Electric Component Heat Bridge for Lower-Cost PCB Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric components in modules suffer from increased temperature due to energy dissipation, leading to reduced lifetime and potential failure, and conventional cooling methods like thermal paste reduce design flexibility and increase manufacturing costs.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a cooling element with a heat bridge that conducts heat from the electric element to the circuit board, providing additional parallel heat paths and reducing thermal stress, thus allowing for reduced component count and area consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If thermal paste material is arranged between the electric component and circuit board to reduce thermal stress, then temperature control is improved, but design flexibility is reduced and manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature controlVSAvoiddesign flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the thermal management function from the circuit board assembly and integrates it directly into the electric component through a cooling element with heat bridges. This eliminates the need for separate thermal paste materials and dedicated thermal paths in the PCB, thereby restoring design flexibility while maintaining effective temperature control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Temperature

If multiple electric components are cascaded to distribute currents and reduce thermal stress, then temperature control is improved, but area consumption and manufacturing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal stress reductionVSAvoidcircuit board area

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges multiple thermal management functions into a single integrated cooling element that can be attached to one electric component. The cooling element with its heat bridges provides effective heat dissipation without requiring multiple distributed components, thereby reducing area consumption while maintaining thermal stress reduction benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If thermal paste is applied to improve heat conduction, then heat transfer performance is improved, but the electrical connection design flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat transfer performanceVSAvoidelectrical connection design

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces a cooling element with heat bridges as an intermediary between the electric component and the heat dissipation path. This intermediary structure provides dedicated thermal conduction pathways that are electrically isolated from the electrical connection design, allowing independent optimization of both thermal and electrical connections without mutual interference.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Temperature

If thermal paste is used for thermal management, then heat dissipation is improved, but manufacturing costs and process complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipationVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the thermal management function into a separate, standardized cooling element that can be pre-manufactured and then attached to the electric component. This segmentation allows for specialized mass production of the cooling element with optimized heat bridge structures, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to integrating thermal paste application into the general assembly process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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 cooling element maintains lower operating temperatures, increasing component lifetime and reducing manufacturing costs while enhancing design flexibility and electrical performance.

Implementation Method 1

The cooling element is a heat bridge that is provided to and adapted to conduct heat from the underside of the electric element to the underside of the cooling element and/or from the lead to the underside of the cooling element

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS20250234492A1Electric component with improved cooling and corresponding module

Publication Date: 2025.07.17 TDK EURO GMBH

AI summary

In an embodiment an electric component includes an electric element with an underside and a lead at the underside and a cooling element comprising an underside, wherein the cooling element is arranged below the electric element, and wherein the cooling element is a heat bridge configured to conduct heat from the underside of the electric element to the underside of the cooling element and/or from the lead to the underside of the cooling element.