Cooling device for cooling a power electronics component

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling device for cooling a power electronics component (2) of a power electronics assembly (100), comprising a carrier plate (3) and a cooling element (10), wherein the carrier plate (3) is configured to at least partially accommodate the power electronics assembly (100), wherein the cooling element (10) is a hollow component with an open side (11) and wherein the cooling element (10) is materially bonded, in particular by means of a welded connection (12), to the carrier plate (3), such that the open side (11) of the cooling element (10) is closed by the carrier plate (3) to form a cooling channel (13) for a cooling fluid.

Description

State of the art

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device for a power electronics component and to a power electronics assembly comprising the cooling device.

[0002] State-of-the-art cooling devices often consist of numerous components, resulting in complex and time-consuming assembly and high costs. For example, a state-of-the-art cooling device might include a base plate, a sealing carrier with seals, a cooling plate with a cooling structure, and a mounting plate. These components can lead to a complex assembly and increase the device's susceptibility to failure. A cooling device that is simple and cost-effective to manufacture while simultaneously increasing its reliability would be desirable. Disclosure of the invention

[0003] The cooling device according to the invention, with the features of claim 1, has the advantage of requiring a reduced number of components and thus being simple and cost-effective to manufacture. Furthermore, the simple design of the cooling device without rubber seals can improve its reliability. According to the invention, this is achieved by the cooling device comprising a carrier plate and a cooling element for cooling a power electronics component of a power electronics assembly. The carrier plate is configured to at least partially accommodate the power electronics assembly. According to the invention, components of the power electronics assembly can be arranged directly or indirectly on the carrier plate, so that the carrier plate supports the components of the power electronics assembly. The carrier plate preferably has fastening elements that enable it to be fixed in place.The cooling element is a hollow component with one open side and is bonded to the carrier plate by a material connection, such that the open side of the cooling element is closed by the carrier plate to form a cooling channel for a cooling fluid. The material connection is preferably formed by a weld. The power electronics component is preferably an inverter. Particularly preferably, the power electronics assembly is a power module for an electric vehicle. Using the cooling device according to the invention, a cooling device for a power electronics assembly can be provided with only two components, which is simple and cost-effective to manufacture and can enable reliable cooling of a power electronics component. Preferably, the cooling device consists of exactly one carrier plate and exactly one cooling element.

[0004] The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0005] Preferably, the cooling element has a main area located between an inlet area and an outlet area. This allows for a defined flow pattern of the cooling fluid through the cooling channel, enabling heat to be dissipated as efficiently as possible by the cooling device.

[0006] Preferably, the main area has a cooling surface designed to accommodate the power electronics component. Preferably, the power electronics component is arranged directly on the cooling surface. The cooling surface is preferably flat and a main surface of the main area. This allows the power electronics components to be easily positioned on the cooling device and the heat generated by the power electronics components to be dissipated easily and directly.

[0007] The main section is preferably hollow cuboid in shape. This allows for more efficient flow guidance through the cooling channel while enabling simple manufacturing and requiring little space.

[0008] The height of the main section is preferably greater than the height of the inlet and / or outlet sections. This allows for more efficient cooling of the power electronics component while maintaining a space-saving design for the cooling device.

[0009] The cooling element preferably comprises flow elements arranged in the cooling channel. In particular, the cooling elements are arranged in the main area. The flow elements can increase the heat transfer surface area between the cooling fluid and the cooling element, thus improving heat dissipation from the power electronics component to the cooling channel. Furthermore, the flow elements can actively influence the flow of the cooling fluid to further improve the cooling performance of the cooling device.

[0010] The flow elements preferably feature a pin-fin structure that is integrally formed with the cooling element. Due to the increased surface area with direct contact to the cooling fluid, the pin-fin structure enables excellent heat dissipation from the power electronics component. The cooling element with the pin-fin structure is preferably a die-cast aluminum component. This allows the pin-fin structure to be integrated into the cooling element simply and cost-effectively.

[0011] Preferably, the cooling element is a sheet metal component and the mounting plate a cast component. This allows for the simple and cost-effective production of a thin-walled cooling element, while the mounting plate can easily integrate fastening elements for attaching the power electronics assembly through the casting process.

[0012] The carrier plate preferably has a cooling fluid inlet and / or a cooling fluid outlet. The cooling fluid inlet is preferably located adjacent to the inlet area of ​​the cooling element, and the cooling fluid outlet is located adjacent to the outlet area of ​​the cooling element. The cooling fluid inlet and / or outlet can be easily integrated into the carrier plate, which allows for a simple and cost-effective design of the cooling element.

