Heat dissipation device and electronic device comprising same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat dissipation device and an electronic device comprising same. The heat dissipation device comprises: a housing body having a plurality of heat sink fins provided on the rear surface portion thereof; a heat dissipation unit formed on the front surface of the housing body and having a refrigerant flow space through which at least a phase changeable refrigerant flows; and a thermoelectric element having a heat-generating surface that is surface-contact bonded to the front portion of the heat dissipation unit, the heat-generating surface serving as a forward-facing bonding portion. Therefore, the heat dissipation device can improve the heat dissipation performance of the electronic device.

Description

Heat dissipation devices and electronic devices including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat dissipation device and an electronic device including the same, and more particularly, to a heat dissipation device capable of improving heat dissipation performance by more quickly cooling the heat generated from a heat-generating surface of a thermoelectric element using a refrigerant capable of phase change, and to an electronic device including the same.

[0002] A thermoelectric device utilizing the Peltier phenomenon is a semiconductor device in which heat dissipation (heating) occurs at the forward junction and heat absorption (cooling) occurs at the reverse junction when current is applied in one direction.

[0003] Because these thermoelectric devices can be implemented in low-power, ultra-small sizes, they are used in various small home appliances such as mini-refrigerators, cosmetic refrigerators, and wine refrigerators.

[0004] A prior art refrigerator using such a thermoelectric element is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2002-0069909.

[0005] However, refrigerators using thermoelectric elements according to the prior art have a very narrow heat dissipation area, and a blower fan must be installed to force airflow for rapid heat dissipation, which increases power consumption and generates operating noise. In addition, since the heat sink fins are cooled through the thermal conductivity of the material itself, such as aluminum, which generally has excellent thermal conductivity among metals, there are problems in that there is a very large limitation in improving heat dissipation performance.

[0006]

[0007] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, and its purpose is to provide a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same, which have greatly improved heat dissipation performance by utilizing the entire area where the heating surface, which is the positive junction of a thermoelectric element, is joined as a heat dissipation surface for heat dissipation, and inducing active gas-liquid circulation through a phase change of a refrigerant.

[0008] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same that enable slim manufacturing of a product by minimizing the front-rear thickness of the housing body.

[0009] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a heat dissipation device and an electronic device including the same, which can prevent an increase in power consumption and operating noise by eliminating the need for installation of additional components such as a separate blower fan to promote outside air circulation by securing excellent heat dissipation performance.

[0010] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0011] A heat dissipation device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing body having a plurality of heat sink fins on a rear surface, a heat dissipation part including a refrigerant flow space formed on a front surface of the housing body in which at least a phase-changeable refrigerant flows, and a thermoelectric element having a heating surface that is a forward-facing joint and is face-bonded to a front surface of the heat dissipation part.

[0012] Here, the thermoelectric element may be placed in a middle portion of the front portion of the heat dissipation part that is relatively lower in the direction of gravity.

[0013] Additionally, a scribing portion that delays the flow of refrigerant can be formed by processing the heat dissipation portion corresponding to the back surface of the thermoelectric element.

[0014] In addition, the heat dissipation unit may include a housing cover that is coupled to the housing body to cover the front portion of the refrigerant flow space and has the scribing unit integrally processed and formed on the rear portion.

[0015] Additionally, the housing body and the housing cover may be made of SUS material.

[0016] In addition, the heat dissipation unit may further include a refrigerant holding unit formed in the refrigerant flow space and holding liquid refrigerant that is condensed and falls in the direction of gravity among the refrigerant, and a refrigerant guide unit formed in the refrigerant flow space and guiding the flow of the liquid refrigerant toward the refrigerant holding unit.

[0017] Additionally, the refrigerant holding portion may be provided within the front-rear direction region of the housing cover where the scribing portion is formed.

[0018] Additionally, the refrigerant guide portion may be formed to be inclined downward toward the refrigerant holding portion, which is located relatively lower.

[0019] In addition, the refrigerant holding portion and the refrigerant guide portion may be configured as a protruding panel having a predetermined thickness and a predetermined width so that each tip protrudes forward by a specific position from the inner surface of the housing body corresponding to the rear surface of the refrigerant flow space.

[0020] Additionally, the protruding panel may include a horizontal guide panel constituting the refrigerant holding portion and an inclined guide panel constituting the refrigerant guide portion.

[0021] Additionally, the forward protrusion amount of the horizontal guide panel from the inner surface of the housing body may be greater than the forward protrusion amount of the inclined guide panel.

[0022] In addition, the horizontal guide panel may be formed by bending the ends of the protruding panel so that they are positioned relatively upward to block and retain the liquid refrigerant flowing in the direction of gravity by a surface forming a width in the front-back direction.

