CN218181999U

CN218181999U - Heat transfer structure, DCDC converter, power distribution module, and power distribution unit

Info

Publication number: CN218181999U
Application number: CN202222257983.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邢欢; 冯素金; 陈柯沩; 康恩溥; 徐骏祺; 姜小花; 李修平
Original assignee: Bosch Automotive Products Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bosch Automotive Products Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-26
Filing date: 2022-08-26
Publication date: 2022-12-30
Anticipated expiration: 2032-08-26

Abstract

Disclosed are a heat transfer structure for an inductance device, a DCDC converter, a power distribution module for an electrochemical cell, and a power distribution unit for a new energy automobile. The heat transfer structure comprises the inductive device; a housing having an interior space containing the inductive device, and at least one sidewall defining the interior space, the at least one sidewall having a hot zone and a cold zone; an encapsulation material filled in the inner space to isolate the inductance device from an outside of the housing; the heat transfer structure further includes a pulsating heat pipe extending disposed on the at least one sidewall, the pulsating heat pipe including a plurality of capillaries passing through the hot and cold zones to transfer heat from the hot zone to the cold zone.

Description

Heat transfer structure, DCDC converter, power distribution module, and power distribution unit

Technical Field

The application belongs to the field of automobile part manufacturing, and particularly relates to a heat transfer structure for an inductive device and a DCDC converter comprising the heat transfer structure. The application also relates to a power distribution module for an electrochemical cell, and a power distribution unit for a new energy vehicle.

Background

With the rapid development of electric vehicles (EVs, including hybrid electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles), new demands for solving the problem of overheating of electronic components have also risen correspondingly. The most advanced techniques for material cooling are to replace the original material or to incorporate thermally conductive fillers, such as graphene, in the matrix material. However, both of these approaches can be complex and expensive because of the additional processes required. Therefore, there is a need to develop a solution that can directly promote the heat dissipation of the housing material.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

One aspect of the present application is directed to a heat transfer structure for an inductive device, comprising: the inductance device; a housing having an interior space containing the inductive device and at least one sidewall defining the interior space, the at least one sidewall having a hot zone and a cold zone; an encapsulation material filled in the inner space to isolate the inductance device from an outside of the housing; wherein the heat transfer structure further comprises a pulsating heat pipe extending disposed on the at least one sidewall, the pulsating heat pipe comprising a plurality of capillaries, the capillaries passing through the hot zone and the cold zone.

In one embodiment of the heat transfer structure, the interior of the at least one sidewall has a cavity that houses the pulsating heat pipe.

In one embodiment of the heat transfer structure, the at least one sidewall is made of an aluminum alloy material.

In one embodiment of the heat transfer structure, the housing is rectangular with four sidewalls in the circumferential direction and a bottom wall on the bottom, an opposing set of the four sidewalls or all of the four sidewalls being provided with the pulsating heat pipe; the inductor is an inductor coil, the top of the shell is an opening through which the output pin of the inductor coil is filled with the packaging material, and the bottom wall is provided with a radiator positioned outside the shell.

In one embodiment of the heat transfer structure, the heat sink is configured as cooling ducts or fans distributed at the bottom of the housing.

In one embodiment of the heat transfer structure, the heat sink is configured to abut a bottom wall of the housing and extend up to the at least one side wall in the circumferential direction.

The heat transfer structure according to the present application has a Pulsating heat Pipe (Pulsating Pipe) disposed in a sidewall, and heat transferred to the sidewall can be well dissipated even without an additional connection of an external component. Pulsating heat pipes involve a phase change of the working liquid. The capillary of the pulsating heat pipe passes through the hot and cold zones of the sidewall. The end of the capillary tube passing through the hot zone is a hot end, and the end passing through the cold zone is a cold end. The inductance device provides the heat source during operation, and the hot junction absorbs energy and the phase transition from the heat source is steam, and through inside drive power, the cold junction is sent to the steam, and the cold junction dispels the heat with heat transfer to cold district. Whereby heat is transferred via the pulsating heat pipe. The heat dissipation capability through the side wall on which the pulsating heat pipe is arranged is improved. The heat of the inductive device can be removed quickly.

The pulsating heat pipe has a very high degree of freedom in pipe manufacturing according to requirements, such as changing working fluid, increasing the number of turns, alternately using pipe diameters, and the like. And compared with the traditional heat pipe, the length of the pulsating heat pipe is lengthened, which is beneficial to heat conduction. The provision of pulsating heat pipes on the side walls allows the desired heat dissipation to be achieved at a relatively low cost.

