Thermal Loading Device Using Segmented Conductor Tracks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the thermal load capacity of electronic enclosures and heat sinks are non-reproducible and not comparable across different setups and sizes due to undefined measurement parameters, leading to inconsistent results.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a circuit board with conductor tracks and fields, where the conductor track sections are designed to thermally load the enclosure or heat sink based on current feed, allowing for controlled and reproducible thermal loading, enabling the determination of thermal characteristic values such as thermal resistance and conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional heat sources like electrical resistors are used to determine permissible power loss, then thermal load capacity can be measured, but measurement results are not reproducible and not comparable across different setups
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is divided into multiple fields (tiles) with conductor track sections in each field having path lengths greater than the field dimensions. This segmentation creates standardized, reproducible measurement units that can be systematically arranged and compared across different enclosures and heat sinks, eliminating the undefined parameters of conventional single-point heat sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the measurement parameters from conventional electrical resistors to conductor track sections with specifically defined geometric parameters (path length greater than field edge lengths or diagonals). This parameter standardization enables reproducible measurements while maintaining adaptability to different enclosure sizes and configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different measurement setups are used for different enclosures, then specific thermal characteristics can be obtained, but results cannot be compared across different housings or heat sinks
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board with standardized fields and conductor track sections serves as a universal measurement device that can be applied to different enclosures and heat sinks. The standardized geometry (path length > field dimensions) creates a consistent measurement basis that works across various sizes and configurations, enabling both adaptability to different applications and comparability of results.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from point-source or simple linear heat sources to two-dimensional field-based conductor track sections. By ensuring path lengths exceed field dimensions, the measurement captures thermal behavior across multiple spatial dimensions, providing more comprehensive and comparable thermal characteristic data across different enclosure geometries.
3Reliability
If thermal loading is performed with undefined measurement parameters, then thermal characteristics can be determined, but the measurement system lacks reproducibility
Solution Approach 1:
The invention establishes specific geometric parameters for the conductor track sections (path length greater than field edge lengths, diagonals, or perimeter) to replace undefined measurement parameters. This creates a well-defined measurement system that reliably determines thermal characteristics while maintaining clarity in parameter specification.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces conventional electrical resistor heat sources with conductor track sections integrated into circuit boards. This substitution provides more controlled and predictable thermal loading through the defined conductor geometry, improving reliability of thermal characteristic determination while simplifying the measurement system through integration.
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
Enables reproducible and comparable thermal loading of enclosures and heat sinks, allowing for accurate determination of thermal characteristics, improving the reliability of thermal index determination and selection of suitable enclosures for electronic circuits.
Implementation Method 1
the conductor track sections are each configured to thermally load the enclosure and/or the heat sink depending on a current feed to the respective conductor track
Data Source
AI summary
A device for thermally loading an enclosure and/or a heat sink includes: at least one circuit board arranged or arrangeable in the enclosure or on the heat sink, each at least one circuit board having at least one conductor track and at least two fields within each of which a continuous electrically conductive track section of the at least one conductor track runs, a path length of the at least one conductor track section within each of the at least two fields being greater than one or each edge length of a respective field or one or each diagonal of the respective field or a perimeter of the respective field. The fields include tiles of a tiling of a first side of the circuit board The conductor track sections each thermally load the enclosure and/or the heat sink depending on a current feed to the respective conductor track.