JP2023014658A - Cooling device and cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve a heat dissipation performance.SOLUTION: A cooling device 1 comprises a heat receiving unit 20, a plurality of fins 30 and a heat transport unit 40A. Each of the plurality of fins 30 is a long plate including a through hole in which the heat transport unit 40A is inserted, is fixed to the heat transport unit 40A while being spaced apart from each other and includes a first end positioned lower than a fixture location to be fixed to the heat transport unit 40A. A width of the fin in the first end is narrower than a fin at an intersection of a central axis C of the heat transport unit 40A and a surface including a top face of the fin 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to cooling devices and cooling systems using cooling devices.

Patent Document 1 describes a self-cooling device cooling device for cooling, using air, semiconductor devices used in electronic devices such as computers, electric power devices, substation devices, or vehicle power supply devices. ing. A conventional element cooling device includes a heat receiving block that receives heat generated by an element to be cooled, a plurality of heat pipes connected to the heat receiving block, and a plurality of heat radiating fins attached to the heat pipes. Each of the plurality of radiating fins has a central portion, an air inlet portion, and an air outlet portion. The central portion is attached to the plurality of heat pipes by press fitting or the like. The inlet section is located upstream of the central section along the air flow. The outflow portion is located downstream of the central portion along the air flow. The shape of each portion of the heat radiation fins is substantially rectangular.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-28417 (see FIGS. 5 and 8)

In the conventional element cooling device, heat is radiated to the outside air by air flowing between the heat radiating fins due to natural convection. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of heat dissipation, a space that serves as an air intake path is required around the heat dissipation fins. On the other hand, in a cooling system using a plurality of element cooling devices, the distance between adjacent element cooling devices may be shortened in order to downsize the cooling system. Also, other parts may be arranged adjacent to the element cooling device. In this way, when there is a shield or the like that prevents the air from flowing into the heat radiating fins, the area of the flow path for the air to flow between the heat radiating fins is reduced, or the ventilation path to the vicinity of the heat radiating fins is reduced. For this reason, the conventional element cooling device has a problem that the heat dissipation performance deteriorates as the amount of air flowing between the heat dissipation fins decreases.

A cooling device according to an aspect of the present disclosure has a heat receiving portion that receives heat from a heat generating body, a plurality of fins, and a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving portion, and the heat receiving portion and the plurality of fins each of the plurality of fins is an elongated plate having a through-hole through which the heat transporting portion is inserted, and the heat transporting portion is spaced apart from each other; It is fixed to the transport section and has a first end located below a fixing point fixed to the heat transport section, and the width of the fin at the first end is equal to the central axis of the heat transport section and the fin. narrower than the width of the fin at its intersection with the plane containing the top surface of the fin.

A cooling device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a heat receiving portion that receives heat from a heat generating body, a plurality of fins, and a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving portion. and a heat transport unit that transports heat between the plurality of fins, each of which is a long plate,
a first portion fixed to the heat transporting part spaced apart from each other, provided with a through hole through which the heat transporting part is inserted, and having a fixing portion fixed to the heat transporting part; a first end; a second portion having a second end opposite the first end, the second portion being contiguous with the first portion at the second end and relative to the first portion; The width of the fins at the first end is narrower than the width of the fins at the second end.

1 is a front view showing a configuration example of a cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the cooling device 1; FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a fin 30; FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration example of a fin 30; FIG. 1 is a plan view of cooling system 100. FIG. 1 is a side view of cooling system 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a cooling system 100X that is a comparative example of the cooling system 100; It is a top view of cooling system 100A. It is a side view of cooling system 100A. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the flow of air flowing into the fins 30. FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view schematically showing the flow of air flowing into fins 30X in a comparative example; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a fin 30A according to a modification; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a fin 30B according to a modification; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a fin 30C according to a modified example; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a fin 30D according to a modification; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a configuration example of a fin 30E according to a modification; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a configuration example of a fin 30F according to a modification; It is a front view which shows the structural example of the cooling device 1F by a modification. It is a front view which shows the structural example of the cooling device 1G by a modification. It is a top view which shows the structural example of the cooling device 1G by a modification.