The pulsating heat pipe may be disposed inside a sidewall that reserves a cavity to accommodate the pulsating heat pipe. The cavity may house the pulsating heat pipe or the cavity may be directly sealed and evacuated and filled with a working liquid to form the pulsating heat pipe. The pulsating heat pipe may also be formed outside and/or inside the sidewall.

The side wall is made of an aluminum alloy material. The side walls may also be made of other metals.

The housing is rectangular in shape. The side wall is formed as a wall in the rectangular circumferential direction. The opening of the housing is for a pin-out of an inductive device, such as an inductive coil. The bottom of the shell is provided with a radiator. Therefore, the heat of the inductor device needs to be transferred from top to bottom. The pulsating heat pipe has no restriction on the location of the cold and hot ends. By means of the pulsating heat pipe, the heat of the inductance device can be transferred from top to bottom. The shape of the housing may also be other shapes such as cylindrical or irregular cylindrical. The pulsating heat pipe is arranged on one or more pairs of side walls or even all of the side walls.

Another aspect presented herein is to provide a DCDC converter including the heat transfer structure discussed above. The DCDC converter includes a step-up type, step-down type, or hybrid type converter. The DCDC converter has good heat dissipation performance.

It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a power distribution module for an electrochemical cell. The power distribution module has a housing with a cavity containing a heat generating power element, the cavity being defined by at least one sidewall of the housing, the at least one sidewall having a hot zone and a cold zone. The housing further includes a pulsating heat pipe extending across the at least one sidewall, the pulsating heat pipe including a capillary tube, the capillary tube passing through the hot zone where the capillary tube receives heat generated by the power element and a cold zone where the capillary tube transfers the heat out for further cooling.

The pulsating heat pipe is combined on the side wall, so that the heat of the power element is transferred to the radiator through the pulsating heat pipe, and the heat radiation capacity of the electrochemical cell is improved. The electrochemical cell may be a fuel cell or a lithium cell.

The "at least one side wall of the housing" may be an outer side wall of the housing or a side wall inside the housing for forming a cavity. The side walls forming the cavity inside the housing may be manufactured integrally with the outer side walls of the housing.

At least one side wall of the housing may be a side wall in the circumferential direction of the chamber, the bottom of the chamber being a bottom wall, the bottom wall being provided with a heat sink located outside the chamber.

Still another aspect of the present application is to provide an electric power distribution unit for a new energy automobile. The power distribution unit may be a charging and distribution unit, in particular a charging and distribution unit (charcon) of a pure electric vehicle, comprising the above discussed heat transfer structure. The power distribution unit may also be an integrated module for a hybrid vehicle comprising the DCDC converter discussed above.

By arranging the pulse heat pipe on the side wall, the heat dissipation performance of the lithium battery or the fuel cell can be improved, and smaller modification cost is maintained.

Herein, the term "interior" refers to an interior space of an object, such as an interior space of a housing, an interior space of a sidewall; the term "exterior" as opposed to "interior" refers to the external environment of an object; the terms "inside" and "outside" of the sidewall refer to the "inside surface" and "outside surface" of the sidewall, respectively.

Other aspects and features of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the application, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein, and that, unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Drawings

The present application will be more fully understood from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the views. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a pulsating heat pipe in a heat transfer structure to which the present application relates;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a heat-transfer structure to which the present application relates;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a sidewall in a heat-transfer structure to which the present application relates.

