Housing for electronic components, device having a housing and method for producing a housing

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing (1) for receiving an electronic component, comprising a housing wall (2) and a heat-dissipating element (3), the heat-dissipating element (3) being integral with the housing wall (2), the heat-dissipating element (3) and the housing wall (2) being produced by means of a multi-component injection molding process, the heat-dissipating element (3) being arranged such that heat generated in the electronic component can be transferred to the housing wall (2) via the heat-dissipating element (3), and the heat-dissipating element (3) being arranged such that the heat generated in the electronic component can be transferred to the housing wall (2) via the heat-dissipating element (3). And wherein the heat dissipation element (3) is designed and arranged such that the electronic component can be in surface contact by means of the heat dissipation element (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a housing for receiving electronic components and a corresponding device having the housing. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing the housing. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic components, such as circuit boards on which MOSFETs or other semiconductors are mounted, generate a significant amount of heat during operation, which must be transferred from the electronic components to the environment. The housing protecting the electronic components from external influences can hinder heat dissipation from the circuit board to the environment. Therefore, a number of measures are known in the prior art to optimize heat transfer from the electronic components to the environment through the housing. For example, cooling fins are typically provided on the housing to increase its surface area and thus optimize heat transfer from the housing to the environment. Furthermore, it is known in the prior art to use thermal paste disposed between the electronic components and the housing, thereby achieving optimized heat transfer from the electronic components to the housing.

[0003] Specifically, applying thermal paste to the housing before installing electronic components into it means an additional installation step when mounting the electronic components into the housing. Furthermore, air bubbles are often generated when applying the thermal paste to the housing, which reduces thermal conductivity from the electronic components to the housing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a housing for receiving electronic components, a corresponding device, and a method for manufacturing them in a manner that is as simple as possible in structure, wherein the housing, device, and method achieve particularly effective cooling of the components and simultaneously achieve particularly short cycles during the manufacturing of the housing and the installation of the electronic components within the housing.

[0005] This technical problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous improvements of the invention are given in the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention, this technical problem is solved by a housing for receiving electronic components, the housing having a housing wall and a heat dissipation element, wherein the heat dissipation element is integrally formed with the housing wall, wherein the heat dissipation element and the housing wall are manufactured by a multi-component injection molding process (particularly by a two-component injection molding process), wherein the heat dissipation element is arranged such that heat generated within the electronic components can be transferred to the housing wall through the heat dissipation element, and wherein the heat dissipation element is designed and arranged such that the electronic components can be surface-contacted through the heat dissipation element.

[0007] In other words, the heat dissipation element and the housing wall are constructed as one unit. That is to say, the heat dissipation element and the housing wall are integrally connected.

[0008] In the context of this invention, the idea that two components are integrally constructed means that the two components are connected by a material bond. According to this invention, this material bond is achieved by manufacturing the two components during a multi-component injection molding process.

[0009] In the context of this invention, a multi-component injection molding process may include, for example, a so-called overmolding method. This means that a multi-component injection molding process may include the following steps: firstly, a first component manufactures a housing wall as an injection molded part, and then a second component, which ultimately forms the heat dissipation element, overmolded the housing wall or a portion thereof.

[0010] In the context of this invention, a multi-component injection molding process may also include injecting a first component and a second component simultaneously or sequentially into a mold cavity, wherein the first component ultimately forms the shell wall and the second component ultimately forms a heat dissipation element.

[0011] The heat dissipation elements and the housing walls can be made of different materials.

[0012] The housing can be manufactured through a multi-component injection molding process, especially through a two-component injection molding process.

[0013] The housing according to the invention allows for optimal heat transfer from the electronic components to the environment by using a structurally simple approach. Specifically, by integrating the heat dissipation element with the housing wall, air trappings in the form of gaps or bubbles that reduce heat transfer are avoided between the housing wall and the heat dissipation element. Therefore, the heat transfer coefficient of still air is generally low, and thus it possesses insulating properties. Direct contact, and particularly surface contact, between the heat dissipation element and the electronic components reduces or even prevents air trappings between the housing wall and the heat dissipation element. Furthermore, the use of a multi-component injection molding process to manufacture the heat dissipation element and the housing wall shortens the cycle time for housing manufacturing and the installation of the electronic components within the housing.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the housing wall can form a receiving area for receiving electronic components, wherein heat dissipation elements can be arranged within the receiving area.

[0015] The receiving area can be a receiving chamber.

[0016] By creating specific receiving areas for the electronic components, highly precise positioning of the components within the housing is achieved, optimizing heat transfer between the components and the housing. Furthermore, installation is simplified, shortening the installation cycle for the electronic components within the housing.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the heat dissipation element can be arranged on the side of the housing wall facing the receiving area. It is particularly preferred that the heat dissipation element be arranged within the receiving area.

[0018] This arrangement of heat dissipation elements particularly optimizes heat transfer between the electronic components and the housing wall. This optimization of heat transfer is especially effective.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the heat dissipation element has an elastomer. The heat dissipation element is particularly preferably made of an elastomer.

