System and device for regulating electronic components

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermal regulation device (200, 210, 220) for components (410) whose operation is sensitive to temperature, these components (410) being in particular electronic components capable of heating, said device (200, 210, 220) comprising an upper plate and a lower plate assembled with the upper plate to together form a plurality of circulation channels (21), said channels extending mainly along a longitudinal axis, for a heat-transfer fluid, in particular a refrigerant fluid, the upper plate of the cooling device being configured to be in thermal contact with the component (410), the device (200, 210, 220) comprising, in at least one portion of the circulation channels (216, 217, 218) which are configured to face the component (410), at least one disturbing element (270) extending only partially over the length of said channels (216, 217, 218) of the plate along the main longitudinal axis of extension of the channels, the device being characterized in that the surface of the disturbing elements (270) of the device is configured to have, with respect to the surface of the component (410) in contact with the upper plate of the device, a surface ratio of between 15 and 60, preferably between 15 and 36.

Description

Title: SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR REGULATING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a thermal regulation device, in particular an electronic system comprising such a device, applicable in the automotive field. CONTEXT OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Electronic components are known to require thermal management. Integrated circuits, or other electronic or electrical components, generate heat during operation. In the case of integrated circuits, power is dissipated over a small area. The heat thus generated must be removed efficiently, especially when the components are operating under high loads. High-performance units require dedicated cooling devices to enable their efficient operation. One known way to solve this problem is to use air for direct cooling of the heat sources.

[0003] The automotive industry increasingly relies on high-performance electronic components to ensure safe and efficient vehicle operation. Electronic components, in various forms and configurations, are increasingly being used to perform functions such as controlling vehicle battery systems, managing driver assistance systems, and enabling autonomous driving.

[0004] There is a need to provide an efficient heat exchange solution, which could be used for thermal management of an electronic control unit, especially one used in a vehicle.

[0005] In particular, certain components such as processors (system on a chip (SoC) in English) generate very high heat dissipation per unit area.

[0006] Direct contact cooling devices with components have been proposed, in which heat is drained through a sandwich of conductive layers and thermal interfaces to a cooling channel.

[0007] The design of the cooling channel is severely limited by the sandwich design and the maximum temperatures acceptable by the electronic components.

[0008] Current devices are not efficient enough, require pump power and / or are too heavy and / or bulky.

[0009] This results in a need for a cooling device that at least partially addresses this problem. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The subject of the invention relates to a thermal regulation device for components whose operation is sensitive to temperature, these components being in particular electronic components, in particular power components, capable of heating, said device comprising an upper plate and a lower plate assembled with the upper plate to form together a plurality of circulation channels, said channels extending mainly along a longitudinal axis, for a heat transfer fluid, in particular a refrigerant fluid, the upper plate of the cooling device being configured to be in thermal contact with the component, The device comprising in at least a part of the circulation channels configured to be opposite the component, at least one disturbing element, extending only partially over the length of said channels of the plate according to the main longitudinal axis of extension of the channels, the device being characterized in that the surface of the disturbing elements of the device are configured to present, with respect to the surface of the component in contact with the upper plate of the device, a surface ratio of between 15 and 60, preferably between 15 and 36.

[0011] The term "surface area of ​​the disturbing elements" refers to the sum of the surfaces of each disturbing element in contact with the fluid. Thus, in the case of fins, the surface area of ​​both sides of the fins is taken into account.

[0012] The term “component surface” means the surface in contact with the cooling device, in particular the surface of the thermal interface of the component.

[0013] By "vis-à-vis" we mean overlapping zones when they are observed along an axis perpendicular to these zones.

[0014] According to one aspect of the invention, said disturbing elements extend over the entire width of the plate along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the channels.

[0015] In other words, said disturbing elements extend between the two longitudinal walls of a channel, said walls extending along the longitudinal axis.

[0016] According to one aspect of the invention, the channels which comprise disturbing elements each comprise a disturbing element in the form of a fin-like corrugated plate.

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins are chosen from smooth, perforated, chevron, louvered or serrated fins.

[0018] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins are configured to extend over a length of between 95% and 130% of the length of the surface of the component in contact with the device along the longitudinal axis.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins are preferably centered longitudinally relative to the component.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins are configured to face at least 95% of the projected surface of the component facing the channels, preferably 100%. In other words, the surface of the component facing the channels sees the facing fins over at least 95% of its length, preferably 100%. The fins are then not centered longitudinally relative to the component, and may protrude particularly or only on one side.

[0021] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins extend between the bottom plate and the top plate over the entire height of the channels.

[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, the fins have a pitch between each corrugation of between 0.4 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably 1 mm.

