Spring Element Housing Grooves for Power Semiconductor Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing arrangements for contacting electronic components with cooling surfaces using spring elements often apply shear stresses to the components and soldering points during assembly, potentially causing damage, and require additional fastening elements or complex alignment procedures.
Innovation Solution
The housing is designed with recessed pairs of grooves on its side walls, allowing the spring element to be inserted parallel to the cooling surface and automatically locked into place with a perpendicular force, eliminating the need for thrust forces along the connecting wires and enabling secure contact without additional fastening elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If spring elements are used to press power semiconductors against heat sinks, then cooling efficiency is improved, but shear stresses are applied to components and soldering points during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is mounted perpendicular to the cooling surface (changing the dimension of installation), allowing the pressing force to be applied purely in the perpendicular direction without generating shear stresses during assembly. The grooves guide the spring element into position without requiring thrust forces parallel to the cooling surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves in the housing serve as intermediary guiding structures that channel the spring element into the correct position and orientation, ensuring that the pressing force is applied perpendicular to the cooling surface without generating harmful shear stresses during assembly.
2Reliability
If additional fastening elements are used to secure spring elements, then fixing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is designed to be self-securing through the groove structure. The grooves automatically guide and retain the spring element in place through its own elastic deformation and geometry, eliminating the need for additional fastening elements like screws or clips.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing function is merged with the guiding function by integrating the retention mechanism directly into the groove structure of the housing. The same grooves that guide the spring element also secure it in place, combining multiple functions into a single structural feature.
3Volume of moving object
If spring elements are mounted perpendicular to the cooling surface, then assembly space is reduced, but alignment precision becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves act as intermediary alignment guides that precisely position the spring element during insertion. The groove geometry provides mechanical guidance that ensures accurate alignment without requiring complex adjustment procedures, even with the perpendicular mounting orientation.
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 solution ensures reliable heat dissipation without applying shear forces to the components or soldering points, simplifies the assembly process, and allows for high contact pressure with a single spring element suitable for all semiconductor components, reducing the risk of damage and assembly complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element (2) which can be fastened in the housing and has at least one spring arm (10) which presses the component against the cooling surface in a pressure position of the spring element
Implementation Method 2
In order to ensure the cooling of power semiconductors, they are placed in thermally conductive contact with a heat sink
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The current invention relates to the layout of at least one contact in a housing (4) with an electronic component installed with component leads (24), especially a power semiconductor (24) on a cooling surface (26) and a spring component(2) with at least one spring arm (10) that can be mounted into a housing (4) whereby when the spring arm(10) of the spring component(2) is in a position to apply pressure, it presses the component (24) against the cooling surface (26). The spring component (2) can be inserted into the housing (4) without contacting the component (24) and the housing (4) is constructed with holding contacts (46a, 46b) for the spring element (2) in such a way that no shearing or transverse forces are generated in the lengthwise direction of the component leads during the mounting of the spring component (2). The invention also relates to a spring component (2) for use in a layout in accordance with the invention as well as electronic housing (4) for use in a layout in accordance with the invention.