KR102558777B1 - Temperature evaluating device of memory module and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for evaluating a temperature of a memory module. An apparatus for evaluating the temperature of a memory module includes a heater emitting heat, at least one Peltier element configured to absorb heat through any one of a first surface and a second surface facing in a direction opposite to the direction of the first surface based on a direction of an input electrode, and emit the absorbed heat through the other surface of the first surface and the second surface, and a temperature controller, wherein the temperature controller measures the temperature of the memory module, and based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a specified target temperature range , It is possible to control the driving of the heater and the at least one Peltier element.

Description

Temperature evaluation device of memory module and operation method thereof

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for evaluating a temperature of a memory module and a method of operating the same.

Recently, as various computing devices are provided, the use of memory modules equipped with RAM (Random Access Memory) is rapidly increasing. For example, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) in which a DRAM chip is mounted on a circuit board is widely used as a memory device of a computer.

The memory module may self-heat depending on the usage time and purpose of use. In order to prevent problems in the operation of the memory module due to self-heating due to the operation of the memory module or the temperature applied to the memory module according to the use environment, the procedure of testing (or evaluating) the reliability of the memory module according to the temperature change before product shipment is very important.

Conventionally, a method of testing the reliability of the memory module after seating all of the plurality of boards on which the memory module is mounted inside a device such as a chamber and setting the temperature inside the chamber to an appropriate temperature environment for the test has been provided.

However, since the conventional test method takes a lot of time to set the temperature, it is not suitable for testing a large number of memory modules at a high speed.

Accordingly, various embodiments of the present disclosure are to provide a memory module temperature evaluation device and an operating method thereof.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are to provide an apparatus for estimating a temperature of a memory module that reaches a specified temperature condition using a Peltier element and a heater, and an operating method thereof.

The technical problem to be achieved in this document is not limited to the technical problem mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus for evaluating the temperature of a memory module includes a heater that emits heat, at least one Peltier element configured to absorb heat based on a direction of an input electrode through any one of a first surface and a second surface facing in a direction opposite to the direction of the first surface, and emit the absorbed heat through the other surface of the first surface and the second surface, and a temperature controller, wherein the temperature controller measures the temperature of the memory module, and the measured temperature is a specified target. Based on whether the temperature range corresponds to, driving of the heater and the at least one Peltier element may be controlled.

According to an embodiment, the apparatus for evaluating the temperature of a memory module may further include at least one blower, and the temperature controller may control driving of the at least one blower based on the measured temperature.

According to one embodiment, the memory module, the heater, and the at least one blower may be disposed in an enclosed space.

According to one embodiment, the temperature controller compares the measured temperature with a designated target temperature to determine whether a temperature increase or a temperature decrease of the enclosed space is required, and the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower may be controlled according to the determination result.

According to one embodiment, the temperature controller drives the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to rise, and when the temperature of the closed space needs to drop, the at least one Peltier element and the at least one blower are driven, and the heater is not driven.

According to an embodiment, the temperature controller controls an electrode direction of current provided to the at least one Peltier element so that a surface facing the heater among the first and second surfaces of the at least one Peltier element emits heat when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to increase, and when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to decrease, the surface facing the heater among the first and second surfaces of the at least one Peltier element absorbs heat, the at least one Peltier element It is possible to control the electrode direction of the current provided as

According to an embodiment, the temperature controller may detect the number of revolutions per minute of the at least one blower and control the rotation speed of the at least one blower based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.

According to an embodiment, the temperature evaluation device of the memory module may include a plurality of Peltier elements, and the plurality of Peltier elements may be disposed on both sides of the heater.

According to an embodiment, the temperature evaluation device of the memory module may include a plurality of blowers, a first blower of the plurality of blowers may be disposed above the heater, a second blower of the plurality of blowers may be disposed between a lower portion of the heater and an upper portion of the memory module, and at least one third blower of the plurality of blowers may be disposed on one side of the Peltier element.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of operating a temperature evaluation device of a memory module may include measuring the temperature of the memory module, and controlling driving of at least one Peltier element and a heater based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a specified target temperature range.

According to one embodiment, the operation of controlling driving of at least one Peltier element and the heater based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range may include controlling driving of the at least one blower based on whether or not the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range.

According to one embodiment, the memory module, the heater, and the at least one blower may be disposed in an enclosed space.