[0023] It is particularly advantageous to have smooth fins with a pitch between 0.4mm and 0.6mm, or to have louvered fins with a pitch between 1mm and 1.5mm.

[0024] According to one aspect of the invention, the surface ratio is between 26 and 59 and the at least one disturbing element is in the form of a corrugated plate of the smooth fin type or laterally offset fin.

[0025] Laterally offset fins are also called “roll offset” in English.

[0026] According to one aspect of the invention, the surface ratio is between 16 and 35 and the at least one disturbing element is in the form of a corrugated plate of the louvered fin type.

[0027] According to one aspect of the invention, the device comprises two fluid circulation channels, the two channels being configured to be in thermal contact with the component, each channel comprising a fin-type disturbing element.

[0028] According to one aspect of the invention, the two channels form forward and return passes from a fluid circulation inlet conduit and to a fluid circulation outlet conduit, one channel forms the forward pass and one channel forms the return pass, the two channels being connected together by a turnaround portion forming a U-shaped fluid circulation.

[0029] According to one aspect of the invention, the device comprises three fluid circulation channels.

[0030] According to one aspect of the invention, the three channels are configured to be in thermal contact with the component, each channel comprising a fin-type disturbing element.

[0031] According to one aspect of the invention, the 3 channels form forward and return passes from a fluid circulation inlet conduit and to a fluid circulation outlet conduit, one channel forms the forward pass and two channels form the return pass, all of the channels forming a U-shaped fluid circulation.

[0032] According to one aspect of the invention, the 3 channels form forward and return passes from a fluid circulation inlet conduit and to a fluid circulation outlet conduit, two channels form the forward pass and one channel forms the return pass, the set of channels forming a U-shaped fluid circulation.

[0033] The invention also relates to a system comprising an electronic device as described above, and at least one element to be regulated, the element comprising at least one component capable of heating and a thermal interface in contact between said component and the upper plate of the device, the surface ratio being calculated between the surface of the thermal interface in contact with the upper plate with respect to the surface of the disturbing elements.

[0034] Thus, the invention relates to an electronic system comprising a thermal regulation device for at least one component capable of heating, the component comprising at least one element to be regulated, and in particular an intermediate heat-diffusing element, and a thermal interface in contact between said element to be regulated or the intermediate element and the device, said device (x) comprising an upper plate and a lower plate assembled with the upper plate to form together a plurality of circulation channels (21), said channels extending mainly along a longitudinal axis, for a heat transfer fluid, in particular a refrigerant fluid, the upper plate of the cooling device being configured to be in thermal contact with the thermal interface of the element, the device comprising in at least a portion of the circulation channels configured to be opposite the element, at least one disturbing element,extending only partially along the length of said channels of the plate along the main longitudinal axis of extension of the channels, the device being characterized in that the surface of the disturbing elements of the device are configured to present, with respect to the surface of the component in contact with the upper plate of the device, a surface ratio of between 15 and 60, preferably between 15 and 36.,

[0035] According to one aspect of the invention, the thermal interface (301) comprises at least one layer in contact with the upper plate of the device composed of indium and having a thickness between 0.3 and 0.5 mm. According to one aspect of the invention, the thermal interface comprises several layers, the layer in contact with the upper plate of the device being made of indium and having a thickness between 0.3 and 0.5 mm.

[0036] According to one aspect of the invention, the thermal interface has a thermal resistance ratio of less than 6% of the total thermal resistance between the thermal interface and the heat transfer fluid, in particular a ratio of between 2 and 5.5%, preferably between 2.2% and 5%, more preferably between 2.2% and 2.7% of the total thermal resistance between the thermal interface and the heat transfer fluid.

[0037] It is understood that the majority of the thermal resistance comes from the convection resistance between the fluid and the cooling device, particularly in cases where the thermal interface is already optimized. It then remains mainly the conduction resistance to take into account, this being here less than 6%. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The present invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 schematically shows a prior art device in top view;

[0040] Figure 2 schematically shows a device according to a first embodiment in top view;

[0041] Figure 3 schematically shows a device according to the first embodiment in sectional view;

[0042] Figure 4 schematically shows a device according to a second embodiment in a side view;

[0043] Figure 5 schematically shows a system according to a first embodiment in a perspective view;

[0044] Figure 6 schematically shows a system according to the first embodiment in an exploded view; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] Figure 1 shows an example of a device according to the prior art. The device 210 comprises a first fluid channel 213 for guiding the heat exchange fluid through the device between the two plates. The device comprises fluid openings 250 for introducing and discharging the heat transfer fluid.

[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the first fluid channel 213 forms a U-shaped flow path having a first arm 214 and a second arm 215. The fluid openings 250 may be disposed at opposite ends of the U-shaped flow path.

