System for receiving exchangeable electronic assemblies of a vehicle, which are to be cooled

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for receiving exchangeable electronic assemblies of a vehicle, which are to be cooled, having a housing with opposite side walls, a cover, a base and a back wall, wherein the side walls have a rail system which is formed as a curve-controlled insert with latching at the end of the insert, wherein the end of the insert is formed as a curve which points in the direction of the cover or the base of the housing. Furthermore, at least one cooling plate arranged in the housing parallel to the base and cover and at the end of the insert is provided, as well as at least one circuit board which can be introduced into the housing, in the direction of the back wall, and removed again via the rail system, and which has electronic assemblies to be cooled arranged thereon, wherein the circuit board has a plug on a region facing the back wall and pointing in the direction of the base or cover, said plug contacting at least the electronic assemblies electrically and / or for signalling purposes. After reaching the end of the insert and being latched, the circuit board is in contact with at least parts of the cooling plate for heat dissipation. Furthermore, a counterpart to the plug of the circuit board is provided by means of which the plug is contacted after latching in order to establish a plug connection to outside the circuit board.

Description

[0001] System for accommodating replaceable electronic components of a vehicle that need to be cooled

[0002] The invention relates to a system for accommodating replaceable electronic components of a vehicle that are to be cooled.

[0003] Currently, electronic assemblies (E / E components) in the vehicle are generally located where, due to packaging requirements, installation space is available and functional requirements are met.

[0004] Both the assembly and disassembly of electronic components often cannot be optimally implemented. Furthermore, there are already electronic components that require integrated water cooling due to their high computing power. The number of electronic components with far greater computing power is expected to increase significantly in the future due to various technological developments, such as autonomous driving. Ensuring the cooling requirements therefore requires additional piping and / or connection to the vehicle's cooling circuit.

[0005] From DE10 2021 208 175 A1 a device for accommodating replaceable electronic assemblies of a motor vehicle is known, comprising at least one housing to at least partially enclose the replaceable electronic assemblies, and at least one front side detachably connected to the housing, via which front side access to the replaceable electronic assemblies that can be arranged inside the housing is possible, wherein at least one heat sink is arranged outside the housing on at least one side wall of the housing for cooling at least one of the replaceable electronic assemblies, wherein at least one heat pipe is arranged between at least one of the electronic assemblies and the heat sink.

[0006] Since there is still room for improvement in the assembly and disassembly of replaceable electronic assemblies, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved system for accommodating replaceable electronic assemblies of a vehicle that are to be cooled. This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] A system is proposed for accommodating replaceable electronic assemblies of a vehicle to be cooled, comprising a housing with opposing side walls, a cover and a base and a rear wall, wherein the side walls have a rail system which is formed as a cam-controlled insert with a locking mechanism at the end of the insert, wherein the end of the insert is formed as a curve which points towards the cover or base of the housing.Furthermore, at least one cooling plate is provided in the housing parallel to the base and lid and arranged at the end of the drawer, as well as at least one circuit board which can be inserted into the housing via the rail system towards the rear wall and removed again, with electronic components to be cooled arranged thereon, wherein the circuit board has a connector in an area facing the rear wall and pointing towards the base or lid, which connector makes electrical and / or signaling contact with at least the electronic components. After reaching the end of the drawer and being moved, the circuit board is in contact with at least parts of the cooling plate for heat dissipation. Furthermore, a counterpart to the circuit board connector is provided, with which the connector contacts after rusting in order to establish a plug-in connection to the outside of the circuit board.

[0008] By providing a cam-controlled insert and plug-in contacts located in the rear panel for all electronic modules inserted into the enclosure, assembly and disassembly are significantly simplified. By providing cooling plates between the electronic modules, which are not connected to the electronic modules by pipes / hoses / cables, cooling of the electronic modules is improved and assembly and disassembly is simplified. The cam-controlled insert with locking mechanism ensures secure and precise fixation of the electronic modules in the enclosure.

