In-vehicle electronic component cooling case

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle electronic component cooling case which is excellent in cooling and heat radiation effects, easily obtains excellent sealing performance by FSW (Friction Stir Welding) joining, achieves miniaturization and reduction in the number of components, and has excellent mountability on a vehicle.SOLUTION: An upper partition wall (11) constituting a cooling water channel (10) disposed at a central portion in a thickness direction of a case body (2) together with a lower partition wall (12) is constituted by a water channel cover (17) covering a cooling water channel opening (16) in which the lower partition wall (12) constituting a multi-surface cooling water channel 10B disposed along an outer periphery of an electronic part (7) is positioned in a convex shape and fixed to face the lower partition wall (12), and the water channel cover (17) is joined to the case body (2) by an FSW technique (20).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling case for protecting electronic components for use in a vehicle from heat generation. [Background technology]

[0002] Plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, which have become popular in recent years due to rapid development, are equipped with power conversion devices such as DC-DC converters and inverters. Because large currents flow through the power conversion circuits included in these power conversion devices, the electronic components that make up the circuits, such as voltage converters and switching elements, become extremely hot. Therefore, the electronic components installed must be spaced apart to prevent thermal interference and must also be cooled to dissipate heat.

[0003] A water-cooling method is used as a heat dissipation measure for electronic components (see Patent Document 1). However, cooling cases that employ this conventional water-cooling method tend to be large in size in order to ensure a sufficient heat dissipation area.

[0004] 5 to 8 are diagrams illustrating an example of a conventional in-vehicle electronic component cooling case 101. This in-vehicle electronic component case 101 has a rectangular parallelepiped case body 102 that forms a storage space for electronic component 107 to be dissipated heat, and lids 103 and 104 that seal the interior of in-vehicle electronic component case 101 by respectively closing a substantially elliptical water channel opening 102C formed on the top surface of case body 102 and an opening 102D that covers substantially the entire bottom surface.

[0005] An upstream connector 108 and a downstream connector 109 are formed at the upper center of the opposing end walls 102A and 102B of the case body 102, respectively, to which unillustrated coolant flow path pipes leading to external coolant supply means (including a heat exchanger, a pump, etc.) are connected.

[0006] A cooling water channel 110 is disposed within the case body 102. The cooling water channel 110 connects an upstream straight pipe section 110A connected to an upstream connector 108 and a downstream straight pipe section 110B connected to a downstream connector 109, and has an intermediate water channel section 110C in which a heat sink 118 is disposed in accordance with the position of the electronic component 107. Within the case body 102, electronic components 107A, 107B, 107C... are mounted on a lower partition wall 112 which forms the lower wall surface of the intermediate water channel section 110C, and can be cooled using the cooling liquid which flows in from the upstream straight pipe section 110A, flows through the intermediate water channel section 110C, and flows out from the downstream straight pipe section 110B.

[0007] A substantially elliptical waterway opening 102C formed on the top surface of the case body 102 has a plurality of (ten in this conventional example) small arc-shaped convex screw portions 102E formed on its outer periphery in a plan view that protrude outward from the opening, and each screw portion 102E has a bag-shaped bolt hole 105A formed in it for tightening a bolt 106 in the thickness direction of the case body 102. The periphery inside the waterway opening 102C is formed as a stepped groove portion 102G recessed in a stepped shape, and the cover 103 is formed to fit into this stepped groove portion 102G.

[0008] That is, the cover 103 is formed in a flat plate shape that matches the shape of the opening 102C including the threaded portion 102E of the case body 102, and a bolt hole 105B is also formed in the small arc-shaped convex portion 103E that corresponds to the threaded portion 102E of the opening 102C of the case body 102.

[0009] The lid body 103 is positioned in the step groove portion 102G of the water channel opening 102C via a seal 120 to form the upper partition wall 111 which serves as the upper wall surface of the intermediate water channel portion 110C of the cooling water channel 110 in the case body 102, and is configured to align and fasten with a bolt 106 a bottle hole 105A in the threaded portion 102E of the case body 102 and a bottle hole 105B consisting of a through hole formed in the small arc-shaped convex portion 103E of the lid body 103.

