Integrated Cooling Housing for Power Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective housings for power electronics fail to provide effective insulation and cooling in dusty and moist environments while being cost-effective and compact, which is crucial for outdoor applications and portable devices.
Innovation Solution
A protective housing with a shell made from electrically insulating material, incorporating a cooling element with increased surface area for heat dissipation, filled with an electrically insulating and flame-retardant material, and featuring channels for efficient filling and potential fluid connection to enhance cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective housing is designed to provide effective insulation and cooling for power electronics in dusty and moist environments, then the protection class and cooling efficiency are improved, but the manufacturing cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cooling element and protective housing into a single integrated structure. The cooling element's cover plate forms the closed shape of the housing, eliminating the need for separate housing components. This integration maintains IP67 protection class while reducing structural complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling element serves multiple functions: it provides thermal management through heat dissipation surfaces, forms the protective housing structure, and creates the sealed enclosure for IP67 protection. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining all required protection and cooling functions.
2Temperature
If the cooling element surface area is increased for better heat dissipation, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the device volume and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling element utilizes three-dimensional space efficiently by extending heat dissipation surfaces in multiple directions. The side plates and cover plate create a volumetric cooling structure that maximizes surface area within the compact housing volume, enabling effective heat dissipation without proportionally increasing device size.
3Volume of moving object
If the housing is made compact for portable devices, then the volume is reduced, but the cooling effectiveness and insulation quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling element concentrates heat dissipation functionality in specific local areas through strategically positioned side plates and cover plate surfaces. This localized cooling approach provides effective thermal management in compact volumes by directing cooling resources where they are most needed rather than uniformly distributing them.
4Reliability
If filling material is used to seal the housing for IP67 protection, then the protection against dust and water is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged into the integrated cooling element structure. The cooling element's design inherently provides the sealed enclosure needed for IP67 protection, eliminating the need for separate sealing components or complex assembly steps while maintaining effective waterproofing and dust protection.
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 solution provides a compact, cost-effective, and efficient cooling system that ensures the power electronics are sealed against dust and water, allowing for dense packing and improved heat dissipation, thus increasing the component's lifetime and meeting IP67 protection standards.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling element comprises, in addition to the cover plate, two side plates. Thus, the surface of the cooling element for radiating heat to the external is increased.
Implementation Method 2
the heat transfer element connects the heat coupling element and the cooling element. Thus, the heat is transferred more efficiently from the heat generating electronic to the heat radiating cooling element.
Implementation Method 3
the shell itself insulates the electrically functional component
Implementation Method 4
the electrically functional component is sealed and electrically insulated
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a protective housing for an electronic module and to a corresponding method of assembling a protective housing with an electronic module. The protective housing comprises a shell (102) which defines an inner compartment (103) for accommodating an electrically functional component (104), a cooling element (106) comprising a cover plate (108), a first side plate (110), and a second side plate (112), the first side plate (110) and second side plate (112) extending from the cover plate (108) and facing each other, thereby forming an inside surface, an outside surface, and an edge (118) of the cooling element, wherein at least a part of said inside surface of the cooling element (106) covers the shell (102) to form a cover of the inner compartment (103), at least one cut-out (120) which is part of the cover plate (108) for filling the inner compartment (103) with an electrically insulating material, at least one first channel (122) forming partly the cover plate (108), wherein the first channel connects opposing edges (118) of the cooling device (106) and increases the volume of the inner compartment (103), and wherein said inner compartment (103) is filled with the electrically insulating material leaving a void (154, 156) in at least a part of said first channel (122).