[0009] Furthermore, it is intended that the counterpart establishes an electrical and / or signaling connection with components to be contacted within the vehicle.

[0010] Furthermore, it is provided that the circuit board has a frame that surrounds it at its outer areas and that is engaged and guided by the rail system in order to insert the circuit board into the housing.

[0011] Furthermore, thermal pads are provided on the electronic components of the board to be cooled, which are in contact with the cooling plate after rusting.

[0012] Furthermore, it is provided that a circuit board is provided on each side of the cooling plate, and / or wherein a cooling plate is provided for each circuit board.

[0013] Furthermore, it is intended that the cooling plate has integrated cooling loops that are connected to a cooling system of the vehicle.

[0014] Furthermore, it is intended that the counterpart is formed as a separate component or integrated into the cooling plate.

[0015] Furthermore, it is provided that a central plug is provided in the area of ​​the rear wall, which is in electrical and / or signaling connection with the plug connection.

[0016] Furthermore, a removable front panel is provided on the front side of the housing. Furthermore, a vehicle is provided, comprising a body, a portion of which serves as a supporting structure for securing the housing of the system. Furthermore, a vehicle is provided, comprising a supporting structure that serves as a supporting structure for securing the housing of the system.

[0017] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, with reference to the figures of the drawing, which illustrate details of the invention, and from the claims. The individual features can be implemented individually or in combination in a variant of the invention.

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figures 1 to 5 show an assembly sequence for an electronic assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of a system for receiving replaceable electronic components according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 7 shows a schematic representation of a system for receiving replaceable electronic components according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of an attachment of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention to the body of a vehicle.

[0023] In the following descriptions of the figures, the same elements or functions are provided with the same reference symbols.

[0024] The basic concept of the invention is to improve both the assembly and disassembly as well as the cooling connection of electronic assemblies 32 (E / E components) arranged on a circuit board 3 in the vehicle. Electronic assemblies 32 are components to be cooled, such as processing units, microcontrollers, power electronic components, amplifiers, etc., arranged on a circuit board.

[0025] To meet these requirements, the system described below is proposed. Essentially, it consists of a plug-in housing with integrated cooling and an integrated locking mechanism, as well as simultaneous electrical / signaling contacting of the inserted boards.

[0026] The system for accommodating replaceable electronic assemblies 32 of a vehicle thus comprises a housing 1 with side walls, a rear wall 10, a base 11, and a cover 12, as indicated in Figure 6. It can optionally have a front wall (not shown). The rear wall 10 can be formed as a closed rear wall 10, but also as a frame. It is important that it has the necessary stability to be firmly connected, for example, to the body 100 or another supporting structure of the vehicle, such as a supporting structure of the cockpit, the center console, etc. (not shown in the figures).

[0027] In the interior of the housing 1, several circuit boards 3 with electronic assemblies 32 arranged thereon can be arranged one above the other. For this purpose, a rail system 2 is provided on the inside of each of the two opposite side walls of the housing 1, which serves to guide the circuit boards 3 when they are inserted into the housing 1. The circuit boards 3 advantageously have a frame 30 provided around their outer periphery, which engages with the rail(s) of the rail system 2 to guide the circuit board 3.

[0028] The rail system 2 is, as indicated in Figures 1 to 5, formed as a cam-controlled insert such that the frame 30 of the circuit board 3 can first be inserted from outside the housing 1 essentially parallel to the base 11 / cover 12 and in the direction of the rear wall 10 until the circuit board 3 is at least partially located inside the housing 1. In order to fix the circuit board 3, it is provided that it is pushed further along the rail(s) a predetermined distance in the direction of the base 11 or cover 12, wherein the rail(s) are guided in a curve for this purpose (thus providing a cam-controlled insert). A reinforcement is provided at the end of the rail(s). This means that the circuit board 3 is pushed over the curve of the rail(s) until it is pressed against one end region and rusts there.The rusting is advantageously carried out according to the well-known push-push principle, since this allows both simple rusting and simple loosening in order to remove the circuit board 3 from the housing 1 again.