Detailed Description

To assist those skilled in the art in understanding the subject matter claimed herein, a detailed description of the present application is provided below along with accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a pulsating heat pipe. The pulsating heat pipe 5 is a closed loop type heat pipe, and comprises a plurality of capillaries arranged in an end-to-end manner. The tube is filled with a working liquid after evacuation. The bubble column and the liquid column are formed in the tube and are arranged at intervals and in a random distribution state. Pulsating heat pipe 5 includes a hot end 51 and a cold end 52 as shown. At the hot end 51, the working fluid absorbs heat to produce bubbles which expand and rise in pressure rapidly, pushing the working fluid to flow to the cold end. At the cold end 52, the bubble cools, contracts and collapses, and the pressure drops. Due to the pressure difference between the two ends and the pressure imbalance between the adjacent heat pipes, the working fluid oscillates between the hot end 51 and the cold end 52, and thus the heat transfer is realized. The arrangement of hot and cold ends 51 and 52 is not limited thereto, for example, they are arranged upside down.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a heat transfer structure to which the present application relates. The heat transfer structure comprises an inductive device 1 and a housing 2. The inductive device 1 may be, but is not limited to, an inductor coil. The inductive device 1 may also be another heat generating power element. The housing 2 comprises a plurality of side walls 21 and a bottom wall on the bottom 24, the top of which has an opening 29. The plurality of side walls 21 and the bottom 24 define an inner space 23 of the housing 2. The inductance device 1 is housed therein. The inner space 23 is filled with an encapsulating material 3 to provide fixing, protection, insulation, heat conduction, etc. for the inductive device 1. The packaging material 3 is a potting compound made of a polymer material, such as but not limited to polyurethane glue. A potting compound is injected into the inner space 23 via the opening to fill the housing 2, and after it has solidified and cooled, the inductive device 1 is encapsulated within the housing 2. The leads of the inductive device 1 may extend out through the opening 29. Fig. 2 shows the internal structure of the housing 2 in a simplified manner, and in addition to the provision of the inductive device 1, there may be other arrangements such as a positioning mechanism for the inductive device, which are not described in detail here.

The housing 2 is made of metal. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 2 is made of an aluminum alloy material.

The heat transfer structure further comprises a heat sink 4 arranged outside the housing 2, below the bottom 24 of the housing 2. The heat sink 4 may be a cooling channel arranged at the bottom 24 of the housing 2, through which a cooling medium, such as water, flows. The heat sink 4 may also be a fan arranged adjacent the bottom 24 of the housing 2.

Pulsating heat pipes (not shown) are arranged on the side walls 21. The side wall 21 has a hot zone 211 and a cold zone 212, the capillary tube passing through the hot zone 211 and the cold zone 212. In hot zone 211 the hot side of the pulsating heat pipe is close to the potting material 3 and in cold zone 212 the cold side of the pulsating heat pipe is close to the heat sink 4, transferring heat from the inductive device 1 from the inside to the outside of the housing 2 and from above to below (the bottom of the housing). If the pulsating heat pipe is not arranged, the heat transfer efficiency of the metal casing 2 such as an aluminum casing is poor, and the heat sink 4 is arranged outside and at the bottom of the casing 2, the positive heat dissipation effect cannot be achieved. The addition of a pulsating heat pipe provides a heat transfer path.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a pulsating heat pipe and sidewall combination. The pulsating heat pipe 5 is disposed inside the side wall 21, i.e., inside the side wall 21 has a cavity 22 that accommodates the pulsating heat pipe. As can be seen in the figures, the side wall 21 is divided at the time of manufacture into two

halves

25, 26, each having half a

cavity

201, 202. When the two

halves

25, 26 are assembled, the respective cavity halves 201, 202 combine into a complete cavity 22 for forming the pulsating heat pipe 5. The pulsating heat pipe may be in a closed loop type as shown in the figure or in an open loop type. The specific parametric design of the heat pipe may be based on technical requirements. The pulsating heat pipe 5 may also be formed by forming a cavity 22 inside the side wall 21 at the same time as the casing 2 is cast.

In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 2 is configured to be generally rectangular (i.e., rectangular in cross-section) having four side walls 21 in the circumferential direction and a bottom wall on the bottom 24. The pulsating heat pipe 5 may be disposed on one sidewall 21, an opposing pair of sidewalls 21, or all four sidewalls 21. The pulsating heat pipe may also extend over the side wall 21 in the circumferential direction, for example to the bottom wall, or even across the bottom wall to the opposite side wall 21. The heat sink 4 is arranged outside the housing 2 and at the bottom 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the inductor device 1 provides heat that is transferred to the hot region 211 of the sidewall via the encapsulation material 3, and the upper end of the pulsating heat pipe 5 is close to the encapsulation material 3 and is the hot end 51; the lower end is near the heat sink 4 as the cold end 52. At the bottom, the side wall 21 has a cold zone 212 due to the presence of a heat sink. Heat is transferred from top to bottom. The hot and cold ends 51 and 52 of the pulsating heat pipe 5 are determined by the locations of the hot and

cold zones

211 and 212 of the sidewall 21, i.e., the heat source and heat sink, independent of the orientation of its pulsating heat pipe 5 itself. Therefore, the orientation of the housing 2 is not limited in terms of heat dissipation. The side wall 21 may be a wall perpendicular to the bottom 24 of the housing 2 or may be an inclined wall that forms an angle with the bottom 24 of the housing 2. The housing 2 may be of other cylindrical configurations including cylindrical (circular in cross-section) or irregular (irregular in cross-section), with the side wall 21 being a wall in the circumferential direction of the housing 2.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the heat sink 4 extends to the bottom of the side wall 21. The heat is transferred directly from top to bottom to the heat sink 4.

