Cooling-abnormality detecting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10208992-B2
Application number	US-201514848611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A cooling-abnormality detecting system in which a heat generating component and a cooling component contact each other via a contact section, and the cooling component cools the heat generating component. The cooling-abnormality detecting system includes: a heat-generating-component-temperature detecting sensor, a heat-generating-component-power-consumption detecting sensor, a cooling-component-temperature detecting sensor, and a processor that calculates a heat resistance value of the contact section between the heat generating component and the cooling component and determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the contact section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling-abnormality detecting system configured to perform abnormality detection for a cooling system, comprising:
a heat generating component;
a cooling component;
a contact section, wherein the heat generating component and the cooling component come into contact with each other via the contact section which is sandwiched between and in direct contact with the cooling component and the heat generating component, and the cooling component is configured to perform heat radiation from the heat generating component;
a heat-generating-component-temperature detecting sensor configured to detect a temperature of the heat generating component;
a heat-generating-component-power-consumption detecting sensor configured to detect a power consumption value in the heat generating component;
a cooling-component-temperature detecting sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cooling component, wherein the cooling-component-temperature detecting sensor is in direct contact with the cooling component; and
a processor configured to, during standard operation mode of the heat generating component:
calculate a heat resistance value of the contact section between the heat generating component and the cooling component using the temperature of the heat generating component, the temperature of the cooling component, and the power consumption value and output the heat resistance value, and
determine presence or absence of an abnormality of the contact section between the heat generating component and the cooling component based on the heat resistance value.

2. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , further comprising an intra-system-temperature detecting sensor that detects an intra-system temperature, which is temperature in a housing in which the heat generating component and the cooling component are provided.

3. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to
calculate a ratio of a temperature difference between the intra-system temperature and the temperature of the cooling component and a temperature difference between the temperature of the cooling component and the temperature of the heat generating component, and
when the calculated ratio is out of a preset range, the processor determines that abnormality is present between the heat generating component and the cooling component.

4. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit configured to store characteristics of the heat generating component measured in advance, wherein
the heat-generating-component-power-consumption detecting sensor corrects the power consumption value according to the characteristics of the heat generating component, and the power consumption input to the processor is a corrected value.

5. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit,
wherein the processor is further configured to
store, in the storage unit, the power consumption value corresponding to an operation mode or a test mode, and
read the power consumption value, which is used to calculate the heat resistance value, from the storage unit.

6. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling component is configured to perform the heat radiation from the heat generating component using any one of a natural air cooling system, a force air cooling system, a water cooling system, a coolant cooling system, a heat pipe system, and a Peltier system.

7. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating-component-temperature detecting sensor is a temperature sensitive element provided on an inside of the heat generating component or provided in contact with an outer side of the heat generating component.

8. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat generating component includes a plurality of electronic circuit components, the plurality of electric circuit components include a wide band gap semiconductor or a silicon semiconductor, the wide band gap semiconductor or the silicon semiconductor includes silicon carbide, gallium nitride, or diamond.

9. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling-component-temperature detecting sensor is a temperature sensitive element disposed on an inside of the cooling component.

10. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling-component-temperature detecting sensor is a temperature sensitive element provided in contact with an outer side of the cooling component.

11. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to output an abnormality signal indicating the presence in the contact section of the abnormality which is determined to an output display, lamp, light or buzzer.

12. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to output an abnormality signal indicating the presence in the contact section of the abnormality which is determined to the heat generating component.

13. The cooling-abnormality detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to continuously calculate the heat resistance value using the detected temperature of the heat generating component and the temperature of the cooling component, while the cooling system continuous to operate without being stopped.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Momose Ryuji
• Saito Katsuhiko

Classifications

• H10W40/47

  by flowing liquids, e.g. forced water cooling · CPC title

• H10W40/43

  by flowing gases, e.g. forced air cooling · CPC title

• H10W40/00 Primary

  Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) · CPC title

• H05K7/20209

  Thermal management, e.g. fan control · CPC title

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title