Electrical assembly for mounting on a DIN rail

Abstract

Power supply unit (100) for mounting on a conductor rail (108), comprising: - an electrical power supply component (200); - a multilayer carrier (206) comprising a metal plate (300), a conductor layer (302) for electrically contacting the electrical power supply component (200) and an electrical insulation layer (304) arranged between the metal plate (300) and the conductor layer (302); wherein - the electrical power supply component (200) is thermally conductively connected to the metal plate (300) in order to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component (200), wherein the electrical insulation layer (304) is a thermally conductive dielectric layer in order to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component (200).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical assembly for mounting on a DIN rail.

[0002] Electrical components in electrical assemblies and functional assemblies, such as power supply units, are built on printed circuit boards (PCBs). The individual components of the electrical assembly and functional assembly are mechanically attached to them and electrically connected to one another. The printed circuit boards or PCBs have phenolic resin and paper, epoxy resin and paper, or epoxy resin and glass fiber fabric as the carrier material, onto which electrical conductors are applied, e.g. in the form of a copper coating with a layer thickness of a few µm. The carrier material is electrically insulating but has limited thermal conductivity. Therefore, the heat energy generated by the electrical components must be dissipated to the environment by additional heat sinks. These additional heat sinks require an additional assembly step and take up installation space.

[0003] The document DE 103 35 805 A1 relates to a printed circuit board and a method for its production. The printed circuit board has a metal base on which an insulating layer is applied. Conductor patterns are applied to the insulating layer, with which components are electrically contacted.

[0004] The document DE 101 48 623 A1 relates to a device and arrangement for fastening a profile part to a support rail, which is designed as a sole connecting element with associated, adaptable fastening means in order to fasten the components to be fastened together.

[0005] The document DE 10 2010 033 728 A1 relates to an electrical installation device with at least one heat-generating electrical component. The installation device has a lower housing section and an upper housing section.

[0006] The document GB 2 471 497 A relates to a heat sink comprising a metal plate made of aluminum, an electrical insulation layer and a copper layer.

[0007] The document DE 195 16 547 A1 relates to a printed circuit board with an electrically conductive layer and a method for producing a printed circuit board.

[0008] The document DE 41 18 198 A1 relates to a cable design which has at least two conductors arranged coaxially to one another - an electrical conductor and an optical conductor.

[0009] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an electrical assembly that is easier to assemble and requires less installation space.

[0010] This object is achieved by the subject matter having the features according to the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0011] The present invention is based on the finding that an electrically insulated metal plate, due to its thermal conductivity, eliminates the need for additional heat sinks.

[0012] According to a first aspect, the problem is solved by an electrical assembly for mounting on a DIN rail, comprising: - an electrical power supply component; - a multilayer carrier comprising a metal plate, a conductor layer for electrically contacting the electrical power supply component and an electrical insulation layer arranged between the metal plate and the conductor layer; wherein - the electrical power supply component is thermally conductively connected to the metal plate in order to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component.

[0013] This achieves the technical advantage that the good thermal conductivity of the metal plate allows the heat energy generated by the power supply components, such as the electrical components of a switching power supply, to be effectively dissipated, eliminating the need for additional heat sinks. This eliminates the need for additional heat sinks and reduces the space required for the electrical assembly.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment, the metal plate or the conductor layer is formed from at least one of the following materials: aluminum, copper, aluminum-containing alloy, or copper-containing alloy. This achieves the technical advantage that the metal plate is made of easy-to-process materials with good thermal conductivity. This improves the cooling effect of the metal plate and simultaneously allows for simple manufacturing.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the conductor layer is formed by electrical conductors. This achieves the technical advantage that the power supply components, e.g., electrical components of a switching power supply, of the electrical assembly are electrically connected to one another in a simple manner.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, the electrical insulation layer is a thermally conductive dielectric layer. This achieves the technical advantage that the thermally conductive dielectric layer allows heat energy generated by the power supply component, e.g., electrical components of a switching power supply, to be dissipated to the metal plate. This further increases the cooling effect.