According to an embodiment, the operation of controlling driving of the at least one Peltier element and the heater may include an operation of determining whether a temperature increase or a temperature decrease of the enclosed space is required by comparing the measured temperature with a specified target temperature, and an operation of controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower according to the determination result.

According to an embodiment, the operation of controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower according to the determination result may include an operation of driving the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to be increased, and an operation of driving the at least one Peltier element and the at least one blower and controlling the heater not to be driven when the temperature of the closed space needs to be lowered. .

According to an embodiment, the operation of controlling driving of the at least one Peltier element according to the determination result may include, when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to be increased, a surface facing the heater among both surfaces of the at least one Peltier element to emit heat, an operation to control an electrode direction of a current provided to the at least one Peltier element, and a surface facing the heater among both surfaces of the at least one Peltier element to absorb heat when the temperature of the enclosed space needs to be lowered. It may include an operation of controlling an electrode direction of current provided to the element.

According to an embodiment, the operation of controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the at least one blower according to the determination result may include an operation of detecting the number of revolutions per minute of the at least one blower, and an operation of controlling the rotational speed of the at least one blower based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.

According to one embodiment, when the number of Peltier elements is plural, the plurality of Peltier elements may be disposed on both sides of the heater.

According to one embodiment, when there are a plurality of blowers, a first blower among the plurality of blowers is disposed above the heater, a second blower is disposed between a lower portion of the heater and an upper portion of the memory module, and at least one third blower may be disposed on one side of the Peltier element.

An apparatus and method for evaluating the temperature of a memory module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can save time required to evaluate the reliability of a memory module by quickly reaching a designated temperature condition by using a Peltier element and a heater together.

1 is a structural diagram of a temperature box for evaluation of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 shows an air circulation structure in an airtight space of a temperature box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for estimating the temperature of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 shows a detailed structure of a temperature evaluation device for a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an apparatus for estimating a temperature of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is a structural diagram of a temperature box for evaluating a memory module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar elements.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regardless of the reference numerals, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar components, and overlapping descriptions thereof can be omitted.

The suffix 'module' or 'unit' for components used in the following description is given or used interchangeably for ease of writing the specification, and does not itself have a meaning or role distinct from each other. In addition, 'module' or 'unit' means software or a hardware component such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), but is not limited to software or hardware. A 'unit' or 'module' may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to reproduce one or more processors. Thus, as an example, a 'unit' or 'module' may include software components, object-oriented software components, components such as class components and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Functionality provided within one component, 'unit' or 'module', may be combined into a smaller number of components and 'unit' or 'module' or further separated into additional components and 'units' or 'modules'.

Steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with some embodiments of the present disclosure may be directly embodied in hardware executed by a processor, a software module, or a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of recording medium known in the art. An exemplary recording medium is coupled to the processor, and the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the recording medium may be integral with the processor. The processor and recording medium may reside within an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). An ASIC may reside within a user terminal.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being 'connected' or 'connected' to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being 'directly connected' or 'directly connected' to another component, it should be understood that no other component exists in the middle.

1 is a structural diagram of a temperature box for evaluation of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, operations of at least some components of the temperature box will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . 2 shows an air circulation structure in an airtight space of a temperature box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the temperature box 100 for evaluating the memory module 141 may include first blowers 131 and 132, Peltier elements 111 and 112, a heat exchanger 121, and second blowers 133 and 134. According to one embodiment, the memory module 141 may be a dual in-line memory module (DIMM).

The first blowers 131 and 132 may be disposed on both sides of the case 101 forming the exterior of the temperature box 100 . Each of the first blowers 131 and 132 may be disposed adjacent to the Peltier elements 111 and 112 to release heat emitted from the Peltier elements 111 and 112 to the outside of the case 101 .

Each of the Peltier elements 111 and 112 may be disposed adjacent to the first blowers 131 and 132 . Each of the Peltier elements 111 and 112 may increase or decrease (or cool) the temperature of the surroundings based on the polarity of the input electricity. Each of the Peltier elements 111 and 112 may be composed of a first surface for absorbing heat and a second surface for emitting heat according to an input electrode. For example, when the first surface of the first Peltier element 111 absorbs heat according to the input electrode, the second surface may emit heat according to the input electrode. As another example, when the second surface of the first Peltier element 111 absorbs heat according to the input electrode, the first surface may emit heat according to the input electrode. The second Peltier element 112 may have the same configuration as the first Peltier element 111 . A Peltier element may be referred to as a thermoelectric element.

