KR20230147407A - Automotive converter with heat dissipation structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A converter for a vehicle that can efficiently absorb heat from heating elements by maintaining a minimum distance from the heating elements is disclosed. A converter for a vehicle that converts voltage according to one aspect includes a housing; At least one heating element disposed inside the housing; a cooling passage located on one side of the heating element; and a refrigerant pipe inserted into the cooling passage, wherein the cooling passage is formed to vary depending on the distance between the cooling passage and each of at least one heating element disposed therein.

Description

Automotive converter with heat dissipation structure}

The present invention relates to a vehicle converter that converts voltage, and more specifically, to a vehicle converter that converts voltage with a heat dissipation structure.

Recently, as cars have become electronic, most of the systems in the car are becoming electronic. In particular, with the recent development of the information technology industry, various new technologies (motorized power steering, Internet, etc.) aimed at increasing the convenience of automobiles are being incorporated, and the commercialization of hybrid electric vehicles and full electric vehicles is being achieved.

Hybrid electric vehicles or full electric vehicles are equipped with a DC-DC converter (Low Voltage DC-DC Converter) to supply electric loads (e.g. 12V). The DC-DC converter, which acts as a generator (alternator) in a general gasoline vehicle, lowers the high voltage of the main battery (usually a high-voltage battery of 144V or higher) and supplies 12V voltage for electrical loads. A DC-DC converter is an electronic circuit device that converts direct current power of a certain voltage into direct current power of a different voltage, and is used in various areas such as television sets and automotive electronics.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle converter according to the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, the converter 100 according to the prior art has an external shape formed by a housing 110. A plurality of heating elements (not shown) that generate heat are provided on one side of the housing 110, and a cooling passage 120 is provided on the other side of the housing 110 to allow refrigerant to flow to absorb the generated heat. is formed. A cover 130 to cover the cooling passage 120 is coupled to the other surface of the housing 110. To prevent refrigerant from leaking to the outside, a sealing member 140 may be provided between the cover 130 and the housing 110.

The cooling passage 120 forms a path defined from the refrigerant inlet 121 to the refrigerant discharge port 122 so that the refrigerant circulates around the other surface of the housing 110. The refrigerant inlet 121 and the refrigerant discharge port 122 are formed on the side of the housing 110 to be spaced apart from each other. Accordingly, the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet 121 absorbs heat from the heating elements of the converter 100 along the cooling passage 120 and is discharged to the refrigerant discharge port 122. The refrigerant inlet 121 and the refrigerant discharge portion 122 may also be coupled to separate pipes or may be provided with connectors 123 and 124 for sealing.

According to the above-described prior art, the cooling passage 120 forms the same plane on the other side of the housing 110. That is, it forms a single side. Therefore, the distance from the heating elements of the converter 100 installed on one side of the housing 110 is not constant, so the heat of the heating elements cannot be properly absorbed, and the cross section of the cooling passage 120 always has a constant shape. It does not efficiently absorb heat from heating elements of various shapes.

The present invention was proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a converter for a vehicle that can efficiently absorb heat from the heating elements by maintaining a constant minimum distance from the heating elements.

In addition, the present invention provides a converter for a vehicle that can efficiently absorb heat from heat-generating elements of various shapes by forming a cooling passage having a variety of cross-sectional shapes that can cover the area of the heat-generating elements of various shapes of the converter. There is.

A converter for a vehicle that converts voltage according to one aspect includes a housing; At least one heating element disposed inside the housing; a cooling passage located on one side of the heating element; and a refrigerant pipe inserted into the cooling passage, wherein the cooling passage is formed to vary depending on the distance between the cooling passage and each of at least one heating element disposed therein.

The automotive converter may further include a heat dissipation gap filler disposed between one surface of the housing and the at least one heat generating element.

The planar shape of the heat dissipation gap filler may correspond to the planar shape of the at least one heating element.

The planar shape of the heat dissipation gap filler may correspond to the planar shape of the cooling passage.

The cross-sections of the cooling passage and the refrigerant pipe may have different cross-sectional shapes depending on the cross-sectional area of each of the at least one heating element.

The different cross-sectional shapes may include circular and oval.

The cooling passage may be located directly below the at least one heating element.

The distance between the at least one heating element and the cooling passage may be constant.

The automotive converter of the present invention can improve heat dissipation efficiency by maintaining a constant distance from the heat-generating elements by structuring the cooling passage in a double layer.

The present invention can improve heat dissipation efficiency for heat-generating elements with a large heat-generating area by varying the cross-sectional shape of the cooling passage of a vehicle converter.

