JP2021022694A - Thermal storage electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thermal storage electronic device that constitutes a cooling system capable of appropriately controlling the cooling capacity of an electronic device while suppressing an increase in volume of a power source and suppressing an increase in performance and cost of the power source as much as possible.SOLUTION: A first thermoelectric element 17 is an element capable of conducting the heat of a fluid R by being energized, and a heat storage material 18 is capable of storing heat. A communication unit U3 receives the driving states of heating elements 21 and 25 by the other electronic device from other one or more electronic devices 2 and 4 cooled by the fluid R. A control IC 16 controls the heat transfer from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 by controlling the energization of the first thermoelectric element 17 on the basis of the drive state received by the communication unit U3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a heat storage electronic device constituting a cooling system.

Conventionally, when a cooling system cools a large number of electronic devices, a technique has been developed in which the electronic devices are installed in a duct and a large number of electronic devices are cooled at once by flowing a cooling fluid through the duct. For example, consider the case where electronic devices are installed on the upstream side, the downstream side, and the middle of the duct. In such a case, the electronic device installed on the upstream side dissipates heat to the fluid flowing through the duct, so that the temperature of the fluid rises. Even if this fluid flows to the downstream side, the temperature difference between the fluid and the electronic device installed on the downstream side becomes relatively small, and the amount of heat radiated from the electronic device on the downstream side becomes small.

For example, if the flow rate and temperature of the fluid are set so that the electronic device installed on the downstream side of the duct is sufficiently cooled, the electronic device on the upstream side is supercooled. Moreover, the power source needs to improve its performance, which increases the cost. Moreover, the volume of the system will increase significantly with the introduction of the cooler.

For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the first power semiconductor module is mounted on the windward side and the second power semiconductor module is mounted on the leeward side, the fin length is continuously and linearly from the windward side to the leeward side. I'm making it longer. However, since the fin length is restricted, it takes time and effort to design the flow rate and temperature of the fluid.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-112151

An object of the present disclosure is to store heat constituting a cooling system that can appropriately control the cooling capacity of an electronic device while suppressing an increase in the volume of the power source and suppressing an increase in the performance and cost of the power source as much as possible. To provide electronic devices.

The invention according to claim 1 is an electronic device of one of a plurality of electronic devices (2, 3, 4; 2, 203, 4; 2, 303, 4) cooled by a cooling fluid (R). It targets a certain heat storage electronic device (3; 203; 303). The thermoelectric element (17) is an element capable of conducting heat of a fluid when energized, and the heat storage material (18) is capable of storing heat. The receiving unit (U3) receives the driving state of the other electronic device from the other electronic device (2, 4) cooled by the fluid. The control unit (16) controls heat transfer from the fluid to the heat storage material by controlling the energization of the thermoelectric element based on the drive state received by the receiving unit. Therefore, the heat storage electronic device can make the heat storage material absorb the heat of the fluid based on the operating state of the other electronic device, and can appropriately control the cooling capacity of the other electronic device that can be cooled by the fluid.

Further, since the heat storage material is incorporated in the heat storage electronic device, it is not necessary to significantly increase the volume of the system, and the performance and cost of the power source can be suppressed. The heat storage electronic device can appropriately control the heat storage of the heat storage material based on the driving state of the other electronic device received by the receiving unit.

For example, consider a case where electronic devices are installed on the upstream side, the downstream side, and in the middle, respectively, as illustrated in the problem column to be solved by the invention. When the driving state of the electronic device installed on the upstream side is high, it is assumed that the amount of heat generated by the electronic device on the upstream side is also large. Therefore, the heat storage electronic device determines the amount of heat absorbed by the fluid to the heat storage material. It is good to increase it. Then, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of heat radiation due to the electronic device on the downstream side. Further, for example, when the driving state of the electronic device installed on the upstream side is relatively low, it is assumed that the amount of heat generated by the electronic device on the upstream side is small. Therefore, the heat storage electronic device is used to transfer the fluid to the heat storage material. It is good to reduce the amount of heat absorbed.

Sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the heat storage electronic device in 1st Embodiment Cross-sectional view schematically showing the overall configuration of the cooling system Cross-sectional view concretely showing the structure of the heat storage electronic device Part 1 of a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of another electronic device Part 2 of the cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of other electronic devices Part 1 of the explanatory diagram of heat transfer action Part 2 of the explanatory diagram of heat transfer action Sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the heat storage electronic device in 2nd Embodiment Sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the heat storage electronic device in 3rd Embodiment Part 1 of the explanatory diagram of heat transfer action Part 2 of the explanatory diagram of heat transfer action Part 3 of the explanatory diagram of heat transfer action

Hereinafter, some embodiments will be described. In each embodiment, the parts having the same function may be designated by the same reference numerals and the description may be omitted as necessary.

(First Embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling system 1 includes a plurality of electronic devices 2 to 4, a duct 5, and a power source 6 for flowing a cooling fluid R.

The duct 5 has an elongated tubular shape, and a power source 6 is installed inside the duct 5. The power source 6 is configured by connecting, for example, a blower 9 that blows air as a fluid R and a drive device 10, and the drive device 10 drives the blower 9 to flow the fluid R from the upstream to the downstream of the duct 5. .. Although the form in which the fluid R is used as the cooling air will be described, for example, cooling water or the like may be applied as the fluid R by using the pump as the driving device 10.

A part of each of the electronic devices 2 to 4 is contained in the same duct 5, and the electronic devices 2 to 4 are installed so as to be coolable by the fluid R. The electronic devices 2 to 4 of the present embodiment are configured so that the fins 11 to 13 are exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. The fins 11 to 13 are provided to increase the thermal conductivity with the fluid R. The fins 11 to 13 of the electronic devices 2 to 4 are installed so as to be exposed inside the duct 5. As a result, when the power source 6 causes the fluid R to flow in the duct 5, the fins 11 to 13 come into contact with the fluid R, and the fluid R absorbs the heat of the fins 11 to 13. The electronic device 3 is installed in the middle of the installation locations of the other electronic devices 2 and 4, and is connected to the other electronic devices 2 and 4 installed on the upstream side and the downstream side by harnesses 14 and 15, respectively. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 3 includes a housing in which a lower housing 3a made of metal or resin and an upper housing 3b are integrated, and a closed space 3c is formed inside the housing. The electronic device 3 includes a heat storage device 8, a circuit board 19, and a control IC 16 as a control unit mounted on the circuit board 19 in the enclosed space 3c. The control IC 16 has a built-in communication unit U3. In addition, although not shown, surface mount components such as diodes, resistors and capacitors, and discrete components are mounted on the circuit board 19.

A step portion is formed on the upper end peripheral portion of the lower housing 3a, and the peripheral edge portion of the circuit board 19 is fitted to the step portion. As a result, the circuit board 19 is housed in the closed space 3c in a positioned state. The lower housing 3a and the upper housing 3b of the electronic device 3 are made of a metal having a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum (Al) or iron (Fe).

Hereinafter, the electronic device 3 provided with the heat storage device 8 will be referred to as a “heat storage electronic device 3”. The heat storage electronic device 3 is a device having a relatively small calorific value as compared with the other electronic devices 2 and 4. Further, harnesses 14 and 15 are connected to the circuit board 19. The heat storage device 8 is composed of a first thermoelectric element 17 in contact with the upper housing 3b and a heat storage material 18 in contact with the first thermoelectric element 17. The first thermoelectric element 17 is composed of, for example, a Peltier element, and is fixed to the upper housing 3b with screws (not shown). The first thermoelectric element 17 is capable of conducting heat between the contacted fins 12 and the heat storage material 18, whereby heat can be exchanged with the fluid R. A printed wiring board (not shown) is configured on the circuit board 19, and the control IC 16 and the first thermoelectric element 17 are electrically connected to each other.