[0013] Furthermore, the invention relates to a power electronics assembly comprising a previously described cooling assembly. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic perspective view of a power electronics assembly with a cooling device according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 a schematic perspective view of a cooling element of the cooling device from above according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 3 A perspective schematic view of the cooling element of the cooling device from below according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Embodiments of the invention

[0015] Preferably, all identical components, elements and / or units in all figures are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0016] The following refers to the Fig. 1 to 3 describe in detail a cooling device 1 and a power electronics assembly 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0017] Fig. Figure 1 shows the power electronics assembly 100 with power electronic components 2, which are arranged on the cooling device 1. The cooling device 1 comprises a carrier plate 3 and a cooling element 10. The cooling element 10 is a hollow component with an open side 11 (in Fig. (3 shown) and is metallurgically bonded to the carrier plate 3 by means of a weld 12. The weld 12 closes the open side 11 of the cooling element 10 through the carrier plate 3 to form a cooling channel 13 for a cooling fluid inside the cooling element 10.

[0018] The cooling element 10 has a main area 14, which is arranged between an inlet area 15 and an outlet area 16. Thus, the cooling fluid can flow into the cooling device 1 through the inlet area 15, then dissipate the heat generated by the power electronics component 2 in the main area 14, and exit the cooling device 1 through the outlet area 16.

[0019] The main area 14 has a hollow cuboid shape with a flat cooling surface 17. Three power electronic components 2 are arranged on the cooling surface 17. The cooling surface 17 is arranged essentially parallel to the carrier plate 3.

[0020] The power electronics components 2 are preferably inverters connected to a DC link capacitor, in particular a film capacitor. The DC link capacitor or other electrical components of the power electronics assembly 100 can be arranged on the carrier plate 3.

[0021] The support plate 3 is preferably an aluminum die-cast component. Fastening elements 32 are arranged in the wall area of ​​the support plate 3; these are designed as through holes and enable the support plate 3 to be fastened. Furthermore, the support plate 3 has stiffening ribs.

[0022] Adjacent to the inlet area 15, the carrier plate 3 has a cooling fluid inlet 31 through which the cooling fluid can flow into the cooling device 1. Furthermore, the carrier plate 3 has a cooling fluid outlet at the outlet area 16, which is located in Fig. 1 is not shown.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 shows a top view of the cooling element 10. Fig. 1. The cooling element 10 comprises the inlet area 15, the main area 14, and the outlet area 16, which extend along a longitudinal axis. The height h1 of the main area 14 is greater than the height h2 of the inlet area 15 and the outlet area 16. The transitions between the inlet area 15 and the main area 14, as well as between the main area 14 and the outlet area 16, are smooth.

[0024] The main area 14 has a hollow cuboid structure with a cooling surface 17 and two side surfaces. The inlet area 15 has a circular contour in the contact area with the carrier plate 3, while the outlet area 16 has a substantially trapezoidal contour in the contact area with the carrier plate 3.

[0025] Fig. Figure 3 shows a view of the cooling element 10. Fig. 1 from below. On the side opposite the cooling surface 17, the cooling element 10 has the open side 11.

[0026] The walls of the cooling device are thin and have a substantially constant wall thickness. The cooling element 10 can preferably be designed as a sheet metal component or a die-cast component.

[0027] Flow elements 18 are arranged in the cooling channel 13 of the cooling element 10. The flow elements 18 are formed as a pin-fin structure integrally with the cooling element 10. The pin-fin structure comprises a multitude of cylindrical bars arranged perpendicular to the cooling surface 17. The bars of the pin-fin structure are arranged regularly in rows and columns.

[0028] The integrated cooling element 10, which can be easily attached to the carrier plate 3 by means of the welding connection 12 to form a cooling channel 13, enables simple, quick and cost-effective manufacturing of the cooling device 1 and the power electronics assembly 100.

Claims

[1] Cooling device for cooling a power electronics component (2) of a power electronics assembly (100), comprising - a carrier plate (3) and - a cooling element (10), - wherein the carrier plate (3) is configured to at least partially accommodate the power electronics assembly (100), - wherein the cooling element (10) is a hollow component with an open side (11) and - wherein the cooling element (10) is connected to the carrier plate (3) by means of a material connection, in particular by means of a welded connection (12), so that the open side (11) of the cooling element (10) is closed by the carrier plate (3) to form a cooling channel (13) for a cooling fluid. [2] Cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element (10) has a main area (14) which is arranged between an inlet area (15) and an outlet area (16). [3] Cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the main area (14) has a cooling surface (17) which is configured to accommodate the power electronics component (2). [4] Cooling device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the main area (14) is hollow cuboid in shape. [5] Cooling device according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a height (h1) of the main area is higher than a height (h2) of the inlet area (15) and / or the outlet area (16). [6] Cooling device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling element (10) comprises flow elements (18) arranged in the cooling channel (13), in particular in the main area (14). [7] Cooling device according to claim 6, wherein the flow elements (18) have a pin-fin structure which is formed integrally with the cooling element (10). [8] Cooling device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling element (10) is a sheet metal component and wherein the support plate (3) is a cast component. [9] Cooling device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier plate (3) has a cooling fluid inlet (31) and / or a cooling fluid outlet. [10] Power electronics assembly comprising a cooling assembly (1) according to any of the preceding claims.

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