PCB Radar Stack Cooling Plates for Compact Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar systems, particularly high-power systems, face challenges in effectively dissipating heat without increasing system size or compromising the protection of electronic circuitry from the external environment, especially in stacked architectures where cooling elements may not extend close to all active components.
Innovation Solution
The radar system is arranged with functional layers grouped into analog and digital sub-stacks, each with dedicated cooling plates in close proximity, connected via external heat sinks, and a common enclosure that is air and water-tight, allowing for efficient heat removal through separate cooling fluid paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cooling plate is used for the entire stack, then the structure is simple, but cooling efficiency is insufficient for high-power systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling system into multiple independent cooling plates, each dedicated to specific PCB layers. This segmentation allows each cooling plate to be optimized for its specific thermal load, improving overall heat dissipation efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
2Temperature
If cooling elements are placed close to heat-generating components, then cooling efficiency is improved, but system size increases due to bulkiness
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plates are integrated within the existing stack of PCB layers, nesting the cooling function within the structural framework. This allows cooling elements to be positioned close to heat-generating components without significantly increasing the overall system volume, as the cooling plates occupy space within the existing stack architecture.
3Temperature
If heat spreading elements such as fins are added to the heat sink, then heat removal capability is improved, but the heat sink becomes bulkier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional air-cooled fin structures with liquid-cooled heat sinks that use circulating fluid to transfer heat. This hydraulic cooling method achieves superior heat removal capability without requiring bulky fin structures, as the liquid coolant can efficiently carry heat away through confined channels within a compact heat sink volume.
4Volume of moving object
If a stacked architecture is used to achieve compactness, then system compactness is improved, but heat dissipation effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The stacked architecture is segmented into multiple cooling zones with dedicated cooling plates for different PCB layers. This segmentation maintains the compact stacked form factor while improving heat dissipation effectiveness by providing targeted cooling to high-power components in specific layers, preventing thermal bottlenecks that would occur with a single unified cooling approach.
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 ensures effective heat dissipation while maintaining system compactness and protection, with improved temperature uniformity and simplified maintenance by allowing individual sub-stack components to be easily accessed.
Implementation Method 1
each of said at least two cooling plates being in thermal contact with one of said sub-stacks
Implementation Method 2
at least two cooling plates being thermally connected with each other by cooling fluid transferring means
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~11
AI summary
A radar system comprising a stack of functional printed circuit boards arranged in layers, housed in a common enclosure, in which the stack of functional printed circuit boards layers comprises at least two sub-stacks and at least two cooling plates, wherein each of the cooling plates is in thermal contact with one of the sub-stacks, and wherein at least two cooling plates are thermally connected with each other by cooling fluid transferring means and are connected to a heat sink external to the common enclosure.