[0023] The bent ends of the horizontal guide panel can be connected to at least one of the inclined guide panels.

[0024] Additionally, a plurality of liquid refrigerant supply slits may be formed at the front end of the horizontal guide panel forming the refrigerant holding portion, and are formed by cutting them rearward to communicate with the scribing portion.

[0025] In addition, the horizontal guide panel may be arranged horizontally left and right at positions corresponding to the positions where the scribing section and the thermoelectric element are arranged, and may include an upper protruding panel positioned relatively higher and a lower protruding panel positioned relatively lower.

[0026] In addition, the inclined guide panel may be formed to be inclined downward toward the horizontal guide panel at the left and right ends of the inner surface of the housing body, respectively.

[0027] In addition, the refrigerant guide section can guide the flow of the liquid refrigerant from each upper end to each lower end by a surface forming the thickness in the front-back direction of the inclined guide panel.

[0028] In addition, the heat dissipation unit may further include a plurality of joints formed in the refrigerant flow space and joined to the rear surface of the housing cover of the housing body.

[0029] In addition, the heat dissipation unit may further include a plurality of protruding condensation protrusions formed in the refrigerant flow space to increase the surface area that comes into thermal contact with the gaseous refrigerant among the refrigerants.

[0030] Additionally, at least some of the plurality of condensation protrusions may be formed on the inclined guide panel, and the remainder of the plurality of condensation protrusions may be formed on the inner surface of the housing body.

[0031] Additionally, the plurality of condensation projections may have a front surface welded to the rear surface of the housing cover.

[0032] In addition, the scribing portion may be formed in a plurality of pieces spaced apart in the vertical direction, and may be processed in the form of a long groove in the horizontal direction on the back surface of the housing cover.

[0033] In addition, the scribing section may be formed in a plurality of pieces spaced apart in the left and right directions, and may be processed in a groove shape in a vertical direction.

[0034] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a casing body having a low-temperature space in which an article is stored at a low temperature, and a heat dissipation mechanism including a thermoelectric element installed in the casing body, a cooling surface as a counter-joint exposed toward the low-temperature space, and a heating surface as a forward-joint being face-to-face coupled to a heat dissipation portion having a refrigerant flow space in which a refrigerant flows, wherein the heat dissipation mechanism may include a housing body having a plurality of heat sink fins provided on a rear surface, a heat dissipation portion formed on a front surface of the housing body and including the refrigerant flow space in which at least a phase-changeable refrigerant flows, and the thermoelectric element having a heating surface as a forward-joint being face-to-face coupled to a front surface of the heat dissipation portion.

[0035] Here, a casing door for opening and closing the low-temperature space is further provided at the front end of the casing body, and the housing body among the heat dissipation devices can be installed to shield the rear end of the casing body.

[0036] In addition, the present invention further includes an insulation panel disposed between the low-temperature space of the casing body and the heat dissipation mechanism; wherein the insulation panel is formed to have the same front-rear thickness as the thermoelectric element, and the thermoelectric element is installed such that the heating surface, which is a forward junction of the thermoelectric element, is exposed toward the heat dissipation mechanism, and the cooling surface, which is a reverse junction of the thermoelectric element, is exposed to the low-temperature space of the casing body.

[0037]

[0038] According to a heat dissipation device and an electronic device including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention, the following various effects can be achieved.

[0039] First, it has the effect of significantly improving heat dissipation performance by inducing active gas-liquid circulation through phase change of the refrigerant using the heat generated from the heating surface, which is the positive junction of the thermoelectric element.

[0040] Second, it has the effect of enabling slimmer product manufacturing by minimizing the front-to-back thickness of the housing body.

[0041] Third, since heat can be effectively transferred and dissipated through a refrigerant capable of phase change, there is no need for a separate blower fan, which has the effect of preventing an increase in power consumption and additional generation of operating noise.

[0042]

[0043] Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing an application example of a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a heat dissipation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figures 3a and 3b are exploded perspective views of the front and rear parts of Figure 2,

[0046] Figure 4 is a front view (a), a plan view (b), and a side view (c) of Figure 2.

[0047] Figures 5 and 6 are front views of the configuration of Figure 2 with the heat dissipation housing cover removed and flow diagrams according to changes in the state of the refrigerant.

[0048] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 4 and an enlarged view of a portion thereof.

[0049] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the airflow circulation of a tester for testing the heat dissipation performance of a heat dissipation device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a thermoelectric element of a comparative example and the present invention.

[0051] Figures 10a and 10b are graphs showing the results obtained by the tester of Figure 8.