[0010] Furthermore, a flange 102F is formed in opening 102D on the underside of case body 102, and bolt holes 105A for fastening bolts 106 in the thickness direction of case body 102 are formed in flange 102F, which is formed on opposing end walls 102A and 102B of case body 102. Cover 104 is formed in a shape substantially the same as the shape of case body 102 in a plan view, including flange 102F, and has bolt holes 105B formed as through holes in a portion of case body 102 facing bolt holes 105A in opening 102D. Bolt holes 105A in opening 102D on the underside of case body 102 and bolt holes 105B in cover 104 are aligned and fastened together with bolts 106, thereby protecting cooling water passage 110 and electronic components 107 housed inside case body 102 from disturbances such as heat and dust in the external environment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-234477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] As such, conventional automotive electronic component cooling cases require numerous bolts and seals, making bolt tightening a complicated process. Furthermore, if each case requires additional area and thickness to accommodate the bolts, the device becomes larger. Furthermore, a configuration like the aforementioned cooling case, in which the electronic components to be dissipated are arranged only on one side (the lower side) of the heat sink of the cooling water channel, results in a problem of the device becoming even larger because the electronic components are arranged in a flat plane. However, since many devices are installed around the power conversion device installed in a vehicle, there is a demand for miniaturization of the power conversion device. Furthermore, the cooling water channel is biased toward the upper part to ensure space for arranging the electronic components within the main case. Therefore, the cooling water channel and the built-in cooling water channel are extremely susceptible to heat from the upper side of the cooling case, raising concerns that the cooling and heat dissipation effects may not be fully achieved.

[0013] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle electronic component cooling case that easily achieves excellent sealing properties through an integrated bond that also has excellent cooling and heat dissipation effects, while also achieving miniaturization, reducing the number of parts required, and making it easy to install in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted electronic component cooling case having a case body, an upper lid that closes an upper opening of the case body, and a lower lid that closes a lower opening, and the case body has formed on its peripheral wall an upstream connector and a downstream connector to which a coolant flow path pipe connected to a supply means that circulates and supplies coolant is connected, and inside the case body, a cooling water passage that constitutes a coolant flow path connecting the upstream connector and the downstream connector is formed as a passage partitioned by an upper partition wall and a lower partition wall, and the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling water passage inside the case body are a cooling case for automotive electronic components that is formed to be able to exchange heat with electronic components mounted near the upper and lower partition walls in a spatial region formed on the side of the case, wherein the cooling water channel has a multi-sided cooling water channel formed in the vicinity of the lower partition wall, with the electronic components mounted near the lower partition wall and facing multiple outer peripheral surfaces to enable heat exchange; the upper partition is formed by a water channel cover that is fixed opposite the lower partition wall and forms the cooling water channel, and the water channel cover is fixed to the peripheral portion of the cooling water channel opening in the case body by FSW welding.

[0015] Furthermore, the case body has an overall shape that is approximately rectangular, the upstream connector and the downstream connector are each formed in the central portion of the opposing end walls of the case body, and the multi-sided cooling water passage is formed in the shape of a closed box with the bottom side of the main body case open.

[0016] With this automotive electronic component cooling case, the outer shape can be formed from one case and two lids, and excellent sealing properties can be achieved by FSW joining, even while eliminating many of the parts such as seals that are used to create an airtight structure inside the case when joining the water channel cover.

[0017] In addition, since electronic components can be mounted both above and below the cooling water channel, a larger area for heat exchange with the electronic components can be secured while achieving a compact case, improving mountability in a vehicle. Furthermore, the multi-sided cooling water channel allows the mounted electronic components to be cooled from multiple directions, and by locating the cooling water channel inside the case body, it is possible to suppress the thermal influence from outside the case body, so the mounted electronic components can be cooled effectively. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, the in-vehicle electronic component cooling case of the present invention has excellent cooling and heat dissipation effects, and excellent sealing properties can be easily obtained by FSW joining. It is also possible to provide an in-vehicle electronic component cooling case that is compact and has small components, making it easy to install in a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of an in-vehicle electronic component cooling case according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the in-vehicle electronic component cooling case according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 along II-II. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the in-vehicle electronic component cooling case (top and bottom covers are not shown) according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a portion to be FSW-jointed of a water channel cover that closes a water channel opening in a main body case of the in-vehicle electronic component cooling case according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of an example of a conventional cooling case for automotive electronic components. [Figure 6] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the conventional automotive electronics cooling case taken along the line VI-VI. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view of the conventional automotive electronics cooling case taken along the line VII-VII in Figure 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the conventional automotive electronic component cooling case shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, an in-vehicle electronic component cooling case 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is made of a metal material such as aluminum or a copper alloy, and has a case body 2 having a peripheral wall in the shape of a frame that is generally rectangular in plan view, an upper lid 3 that is a plate-like shape that is generally rectangular in plan view, similar to the case body 2, and that closes an upper opening 2A of the case body 2, and a lower lid 4 that is a plate-like shape that is generally rectangular in plan view, similar to the case body 2, and that closes a lower opening 2B of the case body 2.

