Cooling system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-01-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-04
Smart Images
Figure 0007899839000001 
Figure 0007899839000002 
Figure 0007899839000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a cooling system.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling system including a metal case, a semiconductor module housed in the metal case and disposed on the lower surface of the upper wall of the metal case, and a cooling water flow path provided on the upper wall side of the metal case. In this cooling system, the semiconductor module in the metal case is cooled by the cooling water flowing through the cooling water flow path.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In a cooling system, there is a configuration (i.e., an air-cooled type) in which air is used to cool the semiconductor module in the metal case instead of cooling water. In such a configuration, an abnormality may occur in the semiconductor module and the semiconductor module may overheat. In this case, the metal case may melt and a hole may open in the metal case. If a hole is open in the metal case, foreign matter may enter the metal case through the hole.
[0005] This specification provides a technology capable of suppressing the intrusion of foreign matter into the metal case.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] In a first aspect of this technology, the cooling system may include a blower, a metal case, a semiconductor module housed within the metal case and positioned on the lower surface of the upper wall of the metal case, and a resin duct positioned to cover at least a portion of the upper surface of the upper wall of the metal case, and guiding cooling air from the blower along the upper surface of the upper wall between an upstream end connected to the blower and a downstream end open to the outside. The resin duct may include a first resin portion made of a thermoplastic resin and a second resin portion made of a thermosetting resin. The second resin portion of the resin duct may be located above the semiconductor module and supported by the first resin portion.
[0007] As described above, when a semiconductor module overheats, the metal case may melt and a hole may form in the metal case. In this case, high-temperature gas leaks out from the hole in the metal case. With the above configuration, the gas leaking out from the hole in the metal case melts the first resin part of the resin duct, which is made of thermoplastic resin. On the other hand, the second resin part, which is made of thermosetting resin, does not melt. As the first resin part melts, the second resin part, which is located above the semiconductor module, falls and can at least partially block the hole in the metal case. Therefore, the intrusion of foreign matter into the metal case can be suppressed.
[0008] In a second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the upper surface of the upper wall of the metal case may be provided with a plurality of fins, each extending along a first direction from the upstream end to the downstream end and arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second resin portion may include a plurality of resin stretched portions, each extending along the first direction and arranged along the second direction. Each of the plurality of resin stretched portions may be positioned above two adjacent fins.
[0009] In the above configuration, if the semiconductor module overheats, it is assumed that a hole will form between two adjacent fins in the second direction. In this regard, with the above configuration, when the first resin part melts and the resin stretched portion of the second resin part falls, the resin stretched portion can be more reliably made to fall between two adjacent fins. Therefore, the hole formed by the melting of the upper wall can be more reliably sealed.
[0010] In a third embodiment, in the second embodiment described above, both ends of the resin stretched portion may be located outside the ends of the semiconductor module in the first direction.
[0011] The melting of the metal case is caused by overheating of the semiconductor module. Therefore, if the upper wall of the metal case melts and a hole is formed in that wall, it is expected that the formation of that hole will occur within the area where the semiconductor module is positioned. For this reason, if both ends of the resin-stretched portion are located further out than both ends of the semiconductor module in the first direction, the hole formed by the melting of the upper wall can be sealed more reliably.
[0012] In a fourth embodiment, in the second or third embodiment, the two located on either side of the plurality of resin stretched portions in the second direction may be located outward from the semiconductor module.
[0013] As previously described, when the upper wall of the metal case melts and a hole is formed in the upper wall, it is assumed that the formation of the hole will occur within the area where the semiconductor module is located. Therefore, in the second direction, if the two parts located on either side of the multiple resin stretched portions are located outside the semiconductor module, the hole formed by the melting of the upper wall can be sealed more reliably.
[0014] In the fifth embodiment, in any of the first to fourth embodiments, the thermoplastic resin may be polypropylene, and the thermosetting resin may be a phenolic resin.