[0052]

[0053] <Explanation of symbols>

[0054] 1: Electronic devices 100: Heat dissipation devices

[0055] 110: Housing body 120: Vent tube

[0056] 150: Thermoelectric element 200: Heat sink

[0057] 205: Refrigerant flow space 210: Refrigerant holding portion

[0058] 214,215: Protruding panel 214: Horizontal guide panel

[0059] 215: Slant guide panel 216: Liquid refrigerant supply slit

[0060] 220: Refrigerant guide section 230: Refrigerant diffusion section

[0061] 240: Joint 250: Condensation protrusion

[0062] 260: Housing cover 263: Scribing section

[0063]

[0064] Hereinafter, a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0065] When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are assigned the same numerals whenever possible, even if they appear on different drawings. Furthermore, when describing embodiments of the present invention, if a detailed description of a related known configuration or function is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0066] In describing components of embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0067]

[0068] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of an application of a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a heat dissipation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3a and 3b are exploded perspective views of the front and rear parts of FIG. 2.

[0069] An electronic device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a casing body (10) in which a low-temperature space (1S) is formed where an item requiring refrigeration or freezing is stored at a low temperature, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3b, a casing door (D) provided at a front end of the casing body (10) and configured to open and close the low-temperature space (1S) of the casing body (10), and a heat dissipation mechanism (100) installed at a rear end of the casing body (10) and configured to dissipate heat generated from a heating surface, which is a forward junction of a thermoelectric element (150) described later, toward the rear end of the casing body (10).

[0070] The low-temperature space (1S) formed in the casing body (10) is a storage space for items (food) that can be formed within the cooling performance limit of the thermoelectric element (150). Generally, the thermoelectric element (150) described below is implemented as low-power or ultra-small, and can mainly serve to store items that require refrigerated storage, such as beverages, cosmetics, or wine.

[0071] However, if the thermoelectric element (150) described later is implemented as a high-power or large-sized one, it may be possible to store food that can be stored in a general refrigerator.

[0072] Meanwhile, an electronic device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include an insulating panel (15) disposed between a low-temperature space (1S) of a casing body (10) and a heat dissipation device (100), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0073] The insulation panel (15) is formed to have the same front-rear thickness as that of the thermoelectric element (150) described later, and serves as a mediator so that the thermoelectric element (150) can be installed so that the heating surface, which is the forward junction of the thermoelectric element (150), is exposed toward the heat dissipation device (100), and the cooling surface, which is the anti-directional junction of the thermoelectric element (150), is exposed to the low-temperature space (1S) of the casing body (10).

[0074] Here, a heat dissipation device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention and an electronic device (1) including the same may include a thermoelectric element (150) installed in a casing body (10) as referenced in FIGS. 2 to 3b, such that a cooling surface, which is a semi-directional joint, is exposed toward a low-temperature space (1S), and a heating surface, which is a forward joint, is face-coupled toward a heat dissipation part (200) in which a refrigerant flow space (205) in which refrigerant flows is formed.

[0075] More specifically, a heat dissipation device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a housing body (110) having a plurality of heat sink fins (111) provided on a rear surface, a heat dissipation part (200) including a refrigerant flow space (205) formed on a front surface of the housing body (110) in which at least a phase-changeable refrigerant flows, and the above-described thermoelectric element (150) provided such that a heating surface, which is a forward-facing joint, is face-to-face bonded to the front surface of the heat dissipation part (200).

[0076] Here, a plurality of heat sink fins (111) can be detachably coupled to the back surface of the housing body (110). However, it is not necessary to be detachably coupled, and a plurality of heat sink fins (111) can be formed by integrally molding during the molding of the housing body (110).

[0077] That is, the heating surface, which is the forward junction of the thermoelectric element (150), is arranged to face the rear so that the heat generated therefrom can be directly dissipated to the rear via a plurality of heat sink fins (111) integrally formed on the rear surface of the housing body (110), and the cooling surface, which is the reverse junction of the thermoelectric element (150), can be arranged to face the front so as to cool the air in the low-temperature space (1S) in the front.

[0078] Here, the housing body (110) may be provided with a heat dissipation unit (200) formed in a body shape with a very thin thickness in the front-back direction, and having a plurality of heat sink fins (111) integrally formed on the back surface, and including the aforementioned refrigerant flow space (205) on the front surface.

[0079] The heat dissipation unit (200) may be a concept that includes all components related to the gas-liquid circulation of a refrigerant capable of phase change filled in a refrigerant flow space (205) formed in the housing body (110).

