JP7433799B2 - Heat sink structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat sink structure and a casing provided with the heat sink structure.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, waterproofing measures have been taken by providing a waterproof cover to a housing that houses electrical/electronic components (Patent Document 1). However, a housing provided with a waterproof cover may have a complicated structure.

On the other hand, there are some cases that are not specially provided with something like a waterproof cover. In particular, a heat sink (radiator) is usually provided on the back side of the housing of an electric/electronic component that generates heat, and for example, a caulking agent is applied to the boundary between the heat sink and the housing. This ensures waterproofness.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-079295

However, if the caulking agent is frequently exposed to rainwater, the caulking agent may deteriorate and there is a risk that water may splash onto the electrical and electronic components inside the housing. Therefore, it is desired to further improve waterproofness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat sink structure that has a simple structure and improved waterproofness.

In order to achieve the above object, a heat sink structure according to the present invention is provided with a heat sink structure that is attached to a heat sink object, and has a plurality of vertical fins extending substantially parallel to each other and arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. and a gutter member provided above the heat radiator, the upper surface of the gutter member being inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the juxtaposition direction, which is the direction in which the plurality of vertical fins are lined up. The heat radiation target is, for example, an electric/electronic component.

According to this configuration, since the gutter member is provided above the heat radiator on which the plurality of vertical fins are arranged, it is possible to suppress rainwater or the like from splashing on the heat radiator below the gutter member. In addition, since the top surface of the gutter member is sloped vertically with respect to the direction in which multiple vertical fins are lined up, rainwater flows along this slope and is discharged at the appropriate location. . Furthermore, since it only includes a vertically inclined gutter member in addition to a normal heat radiator, the waterproof property is improved with a simple structure.

The gutter member consists of a main region and two end regions located at both ends of the main region in the juxtaposition direction, and these two end regions are arranged so that the upper surface of one end region becomes closer to the other end region due to the inclination. The main region is lower than the top surface and is located directly above the heat sink in the juxtaposition direction, and the one lower end region is located outside directly above the heat sink in the juxtaposition direction. You may.

According to this configuration, the main region of the gutter member is located directly above the heat radiator in the direction in which the vertical fins are arranged side by side, and one end region with a lower upper surface is located directly above the heat radiator in the direction in which the vertical fins are arranged side by side. Since it is located on the outside, that is, it extends outside the area directly above the heat radiator, rainwater, etc., flows along the slope of the gutter member in the main area directly above the heat radiator, and rainwater, etc. that has flowed from the main area. The one end region is guided to a location away from the heat sink. This prevents rainwater and the like from splashing onto the heat sink.

Preferably, the other end region with the higher top surface is also located outside of directly above the heat sink in the juxtaposition direction. According to this configuration, since the gutter member exists directly above the heat radiator over the entire length thereof in the juxtaposition direction, it is possible to reliably prevent rainwater or the like from splashing onto the heat radiator.

The heat dissipation body has a flat base located near the heat dissipation object and extends in the vertical direction, and the plurality of vertical fins extending in the horizontal direction from the base, and the gutter member has the plurality of vertical fins extending in the horizontal direction from the base. The vertical fins may terminate directly above the base in the extending direction, which is the direction in which the vertical fins extend.

According to this configuration, in the direction in which the plurality of vertical fins extend, the tub member terminates directly above the base located near the heat dissipation object, so it extends directly above the vertical fins. isn't it. For this reason, the tub member does not block the heat flow from the heat radiator rising through the plurality of vertical fins.

The casing according to the present invention is a casing that houses electric/electronic components that are objects to be radiated, and includes the radiator structure, the radiator is provided on the back surface of the casing, and the gutter member is provided with the radiator structure. It is attached to the back surface. According to this configuration, the waterproofness at the boundary between the casing and the heat radiating body that radiates heat generated from the electric/electronic components housed in the casing is improved due to the simple structure.