[0021] In this embodiment, a bag-shaped bolt hole 5A protruding from the upper center of the outer surface of the short end wall 2C that constitutes the peripheral wall of the case main body 2 is fastened to a bolt hole 5B consisting of a through hole protruding outward from the center of the short end edge of the upper cover 3 using a bolt 6, and a bag-shaped bolt hole 5A protruding from the lower center of the outer surface of the short end wall 2C that constitutes the peripheral wall of the case main body 2 is fastened to a bolt hole 5B consisting of a through hole protruding outward from the center of the short end edge of the lower cover 4 using a bolt 6, so that the overall shape of the automotive electronic component cooling case 1 is formed into an approximately rectangular parallelepiped, and the spatial area in which electronic components 7 formed within the case main body 2 are arranged can be sealed.

[0022] In the automotive electronic component cooling case 1 of this embodiment, the only locations fastened using fastening members such as bolts 6 are the locations between the case body 2 and the top lid 3, and the case body 2 and the bottom lid 4. The reason for fastening the top lid 3 and the bottom lid 4 to the case body 2 using bolts 6 is that it provides the advantage that the sealed state inside the case body 2 can be released and opened when the installed electronic components 7 need to be replaced or inspected.

[0023] In this embodiment, an upstream connector 8 and a downstream connector 9 are formed in the center of opposing short end walls 2C that form the peripheral walls of the case body 2. These upstream connector 8 and downstream connector 9 are connected to coolant flow path pipes (not shown) that are provided outside the automotive electronic component cooling case 1 and are connected to supply means (not shown) that circulates and supplies coolant. Then, a cooling water passage 10 that forms a coolant flow path connecting the upstream connector 8 and the downstream connector 9 is formed in approximately the center in the thickness direction within the case body 2.

[0024] In this embodiment, the cooling water passage 10 is sandwiched between an upper partition wall 11 and a lower partition wall 12 formed inside the case body 2, and is formed as a partitioned flow path, and is configured to be able to exchange heat with the electronic components 7 mounted near the upper partition wall 11 and near the lower partition wall 12 in the spatial regions inside the case body 2 formed on the upper and lower sides of the cooling water passage 10. The electronic components 7 are mounted by, for example, suspending plates (not shown) of the electronic components 7 from stays 15 formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the case body 2.

[0025] 1, one electronic component 7 is disposed in the spatial region inside the case body 2 formed on the upper surface side of the cooling water passage 10, and two electronic components 7 are disposed in the spatial region inside the case body 2 formed on the lower surface side. One of the electronic components 7 disposed in the spatial region inside the case body 2 formed on the lower surface side of the cooling water passage 10, electronic component 7A having a certain thickness, is mounted at a central position in the thickness direction within the case body 2, closer to the end wall 2C side where the upstream connector 8 is formed.

[0026] Here, the cooling water passage 10 is formed by sequentially connecting and routing the following within the case body 2: a first flow path 10A extending horizontally from the upstream connector 8 into the case body 2; a second flow path 10B consisting of a flat-box-shaped multi-sided cooling water passage that covers the electronic component 7 on many sides (five sides in this embodiment) excluding the surface facing the underside of the main case 2; a third flow path 10C extending horizontally inside the case body 2 toward the downstream connector 9; and a fourth flow path 10D extending horizontally from the downstream connector 9 to the outside of the case body 2. That is, in this embodiment, the electronic component 7A inserted from the bottom side of the main case 2 into the flat-box-shaped space of the second flow path through the lower opening 2B of the case body 2 and mounted near the lower partition wall 12 is arranged so as to face or be close to the cooling water passage 10 three-dimensionally on five sides excluding the bottom surface, thereby enabling heat exchange.

[0027] In this embodiment, a portion of the upper partition wall 11 is formed as a water channel cover 17. The water channel cover 17 covers a cooling water channel opening 16, which opens in the center of the cooling water channel formation section 2D, formed approximately at the center in the thickness direction of the case body 2, and is fixed so as to face the lower partition wall 12. The cooling water channel opening 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, which corresponds to the area where the second flow path 10B and the third flow path 10C are routed. More specifically, the periphery of the cooling water channel opening 16 is formed as a stepped groove portion 16G, which is recessed in a stepped shape. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the water channel cover 17 is fitted into this stepped groove portion 16G. The workpieces are joined by a known friction stir welding (FSW) process, in which a tool (not shown) is pressed against the stepped groove portion 16G of the cooling water channel opening 16, softening them (turning them to a clay-like state) with frictional heat, and the workpieces are mixed and joined together. Each figure shows an FSW joint 20. This allows the water channel cover 17 to be joined with high strength, making it possible to avoid problems such as water leakage.

