Immersed Electronics Layout With Upward Flow for Local Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The demand for reducing the size of electric devices in vehicles like electric and hybrid automobiles leads to increased local temperatures due to reduced heat-dissipation areas, posing a risk of thermal failure in nearby components and circuits.
Innovation Solution
An electric device design that immerses at least one electronic component in a liquid insulating-and-cooling medium, with the circuit substrate oriented horizontally, allowing natural convection of the cooling medium to distribute heat and suppress local temperature increases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of the electric device is reduced, then the device becomes more compact, but the heat-dissipation area is reduced causing local temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies liquid cooling by filling the case with a liquid insulating-and-cooling medium that circulates through channels in the heat-dissipation-part forming member. This hydraulic cooling system enables effective heat removal from compact electronic components, allowing device size reduction without causing dangerous local temperature increases.
2Productivity
If electronic components are mounted closer together to reduce device size, then mounting density increases, but thermal interference between components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid insulating-and-cooling medium serves as an intermediary between closely mounted electronic components. It provides both thermal conduction to remove heat and electrical insulation to prevent short circuits, enabling high mounting density while controlling thermal interference through its dual functional properties.
3Device complexity
If conventional air cooling is used, then the structure is simple, but dust particles can cause short-circuiting between components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces air with a liquid insulating-and-cooling medium that fills the case and provides an inert environment free of dust particles. This liquid environment eliminates the risk of dust-induced short circuits while maintaining cooling functionality, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing structural 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 design effectively suppresses local temperature rises, enabling a reduction in device size and mounting density while improving thermal dispersion and reducing the risk of short-circuiting from dust particles.
Implementation Method 1
the heated liquid insulating-and-cooling medium rises along the substrate surface of the circuit substrate. Accordingly, natural convection of the liquid insulating-and-cooling medium occurs in the case, heat is distributed in the case, and a local temperature increase in the electric device is suppressed
Implementation Method 2
Heat dissipated from the electronic component disposed on the lower side of the case is transferred to the liquid insulating-and-cooling medium
Data Source
AI summary
An electric device includes a case, a circuit substrate that is disposed in the case, and electronic components that are disposed in the case, and generate heat when energized. The case is filled with a liquid insulating-and-cooling medium, the circuit substrate is disposed in an orientation in which the normal lines of the substrate surfaces that are the plate surfaces of the circuit substrate are horizontal, the electronic components are disposed on the lower side of the case, and at least some of the electronic components are immersed in the liquid insulating-and-cooling medium.