According to the heat sink structure according to the present invention, the waterproof property is improved although the structure is simple.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing provided with a heat sink structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged rear view of a part of the rear surface of the casing of FIG. 1, mainly showing the heat sink structure. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the heat sink structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a gutter member with a heat sink structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a gutter member with a heat sink structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a heat sink structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
A housing 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a housing for a device such as a power conditioner, for example. However, the casing 1 may be any casing as long as it accommodates components that generate heat. At the rear part 10 of the casing 1, a protection plate 12 protrudes rearward at the periphery of the back surface 11 of the casing 1. A heat flow escape hole 14 penetrating in the vertical direction V of the housing 1 is formed in a portion of the protective plate 12 extending above the housing 1, that is, the upper protective plate 12a. The tip of the upper protection plate 12a is bent downward. In this case, the function of protecting the upper part of the upper heat sink 30 (described later) located in the space immediately below the upper protection plate 12a is enhanced. Note that the heat flow relief holes 14 may have any shape such as a rectangle or a circle, and any number of heat flow relief holes 14 may be provided.

The housing 1 includes a lower heat sink (heat radiator) 20 and an upper heat sink (another heat radiator) 30. Specifically, the lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 are provided on the back surface 11 of the housing 1 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction V. In the illustrated example, the lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 are offset from each other in the width direction H1 of the housing 1. That is, the lower heat sink 20 is closer to the left side of the page, while the upper heat sink 30 is closer to the right side of the page. However, these heat sinks 20 and 30 may be located at the same position in the width direction H1 of the housing 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower and upper heat sinks 20 and 30 are surrounded by a protection plate 12 on the top, bottom, right and left. The heat flow escape hole 14 described above serves to release the heat flow rising from the heat sinks 20 and 30. In this embodiment, the upper heat sink 30 is located directly below the upper protection plate 12a. Therefore, the upper protection plate 12a functions as an eave for the upper heat sink 30. The heat flow escape hole 14 is also not formed near the base of the upper protection plate 12a. Therefore, rainwater or the like that flows down through the heat flow escape hole 14 is less likely to reach the boundary between the upper heat sink 30 and the back surface 11 of the casing 1.

The lower heat sink 20 includes a flat base 21 located near the electrical/electronic components 18 and extending in the vertical direction V of the housing 1, and a plurality of bases 21 extending toward the rear of the housing 1 from the base 21. It has vertical fins (hereinafter simply referred to as "fins") 22. The extending direction of these fins 22 is preferably the depth direction H2 of the housing 1. The base 21 and the plurality of fins 22 are integrally molded. Each of the plurality of fins 22 extends substantially along the vertical direction V of the housing 1 . The plurality of fins 22 also extend substantially parallel to each other and are arranged in line in the width direction H1 (FIG. 1) of the housing 1. The direction in which the fins 22 extend may be slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction V of the housing 1. Note that the vertical direction V of the housing 1 is the vertical direction when the housing 1 is installed. Therefore, the plurality of fins 22 extend substantially in the vertical direction V. Moreover, the width direction H1 (FIG. 1) and the depth direction H2 of the housing 1 are orthogonal to each other, and both are horizontal directions when the housing 1 is installed.

The base 21 of the lower heat sink 20 is fixed to a substrate 16, such as a circuit board. The lower heat sink 20 is for dissipating heat generated by the electric/electronic component 18 mounted on the board 16 and serving as a heat dissipation target. Examples of such electrical/electronic components 18 include power semiconductors, filter coils, and resistance elements. Since the lower heat sink 20 has a plurality of fins 22 extending in the vertical direction V, the heat generated in the electrical/electronic components 18 is transmitted to the outside air via the lower heat sink 20, and an upward air current is generated to cause the wall of the fins 22 to be transmitted to the outside air. rise along. The plurality of fins 22 preferably extend above the electric/electronic component 18 in order to enhance the heat dissipation effect. In particular, the electrical/electronic component 18, which is a heat generating element, is arranged below the substrate 16. According to this, the generated heat is effectively radiated by coming into contact with the air rising from the lower part of the fin 22 along substantially the entire length.