[0015] According to the above configuration, the first resin part can be reliably melted while maintaining the shape of the second resin part, even at the temperature expected when the upper wall of the metal case melts. This allows for more reliable sealing of holes formed by the melting of the upper wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0016] [Figure 1] Perspective view of cooling system 2. [Figure 2] Front cross-sectional view of cooling system 2. [Figure 3] Top view of cooling system 2. [Figure 4] This diagram shows what happens when semiconductor module 44A overheats. [Figure 5] Continuation of Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0017] (Examples) As shown in Figure 1, the cooling system 2 comprises an intake duct 10, a blower 12, an exhaust duct 14, and a converter case 16. The cooling system 2 is installed in electric vehicles such as electric vehicles that rotate the drive motor with a battery, fuel cell vehicles that rotate the drive motor with electricity generated by a fuel cell, and hybrid vehicles that have both a drive motor and an internal combustion engine. For ease of understanding, below, the direction in which the exhaust duct 14 extends will be defined as the "front-rear direction," and the "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" will be defined based on this as shown in Figure 1. Note that the "front-rear direction" and "left-right direction" defined here do not limit the orientation of the cooling system 2 when it is in use.
[0018] (Configuration of converter case 16) The converter case 16 is a metal case. The converter case 16 includes a case bottom wall 20 (see FIG. 2), a case upper wall 22, a case right wall 24 (see FIG. 2), a case left wall 26, a case front wall 28, and a case rear wall (not shown). On the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22, a plurality of fins 30 extending in the front-rear direction are provided. The plurality of fins 30 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The plurality of fins 30 are arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, a DC-DC converter 40 is housed in the converter case 16. In FIG. 2, the DC-DC converter 40 is shown in a simplified manner. The DC-DC converter 40 includes a plurality of circuit boards 42A, 42B and a plurality of semiconductor modules 44A, 44B. The plurality of semiconductor modules 44A, 44B are attached to the lower surface 22B of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16.
[0020] (Configuration of the intake duct 10) The upstream end of the intake duct 10 in FIG. 1 is open to the outside, and the downstream end of the intake duct 10 is connected to the blower 12. The blower 12 sucks cooling air through the intake duct 10 and sends the cooling air to the exhaust duct 14.
[0021] (Configuration of the exhaust duct 14) The exhaust duct 14 is a resin duct. The exhaust duct 14 extends in the front-rear direction. The upstream end (i.e., the rear end) of the exhaust duct 14 is connected to the blower 12, and the downstream end (i.e., the front end) of the exhaust duct 14 is open to the outside. The exhaust duct 14 is arranged so as to cover a part of the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16. Specifically, the exhaust duct 14 covers the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 in the range where the semiconductor modules 44A, 44B are arranged. The exhaust duct 14 guides the cooling air from the blower 12 along the upper surface 22A between the upstream end and the downstream end.
[0022] The exhaust duct 14 has an upper duct section 50 and a lower duct section 52. The upper duct section 50 extends from the upstream end to the downstream end. The upstream end (i.e., rear end) of the upper duct section 50 is connected to the intake duct 10. The position of the downstream end (i.e., front end) of the upper duct section 50 in the front-rear direction is approximately the same as the front end of the converter case 16. The lower duct section 52 is provided between the intake duct 10 and the converter case 16. The lower duct section 52 is fixed to the upper duct section 50 from below by screws (not shown) or the like.