[0017] In an advantageous embodiment, the metal plate is provided as a shield for an alternating electromagnetic field radiated by the electrical power supply component. This provides the technical advantage that the metal plate has a further, additional function in addition to its cooling function. In addition to cooling, it also serves to shield against alternating electromagnetic fields emitted by the power supply component of the electrical assembly. This allows the electrical assembly to be used in EMC-sensitive environments.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the metal plate is designed to shield against alternating electromagnetic fields with a frequency of up to 30 MHz. This achieves the technical advantage of shielding the frequencies of alternating electromagnetic fields that occur during operation of the power supply component, the electrical assembly, especially when the electrical assembly is designed as a switched-mode power supply.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment, the metal plate is formed over the entire surface. This achieves the technical advantage of further improving the shielding of alternating electromagnetic fields.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment, the metal plate can be connected to a reference potential, in particular to a ground potential. This provides the technical advantage that the electrical voltages induced by the alternating electromagnetic fields can be dissipated, further improving the shielding of alternating electromagnetic fields.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment, the electrical power supply component is a switched-mode power supply. This provides the technical advantage of providing a particularly easy-to-manufacture electrical assembly in the form of a switched-mode power supply with a small installation space requirement. Furthermore, due to the shielding effect of the metal plate against electromagnetic wave fields, it is suitable for use in EMC-sensitive environments.

[0022] In an advantageous embodiment, the electrical assembly further comprises a housing intended to house the multilayer carrier and the electrical power supply component, wherein a housing section of the housing is thermally conductively connected to the metal plate. This achieves the technical advantage that the electrical assembly is protected, e.g., against moisture and dust, in a housing, and at the same time, through the thermally conductive connection of the metal plate to the housing section, thermal energy generated by the power supply component, e.g., electrical components of a switched-mode power supply, is dissipated from the housing into the environment, thus preventing overheating within the housing.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment, the multilayer carrier is a copper clad carrier. This achieves the technical advantage that the electrical assembly is easy to manufacture using copper clad material and, at the same time, exhibits particularly good thermal conductivity and thus a cooling effect due to the copper content of the copper clad material.

[0024] According to a second aspect, the problem is solved by using copper clad material as a printed circuit board in an electrical assembly. This achieves the technical advantage that the good thermal conductivity of copper clad material allows for efficient thermal energy dissipation, eliminating the need for additional heat sinks. This eliminates the need for additional heat sinks, and the installation space required for the electrical assembly is reduced.

[0025] Further embodiments are explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of an electrical assembly; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a multilayer carrier with a power supply component; Fig. 3 shows a further perspective view of a multilayer carrier with a power supply component; and Fig. 4 a sectional view of a heat sink; Fig. 5 a sectional view of another heat sink; and Fig. 6 a sectional view of another heat sink with an electrical assembly.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows a switching power supply as an exemplary embodiment of an electrical assembly 100. The electrical assembly 100 has a housing 102, which in the present exemplary embodiment has a locking device 106 on its rear side 104, with which it is locked onto a top-hat rail 108.

[0027] Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a power supply component 200 of the electrical assembly 100. In the present embodiment, the power supply component 200 is designed as a switched-mode power supply 202.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the power supply component 200 comprises a plurality of electrical components 204 arranged and interconnected on a multilayer carrier 206, which in the present embodiment is multilayered. The multilayer carrier has a top side 208 on which electrical components 204 are arranged, as well as a bottom side opposite the top side 208, which, as will be explained later, is designed as a counter-contact surface 210.

[0029] Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of a multilayer carrier 206 for the switching power supply 202. In the present embodiment, the multilayer carrier 206 is a copper clad carrier.

[0030] In the present exemplary embodiment, the multilayer carrier 206 comprises a metal plate 300, a conductor layer 302 for electrically contacting electrical components 204 of the electrical power supply component 200 or the switched-mode power supply 202, and an electrical insulation layer 304, which is arranged between the metal plate 300 and the conductor layer 302.