The lower heat sink 20 is attached to the housing 1 through an opening 11a provided in the back surface 11 of the housing 1. Due to this attachment, the board 16 is located inside the back surface 11 of the housing 1, that is, inside the housing 1, while the base 21 of the lower heat sink 20 is located outside the back surface 11 of the housing 1, that is, outside the housing 1. do. A slight gap is formed between the lower heat sink 20 and the opening of the housing 1, that is, at the boundary A between the lower heat sink 20 and the housing 1, and this gap is coated with, for example, a caulking agent. Thereby, the gap between the lower heat sink 20 and the housing 1 is sealed and waterproofness is ensured.

The upper heat sink 30 has a container shape and has an opening 30a. The upper heat sink 30 is attached to the housing 1 so that the opening 30a coincides with an opening (not shown) provided in the back surface 11 of the housing 1. Inside the space 30b defined by the upper heat sink 30, a heat generating component (not shown), such as a reactor, is housed. The outer surface of the upper heat sink 30 is also provided with a plurality of fins 31 extending along the vertical direction V of the housing 1 shown in FIG. 1 and arranged in parallel with each other in the width direction H1 of the housing 1. There is. However, the plurality of fins 31 of the upper heat sink 30 are shorter in depth than the plurality of fins 22 of the lower heat sink 20. Heat generated from components within the space 30b in FIG. 2 formed by the upper heat sink 30 is transmitted to the outside air via the outer surface of the upper heat sink 30 and these fins 31, rises between the fins 31, and increases the heat flow. After passing through the relief 14, it is diffused.

The peripheral edge of the opening 30a of the upper heat sink 30 has a flange 33, and this flange 33 is attached to the back surface 11 of the housing 1. A suitably shaped packing is interposed between the flange 33 and the back surface 11, thereby fixing the upper heat sink 30 to the housing 1 and ensuring waterproofness. Note that, as described above, since the upper protection plate 12a functions as an eaves for the upper heat sink 30, rainwater is unlikely to splash onto the sheet-like packing between the flange 33 of the upper heat sink 30 and the back surface 11 of the housing 1. In other words, the upper heat sink 30 has improved waterproofness due to the upper protection plate 12a.

The lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 are made of aluminum, for example. However, the heat sinks 20 and 30 may be made of any material as long as it has high thermal conductivity. Furthermore, the lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 may be made of the same material or may be made of different materials.

The heat sink structure 3 according to this embodiment includes the lower heat sink 20 described above and the gutter member 40 described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gutter member 40 is attached to the back surface 11 of the housing 1. Specifically, the tub member 40 is disposed in a region between the lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 in the vertical direction V, and is located above the lower heat sink 20 in the vertical direction V when the housing 1 is installed. Located in The gutter member 40 is a bent sheet metal material, and includes a gutter plate 41 extending in the longitudinal direction DL, and as shown in FIG. It has a mounting plate 44 forming a right angle and also extending in the longitudinal direction DL (FIG. 3). The width direction DS, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction DL of the gutter plate 41, coincides with the depth direction H2 of the housing 1. The gutter plate 41 is, for example, flat. However, the gutter plate 41 may have any shape as long as it extends in the longitudinal direction DL (FIG. 3). The upper surface 43 of the gutter plate 41 is preferably a flat surface, but may have any shape. However, in order to function as a gutter as will be described later, it is preferable not to have a depression where water can accumulate. Regarding the mounting plate 44, since one main surface thereof is in close contact with the back surface 11 of the housing 1, it is preferably flat.

As shown in FIG. 3, both ends 44a of the mounting plate 44 in the longitudinal direction DL are wider than other parts of the mounting plate. Fastening holes 48 shown in FIG. 4 are formed in both ends 44a, respectively. The gutter member 40 is fixed to the housing 1 by aligning the fastening hole 48 with the mounting hole 19 formed in the back surface 11 of the housing 1 and fastening with, for example, a rivet 50. The fastening hole 48 through which the rivet 50 penetrated may be further coated with a caulking agent. In this way, it is possible to prevent the waterproofness of the housing 1 from decreasing due to the attachment of the gutter member 40. In addition, in the mounting plate 44 shown in FIG. 3, other parts may be fixed to the back surface 11 in addition to or instead of the both ends 44a. Further, a caulking agent may be applied along the longitudinal direction DL of the gutter plate 41 at the boundary with the back surface 11 of the casing 1, that is, between the long edge 41a (FIG. 4) of the gutter plate 41 and the back surface 11. . This completely eliminates the gap that may be formed between the gutter member 40 and the back surface 11 of the casing 1, and prevents rainwater from flowing down from above the gutter member 40 along the back surface 11 to the lower heat sink 20. can.