The heat exchanger 121 may be disposed between the Peltier elements 111 and 112 . The heat exchanger 121 may be configured to include at least one AC heater 122 . The heat exchanger 121 may increase the temperature of the fluid by heating the fluid. According to one embodiment, the heat exchanger 121 may be disposed in an airtight chamber 120 formed by a combination of the case 101 and the module cup 102 . The module cup 102 may be referred to as a test tray unit. The module cup 102 may cover at least one mounting slot into which the memory module 1410 may be mounted.

The second blowers 133 and 134 may be disposed above and below the heat exchanger 121 . The second blowers 133 and 134 may be disposed within the heat exchanger 121 and the airtight chamber 120 . The second blowers 133 and 134 operate at the top and bottom of the airtight chamber 120, respectively, so that the airtight chamber 120, for example, the Peltier elements 111 and 112 in an airtight space, and the heat exchanger 121 may circulate a fluid (eg, gas) whose temperature is transferred. For example, the fluid whose temperature is transferred due to the Peltier elements 111 and 112 and the heat exchanger 121 inside the temperature box is circulated inside the airtight chamber 120 as shown in FIG. 2, and does not flow out. Accordingly, the temperature box 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may rapidly increase the temperature inside the airtight chamber 120 to a designated target temperature.

The memory module 141 may refer to a DIMM in which several DRAM chips are mounted on a circuit board. A memory module 141 may be disposed in the module cup 102 . The module cup 102 may be combined with the case 101 of the temperature box 100 to form an airtight chamber 120 . The memory module 141 may be driven in a high-temperature environment and/or a low-temperature environment formed within the airtight chamber 120, and a manufacturer may evaluate reliability of the memory module 141 driven within the airtight chamber 120.

3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for estimating the temperature of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the temperature box 100 may be the temperature box 100 of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , an apparatus 300 for evaluating the temperature of a memory module may include a temperature box 100 , a temperature controller 320 and a mother board 310 . The memory module 312 for temperature evaluation may be mounted on the mother board 310 .

The temperature box 100 may provide a high-temperature environment and/or a low-temperature environment necessary for testing the memory module under the control of the temperature controller 320 . The temperature box 100 may control the temperature of a designated test space using, for example, the Peltier elements 111 and 112 and the AC heater 122 . According to one embodiment, the designated test space may refer to the airtight chamber 120 of FIG. 1 .

The motherboard 310 to which the memory module 312 is mounted may measure the temperature of the designated test space and/or the memory module 312 and provide the measured temperature to the temperature controller 320 . According to one embodiment, the memory module 312 mounted on the motherboard 310 may be arranged to be located in a designated test space. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the memory module 312 may be disposed within a module cup 102 coupled with a case 101 of a temperature box 100 . According to one embodiment, memory module 312 may be a DIMM that includes a temperature sensor. The mother board 310 may measure the temperature using a temperature sensor included in the memory module 312 and transmit the measured temperature to the temperature controller 320 . The measured temperature may mean the temperature of the designated test space or the temperature of the memory module affected by the temperature of the designated test space.

The temperature controller 320 may receive measured temperature information from the mother board 310 and control the temperature box 100 based on the measured temperature information. For example, the temperature controller 320 may determine whether the measured temperature corresponds to a target temperature range specified for testing the memory module. When the measured temperature does not correspond to the designated target temperature range, the temperature controller 320 may control elements inside the temperature box 100 (eg, the Peltier elements 111 and 112 of FIG. 1 , the AC heater 122, and the first and second blowers 131, 132, 133, and 134) so that the temperature of the designated test space and/or the temperature of the memory module reaches the designated target temperature range.

According to one embodiment, the temperature controller 320 controls the operation of the Peltier elements 111 and 112 and the AC heater 122 when the measured temperature is lower than the designated target temperature range, so that heat is emitted to the designated test space. In this case, the temperature controller 320 may drive the second blowers 133 and 134 to circulate the fluids whose temperature has increased in the designated test space.

