Domain controller installation with multiple nodes

Abstract

A domain controller device with multiple nodes is provided, comprising: a plurality of domain controller nodes, each domain controller node comprising a chassis and a PCB circuit board having a SoC; a domain controller box body, the domain controller box body comprising one or more parallel shelves, brackets perpendicular to the shelves, and an external shell surrounding the shelves and the brackets to form an accommodating space for placing the plurality of domain controller nodes, wherein a flow channel structure is arranged inside the domain controller box body, and the flow channel structure is arranged to be close to the domain controller nodes, wherein a cooling liquid enters the flow channel structure from a water inlet arranged on the external shell body, and after flowing in the flow channel structure, is discharged from a water outlet arranged on the external shell body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a domain controller for an automobile, and more particularly, to a domain controller device having multiple nodes. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development and popularization of automobiles, people have higher and higher requirements for the computing power of automobile intelligent controllers, especially in terms of functions such as autonomous driving and active safety. In order to meet this high demand, the number of ECUs (electronic control units) in automobiles has also increased rapidly, resulting in increased cable length in the car, increased vehicle weight, difficulty in troubleshooting and maintenance, difficulty in heat dissipation, high costs and other problems. Using domain controllers to replace ECUs can significantly reduce the number of ECUs, thereby effectively solving these problems. However, the heat dissipation and cost issues of domain controllers still need to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a domain controller device with multiple nodes, comprising: multiple domain controller nodes, each domain controller node comprising a chassis and a PCB circuit board with a SoC; a domain controller box body, the domain controller box body comprising one or more parallel shelves, brackets perpendicular to the shelves, and an external shell surrounding the shelves and the brackets to form an accommodating space for placing the multiple domain controller nodes, wherein a flow channel structure is arranged inside the domain controller box body, and the flow channel structure is arranged to be close to the domain controller nodes, wherein the cooling liquid enters the flow channel structure from a water inlet arranged on the external shell, and after flowing in the flow channel structure, it is discharged from a water outlet arranged on the external shell.

[0004] In an embodiment, the one or more parallel shelves of the domain controller box are water-cooled plates, and the flow channel structure is arranged in the one or more parallel shelves.

[0005] In an embodiment, the upper plate and the lower plate of the external shell of the domain controller box body are water-cooled plates, and the flow channel structure is further arranged in the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0006] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of domain controller nodes further comprises a metal heat sink disposed on a surface of the SoC and a buckle located on a front surface, the buckle cooperating with a protrusion disposed in the domain controller box.

[0007] In an embodiment, the water cooling plate is in contact with a metal heat sink of each of the plurality of domain controller nodes.

[0008] In an embodiment, the rear side plate of the external shell of the domain controller box body is a water-cooled plate, and the flow channel structure is arranged in the water-cooled plate, wherein the flow channel structure includes an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel.

[0009] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of domain controller nodes further comprises a liquid cooling heat sink located on a surface of the SoC, and a cooling liquid connector and a connector separation device.

[0010] In an embodiment, the coolant connector comprises two pairs of a male connector portion and a female connector portion, the male connector portion is disposed on a rear side surface of the node, and the female connector portion is disposed on a surface of the water cooling plate.

[0011] In an embodiment, the female connector portion is in communication with the flow channel structure in the water cooling plate, so as to input the cooling liquid into the liquid cooling radiator in each of the plurality of domain controller nodes.

[0012] In an embodiment, the coolant flows into the liquid-cooled radiator from the inlet flow channel through a pair of male connector parts and female connector parts, flows in the liquid-cooled radiator, flows out from another pair of male connector parts and female connector parts, and reaches the water outlet through the outlet flow channel.

[0013] In an embodiment, the connector separation device includes a baffle, a spring, a guide rail, a slider, a buckle and a handle.

[0014] In an embodiment, the baffle abuts the female connector portion, the slider is fixed, and the rail moves past the slider and strikes the baffle, thereby applying force to the female connector portion to separate the female connector portion from the male connector portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure and enable those skilled in the relevant art to make and use the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a domain controller device according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a node according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 A structural diagram of a domain controller box according to a first embodiment is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 A structural diagram of a domain controller device according to a second embodiment is shown.

