JP6837552B2 - Manufacturing method of cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a cooling device pipe and the cooling member are joined.

Conventionally, there is a cooling device that is mounted on an air conditioner or the like and cools electrical components that generate heat with a fluid. The cooling device is composed of a cooling member with which electrical components come into contact and a pipe through which a cooling fluid flows, and the electrical component is cooled via the cooling member and the pipe. The cooling member and the piping are joined by brazing. Brazing joints can suppress the thermal resistance between the cooling member and the piping to improve the heat transfer performance, but it is difficult to completely suppress the generation of voids at the joints. Therefore, when the copper pipe and the aluminum cooling member are brazed, they may be corroded by contact with dissimilar metals. Also, in general, brazing requires a large amount of processing and equipment costs.

Therefore, it has been proposed to join the pipe and the cooling member at a lower cost than brazing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cooling device of Patent Document 1 blocks the surrounding air and prevents corrosion by covering the surface of the cooling member and the inserted pipe with a coating material after the pipe is inserted into the groove of the cooling member.

Japanese Patent No. 4737272

The joining method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can reduce the cost as compared with brazing. However, even if the surface of the cooling member into which the pipe is inserted is covered with the coating material, a gap is generated inside the groove. Then, due to the gap generated inside, the heat transfer resistance may increase and the cooling capacity may not be sufficiently exhibited.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a method of manufacturing a cooling device that can be improved cooling capacity.

In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present invention, a pipe through which a fluid flows and the pipe are installed on one surface and a heating element is attached to the other surface, and heat is conducted between the piping and the heating element. A cooling member, a pair of claws provided on the one surface of the cooling member, curved along the outer periphery of the pipe, and a pair of claws for fixing the pipe, and a pair of claws provided between the pair of claws. A coating material made of a fluid is provided, and the coating material includes a portion between the pair of claws in the cooling member so as to cover the outer periphery of the pipe, and the pair of claws and the outer periphery of the pipe. In the method of manufacturing the cooling device provided between the two, the step of applying the coating material between the pair of claws and the piping between the pair of claws to which the coating material is applied. To the cooling member and wrap the coating material around the outer periphery of the pipe, and the pair of claws are bent along the pipe to fix the pipe to the cooling member via the coating material. a step, was closed, in the step of fixing the pipe to the cooling member, by bending along the pair of claw portions on the pipe, the coating material flows along the outer periphery of the pipe.

According to the manufacturing method of the cooling device of the present invention, since the coating material is filled without gaps between the pipe and the pair of claw portions, the formation of an air layer is suppressed, the cooling capacity by reducing the heat transmission resistance Can be demonstrated.

It is a refrigerant circuit diagram which shows the state which the cooling device 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is installed in a refrigerant circuit. It is a top view which shows the state attached to the control device cover 101 of the cooling device 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the AA cross section of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the block 20a before molding of the cooling member 20 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the coating process of the coating material 30 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state before pressing in the installation process of the pipe 10 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state after pressing in the installation process of the pipe 10 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state before the caulking process of the cooling apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state after the caulking process of the cooling apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a state in which the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the refrigerant circuit. The air conditioner 400 has a heat source unit 200 and a plurality of load units 300. The heat source unit 200 includes a compressor 211, a flow path switching device 212, and a heat source side heat exchanger 213. Further, the heat source unit 200 has a control device 100 and a temperature sensor 120 that detects the temperature of the heating element 110 of the control device 100.

The compressor 211 compresses and discharges the refrigerant. The flow path switching device 212 is composed of, for example, a four-way valve or the like, and switches the refrigerant flow path between the cooling operation and the heating operation. The heat source side heat exchanger 213 exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 211 and the air, and functions as a condenser during the cooling operation and as an evaporator during the heating operation.

The load unit 300 includes a load-side throttle device 301 and a load-side heat exchanger 302. In FIG. 1, two load units 300 are connected to one heat source unit 200, but three or more or one load unit 300 may be connected. The load-side throttle device 301 is composed of, for example, an electronic expansion valve or a capillary tube, and decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing in from the heat source-side heat exchanger 213. The load-side heat exchanger 302 exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed by the load-side throttle device 301 and air, and functions as an evaporator during the cooling operation and as a condenser during the heating operation.

The compressor 211, the flow path switching device 212, the heat source side heat exchanger 213, the load side throttle device 301, and the load side heat exchanger 302 are connected by a refrigerant pipe to the main circuit 210 of the refrigerant circuit. Consists of. As the refrigerant, for example, water, fluorocarbon, ammonia, carbon dioxide and the like are used.