According to one embodiment, the temperature controller 320 stops driving the AC heater 122 when the measured temperature is higher than the designated target temperature range, and uses the Peltier elements 111 and 112 to absorb heat in the designated test space. At this time, the temperature controller 320 drives the first blowers 131 and 132 while driving the second blowers 133 and 134 so that the fluids whose temperature has decreased are circulated in the designated test space. By driving, the heat absorbed by the Peltier elements 111 and 112 can be controlled to be discharged to the outside.

When the measured temperature corresponds to the designated target temperature range, the temperature controller 320 may control elements inside the temperature box 100 so that the temperature of the designated test space is maintained within the designated range until the test is finished.

The temperature controller 320 may end a control operation for elements inside the temperature box 100 when a test end event for the memory module occurs. According to one embodiment, the temperature controller 320 may immediately end a control operation for elements inside the temperature box 100 when the measured temperature information corresponds to a designated target temperature range.

4 shows a detailed structure of a temperature evaluation device for a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The memory module temperature evaluation device 400 of FIG. 4 embodies the structure of the memory module temperature evaluation device of FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , an apparatus 300 for evaluating the temperature of a memory module may include a temperature box 100 , a mother board 310 and a temperature controller 320 .

The motherboard 310 may include a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) 410 and a central processing unit (CPU) 412 . According to one embodiment, the DIMM 410 may include a Serial Presence Detect (SDP) coupled with a temperature sensor. The SDP is an EEPRPOM chip, and may store information on at least one of the size, speed, voltage, drive size, number of matrix addresses, DIMM maker, and RAM maker of the DIMM. The DIMM 410 may measure the temperature of the designated test space and/or the temperature of the DIMM 410 . The DIMM 410 may be the memory module 141 of FIG. 1 and/or the memory module 312 of FIG. 2 .

The CPU 412 may obtain the measured temperature information from the DIMM 410 through Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) communication. The CPU 412 may provide the temperature information acquired from the DIMM 410 to the host controller 420 of the temperature controller 320 through Ethernet. CPU 412 may be, for example, an X86 CPU.

The temperature controller 320 may include a host controller 420 , DC-DC converters 422 and 424 , and switches 4221 , 423 and 425 .

The host controller 420 may obtain measured temperature information from the mother board 310 at a designated event occurrence time or at each designated period, and control elements of the temperature box 100 based on the obtained temperature information. According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 may determine whether or not to adjust the temperature of the designated test space based on the acquired temperature information and the designated target temperature range. For example, when the measured temperature does not correspond to a specified target temperature range and is lower than a minimum temperature of the specified target temperature range, the host controller 420 may determine that the temperature of the specified test space needs to be raised. When the measured temperature does not correspond to the specified target temperature range and is higher than the maximum temperature of the specified target temperature range, the host controller 420 may determine that the temperature of the specified test space needs to be lowered.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 may control the operation of the Peltier element 430, the AC heater 432, and the blower 434 of the temperature box 100 when the temperature of the designated test space needs to be raised. For example, the host controller 420 may provide power to the AC heater 432 by controlling the first switch 421 to drive the AC heater 432 . In order to drive the Peltier element 430, the host controller 420 controls the DC-DC converters 422 and 424 and the second and third switches 423 and 425 to apply a DC voltage to both ends of the Peltier element 430. Also, the host controller 420 may drive the blower 434 (eg, the second blowers 133 and 134 of FIG. 1 ) disposed in the designated test space.

According to one embodiment, the host controller 420 may control the operation of the Peltier element 430 and the blower 434 of the temperature box 100 when it is necessary to lower the temperature of the designated test space. For example, in order to drive the Peltier element 430, the host controller 420 controls the DC-DC converters 422 and 424 and the second and third switches 423 and 425 to apply a DC voltage to both ends of the Peltier element 430. At this time, the host controller 420 may control the first switch 421 so that power is not supplied to the AC heater 432 . This is because the AC heater 432 does not need to operate in order to lower the temperature. Also, the host controller 420 may drive all the blowers 434 in the temperature box 100 . For example, the host controller 420 may drive the first blowers 131 and 132 to emit heat emitted from the Peltier elements 430, 111 and 112 that have absorbed heat from the designated test space to the outside, and drive the second blowers 133 and 134 to circulate the fluids whose temperature has transitioned within the designated test space.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 controls the DC-DC converters 422 and 424 and the second and third switches 423 and 425 according to whether the temperature of the designated test space needs to be raised or lowered to adjust the electrode direction of the current provided to the Peltier element 420. This is because the heat dissipation direction of the Peltier element 420 is determined according to the electrode direction of the input current. For example, when it is necessary to increase the temperature of the designated test space, the host controller 420 may adjust the electrode direction of the current supplied to the Peltier element 420 so that a first surface facing the designated test space of the Peltier element 420 emits heat and a second surface facing the opposite direction absorbs heat. As another example, when it is necessary to lower the temperature of the designated test space, the host controller 420 may adjust the electrode direction of the current supplied to the Peltier element 420 so that a first surface facing the designated test space absorbs heat and a second surface facing the opposite direction of the Peltier element 420 emits heat.

