Electric Range Air Guide Design for PCB Cooling Outside Heat Sink Zone

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Solution Overview

Problem

In electric ranges, the air flowing through the air guide does not effectively cool the printed circuit board outside the air guide, leading to overheating issues, as it primarily focuses on cooling the heat sink.

Innovation Solution

The design includes an air guide with a side outlet that disperses air to cool the printed circuit board outside the air guide, using a combination of first and second side outlet parts with adjusted cross-sectional areas to ensure uniform airflow and effective cooling of both the heat sink and the printed circuit board.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the air guide cross-sectional area is increased to improve airflow to the heat sink, then heat sink cooling is enhanced, but airflow distribution to other areas becomes uneven

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidairflow distribution uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The air guide employs asymmetric outlet design where the first outlet portion and second outlet portion have different cross-sectional areas. This asymmetric configuration creates different airflow rates through each outlet, allowing the larger first outlet to deliver sufficient air to the heat sink while the smaller second outlet provides appropriate airflow to the PCB area, achieving uniform airflow distribution across different cooling zones.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

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

This configuration ensures that the air blowing fan's airflow is utilized to cool the entire printed circuit board, including areas outside the air guide, thereby suppressing overheating and improving the overall cooling efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

an air blowing fan mounted on the base bracket and discharging air toward the heat sink

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

a heat sink being mounted on the printed circuit board

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat Sink: Heat Sink

Data Source

PatentEP4096362A1Electric range
Publication Date: 2022.11.30 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP4096362A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4096362A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4096362A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

An electric range of one embodiment may include a case, a cover plate being coupled to an upper end of the case to allow an object to be heated to be placed on an upper surface thereof, a heat sink, an air blowing fan, wherein the air blowing fan is configured to discharge air toward the heat sink, and an air guide formed to be in communication with the air blowing fan, and arranged to surround the heat sink to form a flow path of air that cools the heat sink, wherein the air guide is provided with an side outlet being formed in a portion in which the air guide communicates with the air blowing fan, and wherein the air guide is configured to discharge a portion of air flowing from the air blowing fan outward.