The heat source unit 200 includes a bypass circuit 220 for cooling the heating element 110 of the control device using a refrigerant. The bypass circuit 220 includes a precooling heat exchanger 222, a flow rate adjusting device 223, and a cooling device 1. The precooling heat exchanger 222 is integrally configured with the heat source side heat exchanger 213, and a part of the heat source side heat exchanger 213 is used as the precooling heat exchanger 222. The precooling heat exchanger 222 cools the refrigerant that branches from the main circuit 210 and flows in. The flow rate adjusting device 223 is composed of an electronic expansion valve or the like having a variable opening degree, and decompresses and expands the refrigerant cooled by the precooling heat exchanger 222. The cooling device 1 cools the heating element 110 of the control device 100 by the cooling heat of the refrigerant decompressed by the flow rate adjusting device 223.

In the bypass circuit 220, the precooling heat exchanger 222, the flow rate adjusting device 223, and the cooling device 1 are connected by a bypass pipe 221. The bypass pipe 221 branches from the high pressure pipe 401 between the compressor 211 and the flow path switching device 212, and is connected to the low pressure pipe 402 on the suction side of the compressor 211. Although the flow rate adjusting device 223 is provided on the inlet side of the cooling device 1 in FIG. 1, the flow rate adjusting device 223 may be provided on the outlet side of the cooling device 1. When the flow rate adjusting device 223 is provided on the inlet side of the cooling device 1, the refrigerant cooled by the precooling heat exchanger 222 is depressurized by the flow rate adjusting device 223 and flows into the cooling device 1 in a state where the temperature is further lowered.

The control device 100 controls the frequency of the compressor 211, the switching of the flow path switching device 212, the opening degree of the load side throttle device 301, and the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting device 223. The control device 100 acquires temperature information from the temperature sensor 120, opens the flow rate adjusting device 223 when the temperature of the heating element 110 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature, and adjusts the flow rate when the temperature of the heating element 110 is equal to or lower than the lower limit temperature. Control the device 223 to close.

The high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 211 flows through the main circuit 210 and exchanges heat with air in the load unit 300 to perform cooling or heating. When the temperature of the heating element 110 rises above the upper limit temperature, the control device 100 controls the flow rate adjusting device 223 to open, and a part of the high pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 211 flows into the bypass pipe 221.

The high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the bypass pipe 221 is cooled by the precooling heat exchanger 222 to become a liquid refrigerant, is depressurized by the flow rate adjusting device 223, and flows into the cooling device 1. The liquid refrigerant flowing into the cooling device 1 absorbs the heat generated by the heating element 110, becomes a gas refrigerant, and flows out to the bypass pipe 221. The gas refrigerant flowing out of the cooling device 1 is sucked into the compressor 211 through the bypass pipe 221. At this time, when the temperature of the heating element 110 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature, the control device 100 causes the heating element 110 to flow into the bypass circuit 220 to cool the heating element 110, and the temperature of the heating element 110 is equal to or lower than the lower limit temperature. In that case, the inflow of the refrigerant into the bypass circuit 220 is closed.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state of being attached to the control device cover 101 of the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG. The configuration of the cooling device 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The cooling device 1 is installed on the control device cover 101 of the control device 100, and cools the heating element 110 that generates heat. Here, the heating element 110 is an electrical component that generates heat, such as a power module, among a plurality of electrical components constituting the control device 100.

The cooling device 1 includes a pipe 10, a cooling member 20, a coating material 30, and the like. The pipe 10 is made of heat-conducting aluminum, copper, or the like. The pipe 10 is, for example, a circular pipe, which is formed in a U shape having a curved pipe portion and has an inflow port 11 provided on one end side and an outflow port 12 provided on the other end side. Refrigerant flows through the pipe 10 from the inflow port 11 toward the outflow port 12 in the direction of arrow R. The pipe 10 is not limited to the U-shaped pipe described above, and is, for example, a straight pipe, a pipe meandering so as to form a plurality of curved pipe portions, or an inlet 11 and an outlet 12. It may be a pipe branched into a plurality of branch pipes between them.

The cooling member 20 has a pipe 10 installed on one surface 21 and a heating element 110 attached to the other surface 22. The cooling member 20 is made of a heat-conducting member such as aluminum or copper, and conducts heat between the pipe 10 and the heating element 110. In particular, when the cooling member 20 is made of aluminum, it is easy to process. FIG. 2 shows a case where a plurality of cooling members 20 are installed on the control device cover 101, but the cooling members 20 may be a continuous member.

A pair of claw portions 23 for fixing the pipe 10 are provided on one surface 21 of the cooling member 20 by, for example, integral molding or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of claw portions 23 has a shape protruding from the base end portion 24 connected to one surface 21 of the cooling member 20, and is curved along the pipe 10. Further, on one surface 21 of the cooling member 20, an installation recess 27 for installing the pipe 10 is provided between the pair of claws 23. Then, the inner surface 26 of the pair of claw portions 23 and the installation recess 27 are joined to the pipe 10. The pipe 10 may be joined in all the regions on the cooling member 20 as shown in FIG. 2, or may be joined only in a part of the regions.

