Cooling system for semiconductors

• US 3,965,971 A
• Filed: 06/27/1974
• Issued: 06/29/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yale Materials Handling Corporation Route 523 and 31 Flemington New Jersey 08822
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Roggenkamp, George H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Jr., Albert W.
• Application Number:
  US05/483,489
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/65, 180/54 A, 357/82, 317/100, 174/15 R, 174/DIG. 5, 165/39, 165/80, 165/107, 165/47, 165/41
• US Class Current: 165/299
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/00 Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions for electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; road vehicle drive control systems for purposes not related to the control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/00; drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An SCR which controls the speed of a battery powered vehicle is liquid cooled by a closed circuit cooling system utilizing an oscillating pump, a heat exchanging reservoir, and an SCR mounting block. The SCR mounting block forms a fluid chamber when the SCR is mounted thereto. The heat exchanging reservoir is mounted to the vehicle chassis above the oscillating pump and is connected by tubing to both the pump and to the fluid chamber of the SCR mounting block to allow the pump to recirculate the liquid through the closed cooling system. The oscillating pump is connected to the battery of the vehicle through a chopper circuit to provide pulsating liquid flow from the pump in response to the pulsating D.C. signal from the chopper circuit. The pump thus circulates the heated liquid from the fluid chamber of the semiconductor mounting block to the heat exchanging reservoir where it is cooled and circulated back to the fluid chamber.

Claims

1. In a battery powered vehicle:

a heat sink mounted on said vehicle;

a power semiconductor utilized to vary the speed of the vehicle mounted on said heat sink, said heat sink having a cavity formed therein to mount said power semiconductor, and forming a fluid chamber for maintaining cooling fluid in heat transfer communication with said semiconductor;

heat exchanger means mounted on said vehicle for dissipating heat to the ambient;

an oscillating pump mounted on said vehicle at a level below said heat exchanger means;

tubing means for connecting the fluid chamber of said heat sink, said heat exchanger means, and said oscillating pump into a closed series path to thereby allow said oscillating pump to recirculate cooling fluid therethrough; and

a chopper circuit electrically connected to the battery of said vehicle and mounted proximate to said oscillating pump to convert the constant D.C. signal of the vehicle battery to a pulsating D.C. signal, said oscillating pump being electrically connected to said chopper to be driven by the pulsating D.C. signal therefrom.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including switch means for actuating said pump in response to a predetermined temperature being attained by said heat sink.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said switch means includes a bimetal switch mounted to sense said heat sink temperature and connecting said pump to the battery of the vehicle upon detecting a predetermined heat sink temperature.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger means includes a reservoir mounted to the main chassis of the vehicle.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said heat exchanger means includes a pair of reservoirs with one of said reservoirs mounted to the main chassis of the vehicle below the level of said oscillating pump, said one of said pair of reservoirs further having filling means for adding cooling fluid to the system.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said power semiconductor includes the main motor controlling SCR of the vehicle drive control.