1. Embodiment FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration example of a cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the cooling device 1. As shown in FIG. The cooling device 1 is a self-cooling device that cools the heating elements 10A and 10B that generate heat. The self-cooling system refers to a cooling system that utilizes natural convection of air instead of forced cooling using a blower or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 1 includes a heat receiving section 20, a plurality of fins 30, and heat transport sections 40A and 40B. For the sake of convenience, the following description will be made using the mutually orthogonal X-, Y-, and Z-axes as appropriate. One direction along the X axis is the X1 direction, which is the direction from left to right in FIG. The direction opposite to the X1 direction is the X2 direction. One direction along the Y-axis is the Y1 direction, which is the direction toward the back from the paper surface in FIG. The direction opposite to the Y1 direction is the Y2 direction. One direction along the Z axis is the Z1 direction, which is the direction from bottom to top in FIG. The direction opposite to the Z1 direction is the Z2 direction.

Here, typically, the Z axis is the vertical line, the Z1 direction corresponds to vertically upward, and the Z2 direction corresponds to vertically downward. Note that the direction of the Z-axis in real space is determined according to the installation posture of the cooling device 1 . The Z-axis may be tilted within a range of 45° or less with respect to the vertical line. Further, hereinafter, simply “above” indicates a position in the direction along the vertical line, and includes both vertically upward and vertically diagonally upward as a concept. Similarly, simply "below" indicates a position along a vertical line, and includes both vertically downward and vertically diagonally downward as concepts.

FIG. 1 shows a heating element 10A in addition to the cooling device 1. As shown in FIG. The heating element 10A may be any object as long as it is a heat source to be cooled. A semiconductor element is an example of the heating element 10A. The heating element 10A is, for example, a power semiconductor element such as a diode or an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). Power semiconductor devices are mounted, for example, in power electronics products such as inverters or rectifiers mounted in electric railways, automobiles, domestic electric machines, and the like.

The heating elements 10A and 10B are fixed to the side surface of the heat receiving section 20. As shown in FIG. The number of heating elements fixed to the heat receiving section 20 is arbitrary, and may be one or three or more. In this embodiment, two heat generators 10A and 10B are fixed to the heat receiving portion 20 . In this example, the heating element 10B is fixed to the side opposite to the side to which the heating element 10A is fixed. The heat receiving portion 20 receives heat from the heating elements 10A and 10B. A specific example of the heat receiving portion 20 is a solid block made of a material with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper.

The heat transporting parts 40A and 40B have columnar shapes extending upward from the heat receiving part 20 . That is, the heat transport parts 40A and 40B are long members along the Z-axis. The heat transport parts 40A and 40B in this example are cylinders, but they may be prisms. Also, the length of the heat transport parts 40A and 40B along the Z-axis is, for example, 1600 mm, but may be less than 1600 mm or longer than 1600 mm. A specific example of the heat transport parts 40A and 40B is a solid rod made of aluminum, copper, or the like. The heat transport parts 40A and 40B are not limited to rod-shaped members, and may be tubular members such as heat pipes. When the heat transporting part 40 is a tubular member, a hollow member having a space for storing a liquid-phase refrigerant such as water is used as the heat receiving part 20, and a vapor path and a liquid path communicating with this space are used as the heat receiving part 20. A thermosiphon may be formed by the heat receiving part 20 and the heat transporting part 40A or 40B by providing it inside the transporting part 40A or 40B.

The fins 30 are made of metal such as aluminum or copper. As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of fins 30 are fixed to the heat transport section 40A or 40B at intervals. In FIG. 1, 16 fins 30 are fixed to the heat transport section 40A, and 16 fins 30 are fixed to the heat transport section 40B. Two or more fins 30 may be fixed to the heat transport section 40A or 40B. The number of fins 30 fixed to the heat transport section 40A or 40B is typically 150, but may be, for example, 100 or more and 200 or less.

A space between two fins 30 vertically adjacent to each other along the heat transport portion 40A or 40B serves as an air flow path for cooling the heating element 10A or 10B, that is, an air flow path. Each of the heat transporting parts 40A and 40B transports heat between the heat receiving part 20 and the plurality of fins 30 . In the cooling device 1, the heat received by the heat receiving section 20 from the heating elements 10A and 10B is transmitted to the plurality of fins 30 via the heat transporting section 40A or 40B. Heat exchange between the air flowing through the air passage and the fins 30 transfers the heat of the heating elements 10A and 10B to the air flowing through the air passage. Air flowing between the vertically adjacent fins 30 as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1 flows into the space S between the heat transporting section 40A and the heat transporting section 40B. The air that has flowed into the space S rises in the Z1 direction. This air flow cools the heating elements 10A and 10B.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the fin 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration example of the fin 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fin 30 is an elongated plate having through holes 311 . The fin 30 has an upper surface 30u, a lower surface 30d opposite to the upper surface 30u, and side surfaces 30s continuous with the upper surface 30u and the lower surface 30d. The upper surface 30u and the lower surface 30d function as heat dissipation surfaces for dissipating heat.