The coating material 30 is provided between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 and closes the gap between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20. The coating material 30 is a fluid such as a silicon material, and is made of a material having good thermal conductivity, fluidity, and less likely to generate bubbles. The silicon material is suitable as the coating material 30 because it has heat resistance and cold resistance that sufficiently satisfy the range of use of the refrigerant temperature (for example, 120 ° C. to −30 ° C.). Since the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 are joined via the coating material 30, the gap between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 can be eliminated, the heat transfer resistance can be reduced, and the outside air and moisture can be removed. Intrusion can be prevented.

The coating material 30 is also provided in the gap G between the tip portions 25 of the pair of claw portions 23. When the coating material 30 is not provided in the gap G, the pipe 10 is exposed in the gap G. Therefore, the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 may be electrically connected to each other via moisture and corrode. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the coating material 30 covers the entire outer circumference of the pipe 10, the coating material 30 electrically insulates the pipe 10 from the cooling member 20 and suppresses corrosion.

Next, a method of manufacturing the cooling device 1 will be described. The cooling device 1 is manufactured by a molding step of the cooling member 20 and a joining step of the cooling member 20 and the pipe 10. The joining step includes a coating step of the coating material 30, an installation step of the pipe 10, and a caulking step of the cooling member 20 and the pipe 10.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a block 20a before molding of the cooling member 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a coating process of the coating material 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the molding step of the cooling member 20, the cooling plate 20b as shown in FIG. 5 is molded from the block 20a of aluminum or the like by extruding in the direction of the arrow F1 or the like. The cooling plate 20b after molding is formed with an installation recess 27 and a pair of claw portions 23b. As shown in FIG. 5, in the cooling plate 20b, the pair of claw portions 23b are formed in a straight line from the base end portion 24 to the tip end portion 25 so as to project in the direction of arrow Z.

In the coating step, the coating material 30a is applied between the pair of claw portions 23b. Specifically, a set amount of the coating material 30a is applied to the installation recess 27. At this time, the coating material 30a does not have to be applied to the entire inner surface 26b of the pair of claw portions 23b, and may be applied up to the height H1 on the base end portion 24 side of the claw portions 23b. Here, the set amount of the coating material 30a to be applied is set so that the coating material 30 wraps around the outer circumference of the pipe 10 and covers the entire outer circumference of the pipe 10.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state before pressing in the installation process of the pipe 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state after pressing in the installation process of the pipe 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the installation process, as shown in FIG. 6, the pipe 10 is installed in the installation recess 27 provided between the pair of claw portions 23b. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, pressure is applied to the pipe 10 in the direction of arrow F2, and the pipe 10 is pressed toward the lowermost portion 28 of the installation recess 27. At this time, since the coating material 30a is applied to the installation recess 27, the gap between the pipe 10 and the lowermost portion 28 of the installation recess 27 is narrowed. Therefore, the excess coating material 30a of the installation recess 27 flows along the outer circumference of the pipe 10 and wraps around to a height H2 above the height H1 of the coating material 30a.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state before the caulking step of the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after the caulking step of the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the caulking process, a pair of linear claws 23b are bent to caulk the pipe 10. For example, a bending jig 50 as shown in FIG. 8 is used for bending the pair of claw portions 23b. The bending jig 50 has an arcuate cross-sectional shape of the contact surfaces 51 that come into contact with the pair of claw portions 23b.

In the caulking step, when the bending jig 50 is pressed against the cooling plate 20b in the direction of arrow F3, the pair of claw portions 23b are bent toward the inner surface 26 so that the tip portions 25 approach each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the pair of claw portions 23b has a shape along the outer circumference of the pipe 10. When the bending jig 50 is pressed, the coating material 30b flows along the outer circumference of the pipe 10 and wraps around to a height H3 above the height H2 of the coating material 30b after the installation process.

Here, the total length of the pair of claw portions 23b is set so that the tip portions 25 do not come into contact with each other and a gap G is formed. For example, when the installation recess 27 has half the length of the outer circumference of the pipe 10, the total length of the pair of claws 23b is shorter than the half length of the outer circumference of the pipe 10. By forming the gap G, the force of pressing the pipe 10 to the lowermost portion 28 of the installation recess 27 is reduced in the caulking process, and the coating material 30 between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 flows at the lowermost portion 28. Is suppressed. Therefore, even at the lowermost portion 28, the coating material 30 can be reliably interposed between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20. Further, by providing the gap G, the coating material 30b that has flowed to the height H2 in the installation process is more likely to flow to the upper part of the pipe 10 in the caulking process.

