Cooling module for domain controller, domain controller and vehicle
By employing a water-cooling module design in the domain controller, and utilizing two cooling zones and heat dissipation fins to cool two PCBA boards, the heat dissipation problem of the domain controller is solved, achieving the effects of structural simplification and cost reduction.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423111303.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-17
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, the two PCBA boards of a domain controller are stacked together, causing heat to accumulate. Existing heat dissipation solutions cannot meet hardware layout requirements or are too expensive.
The design employs a water-cooling module, which sets two cooling zones on the housing, each connected to two PCBA boards for heat exchange. Heat dissipation fins and heat-conducting elements are installed inside the cooling medium cavity to achieve efficient cooling of the two PCBA boards.
While meeting heat dissipation requirements, the structural design was simplified, costs were reduced, and cooling efficiency and stability were improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN223772357U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to a cooling module, and more particularly to a cooling module for a domain controller. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of new energy vehicles and autonomous driving technology, the demand for vehicle domain controllers has become more diversified, and the functional requirements are becoming increasingly higher. Currently, the commonly used cockpit-driver integrated solution in the industry is an interim solution with two printed circuit boards (PCBAs) for a domain controller. This results in the superimposed heat generation of the two high-power SOC chips, which generates a large amount of heat inside the controller. If an effective cooling structure is not designed, it may affect the performance of the entire domain controller.
[0003] Currently, there are two solutions for heat dissipation of domain controllers with two PCBA boards. One is to use a water-cooled plate to dissipate heat from both sides, with the two PCBA boards located on opposite sides of the water-cooled plate. However, this setup often does not meet the design layout requirements of hardware products. The other solution is to use two water-cooled plates to dissipate heat from the two PCBA boards separately, but this solution is complex in structure and expensive. Utility Model Content
[0004] One of the objectives of this invention is to provide a cooling module for a domain controller that can cool at least two PCBA boards based on a water-cooling module, thereby simplifying the structural design and reducing costs while meeting the heat dissipation requirements of the domain controller.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model proposes a cooling module for a domain controller, which includes a housing, wherein:
[0006] The housing is provided with a cooling medium inlet and a cooling medium outlet, which are connected to the cooling medium cavity inside the housing to form a cooling medium circuit. The outer surface of the housing has at least a first cooling area and a second cooling area, which are respectively used for heat exchange connection with at least two printed circuit board assemblies of the domain controller. The first cooling area and the second cooling area are located on the same side of the housing.
[0007] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, the first cooling area and the second cooling area are located on two horizontal planes with different heights in the thickness direction of the cooling module.
[0008] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, heat dissipation fins are provided inside the cooling medium cavity.
[0009] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, the heat dissipation fins include a plurality of first heat dissipation fins corresponding to a first cooling region and / or a plurality of second heat dissipation fins corresponding to a second cooling region.
[0010] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, when the heat dissipation fins include a plurality of first heat dissipation fins and a plurality of second heat dissipation fins, a single first heat dissipation fin and a single second heat dissipation fin are integrally formed to extend continuously from a position corresponding to the first cooling area to a position corresponding to the second cooling area.
[0011] Furthermore, in the cooling module of this utility model, the first cooling region is provided with a first boss protruding from the surface where the first cooling region is located; and / or the second cooling region is provided with a second boss protruding from the surface where the second cooling region is located.
[0012] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, the upper end face of the first boss and / or the second boss is provided with a heat-conducting element.
[0013] Furthermore, in the cooling module described in this utility model, the housing is made of aluminum.
[0014] Another objective of this invention is to provide a domain controller with good heat dissipation performance and a simple structure.
[0015] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a domain controller, which includes at least a first printed circuit board assembly and a second printed circuit board assembly. In addition, the domain controller also includes a cooling module as described above, wherein the first printed circuit board assembly is thermally connected to the first cooling region, and the second printed circuit board assembly is thermally connected to the second cooling region.
[0016] Furthermore, in the domain controller described in this utility model, the first printed circuit board assembly and the second printed circuit board assembly are arranged vertically in the thickness direction of the domain controller, and a shielding plate is provided between the first printed circuit board assembly and the second printed circuit board assembly.
[0017] Another object of this invention is to provide a vehicle having a domain controller as described above.
[0018] The cooling module described in this invention can cool at least two PCBA boards based on a single water-cooling module, thereby simplifying the structural design and reducing product manufacturing and maintenance costs while meeting the heat dissipation requirements of the domain controller.
