Insulating thermally-conductive gasket, electric control device and air conditioner

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are an insulating thermally-conductive gasket, an electric control device and an air conditioner. The insulating thermally-conductive gasket (300) comprises a gasket body, wherein the gasket body comprises easy-to-break sections (310) and a plurality of contact sections (320), the easy-to-break sections (310) being located between a plurality of electrical components (110), and the bending strength of the easy-to-break sections (310) being less than that of the contact sections (320).

Description

Insulating thermally conductive pad, electric control device and air conditioner

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on December 19, 2023, with application number 2023117601461 and invention name “A kind of insulating thermally conductive gasket, electric control device and air conditioner”, and the Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on December 19, 2023, with application number 2023234821400 and invention name “A kind of insulating thermally conductive gasket, electric control device and air conditioner”, the contents of which should be understood as incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to, but is not limited to, the technical field of electrical equipment, and more specifically, to an insulating thermally conductive gasket, an electric control device, and an air conditioner. Background Art

[0003] The electrical components on the circuit board of the electronic control device of a variable-frequency air conditioner generate a significant amount of heat during operation. To maintain the performance of these components, they need to be cooled and dissipated by a radiator. Since these components are electrically charged, the radiator is made of an aluminum alloy that is electrically conductive and has good thermal conductivity. To prevent the radiator from becoming electrically charged due to the electrical connection between the components and the radiator, an insulating thermally conductive gasket is placed between them. This gasket not only insulates the components from the radiator but also transfers the heat from the components to the radiator.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a summary of the subject matter described in detail herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0006] The insulating thermally conductive gasket provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a gasket body, wherein the gasket body includes an easily breakable segment and multiple contact segments, the easily breakable segment is located between the multiple contact segments, and the bending strength of the easily breakable segment is less than the bending strength of the contact segment.

[0007] The electronic control device provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a circuit board provided with multiple electrical components, a heat sink and the insulating thermally conductive gasket described in any of the above embodiments, the gasket body is provided on the heat sink, the circuit board is located on the side of the gasket body facing away from the heat sink, the electrical components are in contact with the contact section, and the easily breakable section is located between the multiple electrical components.

[0008] The air conditioner provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the electronic control device described in any of the above embodiments.

[0009] Still other aspects will become apparent upon reading and understanding the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0010] Summary of the Figures

[0011] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an insulating thermally conductive gasket provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0012] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic control device provided in some embodiments of the present application, with the circuit board not shown;

[0013] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of the electrical components, insulating thermal pads and radiator in FIG2 in a coordinated state;

[0014] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded structure of a circuit board provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0015] The corresponding relationship between the reference numerals and component names is as follows:

[0016] 100 circuit board, 110 electrical component, 120 pin, 200 heat sink, 210 first positioning groove, 300 insulating thermal pad, 310 easy-to-break section, 320 contact section, 330 first assembly hole, 340 isolation section, 400 bracket, 410 second positioning groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless there is a conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other in any way.

[0018] One technical solution is that the insulating thermally conductive gasket is a ceramic gasket, which is arranged between each electrical component and the radiator. The assembly process of this solution is tedious and complicated.

[0019] Analysis and research have found that using a large-sized ceramic gasket placed between multiple electrical components and radiators can simplify the assembly process. However, due to the brittle texture of the ceramic gasket, when it is pressed between the electrical component and the radiator, it is easy to break at the poorly fitted area and damage the electrical component when there is a poor fit with the electrical component or radiator. Although improving the matching accuracy of the ceramic gasket, radiator and electrical component to ensure that the ceramic gasket is fully fitted with the radiator and each electrical component can effectively solve this problem, this will significantly increase the production cost of the ceramic gasket, radiator and electrical component, making it difficult to achieve mass assembly.

[0020] The embodiment of the present application provides an insulating thermally conductive gasket, which has a simple assembly process and will not break or damage electrical components.

[0021] The embodiments of the present application also provide an electronic control device and an air conditioner.

[0022] The electronic control device provided in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, includes a circuit board 100 provided with multiple electrical components 110, a heat sink 200, and an insulating thermally conductive gasket 300. The insulating thermally conductive gasket 300 includes a gasket body, which includes an easily broken section 310 and multiple contact sections 320. The easily broken section 310 is located between the multiple contact sections 320, and the bending strength of the easily broken section 310 is less than the bending strength of the contact sections 320 (i.e., the easily broken section 310 is more likely to break than the contact sections 320). The gasket body is provided on the heat sink 200, the circuit board 100 is located on the side of the gasket body facing away from the heat sink 200, the electrical component 110 is located between the circuit board 100 and the gasket body and abuts against the contact sections 320, and the easily broken section 310 is located between the multiple electrical components 110.

