Electronic device

Abstract

Provided is an electronic device in which a plurality of electronic circuit units are mounted in a state of being interconnected through electrical connection paths and the electronic circuit units are configured to be individually insertable and removable, and which can improve the workability of maintenance check and hardware updates. Each of the electronic circuit units comprises: a circuit board on which an electronic component is mounted; an external connection connector to which a connector of an electrical component mounted on a vehicle is fitted and which is electrically connected to the electronic component mounted on the circuit board; a cooling passage through which a refrigerant for cooling heat generated by operation of the electronic component flows; and a first cooling port for introducing the refrigerant into the cooling passage and a second cooling port for discharging the refrigerant from the cooling passage. The electronic device is characterized in that the first and second cooling ports and the external connection connector are disposed on the insertion port side at a time when the electronic circuit unit is mounted, and the electrical connection paths are disposed on the rear side in the insertion direction.

Description

Electronic device

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device mounted on a multi-stage liquid-cooled housing.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a liquid-cooled server in which a unit case in which heat-generating components are housed is provided in a storage portion of a chassis so as to be insertable and removable. In this Patent Document 1, a cooling module having a cooling plate is formed separately from the unit case. The cooling plate has a flow path through which a liquid refrigerant (cooling water) flows inside. The cooling module is fixed for each storage portion of the unit case, and the cooling water is supplied to each cooling plate through a branch pipe.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-194799

[0004] However, in the liquid-cooled server of Patent Document 1 described above, a cooling port is provided on the back side in the insertion direction with respect to the insertion port of the unit case, and the cooling water is distributively supplied to this cooling port through a branch pipe. Therefore, when an operator performs work such as maintenance inspection of the cooling path, the chassis structure and the backboard become obstructive, and the inspection property and workability of the cooling path deteriorate. For example, when performing work including grasping the state of refrigerant leakage in a chassis incorporating a cooling module and a branch pipe and checking the joining of each pipe joint portion from the insertion port side, since there is a cooling system on the back side of the chassis, the chassis structure and the backboard not only become physical constraints and obstacles but also have poor visibility.

[0005] Further, when the liquid-cooled server of Patent Document 1 described above is mounted on a vehicle, it is necessary to be electrically connected or communicate with other electronic circuit units, actuators, sensors, etc. mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, the unit case and these are electrically connected by a connector with a harness. When attempting to perform a hardware update in this state, in a narrow space of the chassis and in a state where vehicle structures and various mounted devices are in the vicinity, complicated operations such as insertion and removal of the unit case and detachment of a large number of connectors are required.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electronic device that can improve the workability of maintenance, inspection, and hardware updates.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided in which a plurality of electronic circuit units are interconnected and mounted by an electrical connection path, and these electronic circuit units are configured to be individually insertable and removable, wherein each of the plurality of electronic circuit units comprises a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted, an external connection connector into which a connector for an electrical component mounted on a vehicle is fitted and which is electrically connected to the electronic components mounted on the circuit board, a cooling passage through which a refrigerant flows to cool the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components, a first cooling port for introducing the refrigerant into the cooling passage, and a second cooling port for discharging the refrigerant from the cooling passage, wherein the first and second cooling ports and the external connection connector are located on the insertion side when the electronic circuit unit is installed, and the electrical connection path is located on the back side in the insertion direction.

[0008] According to the present invention, since the cooling port and external connection connector are located on the insertion side when installing the electronic circuit unit, the piping connector and the connector with harness can be easily accessed and attached / detached. Furthermore, since the electrical connection path is located on the back side in the insertion direction of the electronic circuit unit, the electronic circuit unit can be easily removed and attached individually for repair or replaced with an updated electronic circuit unit. Therefore, even after the vehicle has been installed and put on the market, maintenance of the cooling path, attachment and detachment of connectors, and repair or replacement of electronic circuits can be made easier, thereby improving the workability of maintenance inspections and hardware updates.