[0019] The domain controller described in this invention has a simple structure and good heat dissipation performance, resulting in high stability. Attached Figure Description
[0020] Figure 1 The structure of the cooling module described in this utility model is shown from one perspective in one embodiment.
[0021] Figure 2 This invention provides another perspective on the structure of the cooling module described in one embodiment.
[0022] Figure 3 This diagram shows a three-dimensional structural schematic of the cooling module of the present invention connected to two printed circuit board assemblies in one embodiment.
[0023] Figure 4 The image shows a front view of the cooling module of this invention connected to two printed circuit board assemblies in one embodiment.
[0024] Figure 5 The diagram shows a split structure of the cooling module described in this invention in one embodiment.
[0025] Figure 6 The structure of the domain controller described in this invention is shown from one perspective in one embodiment.
[0026] Figure 7 This invention provides another perspective on the structure of the domain controller described in one implementation.
[0027] Figure 8 The diagram shows a split structure of the domain controller described in this invention in one embodiment. Detailed Implementation
[0028] The cooling module, domain controller, and vehicle described in this utility model will be further explained and described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, such explanation and description do not constitute an undue limitation on the technical solution of this utility model.
[0029] Current domain controllers often have two printed circuit boards (PCBAs), resulting in the combined heat generation of two high-power SOC chips. This generates significant heat within the domain controller, and without an effective cooling structure, it can negatively impact overall performance. Currently, there are two solutions for cooling domain controllers with two PCBAs: one uses a single water-cooled plate to cool both sides, with the two PCBAs located on opposite sides. However, this setup often doesn't meet hardware layout requirements. The other solution uses two separate water-cooled plates to cool each PCBA, but this approach is more complex and costly.
[0030] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes a cooling module in one embodiment.
[0031] Figure 1 The structure of the cooling module described in this utility model is shown from one perspective in one embodiment.
[0032] Figure 2 This invention provides another perspective on the structure of the cooling module described in one embodiment.
[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the cooling module for the domain controller includes a housing 100, on which a cooling medium inlet 101 and a cooling medium outlet 102 are provided. The cooling medium inlet and the cooling medium outlet are connected to a cooling medium cavity inside the housing 100 to form a cooling medium circuit.
[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the outer surface of the housing 100 has at least a first cooling region 103 and a second cooling region 104. The first cooling region 103 and the second cooling region 104 are respectively used for thermal exchange connection with at least two printed circuit board assemblies of the domain controller. The first cooling region 103 and the second cooling region 104 are located on the same side of the housing 100, for example, both are located on the upper surface of the housing 100 or both are located on the lower surface of the housing 100.
[0035] This configuration can meet the heat dissipation requirements of domain controllers with at least two printed circuit board components located on the same side, and can also meet the heat dissipation requirements of at least two printed circuit board components simultaneously with just one cooling module, thus greatly simplifying the structural design.
[0036] In some more specific embodiments, the cooling medium used in this invention can be a liquid cooling medium, such as water or cooling oil. In other more specific embodiments, the cooling medium can also be a gaseous cooling medium.
[0037] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the first cooling region 103 and the second cooling region 104 are located on two horizontal planes at different heights in the thickness direction of the cooling module, so that the entire cooling module is Z-shaped.
[0038] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, this arrangement can well meet the structural requirements of at least two printed circuit board assemblies 201 and 202 being arranged vertically in the height direction.
[0039] Figure 5The diagram shows a split structure of the cooling module described in this invention in one embodiment.
[0040] like Figure 5 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the housing of the cooling module includes a separate upper cover 106 and a lower plate 107, which are connected together to form a cooling medium cavity inside the housing. In some more specific embodiments, both the upper cover 106 and the lower plate 107 of the cooling module are made of stamped aluminum sheets and then connected together by welding. This process is efficient and cost-effective, and the resulting aluminum housing has a high thermal conductivity and a thin wall thickness, which greatly improves the heat dissipation effect of the entire cooling module.
[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the cooling medium cavity of the housing is provided with heat dissipation fins 108, thereby further increasing the contact area between the cooling medium and the housing, so as to further improve the cooling effect and heat dissipation efficiency.
[0042] In some more specific embodiments, the heat dissipation fins 108 may include a plurality of first heat dissipation fins 1081 corresponding to the first cooling region 103.
[0043] In some more specific embodiments, the heat dissipation fins 108 may include a plurality of second heat dissipation fins 1082 corresponding to the second cooling region 104.