In a DCDC converter, a heat transfer structure as discussed above may be provided.

In a power distribution module for an electrochemical cell, the module has a heat transfer structure as discussed above. The module has a housing with a cavity that houses a heat generating electrical component such as an inductive device, for example, but not limited to, an inductive coil. The housing has at least one sidewall defining at least a portion of the interior space of the chamber and having a hot zone and a cold zone, with a pulsating heat pipe extending within the sidewall. Wherein the capillary of the pulsating heat pipe passes through the hot and cold zones. The hot zone is proximate to the power components and the cold zone is proximate to the heat sinks disposed in the power distribution module. As discussed above, the pulsating heat pipe is formed directly as a cavity inside the sidewall, or the pulsating heat pipe is embedded inside the sidewall. The side wall and the shell are manufactured and molded simultaneously.

The electrochemical cell may be a fuel cell and the power distribution module includes, but is not limited to, a DCDC module, a PDU module, and the like.

The heat transfer structure of the present application is used for a hybrid electric vehicle or a pure electric vehicle. When used in a pure electric vehicle, the heat transfer structure may be integrated with a DCDC converter, or as a charging and power unit (charcon) for a lithium battery.

While specific embodiments of the present application have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the principles of the application, it will be understood that the application may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

Claims

1. A heat transfer structure for an inductive device, comprising:

the inductive device (1);

-a housing (2), the housing (2) having an inner space (23) accommodating the inductive device (1), and at least one side wall (21) defining the inner space (23), the at least one side wall (21) having a hot zone (211) and a cold zone (212);

an encapsulation material (3), the encapsulation material (3) being filled in the inner space (23) to isolate the inductive device (1) from the outside of the housing (2);

characterized in that the heat transfer structure further comprises a pulsating heat pipe (5), the pulsating heat pipe (5) being arranged extending over the at least one side wall (21), the pulsating heat pipe (5) comprising a plurality of capillaries, the capillaries passing through the hot zone (211) and the cold zone (212).

2. The heat transfer structure of claim 1, wherein: the interior of the at least one side wall (21) has a cavity (22) accommodating the pulsating heat pipe (5).

3. The heat transfer structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the at least one side wall (21) is made of an aluminium alloy material.

4. The heat transfer structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the shell (2) is rectangular and is provided with four side walls in the circumferential direction and a bottom wall on the bottom (24), and one group of side walls or all side walls in the four side walls are provided with the pulsating heat pipe (5); the inductor (1) is an inductor, the top of the shell (2) is an opening (29) of an output pin of the inductor, and a radiator (4) located outside the shell (2) is arranged on the bottom wall.

5. The heat transfer structure of claim 4, wherein: the heat sink (4) is configured as a cooling duct or fan distributed at the bottom (24) of the housing (2).

6. The heat transfer structure of claim 4, wherein: the heat sink (4) is configured to abut a bottom wall of the housing (2) and extend up to the at least one side wall (21) in the circumferential direction.

7. A DCDC converter characterized by having the heat transfer structure for an inductive device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A power distribution module for an electrochemical cell, the power distribution module having a housing with a chamber containing a heat-generating power element, the chamber being defined by at least one sidewall of the housing, the at least one sidewall having a hot zone (211) and a cold zone (212), characterized by: the housing further comprises a pulsating heat pipe extending disposed on the at least one side wall, the pulsating heat pipe comprising a plurality of capillaries, the capillaries passing through the hot zone (211) and the cold zone (212).

9. The power distribution module of claim 8, wherein: the interior of the at least one side wall has a cavity that houses the pulsating heat pipe; and a radiator positioned outside the cavity is arranged at the bottom of the cavity.

10. An electric power distribution unit for a new energy automobile, characterized in that the electric power distribution unit is a charging and distribution unit comprising a heat transfer structure according to any one of claims 1-6, or the electric power distribution unit is integrated with a DCDC converter according to claim 7.