[0031] In the present exemplary embodiment, the metal plate 300 is made of aluminum or copper, or of an alloy containing aluminum or copper. Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the metal plate 300 shields alternating electromagnetic fields that are emitted by the electrical components 204 during operation of the switched-mode power supply 202. For this purpose, the metal plate 300 is formed over its entire surface in the present exemplary embodiment, i.e., it has no holes or openings that extend through its thickness. In order to enable use of the switched-mode power supply 202 even in an EMC-sensitive environment, the metal plate 300 is designed to shield against alternating electromagnetic fields with a frequency of up to 30 MHz, since alternating electromagnetic fields with such frequencies can occur during operation of the switched-mode power supply 202.

[0032] The conductor layer 302 forms conductor tracks 308, which serve to electrically contact electrical components 204. In the present embodiment, the conductor layer 302 is made of aluminum or copper, or of an alloy containing aluminum or copper.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the electrical insulation layer 304 is a thermally conductive dielectric layer. This creates a highly thermally conductive connection between the electrical components 204 and the metal plate 300 to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component 200.

[0034] Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a heat sink 400 for cooling the power supply component 200. In the present embodiment, the heat sink 400 is designed as a housing section 410 of a housing 408 for housing the power supply component 200, and can be closed with a further partial housing (not shown), which is designed as a cover.

[0035] In the present exemplary embodiment, the heat sink 400 is made in one piece and from a uniform material made of fiber-reinforced plastic, wherein in the present exemplary embodiment, glass fibers, ceramics, oxides, ceramic oxides, metal oxides were also added to the plastic material in order to further increase the thermal conductivity and thus optimize the cooling effect of the heat sink 400.

[0036] In the present exemplary embodiment, the heat sink 400 has two lateral boundaries 402, which, as will be described later, serve to position a power supply component 200. Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the heat sink 400 has a contact surface 404, which can be brought into thermally conductive contact with one of the mating contact surfaces 210 of the carrier 206 of the power supply component 200 in order to dissipate heat from the power supply component 200 and thereby cool it.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the contact surface 404 is designed as an elastically deformable section 406 of the heat sink 400. In the present embodiment, the elastically deformable section 406 is designed to be manually deformable. Thus, deformation is possible without the use of tools or machines. In the initial state, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the contact surface 404 is convexly curved. After assembly, i.e., in the assembled state, the contact surface 404 in the present embodiment is flattened in a surface section due to elastic deformation compared to the initial state, as will be explained later.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of a heat sink 400 for cooling the power supply component 200.

[0039] The Fig. The heat sink 400 shown in Figure 5 has the same structure as the one shown in Fig. 4, except that the heat sink 400 is arranged according to the Fig. 5 has a receptacle 500 for the power supply component 200.

[0040] In the present exemplary embodiment, the receptacle 500 comprises a retaining rail 502 formed on each of the two boundaries 402, which in the present exemplary embodiment have the same direction of extension as the boundaries 402. In the present exemplary embodiment, the retaining rails 502, like the boundaries 402, are made of the same material as the boundaries 402. Thus, in the present exemplary embodiment, the heat sink 400, together with the boundaries 402 and the retaining rails 502, is made in one piece and from a single material made of fiber-reinforced plastic, to which, in the present exemplary embodiment, ceramics, oxides, ceramic oxides, and metal oxides have been added to further increase thermal conductivity.

[0041] The Fig. 5 further shows that the heat sink 500 has been connected to the power supply component 200.

[0042] A surface portion 504 of the contact surface 404 is in direct contact with the mating contact surface 210 of the carrier 206. This allows thermal energy from electrical components 204 to be dissipated through the carrier 206 to the heat sink 400. It can also be seen that the heat sink 400 is slightly convexly curved. This increases the surface area 504 of the contact surface 404 that is brought into contact with the mating contact surface 210 during assembly of the heat sink 400, thus improving the thermally conductive connection between the heat sink 400 and the power supply component 200. During assembly, the heat sink 400 is pressed with its contact surface 404 onto the mating contact surface 210.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the two retaining rails 502 are in contact with edge portions 506 of the carrier 206. Thus, in the present embodiment, the retaining rails 502 encompass the carrier 206 in a U-shape. This contact of the edge portions 506 with the retaining rails 502 deforms the elastic portion 406 such that the elastically deformable portion 406 is flattened and in planar contact with the mating contact surface 210.