The fin 30 includes a first portion 31 and a second portion 32 connected to the first portion 31 . The shape of the first portion 31 is rectangular in a plan view from the Z2 direction. Also, the first portion 31 is parallel to the XY plane including the X axis and the Y axis. However, the first portion 31 may be inclined with respect to the XY plane. The first portion 31 has a through hole 311 through which the heat transport portion 40A or 40B is inserted. By brazing or soldering the first portion 31 along the periphery of the through hole 311 to the heat transporting portion 40A or 40B, or by press-fitting the heat transporting portion 40A or 40B into the through hole 311, the fins 30 is fixed to the heat transport portion 40A or 40B. When the fins 30 are fixed by press-fitting, the through holes 311 are fixing points fixed to the heat transporting section 40A or 40B. Further, when the fins 30 are fixed by soldering, the soldered positions around the through-holes 311 are fixed positions fixed to the heat transporting portion 40A or 40B.

The second portion 32 has a first end 321 and a second end 322 opposite the first end 321 . The second portion 32 is connected to the first portion 31 at the second end portion 322 .

Fin 30 is bent at second end 322 . The second portion 32 slopes downward with respect to the first portion 31 . As a result, the first end portion 321 is located below the fixed location where the fin 30 is fixed to the heat transport portion 40A or 40B. The closer the angle α between the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 is to 180 degrees, the more the flow of air due to natural convection is suppressed. Further, as the angle α approaches 90 degrees, the distance between the second portion 32 of the fin 30 located above and the second portion 32 of the fin 30 located below becomes smaller in the vertically adjacent fins 30 . Therefore, from the viewpoint of efficient inflow of air, the angle α is preferably 120°<α<150°.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second portion 32 is tapered in the X1 direction. Specifically, the shape of the second portion 32 is a trapezoid in plan view from the Z1 direction. The width of the fin 30 at the first end 321 is W1 and the width of the fin 30 at the second end 322 is W2. Further, the width of the fin 30 at the intersection point P between the center axis C of the heat transport portion 40A and the plane including the upper surface 30u of the fin 30 shown in FIG. 1 is W3.

The width W1 of the fins at the first end 321 is narrower than the width W3 of the fins 30 at the intersection P. Also, the width W1 of the fin 30 at the first end 321 is narrower than the width W2 of the fin 30 at the second end 322 . In the second portion 32 of this example, the width of the fin 30 monotonically narrows from the second end 322 toward the first end 321 . That is, when comparing the widths of the second portions 32 at two positions in the X1 direction, the width of the fin 30 at the position closer to the first end 321 is narrower than the width of the fin 30 at the position far from the first end 321. . Although the width W3 and the width W2 match in this example, they may not match.

As described above, since the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 are connected at the second end portion 322, the width of the fin 30 is narrow at the boundary between the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 in the X1 direction. is the position where the is started. The reason why the fins 30 are tapered from the fixing point toward the tip is to secure the air volume between the vertically adjacent fins 30 when the cooling device 1 is assumed to be used. This point will be described below.

6 or 12 power semiconductor devices are often used in power devices such as inverters. Therefore, a cooling system 100 including a plurality of cooling devices 1 may be used.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing an example of the cooling system 100. FIG. FIG. 5B is a side view of an example cooling system 100. As shown in FIG. A cooling system 100 includes six cooling devices 1 . Six cooling devices 1 are arranged along the Y-axis. On the other hand, the longitudinal direction of the fins 30 is the direction along the X-axis. Therefore, the six cooling devices 1 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the fins 30. As shown in FIG. The flow of air will be described below with reference to a comparative example.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a cooling system 100X of a comparative example. The cooling system 100X includes six cooling devices 1X arranged along the Y-axis. The cooling device 1X is configured in the same manner as the cooling device 1 except that the fins 30X are provided instead of the fins 30. As shown in FIG. In Figures 5A and 6, the air flow is indicated by the lines indicated by the arrows. As shown in FIG. 5A, the fin 30 has a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the Z1 direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the fin 30X has a rectangular shape in a plan view from the Z1 direction. In the cooling system 100, cold air that flows in from the outside also flows in from the space G1 and the space G2 in addition to the X1 direction. In contrast, in the cooling system 100X of the comparative example, the air only flows in from the X1 direction. Also, in FIG. 6, there is a gap between adjacent fins 30X, but the amount of air that flows in through this gap is very small. Furthermore, when the pitch of the cooling devices 1X is shortened, the amount of air flowing in through the gaps is reduced.

