JP2009248169A - Manufacturing method of cold plate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of a cold plate capable of achieving the excellent adhesiveness of a groove of the plate to a pipe and enhancing the cooling performance and the radiation performance without increasing the material cost or the size. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing method of the cold plate 1 in which a pipe 4 consisting of a metal of excellent heat transfer is arranged in a held condition in a groove 5 formed by superposing two plates 2, 3 consisting of a metal of excellent heat transfer comprises: a first step of collapsing in advance a workpiece 6 forming the pipe 4 inward in the laminating direction of the plates 2, 3; a second step of arranging the collapsed pipe 4 in a held condition in the groove 5 of the plates 2, 3; and a third step of tightly adhering an outer circumferential part of the pipe 4 to the groove 5 by outwardly swelling the pipe by increasing the internal pressure of the pipe 4 arranged in the groove 5 of the plates 2, 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a cold plate, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a cold plate that can improve the adhesion between a groove of the plate and a pipe.

Conventionally, a method of manufacturing a cold plate in which a pipe made of a metal of a good heat transfer material is sandwiched in a groove formed by stacking two plates of the metal of a good heat transfer material. The technology is publicly known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-227634 JP-A-10-54688

However, in the conventional invention, due to the manufacturing accuracy error between the grooves of both plates and the pipe, a slight gap is generated in both of them, and as a result, the thermal resistance increases and the cooling / heat dissipation performance is reduced. There was a problem.
Even if grease is applied between the grooves of the plates and the pipe or soldering is performed to reduce the thermal resistance, the desired effect cannot be obtained, and the material cost increases and the cooling / heat radiation area increases. The cold plate for the purpose of securing will be enlarged.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to improve the adhesion between the groove of the plate and the pipe without causing an increase in material cost or an increase in size, The object is to provide a method of manufacturing a cold plate that can improve cooling and heat dissipation performance.

  In the invention according to claim 1, the pipe made of the metal of the good heat transfer material is disposed in the groove formed by stacking the two plates made of the metal of the good heat transfer material. A method for manufacturing a cold plate, wherein a first step of crushing a workpiece member to be the pipe inward in the stacking direction of both plates, and a step of arranging the crushed pipe in a state of being sandwiched between grooves of the two plates. 2 steps and a 3rd process which makes the outer peripheral part of this pipe closely_contact | adhere to a groove | channel by raising the internal pressure of the pipe arrange | positioned to the groove | channel of the said both plates, and making it bulge outside.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the work member that becomes a pipe in the first step is crushed inward in the stacking direction of both plates, and the pipe crushed in the second step is disposed in a state sandwiched between the grooves of the two plates. Then, in the third step, the inner pressure of the pipe is raised and bulged to the outside, thereby bringing the outer peripheral portion of the pipe into close contact with the groove.
As a result, the adhesiveness between the groove of the plate and the pipe can be improved without increasing the material cost or increasing the size, and the cooling / heat dissipation performance can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cold plate of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line S3-S3 of FIG. FIG. 6 and FIG. 6 are plan views showing a cooling device in which the cold plate of Example 1 is employed.

First, the overall configuration will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cold plate 1 according to the first embodiment includes two plates 2 and 3 and pipes 4 and the like arranged in a meandering manner in the two plates 2 and 3. ing.

Each of the plates 2 and 3 is formed into a flat plate using a metal of a good heat transfer material such as aluminum or copper, and the joint surfaces 2a and 3a which are overlapped with each other are cut into a semi-race track shape. The grooves 2b and 3b are respectively formed in a meandering shape, and as shown in FIG. 3, a pipe 4 (to be described later) is disposed in close contact with the groove 5 having a racetrack-shaped cross section in which both the grooves 2b and 3b are overlapped. ing.
Note that the plates 2 and 3 are joined together by welding or a fixing member (not shown).

The pipe 4 is a semicircular shape with a pair of straight central wall portions 4a, 4a facing each other using a metal of a good heat transfer material such as aluminum or copper, and both ends of the pair of central wall portions 4a, 4a. It has a so-called flat tubular cross section having a pair of connecting portions 4b, 4b connected to each other, and is formed in a meandering shape matching the groove 5.
Further, both end portions of the pipe 4 are provided so as to protrude from both plates 2 and 3 to the outside, and the middle portions thereof are disposed in close contact with the grooves 5 of both plates 2 and 3.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the cold plate of Example 1 is demonstrated.
In order to manufacture the cold plate 1 configured as described above, first to third steps described later are sequentially performed.