The heat storage material 18 of the heat storage device 8 is mounted on, for example, a circuit board 19, and can store heat inside. The heat storage material 18 is composed of an element such as a resin-molded coil and a connector for connecting to other electrical components. It is desirable that the heat storage material 18 is composed of components having a relatively large heat capacity among the elements mounted on the circuit board 19. When the heat storage electronic device 3 realizes other functions such as connection with other actuators, it may be configured to be shared with parts that need to be configured to realize the other functions. .. In this case, the heat storage electronic device 3 can use a pre-mounted element or the like as the heat storage material 18, eliminates the need to mount a new heat storage material on the circuit board 19, and can suppress an increase in the physique of the heat storage electronic device 3. ..

As shown in FIG. 3, a thermal interface material G (TIM) is applied between the first thermoelectric element 17 and the heat storage material 18 and between the upper housing 3b and the first thermoelectric element 17, respectively. Has been done. The thermal interface material G is applied to reduce the thermal resistance. The first thermoelectric element 17 and the heat storage material 18, the upper housing 3b and the first thermoelectric element 17 come into contact with each other via the thermal interface material G, so that heat can be efficiently conducted.

The communication unit U3 is a unit capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from other electronic devices 2 and 4, and is in a driving state of the heat generating elements 21 and 25 in the other electronic devices 2 and 4 from the other electronic devices 2 and 4. It functions as a receiver that receives information as data. The control IC 16 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the electronic device 3 in an integrated manner.

When the control IC 16 applies, for example, a positive current to the first thermoelectric element 17, the first thermoelectric element 17 can absorb heat from the fins 12 and dissipate heat to the heat storage material 18. On the contrary, when the control IC 16 applies, for example, a negative current to the first thermoelectric element 17, the first thermoelectric element 17 can absorb heat from the heat storage material 18 and dissipate heat to the fluid R through the fins 12.

Similarly, the electronic device 2 shown in FIG. 4 includes a housing that is installed upstream of the heat storage electronic device 3 and is configured by integrating a lower housing 2a and an upper housing 2b made of metal or resin. A closed space 2c is formed inside the closed space.

The electronic device 2 includes a circuit board 20, a heat generating element 21 composed of an integrated circuit device mounted on the circuit board 20, and a control IC 23 in the enclosed space 2c. The control IC 23 has a built-in communication unit U2. Other surface mount components such as diodes, resistors and capacitors, and discrete components are mounted on the circuit board 20, but the illustration is omitted.

A step portion is formed on the upper end peripheral portion of the lower housing 2a, and the peripheral edge portion of the circuit board 20 is fitted to the step portion. As a result, the circuit board 20 is housed in the closed space 2c in a positioned state. The communication unit U2 is a unit capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the heat storage electronic device 3, and functions as a transmission unit that transmits the drive state of the heat generation element 21 as data to the heat storage electronic device 3. The control IC 23 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the electronic device 2 in an integrated manner.

The electronic device 2 is composed of, for example, an engine control unit or an automatic driving control unit that consumes about several tens of watts to several hundreds of watts, and the driving state of the heat generating element 21 fluctuates depending on the running state of the vehicle, and this driving state It is a device whose calorific value fluctuates based on. The heat generating element 21 comes into contact with the fins 11 via the heat radiating gel or the heat radiating grease 22 to transfer heat. The harness 14 is electrically connected between the communication unit U2 of the electronic device 2 and the communication unit U3 of the heat storage electronic device 3. As a result, the heat storage electronic device 3 can receive information on the driving state of the heat generating element 21 from the electronic device 2.

The electronic device 4 shown in FIG. 5 is installed downstream of the heat storage electronic device 3 and includes a housing formed by integrating a lower housing 4a and an upper housing 4b made of metal or resin, and is inside the housing. It constitutes a closed space 4c. The electronic device 4 includes a circuit board 24, a control IC 23 mounted on the circuit board 24, and a heat generating element 25 in the enclosed space 4c. The control IC 23 has a built-in communication unit U4.

