Heat exchanger for compact electro-optical tracker

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a compact electro-optical tracker, and provides a heat exchanger which is installed in a compact electro-optical tracker and cools the compact electro-optical tracker. The heat exchanger comprises: an outer case that is attached and fixed to the compact electro-optical tracker and has a plurality of ventilation holes formed in the surface thereof; a base plate that is coupled and fixed to the inside of an outer case; and a pulsating heat pipe that is radially arranged on the base plate along the longitudinal direction and cools the compact electro-optical tracker.

Description

Heat exchanger for compact electro-optical tracker

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker, and more particularly, to a heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker having a pulsating heat pipe structure that is simplified and miniaturized so that it can be applied to heat exchange of a small electro-optical tracker.

[0002] Typically, heat exchangers are used to prevent performance degradation due to heat generation in day and night image tracking equipment for ground, air, and naval weapon systems.

[0003] However, conventional heat exchangers have the disadvantage of not being able to protect the internal electronic equipment of the image tracking equipment from foreign substances contained in the outside air and of not being able to perform efficient heat exchange due to structural inefficiency.

[0004] To overcome these shortcomings, a 'heat exchanger' was proposed in the previous patent registration no. 10-1935450.

[0005] Existing registered patent No. 10-1935450 discloses a heat exchanger including a motor unit that generates rotational force; a cooling plate formed in a plate shape, the motor unit being accommodated in the center, and having a plurality of cooling fins formed on both sides; an impeller provided on the upper and lower sides of the cooling plate and coupled to the motor shaft of the motor unit; and a case coupled to the upper and lower sides of the impeller; wherein the cooling plate includes a motor room formed in a groove that is open toward the bottom at the center so that the motor unit is installed; and a circuit board room formed in a groove that is open toward the bottom and separated from the motor room at an edge of the motor room so that a circuit board is installed.

[0006] Such conventional heat exchangers are attached to and equipped with video tracking equipment, and can cool the video tracking equipment through external air and a cooling plate that are sucked in by forced convection by internal and external impellers, and can protect the internal electronic equipment of the video tracking equipment from foreign substances contained in the external air by blocking direct contact between the internal electronic equipment of the video tracking equipment and the external air.

[0007] However, since the conventional heat exchanger has a large size (volume) and weight due to the motor installed inside it and the internal and external impellers installed on the upper and lower sides of the motor, it can only be applied to image tracking equipment that is large enough to handle the size and weight of the heat exchanger, and therefore has the disadvantage of not being applicable to small electro-optical trackers, including EOTS (Electrooptical Tracking System) and EOIR (electrooptic infrared).

[0008] Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and provides a heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker, which is provided with a pulsating heat pipe in the heat exchanger and is configured so that the pulsating heat pipe exchanges heat by contacting the outside air through natural convection, thereby enabling the heat exchanger to be miniaturized and lightweight, thereby enabling it to be provided in a small electro-optical tracker and improving the cooling performance of the small electro-optical tracker.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-described object, a heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker according to the present invention is a heat exchanger installed in a small electro-optical tracker to cool the small electro-optical tracker, characterized in that it includes: an outer case that is attached and fixed to the small electro-optical tracker and has a plurality of ventilation holes formed on its surface; a base plate that is fixed and combined within the outer case; and pulsating heat pipes that are radially arranged along a circumferential direction of the base plate to cool the small electro-optical tracker.

[0010] In addition, the pulsating heat pipe may be provided to penetrate the base plate, with the upper part thereof provided on the upper side of the base plate positioned toward the outside, and the lower part thereof provided on the lower side of the base plate positioned toward the small electro-optical tracker, so as to absorb and cool the heat generated from the small electro-optical tracker.

[0011] In addition, the upper part of the pulsating heat pipe may be configured to be inclined from the center of the outer case toward the outer periphery in correspondence with the outer case, and the lower part of the pulsating heat pipe may be configured to contact a small electro-optical tracker, so as to maximize cooling efficiency.

[0012] According to the heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker of the present invention, the heat exchanger is provided with a pulsating heat pipe, and the pulsating heat pipe exchanges heat by contacting the outside air through natural convection, thereby enabling the heat exchanger to be miniaturized and lightweight, and thus the heat exchanger can be easily provided to the small electro-optical tracker, and the heat conduction performance of the small electro-optical tracker can be improved, thereby having the effect of maximizing the cooling performance.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a heat exchanger for a small electro-optical tracker according to the present invention.