[0009] This is a perspective view showing an electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a front view of the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown in Figure 1 along line III-III. This is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the rack enclosure configuration in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is an enlarged view of the external connection connector part in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is an enlarged view of the piping connector in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is an exploded perspective view of the electronic circuit unit in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is a perspective view for explaining another example of the manifold configuration in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is a front view for explaining another example of the manifold configuration in the electronic device shown in Figure 1. This is a side view of the electronic device shown in Figure 9. This is a perspective view showing an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a front view of the electronic device shown in Figure 11. This is a side view of the electronic device shown in Figure 11. This is an exploded perspective view of the electronic circuit unit in the electronic device shown in Figure 11.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] Figures 1 to 3 each show an electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view, Figure 2 is a front view, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1. This electronic device 10 is mounted in a multi-stage liquid-cooled enclosure.

[0011] This example shows water-cooled electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 stacked vertically and housed in a rack enclosure (housing enclosure) 12. Figure 1 shows electronic circuit unit 11-1 removed from the rack enclosure 12 in the direction of arrow AA. This electronic circuit unit 11-1 is inserted into the opening (insertion side) 12a of the rack enclosure 12 in the direction of arrow AB. The other electronic circuit units 11-2 to 11-6 are also configured to be individually inserted and removed from the opening 12a of the rack enclosure 12, similar to electronic circuit unit 11-1. Figures 2 and 3 show all electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 housed in the rack enclosure 12. Figure 3 also shows the state with the piping connectors disconnected.

[0012] The mounting portions 11-1a to 11-6a at one end of each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6 are fastened to a mounting plate 12b protruding from one side of the opening 12a of the rack housing 12 using fastening components, such as bolts and nuts (not shown). Similarly, the mounting portions 11-1b to 11-6b at the other end of each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6 are fastened to a mounting plate 12c protruding from the other side of the opening 12a of the rack housing 12 using fastening components, such as bolts and nuts (not shown). Screw holes 2, 2, ... are formed on both sides of the mounting plates 12b and 12c, respectively, for use when mounting them in a vehicle.

[0013] On the side of the rack enclosure 12 facing the opening 12a in each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6, external connection connectors 13-1 to 13-6, cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6, cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6, and handles 17-1 to 17-6, 18-1 to 18-6 are arranged. In this example, cooling ports 15-1, 16-2, 15-3, 16-4, 15-5, and 16-6 are the inlet side (first cooling ports), and cooling ports 16-1, 15-2, 16-3, 15-4, 16-5, and 15-6 are the outlet side (second cooling ports).

[0014] On the other hand, backplane board connectors 14-1 to 14-6 are provided on the back side of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 in the insertion direction for connecting to the backplane board (electrical connection path) 14 of the rack enclosure 12. The cooling ports 15 (15-1 to 15-6) and cooling ports 16 (16-1 to 16-6) of adjacent stacked electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 are connected to each other by piping connectors 20 (20-1 to 20-5), which function as an external refrigerant path for the unit.

[0015] Specifically, the cooling port 16-1 of electronic circuit unit 11-1 and the cooling port 16-2 of electronic circuit unit 11-2 are connected by a piping connector 20-1. The cooling port 15-2 of electronic circuit unit 11-2 and the cooling port 15-3 of electronic circuit unit 11-3 are connected by a piping connector 20-2. The cooling port 16-3 of electronic circuit unit 11-3 and the cooling port 16-4 of electronic circuit unit 11-4 are connected by a piping connector 20-3. Similarly, electronic circuit units 11-4 to 11-6 are also connected by piping connectors 20-4 and 20-5.

[0016] Specifically, the cooling ports 15-2 to 15-5 and cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6 of adjacent stacked electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6, such as 11-1 and 11-2, 11-2 and 11-3, 11-3 and 11-4, 11-4 and 11-5, and 11-5 and 11-6, are aligned in the stacking direction and connected by piping connectors 20-1 to 20-5. This forms a cooling passage through which a refrigerant (cooling water) that cools the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components circulates.