[0028] In this embodiment, the water channel cover 17 and the lower partition wall 12, which serve as the upper partition wall 11 constituting the second flow path 10B and the third flow path 10C, are provided with heat sinks 18 facing the inside of the cooling water channel 10. In the space region formed on the upper surface side of the third flow path 10C extending in the central portion in the thickness direction of the case body 2 and in the space region formed on the lower surface side, electronic components 7B and 7C are arranged one each close to the cooling water channel 10 so as to be able to exchange heat using the heat sinks 18.

[0029] The automotive electronic component cooling case 1 of this embodiment configured as described above circulates coolant through the cooling water channel 10 via a coolant flow pipe (not shown). Heat generated by each electronic component 7 is dissipated using the heat sink 18 and the coolant, thereby cooling the electronic components 7 mounted on the upper and lower sides of the cooling water channel 10. In particular, the second flow path 10B, which has a multi-sided cooling water channel shaped like a flat box, allows heat exchange and cooling from many sides of the electronic component 7A, resulting in excellent cooling and heat dissipation effects. Furthermore, by locating the cooling water channel 10 at the center of the thickness of the case body 2, the coolant flowing through the cooling water channel 10 and the heat sink 18 are less susceptible to heat from outside the case body 2. Furthermore, if the electronic components 7 can be mounted on the upper and lower sides of the cooling water channel 10, the problem of the cooling case 1 becoming too wide can be eliminated.

[0030] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the outer shape of the case, the routing shape of the cooling water channel 10 including the positions of the upstream connector 8 and the downstream connector 9, the planar shape of the cooling water channel opening 16, the number of mounted electronic components and their positions, the planar shape and three-dimensional shape of the water channel cover 17, etc. are not limited to the present embodiment.

[0031] In this embodiment, the upstream and downstream arrangements of the second flow path 10B, which is a multi-sided cooling water path in which a flat box-shaped coolant flow path is formed, and the third flow path 10C, which extends horizontally inside the case body 2, may be changed. Furthermore, a plurality of multi-sided cooling water paths may be provided. In this embodiment, the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are fastened to the case body 2 using bolts 6 to seal the inside of the case body 2, but the FSW joining technique described above may also be used as a method for fixing the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 to the case body 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1. Automotive electronic component cooling case 2 Case body 2A Top opening 2B bottom opening 2C End wall 2D cooling channel forming part 3 Top lid 4 Lower lid 5 Bolt holes (A is a bag-shaped hole, B is a through hole) 6 volts 7. Electronic Components 8 Upstream Connector 9 Downstream Connector 10 Cooling channel 10B Multifaceted cooling channel 11 Upper bulkhead 12 Lower Bulkhead 15 Stay 16 Cooling channel opening 16G step groove part 17 Waterway Cover 18 Heatsink 20 FSW joint

Claims

1. 1. An automotive electronic component cooling case comprising: a case body, an upper lid that closes the upper opening of the case body, and a lower lid that closes the lower opening; the peripheral wall of the case body is formed with an upstream connector and a downstream connector to which a coolant flow path pipe connected to a supply means for circulating and supplying coolant is connected; inside the case body, a cooling water channel that constitutes a coolant flow path connecting the upstream connector and the downstream connector is formed as a passage partitioned by an upper partition wall and a lower partition wall; and in spatial areas formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling water channel within the case body, heat exchange is possible with electronic components mounted near the upper and lower partition walls, wherein the cooling water channel is formed with a multi-sided cooling water channel that is mounted near the lower partition wall and faces a plurality of outer peripheral surfaces of the electronic components to enable heat exchange; the upper partition is formed with a channel cover that is fixed opposite the lower partition wall and constitutes the cooling water channel, and the channel cover is fixed to the peripheral edge of the cooling water channel opening within the case body by FSW welding.

2. The cooling case for automotive electronic components described in claim 1, characterized in that the case body has an overall shape that is approximately rectangular, the upstream connector and the downstream connector are each formed in the central portion of the opposing end walls of the case body, and the multi-sided cooling water channel is formed in the shape of a closed box with an open bottom side of the main body case.

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