Intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system of domain controller and control method of intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system

Abstract

The invention relates to an intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system of a domain controller and a control method thereof, and the system comprises an upper housing, a lower housing, an upper circuit board, a lower circuit board, and an intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation assembly which is used for the heat dissipation of the upper circuit board and the lower circuit board. The intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation assembly comprises a liquid cooling circulation unit and an intelligent control unit. The liquid cooling circulation unit comprises a cooling pipe supporting seat, a snakelike circulation pipe and a Z-shaped cold plate; the intelligent control unit comprises a proportional electromagnetic valve, two temperature sensors (integrated in an SOC) and an MCU microcontroller; the system and the method have the advantages that a double-side circuit board collaborative heat dissipation technical scheme of intelligent self-adaptive liquid cooling circulation and proportional electromagnetic valve control is adopted, and accurate heat dissipation of the double-flagship-level SOC chip is realized through integrated structural design and intelligent algorithm regulation and control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive electronic thermal management technology, and in particular to a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] As the electronic and electrical architecture of intelligent vehicles iterates towards integration and high computing power, the integration of cockpit domain controllers and autonomous driving domain controllers has become a mainstream trend in the industry. These integrated domain controllers typically use dual flagship-level SOC chips such as Qualcomm 8775 and Qualcomm 8295, with core heat dissipation power exceeding 50W, far exceeding that of traditional distributed domain controllers. The concentrated heat generation when the two chips work together has become a core bottleneck restricting the performance of the domain controller.

[0003] Traditional air-cooling solutions consisting of a metal casing, heat sink fins, and a fan cannot meet the cooling requirements of simultaneously cooling both upper and lower circuit boards with power exceeding 50W. Currently, the industry commonly uses a cooling solution with upper and lower dual-sided circuit boards and a water-cooling circulation system. However, traditional liquid cooling systems are open-loop designs, which have several key drawbacks: 1. Imbalanced heat dissipation: The heat generation inside the domain controller is extremely uneven. For example, when the NPU chip is running at full load, the heat generation is concentrated, while the surrounding power chips may be in a low-power state. However, the traditional liquid cooling system has a continuous flow channel throughout the vehicle, and the coolant flow cannot be distributed as needed, resulting in insufficient heat dissipation in high-heat areas and waste of heat dissipation resources in low-heat areas. 2. Excessive energy consumption: Traditional liquid cooling systems are either controlled by the vehicle's thermal management system or the domain controller has a small water pump that runs continuously at full speed. Regardless of the chip load or whether heat dissipation is needed, it maintains a fixed heat dissipation power, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption, which in particular affects the driving range of electric vehicles. 3. Significant risk of condensation: In cold weather (such as winter), the initial temperature of the coolant is extremely low. If it continues to flow at high speed through the cold plate, the temperature of the cold plate will be much lower than the ambient dew point temperature. Moisture in the air is easy to condense into frost on the PCB board surface, which can lead to short circuit and burnout, seriously threatening the safe operation of the domain controller. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the purpose of this invention is to provide a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system and its control method, which can achieve precise on-demand heat dissipation and fundamentally overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0005] The present invention provides a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system, comprising: a protective shell composed of an upper shell and a lower shell, an upper circuit board and a lower circuit board disposed within the protective shell, and an intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component. The upper circuit board is stacked on the lower circuit board via a bracket. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component is used to dissipate heat for the upper circuit board and the lower circuit board. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component includes: a liquid cooling circulation unit and an intelligent control unit. The liquid cooling circulation unit includes: a cooling pipe support, a serpentine circulation pipe (continuous S-shape), and a Z-shaped cold plate. The serpentine circulation pipe is installed inside the protective shell through the cooling pipe support. The bottom surface of the Z-shaped cold plate contacts the heat-generating areas (CPU area) of the upper and lower circuit boards. The top surface of the Z-shaped cold plate has a conformal groove corresponding to the shape of the serpentine circulation pipe. The serpentine circulation pipe is embedded in the conformal groove of the Z-shaped cold plate and contacts the Z-shaped cold plate. The serpentine circulation pipe dissipates heat from the upper and lower circuit boards through the Z-shaped cold plate. The liquid inlet of the serpentine circulation pipe is connected to the outlet of a micro variable frequency water pump, and the liquid outlet of the serpentine circulation pipe is connected to a coolant storage tank, forming a closed loop. The intelligent control unit includes: a proportional solenoid valve (bidirectional solenoid control valve), two temperature sensors, and an MCU microcontroller. The two temperature sensors are respectively from the SOC on the upper and lower circuit boards. The two temperature sensors are used to collect temperature data from the upper and lower circuit boards and transmit it to the MCU microcontroller. The proportional solenoid valve is connected in series with the serpentine circulation tube and electrically connected to the MCU microcontroller. The MCU microcontroller controls the proportional solenoid valve and the micro variable frequency water pump according to the temperature data from the two temperature sensors.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, both the upper and lower housings are integrally formed from die-cast aluminum alloy and are fixed by bolt connection.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Z-shaped cold plate is made of copper in a Z-shaped form.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the serpentine circulation tube is made of PU material, and the channel spacing of the serpentine circulation tube is 16mm.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling pipe support is made of die-cast aluminum alloy, and the cooling pipe support is provided with a pipe groove for installing a serpentine circulation pipe and several through holes to enhance the temperature transfer between the upper and lower sides and achieve heat and cold balance.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side cross-section of the serpentine circulation pipe is a Z-shape corresponding to the shape of the Z-shaped cold plate.

