electronic equipment exceeds a certain threshold, especially with the increasing number of VPX standard modules, traditional air-cooled chassis can hardly meet the heat dissipation design requirements.

[0005] 2. Liquid-cooled chassis have a stronger heat dissipation capacity than air-cooled chassis, especially for electronic devices with high heat flux density. By using liquid cooling pipes to flow through the side wall of the chassis, the heat of the components is carried away, which greatly improves the heat dissipation effect of electronic devices. However, its process is complex, difficult to design, has high processing cost, is prone to leakage, and some airborne systems cannot provide a liquid supply environment, which makes the safety and reliability of the equipment a major concern.

[0006] While the two conventional design schemes mentioned above can theoretically meet the heat dissipation requirements of electronic devices, they both face certain design limitations. In particular, when the heat flux density of electronic devices exceeds the upper limit of traditional air-cooled chassis and liquid-cooled chassis are difficult to apply, the heat dissipation design of electronic devices becomes a key issue in the project process.

[0007] The aforementioned problems can be effectively solved by introducing a vapor chamber based on the phase change thermal conductivity principle. The vapor chamber's thermal conductivity can reach up to 8000 W / mK. Embedding the vapor chamber into the air-cooled side panel of a sealed chassis can effectively improve the planar thermal conductivity of the cold plate structure, with an equivalent thermal conductivity of at least 2000 W / mK, significantly increasing the upper limit of the air-cooled chassis's heat dissipation capacity. Therefore, this invention proposes a scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on the VPX standard module to address problems that existing technologies cannot cover. By introducing vapor chamber technology on top of existing air-cooled chassis heat dissipation technology, the heat dissipation capacity of the air-cooled chassis is further improved. This not only meets the modular and scalable requirements of aerospace avionics electronic equipment but also effectively solves the problem of component thermal failure caused by insufficient heat dissipation in electronic equipment chassis. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules. To address the increased heat dissipation caused by the expansion of VPX standard modules, the invention introduces heat sink technology, which significantly improves the heat dissipation capacity of the air-cooled chassis, thus solving the problems mentioned in the background. At the same time, by proposing a chassis optimization design method, the invention further achieves the lightweighting and reliability improvement of electronic devices.

[0009] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0010] An expandable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules includes a chassis body, a left air-cooled side panel and a right air-cooled side panel, and the left and right air-cooled side panels form an air-cooling air duct through an air inlet, a central heat exchange zone and an air outlet; wherein multiple sets of heat dissipation plates are embedded in the middle of the central heat exchange zone, with heat dissipation fins on the outer side and module slots on the inner side, the module slots being used to insert VPX standard modules.

[0011] Preferably, the multiple heat spreaders embedded in the left and right air-cooled side panels are arranged at an angle and at equal intervals. The specific number and spacing depend on the power of the heat source, and the angle of inclination is between 0° and 30°.

[0012] Preferably, the heat dissipation fins on the left and right air-cooled side panels are staggered, tilted, and arranged in zones.

[0013] Preferably, thermally conductive material is filled between the heat spreader and heat dissipation fins on the left and right air-cooled side panels.

[0014] Preferably, the module slot retains full-surface contact on the heat transfer side and is coated with a high thermal conductivity coating material, while only supporting ribs are retained on the non-heat transfer side.

[0015] Furthermore, the chassis also includes a chassis frame, a top cover, a bottom cover, a middle connecting plate, an external interface plate, and a mechanical mounting plate. The chassis is based on the chassis frame as its chassis structure. The external interface plate is located on the front side of the chassis frame, the mechanical mounting plate is located on the rear side, the top and bottom covers are located on the top and bottom sides respectively, the left and right air-cooling side panels are located on the left and right sides respectively, and the middle connecting plate is located between the left and right air-cooling side panels.

[0016] Preferably, both the upper and lower cover plates include sealing grooves and Z-shaped mechanical overlap structures for subsequent sealing and coating.