[0023] In the electric control device, the gasket body is arranged on the radiator 200, the circuit board 100 is located on the side of the gasket body facing away from the radiator 200, the electrical components 110 and the contact sections 320 are in one-to-one contact with each other, and the easily broken section 310 is located between the plurality of electrical components 110. Since the bending strength of the easily broken section 310 is less than the bending strength of the contact section 320, when any one of the contact sections 320 on both sides of the easily broken section 310 is poorly fitted with the electrical component 110 or the radiator 200 (causing the contact section 320 to tilt relative to the electrical component 110 and the radiator 200), the gasket body is pressed and broken at the easily broken section 310, so that the contact sections 320 on both sides of the easily broken section 310 are not well fitted with the electrical component 110 or the radiator 200. 20 fits better with the electrical component 110 and the radiator 200 (the contact section 320 no longer tilts relative to the electrical component 110 and the radiator 200), and the broken position will not contact the electrical component 110 because it is spaced from the electrical component 110 (that is, the gasket body will not pierce the electrical component 110 when it breaks). This solution can effectively reduce the matching accuracy of the insulating thermally conductive gasket 300, the radiator 200 and the electrical component 110 (that is, the processing accuracy requirements of the insulating thermally conductive gasket 300, the radiator 200 and the electrical component 110 in this solution are lower), so that the production cost of the insulating thermally conductive gasket 300, the radiator 200 and the electrical component 110 is lower, and batch assembly can be achieved.

[0024] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the gasket body further includes an isolation section 340 , which is configured to isolate the pin 120 of the electrical component 110 from the heat sink 200 , thereby effectively preventing arcing at the pin 120 of the electrical component 110 .

[0025] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the plurality of electrical components 110 includes n+1, the easily breakable segments 310 includes n, the plurality of contact segments 320 includes n+1, the n easily breakable segments 310 are located one-to-one between the n+1 contact segments 320, the n+1 electrical components 110 are in one-to-one contact contact with the n+1 contact segments 320, the n easily breakable segments 310 are located one-to-one between the n+1 electrical components 110, and n is a positive integer. When any of the two contact segments 320 adjacent to each easily breakable segment 310 fails to adhere properly to the electrical component 110 or the heat sink 200, the easily breakable segment 310 is compressed and breaks, allowing both contact segments 320 adjacent to the easily breakable segment 310 to better adhere to the electrical component 110 and the heat sink 200. Thus, each contact segment 320 achieves better adherence to the electrical component 110 and the heat sink 200, thereby improving the heat transfer performance between each electrical component 110 and the heat sink 200. In Figures 2 and 3, four electrical components 110 are shown.

[0026] Alternatively, the plurality of electrical components 110 may include n+2, and the easily breakable segments 310 may include n; or the plurality of electrical components 110 may include n+3, and the easily breakable segments 310 may include n, and so on; all of the above can achieve the purpose of the present application, and their purpose does not deviate from the design concept of the present application, and will not be repeated here, and should all fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] When the circuit board 100 is provided with multiple groups of electrical components 110 (each group of electrical components 110 includes multiple electrical components 110), and the multiple groups of electrical components 110 are dispersedly arranged, each group of electrical components 100 can be equipped with an insulating thermal pad, which can reduce the difficulty of assembling the electronic control device.

[0028] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the easily breakable section 310 includes a through easily breakable groove, the gasket body is in the shape of a long strip, and multiple easily breakable grooves are arranged in sequence at intervals in the length direction of the gasket body, and each easily breakable groove is through in the width direction of the gasket body.

[0029] In some examples, the material of the gasket body includes ceramic. The gasket body made of ceramic material has not only good insulation effect but also good thermal conductivity effect.

[0030] In some examples, as shown in FIG1 , the gasket body further includes a first assembly portion, which is provided on at least one of the easily breakable section 310 and the contact section 320 and is configured to connect to the circuit board 100 and the heat sink 200. Specifically, the gasket body is assembled with the heat sink 200 and the circuit board 100 via the first assembly portion. Alternatively, as shown in FIG1 , there may be two or three first assembly portions, each of which is configured as a first assembly hole 330 (e.g., a waist-shaped hole or a circular hole). In FIG1 through FIG3 , the first assembly hole 330 is provided on the easily breakable section 310.

[0031] In some examples, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the circuit board 100 further includes a bracket 400, which is located between the circuit board 100 and the electrical component 110 and is provided with a second assembly hole and a second positioning groove 410. The electrical component 110 is located in the second positioning groove 410, and the second assembly hole is located outside the second positioning groove 410. The circuit board 100 includes a fourth assembly hole, the heat sink 200 includes a third assembly hole, and the breakable section 310 includes a first assembly hole 330. The fourth assembly hole, the second assembly hole, the first assembly hole 330, and the third assembly hole are positioned correspondingly and connected by a threaded connector to secure the circuit board 100, the gasket body, and the heat sink 200 together. The threaded connector can be a screw, the threaded section of the screw sequentially passing through the fourth assembly hole, the second assembly hole, and the first assembly hole 330, and then screwed into the third assembly hole to secure the circuit board 100, the gasket body, and the heat sink 200 together.