[0080] The housing body (110) and the plurality of heat sink fins (111) formed integrally therewith may be provided with a thermally conductive material that can perform heat dissipation by exchanging heat with external air (particularly, external air at the rear) due to the thermal conductivity of the material itself.

[0081] In particular, the thermally conductive material forming the housing body (110) and the plurality of heat sink fins (111) preferably includes a metal material, but may be formed of either aluminum (or aluminum alloy) or SUS (stainless steel). Generally, in a heat dissipation mechanism that transfers heat using only the thermal conductivity of the material itself, it is preferable to selectively apply aluminum (or aluminum alloy) material. However, as in the present invention, where a refrigerant is used as a heat transfer medium, and the housing body (110) and the housing cover (260) described below can be selectively applied with SUS (stainless steel) material, which is cost-effective and has excellent processability, to the extent that it can be manufactured thin enough to overcome the limitations of the thermal conductivity of the material itself in heat transfer to the refrigerant.

[0082] In addition, it is preferable that the refrigerant filled in the refrigerant flow space (205) of the heat dissipation unit (200) be a refrigerant having a boiling point (vaporization temperature) within a range suitable for the final cooling temperature of the low-temperature space (1S) to be cooled, and more preferably may include a Honeywell refrigerant or water (including ultrapure water). In particular, water as a refrigerant is suitable when the metal material forming the refrigerant flow space (205) is SUS, which can minimize the amount of change in the internal pressure of the refrigerant flow space (205) due to chemical reactions occurring in the aluminum material, and provides the advantage of blocking environmental pollution caused by refrigerant leakage in advance.

[0083] In the heat dissipation device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element (150) may be placed in a middle portion relatively lower in the direction of gravity among the front portions of the heat dissipation unit (200). This is because it is advantageous to change the phase of the liquid refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as “liquid refrigerant”) condensed in the refrigerant flow space (205) into a gaseous refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as “gaseous refrigerant”) by using the heat provided through the heating surface, which is the forward junction of the thermoelectric element (150), after the liquid refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as “liquid refrigerant”) is captured in the direction of gravity.

[0084] Meanwhile, the heat dissipation unit (205) may further include a housing cover (260) that is joined to the housing body (110) to cover the front portion of the refrigerant flow space (205) and has a scribing unit (263) integrally formed on the rear surface.

[0085] The scribing section (263) can be formed in a shape that is sunken forward to a predetermined depth from the back surface of the housing cover (260) provided in the shape of a panel made of a metal material that is a heat-conductive material.

[0086] Such a scribing section (263) can perform a function of stopping or delaying the downward flow of liquid refrigerant in the direction of gravity, which is condensed through heat exchange through the heat sink fin (111) of the housing body (110) among the refrigerant flowing through gas-liquid circulation within the refrigerant flow space (205).

[0087] In particular, the front surface of the housing cover (260) may be attached so that the heating surface, which is the forward-facing joint of the thermoelectric element (150), is in contact with it. Preferably, the thermoelectric element (150) may be attached so as to be placed mainly at the lower portion of the front surface of the housing cover (260), where the liquid refrigerant is stored, and may be combined so as to be placed at the front surface of the housing cover (260) at a position corresponding to the portion where the scribing portion (263) is integrally formed.

[0088] Accordingly, the scribing section (263) performs the role of allowing the phase change (i.e., evaporation) into a gaseous refrigerant for a sufficient period of time by stagnating and delaying the flow of liquid refrigerant when heat is transferred from the heating surface, which is the positive junction of the thermoelectric element (150), through the housing cover (260).

[0089] Here, the scribing section (263) can be formed in a shape in which a plurality of grooves in the form of lines (265) are combined. However, it is obvious that the scribing section (263) can be precisely processed using a precision processing machine so that each of the plurality of lines (265) has the same dimensions and sizes, and can also be processed in a way that a plurality of scratches are formed without precision processing using a sharp tool (tool) if it has the function of stopping or delaying the flow of liquid refrigerant in the scribing section (263).

[0090] In addition, the scribing portions (263) may be formed in a plurality of pieces spaced apart in the vertical direction on the back surface of the housing cover (260), and may be formed in a groove shape that is long in the left-right horizontal direction on the back surface of the housing cover (260). However, the formation direction of the scribing portions (263) is not limited to being formed in the left-right direction (i.e., horizontal), and a plurality of pieces may be formed in a plurality of pieces spaced apart in the left-right direction on the back surface of the housing cover (260), and may be formed in a groove shape that is long in the up-and-down vertical direction (i.e., vertical).

