Cooling module and headlight

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling module (1) with a cooling element (3) having a closing intermediate part (15) and heat conducting elements (4) on two sides (5, 16) of said intermediate part, and further with a supply device for air. The cooling module according to the invention is characterized in that the supply device is formed as an integrated twin fan (6) which supplies the cooling element (4) on the one hand with ambient air from one side of the intermediate part and on the other hand with ambient air from the other side of the intermediate part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling module with a cooling element as more particularly defined by the preamble of claim 1. Further, the present invention relates to a headlight with such a cooling module, in particular for motor vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Modern headlights have a number of components inside that emit heat during operation. These components are, apart from LEDs which are commonly used today as a light-emitting means, a stepping motor and a control device. Heat is generated in the areas of the cables and contacts, sometimes by very high currents and furthermore by the electrical resistance of the wiring. Due to the overheating of the generally closed internal volume of the headlight, the performance will be forced to decrease, or rather, there is a risk of damage to the components. Therefore, in order to avoid such overheating, it is necessary to discharge the waste heat from the internal volume of the headlight. Typically, for this purpose, heat transfer through a cover plate, also referred to as a front glass or cover glass, is utilized. In particular when used in a vehicle, this allows a relatively large amount of heat to be discharged using the corresponding circulation by the air flow during the vehicle's travel. The plastic housing of the headlight does contribute to heat transfer by itself, however, here, the materials used and the assembly locations, which are generally provided at a relatively short distance from the surrounding components, limit the efficient heat transfer. Therefore, only a very small part of the waste heat can be released through the housing, for example, into the engine compartment of the vehicle.

[0003] One approach to improving the discharge of waste heat is typically to use a cooling element and a fan inside the headlight in order to transport the waste heat in a targeted manner from the components generating the waste heat to the cover plate and to be able to release the waste heat in the area of the cover plate. In this context, reference can be made to a vehicle headlight with a cooling air duct according to Patent Document 1.

[0004] However, generally, heat transfer through the cover plate cannot be infinitely improved, especially when the vehicle speed is low, or when the vehicle is stopped, or at high temperatures. As the worst-case scenario, for example, it is conceivable that the high beam is switched on when the vehicle is stopped and sunlight is incident on the cover plate of the headlight. However, not only in such a scenario, but also in many scenarios that occur in daily life, especially in that type of scenario at low driving speeds, there is a temperature inside the headlight that is higher than the originally meaningful or desired temperature. As a result, in reality, when the temperature rises, the efficiency of the components decreases. Therefore, on the one hand, to protect the components, and on the other hand, to prevent further waste heat generation, the output of the components must be reduced.

[0005] Therefore, in addition to operating a fan inside the closed volume of the headlight, it is also known from the prior art to use a cooling element having two sides, one side being arranged inside the headlight and the other side being arranged outside the headlight. In this context, reference can be made to Patent Document 2. The specification basically discloses that type of cooling element, and the thermally conductive connection between the part existing in the ambient environment and the part existing inside the headlight is made here through an intermediate member formed as a thermoelectric cooler, that is, formed to actively affect the heat flow from the inside to the outside. This structure, together with the fan arranged in the internal volume of the headlight, can indeed reduce the temperature within its structure. However, generally, it is very complicated, and on the one hand, control of this thermoelectric cooler and on the other hand, control of the fan assembled in the internal volume are both required.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses the use of a heat sink through which cooling air is passed by two parallel fans to cool an LED. A partition plate can be used to prevent the air flows of the parallel fans from being mixed too strongly before reaching the heat sink.

[0007] A headlight in which very complex cooling is performed is known from Patent Document 4. Here, the headlight is cooled via a liquid heat exchanger or an air-conditioning circuit connected to the internal area of the headlight via a liquid heat exchanger and cooling ribs. The manufacture of this structure is complex, requires many components, and also requires a correspondingly large amount of structural space to position the components of the air-conditioning circuit adjacent to the headlight.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] The problem of the present invention is improved compared to the structures described in the prior art, and in particular, to provide an improved integrated cooling module that can be used for an improved headlight.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] According to the present invention, the above problems are solved by a cooling module having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and developments are apparent from the claims dependent on claim 1. Furthermore, the above problems are solved by a headlight having the features of claim 7 and a cooling module of that kind. Again, advantageous embodiments and developments of the headlight are apparent from the claims dependent on claim 7.

