Unit

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a novel structure for a mode of use of a fibrous body. [Solution] This unit comprises an electric circuit unit, a cooler through which a cooling fluid passes, and a fibrous body. The electric circuit unit is cooled by the cooler, and the fibrous body has a portion disposed at a cooling fluid inlet of the cooler.

Description

unit

[0001] The present invention relates to a unit.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling member in which metal fibers are filled into a housing and cooling is performed by utilizing the high thermal conductivity of the metal fibers.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-009433

[0004] As a result of extensive research, the inventors have found that turbulence occurs when a cooling liquid passes through a fiber, and that this turbulence effect promotes cooling. Furthermore, they have found that turbulence occurs due to disturbances on the fiber surface when a cooling liquid passes over the fiber surface, and that this turbulence effect also promotes cooling. These findings mean that the cooling ability can be improved regardless of the material of the fiber body, and enable the use of fiber bodies in a form that is completely different from the technical idea described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel structure for utilizing a fibrous material based on the above concept.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, the unit comprises an electric circuit unit, a cooler through which a coolant passes, and a fibrous body, the electric circuit unit being cooled by the cooler, and the fibrous body having a portion positioned at the coolant inlet of the cooler.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, by providing a fibrous material at the coolant inlet, turbulence can be generated within the cooler, improving the cooling efficiency of the electric circuit unit via the coolant. Therefore, a novel structure for utilizing the fibrous material can be provided.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view taken along arrow II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a unit according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a view taken along arrow V in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along VI-VI in Fig. 4.

[0009] A water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 as a unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] First, a water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a water-cooled electric circuit unit 1. Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 1.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1 , the water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 includes a power module 10 as an electric circuit unit, a cooler 20 , and a fibrous body 30 .

[0013] The power module 10 has switching elements (not shown) such as a plurality of IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) that constitute an inverter circuit that controls a rotating electric machine (not shown) that serves as a drive source for the vehicle. The power module 10 is in contact with the cooler 20 and is cooled by the cooler 20. The term "contact" is a concept that includes not only direct contact but also indirect contact (thermal contact) via, for example, a metal plate or the like having high thermal conductivity.

[0014] The cooler 20 cools the power module 10, which generates heat during operation. Cooling water passes through the cooler 20 as a coolant for cooling the power module 10. The coolant is not limited to cooling water, and may be other liquids such as cooling oil. The cooler 20 has a main body 21, an inlet 22 as a coolant inlet, an outlet 23 as a coolant outlet, and a plurality of partition plates 24.

[0015] The main body 21 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a top surface 21a and four side surfaces 21b, 21c, 21d, and 21e (see FIG. 3). A cooling water passage 25 is defined within the main body 21 as a cooling liquid passage.

[0016] 1 and 2, the power module 10 is provided on the top surface 21a. As shown in Fig. 3, the side surfaces 21b and 21c are provided opposite each other. The side surfaces 21d and 21e are provided opposite each other and are provided so as to connect the side surfaces 21b and 21c.

[0017] The inlet 22 opens to a side surface 21b of the main body 21. Cooling water that flows into the cooling water passage 25 and cools the power module 10 is introduced from the inlet 22.

[0018] The outlet 23 opens to a side surface 21c of the main body 21. From the outlet 23, the cooling water that has cooled the power module 10 in the cooling water passage 25 and then flows out of the cooling water passage 25 is discharged.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of (three in this example) partition plates 24 are provided to divide the coolant passage 25 into a plurality of (four in this example) parallel passages 25a. Each of the parallel passages 25a is formed to have a substantially rectangular flow path cross section. The partition plates 24 are provided between a pair of side surfaces 21d, 21e of the main body 21. The partition plates 24 are arranged at equal intervals between the pair of side surfaces 21d, 21e.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the fibrous body 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The fibrous body 30 is provided along the flow of the cooling water, i.e., parallel to the liquid flow direction. The fibrous body 30 is provided within a range of a predetermined length from the inlet 22 of the cooling water passage 25. That is, the fibrous body 30 has a portion disposed at the inlet 22 of the cooler 20. The fibrous body 30 is attached to the inner surfaces of the side surfaces 21d and 21e of the main body 21 and to both surfaces of the partition plate 24. As a result, the fibrous body 30 is provided on both side surfaces of all of the parallel passages 25a.

[0021] The fibrous body 30 is, for example, copper fiber, but may be other metal fiber, carbon fiber, resin fiber, etc. When the cooling water passes along the surface of the fibrous body 30, the fibrous material disturbs the surface, causing turbulence in the cooling water.

[0022] In this way, by providing the fibrous body 30 at the inlet 22, turbulence is generated within the cooler 20, and the cooling efficiency of the power module 10 via the cooling water can be improved. Therefore, a new structure can be provided for using the fibrous body 30. Furthermore, as the cooling efficiency improves, a cooler with equivalent cooling performance can be made smaller.

[0023] Furthermore, since the cooling water flows along the surface side of the fibrous body 30, turbulence can be generated by the fibrous body 30, and pressure loss of the cooling water can be reduced, thereby reducing the energy required to circulate the cooling water.