[0023] The upper duct section 50 comprises a duct upper wall 60, a duct right wall 62, a duct left wall 64, and side edges 66 provided on both the left and right sides of the upper duct section 50. The right side edge 66 extends to the right from the lower end of the duct right wall 62, and the left side edge 66 extends to the left from the lower end of the duct left wall 64. As shown in Figure 2, the upper duct section 50 is composed of a first resin section 68 made of thermoplastic resin and a second resin section 70 made of thermosetting resin. For example, the thermoplastic resin is polypropylene and the thermosetting resin is phenolic resin. The duct right wall 62, the duct left wall 64, and the side edges 66 are composed of the first resin section 68. The duct upper wall 60 is composed of the first resin section 68 and the second resin section 70. In Figure 2, the portion consisting of the first resin part 68 is hatched, while the portion consisting of the second resin part 70 is not. Although not shown, the right wall 62 and the left wall 64 of the duct are fixed to the converter case 16 by screws or the like. The second resin part 70 comprises a plurality of left-side resin extensions 80A to 80D and a plurality of right-side resin extensions 82A to 82C that extend in the front-rear direction. Hereinafter, the plurality of left-side resin extensions 80A to 80D and the plurality of right-side resin extensions 82A to 82C may be collectively referred to as "left-side resin extension 80" and "right-side resin extension 82," respectively. The left-side resin extension 80 and the right-side resin extension 82 are supported by the first resin part 68. In this embodiment, the left-side resin extension 80 and the right-side resin extension 82 are embedded inside the first resin part 68. In the modified example, the left resin stretched portion 80 and the right resin stretched portion 82 may be provided on the upper surface of the first resin portion 68, or they may be bonded to the lower surface of the first resin portion 68 with an adhesive or the like.
[0024] Multiple left-side resin stretched sections 80A to 80D are positioned above the semiconductor module 44A. These sections are arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each of the left-side resin stretched sections 80A to 80D is positioned between two adjacent fins 30 in the left-right direction. The left-right length of the left-side resin stretched section 80 is slightly shorter than the distance between two adjacent fins 30 in the left-right direction. Note that the left-right length of the left-side resin stretched section 80 only needs to be shorter than the distance between two adjacent fins 30. The leftmost left-side resin stretched section 80A is located to the left of the leftmost semiconductor module 44A. The rightmost left-side resin stretched section 80D is located to the right of the rightmost semiconductor module 44A. The front-rear dimensions of the left-side resin stretched section 80 will be described with reference to Figure 3. In Figure 3, for ease of understanding, the semiconductor modules 44A and 44B, the left resin stretched portion 80, and the right resin stretched portion 82 are shown by dashed lines. As shown in Figure 3, the front and rear ends of the left resin stretched portion 80 are located further out than the front and rear ends of the semiconductor module 44A. That is, the length of the left resin stretched portion 80 in the front-to-back direction is longer than the length of the semiconductor module 44A in the front-to-back direction.
[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the multiple right-side resin stretched portions 82A to 82C are positioned above the semiconductor module 44B. The multiple right-side resin stretched portions 82A to 82C are positioned at equal intervals in the left-right direction. In the left-right direction, each of the multiple right-side resin stretched portions 82A to 82C is positioned between two adjacent fins 30. The length of the right-side resin stretched portion 82 in the left-right direction is slightly shorter than the distance between two adjacent fins 30. The left end of the leftmost right-side resin stretched portion 82A is located to the left of the left end of the semiconductor module 44B. The right end of the rightmost right-side resin stretched portion 82C is located to the right of the right end of the semiconductor module 44B. As shown in Figure 3, the front and rear ends of the right-side resin stretched portion 82 are located outside the front and rear ends of the semiconductor module 44B. That is, the length of the right-side resin stretched portion 82 in the front and rear direction is longer than the length of the semiconductor module 44B in the front and rear direction. In this embodiment, the shape and size of the left resin stretched portion 80 and the right resin stretched portion 82 are the same, but in a modified example, the shape and size of the left resin stretched portion 80 and the right resin stretched portion 82 may be different.
[0026] (Effects of the first resin part 68 and the second resin part 70) The effects of the first resin part 68 and the second resin part 70 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a scenario in which the semiconductor module 44A melts due to overheating. Figure 4(A) shows the state immediately before the semiconductor module 44A melts. In Figures 4 and 5, the left resin stretched part 80 and the right resin stretched part 82 are shown in gray.
