DE20311130U1 - Multi-zone housing system for e.g. computer consists of main housing and several integrated sub-housings whose inside temperatures can be adapted to allowed ambient temperatures of accommodated electronic components - Google Patents

Abstract

The housing system can have a multi-layer cooling system (6), houses electronic components, and consists of a main housing (1) and several integrated sub-housings (3), which are partially or completely closed to the inside of the housing and which can be isolated. Temperatures inside the main and sub-housings can be different and match the allowed ambient temperature of the electronic components.

Description

Richard Wöhr GmbH

Graefenau 58 - 60

75339 Hofen

08.05.03 Multi-zone housing system

The invention relates to a multi-zone housing system for computers, controls, measuring and operating and display systems with electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies integrated in the housings, which consists of a main housing and one and/or more integrated, partially and/or completely closed and insulated sub-housings to the inside of the main housing, wherein the electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies are housed in individual sub-housings and in the main housing and different temperatures prevail in the sub-housings and the main housing and the heat generated in the electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies is transferred to one and/or more multi-layer cooling systems and/or outer walls by means of one and/or more heat conduction pipes with adapter systems and/or the heat generated in the electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies in the sub-housings is dissipated by direct heat conduction and/or heat coupling of the electronic and/or electrical components with the outside of the main housing and/or the outer wall of the sub-housings.

Conventional housing systems have built-in coolers and fans to dissipate the heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic components. The disadvantage of these solutions is that the fans take up a lot of space and they also produce annoying noises. Another disadvantage of this solution is that the housings need air from outside to dissipate the heat, which in turn requires additional fans and increases the noise level. Air filters are also required to prevent dirt from getting into the housings.

DE 199 44 550 A1 describes a housing with electrical and/or electronic units. A heat pipe is used for cooling, with an aluminum heat sink being used as a cooler. The disadvantage of this solution, and this has also been shown by extensive tests, is that the heat dissipated by the heat pipe is not evenly distributed across the heat sink and is therefore not suitable for the use of electronic and/or electrical components that give off a large amount of heat.

A computer in the form of a personal computer is disclosed as known in DE 94 03 364 U1. In this case, components are arranged in a housing and a heat dissipation device is provided, which consists of a so-called computer plate that is connected to the central control unit CPU. The computer plate is led out through the computer housing in order to release the heat to the environment on the outside of the computer housing, for which feed-through points through the computer housing are required, which leads to difficulties if a high degree of protection is required for the housing in terms of protection against contact, foreign bodies and water. There are also unfavorable structures on the outside of the housing in terms of keeping it clean.

DE 44 08 805 A1 describes a cooling device for computers that has fans and temperature monitoring devices. No further details are given about the design of a housing for the electrical and electronic components.

Furthermore, fanless housings are known in which all components are integrated in one housing, with the resulting heat being transported to the outer wall by means of heat pipes and/or heat conduction. The disadvantage is the limited temperature range of these devices, as the different components have different temperature ranges.

The object of the invention is to create a multi-zone housing system of the type mentioned at the beginning, which makes it possible to produce fanless and thus silent devices and/or controls and/or measuring systems and/or medical systems for increased temperature ranges, wherein the housing system consists of a main housing and one and/or several integrated, partially and/or completely closed and insulated sub-housings to the inside of the main housing and in which the electrical and/or electronic components are housed in a sub-housing depending on the permissible temperature and which are in the electrical and/or

the heat generated by electronic components is transferred to the multi-layer cooling system and/or outer wall by means of heat pipes and/or the heat generated in the electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies in the sub-housings is dissipated by direct heat conduction and/or heat coupling of the electronic and/or electrical components with the outside of the main housing and/or the sub-housings and is released to the environment via convection and which do not require electricity for cooling.

This object is solved with the features of claim 1. In this case, it is therefore intended to integrate one and/or more partial and/or completely closed and insulated sub-housings in a main housing that is designed as a profile frame construction and/or bent part construction and/or cast construction and/or screw construction in metal or plastic and/or a possible combination of these possibilities, whereby the sub-housings are installed in such a way that one and/or more walls of the sub-housing lie against one and/or more outer walls of the main housing and/or are part of it and/or are thermally separated therein, whereby the electrical and electronic assemblies are integrated in a sub-housing and/or the main housing depending on the permissible temperature range and the heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic components is transferred to the multi-layer cooling system and/or outer wall of the main housing by means of heat pipes and/or the heat generated in the electronic and/or electrical components and/or assemblies in the sub-housings is transferred by direct heat conduction and/or heat coupling of the electronic and/or electrical components with the outside of the main housing and/or the part of the housing is dissipated and released into the environment via convection and which do not require electricity for cooling.