The communication unit U4 is a unit capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the heat storage electronic device 3, and functions as a transmission unit that transmits the drive state of the heat generating element 25 as data to the heat storage electronic device 3. The control IC 23 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the electronic device 4 in an integrated manner.

The heat generating element 25 is, for example, an element such as a DRAM having a junction temperature rating of about 105 ° C., which has a relatively low heat resistant temperature. The heat generating element 25 comes into contact with the fins 13 via the heat radiating gel or the heat radiating grease 25a to transfer heat. The harness 15 is electrically connected between the communication unit U3 of the heat storage electronic device 3 and the communication unit U4 of the electronic device 4, and the heat storage electronic device 3 is information on the driving state of the heat generating element 25 from the electronic device 4. Can be received.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. The control IC 16 receives information on the driving state of the heat generating element 21 from the electronic device 2 by the communication unit U3, and also receives information on the driving state of the heat generating element 25 from the electronic device 4, and responds to the information on the driving state. The operation mode of the heat storage electronic device 3 is switched. The heat storage electronic device 3 includes a "heat absorption mode" in which the heat of the fluid R is absorbed by the heat storage material 18, and a "intraduct heat dissipation mode" in which the heat of the heat storage material 18 is dissipated into the duct 5.

The control IC 23 of the electronic device 2 transmits information on the driving state of the heat generating element 21 to the heat storage electronic device 3 using the communication unit U2. The control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 3 switches the operation mode to the "endothermic mode" when it is determined that the heat generation amount of the heat generation element 21 is larger than the predetermined upper limit amount based on the received information on the driving state of the heat generation element 21.
At this time, the control IC 16 passes a positive current through the first thermoelectric element 17, and as shown in FIG. 6, the first thermoelectric element 17 passes through the duct 5 via the upper housing 3b to heat the fluid R. Is absorbed and dissipated to the heat storage material 18. As a result, the heat storage material 18 can absorb the heat of the fluid R and suppress the temperature rise of the fluid R flowing through the duct 5. As a result, the temperature of the fluid R flowing downstream of the heat storage electronic device 3 is lowered, so that the fluid R can absorb the heat radiation by the fins 13 of the electronic device 4, and the heat radiation amount of the electronic device 4 located on the downstream side is reduced. Can be prevented.

On the contrary, when the control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 3 determines that the heat generation amount of the heat generation element 21 is smaller than the predetermined lower limit amount based on the received information on the driving state of the heat generation element 21, the operation mode of the heat storage electronic device 3 To "heat dissipation mode in duct".
At this time, the control IC 16 causes a current of opposite polarity to flow through the first thermoelectric element 17, and as shown in FIG. 7, the first thermoelectric element 17 transfers the heat accumulated in the heat storage material 18 via the upper housing 3b. Heat is dissipated to the fluid R in the duct 5. As a result, the temperature of the heat storage material 18 can be lowered. For example, even if the amount of heat generated by the heat generating element 21 of the electronic device 2 on the upstream side increases after this, the amount of heat absorbed from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 is increased because the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is lowered in advance. Can be increased.

Further, when the first thermoelectric element 17 is energized, the first thermoelectric element 17 itself generates heat, but when it is assumed that the heat generated by the first thermoelectric element 17 exceeds the heat radiation of the heat storage material 18, the control IC 16 is the first. 1 It is preferable to stop the control without energizing the thermoelectric element 17. That is, it is preferable to provide a dead zone for energization control for the first thermoelectric element 17.

<Summary of this embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, the heat storage electronic device 3 receives information on the drive state of the heat generating element 21 from the other electronic device 2 through the communication unit U3, and the first thermoelectric element 17 receives the information on the received drive state. The heat transfer from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 is controlled by controlling the energization.

In particular, the control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 3 transfers heat from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 by energizing the first thermoelectric element 17 according to the driving state of the heat generating element 21 of the other electronic device 2 in the “heat absorption mode”. By doing so, the temperature of the fluid R flowing downstream of the duct 5 can be lowered. As a result, the fluid R can absorb heat radiation from the fins 13 of the electronic device 4, and can suppress a decrease in the heat radiation amount of the electronic device 4. As a result, even if the control IC 23 of the electronic device 2 drives the heat generating element 21 with a high load, the electronic device 4 installed on the downstream side of the heat storage electronic device 3 can be sufficiently cooled.