According to one embodiment, the host controller 420 controls the DC-DC converters 422 and 424 and the second and third switches 423 and 425 based on the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature to adjust the strength of the current provided to the Peltier element 420. The reason why the host controller 420 adjusts the intensity of the current provided to the Peltier element 420 is to control the amount of heat emitted from the Peltier element 420 . For example, the host controller 420 may control the strength of the current supplied to the Peltier element 420 to increase as the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature increases. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, through this, the temperature of the designated test space can be rapidly raised, and the temperature of the designated test space and/or the memory module can be controlled to reach the designated target temperature within a short time.

According to one embodiment, when a plurality of AC heaters are present in the heat exchanger 121 of the temperature box 100, the host controller 420 may determine the number of AC heaters to be driven among the plurality of AC heaters based on a difference between the measured temperature and a designated target temperature. For example, the host controller 420 may drive more AC heaters as the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature increases, and drive fewer AC heaters as the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature decreases.

According to one embodiment, the host controller 420 may detect the number of revolutions per minute of the blower 434 and adjust the speed of the corresponding blower 434 based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.

The DC-DC converters 422 and 424 may convert and output the magnitude of DC voltage. For example, each of the DC-DC converters 422 and 424 may step-down and/or boost the input voltage provided from the host controller 420 and output the step-down and/or boost-up voltage. DC-DC converters 422 and 424 may be, for example, switching regulators.

Each of the switches 421 , 423 , and 425 may open and close a circuit by performing a switching operation according to a control signal input from the host controller 420 .

The temperature box 100 may include a Peltier element 430 , an AC heater 432 , and a blower 434 . The Peltier element 430 may emit heat to a designated test space or absorb heat from a designated test space according to an electrode direction of an input current under control of the host controller 420 . The Peltier element 430 may emit and/or absorb heat corresponding to the intensity of current input under the control of the host controller 420 . The Peltier element 430 may be the Peltier elements 111 and 112 of FIG. 1 .

The AC heater 432 may receive power under the control of the host controller 420 and emit heat within a designated test space. The AC heater 432 may be the AC heater 122 of FIG. 1 .

The blower 434 may be driven or stopped under the control of the host controller 420 . The rotational speed of the blower 434 may be changed according to the control of the host controller 420 . The blower 434 may include at least one of the first blowers 131 and 132 and the second blowers 133 and 134 of FIG. 1 .

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an apparatus for estimating a temperature of a memory module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the memory module temperature evaluation device may be the memory module temperature evaluation device 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4 . In FIG. 5 , operations indicated by dotted lines may be omitted according to embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the memory module temperature evaluation apparatus 300 may measure the temperature of the memory module in operation S501. According to an embodiment, the memory module temperature evaluation device 300 may measure the temperature of a memory module located in a designated test space. As shown in FIG. 1 , the designated test space may refer to an airtight space formed by combining a case 101 of a temperature box 100 included in a temperature evaluation device 300 of a memory module and a module cup 102. The temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may measure the temperature using a temperature sensor of the memory module (eg, the DIMMs 141 and 410) located in the designated test space. The measured temperature may refer to the temperature of the memory module affected by the temperature of the designated test space. According to one embodiment, the memory module may be a DIMM including an SDP coupled with a temperature sensor.

The temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may determine whether the temperature measured in operation S503 corresponds to a designated target temperature range. The designated target temperature range may be set and/or changed by a user (inspector) performing a test on the memory module. The host controller 420 of the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may obtain the measured temperature from the mother board 310 and determine whether the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range.