[0011] The cooling module according to the present invention is, on the one hand, an integrated cooling module having a cooling element and, on the other hand, a supply device for air. The cooling element includes a closed intermediate member that seals regions lying on both of its sides from each other, and heat conduction elements on two sides of the intermediate member. According to the present invention, the supply device is formed as an integrated twin fan, and this twin fan supplies ambient air to the cooling device, on the one hand, from one side of the intermediate member and, on the other hand, from the other side of the intermediate member. That is, the cooling device is, for example, a plate having heat conduction elements on one side and the other side. According to an advantageous development of the integrated cooling module according to the present invention, these heat conduction elements may be formed as heat conduction ribs or heat conduction fins, or as heat conduction fingers, heat transfer pins or heat conduction protrusions. Combinations of these members, or combinations with other measures for enlarging the surface of the cooling element on each side, such as roughening the surface, are also conceivable.

[0012] Heat transfer can be carried out from one side having a heat conduction element to the other side having a heat conduction element only through this cooling element. Since the twin fan allows air to flow in parallel on both sides, for example, on one side, warm air can be supplied to the heat conduction element on the first side for cooling, and at the same time, on the other side, cooler air can be supplied to discharge the waste heat transferred from the first side to the second side.

[0013] According to the present invention, a twin fan has two fan wheels sealed to each other and a common electric drive motor for these two fan wheels. This structure is extremely simple and efficient, realizing good functionality at only a small cost in terms of hardware, space, and energy. In particular, the electric drive motor for the two fan wheels can be arranged centrally between these two fan wheels.

[0014] According to a very preferred development form, the twin fan can be formed as a radial fan. This radial fan sucks in the sucked air and sucks it upward laterally, for example, with respect to each side or the surface of the cooling element, and then, through the surfaces on each side of the intermediate member, especially passes between the heat conduction elements and is released again. That is, on one side, warm air can be efficiently supplied to the heat conduction element, so heat is supplied from one side to the other side, and at the same time, on the other side, cooling air can be supplied in the same way, whereby the heat transferred from the first side to the second side is efficiently discharged.

[0015] That is, in this particularly preferred embodiment, the twin fan supplies ambient air from each side of the cooling element or its intermediate member to the heat conduction element on the pressure side, and thus, in the above-described embodiment as a radial fan, sucks in the ambient air correspondingly, especially in the direction perpendicular to that direction.

[0016] In principle, that type of cooling module can always be used as an integrated cooling module in a component having a particularly narrow structural space at a location where heat is to be transferred from one side to the other side. This is because here, a highly integrated and small structure realized by the cooling module according to the present invention can be obtained.

[0017] That is, in this case, according to a very advantageous development of the cooling module according to the present invention, this structure can be integrally integrated into the housing, which has, on two opposite sides, an air supply opening for the suction air of the twin fans and, at a distance from the air supply opening, an air discharge opening for exhausting the air that has flowed through the heat conduction element of the cooling element. That is, the cooling element and the twin fans can be efficiently arranged in a housing of this kind. In this case, the housing can be inserted into a suitable notch in the wall. For this purpose, for example, screwing or clipping can be carried out. In this case, heat transfer can be carried out from one side of the wall to the other side of the wall. This can be done very simply and efficiently by merely connecting the electrical connection for one drive motor to the power source. Further measures, connections, etc. are not required. The power supply can be carried out from one side of the wall or from the other side, depending on which is more suitable for the implementation.

[0018] Preferably, it is used in the area of the headlight. A headlight of this kind with a closed internal volume, a transparent cover plate, and lighting means including at least light-emitting diodes, its control electronics, etc. can be ideally cooled via the cooling module according to the present invention. In the headlight according to the present invention as claimed in claim 7, the intermediate member of the cooling element of the cooling module forms part of the boundary of the internal volume, whereby the heat conduction element on one side projects into the internal volume and the heat conduction element on the other side projects into the surrounding environment. In the completely sealed internal volume of the headlight, the heat generated is guided via one side of the twin fans to the cooling element or its heat conduction element. Then, the heat passes from the completely sealed internal volume of the headlight through the cooling element or its intermediate member and reaches the heat conduction element on the other side. The heat is released there into the surrounding environment, which is assisted by the ambient air. The ambient air is guided through the corresponding heat conduction element by another part of the twin fans, whereby cooling by forced convection is achieved.

[0019] Correspondingly, according to a very advantageous configuration of the headlight, the twin fan is designed, on the one hand, to circulate air in the internal volume and supply it to the cooling elements of the cooling module and, on the other hand, to supply ambient air to the other side of the cooling elements. Here, since the two airflows are physically separated, the air is not mixed accordingly. Since heat can thus be efficiently discharged from the headlight, in addition to heat dissipation through the cover plate, heat dissipation can also be carried out in additional areas such as, for example, the engine room.