[0027] As shown in Figure 4(B), the semiconductor module 44A melts as it overheats. In addition, the portion of the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16 that was in contact with the semiconductor module 44A melts. As a result, a hole 90 is formed in the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16, connecting the outside with the inside of the converter case 16. Then, high-temperature gas rises through the hole 90 (arrow F in Figure 4(B)).
[0028] As shown in Figure 5(C), when the high-temperature gas reaches the upper wall 60 of the upper duct section 50, the portion of the upper wall 60 made up of the first resin section 68 (i.e., thermoplastic resin) melts. On the other hand, the portion of the upper wall 60 made up of the second resin section 70 (i.e., thermosetting resin) does not melt. As a result, the multiple left-side resin extensions 80A to 80D of the second resin section 70 are no longer supported by the first resin section 68, and the multiple left-side resin extensions 80A to 80D fall off.
[0029] As shown in Figure 5(D), the multiple left-side resin stretched portions 80A to 80D that have fallen are placed on the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16. That is, the holes 90 formed by the melting of the case upper wall 22 are blocked by the multiple left-side resin stretched portions 80A to 80D. Therefore, it is possible to prevent (conductive) foreign matter from passing through the holes 90 and entering the converter case 16.
[0030] (Effects of this embodiment) As described above, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cooling system 2 comprises a blower 12, a converter case 16 (an example of a "metal case"), a semiconductor module 44A housed within the converter case 16 and positioned on the lower surface 22B of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16, and an exhaust duct 14 (an example of a "resin duct") positioned to cover at least a portion of the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16, and guiding the cooling air from the blower 12 along the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 between an upstream end connected to the blower 12 and a downstream end open to the outside. The exhaust duct 14 includes a first resin part 68 made of thermoplastic resin and a second resin part 70 made of thermosetting resin. The second resin part 70 of the exhaust duct 14 is located above the semiconductor modules 44A and 44B and is supported by the first resin part 68.
[0031] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the semiconductor module 44A overheats, the converter case 16 may melt, creating a hole 90 in the converter case 16. In this case, high-temperature gas leaks out from the hole 90 in the converter case 16. With the above configuration, the gas leaking out from the hole 90 in the converter case 16 melts the first resin part 68 of the exhaust duct 14, which is made of thermoplastic resin. On the other hand, the second resin part 70, which is made of thermosetting resin, does not melt. As the first resin part 68 melts, the second resin part 70, which is located above the semiconductor module 44A, falls and can at least partially block the hole 90 in the converter case 16. Therefore, the intrusion of foreign matter into the converter case 16 can be suppressed.
[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the upper surface 22A of the case upper wall 22 of the converter case 16 is provided with a plurality of fins 30 that each extend along the front-to-back direction (an example of the "first direction") from the upstream end to the downstream end, and are arranged along the left-to-right direction (an example of the "second direction"). As shown in Figure 2, the second resin part 70 includes a plurality of left-side resin stretched parts 80 that each extend along the front-to-back direction and are arranged along the left-to-right direction. Each of the plurality of left-side resin stretched parts 80 is positioned above the space between two adjacent fins 30.
[0033] In the above configuration, if the semiconductor module 44A overheats, it is assumed that a hole 90 will be formed between two adjacent fins 30 in the left-right direction. In this regard, according to the above configuration, when the first resin part 68 melts and the left-side resin stretched part 80 of the second resin part 70 falls, the left-side resin stretched part 80 can be more reliably made to fall between the two adjacent fins 30. Therefore, the hole 90 formed by the melting of the upper wall 22 of the case can be more reliably sealed.
[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, in the front-to-back direction, both ends of the left resin stretched portion 80 are located further out than both ends of the semiconductor module 44A.
[0035] The melting of the converter case 16 is caused by overheating of the semiconductor module 44A. Therefore, if the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16 melts and a hole 90 is formed in the upper wall 22, it is assumed that the formation of the hole 90 will occur within the area where the semiconductor module 44A is located. Thus, if both ends of the left resin stretched portion 80 are located further out than both ends of the semiconductor module 44A in the front-to-back direction, the hole 90 formed by the melting of the upper wall 22 can be sealed more reliably.