[0091] Although not shown in the drawing, the applicant of the present invention independently tested the flowability of the liquid refrigerant according to the formation direction of the scribing portion (263), and in the case of the horizontal type in which a plurality of lines (265) are formed in the left-right horizontal direction, it was observed that the refrigerant spreads left-right and right, is filled without any gaps, and then flows downward. This means that the liquid refrigerant is sequentially filled in the horizontal scribing portion (263) located at the top, and then is filled in the horizontal scribing portion (263) located at the bottom, and while this process is repeated, the liquid refrigerant completely changes into a gaseous refrigerant, and the gas-liquid circulation cycle can be shortened to the extent that the liquid refrigerant does not reach the horizontal scribing portion (263) formed close to the last lower part.

[0092] On the other hand, in the case of a vertical type in which multiple lines (265) are formed in a vertical direction, it was observed that the liquid refrigerant easily flows downward. In the case in which multiple lines (265) are formed in a vertical type like this, it is preferable to selectively apply the heat provided from the heating surface of the thermoelectric element (150) when sufficient heat is provided so that the circulation of the refrigerant can proceed quickly.

[0093] The more the amount of liquid refrigerant that is stagnant or delayed by the scribing unit (263) having this function is, the more the amount of evaporation of the refrigerant by the heat supplied from the heating surface of the thermoelectric element (150) can be promoted.

[0094] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are front views of the configuration of FIG. 2 with the heat dissipation housing cover removed and flow diagrams according to changes in the state of the refrigerant, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4 and an enlarged view of a portion thereof.

[0095] The heat dissipation unit (200) may include, as referenced in FIGS. 5 to 7, a refrigerant holding unit (210) formed in the refrigerant flow space (205) described above and holding liquid refrigerant that is condensed and falls in the direction of gravity, a refrigerant guide unit (220) formed in the refrigerant flow space (205) and guiding the flow of the liquid refrigerant toward the refrigerant holding unit (210), and a refrigerant diffusion unit (230) providing a space in which gaseous refrigerant evaporated in the refrigerant holding unit (210) flows and diffuses.

[0096] The refrigerant holding portion (210) may be formed at a location corresponding to the position where the scribing portion (263) and the thermoelectric element (150) described above are arranged. Preferably, the refrigerant holding portion (210) may be provided within the front-rear direction area of ​​the housing cover (260) where the scribing portion (263) is formed.

[0097] Here, the refrigerant guide portion (220) may be formed to be inclined downward toward the refrigerant holding portion (210) located relatively lower. For example, when the refrigerant holding portion (210) is located in the middle portion of the relatively lower portion of the front portion of the housing body (110), the refrigerant guide portion (220) may be formed to be inclined downward toward the middle portion of the housing body (110) at the left end and the right end, respectively.

[0098] In particular, the refrigerant holding portion (210) and the refrigerant guide portion (220) may be configured as protruding panels (214, 215) having a predetermined thickness and a predetermined width so that each tip protrudes forward by a specific position from the inner surface of the housing body (110) corresponding to the rear surface of the refrigerant flow space (205).

[0099] Here, the protruding panel (214, 215) may be provided in the form of a panel that is formed to be long in the longitudinal direction and to have a predetermined thickness and width. Hereinafter, the 'width' of the protruding panel (214, 215) refers to a portion that is larger than the 'thickness' thereof, and the refrigerant holding portion (210) may be arranged so that the surface forming the thickness contacts the inner surface of the refrigerant flow space (205), and the refrigerant guide portion (220) may be arranged so that the surface forming the width contacts the inner surface of the refrigerant flow space (205).

[0100] More specifically, the protruding panel (214, 215) may include a horizontal guide panel (214) formed horizontally to define a refrigerant holding portion (210) and an inclined guide panel (215) formed inclinedly to define a refrigerant guide portion (220).

[0101] Among the protruding panels (214, 215), the horizontal guide panel (214) that constitutes the refrigerant holding portion (210) has a surface that forms its thickness so as to be in contact with the refrigerant flow space (205) to hold and store more liquid refrigerant.

[0102] In addition, among the protruding panels (214, 215), the inclined guide panel (215) constituting the refrigerant guide portion (220) can guide the flow of liquid refrigerant flowing down the inner surface of the housing body (110) from each upper end to each lower end by means of a surface forming a thickness in the front-back direction. Here, since the inclined guide panel (215) sufficiently guides the flow of liquid refrigerant through its surface, the surface forming the width can be in contact with the refrigerant flow space (205).

[0103] Therefore, the forward protrusion amount of the horizontal guide panel (214) constituting the refrigerant holding portion (210) from the inner surface of the housing body (110) may be greater than the forward protrusion amount of the inclined guide panel (215) constituting the refrigerant guide portion (220).