When the measured temperature does not correspond to the designated target temperature range, the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may control the Peltier element and the heater in operation S505. For example, the temperature controller 320 included in the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may control the Peltier elements 111, 112, and 430 and the AC heaters 122 and 432 included in the temperature box 100 so that the measured temperature reaches a specified target temperature range when the measured temperature does not correspond to a specified target temperature range.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 of the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may determine whether the temperature of the designated test space needs to be raised or lowered based on the measured temperature and the designated target temperature range. When the measured temperature is lower than the minimum temperature of the specified target temperature range, the host controller 420 may determine that the temperature of the specified test space needs to be raised, and if the measured temperature is higher than the maximum temperature of the specified target temperature range, the host controller 420 may determine that the temperature of the specified test space needs to be lowered. The host controller 420 of the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may drive the Peltier elements 111, 112, and 430 and/or the AC heaters 122 and 432 of the temperature box 100 when the temperature of the designated test space needs to be raised. The host controller 420 may control the Peltier elements 111, 112, and 430 of the temperature box 100 to be driven and the AC heaters 122 and 432 not to be driven when the temperature of the designated test space needs to be lowered.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 may adjust the electrode direction of the current provided to the Peltier elements 111, 112, and 420 according to whether the temperature of the designated test space needs to be increased or decreased. This is because the heat dissipation direction of the Peltier element 420 is determined according to the electrode direction of the input current.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 may adjust the intensity of current provided to the Peltier element 420 based on a difference between the measured temperature and a specified target temperature. The reason why the host controller 420 adjusts the intensity of the current provided to the Peltier element 420 is to control the amount of heat emitted from the Peltier element 420 .

According to one embodiment, when a plurality of AC heaters exist in the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module, the host controller 420 may determine the number of AC heaters to be driven among the plurality of AC heaters based on a difference between the measured temperature and a designated target temperature. For example, the host controller 420 may drive more AC heaters as the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature increases, and drive fewer AC heaters as the difference between the measured temperature and the specified target temperature decreases. In addition, the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may control only the Peltier element 420 without driving all AC heaters when the difference between the measured temperature and the designated target temperature is smaller than a preset value.

The temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may control the blower in operation S507. According to an embodiment, operation S507 of controlling the blower may be performed in parallel with S505. For example, the operation of controlling the blower may be started at substantially the same time as the operation of controlling the Peltier element and the heater is started.

According to an embodiment, the temperature controller 320 included in the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may control the operation of at least one blower 131, 132, 133, 134 included in the temperature box 100 so that the measured temperature reaches the specified target temperature range when the measured temperature does not correspond to the specified target temperature range.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 of the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may select and drive at least one blower that needs to be driven from among the blowers included in the temperature box 100 according to whether a temperature increase or a temperature decrease is required. For example, the host controller 420 may drive the second blowers 133 and 134 disposed in the designated test space when it is necessary to increase the temperature of the designated test space. The host controller 420 may drive all the blowers 131, 132, 133, and 134 in the temperature box when it is necessary to lower the temperature of the designated test space. This is only an example, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the host controller 420 may drive all the blowers 131 , 132 , 133 , and 134 in the temperature box regardless of whether a temperature rise or a temperature decrease is required.

According to an embodiment, the host controller 420 may detect the number of revolutions per minute of the blowers 131, 132, 133, and 134 and adjust the speed of the corresponding blower based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.

When the measured temperature falls within the specified target temperature range, the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may end the control operation. According to an embodiment, the temperature evaluation apparatus 300 of the memory module controls elements inside the temperature box 100 so that the temperature of the designated test space and/or the memory module is maintained within a designated target range until the test is finished, and when a test end event occurs, the control operation for the elements inside the temperature box 100 may be terminated. According to an embodiment, the temperature evaluation device 300 of the memory module may immediately end a control operation of elements inside the temperature box 100 when the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range.

In the examples of the present disclosure described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the Peltier elements 111 and 112, the AC heater 122, and the blowers 131, 132, 133, and 134 are included. The structure of the temperature box 100 has been described as an example. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the number of Peltier elements included in the temperature box 100, the number of AC heaters, or the number of blowers may be changed. As another example, the arrangement structure of Peltier elements, AC heaters, and blowers included in the temperature box may be changed. As another example, the temperature box may include a heater of a type other than an AC heater. For example, a DC cartridge heater may be included. In this case, elements in the temperature box may have a disposition structure as shown in FIG. 6 .

