Cooling structure of on-vehicle device

Abstract

To provide a cooling structure of an on-vehicle device which can attain sufficient cooling performance with a simple structure without causing increase in the size of the device and an installation space.SOLUTION: In an on-vehicle device 1 having a heating part 6 where a temperature increases during operation and placed in a predetermined space 3 of a vehicle Ve and a cooling structure 2 of the on-vehicle device provided in a housing 5 of the on-vehicle device 1 and including a refrigerant passage 9 in which a refrigerant 8 for cooling the heating part 6 circulates, the housing 5 has a heat receiving part 7 which is located close to and faces an external heat source 4 in a state where the on-vehicle device is placed in the space 3 and increases a temperature by heat of the external heat source 4 transmitted thereto. The refrigerant passage 9 has: a cooling passage 9a which is in contact with or located close to the heating part 6 to cool the heating part 6 with the refrigerant 8; and a heat insulation passage 9b which communicates with the cooling passage 9a and continues into the cooling passage 9a to allow the refrigerant 8 to flow therein and which is in contact with or located close to the heat receiving part 7 to block or reduce heat transmission from the external heat source 4 with the refrigerant 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling structure for cooling devices and apparatuses that generate heat and whose temperature rises, and more particularly to a cooling structure for vehicle-mounted devices such as inverters and converters mounted on vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a power converter (inverter) designed to efficiently cool a smoothing capacitor. The power converter described in Patent Document 1 includes a capacitor element that smooths DC power, a metal case having a storage section for storing the capacitor element and a refrigerant flow path, and potting resin that fills the gap between the capacitor element and the storage section. Part of the storage section is filled with potting resin, and a reservoir section is formed to adjust the height of the exposed surface of the potting resin. In addition, the refrigerant flow path is formed on the bottom side of the storage section in the housing of the metal case.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes an electronic device cooling device having a rectangular parallelepiped housing in which heat-generating components are built, and a power converter (converter) equipped with the same. The electronic device cooling device and power converter described in Patent Document 2 have a flat, inclined partition provided inside the chamber so as to distribute the refrigerant to a desired flow rate corresponding to the heat generation ratio of the chamber on two adjacent, perpendicular faces of the rectangular parallelepiped housing. This allows efficient cooling of the two adjacent, perpendicular faces (bottom and wall) of the housing. Patent Document 2 also describes, as a specific example of a power converter, a configuration in which refrigerant flow paths are provided on the bottom and wall faces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-41224 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2014 / 147961 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The power conversion devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a refrigerant flow path inside a housing such as a metal case as a cooling structure for cooling power conversion devices such as inverters and converters. By circulating a refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path, components and devices arranged inside the housing can be efficiently cooled. However, the cooling structures described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take into consideration external thermal interference, i.e., heat transferred from outside the device. As a result, the cooling performance of the refrigerant flow path alone may be insufficient, and there is a risk that the heat-generating components and devices inside the housing cannot be sufficiently cooled.

[0006] For example, in-vehicle devices such as inverters and converters mounted on hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles often contain heat-generating semiconductors and magnetic components. Therefore, by applying a cooling structure (refrigerant flow path) such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the temperature-increasing in the in-vehicle devices can be cooled. However, such in-vehicle devices may be located in close proximity to other components or devices that become hot, such as a motor, an engine, other high-voltage devices, or the engine's exhaust system. That is, they may be located in close proximity to or adjacent to an external heat source. Therefore, in addition to the temperature increase due to their own heat generation, the temperature of in-vehicle devices such as inverters and converters may also increase due to heat transfer from external heat sources. To prevent heat transfer from such external heat sources, i.e., external thermal interference, possible measures include locating the devices sufficiently far from external heat sources or installing insulators or thermal insulating materials. However, all of these measures result in an increase in the size of the device or installation space, a complex configuration, or an increase in the number of components.