As described above, according to the cooling device 1 and the manufacturing method of the cooling device in the first embodiment, the coating material that flows between the pair of claw portions 23 and between the pair of claw portions 23 and the pipe 10. 30 is filled without gaps, and the formation of an air layer is suppressed. Further, in the installation process of the pipe 10, since the pipe 10 is pressed against the cooling member 20, the coating material 30 can flow along the outer circumference of the pipe 10. As a result, unlike the conventional cooling device in which the coating material is applied with the pipe inserted into the cooling member, the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 can be completely blocked and joined by the coating material 30. .. Therefore, the heat transfer resistance can be reduced and the cooling capacity can be exhibited.

Further, the cooling device 1 further has an installation recess 27 formed between a pair of claws 23 on one surface 21 of the cooling member 20 and having an outer peripheral shape of the pipe 10. As a result, the pipe 10 can be stably installed on the cooling member 20, and the heat conduction area can be increased to improve the efficiency of cooling the heating element 110.

Further, a gap G is provided between the tip portions 25 of the pair of claw portions 23. This makes it possible to prevent the coating material 30 at the position of the lowermost portion 28 of the installation recess 27 from disappearing during manufacturing.

Further, the coating material 30 is provided over the gap G. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the pipe 10 and the pair of claws 23 from being electrically connected via water, and it is possible to prevent corrosion.

Further, even when the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20 are made of different metals, the cooling device 1 can avoid the formation of an air layer between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20. Thereby, for example, even in the cooling device 1 composed of the copper pipe 10 and the aluminum cooling member 20, corrosion due to contact between different metals can be suppressed at the boundary between the pipe 10 and the cooling member 20, and the versatility is enhanced. be able to.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the case where the cooling device 1 is installed in the air conditioner 400 has been described, but any device may be installed as long as it has a heating element 110. Further, although the cooling device 1 has been described as cooling with the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit, a fluid other than the refrigerant may be used as long as the heating element 110 can be cooled.

When the cooling member 20 is composed of a continuous member, the cooling member 20 has a joining region where the cooling member 20 and the pipe 10 are joined and a non-joining region where the cooling member 20 and the pipe 10 are separated from each other. And should be formed. In this case, the non-bonded region is composed of a recess deeper than the installation recess 27. When the heating element 110 is attached to the other surface 22 side of the joint region, it is possible to prevent the periphery of the heating element 110 from being excessively cooled and causing dew condensation when the heating element 110 is cooled.

Further, in the embodiment, the case where the cross section of the pipe 10 is circular and the cross section of the contact surface 51 of the bending jig 50 is arcuate has been described, but the shapes of the pipe 10 and the bending jig 50 are the same. Not limited. The bending jig 50 may have any shape as long as the claw portion 23b can be bent along the shape of the pipe 10.

1 Cooling device, 10 piping, 11 inlet, 12 outlet, 20 cooling member, 20a block, 20b cooling plate, 21 one side, 22 other side, 23, 23b claw part, 24 base end part, 25 tip part, 26, 26b inner surface, 27 installation recess, 28 bottom, 30, 30a, 30b coating material, 50 bending jig, 51 contact surface, 100 control device, 101 control device cover, 110 heating element, 120 temperature sensor, 200 heat source unit, 210 Main circuit, 211 compressor, 212 flow path switching device, 213 heat source side heat exchanger, 220 bypass circuit, 221 bypass piping, 222 precooling heat exchanger, 223 flow control device, 300 load unit, 301 load side throttle device, 302 Load side heat exchanger, 400 air conditioner, 401 high pressure pipe, 402 low pressure pipe, G gap, H1, H2, H3 height.

Claims (1)

A pipe through which a fluid flows, a cooling member having the pipe installed on one surface and a heating element attached to the other surface, and a cooling member for conducting heat between the piping and the heating element, and a cooling member on the one surface of the cooling member. A pair of claws provided and having a curved shape along the outer periphery of the pipe and fixing the pipe, and a coating material made of a fluid provided between the pair of claws are provided. The coating material is a portion of the cooling member between the pair of claws so as to cover the outer periphery of the pipe, and a cooling device provided between the pair of claws and the outer circumference of the pipe. In the method
The step of applying the coating material between the pair of claws and
A step of pressing the pipe against the cooling member between the pair of claws coated with the coating material and causing the coating material to wrap around the outer periphery of the pipe.
Bent along the pair of claw portions on the pipe, have a, a step of fixing the pipe to the cooling member through the coating material,
A method for manufacturing a cooling device in which the coating material flows along the outer periphery of the pipe by bending the pair of claws along the pipe in the step of fixing the pipe to the cooling member.

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