On the contrary, the heat storage electronic device 3 releases heat from the heat storage material 18 to the fluid R by energizing the first thermoelectric element 17 in the “in-duct heat dissipation mode”. For example, even if the amount of heat generated by the heat generating element 21 of the electronic device 2 on the upstream side increases after this, the amount of heat absorbed from the fluid R can be increased because the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is lowered in advance. it can.

As a result, the volume increase of the power source 6 can be suppressed as much as possible, the performance and cost increase of the power source 6 can be suppressed as much as possible, and the cooling capacity of the electronic device 4 can be appropriately controlled. The cooling capacity for the electronic devices 2 and 4 can be made uniform as much as possible.

(Second Embodiment)
The heat storage electronic device 203 shown in FIG. 8 includes a temperature sensor 27, a second thermoelectric element 28, and another heat storage material 29, in addition to the configuration of the heat storage electronic device 3. The control IC 16 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 27 and the second thermoelectric element 28 by a printed wiring (not shown) formed on the circuit board 19. The temperature sensor 27 is a temperature detection unit composed of, for example, a thermistor. The temperature sensor 27 is mounted on the circuit board 19 and is configured to be in contact with the heat storage material 18, whereby the internal temperature of the heat storage electronic device 203 can be measured in response to measuring the temperature of the heat storage material 18, and the control IC 16 Can acquire the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 27.

The control IC 16 may control the heat transfer from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 based on the determination result of determining whether or not the heat storage material 18 absorbs heat based on the internal temperature of its own heat storage electronic device 203. .. At this time, if the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the control IC 16 may determine that the internal temperature of its own heat storage electronic device 203 is high, and may stop the heat absorption into the heat storage material 18.

Further, another heat storage material 29 is mounted on the circuit board 19. The other heat storage material 29 is configured by a connector or the like for connecting to other electrical components, and is provided separately from the heat storage material 18. It is desirable that the heat storage material 29 is composed of components having a relatively large heat capacity among the elements mounted on the circuit board 19. A second thermoelectric element 28 is installed between the heat storage material 18 and the other heat storage material 29. The second thermoelectric element 28 is electrically connected to the control IC 16, and the control IC 16 can transfer heat from the heat storage material 18 to the other heat storage material 29 by energizing the second thermoelectric element 28. ..

For example, when the temperature measurement result of the heat storage material 18 by the temperature sensor 27 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the control IC 16 energizes the second thermoelectric element 28 to transfer the heat stored in the heat storage material 18 to the other heat storage material 29. Can be heated. As a result, heat can be distributed to the heat storage materials 18 and 29. Therefore, even if the temperatures of both the fluid R and the heat storage material 18 become relatively high, the amount of heat absorbed by the heat storage materials 18 and 29 can be increased.

Further, the control IC 16 energizes the second thermoelectric element 28 based on the information related to the driving state of the other electronic device 2 received by the communication unit U3, and dissipates the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to the other heat storage material 29. You can do it. For example, when the control IC 16 determines that the heat generation amount of the heat generating element 21 received from the other electronic device 2 by the communication unit U3 is larger than the predetermined upper limit amount, the heat storage material 18 dissipates the accumulated heat to the other heat storage material 29. However, it is preferable to absorb heat in the heat storage material 18. As a result, the control IC 16 can distribute the stored heat capacity to the heat storage materials 18 and 29 by dissipating the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to another heat storage material 29 as needed. In this case as well, even if the temperatures of both the fluid R and the heat storage material 18 become relatively high, the amount of heat absorbed by the heat storage materials 18 and 29 can be increased.