[0014] FIGS. 2A to 2C are drawings showing the installation state of a pulsating heat pipe configured inside a heat exchanger according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a bottom view.

[0015] Figure 3 is an exploded view showing a pulsating heat pipe configured in a heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 is an operational diagram showing the air flow of a heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0017] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0018] The terms used in the present invention are terms defined in consideration of their functions in the present invention, and may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical aspects of the present invention.

[0019] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely exemplary matters of the components presented in the claims of the present invention, and are embodiments that include components that are included in the technical idea throughout the specification of the present invention and can be replaced as equivalents in the components of the claims.

[0020] Additionally, the optional terms in the examples below are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by the terms.

[0021] Accordingly, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known technologies that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention are omitted.

[0022] The attached drawings, Figures 1 to 4, are drawings showing a heat exchanger and its internal structure according to the present invention.

[0023]

[0024] *The heat exchanger (100) according to the present invention is a device attached to a small electro-optical tracker (not shown) to cool the heat generated from the small electro-optical tracker and internal electronic equipment.

[0025] This heat exchanger (100) includes, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a dome-shaped outer case (130) that is attached and fixed to a small electro-optical tracker and has a plurality of ventilation holes (131) formed on its surface, a disc-shaped base plate (110) that is fixed and provided within the outer case (130), and pulsating heat pipes (120) that are arranged radially along the circumference of the base plate (110) to cool the small electro-optical tracker.

[0026] The outer case (130) is a component located at the outermost part of the heat exchanger (100), i.e., on the opposite side of the small electro-optical tracker, and is formed in a dome shape with the center protruding upwards more than the edges.

[0027] The outer case (130) has a number of ventilation holes (131) formed on its surface through which external air passes, and a fastening hole for mounting the heat exchanger (100) to a small electro-optical tracker is provided along the circumference of the edge side of the outer case (130).

[0028] In addition, the outer case (130) between the ventilation hole (131) and the fastening hole is provided with a hollow fastening boss (132) protruding upward along the circumference, and this fastening boss (132) has a screw portion formed on its inner surface, so that a fastening screw (114) penetrating the fastening hole of the base plate (110) to be described later is screwed therein, thereby firmly connecting and fixing the base plate (110) to the lower surface of the outer case (130).

[0029] Meanwhile, the base plate (110) is formed as a flat circular plate made of copper, aluminum, or stainless steel with excellent thermal conductivity, and is fixed and bonded to the lower surface of the outer case (130), thereby completely covering the lower surface of the heat exchanger (100), i.e., the lower surface of the outer case (130).

[0030] In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, on the edge side of the base plate (110), fastening holes are formed at regular intervals along the circumference of the base plate (110), and the shaft portion of a fastening screw (114) is connected through the fastening holes, and the fastening screw (114) that has passed through the fastening holes is screwed into the fastening boss (132) of the outer case (130), thereby coupling and fixing the base plate (110) and the outer case (130).

[0031] Accordingly, the base plate (110) is provided in a state of covering the lower surface of the outer case (130), so that external air flowing into the outer case (130) is blocked by the base plate (110) positioned toward the small electro-optical tracker, thereby preventing direct contact with the internal electronic equipment of the small electro-optical tracker, thereby safely protecting the internal electronic equipment from foreign substances in the external air.

[0032] In addition, since the base plate (110) as described above is formed as a flat disk and its edge is fixed to the outer case (130) by screws, downward sagging, or bending, may occur in the central portion of the base plate (110) due to the pulsating heat pipe (120) described later.

[0033] In order to prevent sagging of the base plate (110), a number of reinforcing protrusions (113) protruding from the base plate (110) are formed at regular intervals between the center and the edge of the base plate (110), and it is preferable that these reinforcing protrusions (113) are formed to protrude in both vertical directions from the base plate (110).

[0034] In particular, the lower part of the reinforcing projection (113) protruding downward from the base plate (110) is formed as a hollow tube having a screw portion formed on its inner surface, and is joined with a fastening screw (114) in a state of close contact with the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) to be described later, thereby enabling the pulsating heat pipe (120) to be fixed in position on the base plate (110).