[0017] Furthermore, the air-cooled chassis also includes a heat dissipation component, which is installed on the top cover. The heat dissipation component includes an air supply device, an air supply device mounting plate, an air supply device connector, and a power supply mechanism. The heat dissipation component takes the air supply device mounting plate as the main body and provides an installation platform for the air supply device, the air supply device connector, and the power supply mechanism. The upper side of the air supply device mounting plate 14 is an air inlet, and the lower side is an air outlet connected to the air inlets of the left and right air-cooled side panels.

[0018] Preferably, the maximum external dimensions of the air inlet on the mounting plate of the air supply device are equal to those of the air supply device, and the air inlet is provided with equally spaced annular air inlets.

[0019] Preferably, a thermally conductive interface material is filled at the contact point between the upper cover and the VPX standard module, and the upper cover is provided with local heat dissipation fins in the area through which the cold airflow passes.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0021] 1. This invention inherits the design advantages of conventional air-cooled chassis, such as simple structure and low processing cost. It uses an internal fan for air supply and has a certain heat dissipation capacity. In order to further improve the heat dissipation capacity of the chassis, a heat dissipation plate is embedded in the air-cooled side panel and reasonably arranged, so that the chassis can meet the modular, expandable and high heat dissipation and power consumption requirements of aviation airborne electronic equipment.

[0022] 2. By embedding and strategically arranging a heat spreader in the air-cooled side panel, problems such as uneven heat dissipation due to fan failure and reduced heat dissipation capacity caused by low air pressure at high altitudes can be effectively solved, thus improving the reliability of electronic equipment. The air supply device connector is a multi-stage connection, achieving decoupling between the air supply device and the power supply mechanism, facilitating field replacement and improving the maintainability of electronic equipment.

[0023] 3. While retaining and thickening the entire heat-transfer surface of the chassis slot and applying a high thermal conductivity coating to improve heat transfer performance, the lightweight design of retaining only the support area on the non-heat-transfer surfaces can be extended to a chassis weight reduction design method. Filling the space between the module top and the chassis cover with a thermally conductive medium to create a new heat dissipation path can further improve chassis heat dissipation performance and can also be considered a chassis thermal design method. Chassis slots based on the VPX standard module are expandable, and this structural form can be solidified into a chassis design approach suitable for standard modules. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an expandable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis structure based on the VPX standard module, as shown in this invention.

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the mid-chassis frame structure;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the structure of the side plate of the central cooling unit;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the exploded structure of the heat dissipation component.

[0028] Labeling Explanation: 1. Chassis; 2. Heat dissipation assembly; 3. VPX standard module; 4. Chassis frame; 5. Top cover; 6. Bottom cover; 7. Middle connecting plate; 8. External interface plate; 9. Mechanical mounting plate; 10. Left air-cooled side plate; 11. Right air-cooled side plate; 12. Heat sink; 13. Air supply device; 14. Air supply device mounting plate; 15. Air supply device connector; 16. Power supply mechanism; 17. Grounding device; 18. Locking hook; 19. Handle; 20. External connector mounting base; 21. Positioning device; 22. Heat dissipation fins; 23. High thermal conductivity coating material; 24. Thermal interface material. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] See Figure 1-4 This embodiment shows an expandable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on the VPX standard module, which includes a chassis body 1 and a heat dissipation component 2.

[0031] See Figure 2As shown, the chassis 1 includes a chassis frame 4, a top cover 5, a bottom cover 6, a middle connecting plate 7, an external interface plate 8, a mechanical mounting plate 9, a left air-cooled side panel 10, and a right air-cooled side panel 11. The chassis 1 is based on the chassis frame 4 as its basic chassis structure. The external interface plate 8 is located on the front of the chassis frame 4, the mechanical mounting plate 9 is located on the rear, the top cover 5 and the bottom cover 6 are located on the top and bottom respectively, and the left air-cooled side panel 10 and the right air-cooled side panel 11 are located on the left and right sides respectively. The middle connecting plate 7 is located between the left air-cooled side panel 10 and the right air-cooled side panel 11.

[0032] The external interface board 8 is equipped with a grounding device 17, a high-strength locking hook 18, and a handle 19. It also has an external connector mounting base 20 inside. To facilitate the installation of the tooling, the mechanical mounting plate 9 has a positioning device 21 on the rear side. The positioning device 21 is embedded with high-strength alloy steel and is installed in conjunction with the tooling positioning pin to ensure a stable external interface for the chassis and reliable overall machine installation.