6 is a structural diagram of a temperature box for evaluating a memory module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a temperature box 600 for evaluation of a memory module 641 includes first Peltier elements 611 and 612, second Peltier elements 613 and 614, a heat exchanger 620 including DC cartridge heaters 621, 622, 623 and 624, a first blower 631, and a second blower 632. You can.

Each of the first Peltier elements 611 and 612 and the second Peltier elements 613 and 614 may increase or decrease (or cool) the temperature of the surroundings based on the polarity of the input electricity. Each of the first Peltier elements 611 and 612 and the second Peltier elements 613 and 614 may include a first surface for absorbing heat and a second surface for dissipating heat according to an input electrode. Each of the first Peltier elements 611 and 612 and the second Peltier elements 613 and 614 may operate in the same manner as the Peltier elements 111 and 112 of FIG. 1 .

The heat exchanger 620 may be disposed in a space between the first Peltier elements 611 and 612 and the second Peltier elements 613 and 614 . Heat exchanger 620 may be configured to include a plurality of DC cartridge heaters (621, 622, 623, 624). The heat exchanger 620 may increase the temperature of the temperature transfer material by using a plurality of DC cartridge heaters 621 , 622 , 623 , and 624 .

The memory module 641 for evaluation may refer to a DIMM in which several DRAM chips are mounted on a circuit board. The memory module 641 may be disposed under the heat exchanger 620 .

The first blower 631 may be disposed on one side of the heat exchanger 620 . The second blower 632 is disposed on one side of the memory module 641, and may be disposed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the first blower is disposed with respect to the heat exchanger 620 and the memory module 641.

According to one embodiment, the heat exchanger 620, the first blower 631, and the second blower 632 may be disposed in an enclosed space formed by the temperature evaluation device of the memory module. A memory module 6410 for evaluation may also be disposed in the formed closed space. Accordingly, the fluid whose temperature is transferred due to the Peltier elements 611 , 612 , 613 , and 614 and the heat exchanger 620 in the closed space may be circulated inside the closed space without leaking to the outside.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the apparatus 300 for evaluating a memory module may operate as described in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 even when the temperature box 600 shown in FIG. 6 is included. That is, compared to the case of including the temperature box 600 as shown in FIG. 6, it is different in that a DC cartridge heater is used instead of an AC heater, but all other operation methods are the same.

100: temperature box 101: case
102: module cup 111, 112: Peltier elements
121: heat exchanger 122: AC heater
131, 132: first blower 133, 134: second blower
141: memory module
600: temperature box
611, 612: first Peltier elements 613, 614: second Peltier elements
620: heat exchanger 621, 622, 623, 624: DC cartridge heaters
631: first blower 632: second blower
641: memory module

Claims (18)

In the temperature evaluation device of the memory module,
case forming the exterior;
first blowers disposed on both sides of the case;
an airtight chamber formed inside the case and having the memory module therein;
a heater disposed inside the airtight chamber to emit heat;
second blowers disposed inside the airtight chamber and disposed above and below the heater;
Disposed inside the case, disposed between the heater and the first blowers so as not to be included in the inner space of the airtight chamber, based on the direction of the input electrode, at least one Peltier element configured to absorb heat through any one of a first surface and a second surface facing in a direction opposite to the direction of the first surface, and dissipate the absorbed heat through the other surface of the first surface and the second surface; and
It includes a temperature controller, wherein the temperature controller,
Measure the temperature of the memory module;
Temperature evaluation device of a memory module for controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, the first blowers, and the second blowers based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a specified target temperature range.
According to claim 1,
The first blowers, when the measured temperature is higher than the specified target temperature range, are driven under the control of the temperature controller to emit heat emitted from the Peltier elements to the outside of the case;
The second blowers are driven under the control of the temperature controller when the measured temperature is lower than the specified target temperature range, and the fluid whose temperature is transferred by the heater and the at least one Peltier element is circulated inside the airtight chamber, the temperature evaluation device of the memory module.