The upper surface 43 of the gutter plate 41 is inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the direction in which the plurality of fins 22 of the lower heat sink 20 are lined up. The direction in which these fins 22 are arranged is preferably the width direction H1 of the housing 1. In this embodiment, the gutter plate 41 has a uniform thickness, and the longitudinal direction DL of the gutter member 40 is inclined with respect to the juxtaposition direction H1. This inclination angle θ may be any angle as long as it can guide liquid such as rainwater downward along the gutter plate 41. However, in this embodiment, the lower heat sink 20 extends upward in order to enhance the heat dissipation effect as described above. Therefore, the distance between the lower heat sink 20 and the upper heat sink 30 is limited, and it is difficult to increase the inclination angle θ. Furthermore, if the angle of inclination is too large, there is a possibility that rainwater or the like will flow down with great force, deviate to the sides of the gutter plate 41, and fall onto the fins 22. Therefore, the inclination angle θ is set not to be too large. The inclination angle θ is, for example, 0.1° to 5°, preferably 0.5° to 4°, and more preferably 1° to 3°.

The material of the gutter member 40 is, for example, steel, but is not limited thereto, and may be made of any durable material.

The gutter member 40 is located closer to the lower heat sink 20 than the upper heat sink 30. Specifically, the vertical distance L1 of the second end region 40bb, which is the higher end of the gutter member 40, to the lower end of the upper heat sink 30b is longer than the vertical distance L2 to the extension line of the upper end of the lower heat sink 20. In this way, by bringing the gutter member 40 as close as possible to the lower heat sink 20, the waterproofness of the lower heat sink 20 can be improved to the maximum.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gutter member 40 includes a main region 40a and two end regions 40b, 40b located at both ends of the main region 40a in the juxtaposition direction H1 (width direction of the housing 1). The main region 40a is located directly above the lower heat sink 20 in the juxtaposition direction H1, whereas the end regions 40b, 40b are located outside directly above the lower heat sink 20 in the juxtaposition direction H1. However, of the two end regions 40b, 40b, only the first end region 40ba, which is the lower one, may be located outside of the lower heat sink 20 in the juxtaposition direction H1. However, if the second end region 40bb with a higher height is also located outside of directly above the lower heat sink 20 in the juxtaposition direction H1, the gutter member 40 is located directly above the lower heat sink 20 over the entire length in the juxtaposition direction H1. is present, it is possible to reliably prevent rainwater and the like from splashing onto the lower heat sink 20. In this way, even if rainwater or the like flows down through the heat flow escape hole 14 (FIG. 1), it is guided to a location away from the lower heat sink 20 through the inclined gutter plate 41. Therefore, deterioration of the caulking agent at the boundary A (FIG. 1) between the lower heat sink 20 and the housing 1 due to rainwater or the like is suppressed.

As described above, the gutter member 40 also extends from the base 21 on the back side from directly above the plurality of fins 22 in the extending direction in which the plurality of fins 22 extend, that is, in the depth direction H2 of the housing 1 in this embodiment. It ends directly above. In other words, the gutter member 40 does not extend directly above the plurality of fins 22 . Therefore, the gutter member 40 does not block the heat flow from the lower heat sink 20 that passes between the fins 22 and rises.