[0020] The elastomer may be a silicone-based elastomer, such as silicone rubber. Alternatively or additionally, the elastomer may be a thermoplastic elastomer, such as styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene (SEBS), and / or styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene copolymers. Alternatively or additionally, the elastomer may be a polyurethane-based elastomer.

[0021] Elastomers offer both high thermal stability and a high heat transfer coefficient, making them particularly suitable for use as heat dissipation elements in the sense of this invention. Furthermore, the elasticity of elastomers typically enables surface contact, especially between the heat dissipation element and electronic components, effectively preventing air entrainment.

[0022] The heat dissipation element can be designed to compensate for tolerances. The heat dissipation element can have a contact surface for contacting electronic components, wherein the contact surface can be designed to mate with the surface of the electronic components. The contact surface can be designed to have a negative shape of the electronic components. The contact surface can be designed to adhere to the surface of the electronic components. The contact surface can have a three-dimensional profile.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, the heat dissipation element may include thermoplastic and / or thermosetting plastics.

[0024] Preferably, the shell wall comprises a thermoplastic, particularly polypropylene or polyamide. Alternatively or additionally, the shell wall may comprise an elastomer. Alternatively or additionally, the shell wall may have fiber-reinforced plastic, such as glass fiber reinforced plastic with a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic matrix (especially with a polypropylene or polyamide matrix). Alternatively or additionally, the shell wall may comprise metal, for example, obtained through a metal powder injection molding process.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the heat dissipation element can be electrically insulating. For this purpose, the heat dissipation element can be made of an electrically insulating material. Alternatively or supplementarily, the heat dissipation element can have insulating elements, such as an insulating film. The insulating film can, for example, be embedded within the heat dissipation element and / or arranged on contact surfaces for contacting electronic components through the heat dissipation element.

[0026] In the context of this invention, insulation can mean that the heat dissipation element has a high resistivity, particularly a resistivity greater than 10. 10Ω•cm.

[0027] The electrical insulation properties of the heat dissipation element achieve the necessary electrical insulation between the electronic components and the housing wall through a structurally simple approach. If necessary, other insulating components can be completely eliminated, further shortening the manufacturing cycle of the housing and the time required to install the electronic components inside the housing.

[0028] According to one implementation, the heat dissipation element has a phase change material element.

[0029] In the context of this invention, a phase change material element includes a phase change material. A phase change material can absorb and release heat during a phase change process. Therefore, a phase change material can absorb heat within a specific temperature range, wherein the thermal energy is partially used to induce a phase change in the material.

[0030] By using phase change material elements, particularly efficient heat transfer and thermal management can be achieved within heat dissipation components. This allows for the cooling of electronic components with exceptional efficiency.

[0031] According to a second aspect of the invention, the technical problem is solved by a device having a housing and electronic components according to the invention, wherein the electronic components are mounted inside the housing.

[0032] Electronic components can be circuit boards. Circuit boards can have one or more semiconductors, such as one or more MOSFETs and / or other transistors.

[0033] The device according to the invention optimizes the transfer of heat generated within the electronic components from the housing to the environment in a manner as simple as possible in structure. Furthermore, the manufacturing cycle of the housing and the device installation can be shortened, particularly by using a multi-component injection molding process to manufacture the heat dissipation elements and housing walls.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the electronic component may have at least one heat sink in contact with a heat dissipation element.

[0035] The heat sink or multiple heat sinks of electronic components achieve particularly effective cooling of the electronic components through direct contact of the heat dissipation elements, because heat can be released into the environment in a particularly efficient manner through the heat dissipation elements.

[0036] Electronic components, particularly circuit boards, may have a device side, on which at least one electronic component, such as a semiconductor (particularly a MOSFET) and / or a resistor, is mounted. For example, a heat dissipation element may be in contact with the device side of the electronic component (particularly the circuit board).

[0037] According to a third aspect of the invention, the technical problem is solved by a method for manufacturing a housing according to the invention and preferably a method for mounting electronic components within the housing, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first material for manufacturing a housing wall; providing a second material for manufacturing a heat dissipation element; and manufacturing the housing wall and the heat dissipation element integrally connected to the housing wall by a multi-component injection molding process (especially a two-component injection molding process).

[0038] The method according to the invention allows for particularly short cycles for manufacturing the housing and installing electronic components within it, particularly by manufacturing the heat dissipation elements and housing walls using a multi-component injection molding process.

[0039] The method may also include the following steps: installing electronic components inside the housing. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are as follows: Figure 1 A top view of the housing according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 The housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown along... Figure 1 The sectional view shown is a section line AA. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and are intended to explain the invention only. Identical or functionally equivalent elements are always identified using the same reference numerals.

[0042] Figure 1 A housing 1 according to a first embodiment is shown. As shown, the housing 1 according to the first embodiment is a housing plate. That is, the housing 1 according to the first embodiment has a generally planar extension. An additional housing cover, not shown in the figure, may correspond to the housing plate design and is used to enclose and surround electronic components (not shown) arranged on the housing plate.

