Heat exchanger for dual-sided cooling of electronic modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10600721-B2
Application number	US-201715840504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A heat exchanger assembly has first and second heat sink elements enclosing fluid flow passages, and a clamping assembly. The heat sink elements are separated by a space in which at least one heat-generating electronic component is located, with outer side surfaces of each electronic component being in thermal contact with the heat sink elements. The clamping assembly has first and second spring elements arranged in contact with an outer surfaces of the heat sink elements. The spring elements are joined together to apply compressive forces to the heat sink elements and to cause the electronic components to be clamped between the heat sink elements. Each spring element has discrete force application regions for applying force to a heat sink element, and a plurality of fastening regions for compressing and maintaining the positions of the spring elements relative to the outer surfaces of the heat sink elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger assembly comprising:
a first heat sink element and a second heat sink element separated by a space, wherein the first heat sink element defines a first fluid flow passage and the second heat sink element defines a second fluid flow passage, and wherein the first and second heat sink elements are parallel to one another;
at least one heat-generating electronic component located in said space and sandwiched between the first and second heat sink elements, wherein each said heat-generating electronic component has a first side surface in thermal contact with an inner surface of the first heat sink element and an opposite side surface in thermal contact with the inner surface of the second heat sink element; and
a clamping assembly, comprising:
(a) a first spring element arranged in contact with an outer surface of the first heat sink element; and
(b) a second spring element arranged in contact with an outer surface of the second heat sink element;
wherein the first and second heat sink elements are sandwiched between the first and second spring elements, and wherein the first and second spring elements are joined together so as to apply compressive forces to the first and second heat sink elements and thereby cause the at least one heat-generating electronic component to be clamped between the first and second heat sink elements;
wherein each said spring element comprises one or more discrete force application regions for applying force to one of the heat sink elements, and a plurality of fastening regions for maintaining the position of the spring element relative to the outer surface of the heat sink element with which it is in contact;
wherein the force application regions are located such that at least some of the force application regions are positioned approximately centrally above or below a side surface of one of the heat-generating electronic components; and
wherein the force application regions are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis by a center-to-center distance between adjacent heat-generating electronic components.

2. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one force application region is provided for each of the at least one heat-generating components.

3. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the compressive forces applied by each of the spring elements are at a maximum in the at least one force application region.

4. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger assembly includes a plurality of said heat-generating electronic components aligned along a longitudinal axis of the heat sink elements, and wherein each of the spring elements includes a plurality of said force application regions.

5. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the force application regions are located approximately in the middle of one of the spring elements, along a widthwise dimension of the spring element, transverse to the longitudinal axis.

6. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fastening regions are located at outer edges of each said spring element, and are located outwardly beyond the peripheral edges of the heat sink elements.

7. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 6 , wherein the fastening regions in the respective spring elements are arranged so as to be vertically aligned with one another.

8. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the spring elements is integrally formed from a sheet or plate of spring steel and is of uniform thickness throughout.

9. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the spring elements comprises a plurality of X-shaped members, each of which comprises a pair of criss-crossing leg members arranged diagonally relative to a longitudinal axis of the heat sink elements.

10. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the force application regions is defined by a local thickening of the spring element in the force application region, and optionally wherein one or more of the force application regions is defined by a bend formed in the spring element.

11. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the spring elements includes:
a plurality of inner force application regions aligned along the longitudinal axis;
a plurality of outer force application regions, each of the outer force application regions being located proximate to one of the fastening regions; and
a plurality of intermediate force application regions, each of the intermediate force application regions being located along one of the leg members between one of the inner force application regions and one of the outer force application regions.

12. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , further comprising heat sink plates fixed to the outer surfaces of the first and second heat sink elements, wherein each of the heat sink plates includes grooves in which the leg members of the spring elements are received.

13. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , wherein the leg members have opposite ends at which the fastening regions are located and at which adjacent X-shaped members of the spring element are joined together.

14. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , wherein at least some of the force application regions are located at points at which the leg members of each of the X-shaped members cross one another.

15. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 14 , wherein each of the spring elements is non-planar in its uncompressed state, with the force application regions being generally located in one of more planes spaced apart from a plane in which the fastening regions are generally located, and the leg members are generally inclined as they extend between the force application regions and the fastening regions.

16. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the force application regions is defined by a bend formed in the spring element.

17. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 16 , wherein each of the bends is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

18. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 16 , wherein the bends face in the same direction so as to provide the spring element with an overall convex shape in a transverse dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, with the spring element in an uncompressed state, and wherein the spring element is installed on the heat sink element with the convex shape facing toward the heat sink element.

19. The A heat exchanger assembly comprising:
a first heat sink element and a second heat sink element separated by a space, wherein the first heat sink element defines a first fluid flow passage and the second heat sink element defines a second fluid flow passage, and wherein the first and second heat sink elements are parallel to one another;
at least one heat-generating electronic component located in said space and sandwiched between the first and second heat sink elements, wherein each said heat-generating electronic component has a first side surface in thermal contact with an inner surface of the first heat sink element and an opposite side surface in thermal contact with the inner surface of the second heat sink element; and
a clamping assembly, comprising:
(a) a first spring element arranged in contact with an outer surface of the first heat sink element; and
(b) a second spring element arranged in contact with an outer surface of the second heat sink element;
wherein the first and second heat sink elements are sandwiched between the first and second spring elements, and wherein the first and second sprin

Assignees

• Dana Canada Corp

Inventors

• Machler Meinrad K A
• Shore Colin A
• Bartnik Dale L

Classifications

• F28D1/0325

  the plates having lateral openings therein for circulation of the heat-exchange medium from one conduit to another · CPC title

• F28F3/12

  Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels {(F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F28D2021/0029

  Heat sinks · CPC title

• H05K7/20927

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title

• F28F13/00

  Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing (F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence) · CPC title