[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, in the left-right direction, the two points located on either side of the left resin stretched portion 80 are located outside the semiconductor module 44A.
[0037] In the left-right direction, if the two points located on either side of the left resin stretched portion 80 are positioned outside the semiconductor module 44A, the holes 90 formed by the melting of the case upper wall 22 can be sealed more reliably.
[0038] Furthermore, the thermoplastic resin is polypropylene, and the thermosetting resin is phenolic resin.
[0039] According to the above configuration, the first resin part 68 can be reliably melted while maintaining the shape of the second resin part 70, even at the temperature expected when the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16 melts. This allows for more reliable sealing of the holes 90 formed by the melting of the upper wall 22 of the case.
[0040] The specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples described above.
[0041] (First Modification) The fins 30 do not need to be provided on the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16. In this modification, the size of the cross-sectional shape of the second resin part 70 perpendicular to the vertical direction is larger than the size of the cross-sectional shape of the semiconductor module 44A. In another modification, in a configuration in which the fins 30 are not provided on the upper wall 22 of the converter case 16, the size of the cross-sectional shape of the second resin part 70 perpendicular to the vertical direction may be smaller than the size of the cross-sectional shape of the semiconductor module 44A.
[0042] (Second modified example) At least one of the front and rear ends of the left resin stretched portion 80 may be located inward from the front and rear ends of the semiconductor module 44A.
[0043] (Third modified example) The second resin part 70 does not have to include at least one of the left resin stretched part 80A located on the far left and the left resin stretched part 80D located on the far right.
[0044] (Fourth modified example) The right-side resin stretched portion 82 may not be provided above the semiconductor module 44B.
[0045] (Fifth variation) The terms "thermoplastic resin" and "thermosetting resin" are not limited to polypropylene and phenolic resin, respectively.
[0046] Furthermore, the technical elements described herein or in the drawings demonstrate technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself. [Explanation of symbols]
[0047] 2: Cooling system, 10: Intake duct, 12: Blower, 14: Exhaust duct, 16: Converter case, 20: Case bottom wall, 22: Case top wall, 22A: Top surface, 22B: Bottom surface, 24: Case right wall, 26: Case left wall, 28: Case front wall, 30: Fins, 40: DC-DC converter, 42A: Circuit board, 42B: Circuit board, 44A: Semiconductor module, 44B: Semiconductor module, 50: Upper duct section, 52: Lower duct section, 60: Duct top wall, 62: Duct right wall, 64: Duct left wall, 66: Side edge, 68: First resin section, 70: Second resin section, 80: Left resin stretched section, 82: Right resin stretched section, 90: Hole
Claims
1. A cooling system Blower and, Metal case and A semiconductor module is housed within the aforementioned metal case and positioned on the lower surface of the upper wall of the metal case, A resin duct is provided, positioned to cover at least a portion of the upper surface of the upper wall of the metal case, and between an upstream end connected to the blower and a downstream end open to the outside, guides the cooling air from the blower along the upper surface of the upper wall. Equipped with, The resin duct includes a first resin part made of thermoplastic resin and a second resin part made of thermosetting resin. The second resin portion of the resin duct is located above the semiconductor module and is supported by the first resin portion. Cooling system.
2. The upper surface of the upper wall of the metal case is provided with a plurality of fins, each extending along a first direction from the upstream end to the downstream end and arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second resin portion includes a plurality of resin stretched portions, each extending along the first direction and arranged along the second direction. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of resin stretched portions is positioned above two adjacent fins among the plurality of fins.
3. The cooling system according to claim 2, wherein in the first direction, both ends of the resin stretched portion are located outward from both ends of the semiconductor module.
4. The cooling system according to claim 3, wherein, in the second direction, the two located on either side of the plurality of resin stretched portions are located outside the semiconductor module.
5. The thermoplastic resin is polypropylene. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the thermosetting resin is a phenolic resin.