[0033] Both the upper cover plate 5 and the lower cover plate 6 include sealing grooves and Z-shaped mechanical overlapping structures to complete subsequent sealing and coating and other three-proof designs, while meeting electromagnetic compatibility design requirements; an appropriate number of central connecting plates 7 are set according to the number of VPX standard modules inside the chassis 1 to ensure the structural strength of the chassis.

[0034] See Figure 3 As shown, the left air-cooled side panel 10 and the right air-cooled side panel 11 have the same design, and the air duct of the air-cooled side panel is formed by the air inlet, the middle heat exchange zone and the air outlet.

[0035] Multiple sets of heat exchange plates 12 are embedded in the middle of the heat exchange zone. These heat exchange plates 12 are arranged at an angle and at equal intervals to ensure that their area can cover the heat source. It is recommended to set 1 to 3 sets, with the specific number and spacing depending on the power of the heat source. The angle of inclination is between 0° and 30°.

[0036] The outer side of the central heat exchange zone is equipped with heat dissipation fins 22, which are staggered, inclined, and arranged in sections, serving as the main heat exchanger between the air-cooled chassis and the surrounding environment. To ensure heat transfer efficiency, thermally conductive material can be filled between the heat spreader 12 and the heat dissipation fins 22 to further improve the chassis's heat dissipation performance. This not only overcomes the risk of fan failure but also enhances the overall heat transfer efficiency of the system.

[0037] The inner side of the intermediate heat exchange zone features an integrated module slot for the side panel. This slot is used to insert VPX standard modules and can be expanded according to the number of standard modules. The module slot retains full-surface contact on the heat transfer side and can be coated with a high thermal conductivity coating material 23, while only supporting ribs are retained on the non-heat transfer side. This ensures both lightweight design and low thermal resistance at the heat transfer interface.

[0038] The heat dissipation component 2 is mounted on the upper cover plate 5. See also... Figure 4 As shown, the heat dissipation assembly 2 consists of an air supply device 13, an air supply device mounting plate 14, an air supply device connector 15, and a power supply mechanism 16. The heat dissipation assembly 2 uses the air supply device mounting plate 14 as its main body, providing a mounting platform for the air supply device 13, the air supply device connector 15, and the power supply mechanism 16. The upper side of the air supply device mounting plate 14 is an air inlet, and the lower side is an air outlet. The maximum external dimension of the air inlet is equal to that of the air supply device 13. The air inlet is provided with equally spaced annular air inlets to ensure sufficient airflow while avoiding the risk of accidental contact during manual operation. Simultaneously, the lower side of the air supply device mounting plate 14 is an air outlet, connected to the air inlets of the left air-cooled side plate 10 and the right air-cooled side plate 11. The power supply mechanism 16 provides a cable tray for the air supply device 13, which is isolated from the ventilation path to ensure that the air-cooling heat dissipation path is not affected by the power supply line. The air supply device connector 15 connects the air supply device 13 and the power supply mechanism 16, forming an electrical connection path, enabling the air supply device 13 to generate forced airflow during operation. The air supply device connector 15 is a multi-stage connection, realizing the mechanical decoupling of the air supply device 13 and the power supply mechanism 16. Thermally conductive interface material 24 is filled at the contact point between the upper cover plate 5 and the VPX standard module 3, and local heat dissipation fins are set on the upper cover plate in the area through which the cold airflow passes, forming a new heat dissipation path and further improving the heat dissipation capacity of the chassis.