[0020] In principle, even if the use of that kind of headlight is suitable for any conceivable application, in particular, this headlight can be used as a headlamp in a vehicle, especially in a motor vehicle, and here especially in a land vehicle that does not run on rails, such as a passenger car or a heavy goods vehicle.

[0021] More advantageous embodiments of the cooling module according to the invention and of the headlight according to the invention will become apparent from the examples which will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] In Figure 1, a side view of an integrated cooling module, which is entirely labeled with reference numeral 1, can be seen. Here, a part of the housing 2 of the integrated cooling module 1 is cut away and shown in order to be able to see the cooling element 3, in which some of the cooling pins 4 on the side 5 facing the observer are suggested. In addition to this cooling element 3, the housing 2 incorporates a twin fan 6 formed as a radial fan, but in reality it is covered by the housing 2, so that one of the inside of the radial fan wheel 7 is shown in the housing by a dashed line.

[0024] Here, its functionality is best represented in a plane that can be seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2. The housing 2 of the cooling module 1 is received in an opening 8 in a wall labeled with reference numeral 9. For this purpose, a circumferentially extending seal 10 is provided between the wall 9 and the flange 11 in the housing. This connection can be realized, for example, by adhesion, screwing, riveting, etc. In particular, this connection can be realized by clip fastening, and in this regard, in Figure 2, a clip 12 suggested as a part of the housing can be seen. In Figure 2, when the housing is inserted into the opening 8 from above, especially by the deformation of the seal 10 that has entered, this housing can be easily and efficiently clip-fastened to the wall 9, thereby completely sealing the structure.

[0025] Here, it is assumed that there is an internal volume portion with reference numeral 13 attached below the wall 9, and an external volume portion around the cooling module 1 with reference numeral 14 attached above. Here, heat is transferred from one of the two volume portions 13, 14 to the other via the cooling module 1. For example, it is transferred from the internal volume portion 13 to the external volume 14 that forms the periphery of the structure. The cooling element 3 has a closed intermediate member 15, and this intermediate member 15 is housed in the housing 2 such that the region facing the internal volume portion 13 is sealed by the region facing the external volume 14. The downward-facing side 5 of the cooling element 3 or its intermediate member 15 here supports a part of the cooling pins 4, and the second side 16 on the opposite side also supports a part of the cooling pins 4 in the same way. The sealing of the regions adjacent to the two sides 5, 16 further extends through the housing and is extended by an intermediate wall 17 that is flush with the intermediate member 15 of the cooling element 3. This intermediate wall 17 has an opening for an electric drive motor 18, and this drive motor 18 is part of the twin fan 6 and drives two impellers each provided with guide vanes 7 in parallel. Here, since the regions of the two impellers are also sealed from each other by the intermediate wall 7 and the drive motor 18, when the housing 2 is assembled and sealed to the opening 8 of the wall 9, complete sealing of the internal volume portion 13 with respect to the external volume 14 is achieved.

[0026] On the lower side of the illustrated cooling module 1 facing the internal volume portion 13, air is sucked from the internal volume portion 13 through the air supply opening 19 and is supplied to pass between the cooling pins 4 on the first side 5 of the cooling element 3 by the rotating guide vanes 7. At this time, the air releases heat to the cooling pins 4 of the cooling element 3 and flows out again from the outlet opening 20 on the side of the housing 2 facing the internal volume portion, so the air is correspondingly cooled. Thereby, the circulation of air in the internal volume portion 13 is realized. For example, the circulation of air in the internal volume portion 13 of the headlight 21 as further shown in FIG. 3 is realized. Simultaneously with this circulation, in the region of the cooling pins 4 of the cooling element 3, the circulating air is cooled.

[0027] The cooling element 3 with the cooling pins 4 and the intermediate member 15 may be made of, for example, aluminum. In that case, heat is very well guided from the cooling pins 4 on the first side 5 of the intermediate member 15, through the intermediate member 15, to the cooling pins 4 on the second side 16 of the cooling element 3 or its intermediate member 15. By means of the twin fan 6, in addition to the impeller shown on the lower side of FIG. 2, an impeller with guide vanes 7 shown on the upper side of FIG. 2 also moves. The two impellers can be arranged on a single shaft of a common electric drive motor 18 and thus rotate at the same speed. A transmission for changing the rotational speed of one of those impellers is also conceivable in principle. The impellers are, among other things, similarly configured to each other. In the region shown on the upper side of FIG. 2 where ventilation is carried out by the twin fan 6, the ambient air of the external volume 14 is sucked in through the air supply opening 19 existing in that region and, like the other parts of the integrated cooling module 1, flows between the cooling pins 4 on the second side 16 to the air discharge opening 20. The ambient air from the external volume 14 can absorb heat from the cooling pins 4 on the second side 16 of the cooling element 3 or its intermediate member 15 and discharge it to the surrounding environment. Thereby, efficient cooling of the internal volume 13 is achieved without the volumes being fluidly interconnected with each other. These volumes are rather completely sealed.