According to claim 1,
The airtight chamber is formed by coupling a module cup to which the memory module is mounted and the case, the temperature evaluation device of the memory module.
According to claim 3,
The temperature controller compares the measured temperature with the specified target temperature to determine whether a temperature increase or a decrease in temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber is required,
A temperature evaluation device of a memory module that controls driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, the first blowers, and the second blowers according to the determination result.
According to claim 4,
The temperature controller,
Driving the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the second blowers when a temperature increase in the inner space of the airtight chamber is required;
A temperature evaluation device of a memory module configured to drive the at least one Peltier element and the first blowers and control the heater not to operate when the temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber needs to be lowered.
According to claim 4,
The temperature controller,
When it is necessary to increase the temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber, the electrode direction of the current provided to the at least one Peltier element is controlled so that the surface facing the heater among the first surface and the second surface of the at least one Peltier element emits heat,
When it is necessary to lower the temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber, the at least one Peltier element so that the surface facing the heater among the first surface and the second surface of the at least one Peltier element absorbs heat. Temperature evaluation device of a memory module for controlling the electrode direction of the current provided.
According to claim 4,
The temperature controller detects the number of revolutions per minute of at least one of the first blowers and the second blowers,
A temperature evaluation device of a memory module controlling a rotation speed of at least one of the first blowers and the second blowers based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.
According to claim 3,
The temperature evaluation device of the memory module includes a plurality of Peltier elements,
The plurality of Peltier elements are disposed on both sides of the heater, the temperature evaluation device of the memory module.
According to claim 3,
One of the second blowers is disposed above the heater, and the other blower is disposed between the lower part of the heater and the upper part of the memory module.
In the operating method of the temperature evaluation device of the memory module,
measuring the temperature of the memory module; and
Controlling driving of at least one Peltier element, a heater, and blowers based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range,
The blowers include first blowers disposed on both sides of a case forming an exterior of the temperature evaluation device of the memory module, and second blowers disposed inside the airtight chamber formed inside the case and having the memory module therein,
The at least one Peltier element is disposed inside the case, and disposed between a heater disposed inside the airtight chamber and the first blowers so as not to be included in the inner space of the airtight chamber.
According to claim 10,
The operation of controlling the driving of at least one Peltier element, a heater, and blowers based on whether the measured temperature corresponds to a designated target temperature range,
driving the first blowers so that heat emitted from the Peltier elements is discharged to the outside of the case when the measured temperature is higher than the designated target temperature range; and
And when the measured temperature is lower than the specified target temperature range, driving the second blowers so that the fluid whose temperature is transitioned by the heater and the at least one Peltier element is circulated inside the airtight chamber. Method.
According to claim 10,
The airtight chamber is formed by combining a module cup on which the memory module is mounted and the case.
According to claim 12,
The operation of controlling the driving of the at least one Peltier element, the heater, and the blowers,
comparing the measured temperature with a designated target temperature to determine whether a temperature increase or a decrease in temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber is required; and
and controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the blowers according to the determination result.
According to claim 13,
The operation of controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the blowers according to the determination result,
driving the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the second blowers when a temperature increase in the inner space of the airtight chamber is required; and
and driving the at least one Peltier element and the first blowers and controlling the heater not to be driven when the temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber needs to be lowered.
According to claim 13,
The operation of controlling the driving of the at least one Peltier element according to the determination result,
controlling an electrode direction of a current supplied to the at least one Peltier element so that a surface facing the heater among both surfaces of the at least one Peltier element emits heat when a temperature increase of the inner space of the airtight chamber is required; and
Controlling an electrode direction of a current provided to the at least one Peltier element so that a surface facing the heater among both surfaces of the at least one Peltier element absorbs heat when the temperature of the inner space of the airtight chamber needs to be lowered.
According to claim 13,
The operation of controlling driving of the heater, the at least one Peltier element, and the blowers according to the determination result,
detecting the number of revolutions per minute of at least one of the blowers; and
and controlling a rotational speed of at least one of the blowers based on the detected number of revolutions per minute.
According to claim 12,
When the number of Peltier elements is plural, the plurality of Peltier elements are disposed on both sides of the heater.
According to claim 12,
One of the second blowers is disposed above the heater, and the other blower is disposed between the lower portion of the heater and the upper portion of the memory module.

Images