[0011] Another objective of this invention is to provide a control method for a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Use two temperature sensors built into the upper and lower circuit boards to periodically collect temperature data of the chips on the upper and lower circuit boards, and summarize the two sets of temperature data values ​​into the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller. Step S2: Use the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller to periodically read back the feedback information from the temperature sensor to understand the real-time working status of the controller; Step S3: Based on the feedback information from the two temperature sensors, perform the following operations: Step S31: Precise on-demand heat dissipation. When the temperature of the chips on the upper and lower circuit boards spikes to ≥80℃ due to high computing power (such as recognizing complex road conditions), the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller immediately triggers the proportional solenoid valve to open fully and controls the micro frequency converter water pump to rise to the highest speed (3000rpm), providing the maximum heat dissipation flow to the high heat-generating area of ​​the chip and quickly dissipating heat. Step S32: Prevent the chip from triggering thermal throttling. When the vehicle is idling, under parking monitoring, or cruising at low load, the chip temperature is ≤60℃, the proportional solenoid valve is closed or reduced to a preset level, the micro variable frequency water pump is reduced to a low speed ≤1000rpm or stops running, and heat dissipation resources are allocated as needed. Step S33: Active insulation to prevent condensation. When the temperature of the Z-shaped cold plate is detected to be ≤5℃ lower than the ambient dew point temperature, the proportional solenoid valve is immediately closed to cut off the coolant circulation. This allows the domain controller to maintain its internal temperature by generating heat during operation, thus preventing condensation on the PCB board due to excessively low cold plate temperature and completely eliminating the risk of condensation in low-temperature environments.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention has the advantages of precise and efficient heat dissipation and adaptability to high power requirements. Through the coordinated control of proportional solenoid valve and MCU microcontroller, the coolant flow rate is distributed on demand, and precise heat dissipation is achieved for the concentrated heat-generating area of ​​dual flagship SOC chips. The heat dissipation power covers 50-80W, and the chip junction temperature can be stably controlled below 85℃, effectively avoiding thermal throttling and ensuring continuous high-performance output of the domain controller.

[0013] 2. This invention has the advantages of significantly reducing energy consumption and improving range performance. Intelligent flow and water pump speed control reduces the energy consumption of the thermal management system by 15%-30%, which directly translates into an increase in range for electric vehicles, solving the pain point of continuous high power consumption of traditional liquid cooling systems.

[0014] 3. This invention has the advantages of completely eliminating condensation and ensuring safe operation. The active heat preservation mechanism in low-temperature environments prevents the temperature of the cold plate from falling below the dew point by cutting off the coolant circulation, thus solving the industry problem of condensation and short circuit on PCB boards from the root and greatly improving the operational reliability of the domain controller in extreme weather conditions.

[0015] 4. This invention boasts advantages such as compact and reliable structure, adaptability to integrated layouts, and a Z-shaped cold plate design. Its compact structure occupies roughly the same space as traditional liquid cooling systems, perfectly adapting to the dual-layer circuit board layout of integrated domain controllers. Furthermore, all components utilize automotive-grade materials and processes, exhibiting vibration resistance and high / low temperature resistance (-40℃~125℃), conforming to AEC-Q100 automotive standards. (See attached drawings.) Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the overall structure of the invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component and the upper and lower circuit boards of the invention.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1. Upper housing; 2. Lower housing; 3. Upper circuit board; 4. Lower circuit board; 5. Cooling pipe support; 6. Serpentine circulation pipe; 7. Z-shaped cold plate; 8. Proportional solenoid valve. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Example 1