[0007] This invention was devised with an eye on the above-mentioned technical problems, and aims to provide a cooling structure for vehicle-mounted equipment that can achieve sufficient cooling performance with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the device or installation space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a cooling structure for an on-board device that has a heat-generating part whose temperature rises during operation and is placed in a specified space of a vehicle, and that is provided within the housing of the on-board device and that has a refrigerant flow path that circulates a refrigerant to cool the heat-generating part, wherein the housing is placed in the space and faces a specified external heat source, and has a heat-receiving part whose temperature rises as heat from the external heat source is transferred to it, and the refrigerant flow path is characterized by having: a cooling flow path that is in contact with or close to the heat-generating part and cools the heat-generating part with the refrigerant; and an insulating flow path that is connected to the cooling flow path, through which the refrigerant flows continuously with the cooling flow path, and that is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving part and that blocks or suppresses heat transfer from the external heat source with the refrigerant.

[0009] In addition, the cooling flow path in this invention may be arranged so as to be in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion at a location other than the heat-receiving portion within the housing, and the insulating flow path in this invention may be arranged so as to be in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion, facing the inner wall surface of the heat-receiving portion (inside the housing).

[0010] Furthermore, the refrigerant flow path in this invention may have a cooling and insulating flow path that is connected to at least one of the cooling flow path and the insulating flow path, through which the refrigerant flows continuously with at least one of the cooling flow path and the insulating flow path, and that is in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion to cool the heat-generating portion with the refrigerant, and that is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion to block or suppress heat transfer from the external heat source with the refrigerant, and the cooling and insulating flow path in this invention may have a cooling surface facing the heat-generating portion and an insulating surface facing the heat-receiving portion, and may be arranged so that the cooling surface is in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion and the insulating surface is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion facing the inner wall surface.

[0011] The refrigerant flow path in this invention may have an inlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the refrigerant flow path and an outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the refrigerant flow path, and this invention may be configured so that the refrigerant having a temperature equal to or lower than that of the refrigerant flowing out of the outlet flows into the refrigerant flow path from the inlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The cooling structure for on-board equipment of the present invention cools on-board equipment such as inverters, converters, or AC chargers installed in hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles. Such on-board equipment uses many heat-generating semiconductors and magnetic components, resulting in increased temperatures during operation. Therefore, the cooling structure for on-board equipment of the present invention includes a refrigerant flow path for cooling heat-generating components such as semiconductors and magnetic components. The refrigerant flow path, as in conventional cooling structures, cools the heat-generating components with a refrigerant flowing through a cooling flow path. Furthermore, the refrigerant flow path includes an insulating flow path in addition to the cooling flow path. The insulating flow path is provided in a heat-receiving section facing an external heat source, such as an engine or motor, and blocks heat transferred from the external heat source to the housing of the on-board equipment. In short, the refrigerant flow path in the cooling structure for on-board equipment of the present invention is composed of a cooling flow path and an insulating flow path, and has both a cooling function for cooling the heat-generating components and a thermal insulation function for insulating the on-board equipment from the external heat source. Therefore, the cooling function can also insulate the external heat source while cooling the heat-generating components, thereby improving the cooling performance of the cooling structure. Furthermore, the cooling flow path and the heat insulating flow path in the refrigerant flow path are connected to each other and configured to continuously circulate the same refrigerant, so this configuration can be easily achieved without significantly modifying the conventional cooling structure (configuration consisting only of cooling flow paths). Furthermore, since the refrigerant flow path not only cools the heat-generating components but also insulates from external heat sources, as described above, there is no need for space for insulation or for heat insulating materials such as insulators. This allows for the miniaturization and simplification of on-board equipment. This in turn allows for more space to be secured for installing on-board equipment and greater flexibility in the installation layout.