[0043] According to the first embodiment, the housing 1 has two heat dissipation elements 3 and a housing wall 2, wherein the heat dissipation elements 3 and the housing wall 2 are integrally connected to each other. Figure 1Clearly, the heat dissipation element 3 can have different shapes. The shape of the heat dissipation element 3 can be matched to the shape of one or more electronic components. Therefore, an electronic component (not shown) in the form of a circuit board can have two regions, each containing multiple semiconductor devices, such as MOSFETs. These MOSFETs generate a large amount of heat, which must ultimately be dissipated from the housing 1 into the surrounding environment to ensure adequate cooling of the electronic component (not shown). Therefore, the surface configuration of the heat dissipation element 3 can be correspondingly matched to the arrangement of the MOSFETs to ensure optimal heat dissipation. For this purpose, the electronic component (not shown) is received by the housing 1.

[0044] The heat dissipation element 3 and the housing wall 2 are integrally constructed and obtained through a multi-component injection molding process. Alternatively, the heat dissipation element 3, the housing wall 2, and the housing cover (not shown) can all be obtained through a multi-component injection molding process.

[0045] According to the first embodiment, as specifically from Figure 2 Clearly, the housing wall 2 forms two receiving regions 4. A heat dissipation element 3 is arranged within each receiving region 4. According to the first embodiment, electronic components (not shown) are arranged on these heat dissipation elements 3. Heat is generated within the electronic components (not shown), which is then conducted to the heat dissipation element 3 in surface contact with the electronic components, and ultimately to the housing wall 2 integrally connected to the heat dissipation element 3. It is also possible to arrange multiple heat dissipation elements 3 within a single receiving region 4.

[0046] To optimize the surface contact between the heat dissipation element 3 and the electronic component (not shown), the contact surface of the heat dissipation element 3 can be specified to be elastic, and preferably planar, as specifically from... Figure 2 As can be seen in the image. The elasticity of the heat dissipation element 3 increases the contact area between the corresponding heat dissipation element 3 and the electronic component, because the surface of the electronic component is shaped by the contact surface of the corresponding heat dissipation element 3. Alternatively or supplementarily, the contact surface of the heat dissipation element 3 and the electronic component can be matched during the manufacture of the housing 1. This can be achieved, for example, by a correspondingly constructed injection mold.

[0047] For example, specifically from Figure 2 As can be seen, the receiving area 4 is a protrusion of the housing wall 2. Therefore, the thickness of the housing wall 2 is essentially constant. The choice of the thickness of the housing wall 2 is a trade-off between the highest possible thermal conductivity and the required protection of electronic components (not shown) through the housing 1. It is also conceivable that the housing wall 2 may have different thicknesses. In this case, unlike the first embodiment, the protrusion forming the receiving area 4 is not compensated by a corresponding recess on the side opposite to the protrusion.

[0048] In addition, from Figure 2As can be seen, the illustrated housing 1 only has housing walls 2 and two heat dissipation elements 3, without any other components. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the heat dissipation elements 3 are designed to be insulated, so that there is no potential on the outer surface of the housing 1, even though the electronic components are in direct contact with the housing 1, especially with the heat dissipation elements 3. Therefore, it is safe to touch the housing 1.

[0049] List of reference numerals 1. Shell 2. Shell wall 3 Heat dissipation components 4 Receiving Area

Claims

1. A housing (1) for receiving electronic components, the housing having: Shell wall (2), and Heat dissipation element (3). in, The heat dissipation element (3) is integrally formed with the housing wall (2). The heat dissipation element (3) and the housing wall (2) are obtained through a multi-component injection molding process. The heat dissipation element (3) is arranged such that heat generated within the electronic components can be transferred to the housing wall (2) via the heat dissipation element (3), and The heat dissipation element (3) is designed and arranged such that electronic components can be surface-contacted through the heat dissipation element (3).

2. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The housing wall (2) forms a receiving area (4) for receiving electronic components, and wherein the heat dissipation element (3) is arranged within the receiving area (4).

3. The housing (1) according to claim 2, wherein, The heat dissipation element (3) is arranged on the side of the housing wall (2) facing the receiving area (4).

4. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The heat dissipation element (3) has a contact surface for contacting electronic components, wherein the contact surface is designed to match the surface of the electronic components.

5. The housing (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The contact surface is designed to have a negative shape with electronic components.

6. The housing (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, The contact surface is designed to adhere to the surface of the electronic component.

7. The housing (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein, The contact surface has a three-dimensional profile.

8. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The heat dissipation element (3) has an elastomer.

9. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The heat dissipation element (3) is electrically insulated.

10. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The heat dissipation element (3) has a phase change material element.

11. A device having a housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and electronic components, wherein, The electronic components are installed inside the housing (1).

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein, The electronic component has at least one heat sink that is in contact with the heat dissipation element (3).

13. A method for manufacturing a housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: - Provide a first material for manufacturing the shell wall (2); - Provide a second material for manufacturing the heat dissipation element (3); and - The housing wall (2) and the heat dissipation element (3) integrally connected to the housing wall (2) are manufactured by a multi-component injection molding process.

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