[0017] In this way, by arranging the objects to be worked on after being mounted on the vehicle on the same plane, piping connectors and connectors with harnesses can be easily accessed and attached / detached. Therefore, the workability of maintenance, inspection, and hardware updates can be improved. In addition, by making the insertion / extraction direction of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6, the insertion / extraction direction when attaching / detaching the external connection connectors, and the insertion / extraction direction when attaching / detaching the piping connectors 20-1 to 20-5 the same, the maintenance space can be reduced, which also contributes to expanding the interior space of the vehicle and improving the flexibility of the vehicle layout.

[0018] The refrigerant (cooling water) discharged from the cooling manifold (not shown) is introduced from the cooling port 15-1 of the electronic circuit unit 11-1, cools the electronic components mounted inside through the cooling passages within the electronic circuit unit 11-1, and is discharged from the cooling port 16-1. The refrigerant discharged from the cooling port 16-1 is introduced to the cooling port 16-2 of the electronic circuit unit 11-2 via the piping connector 20-1, cools the electronic components mounted inside through the cooling passages within the electronic circuit unit 11-2, and is discharged from the cooling port 15-2. The refrigerant discharged from the cooling port 15-2 is introduced to the cooling port 15-3 of the electronic circuit unit 11-3 via the piping connector 20-2, cools the electronic components mounted inside through the cooling passages within the electronic circuit unit 11-3, and is discharged from the cooling port 16-3.

[0019] Similarly, the refrigerant discharged from cooling port 16-3 cools the electronic components through the cooling passages in electronic circuit units 11-4 to 11-6 and is discharged from cooling port 15-6. The refrigerant discharged from cooling port 15-6 is then returned to the cooling collection unit. Therefore, the refrigerant flowing through the cooling passages in electronic circuit units 11-1, 11-3, and 11-5 flows in the opposite direction to the refrigerant flowing through the cooling passages in electronic circuit units 11-2, 11-4, and 11-6. In other words, in electronic circuit units stacked adjacent to each other, the direction of refrigerant flow in the cooling passages is opposite to that of the other units.

[0020] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the rack enclosure 12 in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1. The rack enclosure 12 is rack-shaped for housing electronic circuit units 11 (11-1 to 11-6), and outer panels 12-1 to 12-5 are arranged on the top, bottom, both sides, and back of the electronic circuit units 11 which are stacked vertically. Rail guides 22-1 and 22-2 are provided on the inside of the outer panels 12-3 and 12-4 on both sides to guide the insertion and removal of the electronic circuit units 11. Rails that act as guides when inserting and removing the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 are arranged along the insertion / removal direction AC on the contact surfaces of the rail guides 22-1 and 22-2 with the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6.

[0021] Furthermore, a backplane board (BP-PCB) 14 is positioned on the rear side to electrically interconnect the stacked electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. When the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 are individually inserted through the opening 12a of the rack enclosure 12, they are slid in by rail guides 22-1 and 22-2 and electrically connected to the backplane board 14 by backplane board connectors (BP connectors) 14-1 to 14-6.

[0022] As exemplified by the upper electronic circuit unit 11-6, heat-generating electronic components 24-1, 24-2, and 24-3, such as the CPU and GPU, are mounted on the underside of the circuit board 11c inside the water-cooled enclosure. These electronic components 24-1, 24-2, and 24-3 are cooled by the coolant flowing through the cooling passages. The circuit board 11c of the electronic circuit unit 11-6 is then connected to the backplane board 14 via backplane board connectors 14-6a, 14-6b, and 14-6c. The other electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-5 are configured similarly.

[0023] In this way, by inserting and pushing in the selected electronic circuit unit 11-n (n=1 to 6) from the opening 12a side of the rack enclosure 12, the electronic circuit unit 11-n can be electrically connected to the backplane board 14. Alternatively, by pulling the handles 17-n and 18-n of the selected electronic circuit unit 11-n (n=1 to 6) and removing the electronic circuit unit 11-n, it can be electrically isolated from the backplane board 14.