Further, the control IC 16 determines the amount of heat radiated from the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to the other heat storage material 29 based on the determination result of determining the magnitude relationship between the temperature value detected by the temperature sensor 27 and the preset set temperature. It may be controlled. For example, the control IC 16 can prevent a decrease in the amount of heat absorbed from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 by dissipating heat from the heat storage material 18 to the other heat storage material 29 when the predetermined constant threshold temperature is exceeded. it can. Thereby, the accumulated heat of the heat storage materials 18 and 29 can be appropriately controlled.

(Third Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 9, the heat storage electronic device 303 includes, in addition to the configuration of the heat storage electronic device 3, a temperature sensor 27 that acquires temperature information of the heat storage material 18, and a third thermoelectric element 28a. An airtight sealing material 30 is interposed between the lower housing 3a and the upper housing 3b as a heat insulating material, and the lower housing 3a maintains the heat insulating performance between the lower housing 3a and the upper housing 3b. There is.

The control IC 16 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 27 and the third thermoelectric element 28a by a printed wiring formed on the circuit board 19. The temperature sensor 27 is composed of, for example, a thermistor, and the control IC 16 can acquire the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 27. The temperature sensor 27 is mounted on the circuit board 19 and is configured to be in contact with the heat storage material 18, whereby the internal temperature of the heat storage electronic device 303 can be measured in response to measuring the temperature of the heat storage material 18.

At this time, the control IC 16 determines whether or not the heat storage material 18 absorbs heat based on the internal temperature of its own heat storage electronic device 303, and controls the heat transfer from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 based on the determination result. Then it is good. At this time, if the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the control IC 16 may determine that the internal temperature of the heat storage electronic device 303 is high, and stop absorbing heat to the heat storage material 18.

Further, the third thermoelectric element 28a is installed so as to come into contact with the heat storage material 18 and also with the lower housing 3a. The third thermoelectric element 28a is composed of a Peltier element and is fixed to the lower housing 3a with screws (not shown). The control IC 16 is electrically connected to the third thermoelectric element 28a, and is configured to be able to energize the third thermoelectric element 28a. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. The control IC 16 switches the operation mode of the heat storage electronic device 303 according to the information on the driving state of the heat generating element 21 by the received electronic device 2. The heat storage electronic device 303 has an "endothermic mode" in which the heat of the fluid R is absorbed by the heat storage material 18, a "heat dissipation mode in the duct" in which the heat of the heat storage material 18 is radiated to the inside of the duct 5, and the heat of the heat storage material 18 is transferred. It is possible to switch to the "external heat dissipation mode" in which heat is dissipated to another fluid R2 (see FIG. 12) outside the duct 5. The fluid R2 may be air or a liquid such as water, but is a fluid that flows in a flow path different from the flow path of the duct 5 through which the fluid R flows.

The control IC 23 of the electronic device 2 transmits information on the driving state of the heat generating element 21 to the heat storage electronic device 3 using the communication unit U2. The control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 303 switches the operation mode to the "endothermic mode" when it is determined that the heat generation amount of the heat generation element 21 is larger than the predetermined upper limit amount based on the received information on the driving state of the heat generation element 21.
In the "endothermic mode", the control IC 16 causes the first thermoelectric element 17 to pass a positive current, so that the first thermoelectric element 17 absorbs the heat of the fluid R flowing through the duct 5 as shown in FIG. Heat is dissipated to the heat storage material 18. As a result, the temperature rise of the fluid R flowing through the duct 5 can be suppressed, and the temperature of the fluid R flowing downstream of the heat storage electronic device 3 can be kept low. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the amount of heat released from the electronic device 4.

On the contrary, when the control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 3 determines that the heat generation amount of the heat generation element 21 is smaller than the predetermined lower limit amount based on the received information on the driving state of the heat generation element 21, the operation mode of the heat storage electronic device 3 To "heat dissipation mode in duct". As shown in FIG. 11, in the "heat dissipation mode in the duct", the control IC 16 passes a current of opposite polarity to the first thermoelectric element 17, so that the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 is transferred to the duct 5 via the upper housing 3b. Heat is dissipated to the fluid R inside. As a result, the temperature of the heat storage material 18 can be lowered. For example, after that, even if the amount of heat generated by the heat generating element 21 of the electronic device 2 on the upstream side increases, the amount of heat absorbed from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 can be increased.