[0039] When using it, the initial state is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the VPX standard module 3 is installed in the chassis 1, and thermally conductive interface material 24 is appropriately filled between the VPX standard module 3 and the top cover 5. After the product is properly assembled, the electronic device is powered on and enters the working state. The heat generated by the VPX standard module 3 is dissipated through the main heat dissipation path formed by the module slot, the air-cooled side plate, the heat sink fins 22 and the surrounding environment, as well as the secondary heat dissipation path formed by the top cover 5 and the surrounding environment. In the main path, the left air-cooled side plate 10 and the right air-cooled side plate 11 both introduce heat spreader technology. Furthermore, a high thermal conductivity coating material can be coated on the heat transfer surface of the module slot. At the same time, combined with forced air... The active cooling technology introduces outside air into the chassis 1 through the air supply device 13. The cooling airflow enters the heat dissipation fins 22 area of ​​the air-cooled side panel through the heat dissipation component 2 to complete heat exchange. The heat generated by the VPX standard module 3 is carried away by the air outlet. By introducing the heat spreader 12 and combining it with forced air cooling technology, supplemented by various lightweight and heat dissipation enhancement methods, the scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on the VPX standard module 3 is finely designed to further improve the heat dissipation capacity of the air-cooled chassis, thereby effectively solving the problem of device thermal failure caused by insufficient heat dissipation of electronic equipment chassis.

[0040] The VPX standard module design is not limited to following the VITA46 series specifications, but can also be extended to the VITA48 series, etc., meaning that the module itself can be expanded in terms of heat dissipation and structural reinforcement to meet more demanding application environments.

[0041] It is understood that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or modifications to the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, and all such substitutions or modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules, comprising a chassis body, the chassis body including a left air-cooled side panel and a right air-cooled side panel, characterized in that... The left and right air-cooled side panels form an air-cooled air duct through the air inlet, the middle heat exchange zone, and the air outlet. The middle heat exchange zone has multiple sets of heat dissipation plates embedded in the middle, with heat dissipation fins on the outside and module slots on the inside. The module slots are used to insert VPX standard modules and can be expanded according to the number of VPX standard modules.

2. The scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules according to claim 1, characterized in that... The multiple heat spreaders embedded in the left and right air-cooled side panels are arranged at an angle and at equal intervals. The specific number and spacing depend on the power of the heat source, and the angle of inclination is between 0° and 30°.

3. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules as described in claim 1, characterized in that... The heat dissipation fins on the left and right air-cooled side panels are staggered, tilted, and arranged in sections.

4. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules as described in claim 1, characterized in that... Thermally conductive material is filled between the heat spreader and heat dissipation fins on the left and right air-cooled side panels.

5. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules as described in claim 1, characterized in that... The module slot retains full-surface contact on the heat transfer side and is coated with a high thermal conductivity material, while only supporting ribs are retained on the non-heat transfer side.

6. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules according to claim 1, characterized in that... The chassis enclosure also includes a chassis frame, a top cover, a bottom cover, a middle connecting plate, an external interface plate, and a mechanical mounting plate. The chassis enclosure is based on the chassis frame as its chassis structure. The external interface plate is located on the front side of the chassis frame, the mechanical mounting plate is located on the rear side, the top and bottom covers are located on the top and bottom sides respectively, the left and right air-cooling side panels are located on the left and right sides respectively, and the middle connecting plate is located between the left and right air-cooling side panels.

7. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules according to claim 6, characterized in that... Both the upper and lower cover plates include sealing grooves and Z-shaped mechanical overlap structures for subsequent sealing and coating.

8. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules according to claim 6, characterized in that... The air-cooled chassis also includes a heat dissipation component, which is mounted on the top cover. The heat dissipation component includes an air supply device, an air supply device mounting plate, an air supply device connector, and a power supply mechanism. The heat dissipation component is based on the air supply device mounting plate, which provides a mounting platform for the air supply device, the air supply device connector, and the power supply mechanism. The upper side of the air supply device mounting plate 14 is the air inlet, and the lower side is the air outlet connected to the air inlets of the left and right air-cooled side panels.

9. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on VPX standard modules according to claim 8, characterized in that... The maximum external dimensions of the air inlet on the air supply device mounting plate are the same as those of the air supply device, and the air inlet is provided with equally spaced annular air inlets.

10. A scalable, high thermal conductivity air-cooled chassis based on a VPX standard module as described in claim 6, characterized in that... Thermally conductive interface material is filled at the contact point between the top cover and the VPX standard module, and local heat dissipation fins are set on the top cover in the area through which the cold airflow passes.

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