Thermal conductive stress relaxation structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10276475-B2
Application number	US-201314136234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Dec 26, 2012
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A thermal conductive stress relaxation structure is interposed between a high-temperature substance and a low-temperature substance to conduct heat in a heat-transfer direction from the high-temperature substance to the low-temperature substance. The structure includes an assembly configured such that a thermal conductive material gathers in a non-bonded state having stress relaxation effect. Such an assembly is a rolled-up body configured such that a carbon-based sheet material and a metal-based sheet material are alternately rolled up, for example. This structure has one or more interfaces at which adjacent parts can slide, thereby dividing a deformable region to relax the thermal stress. It has a low rigidity and can thus deform to release the thermal stress. The structure can suppress the thermal stresses and the shape changes that would be generated in the high-temperature substance and the low-temperature substance, and each physical body located there between.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal conductive stress relaxation structure configured to contact thermally conductive substrates including a high-temperature substrate and a low-temperature substrate, the thermal conductive stress relaxation structure configured to: (i) conduct heat in a heat-transfer direction from the high-temperature substrate to the low-temperature substrate, and (ii) relax a thermal stress that can be generated between the high-temperature substrate and the low-temperature substrate, the thermal conductive stress relaxation structure comprises: an assembly configured such that a thermal conductive material gathers in a non-bonded state, and the assembly comprises: a multi-layer body configured such that two or more thermal conductive sheet materials, or two or more parts of one thermal conductive sheet material, overlap one another to extend continuously in the heat-transfer direction, where: (i) the multi-layer body comprises a rolled-up body configured such that one or more thermal conductive sheet materials are rolled up in a non-bonded state around an axis that is perpendicular to planes defined by contact surfaces that are defined by: (a) a contact surface between the thermal conductive stress relaxation structure and the high-temperature substrate, and (b) a contact surface between the thermal conductive stress relaxation structure and the low-temperature substrate, and (ii) a periphery portion of the rolled-up body is exposed such that the periphery portion is not covered by any of the thermally conductive substrates.

2. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductive material comprises two or more types of materials having different material qualities and characteristics.

3. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rolled-up body further comprises a core material having an outer periphery around which the one or more thermal conductive sheet materials are rolled up.

4. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 3 , wherein the core material is in a plate-like shape.

5. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the two or more thermal conductive sheet materials comprise different type materials such that a friction coefficient at a time of contact is more reduced than a case of same type materials.

6. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the two or more thermal conductive sheet materials are such that a metal-based sheet material and a carbon-based sheet material are adjacent to each other in a non-bonded state.

7. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 6 , wherein the metal-based sheet material comprises an aluminum-based sheet material.

8. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the assembly further comprises a bundled body configured such that thermal conductive wire materials are bundled to extend in the heat-transfer direction.

9. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the thermal conductive material has a low frictional layer at a surface to reduce a friction coefficient between adjacent ones.

10. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the assembly is configured such that an air gap is formed between adjacent parts of the thermal conductive material.

11. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the assembly has a holding end portion that holds, in a bonded state, at least a part of the thermal conductive material located on an end portion at the high-temperature substrate side or the low-temperature substrate side.

12. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 11 , wherein
the thermal conductive material comprises one or more metal-based thermal conductive materials and one or more carbon-based thermal conductive materials, the holding end portion comprises a metal,
an end portion or end portions of the one or more metal-based thermal conductive materials are in the bonded state with the holding end portion, and
an end portion or end portions of the one or more carbon-based thermal conductive materials are in a non-bonded and close contact state with the holding end portion.

13. The thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a holding portion on at least a part of an outer circumference side to hold a gathering state of the thermal conductive material.

14. A method of producing the thermal conductive stress relaxation structure as recited in claim 10 , the thermal conductive material comprising at least a metal-based thermal conductive material, the method comprising:
a preliminarily assembling step that obtains a preliminary assembly in which the thermal conductive material and an organic substance-based material are assembled; and a dissipating step that burns or dissolves the organic substance-based material to be dissipated from the preliminary assembly, wherein the assembly as recited in claim 10 is obtained.

Assignees

• Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Kk

Inventors

• Yamada Yuka
• Hohjo Hiroshi
• Kimura Hidehiko
• Kawamoto Atsushi
• Matsumori Tadayoshi
• Kondoh Tsuguo
• Osada Hiroshi
• Usui Masanori

Classifications

• H10W40/10

  Arrangements for heating · CPC title

• H10W40/25 Primary

  characterised by their materials · CPC title

• H01L23/373 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• F28F21/02

  of carbon, e.g. graphite · CPC title

• H01L23/36

  Electricity · mapped topic