Liquid-cooling type cooling plate

Abstract: A liquid-cooling type cooling plate including at least one flat multi-bored tube, a substrate, and a cover plate. The substrate includes, at its upper surface, two header forming dented portions arranged apart from each other and a tube accommodating dented portion for accommodating the tube, the tube accommodating dented portion being formed between the header forming dented portions. An upper surface of the cover plate and/or a lower surface of the substrate is configured to be attached by a member to be cooled. The tube is accommodated in the tube accommodating dented portion and is disposed between the substrate and the cover plate. An opening of each header forming dented portion is closed by the cover plate, whereby two header portions are formed. The substrate, the tube, and the cover plate are integrally jointed. (end of abstract)

Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C. - Alexandria, VA, US
Inventors: Atsushi Amano, Keisuke Urushihara, Shinobu Yamauchi, Nobuhiro Wakabayashi
USPTO Applicaton #: #20070240867 - Class: 165168000 (USPTO)
Related Patent Categories: Heat Exchange, Conduit Within, Or Conforming To, Panel Or Wall Structure

Liquid-cooling type cooling plate description/claims

The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070240867, Liquid-cooling type cooling plate.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C..sctn.119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-48451 filed on Feb. 24, 2004, Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-360085 filed on Dec. 13, 2004 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/548,909 filed on Mar. 2, 2004, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] This application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C..sctn.111(a) claiming the benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C..sctn.119(e)(1) of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/548,909 filed on Mar. 2, 2004, pursuant to 35 U.S.C..sctn.111(b).

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention relates to a liquid-cooling type cooling plate, a method for manufacturing the cooling plate, and an electric vehicle equipped with the cooling plate.

[0004] In this disclosure including claims, the wording of "electric vehicle" is used to include the meaning of hybrid vehicles. Examples of "vehicles" include automobiles (cars), motorcycles and railroad vehicles.

BACKGROUND ART

[0005] The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.

[0006] Electronic components, such as semiconductor devices, multi-chip modules and printed circuit boards, are conventionally used in a state in which the electric components are attached to an air-cooling type cooling plate to release the heat generated during the use. In accordance with increased heat release amount from the electronic components due to the recent improved performance thereof, however, it becomes insufficient for the air-cooling type cooling plate to attain sufficient cooling performance required to such electronic components. To cope with the problem, a liquid (water)-cooling type cooling plate has become used in place of the aforementioned air-cooling type cooling plate.

[0007] As such a liquid-cooling type cooling plate, for example, Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-170915 (Patent Document 1, see claim 1 and FIGS. 1 to 4) discloses that an inner fin is mounted in a casing, and Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. H10-98144 (Patent Document 2, see claim 1 and FIGS. 1 and 2) discloses that a pair of external plates is connected by bolts and nuts with tubes through which cooling liquid passes sandwiched therebetween.

[0008] In the former cooling plate, the surface of the cover plate closing the opening of the casing constitutes a cooling surface, and electronic components are attached to the cooling surface to be cooled. On the other hand, in the latter cooling plate, the surface of each external plate constitutes a cooling surface, and electronic components are attached to the cooling surface to be cooled.

[0009] In the former cooling plate, although the inner fin is used in order to form cooling liquid passages in the casing, the dimension of the cooling liquid passage that can be formed with this inner fin is, generally, about 1 mm or more in height and about 1 mm or more in width. In order to form a cooling liquid passage smaller than the aforementioned dimension with such inner fin, it is necessary to set the pitch of the inner fin very small, which makes it difficult to manufacture the inner fin.

[0010] In the latter cooling plate, the flatness of the cooling surface of the external plate could decrease by the tightening force generated at the time of tightening both the external plates with bolts and nuts. In the state in which the flatness of the cooling surface is decreased, when electronic components are attached to the cooling surface, gaps may be generated between the cooling surface and electronic components, resulting in decreased cooling efficiency. Furthermore, tightening by bolts and nuts may cause deformation of tubes, which may cause deformed or clogged cooling liquid passage of the tube.

[0011] The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.

[0012] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following preferred embodiments.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0013] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been developed in view of the above-mentioned and/or other problems in the related art. The preferred embodiments of the present invention can significantly improve upon existing methods and/or apparatuses.

[0014] The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned problems, and aims to provide a liquid-cooling type cooling plate which is high in flatness of a cooling surface to which members-to-be-cooled, such as electronic components, are attached, high in hardness, and easy in manufacturing. It also aims to provide a method for manufacturing the cooling plate and an electric vehicle equipped with the cooling plate.

[0015] To attain the aforementioned objects, the present invention has the following structure.

[0016] [1] A liquid-cooling type cooling plate, comprising:

[0017] at least one flat multi-bored tube through which cooling liquid passes;

[0018] a substrate having two header forming dented portions arranged apart from each other and a tube accommodating dented portion for accommodating the tube, the tube accommodating dented portion being formed between the header forming dented portions; and

[0019] a cover plate disposed on an upper surface of the substrate,

[0020] wherein an upper surface of the cover plate and/or a lower surface of the substrate is configured to be attached by a member to be cooled,

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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