JP2013197177A - Cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling device capable of improving cooling efficiency of a heating element.SOLUTION: A cooling type cooling device includes: a box-shaped airtight case in which an introduction port and a discharge port of cooling water are provided; and a plate-shaped cooling fin which is erected on an internal wall surface of the airtight case so that a long side becomes parallel to the flow direction of the cooling water. The plurality of cooling fins are provided in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the cooling water. A part or all of a columnar component included between the adjacent cooling fins is erected on the internal wall surface on which the cooling fins are provided or the internal wall surface opposite to this internal wall surface out of the internal wall surface of the airtight case.

Description

 The present invention relates to a cooling device.

  Conventionally, for example, a water-cooled heat sink is often used as a cooling device for cooling a heating element such as a power semiconductor element (see Patent Document 1 below). In general, this water-cooled heat sink has a box-shaped sealed case provided with cooling water inlets and outlets, and the inner wall of the sealed case has a long side parallel to the flow direction of the cooling water. It is comprised from the plate-shaped cooling fin erected so that it may become.

 In the water-cooled heat sink having such a configuration, the heating element is disposed on the outer wall surface of the sealed case (the outer wall surface facing the inner wall surface provided with the cooling fin) via an intermediate heat transfer layer made of a substrate, a thermal compound, or the like. In this state, when the cooling water is circulated in the sealed case, the heat generated in the heating element is transmitted through the path of intermediate heat transfer layer → sealed case → cooling fin → cooling water and released to the outside.

JP 2006-156711 A

In the water-cooled heat sink with the above configuration, when paying attention to the temperature distribution of the cooling water in the vicinity of the cooling fin, the cooling water in the region very close to the cooling fin (proximity region) is relatively hot, but the region farther than that (remote region) ) Cooling water is presumed to be kept at a low temperature. That is, it is considered that only the cooling water that passes through the adjacent area of the cooling fin contributes to cooling of the heating element, and the cooling water that passes through the remote area does not contribute to cooling of the heating element.
Therefore, conventionally, most of the cooling water introduced into the water-cooled heat sink (in the sealed case) is discharged to the outside without contributing to the cooling of the heating element, and the cooling capacity of the cooling water is efficiently improved. I could not make use of it.

 This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and aims at providing the cooling device which can improve the cooling efficiency of a heat generating body.

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, as a first solution means for a cooling device, a box-shaped sealing case provided with a cooling water inlet and outlet, and an inner wall surface of the sealing case, In the water-cooling type cooling device provided with plate-like cooling fins standing upright so that the long sides thereof are parallel to the flow direction of the cooling water, the cooling fins correspond to the flow direction of the cooling water. Are provided between the adjacent cooling fins on the inner wall surface provided with the cooling fin or on the inner wall surface facing the inner wall surface. Or the means that the columnar part in which all are contained is installed is employ | adopted.

 Further, in the present invention, as a second solving means relating to the cooling device, a means is adopted in which a plurality of the columnar parts are provided in the flow direction of the cooling water in the first solving means.

 According to the present invention, when the cooling water flows in the sealed case, the low-temperature cooling water passing between the adjacent cooling fins flows so as to collide with the columnar part and bypass the periphery of the columnar part. The low-temperature cooling water and the high-temperature cooling water passing through the adjacent region of the cooling fin can be forcibly mixed. That is, in the present invention, the low-temperature cooling water that has been discharged to the outside of the sealed case without contributing to the cooling of the heating element can be effectively used for cooling the heating element in the present invention. Efficiency can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the water cooling type heat sink 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the water cooling type heat sink. It is a figure which shows the structure of the general water-cooling type heat sink 10, and its subject.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, in order to facilitate understanding of the cooling device according to the present embodiment, a general configuration of a cooling device (water-cooled heat sink) that cools, for example, a power semiconductor element as a heating element and its problems will be described with reference to FIG. explain.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a general water-cooled heat sink 10 includes a box-shaped sealed case 11 provided with a cooling water inlet 11a and a discharge port 11b, and a A plate-like cooling fin 12 is provided on the inner wall surface 11c so that its long side is parallel to the flow direction of the cooling water (X-axis direction in the drawing). A plurality of cooling fins 12 are provided at regular intervals along a direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) orthogonal to the flow direction of the cooling water.