[0044] Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of a heat sink 400 for cooling the power supply component 200.

[0045] The Fig. The heat sink 200 shown in Figure 6 has the same structure as the one shown in Fig. 5, except that the contact surface 404 is in full contact with the mating contact surface 210 of the carrier 206, so that the heat transfer from the carrier 206 to the heat sink 400 is maximized.

[0046] Furthermore, the Fig. 6, the heat sink 400 has a rear side configured as a heat radiating surface 600. For this purpose, the heat radiating surface 600 in the present embodiment has elevations 602 that enlarge the surface area of the heat radiating surface 600, thus improving the heat dissipation of electrical components 204. In the present embodiment, the heat radiating surface 600 is configured to emit thermal energy in the form of IR radiation.

[0047] For this purpose, in the present embodiment, the elevations 602 are designed such that the emitted IR radiation does not re-impact the heat-radiating surface 600. In the present embodiment, the elevations 602 have phases 604 with an angle of 45° to the plane of the heat-radiating surface 600 or the contact surface 404, which are arranged between sections 606 of the heat-radiating surface 600, whose planes are parallel to the plane of the heat-radiating surface 600 or the contact surface 404. In the present embodiment, the sections 606 are arranged at different heights.

[0048] For assembly, the heat sink 400 is deformed to such an extent that the deformable section 406 of the contact surface 404 has such a low degree of convexity that the carrier 206, with its edge sections 506, can be easily inserted into the spaces between the retaining rails 502 and the contact surface 404. In a next step, the carrier 206 is displaced until the contact surface 404 and the mating contact surface 210 of the carrier 206 completely overlap, so that the contact surface 404 is in full contact with the mating contact surface 210 of the carrier 206 and the heat transfer from the carrier 206 to the heat sink 400 is maximized. This enables simple assembly without additional fastening means.

[0049] All features explained and shown in connection with individual embodiments of the invention can be provided in different combinations in the subject matter according to the invention in order to simultaneously realize their advantageous effects.

[0050] The scope of the present invention is given by the claims and is not limited by the features explained in the description or shown in the figures. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 100 electrical assemblies 102 housings 104 Back 106 locking device 108 DIN rail 200 power supply components 202 switching power supply 204 electrical component 206 multilayer carrier 208 Top 210 Counter contact surface 300 metal plate 302 Conductor layer 304 electrical insulation layer 308 Conductor track 400 heat sinks 402 Limitations 404 Contact surface 406 deformable section 408 housing 410 Housing section 500 recordings 502 retaining rail 504 area share 506 edge section 600 heat radiation surface 602 surveys 604 Phase Section 606

Claims

[1] Power supply unit (100) for mounting on a conductor rail (108), comprising: - an electrical power supply component (200); - a multilayer carrier (206) comprising a metal plate (300), a conductor layer (302) for electrically contacting the electrical power supply component (200) and an electrical insulation layer (304) arranged between the metal plate (300) and the conductor layer (302); wherein - the electrical power supply component (200) is thermally conductively connected to the metal plate (300) in order to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component (200), wherein the electrical insulation layer (304) is a thermally conductive dielectric layer in order to dissipate thermal energy from the electrical power supply component (200). [2] The power supply unit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate (300) or the conductor layer (302) is formed of at least one of the following materials: Aluminum, copper, aluminum-containing alloy, copper-containing alloy. [3] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductor layer (302) is formed by electrical conductor tracks (308). [4] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal plate (300) is provided as a shield for an alternating electromagnetic field radiated by the electrical power supply component (200). [5] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal plate (300) is designed to shield alternating electromagnetic fields with a frequency of up to 30 MHz. [6] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal plate (300) is formed over the entire surface. [7] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal plate (300) is connectable to a reference potential, in particular to a ground potential. [8] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical power supply component (200) is a switching power supply (202). [9] Power supply unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a housing (408) intended to house the multi-layer carrier (206) and the electrical power supply component (200), wherein a housing portion (410) of the housing (408) is thermally conductively connected to the metal plate (300).

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