[0020] See Figure 1-3 As shown, this embodiment provides a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling heat dissipation system, including: a protective shell composed of an upper shell 1 and a lower shell 2, an upper circuit board (cockpit domain SOC chip) 3 disposed in the protective shell, a lower circuit board (driving domain SOC chip) 4, and an intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component. The upper circuit board 3 is stacked on the lower circuit board 4 by a bracket. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component is used to dissipate heat from the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component includes: a liquid cooling circulation unit and an intelligent control unit. The liquid cooling circulation unit includes: a cooling pipe support 5, a serpentine circulation pipe (continuous S-shape) 6, and a Z-shaped cold plate 7. The serpentine circulation pipe 6 is installed in the protective shell through the cooling pipe support 5. The bottom surface of the Z-shaped cold plate 7 contacts the heat-generating areas (CPU area) of the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4. The top surface of the Z-shaped cold plate 7 has a conformal groove corresponding to the shape of the serpentine circulation pipe 6. The lower semicircle of the circular tube of the serpentine circulation pipe 6 is embedded in the conformal groove of the Z-shaped cold plate 7 and contacts the Z-shaped cold plate to increase the contact area and thus improve the heat dissipation rate. The serpentine circulation pipe 6 dissipates heat to the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4 through the Z-shaped cold plate 7. The liquid inlet of the serpentine circulation pipe 6 is connected to the outlet of the micro variable frequency water pump, and the liquid outlet of the serpentine circulation pipe 6 is connected to the coolant storage tank to form a closed loop. The intelligent control unit includes: a proportional solenoid valve (bidirectional solenoid control valve) 8, two temperature sensors, and an MCU microcontroller. The two temperature sensors are respectively mounted on the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4. The two temperature sensors are used to collect temperature data from the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4 and transmit it to the MCU microcontroller. The proportional solenoid valve 8 is connected in series with the serpentine circulation pipe 6 and is electrically connected to the MCU microcontroller. The MCU microcontroller controls the proportional solenoid valve 8 and the micro variable frequency water pump according to the temperature data from the two temperature sensors.

[0021] Furthermore, in this embodiment, both the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are integrally formed from die-cast aluminum alloy and fixed by bolt connection, which has both heat conduction and protection functions; threaded holes are provided on the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 to facilitate the fixing of the upper circuit board 3, the lower circuit board 4 and the liquid cooling circulation unit.

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the Z-shaped cold plate 7 is made of copper (thermal conductivity 400W / m・K) in a Z-shaped plate shape.

[0023] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the serpentine circulation tube 6 is made of PU material, and the channel spacing of the serpentine circulation tube 6 is 16mm. The side cross-section of the serpentine circulation tube is Z-shaped, corresponding to the shape of the Z-shaped cold plate, which facilitates the serpentine circulation tube 6 to fit and transfer heat with the Z-shaped cold plate 7.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooling pipe support is made of die-cast aluminum alloy. The cooling pipe support has a pipe groove and several through holes for installing the serpentine circulation pipe, which are used to enhance the temperature transfer between the upper and lower sides and achieve heat balance. The shape of the cooling pipe support 6 can correspond to the shape of the Z-shaped cold plate 7.

[0025] Example 2

[0026] This embodiment provides a control method for a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system, including the following steps: Step S1: Use two temperature sensors built into the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4 to periodically collect temperature data of the chips on the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4, and summarize the two sets of temperature data values ​​into the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller. Step S2: Use the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller to periodically read back the feedback information from the temperature sensor to understand the real-time working status of the controller; Step S3: Based on the feedback information from the two temperature sensors, perform the following operations: Step S31: Precise on-demand heat dissipation. When the temperature of the chips on the upper circuit board 3 and the lower circuit board 4 spikes to ≥80℃ due to high computing power (such as recognizing complex road conditions), the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller immediately triggers the proportional solenoid valve 8 to open fully and controls the micro frequency converter water pump to rise to the highest speed (3000rpm) to provide the maximum heat dissipation flow for the high heat-generating area of ​​the chip and quickly dissipate the heat. Step S32: Prevent the chip from triggering thermal throttling. When the vehicle is idling, under parking monitoring, or cruising at low load, the chip temperature is ≤60℃, the proportional solenoid valve 8 is closed or reduced to a preset level, the micro variable frequency water pump is reduced to a low speed ≤1000rpm or stops running, and heat dissipation resources are allocated as needed. Step S33: Active insulation to prevent condensation. When the temperature of the Z-shaped cold plate 7 is detected to be ≤5℃ lower than the ambient dew point temperature, the proportional solenoid valve 8 is immediately closed to cut off the coolant circulation, so that the domain controller can maintain its internal temperature by generating heat on its own operation, thus avoiding condensation on the PCB board due to excessively low cold plate temperature and completely solving the condensation risk in low temperature environments.