One possible structure of the multi-zone housing system has a two-part cast aluminum housing as the main housing, in which at least two partial and/or completely closed and insulated and/or non-insulated sub-housings are integrated as an aluminum screw construction to the inside of the main housing, wherein they are integrated in such a way that the outer wall of the and/or sub-housings is integrated into an outer wall of the main housing, wherein the outer walls of the main housing are designed as an outer wall of a sub-housing and/or the outer wall of the sub-housings is thermally separated and integrated into the outer wall of the main housing. One and/or more outer walls of the main and/or sub-housings are designed as a heat-dissipating multi-layer cooling system, wherein the multi-layer cooling system consists of at least one metal plate-shaped base plate which has a higher thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminum and has a layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy on at least one side, wherein the plate and the layer are mechanically connected to one another via screws and/or rivets and a thermal paste is used for better heat transfer. The electrical and/or electronic components are installed in the main and sub-housings according to the permissible temperature range, whereby the sub-housings and the main housing are thermally designed in such a way that the permissible maximum temperature of the electrical and/or electronic components is not exceeded and the cooling of the electrical and/or electronic components takes place by means of one and/or more heat pipes with adapter systems via thermal coupling with the multi-layer cooling system and/or by means of direct thermal conduction and/or thermal coupling of the electronic and/or electrical components with the outside of the main housing and/or the sub-housings.

The installation of cooling fins and/or cooling lamellas on one and/or more heat-dissipating outer walls of the main and/or sub-housings and/or the multi-layer cooling systems proves to be a beneficial improvement in heat transfer to the environment.

A significant improvement in heat transfer is achieved by a metallic connection between the metal plate-shaped base plate and the aluminum plate with and/or without cooling fins and/or cooling fins by one of the following processes: brazing, soft soldering, diffused bonding, welding, casting, pouring or roll cladding.

The insulation of the multi-layer heat sinks towards the inside of the main housing has a beneficial effect on the thermal design of the housing. In addition, insulating the heat pipes with adapter systems is extremely advantageous, as this prevents heat radiation onto the inside of the main housing.

The following have a favourable effect on the transfer of heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic components to the heat-absorbing part of the heat pipe:

a. soldering and/or gluing the end of the heat pipe onto the heat-absorbing plate, whereby the heat-absorbing plate is made of copper and the heat-absorbing plate is attached to the heat pipe using special adapter plate solutions on the electrical and/or electronic components using special brackets and/or clamping fixtures and/or adapter systems. It is particularly important that the heat-emitting surface of the electrical and/or electronic components has direct contact with the underside of the heat-absorbing plate and is thus directly thermally coupled and sits tightly and without gaps.

The thermal separation of the individual outer walls of the main and/or partial housings has a positive effect on heat dissipation, whereby the outer walls of the partial housings are thermally insulated from the outer walls of the main housing.

It is beneficial for heat dissipation if the walls of the housing and/or parts of the housing are made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminum. Complete insulation of these walls also has a beneficial effect.

It is beneficial if the multi-layer cooling system is mounted on the outside of a wall of the housing and an insulating layer is integrated between the metal plate-shaped base plate and the housing wall.

The use of high-performance heat sinks with pressed-in fins improves heat transfer from the heat sink to the environment.

Corrosion of the heat sink, in particular an electrolytic corrosion reaction between the metal plate-shaped base plate and the aluminum layer, is prevented by a coating using an insulating resin and/or insulating varnish.

The use of several heat pipes, whose heat-emitting ends are distributed in a fan-like manner on the metal plate-shaped base plate and soldered, has a beneficial effect.

A housing construction in bent sheet metal part design is optimal for production and for heat dissipation, whereby a material with a higher thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminum is used as the base material for the design and parts of this basic housing serve as a metal plate-shaped base plate and a layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy with and/or without cooling fins and/or cooling fins is applied to this basic housing on one and/or more walls and whereby one and/or more outer walls of the partial housings are integrated into the housing construction in a thermally insulated manner.

The invention is explained in more detail using an embodiment shown in the drawings.

Fig. 1: Section through the housing system with several integrated insulated sub-housings and with multi-layer cooling system and with insulated heat pipe

Fig. 2: Main housing with integrated insulated heat pipe

Figure 1 shows a section through the housing system with several integrated insulated sub-housings and with a multi-layer cooling system and with an insulated heat pipe. In the main housing 1, which is designed as a cast construction 2, at least two sub-housings 3 that are partially and/or completely closed and insulated towards the inside of the main housing are integrated as an aluminum screw construction, wherein they are integrated in such a way that the outer wall 5 of the and/or sub-housings 3 is integrated into an outer wall 4 of the main housing 1, wherein the outer walls 4 of the main housing 1 are designed as an outer wall 5 of a sub-housing 3 and/or the outer wall of the sub-housings is integrated in a thermally separated manner in the outer wall of the main housing. One and/or several outer walls 4 of the main and/or partial housings 1, 3 are designed as a heat-dissipating multi-layer cooling system 6, wherein the multi-layer cooling system 6 consists of at least one metal plate-shaped base plate 7, which has a higher thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminum and has a layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy 8 on at least one side, wherein the plate and the layer are mechanically connected to one another via screws and/or rivets 9 and a thermal paste 10 is used for better heat transfer. The electrical and/or electronic