[0013] Therefore, the cooling structure for in-vehicle equipment of the present invention can obtain sufficient cooling performance for cooling the in-vehicle equipment with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the device or installation space. Furthermore, as the cooling performance improves, the in-vehicle equipment can be made smaller, and ultimately, the in-vehicle equipment can be configured to be easily mounted in a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example (basic configuration example) of a cooling structure for an in-vehicle device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of the cooling structure for an in-vehicle device (a configuration example compatible with two external heat sources) that is the subject of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the cooling structure for an in-vehicle device to which the present invention is applied (a configuration example for cooling a heat generating part in contact with two surfaces of a cooling flow path). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the cooling structure for an in-vehicle device (a configuration example compatible with three external heat sources) that is the subject of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the cooling structure for an in-vehicle device to which the present invention is applied (a configuration example for cooling a heat generating portion in the form of a board). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0016] The in-vehicle equipment in the embodiments of the present invention is directed to machines and devices mounted on a vehicle. The in-vehicle equipment has heat-generating parts such as semiconductors and magnetic components. When mounted on a vehicle, the in-vehicle equipment is placed adjacent to or in close proximity to an external heat source, such as an engine or motor. Therefore, the in-vehicle equipment has a heat-receiving part to which heat from the external heat source is transferred and the temperature rises when the in-vehicle equipment is placed in close proximity to the external heat source while mounted on the vehicle. The cooling structure for the in-vehicle equipment in the embodiments of the present invention is configured to cool the heat-generating parts and insulate the heat transferred to the heat-receiving part. An example of such a cooling structure for in-vehicle equipment is shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] The on-vehicle device 1 and its cooling structure 2 shown in FIG. 1 are placed in a predetermined space 3 of a vehicle Ve. The vehicle Ve is not limited to a specific type. For example, the vehicle Ve may be a conventional engine vehicle using an engine as a driving force source, a hybrid vehicle using an engine and a motor as a driving force source, or an electric vehicle using a motor as a driving force source (all of which are not shown). In this case, the space 3 may be, for example, an engine compartment (not shown), a battery space (not shown), or a trunk (not shown). An external heat source 4 is provided in the space 3, and the on-vehicle device 1 is placed in close proximity to the external heat source 4. The external heat source 4 is, for example, an engine (not shown), a motor (not shown), or an engine exhaust system (not shown), or other components, machines, or devices that generate heat and reach a high temperature. The external heat source 4 is installed in the space 3 and exerts a thermal effect on the on-vehicle devices 1 located nearby or adjacent to each other in the space 3. When "other in-vehicle equipment" having a heat generating portion 6 (described later) is placed adjacent to or close to the in-vehicle equipment 1 in the space 3, it can also serve as the external heat source 4 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] The in-vehicle device 1 is a machine or device that is placed in a predetermined space 3 of the vehicle Ve as described above, and is, for example, an inverter (not shown), a converter (not shown), or an AC charger (not shown) that are mounted on a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. The in-vehicle device 1 in this embodiment of the present invention has a housing 5, a heat generating unit 6, and a heat receiving unit 7.

[0019] The housing 5 is a member that forms the outer shell of the in-vehicle device 1. In other words, the housing 5 is a case or housing for the in-vehicle device 1 that houses devices, parts, etc. (not shown) that constitute the in-vehicle device 1. The shape of the housing 5 is arbitrary and is not limited to a specific shape or size. FIG. 1 shows a rectangular cross section of the rectangular parallelepiped housing 5 as an example.

[0020] The heat-generating portion 6 is a device, component, or part that generates heat and its temperature rises during operation among the devices, components, etc. that make up the in-vehicle device 1. The heat-generating portion 6 is also a "cooled portion" that is cooled by the cooling structure 2 described below. For example, the heat-generating portion 6 is a component that makes up an inverter or converter, and includes semiconductors such as capacitors and resistors, and magnetic components such as coils and reactors. As described above, the heat-generating portion 6 is accommodated in a predetermined position within the housing 5. The type, shape, and quantity of the heat-generating portion 6 are arbitrary and are not limited to a specific type, shape, quantity, etc. FIG. 1 shows an example having three heat-generating portions 6: heat-generating portion 6a, heat-generating portion 6b, and heat-generating portion 6c.

[0021] The heat receiving section 7 is a part of the housing 5, and is a portion to which heat from the external heat source 4 is transferred and the temperature thereof increases. As described above, the in-vehicle device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention is placed in the space 3 of the vehicle Ve, close to or adjacent to the external heat source 4. Therefore, the housing 5 has a portion that faces the external heat source 4 in close proximity when placed in the space 3, and to which the heat from the external heat source 4 is transferred and the temperature thereof increases. The portion of the housing 5 that faces the external heat source 4 is the heat receiving section 7.