[0104] In particular, the refrigerant holding portion (210) may be formed by bending the ends of the horizontal guide panel (215) so that the liquid refrigerant flowing in the direction of gravity is blocked by the surface forming the width in the front-back direction of the horizontal guide panel (214) and held for a predetermined period of time. Here, the ends of the horizontal guide panel (214) may be connected to at least one of the inclined guide panels (215).

[0105] As such, at least two horizontal guide panels (214) can be formed spaced apart from each other in the upper and lower directions within the limits that the areas occupied by the scribing portion (263) and the thermoelectric element (150) described above overlap in the front-back direction (see reference numerals '214-U' and '214-D' of FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, the horizontal guide panels (214) can be horizontally arranged left and right at positions corresponding to the positions where the scribing portion (265) and the thermoelectric element (150) are arranged, and can include an upper protruding panel (214-U) positioned relatively higher, and a lower protruding panel (214-D) positioned relatively lower.

[0106] Here, the front end of the horizontal guide panel (214) is placed in close contact with the back surface of the housing cover (250), and a plurality of liquid refrigerant supply slits (216h) can be formed by cutting them rearward so as to communicate with the refrigerant holding portion (210) and the scribing portion (263).

[0107] Since the liquid refrigerant flowing down through the refrigerant guide portion (220) and guided through a plurality of liquid refrigerant supply slits (216h) can flow toward the scribing portion (260), the condensed liquid refrigerant can be continuously supplied to the scribing portion (263) throughout the entire area of ​​the refrigerant flow space (205). In addition, the inclined guide panel (215), which is a protruding panel forming the refrigerant guide portion (220), can be formed to be inclined downward from the left end and the right end of the inner surface of the housing body (110) toward the center, respectively.

[0108] Such a refrigerant guide part (220) can guide the flow of liquid refrigerant from each upper end to each lower end by means of a surface forming the thickness of the inclined guide panel (215), and thus performs the function of allowing the condensed liquid refrigerant in the entire area of ​​the refrigerant flow space (205) to be captured in the area where the scribing part (263) and the thermoelectric element (150) are located.

[0109] Meanwhile, the heat dissipation unit (200) may further include a plurality of joints (240) formed in the refrigerant flow space (205) and joined to the rear surface of the housing cover (260), as referenced in FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0110] A plurality of joints (240) are formed in a protrusion shape on the refrigerant flow space (205), and joint receiving holes (241) that are joined to the housing cover (260) through any one of various welding methods including a laser welding method through joint holes (261) formed in the housing cover (260) can be formed, respectively.

[0111] In addition, a joint hole (261) penetrating in the front-back direction at a position corresponding to the joint receiving hole (241) may be further formed in the housing cover (260) for the above-described welding connection.

[0112] Meanwhile, the heat dissipation unit (200) may further include a plurality of condensation protrusions (250) formed in the refrigerant flow space (205) and protruding for thermal contact with the gaseous refrigerant among the refrigerants.

[0113] A plurality of condensation projections (250) are arranged to protrude to a degree that they roughly contact the back surface of the housing cover (260) that shields the front of the refrigerant flow space (205), as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and some of them may be formed on the inclined guide panel (215) among the protruding panels that constitute the refrigerant guide portion (220) described above, or the remainder may be formed on the inner surface of the housing body (110) that is an independent portion from the refrigerant guide portion (220).

[0114] A plurality of condensing projections (250) like this can shorten the gas-liquid circulation cycle time by increasing the thermal contact surface area while causing flow interference when the vaporized gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant flow space (205) diffuses and flows through the refrigerant diffusion section (230).

[0115] Here, a plurality of condensation projections (250) can also be welded to the rear surface of the housing cover (260).

[0116] In addition, an air vent tube (120) can be connected to the upper part of the housing body (110) to communicate with the refrigerant flow space (205).

[0117] The air vent tube (120) is formed in a tube shape to which a vacuum tool or refrigerant filling tool (not shown) can be connected during the vacuum process of the refrigerant flow space (205) or during refrigerant filling, and can be provided in the tube connection hole (120h) of the housing body (110).

[0118] Here, the air vent tube (120) can be sealed to the refrigerant flow space (205) through a caulking finishing process after cutting and removing the exposed portion of the outer portion of the tube connection hole (120h) after the above-described vacuum process or refrigerant filling is completed.

[0119] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the airflow circulation of a tester for testing the heat dissipation performance of a heat dissipation device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a thermoelectric element of a comparative example (100A) and the present invention (100), and FIGS. 10a and 10b are graphs showing results by the tester of FIG. 8.