Components 11 are installed in the main and partial housings 1, 3 according to the permissible temperature range, whereby the partial housings 3 and the main housing 1 are thermally designed in such a way that the permissible maximum temperature of the electrical and/or electronic components is not exceeded and the cooling of the electrical and/or electronic components takes place by means of one and/or more heat pipes with adapter systems 10 via thermal coupling with the multi-layer cooling system 6 and/or by means of direct heat conduction 11 and/or thermal coupling of the electronic and/or electrical components 11 with the outside 4 of the main housing 1 and/or the partial housings 3.

Figure 2 shows a section through the main housing with an integrated insulated heat pipe. The main housing 1 is made of cast aluminum and has an integrated heat pipe 12 for dissipating heat from the processor 13. To ensure that the heat is not released into the housing interior 14 but rather into the environment via the outer wall 4, the heat pipe 12 is protected with insulation 13.

Claims (23)

1. Multi-zone housing system for computers, controls, measuring and operating and display systems with and/or without a multi-layer cooling system for accommodating electrical and/or electronic assemblies and/or components, characterized in that the housing system consists of a main housing and one and/or more sub-housings integrated therein that are partially and/or completely closed to the inside of the main housing and insulated and/or non-insulated. 2. Multi-zone housing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the same and/or different temperatures prevail in the main housing and the sub-housings, wherein the temperatures are coordinated with the permissible ambient temperatures of the electrical and/or electronic assemblies and/or components. 3. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one and/or more outer walls of the partial housings are integrated in the and/or the outer walls of the main housing and/or are equal to the outer walls of the main housing. 4. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one and/or more outer walls of the partial housings are thermally separated from the outer wall(s) of the main housing. 5. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partial housings have their own outer walls which are integrated in a thermally insulated manner in and/or on the outer walls. 6. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer walls of the partial housings are attached at a distance from the outer wall of the main housing. 7. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer walls of the partial housings are made of metal and/or plastic. 8. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic assemblies and/or components is transported to one and/or more outer walls of the main and/or partial housings by means of one and/or more heat conducting pipes. 9. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic assemblies and/or components is transferred to one and/or more outer walls of the main and/or partial housings by means of direct heat coupling and/or heat conduction and/or heat transfer. 10. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat pipes and the associated adapter systems are thermally insulated from the interior of the main and/or partial housings. 11. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one and/or more outer walls of the main housing and/or the partial housings are designed as a multi-layer cooling system. 12. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all heat-emitting components such as heat pipes and/or their adapter systems and/or the walls of the partial housings are insulated towards the inside of the main housing. 13. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the multi-layer cooling system consists of a metal plate-shaped base plate which has a higher thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminum and has on at least one side a layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy with and/or without cooling fins and/or cooling lamellae, wherein the plate and the layer are mechanically and/or metallically connected to one another and the metal plate-shaped base plate is larger and/or smaller and/or the same size as the layer. 14. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main housing and/or the partial housing and/or the partial housings are designed as a bent part construction and/or as a profile frame construction and/or as a cast construction and/or as a screw construction made of metal and/or plastic and/or as a combination of one of the above-mentioned designs and the multi-layer cooling system is integrated in the housing and/or is mounted on an outside of the housing. 15. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one and/or more outer walls of the partial housings are integrated in the outer walls of the main housing, wherein the walls are also thermally separated from one another. 16. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat generated in the electrical and/or electronic components is transferred by means of one and/or more heat pipes to one and/or more metal plate-shaped base plates of the and/or the multi-layer cooling systems, wherein the and/or the heat-absorbing end of the heat pipe is pressed tightly and without gaps onto the heat-emitting surface of the electrical and/or electronic components by means of an adapter system and the and/or the heat-emitting end of the heat pipe is attached directly to the and/or the metal plate-shaped base plates by means of mechanical and/or metallic connections with and/or without adapter systems. 17. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one and/or more outer walls of the partial housings are designed as flaps with integrated and/or overlying hinges. 18. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface of the external walls of the main and/or partial housings are designed such that they dissipate the heat generated by the electrical and/or electronic assemblies and/or components. 19. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal plate-shaped base plate is made of copper. 20. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when designed as a profile construction housing, the profiles can be considered as thermally and/or electrically insulating elements. 21. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer walls of the partial housings are designed such that they dissipate the heat generated in the partial housings to the outside. 22. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when using a bent sheet metal housing, the housing is made of copper sheet and/or copper sheet alloys and parts and/or partial housings and/or one and/or more walls of the housing serve as a metal plate-shaped base plate for the multi-layer heat sink wall. 23. Multi-zone housing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when using a copper housing, the flaps are integrated as separate units with support and flap solution.