[0022] As described above, the in-vehicle device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a heat-generating portion 6 that generates heat itself and increases in temperature, as well as a heat-receiving portion 7 that increases in temperature due to heat transferred from an external heat source 4. Therefore, the cooling structure 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to have both a cooling function for cooling the heat-generating portion 6 and a heat insulating function for insulating the heat from the heat-receiving portion 7. To this end, the cooling structure 2 has a refrigerant flow path 9 that allows a predetermined refrigerant 8 to flow. The type of refrigerant 8 is arbitrary and is not limited to a specific one. For example, water, a coolant liquid, oil, air, or the like may be used as the refrigerant 8.

[0023] The refrigerant flow path 9 is formed of at least two types of flow paths: a cooling flow path 9a and a thermal insulation flow path 9b. The cooling flow path 9a and the thermal insulation flow path 9b are connected to each other. The refrigerant flow path 9 has an inlet 9c through which the refrigerant 8 flows into the refrigerant flow path 9, and an outlet 9d through which the refrigerant 8 flows out of the refrigerant flow path 9. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cooling flow path 9a has the inlet 9c, and the thermal insulation flow path 9b has the outlet 9d. Therefore, the refrigerant 8 flows continuously between the cooling flow path 9a and the thermal insulation flow path 9b, from the cooling flow path 9a to the thermal insulation flow path 9b.

[0024] The cooling flow path 9a is arranged in the housing 5 so as to be in contact with or in close proximity to the heat-generating portion 6. The cooling flow path 9a is also arranged in a location in the housing 5 different from the heat-receiving portion 7 (in the example shown in FIG. 1, near the bottom 10 of the housing 5) so as to be in contact with or in close proximity to the heat-generating portion 6. Therefore, the cooling flow path 9a cools the heat-generating portion 6 by the refrigerant 8 flowing inside the cooling flow path 9a. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cooling flow path 9a is arranged in contact with the heat-generating portions 6a and 6b. Therefore, the heat of the heat-generating portions 6a and 6b is transferred to the refrigerant 8 flowing through the cooling flow path 9a, thereby cooling the heat-generating portions 6a and 6b.

[0025] The heat insulating flow path 9b faces the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving unit 7 and is disposed in the housing 5 so as to be in contact with or in close proximity to the inner wall surface 7a. Therefore, the heat insulating flow path 9b blocks or suppresses heat transfer from the external heat source 4 by the refrigerant 8 flowing inside. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the heat insulating flow path 9b faces the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving unit 7 and is disposed in close proximity to the inner wall surface 7a. Therefore, the heat insulating flow path 9b insulates against heat transferred from the external heat source 4 to the inside of the housing 5 through the heat receiving unit 7 and the inner wall surface 7a. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a temperature rise in the housing 5 and inside the housing 5 due to the influence of heat from the external heat source 4. This improves the cooling performance of the cooling structure 2 for the in-vehicle device 1.

[0026] Furthermore, the cooling structure 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured so that refrigerant 8 having a temperature equal to or lower than that of the refrigerant 8 flowing out of the outlet 9d of the refrigerant flow path 9 flows from the inlet 9c into the refrigerant flow path 9. For example, a heat exchanger (not shown), such as a radiator or oil cooler, is provided to cool the refrigerant 8 flowing out of the outlet 9d, so that a refrigerant 8 having a lower temperature (higher cooling effect) than the refrigerant 8 flowing out of the outlet 9d is supplied to the refrigerant flow path 9 from the inlet 9c. The heat-generating portions 6a, 6b, and 6c are arranged so that the heat-generating portions 6 that generate greater amounts of heat are closer to the inlet 9c of the refrigerant flow path 9. Alternatively, the shape and arrangement of the refrigerant flow path 9 (cooling flow path 9a and heat-insulating flow path 9b) are determined relative to the positions of the heat-generating portions 6a, 6b, and 6c.