[0120] In order to compare and confirm the heat dissipation performance of the heat dissipation device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, a thermoelectric element (150A) of a comparative example (100A) as referenced in FIG. 9 was provided, and then the results as shown in FIG. 10a and FIG. 10b were obtained, respectively.

[0121] More specifically, the size of the housing body (110) of the comparative example (100A) and the present invention (100) is 186.0*250.0 (unit: mm), so the left-right width and the top-down length are the same, but the front-back thickness including the heat sink fin (111) is formed to be 26.0 (unit: mm) for the comparative example (100A) and 40.0 (unit: mm) for the present invention (100). The number of heat sink fins (111) was adopted to be 61 in total for the comparative example (100A), while 40 were adopted for the present invention (100).

[0122] As referenced in Fig. 5, the housing body (110) of the comparative example (100A) and the present invention (100) were attached to the same tester, and then the measured temperature value and the flow rate of the liquid refrigerant were confirmed as volumetric flow rate (CFM) by forcibly blowing air upward at a predetermined blowing force using the lower blowing fan.

[0123] As a result, the temperature value of the comparative example (100A) was 39°C, and the temperature value of the present invention (100) was 32.3°C, which was approximately 6.7°C lower. In addition, as referenced in FIGS. 10A and 10B, in the case of the present invention (100), although the number of heat sink fins (111) was 21 fewer than that of the comparative example (100A), it was confirmed that the refrigerant flow rate (CFM) was 32.7, which was 12.3 higher than that of the comparative example (100A).

[0124] This indicates that the heat dissipation by the heat dissipation part (200) of the present invention (100), which is a heat dissipation structure through gas-liquid circulation by a refrigerant (particularly, water as a refrigerant filled between the housing body (110) made of SUS material and the housing cover (260), is superior to the case where the heat dissipation is not through gas-liquid circulation of a refrigerant capable of phase change, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance to a greater extent.

[0125] In particular, by forming a scribing section (263) on the housing cover (260) that receives heat directly from the thermoelectric element (150) among the components of the heat dissipation section (200), it is shown that the flow of liquid refrigerant in the area corresponding to the evaporation area can be somewhat stagnated (delayed) to induce active gas-liquid circulation.

[0126] An electronic device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above may further include a casing door (D) provided at the front end of the casing body (10), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0127] Therefore, the casing body (10) is formed in a rectangular shape with openings in the front and rear, respectively, and the front opened portion is provided to be openable and closable by a casing door (D), and a heat dissipation mechanism (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention for quickly dissipating heat generated from the heating surface of the thermoelectric element (150) may be provided in the rear opened portion to seal the low-temperature space (1S).

[0128] According to a heat dissipation mechanism (100) and an electronic device (1) including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the limitation of heat dissipation performance that simply depends on the thermal conductivity of the material of the heat sink fin (111) itself is overcome, and the heat dissipation performance is maximized by rapidly increasing the number of gas-liquid circulation cycles of the internal refrigerant, thereby providing an advantage.

[0129]

[0130] Above, a heat dissipation mechanism and an electronic device including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it will be understood that various modifications and equivalent implementations are possible by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below.

Claims

1. Housing body having a number of heat sink fins on the back surface; A heat dissipation unit including a refrigerant flow space formed on the front surface of the housing body in which at least a phase-changeable refrigerant flows; and A heat dissipation device, comprising: a thermoelectric element having a heating surface, which is a forward-facing joint, connected to the front of the heat dissipation part; 2. In claim 1, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above thermoelectric element is placed in a middle portion relatively lower in the direction of gravity among the front portions of the heat dissipation part.

3. In claim 2, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein a scribing portion that delays the flow of refrigerant is formed by processing the heat dissipation portion corresponding to the back surface of the thermoelectric element.

4. In claim 3, A heat dissipation mechanism comprising: a housing cover, which is joined to the housing body so as to cover the front portion of the refrigerant flow space, and in which the scribing portion is integrally formed on the rear surface; 5. In claim 4, The above housing body and the above housing cover are heat dissipation mechanisms made of SUS material.

6. In claim 4, The above heat dissipation part, A refrigerant holding portion formed in the above refrigerant flow space and holding a liquid refrigerant that is condensed among the above refrigerant and falls in the direction of gravity; and A heat dissipation mechanism further comprising: a refrigerant guide portion formed in the refrigerant flow space and guiding the flow of the liquid refrigerant toward the refrigerant holding unit; 7. In claim 6, The above refrigerant holding portion is a heat dissipation mechanism provided within the front-rear direction area of the housing cover where the scribing portion is formed.

8. In claim 7, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above refrigerant guide section is formed to slope downward toward the refrigerant holding section located relatively lower.