[0028] This plays a particularly important role in the already mentioned headlight 21, which is shown in FIG. 3. The structure of the headlight consists of a housing 22 and a transparent cover plate 23. Under this cover plate 23, two fields 24 with light-emitting diodes are arranged, but only by way of example. In addition, a control device 25 and a stepping motor 26 are shown in the housing 22 and thus in the internal volume 13 of the headlight 21 by way of example. These components in the internal volume 13 of the headlight 21 generate waste heat, which in most cases in practice can only be discharged via the cover plate 23. In order to improve the cooling here and thus achieve a high performance of the components in the internal volume 13 of the headlight 21 and to prevent overheating of these components, a cooling module 1, as shown in FIG. 3, is integrated into the headlight 21. Part of the headlight housing 22 forms the wall 9 shown in FIG. 2. That is to say, via the cooling module 1, heat is transferred from the internal volume 13 of the headlight 21 to a volume which surrounds the headlight 21 and which therefore corresponds to the external volume in the construction according to Fig. 2. Furthermore, the internal volume 13 of the headlight 21 itself can be hermetically sealed to prevent the ingress of moisture which could damage the electrical and especially the optical components inside the headlight 21.

[0029] The structure of the integrated cooling module 1 is extremely efficient and compact. In addition to the cooling via the cover plate 23, cooling is also achieved in other areas surrounding the headlight 21, such as the engine compartment, the hollow space of the vehicle body, etc. The structure is extremely simple and efficient. Electrical connections can be made both from the inner volume 13 and from the outer volume 14 of the headlight 21. Since only one electrical connection is required to the common drive motor 18, this common drive motor 18 starts its operation, for example when the light is switched on, without the need here for a complex closed-loop or open-loop control, etc.

Claims

1. A cooling module (1) comprising a cooling element (3), wherein the cooling element (3) has a closed intermediate member (15), and the intermediate member (15) seals regions located on both sides (5, 16) of the cooling element (3) from each other, and has heat conduction elements (4) on two sides (5, 16) of the intermediate member (15), and the cooling module (1) further comprises a supply device for air, in the cooling module (1), the supply device is formed as an integrated twin fan (6), and the twin fan (6) supplies the ambient air on one side (5) of the intermediate member (15) to the cooling element (3) on one hand, and supplies the ambient air on the other side (16) of the intermediate member (15) to the cooling element (3) on the other hand, and the twin fan (6) has two fan wheels sealed to each other and a common electrical drive motor (18) for the two fan wheels, the cooling module (1) is incorporated into a housing (2) provided with an air supply opening (19) and an air discharge opening (20) on each of the sides of the intermediate member (15), and the air supply opening (19) and the air discharge opening (20) are arranged on opposite sides of the housing (2) and / or on opposite portions on one side of the housing (2), characterized cooling module (1).

2. The cooling module (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical drive motor (18) is arranged centrally between the two fan wheels.

3. The cooling module (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the twin fan (6) is formed as a radial fan.

4. The cooling module (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the twin fan (6) is formed to supply the ambient air on each side (5, 16) to the heat conduction element (4) on each side from the pressure side on each side of the intermediate member (15).

5. The cooling module (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat conduction element (4) is formed as a cooling rib or a cooling fin.

6. A headlight (21) comprising a closed internal volume part (13), a transparent cover plate (23), lighting means (24), and means (25, 26) for mechanically and / or electrically controlling the lighting means (24), and further comprising the cooling module (1) according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate member (15) of the cooling module (1) forms part of the boundary of the internal volume part (13), so that the heat conduction element (4) on the one side (5) projects into the internal volume part, and the heat conduction element (4) on the other side (16) projects into the ambient environment (14), characterized in that it is a headlight (21).

7. The headlight (21) according to claim 6, characterized in that the twin fan (6) is designed, on the one hand, to circulate air in the internal volume part (14) and convey it to the one side (5) of the cooling element (3), and on the other hand, to supply ambient air to the other side (16) of the cooling element (3).

8. The headlight (21) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that it is formed as a vehicle headlight.

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