[0024] Figure 5 shows a magnified view of the external connection connector section 13 (13-1 to 13-6) in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1. The external connection connector section 13 is equipped with various connectors (external connection connectors) 13a to 13f for electrical connection or communication with electrical components mounted in the vehicle. Electrical components mounted in the vehicle, such as other electronic circuit units, actuators, sensors, etc., are attached to these connectors 13a to 13f via harness-equipped connectors. The intake and exhaust cooling ports 15 and 16 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the external connection connector section 13 (external connection connectors 13a to 13f).

[0025] The external connection connector section 13 (external connection connectors 13a to 13f) is positioned between the cooling ports 15 and 16, increasing the distance between these cooling ports 15 and 16. This suppresses interference between the external refrigerant paths (piping connectors) of the units that connect to the cooling ports of other electronic circuit units. Moreover, the insertion and removal direction of the harness-equipped connector is the same as that of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6, as indicated by arrow AC.

[0026] Figure 6 shows a magnified view of the piping connector 20-1 in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1. The cooling port 16-1 of electronic circuit unit 11-1 and the cooling port 16-2 of electronic circuit unit 11-2 are connected by a U-shaped cooling pipe (silicone hose) 20c having water channel connectors 20b and 20a at both ends. Here, the cooling port 16-1 of the lower electronic circuit unit 11-1 becomes the refrigerant outlet, and the cooling port 16-2 of the upper electronic circuit unit 11-2 becomes the refrigerant inlet. Although not shown, the cooling port 15-2 of electronic circuit unit 11-2 and the cooling port 15-3 of electronic circuit unit 11-3 are configured such that the cooling port 15-2 of the lower electronic circuit unit 11-2 becomes the refrigerant outlet, and the cooling port 15-3 of the upper electronic circuit unit 11-3 becomes the refrigerant inlet. The other stages are configured similarly.

[0027] As indicated by arrow AC, the insertion and removal direction of the piping connector 20-1 (water channel connectors 20b, 20a) is the same as the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit units 11-1, 11-2, and the insertion and removal direction of the harness-equipped connectors attached to the external connection connector sections 13-1, 13-2. Similarly, the insertion and removal direction of the piping connectors 20-2 to 20-5 is the same as the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit units 11-3 to 11-6, and the insertion and removal direction of the harness-equipped connectors attached to the external connection connector sections 13-3 to 13-6.

[0028] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic circuit unit 11 (11-1 to 11-6) in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1. The electronic circuit unit 11 consists of a water-cooled housing 11a, a water-cooled housing cover 11b, a circuit board (PCB) 11c on which electronic components are mounted, and a cover 11d. The water-cooled housing 11a and the water-cooled housing cover 11b form a cooling passage 27 through which a refrigerant flows to cool the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components 24-1, 24-2, and 24-3 mounted on the circuit board 11c.

[0029] The cooling passage 27 of the electronic circuit unit 11 (water-cooled housing 11a) has a narrow inlet for the cooling water, widens internally, and narrows again at the outlet, forming a flow path with a planar shape that is symmetrical left and right with respect to the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit unit 11. Cooling water, which is the refrigerant, is introduced into the water-cooled housing 11a from the first cooling port 15 on the introduction side, as indicated by the arrows, and spreads internally. Numerous heat dissipation pins 28, 28, ... are erected in the region of the cooling passage 27 corresponding to the mounting positions of electronic components 24-1, 24-2, 24-3 on the circuit board 11c. Heat generated from electronic components 24-1, 24-2, 24-3 is absorbed by the heat dissipation pins 28, 28, ... and dissipated into the cooling water. The cooling water absorbs heat and is discharged from the second cooling port 16 on the discharge side as it passes through the cooling passage 27.

[0030] <Modification 1> Figure 8 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the manifold in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1. This modification 1 differs from the first embodiment described above in that it uses two manifolds, an inlet-side manifold 31 and a discharge-side manifold 32, to circulate the refrigerant into each of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6.