[0035] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of through holes (115) are formed at regular intervals in the base plate (110) between the reinforcing protrusions (113) as described above, and these through holes (115) are formed in the form of slits that are perforated in a thin and long straight line from the center side of the base plate (110) to the edge side.

[0036] As each of these penetration holes (115) is installed in a one-to-one correspondence with a pulsating heat pipe (120) to be described later, a plurality of pulsating heat pipes (120) are provided along the circumferential direction of the base plate (110).

[0037] In addition, a joining boss (111) protruding upward is formed on one side of the base plate (110) adjacent to the reinforcing projection (113), and a pulsating heat pipe (120) installed on the base plate (110) is provided with the upper part (121) secured thereto.

[0038] At this time, the connecting boss (111) of the base plate (110) has a screw portion formed on its inner surface, and a fastening screw (114) penetrating the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120), which will be described later, is fastened thereto, thereby connecting and fixing the pulsating heat pipe (120) to the base plate (110).

[0039] In particular, the upper surface of the coupling boss (111) is provided in contact with the lower surface of the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120), and an inclined surface (112) having a slope corresponding to the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is formed on the upper surface of the coupling boss (111).

[0040] In this way, the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120), which will be described later, is installed in a state of surface contact on the inclined surface (112) of the coupling boss (111), thereby preventing the occurrence of shock or noise due to vibration in advance.

[0041] Meanwhile, the pulsating heat pipe (120) radially provided on the base plate (110) as described above is installed by penetrating and connecting to each through hole (115) of the base plate (110), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the upper part (121) of one end thereof is arranged on the upper surface of the base plate (110) and is fixed by connecting to the connecting boss (111) with a fastening screw (114), and the lower part (123) of the other end is arranged on the lower surface of the base plate (110) and is fixed by connecting to the lower part of the reinforcing protrusion (113) with a fastening screw (114).

[0042] In addition, the pulsating heat pipe (120) is provided with a connecting portion (122) connecting the upper portion (121) and the lower portion (123), and this connecting portion (122) is connected while penetrating the through hole (115) of the base plate (110).

[0043] The upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is bent in one direction at the upper end of the connecting part (122) and is fixedly joined to the upper surface of the base plate (110), and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is bent in the opposite direction at the lower end of the connecting part (122) and is fixedly joined to the lower surface of the base plate (110).

[0044] As the upper part (121) and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) are arranged in parallel in different directions, the working fluid flowing inside the pulsating heat pipe (120) can move in a smooth flow by thermal convection.

[0045] In particular, an upper coupling hole (121a) and a lower coupling hole (123a) through which a fastening screw (114) is penetrated and connected are formed in the upper part (121) and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120), respectively, and the upper coupling hole (121a) is provided to correspond to the coupling boss (111) on the upper surface of the base plate (110), and the lower coupling hole (123a) is provided to correspond to the lower part of the reinforcing protrusion (113) on the lower surface of the base plate (110).

[0046] Accordingly, the upper coupling member (121a) is provided in a state of being seated on the inclined surface (112) of the coupling boss (111) and is fastened and fixed with a fastening screw (114), and the lower coupling member (123a) is provided in a state of being in close contact with the lower end of the reinforcing projection (113) and is fastened and fixed with a fastening screw (114).

[0047] In addition, the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) as described above is formed to slope downward from the center of the base plate (110) toward the edge along the slope of the outer case (130), and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is formed as a flat surface horizontal to the small electro-optical tracker.

[0048] Accordingly, the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) has a maximum contact area with the external air flowing in through the ventilation hole (131) of the outer case (130), and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) has the advantage of maximizing the heat transfer area because it is installed horizontally with the small electro-optical tracker.

[0049] At this time, the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) positioned toward the small electro-optical tracker may be provided as an evaporation part, and the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) positioned toward the outer case (130) may be provided as a condensation part.

[0050] Accordingly, when the lower part (evaporation part) (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is heated by the heat generated from the small electro-optical tracker, the slug train in which the liquid working fluid and the gaseous working fluid are alternately arranged self-oscillates, and the heat convection in which the heat of the lower part (evaporation part) () is transferred to the upper part (condensation part) (121) is smoothly achieved by the self-oscillation of the slug train.

[0051] Specifically, the pulsating heat pipe (120) as described above may be provided with a plurality of capillaries connected to each other or independently, although not shown in the drawing, and a working fluid (refrigerant) is supplied to these capillaries.