[0024] The fibrous body 30 is arranged so as to overlap only a portion of the power module 10 when viewed in a direction intersecting the liquid flow direction in which the cooling water flows in the cooler 20. In other words, the power module 10 has a portion offset from the fibrous body 30.

[0025] Considering the turbulent action, turbulence occurs downstream of the fiber body 30 where it is offset from the fiber body 30. Therefore, by arranging the power module 10 so that it has a portion that is offset from the fiber body 30, the power module 10 can be made to overlap with the turbulent flow generation region, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0026] That is, since turbulence generated in the cooling water propagates downstream, simply providing the fibrous body 30 at the inlet 22 can improve the cooling efficiency in the downstream range.

[0027] 3, if the length of the power module 10 is large relative to the turbulence generated in the cooling water by the fibrous body 30, an additional fibrous body 30 may be provided midway along the cooling water passage 25. In this way, by providing a plurality of fibrous bodies 30 intermittently along the flow of cooling water in the cooling water passage 25, turbulence can be generated in the cooling water throughout the entire length of the power module 10.

[0028] 4 to 6, a water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 as a unit according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the modification shown below, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described, and components having similar functions will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the water-cooled electric circuit unit 1. Fig. 5 is a view taken along arrow V in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 4.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 includes a power module 10 as an electric circuit unit, a cooler 20 , and a fibrous body 30 .

[0031] The fibrous body 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The fibrous body 30 is provided at the inlet 22 of the parallel passage 25a in the cooling water passage 25. The fibrous body 30 is provided along a cross direction that crosses the liquid flow direction of the cooling water. As a result, the cooling water passes through the fibrous body 30 and is introduced into the cooler 20.

[0032] The fibrous material 30 generates turbulence in the cooling water when the cooling water passes through it. Since the fibrous material 30 is provided so as to intersect the direction of the liquid flow of the cooling water substantially perpendicularly, it is desirable to use a fibrous material with a coarser mesh than when the fibrous material 30 is provided along the liquid flow direction as in the above embodiment.

[0033] In this way, similar to the above embodiment, by providing the fibrous body 30 at the inlet 22, turbulence can be generated in the cooler 20, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the power module 10 via the cooling water. Therefore, a novel structure for utilizing the fibrous body 30 can be provided.

[0034] Furthermore, according to this modification, the fibrous body 30 only needs to be attached to the inlet 22 of each of the parallel passages 25a, so that the fibrous body 30 can be easily attached to the cooler 20.

[0035] 6, if the length of the power module 10 is large relative to the turbulence generated in the cooling water by the fibrous body 30, an additional fibrous body 30 may be provided midway along the cooling water passage 25. In this way, by providing a plurality of fibrous bodies 30 intermittently along the flow of the cooling water in the cooling water passage 25, turbulence can be generated in the cooling water throughout the entire length of the power module 10.

[0036] The configuration and effects of the present embodiment will now be described.

[0037] (1) The water-cooled electric circuit unit 1 has a power module 10, a cooler 20 through which cooling water passes, and a fibrous body 30, the power module 10 is cooled by the cooler 20, and the fibrous body 30 has a portion located at the inlet 22 of the cooler 20.

[0038] According to this configuration, by providing the fibrous body 30 at the inlet 22, turbulence can be generated within the cooler 20, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the power module 10 via the cooling water. Therefore, a novel structure for utilizing the fibrous body 30 can be provided.

[0039] (2) When viewed in a direction intersecting the direction of the liquid flow of the cooling water in the cooler 20 , the power module 10 has a portion that is offset from the fibrous body 30 .

[0040] According to this configuration, when turbulence is taken into consideration, turbulence occurs downstream of the fiber body 30, which is offset from the fiber body 30. Therefore, by arranging the power module 10 so that it has a portion that is offset from the fiber body 30, the power module 10 can be made to overlap with the turbulence generation region, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0041] (3) Furthermore, the cooling water flows along the surface side of the fibrous body 30 .

[0042] According to this configuration, turbulence can be generated by the fibrous body 30, and pressure loss of the cooling water can be reduced.

[0043] (4) The cooling water passes through the fibrous body 30 and is introduced into the cooler 20 .

[0044] This configuration allows the fibrous body 30 to be easily attached to the cooler 20 .

[0045] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment merely shows one application example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configuration of the above embodiment.

[0046] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Water-cooled electric circuit unit (unit) 10 Power module (electric circuit unit) 20 Cooler 22 Inlet (coolant inlet) 30 Fiber body

Claims

1. A unit having an electric circuit unit, a cooler through which a cooling liquid passes, and a fibrous body, the electric circuit unit is cooled by the cooler, the fibrous body has a portion disposed at a cooling liquid inlet of the cooler, When viewed in a cross direction intersecting a liquid flow direction in which the cooling liquid flows in the cooler, the electric circuit unit has a portion offset from the fibrous body. unit.

2. A unit having an electric circuit unit, a cooler through which a cooling fluid passes, and a fibrous body, the electric circuit unit is cooled by the cooler, the fibrous body has a portion disposed at a cooling liquid inlet of the cooler, The cooling liquid flows along the surface side of the fibrous body. unit.

3. 2. The unit of claim 1, A cooling liquid is introduced into the cooler through the fibrous body. unit.