On the other hand, the control IC 16 detects the temperature of the heat storage material 18 by the temperature sensor 27 and determines whether or not the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is larger than a predetermined threshold value. When the temperature of the heat storage material 18 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the control IC 16 switches to the “out-duct heat dissipation mode”.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the "external heat dissipation mode", the control IC 16 energizes the third thermoelectric element 28a to dissipate the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 from the lower housing 3a to the outside of the duct 5. Lowers the temperature of the heat storage material 18. As a result, the heat storage electronic device 3 can lower the temperature of the heat storage material 18 without raising the temperature of the fluid R. Therefore, even if the heat generation element 21 of the electronic device 2 generates a large amount of heat and the temperature of the fluid R rises, the temperature of the heat storage material 18 can be lowered while maintaining the temperature of the fluid R. As a result, even if the temperatures of both the fluid R and the heat storage material 18 become relatively high, the amount of heat absorbed by the heat storage material 18 can be increased.

Further, the control IC 16 energizes the third thermoelectric element 28a based on the information related to the driving state of the other electronic device 2 received by the communication unit U3, and transfers the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to the duct 5 through the lower housing 3a. The heat may be dissipated to another fluid R2 flowing outside the. For example, when the control IC 16 determines that the heat generation amount of the heat generating element 21 received from the other electronic device 2 by the communication unit U3 is larger than the predetermined amount, the heat storage material 18 is transferred to the duct 5 through the lower housing 3a. It is preferable to absorb heat to the heat storage material 18 while dissipating heat to another external fluid R2. As a result, the accumulated heat capacity of the heat storage material 18 can be secured by dissipating the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to another fluid R2 as needed.

Further, the control IC 16 controls the amount of heat radiated from the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 to the fluid R2 based on the determination result of determining the magnitude relationship between the temperature value detected by the temperature sensor 27 and the preset set temperature. Is also good. For example, the control IC 16 can prevent a decrease in the amount of heat absorbed from the fluid R to the heat storage material 18 by dissipating heat from the heat storage material 18 to the fluid R2 when the temperature exceeds a predetermined constant threshold temperature. As a result, the accumulated heat of the heat storage material 18 can be appropriately controlled, and the temperature of the fluid R flowing through the duct 5 can be appropriately controlled.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiment is not limited to the above, and for example, the following modifications or extensions are possible.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the control IC 16 changes and controls the heat storage state of the heat storage electronic devices 3, 203, and 303 according to the information related to the driving state of the heat generating element 21 by the electronic device 2 located on the upstream side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control IC 16 may change and control the heat storage state of the heat storage electronic devices 3, 203, and 303 according to the information related to the driving state of the heat generating element 25 by the electronic device 4 located on the downstream side.

For example, the control IC 16 of the heat storage electronic device 3 determines the amount of heat radiated to the heat storage material 18 when it is assumed that the internal temperature of the electronic device 4 exceeds the upper limit threshold value based on the information on the driving state of the electronic device 4. It is better to increase it more than usual. As a result, the temperature of the fluid R can be lowered more than usual, and the cooling of the electronic device 4 can be promoted.

In the above-described embodiment, the communication unit U3 of the control IC 16 receives information based on the driving states of the other electronic devices 2 and 4. In the above-described embodiment, the information on the driving states of the heat generating elements 21 and 25 is applied as the information based on the driving states of the other electronic devices 2 and 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the temperature sensors 27 are installed in the electronic devices 2 and 4 so as to detect the temperatures of the heat generating elements 21 and 25, the temperature information of the heat generating elements 21 and 25 is applied as information based on the driving state. Is also good. Further, the installation relationship of the electronic devices 2 to 4 is not limited to the illustrated contents.