When arranging a plurality of cooling devices 1 or 1X with a close pitch, adjacent cooling devices 1 or 1X act as obstacles that hinder the flow of air. Even if such an obstacle exists, in the cooling system 100, by securing the spaces G1 and G2, the ventilation paths are increased compared to the cooling system 100X, so the air volume is increased. . As a result, the cooling system 100 has improved cooling performance compared to the cooling system 100X.

Next, the cooling system 100A will be described. The cooling system 100A is configured similarly to the cooling system 100, except that seven walls 50 are provided. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the cooling system 100A. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example of the cooling system 100A. Walls 50 are arranged between adjacent cooling devices 1 as shown in FIGS. The wall 50 is another part adjacent to the cooling device 1 in the state of use of the cooling device 1 . The wall 50 becomes an obstacle that blocks the flow of air flowing between the vertically adjacent fins 30 .

FIG. 9A is a plan view schematically showing the flow of air flowing into the fins 30. FIG. Also, FIG. 9B is a plan view schematically showing the flow of air flowing into the fins 30X in the comparative example. In Figures 9A and 9B, the air flow is indicated by the lines indicated by the arrows. As shown in FIG. 9A, the fin 30 has a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the Z1 direction. Therefore, air flows in from each side indicated by a thick line. These sides correspond to the base and legs of the trapezoid. On the other hand, in the fin 30X of the comparative example shown in FIG. 9B, the shape of the second portion 32X is rectangular in plan view from the Z1 direction. Therefore, the ventilation path through which the air flows is limited to the side corresponding to the first end 321X indicated by the thick line. As described above, when an obstacle such as the wall 50 exists, there are no ventilation paths from the Y1 direction and the Y2 direction, so the flow passage area is reduced. In this embodiment, the width W1 of the fins 30 at the first end portion 321 is narrower than the width W2 of the fins 30 at the second end portion 322, so more ventilation paths can be secured than in the comparative example. Therefore, the channel area is enlarged. As a result, the cooling device 1 can increase the amount of air flowing into the vertically adjacent fins 30 compared to the comparative example, thereby improving the cooling performance.

The wall 50 protects the fins 30 so that the cooling devices 1 adjacent in the Y direction collide with each other and the fins 30 are not damaged when shaking such as an earthquake occurs. Also, although the cooling device 1 is of a self-cooling type, depending on the environment in which the cooling system 100 is installed, an air flow may exist. For example, when the room in which the cooling system 100 is installed is ventilated, air may flow, or when the door of the room is opened, the outside air may flow. If the wall 50 were not provided, the downstream cooling device 1 among the plurality of cooling devices 1 constituting the cooling system 100 would receive heated air from the upstream, and thus the cooling performance could be reduced. . The wall 50 is a member useful for protecting the fins 30 or maintaining the cooling performance of the cooling device 1 located downstream.

When the wall 50 exists and the flow passage area is enlarged using the fins 30X shown in FIG. 9B, it is necessary to increase the interval between the vertically adjacent fins 30X. Therefore, the height of the cooling device 1 is increased, and the size of the cooling device 1 is increased. In other words, the fins 30 contribute to miniaturization of the cooling device 1 . In order to increase the volume of air by enlarging the passage area of the fins 30, it is preferable that the area of the second portions 32 of the fins 30 is within a certain range. Specifically, when the area of the second portion 32X of the fin 30X is S1 and the area of the second portion 32 of the fin 30 is S2, it is preferable that 0.5<S2/S1<0.9. Furthermore, it is more preferable that 0.5<S2/S1<0.75. Note that this also applies to the cooling system 100 .