<First step>
In the first step, as shown in FIG. 4, first, a workpiece member 6 (hereinafter referred to as a pipe 4) having a circular cross section to be a pipe 4 is bent in a meandering manner by a pipe bending machine (not shown), and then the meandering shape is obtained. In such a state that it is held so as not to be disturbed, the center wall portions 4a, 4a are deformed into a substantially racetrack-type cross section in which the central wall portions 4a, 4a are recessed inward by pressing inside with a pair of flat pressing dies 7, 7.

<Second process>
In the second step, as shown in FIG. 5, the pipe 4 is arranged in a state of being sandwiched between grooves 2 b and 3 b formed on the joint surfaces 2 a and 3 a of both plates 2 and 3 using a jig (not shown).
At this time, gaps 8 are formed in the vicinity of the grooves 5b formed by the grooves 2b and 3b of the plates 2 and 3 and the central walls 4a and 4a of the pipe 4, respectively.

<Third process>
In the third step, the internal pressure of the pipe 4 arranged in the groove 5 formed by the grooves 2b and 3b of the plates 2 and 3 is raised by using a known hydraulic forming apparatus (not shown) to bulge outward. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer periphery of the pipe 4 is brought into close contact with the grooves 5 of both plates 2 and 3.
At this time, since the central wall portions 4a, 4a of the pipe 4 are crushed inward in the first step, the central wall portions 4a, 4a can bulge outward so as to mainly fill the gap 8 of the groove 5, thereby Compared with the vicinity of the pair of connecting portions 4b, 4b, the vicinity of the straight central wall portions 4a, 4a, in which gaps are particularly likely to occur, can be reliably adhered to the groove 5, which is preferable.

Finally, the plates 2 and 3 are fixed to each other by welding or the like to obtain a desired cold plate 1.
Note that the plates 2 and 3 may be fixed in advance by welding or the like immediately before the third step.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, the pipe 4 can be bulged and closely contacted with the groove 5 regardless of the manufacturing accuracy error between the grooves 5 of both plates 2 and 3 and the pipe 4.

Next, the operation will be described.
Next, an example of operation | movement of the cold plate 1 of Example 1 is demonstrated.
The cold plate 1 configured as described above is used, for example, in a cooling device for a heating element of an automobile.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the cooling device 10 for the heating element according to the first embodiment employs a vapor compression refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant is HFC-134a, as in the vehicle interior air conditioning device, and a cold plate. 1, an expansion valve 11, a heat exchanger 12, and a compressor 13 are connected in a ring shape.

One end of the pipe 4 of the cold plate 1 is connected to the compressor 13 via a connector (not shown), and the other end is connected to the expansion valve 11 via a connector (not shown).
Further, a battery 14 as a heating element is provided in close contact with at least one of the plates 2 and 3 of the cold plate 1.
The battery 14 is a battery for supplying electricity to an electric motor (mainly a driving motor) of an automobile, and can be repeatedly charged and discharged in the same manner as a known battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, or a lithium battery. Secondary batteries such as ion batteries are employed.

The operating principle of the cooling device 10 is as follows. First, a gaseous refrigerant (indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure) heated to high temperature and pressure by the compressor 13 is radiated by the heat exchanger 12 to be liquefied.
Next, after the liquefied refrigerant is made into a low-temperature / low-pressure mist through the expansion valve 11 and the like and then circulated through the pipe 4 of the cold plate 1, The battery 14 can be cooled by exchanging heat to vaporize the refrigerant.
At this time, as described above, since the plates 2 and 3 and the pipe 4 are in close contact with each other, the heat receiving performance of the plates 2 and 3 can be improved, and as a result, the cooling performance of the cooling device 10 can be improved.
Moreover, since the pipe 4 is arranged in a meandering manner, the flow path length of the refrigerant can be easily secured, the heat receiving performance can be improved, and the size can be reduced.

  In the heat exchanger 12 of the first embodiment, a pipe 15 through which a cold plate refrigerant flows is disposed through a flat plate 16, and the plate 16 is cooled from the inside or the outside, so that the inside of the pipe 14 Although it is set as the structure which thermally radiates the heat | fever of a refrigerant | coolant, it is not this limitation.