[0020] Figure 5 A structural diagram of a node according to the second embodiment is shown.

[0021] Figure 6 A detailed view of a coolant connector and a connector separation device according to a second embodiment is shown.

[0022] Figure 7 A structural diagram of a domain controller box according to a second embodiment is shown.

[0023] Various embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to example embodiments. It should be understood that the discussion of these embodiments is only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the subject matter described herein, and is not a limitation of the scope of protection, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. The function and arrangement of the elements discussed can be changed without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Various examples can omit, replace or add various processes or components as needed. For example, the described method can be performed in an order different from the described order, and various steps can be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described relative to some examples can also be combined in other examples.

[0025] It should be noted that the references to "one embodiment", "embodiment", "some embodiments" and the like in the specification indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures or characteristics, but not every embodiment may include the specific features, structures or characteristics. In addition, such expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when specific features, structures or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be within the knowledge of technicians in the relevant field to implement such features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments that are explicitly or not explicitly described.

[0026] As is known in the art, in automotive control systems, using domain controllers instead of ECUs can reduce costs, reduce space, and have advantages such as light weight, multi-vehicle coverage, and scalability. However, since domain controllers are distributed in different locations of the vehicle, they cannot share the same cooling system for cooling. On the contrary, designing separate cooling devices for domain controllers in different areas may also increase costs and lead to increased design complexity.

[0027] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a device that integrates multiple domain controllers and shares a cooling system. By integrating multiple domain controllers together, not only can they share a cooling system, but also the long wiring between domain controllers in different areas can be simplified, thereby saving costs.

[0028] Figure 1 The structure diagram of the domain controller device according to the first embodiment is shown. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that a plurality of domain controller nodes are accommodated in the box body of the domain controller device. Figure 1 6 domain controller nodes are shown in FIG. 1 , which are arranged in two columns, with three nodes in each column. However, this is only an exemplary representation, and in other embodiments, other numbers of domain controller nodes may be used, or other arrangements may be used.

[0029] In an embodiment, a flow channel structure is provided in the box body for the coolant to flow therein. Figure 1 As shown, a water inlet and a water outlet are provided on the front side surface or the front of the box body, so that the coolant can enter the flow channel structure in the box body from the water inlet, and the coolant fully circulated in the flow channel structure is discharged from the water outlet. In this embodiment, all domain controller nodes share a set of cooling structures located in the box body for heat dissipation. In an embodiment, a liquid such as a coolant circulates inside the entire domain controller device, thereby dissipating heat for each domain controller node therein. In an embodiment, as Figure 1 The domain controller arrangement shown is capable of achieving a heat dissipation requirement of approximately 30W for each domain controller node therein.

[0030] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a node according to the first embodiment is shown. Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 The structure of a single node accommodated in a domain controller device in the embodiment. As shown in the figure, a single domain controller node includes a chassis, a PCB circuit board with a SoC installed inside the chassis, and a metal heat sink located above the SoC. In an embodiment, on the PCB circuit board, heat generating devices such as a power supply and a memory are also provided on both sides of the SoC. The metal heat sink covers the entire surface of the PCB board, so as to fully dissipate the heat of the heat generating devices thereon. In an embodiment, the metal heat sink is arranged as close to the upper surface of the SoC as possible.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, a single node also includes a buckle, a button, and a connector on the front side surface or the front side of the node. In an embodiment, the connector is used to connect with a sensor or other functional signal of the car. In an embodiment, the buckle is a rotatable mechanism that rotates when triggered by a button, and is connected to a protrusion (e.g., Figure 3) to achieve the insertion and removal of nodes.