[0052] These capillaries are provided to connect in one direction from the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) through the connection part (122) to the lower part (123), and in this state, the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is provided with a heat source, that is, a small electro-optical tracker, and the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is provided with a structure in which a cooling source is provided in the atmosphere, so that heat transfer is provided from the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) to the upper part (121).

[0053] In particular, as the capillary tube provided inside the pulsating heat pipe (120) as described above is installed in a horizontal direction connecting the upper part (121) and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) in one direction, heat transfer by heat convection from the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) to the upper part (121) can be smoothly achieved.

[0054] That is, the working fluid supplied to the capillary within the pulsating heat pipe (120) is vaporized by the heat of the small electro-optical tracker at the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) placed toward the small electro-optical tracker, and is condensed and liquefied by the outside air at the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) placed in the atmosphere, so that heat conduction by thermal convection is smoothly transferred from the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) to the upper part (121).

[0055] A pulsating heat pipe (120) like this is connected by penetrating the through hole (115) of the base plate (110) and is fixed to the connecting boss (111) on the upper surface of the base plate (110) and the reinforcing projection (113) on the lower surface by a fastening screw (114), so that it can maintain its correct position even when the small electro-optical tracker vibrates.

[0056] The heat exchanger (100) for a small electro-optical tracker according to the present invention performs heat exchange by natural convection without forced convection by a motor and an impeller.

[0057] That is, natural convection due to the flight of the small electro-optical tracker acts on the heat exchanger (100) attached and fixed to the small electro-optical tracker.

[0058] Accordingly, the high temperature heat (internal air) generated in the small electro-optical tracker to which the heat exchanger (100) is attached and fixed flows into the lower surface of the heat exchanger (100) as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 4, and comes into direct contact with the lower portion (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120), and is cooled by heat exchange with the low temperature working fluid (liquid refrigerant) flowing within the lower portion (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120).

[0059] The internal air cooled in this way passes through the lower surface of the heat exchanger (100) and flows into a small electro-optical tracker, and the high-temperature working fluid vaporized by heat exchange in the pulsating heat pipe (120) moves to the upper portion (121) through the connecting portion (122) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) by thermal convection.

[0060] In this process, the high-temperature working fluid moved to the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) is condensed through heat exchange by contacting the low-temperature external air (illustrated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 4) introduced through the ventilation hole (131) of the outer case (130) by natural convection, and the condensed low-temperature working fluid is moved to the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) again by thermal convection and circulated.

[0061] In this way, the working fluid that has exchanged heat with the low-temperature external air at the upper part (121) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) undergoes a phase change from a high-temperature gaseous state to a low-temperature liquid state, and the low-temperature liquid-state working fluid moves to the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) by heat convection and cools the small electro-optical tracker as a circulating flow.

[0062] Accordingly, the working fluid circulating through the upper part (121) and the lower part (123) of the pulsating heat pipe (120) repeatedly and continuously cools the small electro-optical tracker, thereby improving the cooling efficiency due to rapid thermal conductivity, and making it possible to universalize the use range of the miniaturized and slimmed-down heat exchanger (100).

[0063] Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, this is intended to specifically explain the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is clear that modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0064] All simple modifications or changes of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific protection scope of the present invention will be made clear by the appended claims.

[0065] The heat exchanger of the present invention has industrial applicability as it has a configuration that can be repeatedly performed.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger installed in a small electro-optical tracker to cool the small electro-optical tracker, An outer case that is attached to and fixed to a small electro-optical tracker and has a number of ventilation holes formed on its surface; A base plate provided and fixedly joined within the outer case; A heat exchanger comprising pulsating heat pipes arranged radially along a circumference of a base plate to cool a miniature electro-optical tracker.

2. In claim 1, A heat exchanger in which a pulsating heat pipe is provided penetrating the base plate, the upper part of which is provided on the upper side of the base plate positioned toward the outside, and the lower part of which is provided on the lower side of the base plate positioned toward the small electro-optical tracker, and which absorbs and cools the heat generated from the small electro-optical tracker.

3. In claim 2, A heat exchanger in which the upper part of the pulsating heat pipe is provided to slope from the center of the outer case to the outer periphery in correspondence with the outer case, and the lower part of the pulsating heat pipe is provided to contact a small electro-optical tracker, thereby maximizing cooling efficiency.

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