  In the water-cooled heat sink 10 having such a configuration, a semiconductor module including, for example, three power semiconductor elements 23 on the outer wall surface 11d of the sealed case 11 (the outer wall surface facing the inner wall surface 11c provided with the cooling fins 12). 20 is installed via the thermal compound 30. The semiconductor module 20 is one of the module components that constitute an inverter mounted on a hybrid vehicle, for example, and is installed on the upper surface of the plate-like base member 21 at three intervals along the X-axis direction. An insulating substrate 22 and a power semiconductor element 23 mounted on each of these three insulating substrates 22 are provided.

  In this semiconductor module 20, the insulating substrate 22 and the power semiconductor element 23 are covered with a resin case 24 installed on the base member 21 in a sealed state, and are exposed outside the resin case 24. The bus bar 25 as an electrode member and the aluminum wire 26 are electrically connected.

  As described above, the power semiconductor element 23 is sealed on the outer wall surface 11d of the sealed case 11 in the water-cooled heat sink 10 through the intermediate heat transfer layer including the insulating substrate 22, the base member 21, the thermal compound 30, and the like. When the cooling water is circulated in the case 11, the heat generated in the power semiconductor element 23 is transmitted through the path of the intermediate heat transfer layer → the sealed case 11 → the cooling fin 12 → the cooling water and released to the outside.

  In the water-cooled heat sink 10 having the above configuration, when attention is paid to the temperature distribution of the cooling water in the vicinity of the cooling fin 12, the cooling water in the adjacent region W1 of the cooling fin 12 becomes relatively high as shown in FIG. It is presumed that the cooling water in the remote area W2 that is further away is kept at a low temperature. That is, it is considered that only the cooling water that passes through the proximity region W1 of the cooling fin 12 contributes to cooling of the power semiconductor element 23, and the cooling water that passes through the remote region W2 does not contribute to cooling of the power semiconductor element 23.

  Therefore, in the conventional water-cooled heat sink 10 having a general configuration, most of the cooling water introduced into the sealed case 11 is discharged to the outside without contributing to the cooling of the power semiconductor element 23. The cooling capacity of water could not be used efficiently. In FIG. 3B, the dotted line arrow to which the reference symbol F1 is given indicates the flow of high-temperature cooling water that passes through the proximity region W1 of the cooling fin 12, and the solid line arrow to which the reference symbol F2 is assigned is the cooling fin. The flow of the low temperature cooling water which passes 12 remote area | regions W2 is shown.

  The cooling device according to the present embodiment solves the problems of the conventional water-cooled heat sink 10 as described above, and realizes an improvement in the cooling efficiency of the power semiconductor element 23 that is a heating element. Hereinafter, the cooling device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the same components as those of the conventional water-cooled heat sink 10 shown in FIG. It shall be.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a water-cooled heat sink 1 which is a cooling device according to the present embodiment. 1A is a view of the water-cooled heat sink 1 viewed from the Y-axis direction, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the water-cooled heat sink 1, and FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of the type | formula heat sink 1. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the water-cooled heat sink 1 according to the present embodiment, adjacent cooling fins on the inner wall surface 11 e facing the inner wall surface 11 c provided with the cooling fins 12 among the inner wall surfaces of the sealed case 11. A plurality of columnar components (columnar components) 13 including a part (tip portion) between 12 are erected. The arrangement position of the cylindrical part 13 on the Y-axis is preferably an intermediate position between the adjacent cooling fins 12 so that the low-temperature cooling water passing through the remote region W2 of the cooling fin 12 collides with the cylindrical part 13. .