[0032] Figure 3 A structural diagram of a domain controller box according to a first embodiment is shown. As shown, the box may include a plurality of shelves arranged in parallel, and the space above and below the shelves may accommodate domain controller nodes. In the present embodiment, two parallel shelves are shown, but it should be understood that in other embodiments, the number of shelves may be selected as needed. The box may also include a bracket arranged perpendicular to the shelf, so that a single domain controller node may be accommodated on both sides of the bracket. The box may also include an external shell surrounding or enclosing the shelf and the bracket, thereby forming a space for accommodating domain controller nodes together with the shelf and the bracket. In this embodiment, six accommodation spaces formed by the shelf, the bracket and the external shell are shown. In other embodiments, the number of shelves and brackets may be designed as needed to form other numbers of accommodation spaces.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown in , multiple sets of parallel flow channel structures are arranged in the shelf. That is, the shelf in the box body is used as a water cooling plate for heat dissipation. In this embodiment, four sets of parallel flow channel structures are shown, but it should be understood that in other embodiments, other numbers of flow channel structures can be arranged as needed. Figure 3 As indicated by the arrows in the figure, the coolant enters the flow channel from the water inlet, and is divided into four paths at the uppermost flow channel corresponding to the water inlet, respectively entering the four groups of flow channels below, and after passing through the flow channels in the two shelves, it is reunited into one path at the lower flow channel corresponding to the water outlet, and flows out through the water outlet. In this way, the coolant can flow fully inside the domain controller device to remove heat.

[0034] It should also be understood that not only the number of flow channels can be designed as needed, but also the diameter of the flow channels can be designed differently to meet different heat dissipation requirements. In addition, the flow channels can be set not only in the shelf, but also in the upper and lower plates of the external shell, so that the coolant can flow fully in the entire domain controller device to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation. In this case, the shelf and the upper and lower plates of the external shell are all water-cooled plates for heat dissipation.

[0035] exist Figure 1-Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, after the domain controller node is inserted into the box, the shelf (i.e., water cooling plate) provided with the flow channel can contact the metal heat sink of the node to take away the heat. In other words, the heat generated by the heat generating device such as SoC is first taken out by the metal heat sink, and then dissipated by the water cooling plate. This water cooling method belongs to indirect heat dissipation, which can usually achieve a heat dissipation requirement of about 30W.

[0036] Figure 4FIG. 4 shows a structural diagram of a domain controller device according to a second embodiment. Figure 4 As shown, this structure is Figure 1 The structure of the domain controller device shown is similar, and also includes a plurality of domain controller nodes accommodated in a box body of the domain controller device. Figure 4 6 domain controller nodes are also shown, which are arranged in two columns, with three nodes in each column. However, this is only an illustrative representation, and in other embodiments, other numbers of domain controller nodes may be used, or other arrangements may be used.

[0037] In an embodiment, a flow channel structure is provided in the box body for the coolant to flow therein. Figure 1 Similar, in Figure 4 In the device structure, a water inlet and a water outlet are provided on the front side surface or the front of the box body, so that the coolant enters the flow channel structure in the box body from the water inlet, and the coolant fully circulated in the flow channel structure is discharged from the water outlet. In this embodiment, all domain controller nodes share a set of cooling structures located in the box body for heat dissipation. In an embodiment, a liquid such as a coolant circulates inside the entire domain controller device, thereby dissipating heat for each domain controller node therein.

[0038] Figure 5 A structural diagram of a node according to the second embodiment is shown. Figure 5 Shown Figure 4 The structure of a single node contained in the domain controller device in FIG. Figure 2 Similar to the single domain controller node shown in the figure, the node includes a chassis and a PCB circuit board installed with a SoC arranged inside the chassis. Similarly, on the PCB circuit board, power supplies, memory and other heat generating components are also arranged on both sides of the SoC. Figure 2 The difference between the single nodes shown is that Figure 5 The single node shown includes a liquid cooling radiator located on the SoC instead of a metal radiator. In an embodiment, for example, the liquid cooling radiator includes a water cooling row and an elbow located on the water cooling row. In an embodiment, the water cooling row is arranged to be as close to the upper surface of the SoC as possible and cover the entire surface of the PCB board, so as to fully dissipate the heat of the heat generating device thereon, and the elbow is used to guide the coolant flowing in from the coolant connector to the water cooling row.