[0047] The device 210 may comprise a plurality of channels (216, 217, 218), separated by ribs (253, 254) formed on one of the plates, preferably the lower plate, for example by stamping.

[0048] The device may be attached to the system 100 by a support plate 202.

[0049] Figure 2 shows the device according to a non-limiting example of the invention, with disturbing elements under the component to be cooled such as an element to be regulated, comprising in particular an intermediate heat diffusing element, such as a copper insert, and the thermal interface.

[0050] In Figure 2, a single component is shown, but other embodiments include a plurality of components to be cooled, two or more, with respective disturbing elements facing each other.

[0051] The element to be regulated includes in particular a high-power electronic element, such as a processor, an insulator such as indium, and a heat-diffusing element such as a copper insert. This assembly may itself be in contact with the cooling device. However, it is advantageous to have a thermal interface between said assembly and the cooling device, for example an indium thermal interface.

[0052] In order to simplify the description of the invention, a Cartesian reference (o, x, y, z) is formed, and the direction ox is defined as the length direction, oy is the height direction, and oz is the width direction, as shown in Figure 5.

[0053] The heat transfer fluid can be a refrigerant (such as R134A, R-1234YF or R744) or a coolant-type refrigerant (for example, a water-glycol mixture).

[0054] In one embodiment, the element to be thermally regulated is located on a first heat source module 410 which is a printed circuit board.

[0055] In one embodiment, the electronic system further comprises a chassis on which the control device and the first heat source module are attached.

[0056] Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the device 200 of Figure 2. A disturbing element 270 intended to improve the efficiency of the heat exchange is placed inside the fluid channels 213 opposite the element to be thermally regulated 300 which is in thermal contact with the upper plate 211, via a thermal interface 301.

[0057] In the embodiment shown as an example in Figure 3, the component to be cooled is only opposite two of the 3 channels of the device according to the invention. Thus in accordance with the invention, only these two facing channels each comprise a fluid-disrupting element.

[0058] In some embodiments, thermal interface 301 comprises indium.

[0059] In some embodiments, thermal interface 301 comprises a copper layer and an indium layer.

[0060] In some embodiments, the element to be regulated comprises an intermediate heat diffusing element formed from at least one layer of copper, for example forming a copper insert.

[0061] The copper layer has strong thermal conduction, which advantageously makes it possible to standardize the temperature released by the element to be cooled over a surface area greater than that of the element to be cooled.

[0062] The indium layer has the advantage of electrically insulating the element to be cooled while exhibiting relatively good thermal conduction. It is advantageously more malleable than copper, which allows for better contact with the upper face of the device, thus acting as a thermal paste. This makes it possible, in particular, to manage different heights of components to be cooled.

[0063] It is quite possible to replace the indium layer with a material whose properties allow it to perform the same function.

[0064] Figure 4 shows two control devices 200 in a side view. The control device 210 and the control device 220 may be connected by interconnectors 260 to mechanically attach to each other and allow heat transfer fluid to flow between them.

[0065] In the illustrated embodiment, there are two interconnectors 260. One of the interconnectors 260 may be associated with the introduction of the heat transfer fluid into the primary tube 210 and the terminal tube 220, while the other interconnector 260 may be associated with the outlet of the heat transfer fluid from the control device 210 and the control device 220. An inlet nozzle 251 may be attached to the device 210 and communicate with the interconnector 260 to introduce the heat transfer fluid into the device 210. An outlet nozzle 252 may be attached to the device 210 and communicate with the interconnector 260 to discharge the heat transfer fluid from the device 210.

[0066] The device 210 may comprise collars for receiving the inlet and outlet tips 251, 252, in particular flat tube collars 261 located on the device 210, which in this case would be opposite the inlet and outlet tips 251, 252.

[0067] The device 210 and the device 220 may include collars for receiving the interconnectors 260.

[0068] Figure 5 shows an electronic system 100 with a plurality of heat source modules 410, 420, 430, 440 in a perspective view. The control device 200 includes a device 210 for a heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid circulates through the control device 210, and allows heat exchange between the control device 210 and any heat source in contact with it.

[0069] In the embodiment shown, the system comprises two control devices 210 and 220, but there may be only one or a plurality, depending on the cooling needs. The two control devices 210 and 220 are connected by interconnectors 260.

[0070] Figure 6 shows a system 100 of Figure 1 in an exploded view. The first heat source module 410 comprises at least one thermally regulated element 411.

[0071] In the embodiment shown, the first heat source module 410 comprises a plurality of thermally regulated elements 411.

[0072] In one embodiment, the first heat source module 410 is a printed circuit board. The elements to be thermally regulated 411 may be individual integrated circuits.

[0073] The second heat source module 420 comprises at least one thermally regulated element 421.