[0027] 1, the three heat generating portions 6a, 6b, and 6c are arranged in descending order of heat generation amount as heat generating portion 6a, heat generating portion 6b, and heat generating portion 6c. Therefore, the heat generating portions 6a, 6b, and 6c are arranged in the order of heat generating portion 6a, heat generating portion 6b, and heat generating portion 6c from the position closest to inlet 9c. Therefore, a lower temperature refrigerant 8 can be supplied to the heat generating portion 6, which generates a large amount of heat and has a high temperature, and each of the heat generating portions 6a, 6b, and 6c can be efficiently cooled.

[0028] 1, the heat insulating flow path 9b faces the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving part 7 and is arranged in contact with the heat generating part 6c. That is, the heat insulating flow path 9b serves as the cooling heat insulating flow path 9e in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] The cooling and heat insulating flow passage 9e has a cooling surface 9f facing the heat generating portion 6c and an insulating surface 9g facing the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving portion 7. The cooling and heat insulating flow passage 9e is arranged so that the cooling surface 9f is in contact with or close to the heat receiving portion 7 and the insulating surface 9g faces the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving portion 7 and is in contact with or close to the heat receiving portion 7. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the cooling and heat insulating flow passage 9e has the cooling surface 9f in contact with the heat receiving portion 7 and the insulating surface 9g facing and close to the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving portion 7.

[0030] The cooling and heat insulating passage 9e communicates with at least one of the cooling passage 9a and the heat insulating passage 9b, and the refrigerant 8 flows through the cooling and heat insulating passage 9e in continuity with at least one of the cooling passage 9a and the heat insulating passage 9b. The cooling and heat insulating passage 9e is in contact with or close to the heat generating portion 6 to cool the heat generating portion 6 with the refrigerant 8, and is in contact with or close to the heat receiving portion 7 to block or suppress heat transfer from the external heat source 4 with the refrigerant 8. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the cooling and heat insulating passage 9e also serves as the heat insulating passage 9b, and is in communication with the cooling passage 9a, and the refrigerant 8 flows through the cooling and heat insulating passage 9e in continuity with the cooling passage 9a. The cooling and heat insulating passage 9e is in contact with the heat generating portion 6c to cool the heat generating portion 6c with the refrigerant 8, and is close to the inner wall surface 7a of the heat receiving portion 7 to block or suppress heat transfer from the external heat source 4 with the refrigerant 8.

[0031] The shape and type of the refrigerant flow paths 9 (cooling flow paths 9a, heat insulating flow paths 9b, cooling heat insulating flow paths 9e) are all arbitrary and are not limited to specific ones. For example, a configuration in which pipe-shaped flow paths are arranged or a configuration in which hollow, flat flow paths are assembled may be applied. Figure 1 and Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, which will be described later, show images of refrigerant flow paths 9 (cooling flow paths 9a, heat insulating flow paths 9b, cooling heat insulating flow paths 9e) formed from pipe-shaped members.

[0032] Other configuration examples of the cooling structure 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention are shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5. In the cooling structure 2 shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 below, members or parts that have the same configurations and functions as the cooling structure 2 shown in Figure 1 or the previously described drawings are assigned the same reference numerals as those used in Figure 1 or the previously described drawings.

[0033] The cooling structure 2 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to accommodate two external heat sources, an external heat source 4 and an external heat source 11. Similar to the external heat source 4 described above, the external heat source 11 is, for example, an engine, a motor, an engine exhaust system, or other components, machines, or devices that generate heat and reach high temperatures. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 1 is placed in a position where the bottom 10 of the housing 5 faces and is close to the external heat source 11. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the bottom 10 of the housing 5 faces the external heat source 11 and serves as a heat receiving portion 12 to which heat from the external heat source 11 is transferred, thereby increasing the temperature.

[0034] In the cooling structure 2 shown in FIG. 2, the bottom 10 of the housing 5 serves as the heat receiving portion 12 as described above, and therefore the cooling channel 9a serves as the cooling and insulating channel 9h in this embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, like the cooling and insulating channel 9e described above, the cooling and insulating channel 9h has a cooling surface 9i facing the heat generating portions 6a and 6b and an insulating surface 9j facing the inner wall surface 12a of the heat receiving portion 12. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cooling and insulating channel 9h also serves as the cooling channel 9a and is connected to the insulating channel 9b (cooling and insulating channel 9e), through which the refrigerant 8 flows continuously with the insulating channel 9b (cooling and insulating channel 9e). The cooling and insulating channel 9h contacts the heat generating portions 6a and 6b to cool them with the refrigerant 8, and is adjacent to the inner wall surface 12a of the heat receiving portion 12 to block or suppress heat transfer from the external heat source 11 with the refrigerant 8.