9. In claim 6, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above-mentioned refrigerant holding portion and the above-mentioned refrigerant guide portion are formed of a protruding panel having a predetermined thickness and a predetermined width so that each tip protrudes forward by a specific position from the inner surface of the housing main body corresponding to the rear surface of the above-mentioned refrigerant flow space.

10. In claim 9, The above protruding panel, A horizontal guide panel constituting the above refrigerant holding portion; and A heat dissipation mechanism, comprising: an inclined guide panel constituting the above refrigerant guide section.

11. In claim 10, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein the forward protrusion amount of the horizontal guide panel from the inner surface of the housing body is greater than the forward protrusion amount of the inclined guide panel.

12. In claim 10, The above horizontal guide panel is a heat dissipation mechanism in which both ends are bent so as to be positioned relatively upward to block and retain the liquid refrigerant flowing in the direction of gravity by a surface forming a width in the front-back direction.

13. In claim 12, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein the bent ends of the horizontal guide panel are connected to at least one of the inclined guide panels.

14. In claim 12, A heat dissipation mechanism in which a plurality of liquid refrigerant supply slits are formed at the front end of the horizontal guide panel forming the refrigerant holding portion so as to be connected to the scribing portion by being cut toward the rear.

15. In claim 10, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the horizontal guide panel is arranged horizontally left and right at positions corresponding to the positions where the scribing section and the thermoelectric element are arranged, and includes an upper protruding panel positioned relatively higher and a lower protruding panel positioned relatively lower.

16. In claim 10, The above-mentioned inclined guide panel is a heat dissipation mechanism formed so as to be inclined downward toward the horizontal guide panel at the left and right ends of the inner surface of the housing body, respectively.

17. In claim 16, The above refrigerant guide section is a heat dissipation mechanism that guides the flow of the liquid refrigerant from each upper part to each lower part by a surface forming the thickness in the front-back direction of the inclined guide panel.

18. In claim 6, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein the heat dissipation portion further includes a plurality of joints formed in the refrigerant flow space and joined to the rear surface of the housing cover on the housing body.

19. In claim 6, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein the heat dissipation part further includes a plurality of condensation protrusions formed in the refrigerant flow space and protruding to increase the surface area that comes into thermal contact with the gaseous refrigerant among the refrigerant.

20. In claim 19, At least some of the above plurality of condensation projections are formed on the inclined guide panel, A heat dissipation mechanism, wherein the remainder of the above plurality of condensation projections are formed on the inner surface of the housing body.

21. In claim 19, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above-mentioned plurality of condensation projections are welded to the rear surface of the housing cover at the front end.

22. In claim 3, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above scribing section is formed in a plurality of pieces spaced apart in the vertical direction and processed in a long horizontal groove shape in the left and right direction on the back surface of the housing cover.

23. In claim 3, The above scribing section is a heat dissipation mechanism in which a plurality of scribing sections are formed spaced apart in the left and right directions, and processed in a groove shape long in the vertical direction.

24. In claim 1, A heat dissipation mechanism in which the above-mentioned plurality of heat sink fins are detachably attached to the back surface of the housing body.

25. In claim 1, The above-mentioned plurality of heat sink fins are a heat dissipation mechanism formed integrally on the back surface of the housing body.

26. A casing body having a low-temperature space formed where goods are stored at low temperatures; and A heat dissipation mechanism including a thermoelectric element installed in the casing body, the cooling surface being a semi-directional joint exposed to the low-temperature space side, and the heating surface being a forward-facing joint being face-coupled to the heat dissipation side where a refrigerant flow space in which refrigerant flows is formed; The above heat dissipation device comprises a housing body having a plurality of heat sink fins on the rear surface; A heat dissipation unit including a refrigerant flow space formed on the front surface of the housing body and through which at least a phase-changeable refrigerant flows; and An electronic device including a thermoelectric element having a heating surface, which is a forward-facing joint, surface-coupled to the front side of the heat dissipation section.

27. In claim 26, The front end of the above casing body is further provided with a casing door for opening and closing the low-temperature space; An electronic device in which the housing body among the above heat dissipation devices is installed to shield the rear end of the casing body.

28. In claim 26, Further comprising an insulating panel arranged between the low temperature space of the casing body and the heat dissipation mechanism; An electronic device in which the above insulation panel is formed with the same thickness as the front and rear of the thermoelectric element, and the thermoelectric element is installed such that the heating surface, which is the forward junction of the thermoelectric element, is exposed toward the heat dissipation mechanism, and the cooling surface, which is the reverse junction of the thermoelectric element, is exposed to the low-temperature space of the casing body.

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