Electronic Control Unit Gas Expansion Cooling Without Moving Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic control units in motor vehicles face overheating issues due to high temperatures, especially when located near gearboxes or internal combustion engines, leading to potential failure and reduced service life, with existing cooling methods being inefficient and requiring large surfaces or wear-prone components like fans.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a gas cooling duct system that uses compressed gas, which expands to cool the electronic control unit, separating the gas from the unit to prevent impurities and using a heat sink for enhanced heat transfer, without requiring moving parts like fans, allowing for selective cooling of power components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If passive cooling by convection or fans is used, then cooling effect is achieved, but device complexity increases and reliability decreases due to wear-prone components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cooling systems (fans, moving parts) with a gas expansion cooling system. Compressed gas expands in an expansion chamber, absorbing heat from the electronic control unit through thermal conduction, thereby cooling the unit without any mechanical moving parts that would wear out.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses compressed gas (pneumatic system) as the cooling medium. The gas is stored under pressure in a reservoir, then released to expand in an expansion chamber where it absorbs heat from the electronic control unit, providing cooling through pneumatic principles rather than mechanical means.
2Temperature
If large surfaces are used for heat output, then cooling capacity increases, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs compressed gas expansion as the cooling mechanism, which provides high cooling capacity per unit volume. The expanding gas absorbs significant heat energy, allowing effective cooling without requiring large heat dissipation surfaces like traditional convection cooling would demand.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermodynamic parameters of the cooling medium by using compressed gas that undergoes pressure and temperature changes during expansion. This allows the system to achieve high cooling capacity through controlled parameter changes rather than relying on large surface areas for heat transfer.
3Temperature
If compressed gas is used for cooling, then cooling efficiency improves, but risk of impurity contact with electronic components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gas cooling system into separate functional zones: a gas reservoir, an expansion chamber where cooling occurs, and a sealed interface with the electronic control unit. This segmentation prevents direct contact between the compressed gas (and any impurities it may contain) and the electronic components, while still allowing efficient heat transfer through the controlled interface.
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 solution effectively cools electronic control units without wear-prone components, maintaining them within a desired temperature range, enhancing performance and service life while maintaining a compact design and reducing ambient temperature influence.
Implementation Method 1
In the expansion section, a flow cross section of the gas cooling duct widens in order to expand and cool the compressed gas in order to cool the first electronic control device
Implementation Method 2
The gas cooling duct is connected in a thermally conductive fashion to the first electronic control device
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an electronic control unit for a motor vehicle, having a first electronic control device, in particular a first equipped circuit board. The electronic control unit additionally has a gas cooling duct for conducting a compressed gas. The gas cooling duct is connected in a thermally conductive fashion to the first electronic control device, and is designed to separate the compressed gas from the first electronic control device. The gas cooling duct has an expansion section in which a flow cross section of the gas cooling duct widens in order to expand and cool the compressed gas in order to cool the first electronic control device.