Half-Bridge Electronic Assembly With Cooling Blocks and EMC Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic assemblies with insulating component carriers for half bridges in voltage regulators and transformers suffer from inefficient heat transfer and electromagnetic compatibility issues due to the low heat conductivity of insulators and the generation of strong magnetic and electric fields.
Innovation Solution
The electronic assembly eliminates the insulating component carrier, directly mounting switches on metal cooling blocks with coolant channels, and incorporates a compensation line with a half-bridge capacitor to counteract magnetic fields and a closed housing to limit electric fields, using a multi-layer printed circuit board for precise component placement and a dielectric for enhanced electrical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an insulating component carrier is used to mount electronic switches, then electrical insulation is achieved, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the insulating component carrier from the heat transfer path entirely. The electronic switches are mounted directly on metal housing parts that serve as cooling elements, eliminating the insulator that was blocking efficient heat transfer from the switches to the coolant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the housing structure with the cooling function by making the housing parts themselves the cooling elements. The metal housing serves dual purposes: providing structural support and acting as a heat sink with integrated coolant channels, eliminating the need for separate insulating and cooling components.
2Reliability
If bond wires are used to electrically connect electronic switches, then electrical connection is achieved, but magnetic field generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the bond wires from the electrical connection path. Instead of using traditional bond wires to connect the electronic switches, the patent uses direct metal-to-metal contacts through the housing structure, eliminating the large-area circuits that generate strong magnetic fields.
3Loss of energy
If a component carrier with metal coating is used, then heat distribution is improved, but capacitance increases causing electromagnetic interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the plate capacitor structure formed by the metal-coated component carrier. By eliminating the insulating carrier and its metal coatings, the patent removes the large capacitance that was causing electromagnetic interference from displacement currents.
4Loss of energy
If cooling channels are integrated into housing parts, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but electrical insulation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different parts of the housing. The housing parts that contact electronic switches are made of electrically conductive metal for efficient heat transfer, while coolant channels are created through these same parts. Electrical insulation is achieved locally at specific contact points rather than requiring the entire housing to be insulating.
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 significantly improves heat dissipation and electromagnetic compatibility by enhancing coolant flow and spatially confining electromagnetic interference, reducing the impact of high-frequency currents and potential differences within the assembly.
Implementation Method 1
When a coolant flows through these cooling channels, the heat energy absorbed by the coolant can be transported to the outside
Implementation Method 2
The component carrier forms the bottleneck of the heat transfer path. Due to the transfer of the heat by way of lattice vibrations of the insulator
Implementation Method 3
only a considerably lower heat flow can be transported than by metals whose heat transfer is based on moving electrons
Implementation Method 4
incorporates a compensation line with a half-bridge capacitor to counteract magnetic fields
Implementation Method 5
a closed housing to limit electric fields, using a multi-layer printed circuit board for precise component placement and a dielectric for enhanced electrical strength
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic assembly having an electrical DC link with a positive pole and a negative pole is provided. The electronic assembly includes at least one half bridge having an electronic high-side switch connected to the positive pole and an electronic low-side switch connected to the negative pole. The assembly further includes at least one metal low-side cooling block on which at least one low-side switch is arranged, and for each high-side switch a metal high-side cooling block on which the high-side switch is arranged. The cooling blocks have cooling channels connected to one another. The two electronic switches are electrically connected by a connecting line, which has a half-bridge tap of the half bridge, and by a compensation line, which runs parallel to the connecting line, to the high-side switch and to the low-side switch.