[0031] Specifically, the introduction-side manifold 31 for introducing the refrigerant has a refrigerant collection section 31a and refrigerant branching sections 31b to 31g that branch off from the refrigerant collection section 31a, corresponding to the respective cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6 on the introduction side of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. The discharge-side manifold 32 for discharging the refrigerant has a refrigerant discharge collection section 32a and refrigerant discharge branching sections 32b to 32g that correspond to the respective cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 on the discharge side of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. The refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant collection section 31a is introduced to the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 via the refrigerant branching sections 31b to 31g, respectively, to cool the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components. The refrigerant that has cooled the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 is discharged to the refrigerant discharge collection section 32a via the refrigerant discharge branching sections 32b to 32g.

[0032] The connection between the inlet-side manifold 31 and the inlet-side cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6, and the connection between the discharge-side manifold 32 and the discharge-side cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6, are made on the surface of the opening (insertion side) 12a of the rack housing 12. Therefore, insertion and removal of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 is performed after removing the inlet-side manifold 31 and the discharge-side manifold 32. Even with this configuration, the insertion and removal direction of the refrigerant branching sections 31b to 31g and the refrigerant discharge branching sections 32b to 32g is the same as the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6, and the insertion and removal direction of the harness-equipped connectors attached to the external connection connector sections 13-1 to 13-6. Therefore, the same effects and advantages as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0033] <Modification 2> Figures 9 and 10 show alternative configurations of the manifold in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 1, respectively, with Figure 9 being a front view and Figure 10 being a side view. This Modification 2 differs from the first embodiment described above in that the cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 and 16-1 to 16-6 are located on one side of the external connection connectors 13-1 to 13-6.

[0034] Specifically, the introduction-side manifold 33 for introducing refrigerant has a refrigerant collection section 33a and refrigerant branch sections 33b to 33g that branch off from the refrigerant collection section 33a, corresponding to the respective cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6 on the introduction side of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. The discharge-side manifold 34 for discharging refrigerant has a refrigerant discharge collection section 34a and refrigerant discharge branch sections 34b to 34g that correspond to the respective cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 on the discharge side of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. Each of the refrigerant discharge branch sections 34b to 34g is located outside the refrigerant branch sections 33b to 33g of the corresponding stage.

[0035] In the configuration described above, the refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant manifold 33a is branched at the refrigerant branching sections 33b to 33g and introduced into the cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6 on the introduction side of each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6. The refrigerant then cools the electronic components via the cooling passages formed within each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6. Finally, it returns to the cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 and is discharged from the refrigerant discharge branching sections 34b to 34g to the refrigerant discharge manifold 34a.

[0036] Thus, even with the configuration in which the cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 and 16-1 to 16-6 are arranged on one side of the external connection connector section 13-1 to 13-6, the insertion and removal direction of the refrigerant branch section 33b to 33g and the refrigerant discharge branch section 34b to 34g is the same as the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6 and the connector with harness attached to the external connection connector section 13-1 to 13-6. Therefore, the connection between the introduction-side manifold 33 and the introduction-side cooling ports 16-1 to 16-6, and the connection between the discharge-side manifold 34 and the discharge-side cooling ports 15-1 to 15-6 can be made on the side of the insertion opening 12a of the electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6, and the same effects as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0037] [Second Embodiment] Figures 11 to 13 each show an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a perspective view, Figure 12 is a front view, and Figure 13 is a side view. This electronic device 10 is mounted in a multi-stage liquid-cooled enclosure, similar to the first embodiment. The difference between this second embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that while the first embodiment used a rack enclosure 12, this second embodiment mounts the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 by directly stacking them vertically. Other basic configurations are the same as in the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used for the same parts, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0038] Figure 11 shows electronic circuit unit 11-3 removed in the direction of arrow AA from among six stacked water-cooled electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. Electronic circuit unit 11-3 is inserted in the direction of arrow AB into the insertion opening (gap) 12a' of the vertically stacked electronic circuit units. The cooling port 15-3 of electronic circuit unit 11-3 and the cooling port 15-2 of electronic circuit unit 11-2 are connected by a piping connector 20-2. Also, the cooling port 16-3 of electronic circuit unit 11-3 and the cooling port 16-4 of electronic circuit unit 11-4 are connected by a piping connector 20-3. The other electronic circuit units 11-1, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-6 are configured to be individually inserted and removed from the insertion opening 12a', similar to electronic circuit unit 11-3.