Further, the heat storage state of the heat storage electronic devices 3, 203 and 303 may be changed and controlled in consideration of both the driving state of the heat generating element 21 by the electronic device 2 and the driving state of the heat generating element 25 by the electronic device 4. .. The entire structure of the electronic devices 2 to 4 may be installed in the duct 5.
The configurations and functions of the plurality of embodiments described above may be combined as necessary.

Although this disclosure has been described in accordance with embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to such embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within an equal range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including one element, more, or less, are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the drawings, 2, 4 are electronic devices (other electronic devices), 3, 203, 303 are electronic devices (heat storage electronic devices), 16 are control ICs (control units), 17 are thermoelectric elements, 18 are heat storage materials, 27. Is a temperature sensor (temperature detection unit), 28 is a thermoelectric element (second thermoelectric element), 28a is a thermoelectric element (third thermoelectric element), 29 is another heat storage material, U3 is a communication unit (receiver), R, R2. Is a fluid.

Claims (9)

One that constitutes a cooling system (1) composed of a plurality of electronic devices (2, 3, 4; 2, 203, 4; 2, 303, 4) installed so as to be able to be cooled by the cooling fluid (R). The heat storage electronic device (3; 203; 303), which is the electronic device of the above.
A first thermoelectric element (17) capable of conducting heat of the fluid when energized,
A heat storage material (18) capable of storing heat and
A receiver (U3) that receives information based on the driving state of the other electronic device from another one or more electronic devices (2, 4) cooled by the fluid.
A control unit (16) that controls heat transfer from the fluid to the heat storage material by controlling energization of the first thermoelectric element based on the information received by the receiving unit.
A heat storage electronic device equipped with. Further equipped with a temperature detection unit (27) for detecting the internal temperature,
The heat storage electron according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls heat transfer from the fluid to the heat storage material based on a determination result of determining whether or not the heat storage material absorbs heat based on the internal temperature. apparatus. The first or second claim, wherein the control unit energizes the first thermoelectric element and controls heat dissipation from the heat storage material to the fluid based on the information related to the other electronic device received by the receiving unit. Heat storage electronic device. It is equipped with a temperature detection unit (27) that detects the internal temperature.
The heat storage electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit energizes the first thermoelectric element based on the internal temperature and dissipates heat stored in the heat storage material to the fluid. .. With another heat storage material (29) configured separately from the heat storage material,
A second thermoelectric element (28) capable of conducting heat to the other heat storage material by being energized is further provided.
The control unit energizes the second thermoelectric element based on the information related to the other electronic device received by the receiving unit, and dissipates the accumulated heat of the heat storage material to the other heat storage material. The heat storage electronic device according to any one of 4 to 4. With another heat storage material (29) configured separately from the heat storage material,
A second thermoelectric element (28) capable of conducting heat to the other heat storage material by being energized is further provided.
According to any one of claims 1 to 5, the control unit energizes the second thermoelectric element based on the internal temperature of the heat storage electronic device and dissipates the accumulated heat of the heat storage material to the other heat storage material. The heat storage electronic device described. A third thermoelectric element (28a) capable of conducting heat to another fluid (R2) different from the fluid when energized is further provided.
From claim 1, the control unit energizes the third thermoelectric element based on the information related to the other electronic device received by the receiving unit to dissipate the accumulated heat of the heat storage material to the other fluid. The heat storage electronic device according to any one of 6. A temperature detection unit (27) that detects the internal temperature,
A third thermoelectric element (28a) capable of conducting heat to another fluid (R2) flowing through a flow path different from the flow path through which the fluid flows when energized is further provided.
The heat storage electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit energizes the third thermoelectric element based on the internal temperature and dissipates the accumulated heat of the heat storage material to the other fluid. .. Further equipped with a temperature detection unit (27) for detecting the internal temperature,
The control unit controls the heat dissipation amount of the accumulated heat of the heat storage material based on the determination result of determining the magnitude relationship between the internal temperature and the preset set temperature according to any one of claims 3 to 8. The heat storage electronic device described.

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