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, a single domain controller node also includes a connector located on the front surface or front of the node, a pair of coolant connectors located on the rear surface or back of the node, and connector separation devices located on both sides of the node (which will be combined with Figure 6Detailed description). In an embodiment, the connector is used to connect with a sensor or other functional signal of the car. In an embodiment, the coolant connector located on the back of the node is used to connect with the flow channel structure provided in the box body, so that the coolant flows into the liquid cooling radiator in the node through the coolant connector. In an embodiment, a single node is provided with two (i.e., a pair) coolant connectors, each coolant connector includes a male connector part and a female connector part, which will be combined with the following Figure 6 Detailed description.

[0040] Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows a top view of a coolant connector and a connector separation device according to a second embodiment. Figure 6 As shown, each of the pair of coolant connectors includes a male connector part and a female connector part, which are separable to achieve rapid connection and disconnection. That is, by connecting the male connector part and the female connector part of the pair of coolant connectors, the coolant from the flow channel in the box body can enter the water cooling radiator in the node, and by disconnecting the male connector part and the female connector part of the pair of coolant connectors, the flow of the coolant in the flow channel structure to the node can be quickly blocked to prevent the coolant from leaking or flowing out when multiple domain controller nodes are taken out of the domain controller device, resulting in circuit faults such as short circuits.

[0041] like Figure 6 As shown, the coolant connector as described above includes a male connector part and a female connector part, wherein the male connector part is arranged on the back or rear side of the node, and the female connector part is fixed to the box body. In this way, once the male connector part and the female connector part are separated, the single domain controller node can be separated from the box body, thereby realizing the rapid plugging and unplugging of the single node.

[0042] like Figure 6As shown, the connector separation device is arranged on both sides and the back of a single domain controller node, and may include a baffle located on the back, springs located on both sides, sliders, guide rails, buckles and handles. In an embodiment, the connector separation device may also include a reinforcing member to strengthen the connection between the handle and the buckle. In an embodiment, the baffle located on the back of the node is fixedly connected to the male connector part, and when the single domain controller node is inserted or installed in the box body, the baffle abuts against the female connector part. In this way, when the connection needs to be disconnected, the baffle is pressed against the female connector part due to pressure, so that the male connector part and the female connector part can be quickly separated. In an embodiment, the slider is fixed in place, and the guide rail moves through the slider, wherein the slide rail can play a limiting role, so that the guide rail keeps moving in the direction of the baffle when moving, and does not move to the left and right. The lower end of the guide rail is connected to the handle, so when the coolant connector needs to be disconnected, by pressing the handles on both sides toward the center at the same time, the guide rail moves upward through the slider, and hits the baffle through the spring, so that the baffle is forced to hold the female connector part, thereby separating it from the male connector part.

[0043] In this embodiment, a plug or other obstruction may be further provided in the female connector part, so that when the female connector part is separated from the male connector part, the obstruction can quickly block the female connector part to prevent the coolant in the flow channel from flowing out.

[0044] Figure 7 A structural diagram of a domain controller box according to a second embodiment is shown. Figure 7 The illustrations are perspective and it should be understood that Figure 3 The box structure shown is similar. Figure 7 The box body shown also includes parallel shelves, brackets perpendicular to the shelves, and an outer shell surrounding the shelves and the brackets, thereby forming a storage space for accommodating each domain controller node. Figure 7 As shown, the flow channel structure is arranged on the side and back of the outer shell of the box body, and the female connector part of the coolant connector is fixed on the back of the outer shell. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the accommodating space formed by the box body is divided into two columns, namely the first column 710 and the second column 720, each column has three accommodating spaces, and two female connector parts are fixed in each accommodating space, one of which is used for the coolant to flow in, and the other is used for the coolant to flow out.

[0045] like Figure 7As shown, as indicated by the arrow, the coolant flows in from the water inlet provided on the front of the box body, flows into the back flow channel through the inlet flow channel provided on the side of the external shell, and flows to the left female connector part in the second column 720 accommodation space at the top in the back flow channel, where it is divided into two parts, one part of the coolant flows downward through the female connector part into the water cooling row in a single node for circulation and heat dissipation, and the other part of the coolant continues to flow leftward to the first column 710 accommodation space. At the left female connector part of the first column 710 accommodation space, the coolant flows downward again through the corresponding female connector part into the water cooling row in a single node for circulation and heat dissipation. After the coolant flows in the water cooling row in the node, it is discharged from the right female connector part provided in the first column 710 accommodation space and the second column 720 accommodation space, flows downward along the outlet flow channel, flows from the bottom of the back of the external shell to the outlet flow channel on the side, and finally is discharged from the water outlet.