[0074] In the illustrated embodiment, the second heat source module 420 is in the form of a cartridge 422, in which there is a printed circuit board comprising at least one integrated circuit.

[0075] The third heat source module 430 comprises at least one thermally regulated element 431. In the illustrated embodiment, the third heat source module 430 comprises a plurality of thermally regulated elements 431.

[0076] The fourth heat source module 440 comprises at least one fourth heat source 441. In one embodiment, the fourth heat source module 440 is in the form of a cartridge 422 in which there is a PCB board with at least one integrated circuit.

[0077] The present invention particularly relates to the cooling of electronic power components, having a very high thermal power, for example between 100W and 1KW, on a very small surface, for example of the order of tens of mm 2 for example 12x12mm or 65x65mm.

[0078] Thus, the element to be regulated, and / or the intermediate heat diffusing element, can easily reach a temperature close to 100°C.

[0079] In certain embodiments, the heat transfer fluid has a temperature at the inlet of the cooling device of between 60°C and 65°C, the heat transfer fluid coming in particular for example from a circuit cooled by a low temperature radiator rather than by an air conditioning loop as can be found in battery cooling applications.

[0080] Other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and made by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

Claims

Claims 1. Thermal regulation device (200, 210, 220) for components (410) whose operation is sensitive to temperature, these components (410) being in particular electronic components capable of heating, said device (200, 210, 220) comprising an upper plate and a lower plate assembled with the upper plate to form together a plurality of circulation channels (21), said channels extending mainly along a longitudinal axis, for a heat transfer fluid, in particular a refrigerant fluid, the upper plate of the cooling device being configured to be in thermal contact with the component (410), the device (200, 210, 220) comprising in at least a portion of the circulation channels (216, 217, 218) configured to be opposite the component (410), at least one disturbing element (270), extending only partially over the length of said channels (216, 217,218) of the assembly of the plates along the main longitudinal axis of extension of the channels, the device being characterized in that the surface of the disturbing elements (270) of the device are configured to present, with respect to the surface of the component (410) in contact with the upper plate of the device, a surface ratio of between 15 and 60, preferably between 15 and 36., 2. Regulation device (200, 210, 220) according to the preceding claim, in which said disturbing elements (270) extend over the entire width of the assembly of plates along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the channels.

3. A regulating device (200, 210, 220) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the channels (216, 217, 218) which comprise disturbing elements (270) each comprise a disturbing element in the form of a fin-type corrugated plate.

4. A regulating device (200, 210, 220) according to claim 3, wherein the fins (270) are configured to extend over a length of between 95% and 130% of the length of the surface of the component in contact with the device along the longitudinal axis, the fins preferably being centered longitudinally relative to said component.

5. A regulating device (200, 210, 220) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fins (270) extend between the lower plate and the upper plate over the entire height of the channels (216, 217, 218).

6. Regulation device (200, 210, 220) according to claim 3 to 5, in which the fins (270) have a pitch between each undulation of between 0.4 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably 1 mm.

7. Regulation device (200, 210, 220) according to claim 3 to 6, in which the surface ratio is between 26 and 59 and the at least one disturbing element (270) is in the form of a corrugated plate of the smooth fin type or laterally offset fin.

8. Control device (200, 210, 220) according to claim 3 to 6, in which the surface ratio is between 16 and 35 and the at least one disturbing element (270) is in the form of a corrugated plate of the louvered fin type.

9. A regulating device (200, 210, 220) according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises three fluid circulation channels (216, 217, 218), the three channels (216, 217, 218) forming forward and return passes from a fluid circulation inlet conduit and to a fluid circulation outlet conduit, one channel forms the forward pass and two channels form the return pass, all of the channels (216, 217, 218) forming a U-shaped fluid circulation.

10. Electronic system (100) comprising a thermal regulation device (200, 210, 220) according to one of the preceding claims, and at least one component capable of heating, the component comprising at least one element to be regulated (411), and in particular an intermediate heat diffusing element, and a thermal interface (301) in contact between said element to be regulated (411) or the intermediate element and the upper plate of the device, the surface ratio being calculated between the surface of the thermal interface in contact with the upper plate with respect to the surface of the disturbing elements (270).

11. Electronic system (100) according to the preceding claim, in which the thermal interface (301) comprises at least one layer in contact with the upper plate of the device composed of indium and having a thickness of between 0.3 and 0.5 mm.

12. Electronic system (100) according to one of claims 11 to 12, in which the thermal interface (301) has a thermal resistance ratio of less than 6% of the total thermal resistance between the thermal interface (301) and the heat transfer fluid, in particular a ratio of between 2 and 5.5%, preferably between 2.2% and 5%, more preferably between 2.2% and 2.7% of the total thermal resistance between the thermal interface and the heat transfer fluid.

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