 A plurality of cylindrical parts 13 are provided at regular intervals along the X-axis direction. Although there is no particular restriction on the arrangement position of the cylindrical component 13 on the X axis, as shown in FIG. 1A, when a plurality of power semiconductor elements 23 are provided along the X axis direction, they are adjacent to each other. It is desirable to arrange the power semiconductor element 23 at an intermediate position.

 According to the water-cooled heat sink 1 having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), when cooling water flows through the sealed case 11, low-temperature cooling water that passes between adjacent cooling fins 12 is used. (Refer to reference numeral F2) collides with the cylindrical part 13 and flows so as to bypass the periphery of the cylindrical part 13, so that the low-temperature cooling water and the high-temperature cooling water that passes through the adjacent region W1 of the cooling fin 12 (see reference numeral F1). Can be forcibly mixed.

 That is, the low-temperature cooling water that has been discharged to the outside of the sealed case 11 without contributing to the cooling of the power semiconductor element 23 in the related art is replaced with the high-temperature cooling water that passes through the proximity region W1 of the cooling fin 12 in this embodiment. When used for refreshing, the power semiconductor element 23 can be effectively used for cooling, and as a result, the cooling efficiency of the power semiconductor element 23 can be improved.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, For example, the following modifications are mentioned.
(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the columnar component 13 is erected on the inner wall surface 11e facing the inner wall surface 11c provided with the cooling fins 12 is exemplified. The invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 2A, a cylindrical part 14 may be erected on the inner wall surface 11 c provided with the cooling fins 12.

 Here, FIG. 2A illustrates a case where the cylindrical component 14 including a part between adjacent cooling fins 12 is erected on the inner wall surface 11c of the sealed case 11, but FIG. As shown in b), a cylindrical part 15 that is entirely included between adjacent cooling fins 12 may be erected on the inner wall surface 11 c of the sealed case 11.

(2) In the above embodiment, the cylindrical part 13 whose tip is opened is illustrated. However, as shown in FIG. 2C, the cylindrical part 16 whose length is set to contact the inner wall surface 11c on the opposite side. May be provided on the inner wall surface 11 e of the sealed case 11. The same applies to the cylindrical parts 14 and 15 erected on the inner wall surface 11 c of the sealed case 11.

(3) In the above embodiment, the columnar component 13 is exemplified as the columnar component, but the shape of the columnar component of the present invention is not limited to this, and a polygonal column component such as a quadrangular column component or a triangular column component may be used.

(4) In the above embodiment, the water-cooled heat sink 1 that cools the power semiconductor element 23 used in the hybrid vehicle is exemplified as the cooling apparatus according to the present invention. However, the cooling apparatus according to the present invention is the power semiconductor element 23. However, the present invention can be widely applied to a system that cools a heating element that generates high-temperature heat with cooling water.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 10 ... Water-cooled heat sink (cooling device), 11 ... Sealed case, 12 ... Cooling fin, 13, 14, 15, 16 ... Cylindrical component (columnar component), 20 ... Semiconductor module, 21 ... Base member, 22 ... Insulation Substrate, 23 ... Power semiconductor element (heating element), 24 ... Resin case, 25 ... Bus bar, 26 ... Aluminum wire, 30 ... Thermal compound

Claims (2)

A box-shaped sealed case provided with cooling water inlets and outlets, and a plate-like shape standing on the inner wall surface of the sealed case so that the long sides thereof are parallel to the flow direction of the cooling water. In the water-cooling type cooling device including the cooling fins,
A plurality of the cooling fins are provided in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the cooling water,
Of the inner wall surface of the sealed case, a columnar part including a part or all of the cooling fins is provided between the adjacent cooling fins on the inner wall surface provided with the cooling fin or the inner wall surface facing the inner wall surface. A cooling device characterized by that.   The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the columnar parts are provided in a flow direction of the cooling water.

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