Thermoplastic Radiator Housing with Adjustable Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling solutions for electronic components in vibrating environments, such as those in the automotive field, face challenges in achieving effective thermal performance while minimizing stress on circuit boards and reducing production and storage costs, as they often result in overheating, weld breaks, and structural weaknesses due to varying thermal interface material thickness and additional mechanical coupling.
Innovation Solution
An electronic housing element with a thermoplastic frame and a radiator that allows for adjustable orientation via a gripping device, enabling uniform thermal interface material thickness and reduced stress through overmolding and thermal deformation, ensuring effective sealing and robustness against vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the radiator is rigidly fastened to the inside of the enclosure with thermal interface material, then the component can be cooled, but the thermal performance varies due to mechanical tolerances causing varying material thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by making the upper wall material transition from rigid to flexible through temperature change. The wall is made of a material that becomes flexible at elevated temperatures, allowing the radiator to be positioned and adjusted, then locked in place. This eliminates the need for rigid fastening that causes thickness variation, achieving uniform thermal interface material thickness while maintaining thermal performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the upper wall adaptable through temperature-induced flexibility. The wall transitions from a rigid state during normal operation to a flexible state during assembly, allowing dynamic adjustment of the radiator position. This dynamic property enables precise positioning that ensures uniform thermal interface material thickness, resolving the contradiction between thermal performance and manufacturing precision.
2Temperature
If the radiator is screwed to the circuit board to control thermal interface material thickness, then thermal performance improves, but additional mechanical coupling adds stress and can bend the circuit board
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from the circuit board by implementing a dedicated flexible upper wall structure that independently supports the radiator. This separates the thermal coupling function (through the flexible wall) from the mechanical support function, eliminating the need to screw the radiator directly to the circuit board. The result is uniform thermal interface material thickness without the additional stress and bending that would occur with direct circuit board fastening.
3Ease of manufacture
If the radiator is fastened directly to the circuit board, then assembly is simplified, but the radiator weight causes weld or track breaks during vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure - the flexible upper wall - that mediates between the radiator and the circuit board. This intermediary absorbs the mechanical stress and vibration impacts, protecting the circuit board's welds and tracks from damage. The flexible wall acts as a buffer that allows the radiator to be positioned and secured without directly transmitting vibration forces to the circuit board, thus maintaining reliability while keeping assembly simple.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the cover is used to improve structural stability, then rigidity is enhanced, but the position of the circuit board becomes difficult to adjust and new tolerances must be added
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using a flexible upper wall that can adapt to different circuit board positions during assembly. The flexibility allows the radiator to be adjusted and locked in the correct position without requiring tight tolerances in the cover or frame. This dynamic adaptation maintains structural stability while simplifying the assembly process and reducing tolerance requirements, resolving the contradiction between stability and device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved thermal performance, reduced risk of overheating, and enhanced structural integrity by allowing for precise adjustment of the radiator's orientation, minimizing stress on the circuit board, and simplifying assembly while maintaining effective sealing and robustness against vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
the upper wall of the frame being formed from a material that has a deflection temperature under load and being designed to deform in order to allow the orientation of the radiator to be adjusted with respect to the surround of the frame when the upper wall reaches the deflection temperature under load
Implementation Method 2
a radiator intended to cool the component when it is in thermal contact therewith
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic housing element intended to be fastened to a circuit board having a component to be cooled, including: a frame made of plastics material having a rigid surround and an upper wall, and a radiator intended to cool the component, having: a gripping portion protruding from the upper wall of the frame and designed so as to engage with gripping claws of a gripping device, and a holding portion engaging with the upper wall of the frame. The upper wall of the frame is formed from a material that has a deflection temperature under load and is designed to deform in order to allow the orientation of the radiator to be adjusted when the upper wall reaches the deflection temperature under load.