[0046] In this embodiment, similarly, the number of flow channels and the diameters of the flow channels can be designed differently according to actual use requirements, so as to meet different heat dissipation requirements.

[0047] exist Figure 4-Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, after the domain controller node is inserted into the box, the coolant in the water cooling plate can enter the liquid cooling radiator in the single domain controller node through the coolant connector, and after fully flowing therein, it is discharged through the coolant connector to remove heat. Since the coolant can flow directly in the water cooling row inside the node, this water cooling heat dissipation method belongs to the direct heat dissipation method, which can usually achieve a heat dissipation requirement of about 300W.

[0048] In addition, due to the provision of the coolant connector and the connector separation device, it is also possible to achieve rapid connection and disconnection of a single node with the box body, thereby achieving rapid connection and disconnection of the coolant with the node, while also preventing unexpected leakage or outflow of the coolant.

[0049] The above description of the present disclosure is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to implement or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is consistent with the widest range of principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A domain controller device with multiple nodes, comprising: A plurality of domain controller nodes, each domain controller node comprising a chassis and a PCB circuit board having a SoC; A domain controller box, the domain controller box comprising one or more parallel shelves, a bracket perpendicular to the shelves, and an external shell surrounding the shelves and the bracket to form an accommodation space for placing the plurality of domain controller nodes, A flow channel structure is provided inside the domain controller box, and the flow channel structure is arranged to be close to the domain controller node, wherein the coolant enters the flow channel structure from a water inlet provided on the external shell, flows in the flow channel structure, and is discharged from a water outlet provided on the external shell.

2. The domain controller device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more parallel shelves of the domain controller box are water-cooled plates, and the flow channel structure is arranged in the one or more parallel shelves.

3. The domain controller device according to claim 2, wherein: The upper plate and the lower plate of the external shell of the domain controller box body are water-cooled plates, and the flow channel structure is further arranged in the upper plate and the lower plate.

4. The domain controller device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: Each of the plurality of domain controller nodes further includes a metal heat sink disposed on a surface of the SoC and a buckle located on a front surface, the buckle being matched with a protrusion disposed in the domain controller box.

5. The domain controller device according to claim 4, wherein: The water cooling plate contacts a metal heat sink of each of the plurality of domain controller nodes.

6. The domain controller device according to claim 1, wherein: The rear side plate of the external shell of the domain controller box body is a water-cooled plate, and the flow channel structure is arranged in the water-cooled plate, wherein the flow channel structure includes an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel.

7. The domain controller device according to claim 6, wherein: Each of the plurality of domain controller nodes also includes a liquid-cooled heat sink located on a surface of the SoC, and a cooling liquid connector and a connector separation device.

8. The domain controller device according to claim 7, wherein: The coolant connector includes two pairs of a male connector portion and a female connector portion, the male connector portion is disposed on a rear side surface of the node, and the female connector portion is disposed on a surface of the water cooling plate.

9. The domain controller device according to claim 8, wherein: The female connector portion is in communication with the flow channel structure in the water cooling plate for inputting the cooling liquid into the liquid cooling radiator in each of the plurality of domain controller nodes.

10. The domain controller device according to claim 8, wherein: The coolant flows from the inlet flow channel through a pair of male connector parts and a female connector part into the liquid-cooled radiator, flows in the liquid-cooled radiator, flows out from another pair of male connector parts and a female connector part, and reaches the water outlet through the outlet flow channel.

11. The domain controller device according to claim 8, wherein: The connector separation device comprises a baffle, a spring, a guide rail, a slide block, a buckle and a handle.

12. The domain controller device according to claim 11, wherein: The baffle abuts the female connector portion, the slider is fixed, and the rail moves past the slider and strikes the baffle, thereby applying force to the female connector portion to separate the female connector portion from the male connector portion.

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