The present invention can improve heat dissipation efficiency by arranging the cooling passage so that the distance between the heating element and the cooling passage is minimal.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle converter according to the prior art.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a bottom view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a plan view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB' in Figure 4.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC' of Figure 4.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, identical or similar components will be assigned the same reference numbers regardless of reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are not limited. , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In implementing the present invention, the components may be subdivided for convenience of explanation, but these components may be implemented in one device or module, or one component may be divided into multiple devices or modules. It can also be implemented in

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a bottom view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a view of a vehicle converter according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a plan view, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' of FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' of FIG. 4.

2 to 7, a converter 200 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 210 including a cooling passage 210a therein, and one surface of the housing 210. A plurality of heating elements 221, 222, 223 disposed in, a heat dissipation gap filler 211 disposed between the housing 210 and the plurality of heating elements 221, 222, 223, and the housing 210. ) includes a refrigerant pipe 240 inserted and disposed in the cooling passage 210a. The vehicle converter 200 according to this embodiment may be a DC-DC converter that boosts or steps down the DC input voltage to generate the DC output voltage required for the load.

The housing 210 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape and is provided with a cooling passage 210a inside which the refrigerant pipe 240 is disposed. The height of the cooling passage 210a relative to the bottom of the housing 210 is formed to vary depending on the bottom height of each of the plurality of heating elements 221, 222, and 223. For example, the height of the cooling passage 210a in the heating element portion with a high bottom height is raised to be closer to the heating element, and the height of the cooling passage 210a in the heating element portion with a relatively low bottom height is raised to be closer to the heating element. relatively low.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the cooling flow path 210a is not arranged on the same plane but on at least two different planes. Accordingly, the refrigerant pipe 240 is also not arranged on the same plane but on at least two different planes. That is, each of the cooling passages 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 forms a double-layer structure, for example, a two-layer structure, based on the X-Y plane. Accordingly, an inclined cooling passage is connected between the cooling passage 210a located on the first floor and the cooling passage 210a located on the second floor. Likewise, an inclined refrigerant pipe is connected between the refrigerant pipe 240 located on the first floor and the refrigerant pipe 240 located on the second floor. Referring to FIG. 3, the area where the cooling passage 210a is formed may be formed on the other surface, that is, the bottom surface, of the housing 210 in a more protruding shape than the other area.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant pipe 240 may be composed of a plurality of straight parts and a plurality of bent parts connecting the straight parts. The refrigerant pipe 240 may be formed as a single line from the refrigerant inlet 240a to the refrigerant discharge port 240b. The housing 210 can be formed by inserting and injection molding the refrigerant pipe 240.

Insert molding is a process of producing parts by melting raw materials and injecting them into the mold with an insert inserted into the mold. When made of metal, it is also called die casting. With the refrigerant pipe 240 inserted into the mold, the housing 210 with the refrigerant pipe 240 disposed therein can be formed through insertion injection. Through this, the housing 210 integrated with the refrigerant pipe 240 can be formed without a separate assembly process and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

A heat dissipation gap filler 211 is disposed on one surface of the housing 210, and a plurality of heating elements 221, 222, and 223 are disposed on the heat dissipation gap filler 211. The planar shape of the heat dissipation gap filler 211 is formed to correspond to the shape of the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 disposed thereon, or, as shown in FIG. 2, is a cooling passage protruding from the housing 210. It has a shape corresponding to the shape of (210a). A separate cover 230 may be attached to one side of the housing 210 to cover the heating elements 221, 222, and 223.

The plurality of heating elements 221, 222, and 223 are components that generate heat according to the operation of the vehicle converter 200 and may include a transformer 221, an inductor 222, and a switch 223. . This is illustrative, and in the embodiment of the present invention, the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 may be understood as being included if they are disposed in the vehicle converter 200 and generate heat according to operation.

Since the transformer 221 is not disposed on the printed circuit board (PCB) 220, the heat dissipation gap filler 211 having a planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the transformer 221 is disposed directly under the transformer 221. The inductor 222 and the switch 223 are disposed on the printed circuit board 220, and a heat dissipation gap filler 211 having a planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the cooling passage 210a is provided at the bottom of the printed circuit board 220. It is placed. If the heat dissipation gap filler 211 is not present, an air gap is created between the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 and the cooling passage 210a, and thus heat dissipation performance may deteriorate. As in the present invention, the air gap is eliminated through the heat dissipation gap filler 211, which has a planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the heating element 221 or a planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the cooling passage 210a, thereby reducing heat dissipation performance. can be prevented.

The heat dissipation gap filler 211 may be formed of an intermediate material that receives heat from the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 and transfers it to the cooling passage 210a. The heat dissipation gap filler 211 may be formed in whole or in part of a thermal interface material (TIM) through which heat can be transferred. Preferably, the heat dissipation gap filler 211 may be formed in whole or in part of a heat transfer material containing one or more of silicon and urethane.