Next, the effect will be described.
As described above, in the invention of the first embodiment, the pipe 5 made of the metal of the good heat transfer material is formed in the groove 5 formed by stacking the two plates 2 and 3 made of the metal of the good heat transfer material. 4 is a manufacturing method of the cold plate 1 disposed in a state where the plate 4 is sandwiched between the first step in which the work member 6 to be the pipe 4 is crushed inward in the stacking direction of the plates 2 and 3; A second step of placing the pipe 4 in a state of being sandwiched between the grooves 5 of the plates 2 and 3, and by raising the internal pressure of the pipe 4 placed in the grooves 5 of the plates 2 and 3 to bulge outward. Since the third step of closely attaching the outer periphery of the pipe 4 to the groove 5 is provided, the adhesion between the groove 5 of the plates 2 and 3 and the pipe 4 can be improved without increasing the material cost and increasing the size. Cooling and heat dissipation performance can be improved.

  Further, by bending the workpiece member 6 into a predetermined shape in the first step and then crushing it in the stacking direction of the plates 2 and 3, the workpiece member 6 can be easily bent into a predetermined shape.

  Further, since the predetermined shape is a meandering shape, the length of the pipe 4, that is, the flow path length of the refrigerant can be easily secured, which can contribute to downsizing.

  Further, the work member 6 of the pipe 4 includes a pair of linear center walls 4a, 4a facing each other and a pair of connecting portions 4b for connecting both ends of the pair of center walls 4a, 4a in a semicircular shape. 4b, the grooves 5 of the plates 2 and 3 have a racetrack shape along the outer periphery of the pipe 4, and the central wall 4a 4a can bulge mainly in the groove 5, which makes it possible to ensure that the vicinity of the straight central wall portions 4a, 4a, in particular, where gaps are likely to occur, can be reliably adhered to the groove 5.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.
For example, in Example 1, although the example which used the cold plate 1 for the cooling device 10 of the heat generating body of a motor vehicle was demonstrated, it is not this limitation.

In addition, the refrigerant can be appropriately set according to the temperature condition of the heating element. In the case of an automobile, a liquid such as engine cooling water or oil, or a gas such as cooling air from a vehicle interior air conditioner may be used. As in Example 1, a dedicated refrigerant / cooling circuit may be provided.
However, the type of refrigerant, the amount enclosed, the number of installations, etc. are set so as to operate under ambient ambient temperature / humidity conditions where the heating element (battery 14) does not condense.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cold plate according to the first embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the cold plate of Example 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing in the S3-S3 line | wire of FIG. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of the cold plate of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of the cold plate of Example 1. FIG. It is a top view which shows the cooling device by which the cold plate of Example 1 was employ | adopted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cold plate 2, 3 Plate 2a, 3a Joining surface 2b, 3b, 5 Groove 4 Pipe 4a Central wall part 4b Connection part 6 Work member 7 Stamping die 8 Crevice 10 Heating body cooling device 11 Expansion valve 12 Heat exchanger 13 Compressor 14 Battery 15 Pipe 16 Plate

Claims (4)

A method of manufacturing a cold plate in which a pipe made of a metal of good heat transfer material is sandwiched in a groove formed by stacking two plates of a metal of good heat transfer material. ,
A first step of preliminarily crushing the work member to be the pipe to the inside in the stacking direction of both plates;
A second step of placing the crushed pipe in a state of being sandwiched between the grooves of the two plates;
A method of manufacturing a cold plate, comprising a third step of bringing the outer peripheral portion of the pipe into close contact with the groove by raising the internal pressure of the pipe disposed in the groove of the two plates and causing the pipe to bulge outward. In the manufacturing method of the cold plate of Claim 1,
A method for manufacturing a cold plate, wherein the work member is bent into a predetermined shape in the first step and then crushed in the stacking direction of both plates. In the manufacturing method of the cold plate of Claim 2,
The method for manufacturing a cold plate, wherein the predetermined shape is a meandering shape. In the manufacturing method of the cold plate in any one of Claims 1-3,
The pipe work member has a cross-section having a pair of opposing linear central wall portions and a pair of connecting portions that connect both ends of the pair of central wall portions in a semicircular shape,
The groove of the plate is a race track shape along the outer peripheral shape of the pipe,
A method of manufacturing a cold plate, wherein both the central wall portions of the pipe are crushed inward.

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