[0039] Slide rails 29a and 29b are provided on both sides of the upper surface of the water-cooled housing 11a in each electronic circuit unit 11-1 to 11-6, and fitting grooves 39a and 39b corresponding to the slide rails 29a and 29b are provided on both sides of the lower surface of the water-cooled housing 11a body. The fitting grooves 39a and 39b of the upper electronic circuit unit are fitted into the slide rails 29a and 29b of the lower electronic circuit unit, and the units are stacked sequentially. Both sides of the front of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6 are fixed with plate materials 30a and 30b. A backplane board (electrical connection path) 14 is installed on the back plate 35 on the rear side in the insertion direction of the electronic circuit units 11-1 to 11-6. A backplane board connector (not shown) is connected to the backplane board 14, as in the first embodiment.

[0040] Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic circuit unit 11 (11-1 to 11-6) in the electronic device 10 shown in Figure 11. Basically, similar to the first embodiment shown in Figure 7, the electronic circuit unit 11 consists of a water-cooled housing 11a, a water-cooled housing cover 11b, a circuit board (PCB) 11c on which electronic components 24-1, 24-2, and 24-3 are mounted, and a cover 11d. Slide rails 29a and 29b are provided on both sides of the upper surface of the water-cooled housing 11a, and fitting grooves 39a and 39b are formed on both sides of the corresponding lower surface. The water-cooled housing 11a and the water-cooled housing cover 11b form a cooling passage 27 through which a refrigerant flows to cool the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components 24-1, 24-2, and 24-3 mounted on the circuit board 11c.

[0041] As indicated by the arrows, cooling water, which is the refrigerant, is introduced into the water-cooled enclosure 11a from the first cooling port (inlet) 15. Numerous heat dissipation pins 28, 28, ... are erected in the cooling passage 27 in the areas corresponding to the mounting positions of electronic components 24-1, 24-2, 24-3 on the circuit board 11c. The heat generated from electronic components 24-1, 24-2, 24-3 is absorbed by the heat dissipation pins 28, 28, ... and dissipated into the cooling water. The cooling water, while absorbing heat, passes through the cooling passage 27 and is discharged from the second cooling port (outlet) 16.

[0042] Thus, even in a configuration without a rack housing as in the second embodiment, substantially the same operational effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Also, in the second embodiment, the refrigerant may be circulated into each electronic circuit unit by two manifolds, i.e., an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, as in Modified Example 1. Needless to say, the first and second cooling ports may be arranged on one side of the external connection connector portion as in Modified Example 2.

[0043] Therefore, according to the present invention, an electronic device can be provided that allows the individual insertion and removal of electronic circuit units easily even when mounted on a vehicle after being put on the market, improving the workability of maintenance inspection and hardware update.

[0044] Note that the configurations, control methods, etc. described in the above embodiments are only schematically shown to the extent that the present invention can be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and can be changed into various forms without departing from the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

[0045] For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, a configuration in which six electronic circuit units are stacked has been described as an example, but the number of stages is not limited to this. Also, although the case of stacking in the vertical direction has been described, the present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which the units are arranged in the horizontal direction or a plurality of units are arranged in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0046] Also, although the case of using a water-cooled housing for the electronic circuit unit has been described, it is needless to say that a liquid-cooled housing using a coolant other than water as the refrigerant may be used.