Next, a usage pattern of the casing 1 provided with the waterproof structure 3 according to this embodiment will be explained.
Assume that the casing 1 in FIG. 1 is installed outdoors. For example, when it rains, rainwater flows down through the heat flow relief holes 14 of the upper protection plate 12. The upper heat sink 30 is located directly below the upper protection plate 12a, and the heat flow escape hole 14 is not formed near the base 12aa (FIG. 2) of the upper protection plate 12a, so that heat flows down through the heat flow escape hole 14. Rainwater and the like are unlikely to get onto the boundary between the upper heat sink 30 and the back surface 11 of the housing 1. On the other hand, since the lower heat sink 20 is apart from the upper protection plate 12a, rainwater that flows down through the heat flow relief hole 14 of the upper protection plate 12 would reach the back surface 11 of the casing 1 if there were no gutter member 40. The caulking agent at the boundary A between the upper end of the side heat sink 20 and the housing 1 may deteriorate. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the inclined gutter member 40 is provided as shown in FIG. dripping down. Here, since the lower heat sink 20 is not located below the first end region 40bb, the caulking agent at the boundary A between the lower heat sink 20 and the housing 1 is prevented from deteriorating due to rainwater or the like. Note that rainwater or the like dripping from the first end area 40ba is discharged to the outside of the casing 1 through a discharge port (not shown) provided at the bottom of the casing 1.

Next, a heat sink structure according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as those explained in connection with the first embodiment, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, only the gutter member 40A is different from the gutter member 40 having the heat sink structure according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the gutter member 40A has a side plate 46 on the protruding side in addition to the gutter plate 41A and the mounting plate 44. The gutter plate 41 makes a substantially right angle with the mounting plate 44 at the long edge 41a on the back side, which is the root side, and makes a predetermined angle with the side plate 46 at the long edge 41b on the protruding side. This predetermined angle is approximately a right angle or an obtuse angle. In this way, the back surface 11 of the housing 1, the gutter plate 41A, and the side plate 46 define a flow path having a rectangular cross section. This can prevent rainwater and the like from deviating from the longitudinal direction DL (FIG. 1) and flowing down onto the lower heat sink 20.

A heat sink structure according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as those explained in connection with the first embodiment, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Also in this embodiment, only the gutter member 40B is different from the gutter member 40 having the heat sink structure according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the gutter plate 41B of the gutter member 40B forms an obtuse angle with the mounting plate 44 at the long edge 41a on the back side. Therefore, the back surface 11 of the housing 1 and the gutter plate 41B define a flow path having a triangular cross section. This can prevent rainwater and the like from deviating from the longitudinal direction DL (FIG. 1) and flowing down onto the lower heat sink 20.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various additions, changes, or deletions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

3 Heat radiator structure 18 Heat radiator object 20 Heat radiator 22 Fin 40 Gutter member 40a Main area 40b End area 43 Top surface H1 Paralleling direction (horizontal direction)
H2 Extension direction (horizontal direction)
V Vertical direction

Claims (4)

a heat radiator attached to a heat radiating object, a plurality of vertical fins extending substantially parallel to each other and arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction;
a second heat radiator located above the heat radiator and configured as a separate body from the heat radiator ;
a gutter member provided in a region between above the heat radiator and below the second heat radiator,
The upper surface of the gutter member has an inclination in the vertical direction with respect to the direction in which the plurality of vertical fins are arranged.
Heat sink structure. The heat sink structure according to claim 1,
The gutter member consists of a main region and two end regions located at both ends of the main region in the juxtaposition direction, and these two end regions are arranged so that the upper surface of one end region becomes closer to the other end region due to the inclination. lower than the top of the
The main region is located directly above the heat sink in the juxtaposition direction,
The heat radiator structure, wherein the one lower end region is located outside directly above the heat radiator in the juxtaposition direction. The heat sink structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The heat dissipation body has a flat base located near the heat dissipation target and extending in the vertical direction, and the plurality of vertical fins extending in the horizontal direction from the base,
In the heat sink structure, the gutter member terminates directly above the base in an extending direction in which the plurality of vertical fins extend. A casing that houses electrical and electronic components that are subject to heat dissipation,
Equipped with a heat sink structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The heat sink is provided on the back surface of the housing,
A housing in which the gutter member is attached to the back surface.

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