[0035] In the cooling structure 2 shown in Fig. 3, the refrigerant flow paths 9 are provided on two opposing surfaces of the cooling flow path 9a so as to be in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion 6. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the cooling flow path 9a is arranged so that the heat-generating portion 6a is in contact with an upper surface 9k of the cooling flow path 9a and the heat-generating portion 6d is in contact with a lower surface 9m of the cooling flow path 9a.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 3, another heat generating part 13 different from the cooling structure 2 and another cooling device 14 for cooling the heat generating part 13 are provided inside the housing 5.

[0037] The cooling structure 2 shown in FIG. 4 is configured to accommodate three external heat sources: an external heat source 4, an external heat source 11, and an external heat source 15. Similar to the external heat sources 4 and 11 described above, the external heat source 15 is, for example, an engine, a motor, an engine exhaust system, or other components, machines, or devices that generate heat and reach high temperatures. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle device 1 is placed in a position where a right side 16 of the housing 5 faces and is close to the external heat source 15. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the right side 16 of the housing 5 faces the external heat source 15 and serves as a heat receiving portion 17 to which heat from the external heat source 15 is transferred and the temperature rises.

[0038] 4, in response to the fact that the right side portion 16 of the housing 5 serves as the heat receiving portion 17 as described above, a heat insulating flow path 9n is provided facing the inner wall surface 17a of the heat receiving portion 17 and in contact with or close to the inner wall surface 17a. The heat insulating flow path 9n insulates the heat transferred from the external heat source 15 into the housing 5 through the heat receiving portion 17 and the inner wall surface 17a.

[0039] 5 is configured to accommodate three external heat sources 4, 11, and 15, and also to cool a plate-shaped heat-generating portion 6d. The heat-generating portion 6d is, for example, a flat-plate-shaped "substrate" incorporating a large number of electronic components and semiconductors, and its temperature rises due to the heat generated by these components.

[0040] The cooling structure 2 shown in Fig. 5 is provided with a cooling channel 9o for cooling the heat-generating portion 6d. The cooling channel 9o is connected to the downstream side (upper side of Fig. 5) of the heat-insulating channel 9b (cooling heat-insulating channel 9e) and is arranged parallel to the cooling channel 9a (cooling heat-insulating channel 9h) in the direction of the heat-insulating channel 9n (right side of Fig. 5). An outlet 9d is provided at the end of the cooling channel 9o (right end of Fig. 5). Therefore, the refrigerant 8 flows continuously from the heat-insulating channel 9n through the cooling channel 9a (cooling heat-insulating channel 9h), the heat-insulating channel 9b (cooling heat-insulating channel 9e), and the cooling channel 9o, circulating around the inner periphery of the housing 5.

[0041] As described above, the cooling structure for an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigerant flow path 9 for cooling a heat-generating component 6, such as a semiconductor or a magnetic component. The refrigerant flow path 9 is, for example, composed of a cooling flow path 9a and a heat-insulating flow path 9b, and has both a cooling function for cooling the heat-generating component 6 and a heat-insulating function for insulating the external heat source 4 from the in-vehicle device 1. Therefore, the external heat source 4 can be insulated while the heat-generating component 6 is being cooled, thereby improving the cooling performance of the cooling structure 2. Furthermore, the cooling flow path 9a and the heat-insulating flow path 9b in the refrigerant flow path 9 are interconnected, allowing the same refrigerant 8 to flow continuously through them, making the cooling structure easy to configure. Furthermore, because the refrigerant flow path 9 functions to both cool the heat-generating component 6 and insulate the external heat source 4, a space for heat insulation and a heat-insulating material such as an insulator are not required. This allows the in-vehicle device 1 to be made smaller and simpler. This in turn allows for more space to be secured for mounting the in-vehicle device 1, increasing the flexibility of the mounting layout.