2. Modifications The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified as follows, for example. Also, the embodiment and each modification may be appropriately combined.
(1) Instead of the fins 30, fins 30A shown in FIG. 10 may be used. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the fin 30A. Fin 30A is constructed similarly to fin 30, except that second portion 32A is used instead of second portion 32A. In the second portion 32, the width of the fin 30 monotonously decreases from the second end portion 322 toward the first end portion 321 as described above, and there is no portion where the width is constant. On the other hand, the second portion 32A has a portion where the width of the fin 30A is constant from the second end portion 322 to the first end portion 321 . The second portion 32A has a portion where the width of the fin 30 is constant and a portion where the width of the fin 30 monotonously narrows from the second end portion 322 toward the first end portion 321 . Specifically, the portion where the width of the fin 30 is constant is the portion Q shown in FIG. Due to the presence of the portion Q, the area of the upper surface of the second portion 32A is smaller than the area of the upper surface of the second portion 32 shown in FIG. By adopting the fins 30A, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured. In addition, the portion where the width of the fin 30A is constant may exist at any position from the second end portion 322 to the first end portion 321 . Also, the second portion 32A may include a plurality of portions where the width of the fin 30A is constant.

(2) Instead of the fins 30, fins 30B shown in FIG. 11 may be used. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the fin 30B. Fin 30B is constructed similarly to fin 30, except that second portion 32B is used instead of second portion 32B. As shown in FIG. 3, the second portion 32 has a trapezoidal shape in plan view. In contrast, the second portion 32B has two curved sides corresponding to the legs of the trapezoid. As with the second portion 32 , the width of the fin 30</b>B monotonously decreases from the second end 322 toward the first end 321 . By adopting the fins 30B, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured.

(3) Fins 30</b>C may be used instead of the fins 30 . FIG. 12 is a front view of the fin 30C. Fin 30C is constructed similarly to fin 30, except that second portion 32C is used instead of second portion 32C. The width W2 of the second end portion 322 is narrower than the width W3 of the first portion 31 in the second portion 32C. The fin 30C has a trapezoidal shape in plan view. By adopting the fins 30C having a tapered shape in the X1 direction in this way, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured.

(4) Fins 30</b>D may be used instead of the fins 30 . FIG. 13 is a front view of the fin 30D. Fin 30D is configured similarly to fin 30, except that first portion 31D is used instead of first portion 31D. A width W3 of the first portion 31D is narrower than a width W2 of the second end portion 322 . The fin 30D has a trapezoidal shape in plan view. By adopting the fins 30D having a tapered shape in the X1 direction in this way, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured.

(5) Instead of the fins 30, fins 30E shown in FIG. 14 may be used. FIG. 14 is a front view of the fin 30E. Fin 30E is configured similarly to fin 30, except that it is curved. Therefore, the second portion 32 of the fin 30E has a trapezoidal shape in plan view, as in FIG. The boundary between the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 in the X1 direction is the position where the width of the fin 30C starts narrowing. The shape of the fin 30E is, like the fin 30, tapered from the fixing point toward the tip. Therefore, by adopting the fins 30E, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured.

(6) Instead of the fins 30, fins 30F shown in FIG. 15 may be used. FIG. 15 is a front view of the fin 30F. Also, FIG. 16 is a front view of a cooling device 1F employing fins 30F. The fins 30F are configured in the same manner as the fins 30, except that they are not bent. Therefore, the second portion 32 of the fin 30F has a trapezoidal shape in plan view, as in FIG. Also, the boundary between the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 in the X1 direction is the position where the width of the fin 30F starts to narrow. The shape of the fins 30F is, like the fins 30, tapered from the fixing point toward the tip. Therefore, by adopting the fins 30F, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured. In addition, since the fins 30F do not have bent portions, they are easier to process than the fins 30. As shown in FIG.

(4) In the above embodiment and each modified example, the cooling devices 1 and 1D provided with two heat transport parts 40A and 40B were illustrated, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and only the heat transport part 40A There may be. FIG. 17 is a front view of a cooling device 1G according to a modification. FIG. 18 is a plan view of the cooling device 1G. The cooling device 1G is the same as the cooling device 1 shown in FIG. It is configured.

The heat transporting portion 40A is centrally arranged on the upper surface of the heat receiving portion 20 . Specifically, the heat transporting portion 40A is arranged such that the central axis of the heat receiving portion 20 perpendicular to the upper surface of the heat receiving portion 20 and the central axis C of the heat transporting portion 40A are aligned.