[0029] The rail system 2 can consist of one or two or more rails per side wall. Advantageously, two rails are provided, arranged such that the board 3 is guided at the front end regions and the rear end regions (facing the rear wall 10), as indicated in Figures 1 to 5.

[0030] Furthermore, at least one cooling plate 4 is arranged within the housing 1 and is also fixed there. The cooling plate 4 preferably has active cooling, i.e. it has a cooling circuit. This can be implemented, for example, by means of cooling loops within the cooling plate 4. In order to provide and circulate the coolant present in the cooling circuit, the cooling plate 4 (its inlet and outlet) is connected to a cooling system of the vehicle (not shown). The advantage of providing a cooling plate 4 is that it can be permanently installed in the housing 1, i.e. it is not connected to the circuit board 3 by means of pipes or hoses. This significantly simplifies disassembly, in particular, since the cooling plate 4 does not have to be removed when the circuit board 3 is pulled out of the housing 1. Furthermore, no additional fan is required, since the heat sink is provided by the cooling medium provided in the cooling plate 4.

[0031] The rail(s) end(s) in such a way that, after rusting, at least a portion of the circuit board 3 touches the cooling plate 4, which contains the electronic components 32 to be cooled. This means that the cooling plate 4 is provided directly at the end of the rail(s) of the insert. Thermal pads 33 are advantageously also provided there (preferably on the electronic components 32) to improve the cooling connection between the electronic component 32 and the cooling plate 4, as indicated in Figures 1 to 5.

[0032] By providing a cooling plate 4, the cooling of the electronic components 32 can be optimized and thus their efficiency increased.

[0033] The curve of the rail(s) can point either toward the bottom 11 or toward the cover 12 of the housing 1. In this context, it can also be provided that two circuit boards 3 share a cooling plate 4, ie, one circuit board 3 is provided on the top side of the cooling plate 4, while the other is provided on the bottom side of the cooling plate 4.

[0034] In addition, the circuit board 3 has a connector 31 at one end of the surface with which it is guided towards the base 11 / cover 12 and which faces the rear wall 10. The counterpart 5 for the connector 31 is provided at the end of the rail(s) in such a way that the connector 31 dips into it when inserted, thus creating a plug-in connection. This can be used for power and / or signal transmission. The counterpart 5 for the connector 31 can be integrated into the cooling plate 4. Alternatively, the counterpart 5 can be provided as a separate component, and the cooling plate 4 has a cutout to make room for the counterpart 5.

[0035] The cam-controlled insertion solution and the rusting with simultaneous electrical and / or signaling contact between circuit board 3 and components of the vehicle (via the counterpart 5 and a central connector 6 that can be connected to it) greatly simplify assembly and disassembly and, due to the centralization of the circuit boards 3, save installation space in some places in the vehicle.

[0036] In one embodiment, all counterparts 5 are connected to a central connector 6 instead of several individual connectors, as shown in Figure 7. This connector is electrically connected to a distribution board 60. The distribution board 60 is electrically connected to the connector, more precisely to the counterpart 5, into which the connector(s) 31 of the individual boards 3 are plugged. The distribution board 60 is attached to the housing 1. The central connector 6 provides a connection to the components to be contacted in the vehicle.

[0037] The housing 1 is attached to an area of ​​the body 100 of the vehicle, as indicated in Figure 8, or to another suitable supporting structure in the vehicle, such as a supporting structure of the cockpit, the center console, etc., which is not visible from the outside, but is as easily accessible as possible and has sufficient space (free space and gripping space) to enable replacement of the circuit boards 3 (e.g. in the event of a defect or service call).