[0047] 10...Electronic device, 11, 11-1 to 11-6...Electronic circuit unit, 11a...Water-cooled enclosure, 11b...Water-cooled enclosure cover, 11c...Circuit board (PCB), 11d...Cover, 12...Rack enclosure (housing enclosure), 12a...Opening (insertion port), 12a'...Insertion port (gap), 13, 13-1 to 13-6...External connection connector section, 13a to 13f...External connection connector, 14...Backplane board (electrical connection path), 14-1 to 14-6...Backplane board connector, 15-1 to 15-6, 16-1 to 16-6...Cooling port, 20-1 to 20-5...Piping connector (unit external refrigerant path), 22-1, 22-2...Rail guide, 24-1 to 24-3...Electronic component, 27...Cooling passage, 28...Heat dissipation pin, 29a, 29b...Slide rail, 39a, 39b...Matching groove

Claims

1. An electronic device in which a plurality of electronic circuit units are interconnected and mounted by an electrical connection path, and the electronic circuit units are configured to be individually insertable and removable, wherein each of the plurality of electronic circuit units comprises: a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted; an external connection connector into which a connector for an electrical component mounted on a vehicle is fitted and which is electrically connected to the electronic components mounted on the circuit board; a cooling passage through which a refrigerant flows to cool the heat generated by the operation of the electronic components; a first cooling port for introducing the refrigerant into the cooling passage; and a second cooling port for discharging the refrigerant from the cooling passage, wherein the first and second cooling ports and the external connection connector are located on the insertion side when the electronic circuit unit is installed, and the electrical connection path is located on the back side in the insertion direction.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing configured to allow the plurality of electronic circuit units to be individually inserted and removed, and to accommodate them in multiple stages or adjacent to each other, wherein the electrical connection path is a backplane board installed on the inner surface of the housing housing on the rear side in the insertion direction of the electronic circuit units, each of the electronic circuit units and the backplane board are electrically connected when the plurality of electronic circuit units are housed in the housing housing, the first and second cooling ports of the plurality of electronic circuit units are arranged on the opening side of the unit housing housing for inserting and removing the electronic circuit units, and the external connection connector is arranged adjacent to the first and second cooling ports on the opening side of the unit housing housing.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein adjacent electronic circuit units have separate refrigerant paths outside the unit so that the refrigerant is introduced from the second cooling port on which the refrigerant is discharged in one electronic circuit unit to the first cooling port on the introduction side in the other electronic circuit unit.

4. An electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the external connection connector is located between the first cooling port and the second cooling port.

5. An electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling passage of the electronic circuit unit has a planar shape that is symmetrical with respect to the insertion and removal direction of the electronic circuit unit.

6. An electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic circuit unit has the first and second cooling ports arranged on one side of the external connection connector.

7. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: an introduction-side manifold having a refrigerant collection section and refrigerant branch sections branched from the refrigerant collection section corresponding to each first cooling port of a plurality of electronic circuit units, for introducing the refrigerant to the plurality of electronic circuit units via the refrigerant branch sections; and an exhaust-side manifold having a refrigerant discharge collection section and refrigerant discharge branch sections branched from the refrigerant collection section corresponding to each second cooling port of a plurality of electronic circuit units, for discharging the refrigerant from the plurality of electronic circuit units to the refrigerant discharge collection section via the refrigerant discharge branch sections, wherein the connection between the introduction-side manifold and the first cooling port, and the connection between the exhaust-side manifold and the second cooling port are made on the insertion-side faces of the plurality of electronic circuit units.

8. An electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic circuit units stacked adjacent to each other have refrigerant flow directions in their respective cooling passages that are opposite to each other.

9. An electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second cooling ports of a plurality of stacked electronic circuit units are arranged in alignment in the stacking direction.

10. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an external refrigerant path for the unit, which is arranged on the insertion side surface of the electronic circuit unit and connects the first cooling port and the second cooling port of adjacent stacked electronic circuit units.

11. An electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that the first cooling port and the second cooling port are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the external connection connector.

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