The fin 30G comprises a first portion 31G, a second portion 32G and a third portion 33G.
The first portion 31G has a through hole 311G through which the heat transport portion 40A is inserted. The first portion 31G is rectangular in plan view. The center of the rectangle matches the center of the through hole 311G.
The second portion 32G is connected to the first portion 31G at the second end portion 322 in the same manner as the second portion 32 . In the second portion 32G, the width of the fin 30G decreases from the second end 322 toward the first end 321. As shown in FIG. Also, the second portion 32G is inclined downward with respect to the first portion 31G.
The third portion 33G is continuous with the first portion 31G. The third portion 33G has a rectangular shape in plan view. The third portion 33G is inclined upward with respect to the first portion 31G. The third portion 33G serves to discharge the heated air. Further, when the temperature of the third portion 33G is higher than the temperature of the air contacting the third portion 33G, the third portion 33G plays the role of heat dissipation in addition to the role of evacuation.

The shape of the fins 30</b>G of the cooling device 1</b>G is, like the fins 30 , tapered from the fixing point toward the first end 321 . Therefore, by adopting the fins 30G, even if there is an obstacle such as the wall 50, the passage area is ensured. Therefore, the cooling performance is improved without increasing the size of the cooling device 1G.

(5) In the above embodiments and modifications, all the fins fixed to the heat transporting section 40A or 40B are the fins 30 or 30A to 30E, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Among all the fins fixed to the heat transport section 40A or 40B, a plurality of fins may be the fin 30 or 30A to 30E. For example, the fins 30 or 30A to 30G may be employed as even-numbered fins among all the fins arranged in the Z1 direction.

(6) In the above embodiments and modifications, all the fins fixed to the heat transporting section 40A or 40B have the same shape, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The inventor of the present application simulated the environmental temperature near the fins for a plurality of fins arranged in the Z1 direction. According to the simulation results, it became clear that the environmental temperature near the fins positioned below is low. The higher the environmental temperature, the more air volume needs to be secured, so the area of the second portion 32 or 32G may be set to decrease from bottom to top. Alternatively, the area of a predetermined number of second portions 32 or 32G from the bottom is set to decrease from bottom to top, and the area of the second portions 32 or 32G exceeding the predetermined number up to the top is set constant. You can set it so that

(7) The heating elements 10A and 10B to be cooled by the cooling device 1 are not limited to elements used in AC/DC converters mounted on vehicles in electric railways, but are electronic devices such as computers, household electric appliances It may be a semiconductor element used in a device, a rectifier for transformation, or the like.

3. Aspects Grasp from Each Embodiment and Modifications The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various manners without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the present disclosure can also be implemented by the following aspects. The technical features in the above embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described below are used to solve some or all of the problems of the present disclosure, or to achieve some or all of the effects of the present disclosure. To achieve this, it is possible to make suitable substitutions and combinations. Also, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

A cooling device according to one aspect of the present disclosure has a heat receiving portion that receives heat from a heating element, a plurality of fins, and a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving portion, and the heat receiving portion and the plurality of fins each of the plurality of fins is an elongated plate having a through-hole through which the heat transporting portion is inserted, and the heat transporting portion is spaced apart from each other; It is fixed to the transport section and has a first end located below a fixing point fixed to the heat transport section, and the width of the fin at the first end is equal to the central axis of the heat transport section and the fin. narrower than the width of the fin at its intersection with the plane containing the top surface of the fin. According to this cooling device, the fin is an elongated plate, and the first end of the fin is located below the fixing point. Air flows in between the vertically adjacent fins. The width of the fins at the first end is narrower than the width of the fins at the intersection of the central axis of the heat transporting portion and the plane including the upper surfaces of the fins. Therefore, compared to the case where the width of the fins at the first end is the same as the width of the fins at the intersections, the passage area of the portion through which the air flows into the cooling device can be increased. In particular, when an obstacle such as a wall is arranged close to the cooling device, the flow passage area can be secured, so the air volume increases. As a result, the cooling performance of the cooling device can be improved even when there is an obstacle that blocks the inflow of air.