[0038] The assembly of the circuit boards 3 can be carried out in advance, i.e., in a pre-assembly step, thanks to the housing 1 and the central connector 6 in the area of ​​the rear wall 10, which can be connected to the individual counterparts 5 to the connectors 31 of the circuit boards 3. This also allows a functional test to be carried out before the housing 1 with the circuit boards 3 and the electronic assemblies 32 to be cooled is installed in the vehicle. With the described design, the connectors / plug connections are provided in the area of ​​the rear 10 of the housing 1, thus eliminating the need for any connectors / plug connections in the front area. This, in turn, simplifies assembly and disassembly, particularly since no connectors / plug connections need to be removed before disassembly.

[0039] A further advantage of providing the housing 1 with integrated cooling and several interchangeable circuit boards 3 arranged therein is that a plurality of circuit boards 3 with electronic assemblies 32 to be cooled are installed at a central location, sharing various components, e.g., the housing or the connection to the cooling circuit, the connection to the E / E vehicle system via a central connector 6, and sometimes even a cooling plate 4. This simplifies and shortens assembly, and saves installation space in other areas. A front panel can be provided on the housing 1 as a central flap, which closes the housing 1. List of reference symbols

[0040] 100 body vehicle

[0041] Housing

[0042] back wall

[0043] Floor

[0044] Lid

[0045] Rails)

[0046] circuit board

[0047] Frame

[0048] Plug

[0049] Electronic assembly

[0050] Thermal pads

[0051] Cooling plate

[0052] Counterpart to connector 31 central connector

[0053] distribution board

Claims

Patent claims 1 . System for accommodating replaceable electronic assemblies (32) of a vehicle to be cooled, comprising - a housing (1) with opposite side walls, a cover (12) and a base (11) and a rear wall (10), wherein the side walls have a rail system (2) which is designed as a cam-controlled insert with a locking mechanism at the end of the insert, wherein the end of the insert is designed as a curve which is directed towards the cover (12) or base (11 ) of the housing (1 ), and - at least one in the housing (1 ) parallel to the bottom (11 ) and lid (12) and cooling plate (4) arranged at the end of the drawer, and - at least one circuit board (3) which can be inserted into the housing (1) via the rail system (2) in the direction of the rear wall (10) and removed again, with electronic modules (32) to be cooled arranged thereon, wherein the circuit board (3) has a plug (31) on an area facing the rear wall (10) and pointing towards the base (11) or cover (12), which plug makes electrical and / or signal-technical contact with at least the electronic modules (32), and wherein - the board (3) is in contact with at least parts of the cooling plate (4) for heat dissipation after reaching the end of the insert and the displacement, and wherein - a counterpart (5) is provided for the plug (31) of the circuit board (3), with which the plug (31) is contacted after rusting in order to establish a plug connection to the outside of the circuit board (3).

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the counterpart (5) establishes an electrical and / or signaling connection with components to be contacted within the vehicle.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the board (3) has a frame (30) surrounding it at its outer regions and which is connected to the rail system (2) engaged and guided there in order to insert the circuit board (3) into the housing (1).

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein thermal pads (33) are provided on the electronic components (32) of the circuit board (3) to be cooled, which are in contact with the cooling plate (4) after Ver sten.

5. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a circuit board (3) is provided on each side of the cooling plate (4), and / or wherein a cooling plate (4) is provided for each circuit board (3).

6. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling plate (4) has integrated cooling loops connected to a cooling system of the vehicle.

7. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterpart (5) is formed as a separate component or is integrated into the cooling plate (4).

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a central plug (6) is provided in the region of the rear wall (10) which is in electrical and / or signaling connection with the plug connection.

9. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a removable front wall is provided on the front of the housing (1).

10. Vehicle, comprising a body (100), a portion of which serves as a trough structure for fastening the housing (1) of the system according to one of the preceding claims, and / or a trough structure which serves as a trough structure for fastening the housing (1) of the system according to one of the preceding claims.

Images