[0032] In some examples, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the heat sink 200 is provided with a first positioning groove 210, and the gasket body is disposed within the first positioning groove 210. The gasket body is positioned by the first positioning groove 210 to ensure that the first assembly hole 330 and the third assembly hole are aligned after the gasket body and the heat sink 200 are pre-assembled. Moreover, in this embodiment, the inner bottom surface of the first positioning groove 210 is larger, making it easier to process.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the assembly process of the electronic control device is as follows:

[0034] First, install the gasket body into the first positioning groove 210 of the heat sink 200, and then align the first assembly hole 330 with the third assembly hole;

[0035] Next, the circuit board 100 is placed on the side of the gasket body facing away from the heat sink 200, and the electrical components 110 are aligned one-to-one with the contact sections 320 of the gasket body. The fourth assembly hole, the second assembly hole, the first assembly hole 330, and the third assembly hole are also aligned.

[0036] Furthermore, after the threaded section of the screw passes through the fourth assembly hole, the second assembly hole and the first assembly hole 330 in sequence, it is screwed into the third assembly hole to fix the circuit board 100, the gasket body and the heat sink 200 together.

[0037] The air conditioner provided in the embodiment of the present application (not shown in the figure) includes the electronic control device described in any of the above embodiments.

[0038] This air conditioner has all the advantages of the electronic control device provided by any of the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0039] In one example, the air conditioner includes an inverter air conditioner.

[0040] To sum up, the insulating thermally conductive gasket provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to an electronic control device, and the gasket body is arranged on the radiator of the electronic control device, and the circuit board of the electronic control device is located on the side of the gasket body facing away from the radiator, and the electrical components of the circuit board are abutted against the contact sections one by one, and the easily broken section is located between multiple electrical components. Since the bending strength of the easily broken section is less than the bending strength of the contact section, when any one of the contact sections on both sides of the easily broken section has a poor fit with the electrical component or the radiator, the gasket body will be pressed and broken at the easily broken section, so that the contact sections on both sides of the easily broken section are better fitted with the electrical component and the radiator, and the broken position will not contact the electrical component because it is separated from the electrical component. This scheme can effectively reduce the matching accuracy of the insulating thermally conductive gasket, the radiator and the electrical component, so that the production cost of the insulating thermally conductive gasket, the radiator and the electrical component is lower, and batch assembly can be achieved.

[0041] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "one side", "the other side", "one end", "the other end", "side", "relative", "four corners", "periphery", ""mouth"-shaped structure", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structure referred to has a specific orientation, is constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0042] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connection", "direct connection", "indirect connection", "fixed connection", "installation", and "assembly" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integral connection. The terms "installation", "connection", and "fixed connection" can refer to direct connection, indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0043] It should be noted that the above embodiments or implementations are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, this application is not limited to what is specifically shown and described herein. Various modifications, substitutions, or omissions may be made to the forms and details of the implementations without departing from the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An insulating thermally conductive gasket, comprising a gasket body, wherein the gasket body comprises an easily broken section and a plurality of contact sections, wherein the easily broken section is located between the plurality of contact sections, and the bending strength of the easily broken section is less than the bending strength of the contact section.

2. The insulating thermally conductive gasket according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the gasket body includes ceramics, the easily breakable segments include n segments, the number of the plurality of contact segments is n+1, the n easily breakable segments are located one-to-one between the n+1 contact segments, and n is a positive integer.

3. The insulating thermally conductive gasket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The breakable section includes a through breakable groove.

4. The insulating thermally conductive gasket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The gasket body also includes a first assembly portion, which is arranged on at least one of the easily breakable section and the contact section and is configured to be connected to the circuit board and the heat sink.

5. The insulating thermally conductive gasket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The gasket body also includes an isolation section, which is configured to isolate the pins of the electrical component and the heat sink.

6. An electronic control device, comprising a circuit board with multiple electrical components, a heat sink and an insulating thermally conductive gasket as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gasket body is arranged on the heat sink, the circuit board is located on the side of the gasket body facing away from the heat sink, the electrical components are in contact with the contact section, and the easily breakable section is located between the multiple electrical components.

7. The electric control device according to claim 6, wherein: The plurality of electrical components includes n+1, the easily breakable segments includes n, the plurality of contact segments includes n+1, the n+1 electrical components are in one-to-one contact with the n+1 contact segments, the n easily breakable segments are one-to-one located between the n+1 electrical components, and n is a positive integer.

8. The electric control device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The heat sink is provided with a first positioning groove, and the gasket body is arranged in the first positioning groove.

9. The electric control device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The circuit board is further provided with a bracket, which is located between the circuit board and the electrical component and is provided with a second assembly hole and a second positioning groove, the electrical component is arranged in the second positioning groove, and the second assembly hole is located outside the second positioning groove; Among them, the circuit board is provided with a fourth assembly hole, the heat sink is provided with a third assembly hole, the easily breakable section is provided with a first assembly hole, the fourth assembly hole, the second assembly hole, the first assembly hole and the third assembly hole are positioned correspondingly and are connected by a threaded connector.

10. An air conditioner comprising the electronic control device according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

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