A cooling device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of fins, and a heat transporting section having a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving section and configured to transport heat between the heat receiving section and the plurality of fins. wherein each of the plurality of fins is an elongated plate, fixed to the heat transport section at intervals, and has a through hole through which the heat transport section is inserted; and a second portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the second portion comprising a , contiguous with the first portion at the second end and sloping downwardly with respect to the first portion, the width of the fins at the first end being narrower than the width of the fins at the second end. According to this cooling device, since the second portion is inclined downward from the first portion, the first end is located below the second end. Air flows in between the vertically adjacent fins. The width of the fins at the first end is narrower than the width of the fins at the second end. Therefore, compared to the case where the width of the fins at the first end is the same as the width of the fins at the second end, the passage area of the portion through which the air flows into the cooling device can be increased. In particular, when an obstacle such as a wall is arranged close to the cooling device, the flow passage area can be secured, so the air volume increases. As a result, the cooling performance of the cooling device can be improved even when there is an obstacle that blocks the inflow of air.

In the cooling device of the present disclosure, the second portion includes a portion where the width of the fins monotonously narrows or the width of the fins is constant from the second end portion toward the first end portion, and a portion where the width of the fins is constant. and a portion where the width monotonously narrows. According to this aspect, the width of the fin in the second portion does not increase from the second end to the first end. Compared to the case where the width of the fins in the second portion is widened from the second end to the first end, the cooling device of this aspect can take in air smoothly. The cooling performance of the cooling device can be improved.

In the cooling device of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of fins includes a third portion continuous with the first portion and inclined upward with respect to the first portion. The cooling device of this aspect has the advantage that the air heated by heat exchange in the first and second portions can be discharged upward along the third portion.

The cooling system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of cooling devices according to the aspect described above, and the plurality of cooling devices are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fins. In this cooling system, the adjacent cooling devices act as obstacles that impede the flow of air into the fins. However, since the width of the fin is narrowed at the first end, a ventilation path is ensured. Thus, this aspect of the cooling system provides improved cooling performance compared to a cooling system that is not narrowed at the first end.

The cooling system of the present disclosure further comprises a wall positioned between two adjacent cooling devices. Since the cooling system has walls, the walls impede air to the cooling device from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fins. However, since the width of the fin is narrowed at the first end, a ventilation path is ensured. Thus, this aspect of the cooling system provides improved cooling performance compared to a cooling system that is not narrowed at the first end.

1, 1D, 1G... cooling device, 10A, 10B... heating element, 20... heat receiving part, 30, 30A to 30G, 30X... fins, 31, 31D, 31G... first portion, 32, 32A, 32B, 32C, 32G , 32X... second part, 33G... third part, 40A, 40B... heat transport part, 50... wall, 100, 100A... cooling system, 311, 311G... through hole, 321, 321X... first end, 322... Second end, C... central axis, P... intersection.

Claims (6)

a heat receiving part that receives heat from the heating element;
a plurality of fins;
a heat transporting part having a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving part and transporting heat between the heat receiving part and the plurality of fins;
Each of the plurality of fins
A long plate having a through hole through which the heat transport part is inserted,
fixed to the heat transport part with a space between them,
having a first end located below a fixing point fixed to the heat transporting part;
The width of the fins at the first end is narrower than the width of the fins at the intersection of the central axis of the heat transport section and a plane including the upper surfaces of the fins.
Cooling system. a heat receiving part that receives heat from the heating element;
a plurality of fins;
a heat transporting part having a columnar shape extending upward from the heat receiving part and transporting heat between the heat receiving part and the plurality of fins;
Each of the plurality of fins
It is a long board,
fixed to the heat transport part with a space between them,
a first portion having a through hole through which the heat transporting portion is inserted and having a fixing portion to be fixed to the heat transporting portion;
a second portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
the second portion is connected to the first portion at the second end and slopes downward with respect to the first portion;
the width of the fins at the first end is narrower than the width of the fins at the second end;
Cooling system. In the second portion, the width of the fin monotonously narrows from the second end toward the first end, or a portion where the width of the fin is constant and a portion where the width of the fin monotonously narrows. 3. The cooling device of claim 2, comprising: 4. The cooling device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the plurality of fins has a third portion continuous with the first portion and inclined upward with respect to the first portion. A plurality of cooling devices according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The plurality of cooling devices are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fins,
cooling system. having a wall positioned between two adjacent cooling devices;
A cooling system according to claim 5 .

Images