[0044] In some embodiments, the heat dissipation fins include both a plurality of first heat dissipation fins 1081 corresponding to the first cooling region 103 and a plurality of second heat dissipation fins 1082 corresponding to the second cooling region 104, thereby further improving the cooling and heat dissipation effect. In this case, such as Figure 5 As shown, a single first heat dissipation fin 1081 and a single second heat dissipation fin 1082 can be integrally formed to extend continuously from the position corresponding to the first cooling region 103 to the position corresponding to the second cooling region 104. This arrangement further simplifies the manufacturing process, making the structure of the heat dissipation fins more concise.
[0045] like Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the first cooling region 103 is provided with first bosses 1031 protruding from the surface where the first cooling region is located, for example, multiple first bosses 1031. These first bosses 1031 are used for corresponding heat exchange connections with each electronic device on the first printed circuit board of the first printed circuit board assembly, thereby enabling targeted cooling of each electronic device, thereby further improving cooling efficiency and cooling effect.
[0046] In some more specific embodiments, the second cooling region 104 may also be provided with second bosses 1041 protruding from the surface where the second cooling region is located, for example, multiple second bosses 1041. These second bosses 1041 are used for corresponding heat exchange connections with each electronic device on the second printed circuit board of the second printed circuit board assembly, thereby enabling targeted cooling of each electronic device, thereby further improving cooling efficiency and cooling effect.
[0047] In some more specific embodiments, the upper end face of the first boss 1031 and / or the second boss 1041 may also be provided with a heat-conducting element 105. Providing a heat-conducting element helps to further reduce the thermal resistance between the cooling module and the electronic device being cooled, thereby improving the heat conduction effect.
[0048] In some more specific embodiments, the thermally conductive element 105 may include thermal grease. Those skilled in the art can select the thermal conductivity of the thermal grease according to actual needs; generally, the higher the thermal conductivity of the thermal grease, the more beneficial it is for heat dissipation. Of course, in other more specific embodiments, the thermally conductive element may also include thermally conductive putty, thermally conductive gel, thermally conductive double-sided tape, thermally conductive graphite sheet, or similar thermally conductive elements.
[0049] In one embodiment, this invention also provides a domain controller having a cooling module as shown above.
[0050] Figure 6 The structure of the domain controller described in this invention is shown from one perspective in one embodiment.
[0051] Figure 7 This invention provides another perspective on the structure of the domain controller described in one implementation.
[0052] Figure 8 The diagram shows a split structure of the domain controller described in this invention in one embodiment.
[0053] like Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the domain controller includes a housing 300, and the cooling module 1, the first printed circuit board assembly 201, and the second printed circuit board assembly 202 are all disposed within the housing 300. In some more specific embodiments, the housing 300 includes an upper cover plate 301 and a lower base plate 302, which are connected together by connecting screws 303 to form the housing 300.
[0054] The first printed circuit board is fixedly mounted inside the housing 300 by a connector 204. The first printed circuit board assembly 201 and the second printed circuit board assembly 202 are arranged vertically in the height direction, and an EMC shielding plate 203 is provided between the first printed circuit board assembly 201 and the second printed circuit board assembly 202 to prevent the first printed circuit board assembly and the second printed circuit board assembly from interfering with each other.
[0055] The cooling module 1 is fixedly installed inside the housing 300 by connecting screws 109. The first printed circuit board assembly 201 and the second printed circuit board assembly 202 are located on the same side of the cooling module 1, and the first printed circuit board assembly 201 is heat-exchange connected to the first cooling area of the cooling module 1, and the second printed circuit board assembly 202 is heat-exchange connected to the second cooling area of the cooling module 1.
[0056] In some more specific implementations, such as Figure 8 As shown, the first printed circuit board assembly 201 includes a first printed circuit board 2011 and electronic devices 2012 disposed on the first printed circuit board. Similarly, the second printed circuit board assembly 202 includes a second printed circuit board 2021 and electronic devices 2022 disposed on the second printed circuit board. To provide targeted cooling for these heat-generating chips, a first boss can be provided in the first cooling area for thermally exchanging connection with each electronic device 2012 on the first printed circuit board, and a second boss can be provided in the second cooling area for thermally exchanging connection with each electronic device 2022 on the second printed circuit board.
[0057] To further improve the heat conduction effect, a heat conduction element 105 can be provided between each electronic device and the first boss and / or the second boss. The heat conduction element 105 helps to further reduce the thermal resistance, thereby improving the heat conduction effect.