[0042] Therefore, the cooling structure for in-vehicle equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention can obtain sufficient cooling performance for cooling the in-vehicle equipment 1 with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the device or installation space. Furthermore, the improvement in cooling performance allows the in-vehicle equipment 1 to be made smaller, and ultimately, the in-vehicle equipment 1 can be configured to be easily mounted on the vehicle Ve. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 In-vehicle equipment 2 Cooling structure 3 (vehicle) spaces 4 External heat source 5. Cabinet 6 Heat generating part 6a (multiple) heating elements 6b (multiple) heating elements 6c (multiple) heating elements 6d (substrate-like) heat generating part 7 Heat receiving part 7a (heat receiving part) inner wall surface 8. Refrigerants 9 Refrigerant flow path 9a Cooling channel (of coolant channel) 9b (refrigerant flow path) heat insulating flow path 9c (refrigerant flow path) inlet 9d (refrigerant flow path) outlet 9e Cooling and insulating flow path (of refrigerant flow path) 9f Cooling surface (of a cooling adiabatic channel) 9g Insulation surface (of cooling insulation channel) 9h Cooling and insulating flow path (for refrigerant flow path) 9i Cooling surface (of cooling adiabatic flow passage) 9j (cooling adiabatic flow path) adiabatic surface 9k Top surface (of cooling channel) 9m (cooling channel) bottom 9n (refrigerant flow path) adiabatic flow path 9o Cooling channel (of coolant channel) 10 Bottom (of the housing) 11 External heat source 12 Heat receiving part 12a (heat receiving part) inner wall surface 13 (Other) Heat-Generating Parts 14 (Other) Cooling Equipment 15 External heat source 16 Right side (of the housing) 17 Heat receiving part 17a (heat receiving part) inner wall surface Vehicle

Claims

1. A cooling structure for an in-vehicle device, the cooling structure including: an in-vehicle device having a heat-generating part whose temperature rises during operation and placed in a predetermined space of a vehicle; and a refrigerant flow path provided in a housing of the in-vehicle device and through which a refrigerant for cooling the heat-generating part flows, the housing has a heat receiving portion that faces a predetermined external heat source in close proximity when placed in the space, and to which heat from the external heat source is transferred and the temperature of the heat receiving portion increases; The refrigerant flow path has a cooling flow path that is in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion and cools the heat-generating portion with the refrigerant, and a heat-insulating flow path that is in communication with the cooling flow path, through which the refrigerant flows continuously with the cooling flow path, and that is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion and blocks or suppresses heat transfer from the external heat source with the refrigerant. A cooling structure for an in-vehicle device.

2. The cooling structure for an in-vehicle device according to claim 1, the cooling flow path is arranged so as to be in contact with or in proximity to the heat generating portion at a location different from the heat receiving portion within the housing, The heat insulating flow path is disposed opposite to the inner wall surface of the heat receiving portion so as to be in contact with or in close proximity to the heat receiving portion. A cooling structure for an in-vehicle device.

3. 3. The cooling structure for an in-vehicle device according to claim 2, the refrigerant flow path has a cooling and insulating flow path that communicates with at least one of the cooling flow path and the insulating flow path, the refrigerant flows continuously with at least one of the cooling flow path and the insulating flow path, the cooling and insulating flow path is in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion to cool the heat-generating portion with the refrigerant, and the cooling and insulating flow path is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion to block or suppress heat transfer from the external heat source with the refrigerant, The cooling and heat-insulating flow path has a cooling surface facing the heat-generating portion and a heat-insulating surface facing the heat-receiving portion, and is arranged so that the cooling surface is in contact with or close to the heat-generating portion and the heat-insulating surface faces the inner wall surface and is in contact with or close to the heat-receiving portion. A cooling structure for an in-vehicle device.

4. The cooling structure for an in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the refrigerant flow path has an inlet through which the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant flow path and an outlet through which the refrigerant flows out of the refrigerant flow path, The refrigerant having a temperature equal to or lower than that of the refrigerant flowing out from the outlet is allowed to flow into the refrigerant flow path from the inlet. A cooling structure for an in-vehicle device.

Images