3 and 4, the refrigerant inlet 240a and the refrigerant discharge port 240b of the refrigerant pipe 240 protrude from one side of the housing 210, and are spaced apart from each other, and the vehicle converter 200 ) The connector assembly 250 connected to the electrical components is formed to protrude. The refrigerant flows into the refrigerant inlet 240a of the refrigerant pipe 240, circulates inside the cooling pipe 240, absorbs heat from the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 of the vehicle converter 200, and flows through the refrigerant discharge port. It is discharged to (240b).

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cross-section of the cooling passage 210a of the housing 210 and the refrigerant pipe 240 inserted into the cooling passage 210a have various cross-sectional shapes depending on the location. The cross-section of the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 shown in FIG. 5 is circular, and the cross-section of the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 shown in FIG. 6 is elliptical. By placing the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 having an elliptical cross-sectional shape in the area where the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 with a large cross-sectional area, that is, a large heat generation area, are located, heat is dissipated over a wider area. By absorbing heat, heat dissipation performance can be improved.

Referring to FIG. 7, the cooling flow path 210a is not arranged on the same plane but at least on two different planes. Accordingly, the refrigerant pipe 240 is also not arranged on the same plane but on at least two different planes. That is, each of the cooling passages 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 forms at least a two-layer structure based on the X-Y plane. Accordingly, the distance between the heating elements 221, 222, and 223 and the cooling passage 210a can be kept constant. For example, since the inductor 222 and the switch 223 are located relatively higher than the transformer 221 based on the bottom of the housing 210, the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 are all on the same plane. When placed above, the heat dissipation performance of the inductor 222 and the switch 223 may be reduced. However, as in the present embodiment, the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 of the inductor 222 and switch 223 are relatively higher than those of the transformer 221, so that all heating elements 221, 222, and 223 ) and the cooling passage (210a) can be kept constant to prevent deterioration of heat dissipation performance.

In addition, when each of the cooling passages 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 is disposed on a predetermined plane, the cooling passages 210a and the refrigerant pipes ( 240) is located. For example, the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 located on the first floor are located at the lower part of the transformer 221. In this case, the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 are directly connected to the transformer 221. It is located at the bottom so that the distance from the transformer 221 is the minimum. The closer the distance between the refrigerant pipe 240 and the transformer 221, the higher the heat dissipation efficiency. Likewise, among the cooling passages 210a and refrigerant pipes 240 located on the second floor, the portion of the cooling passages 210a and refrigerant pipes 240 disposed below the inductor 222 is located directly below the inductor 222. , the cooling passage 210a and the refrigerant pipe 240 located below the switch 223 are also located directly below the switch 223.

While this specification includes many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the scope of the claims. Additionally, features described in individual embodiments herein may be combined and implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in a single embodiment herein may be implemented individually or in combination as appropriate in various embodiments.

The present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications and changes without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the drawings.

200: Vehicle converter
210: housing
210a: Cooling passage
211: heat dissipation gap filler
220: printed circuit board
221: Transformer
222: inductor
223: switch
240: Refrigerant pipe
240a: Refrigerant inlet
240b: Refrigerant discharge port
250: connector assembly

Claims (8)

In a vehicle converter that converts voltage,
housing;
At least one heating element disposed inside the housing;
a cooling passage located on one side of the heating element; and
It includes a refrigerant pipe inserted into the cooling passage,
A converter for a vehicle, wherein the cooling passage is formed to vary depending on the distance between the cooling passage and each of at least one heating element disposed therein. According to paragraph 1,
A converter for a vehicle, further comprising a heat dissipation gap filler disposed between one surface of the housing and the at least one heat generating element. According to paragraph 2,
A converter for a vehicle, wherein the planar shape of the heat dissipation gap filler corresponds to the planar shape of the at least one heat generating element. According to paragraph 2,
A converter for a vehicle, characterized in that the planar shape of the heat dissipation gap filler corresponds to the planar shape of the cooling passage. According to paragraph 1,
The cross sections of the cooling passage and the refrigerant pipe are,
A converter for a vehicle, characterized in that it has different cross-sectional shapes depending on the cross-sectional area of each of the at least one heating element. According to clause 5,
The different cross-sectional shapes are,
A converter for a vehicle comprising a circular shape and an oval shape. According to paragraph 1,
A converter for a vehicle, wherein the cooling passage is located directly below the at least one heating element, According to paragraph 1,
A converter for a vehicle, wherein the distance between the at least one heating element and the cooling passage is constant.