[0058] In some more specific embodiments, one of the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board can be a motherboard and the other a daughterboard.
[0059] In this invention, the electronic devices on the printed circuit board can be a system on a chip (SOC), or other electronic components that generate heat and consume power, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, and transistors.
[0060] It should be noted that this utility model can achieve the cooling of at least two printed circuit board assemblies using a single cooling module. Therefore, the number of printed circuit board assemblies is not limited to two; it can also be three or more.
[0061] With the above configuration, the domain controller of this invention has a simple structure and good heat dissipation performance, resulting in high stability.
[0062] In some more specific implementations, the domain controller mentioned above may be a vehicle domain controller, which is used for vehicle status control and status monitoring, including but not limited to an in-vehicle mobile data center, a hardware monitor (HMI) that implements human-machine interface controller functions, an in-vehicle entertainment (IVI) controller, a body control module (BCM), and a vehicle control unit (VCU).
[0063] The domain controller described in this invention can be used in vehicles, for example, in the automated driving of intelligent vehicles. Intelligent vehicles may include electric vehicles or gasoline-powered vehicles that support unmanned driving, driver assistance systems (ADAS), intelligent driving, connected driving, intelligent network driving, and carsharing.
[0064] Therefore, in another embodiment, this invention also provides a vehicle having the domain controller described above. Since this invention does not improve other components of the vehicle, these components will not be described in detail here.
[0065] It should be noted that the prior art within the scope of protection of this utility model is not limited to the embodiments given in this utility model document. All prior art that does not contradict the solution of this utility model, including but not limited to prior patent documents, prior publications, prior public uses, etc., can be included in the scope of protection of this utility model.
[0066] Furthermore, the combination of the technical features in this case is not limited to the combination methods described in the claims of this case or the combination methods described in the specific embodiments. All technical features described in this case can be freely combined or combined in any way, unless they contradict each other.
[0067] It should also be noted that the embodiments listed above are merely specific embodiments of this utility model. Obviously, this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments, and any similar changes or modifications made thereto that can be directly derived or easily conceived by those skilled in the art from the content disclosed in this utility model should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. Cooling module for a domain controller, comprising a housing, characterized in that: - the housing (100) is provided with a cooling medium inlet (101) and a cooling medium outlet (102), which are in communication with a cooling medium cavity in the housing to form a cooling medium circuit, - the housing has at least a first cooling area (103) and a second cooling area (104) on its outer surface, which are intended for heat exchange connection with at least two printed circuit board assemblies of the domain controller, respectively, - the first cooling area and the second cooling area are located on the same side of the housing.
2. The cooling module of claim 1, wherein, - the first cooling area and the second cooling area are located on two different levels in the thickness direction of the cooling module.
3. The cooling module of claim 1, wherein, - the cooling medium cavity is provided with heat dissipation fins (108).
4. The cooling module of claim 3, wherein, - the heat dissipation fins (108) comprise a number of first heat dissipation fins (1081) corresponding to the first cooling area and / or a number of second heat dissipation fins (1082) corresponding to the second cooling area.
5. The cooling module of claim 4, wherein, - when the heat dissipation fins comprise a number of first heat dissipation fins and a number of second heat dissipation fins, a single first heat dissipation fin and a single second heat dissipation fin are integrally formed to extend continuously from a position corresponding to the first cooling area to a position corresponding to the second cooling area.
6. The cooling module of claim 1, wherein, - the first cooling area (103) is provided with a first boss (1031) protruding from the surface on which the first cooling area is located; and / or the second cooling area is provided with a second boss (1041) protruding from the surface on which the second cooling area (104) is located.
7. The cooling module of claim 6, wherein, - the upper end surface of the first boss and / or the second boss is provided with a heat conducting element (105).
8. The cooling module of claim 1, wherein, - the housing is an aluminum housing.
9. A domain controller comprising at least a first printed circuit board assembly (201) and a second printed circuit board assembly (202), characterized in that, - the domain controller further comprises a cooling module (1) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the first printed circuit board assembly (201) is in heat exchange connection with the first cooling area (103) and the second printed circuit board assembly (202) is in heat exchange connection with the second cooling area (104).
10. The domain controller of claim 9, wherein, - the first printed circuit board assembly and the second printed circuit board assembly are arranged one above the other in the thickness direction of the domain controller, and a shielding plate (203) is arranged between the first printed circuit board assembly and the second printed circuit board assembly.
11. A vehicle characterized by comprising: - it has a domain controller according to claim 9 or 10.