[0027] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system, characterized in that, include: The protective shell consists of an upper shell and a lower shell, an upper circuit board and a lower circuit board disposed inside the protective shell, and an intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component. The upper circuit board is stacked on the lower circuit board via a bracket. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component is used to dissipate heat for the upper circuit board and the lower circuit board. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling circulation heat dissipation component includes: a liquid cooling circulation unit and an intelligent control unit. The liquid cooling circulation unit includes: a cooling pipe support, a serpentine circulation pipe, and a Z-shaped cold plate. The serpentine circulation pipe is installed inside the protective shell through the cooling pipe support. The bottom surface of the Z-shaped cold plate contacts the heat-generating areas of the upper and lower circuit boards. The top surface of the Z-shaped cold plate has a conformal groove corresponding to the shape of the serpentine circulation pipe. The serpentine circulation pipe is embedded in the conformal groove of the Z-shaped cold plate and contacts the Z-shaped cold plate. The serpentine circulation pipe dissipates heat from the upper and lower circuit boards through the Z-shaped cold plate. The liquid inlet of the serpentine circulation pipe is connected to the outlet of the micro variable frequency water pump, and the liquid outlet of the serpentine circulation pipe is connected to the coolant storage tank, forming a closed loop. The intelligent control unit includes a proportional solenoid valve, two temperature sensors, and an MCU microcontroller. The two temperature sensors are electrically connected to the upper and lower circuit boards, respectively. The two temperature sensors are used to collect temperature data of the core heat-generating areas of the upper and lower circuit boards and transmit it to the MCU microcontroller. The proportional solenoid valve is connected in series with the serpentine circulation tube and electrically connected to the MCU microcontroller. The MCU microcontroller controls the proportional solenoid valve and the micro variable frequency water pump based on the temperature data from the two temperature sensors.

2. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system for a domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower shells are integrally formed from die-cast aluminum alloy and are fixed by bolt connection.

3. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system for a domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Z-shaped cold plate is made of copper and has a Z-shaped shape.

4. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system for a domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The serpentine circulation tube is made of PU material, and the channel spacing of the serpentine circulation tube is 16mm.

5. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system for a domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling pipe support is made of die-cast aluminum alloy. The cooling pipe support has a pipe groove and several through holes for installing the serpentine circulation pipe, which are used to enhance the temperature transfer between the upper and lower sides and achieve heat and cold balance.

6. The intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system for a domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side cross-section of the serpentine circulation pipe is Z-shaped, corresponding to the shape of the Z-shaped cold plate.

7. The control method for a domain controller intelligent adaptive liquid cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step S1: Periodically collect temperature data of the chips on the upper and lower circuit boards using two temperature transmission signals built into the upper and lower circuit boards, and summarize the two sets of temperature data values ​​into the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller. Step S2: Use the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller to periodically read back the feedback information of the temperature transmission signal to grasp the real-time working status of the controller; Step S3: Based on the feedback information from the two temperature sensors, perform the following operations: Step S31: Precise on-demand heat dissipation. When the temperature of the chips on the upper and lower circuit boards spikes to ≥80℃ due to high computing power, the intelligent control module of the MCU microcontroller immediately triggers the proportional solenoid valve to open fully and controls the micro variable frequency water pump to rise to the highest speed, providing the maximum heat dissipation flow to the high heat-generating area of ​​the chip and quickly dissipating the heat. Step S32: Prevent the chip from triggering thermal throttling. When the vehicle is idling, under parking monitoring, or cruising at low load, the chip temperature is ≤60℃, the proportional solenoid valve is closed or reduced to a preset level, the micro variable frequency water pump is reduced to a low speed ≤1000rpm or stops running, and heat dissipation resources are allocated as needed. Step S33: Active insulation to prevent condensation. When the temperature of the Z-shaped cold plate is detected to be ≤5℃ lower than the ambient dew point temperature, the proportional solenoid valve is immediately closed to cut off the coolant circulation, so that the domain controller can maintain its internal temperature by generating heat on its own operation, thus avoiding condensation on the PCB board due to excessively low cold plate temperature.

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