Hermetic Enclosure With PCB Panel For Convection Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cooling methods for hermetically encapsulated electronic devices in sealed enclosures, such as ARINC 600 LRU enclosures, are inefficient and expose devices to external environments, leading to potential damage and reduced reliability due to unfiltered air and risks of fire expansion.
Innovation Solution
A sealable enclosure design where one of the PCBs forms a panel, allowing air to flow through for heat dissipation without exposing electronic devices to external air, using heat sinks and convection to absorb and evacuate heat while maintaining a sealed environment, achieving IP65, IP66, and IP67 ratings and controlling pressure drops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air is used to cool electronic components in a sealed enclosure, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but the electronic devices are exposed to external harmful environments
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into two distinct zones: a sealed internal chamber containing the electronic devices and an external cooling structure. This segmentation allows the internal electronics to remain protected from external harmful factors while the external structure handles heat dissipation functions, resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and environmental protection.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealed enclosure acts as an intermediary barrier between the electronic devices and the external environment. The enclosure allows thermal energy to pass through (via conduction through walls and integrated heat sinks) while blocking harmful external factors such as salt-filled air, moisture, and particles from contacting the electronics, thus enabling cooling without exposure.
2Temperature
If air streaming is used for cooling, then heat removal is effective, but filtering requirements increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful filtering function is extracted from the cooling path and replaced by the sealed enclosure structure. Instead of filtering air that streams directly over the electronics, the design extracts the protection function into the enclosure walls themselves, eliminating the need for complex filtering systems while maintaining effective heat removal through the sealed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical filtering system is replaced by a passive sealed enclosure design. Rather than using active filtration mechanisms to clean cooling air, the invention substitutes a hermetic seal that inherently blocks contaminants, simplifying the system while maintaining both cooling effectiveness and device protection.
3Reliability
If the enclosure is sealed for protection, then device reliability is improved, but traditional cooling methods become ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed enclosure utilizes thin-walled structures and integrated heat sink designs that conduct heat efficiently through the enclosure walls. This allows the sealed shell to serve dual purposes: providing hermetic protection for reliability while simultaneously enabling thermal dissipation through conduction, thus maintaining both reliability and cooling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides hermetic sealing for device protection, serves as a thermal conduction path for heat removal, and integrates heat sink surfaces for enhanced dissipation. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the sealed enclosure itself the cooling mechanism rather than a barrier to cooling.
4Device complexity
If unfiltered air is used for cooling, then system simplicity is maintained, but device damage from external environment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a protected internal zone and an external cooling zone. The sealed enclosure creates this segmentation, allowing unfiltered external air to be used for cooling while the internal electronics remain isolated from harmful environmental factors, maintaining system simplicity without compromising device 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
This design provides a more reliable and efficient cooling process, reducing the mean time between failures (MTBF) and enhancing the reliability of electronic devices by encapsulating them from external harm while adhering to ARINC 600 standards, using conduction cooling and controlled air pressure.
Implementation Method 1
allowing air to flow through for heat dissipation without exposing electronic devices to external air, using heat sinks and convection to absorb and evacuate heat
Implementation Method 2
using heat sinks and convection to absorb and evacuate heat
Implementation Method 3
encapsulating them from external harm while adhering to ARINC 600 standards
Implementation Method 4
using conduction cooling and controlled air pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an enclosure for encapsulating one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) configured for having electronic devices mounted thereon. The enclosure includes a main chassis body including a bottom portion and an outer wall including connectable panels for encasing the main chassis body. The enclosure also includes a top portion configured for completing a seal between the main chassis body and the outer wall, wherein one of the PCBs forms one of the connectable panels.