Temperature control of electronic components

• US 6,041,850 A
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Pecile, Conrad Angelo, Keister, Lyle Thomas, Nash, Stephen Daniel, Esser, Albert Andreas Maria, McGinn, Patrick Henry, Hughes, Melvin La Vern, Sutherland, Steven Wade, Edmunds, Howard Ross, Lyons, James Patrick, Pate, Paul Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCKINNON, TERRELL L
• Application Number:
  US08/747,710
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 165/122, 165/104.14, 165/104.34, 165/104.33, 165/104.26, 165/80.4, 361/700, 361/702, 361/707, 174/15.2, 257/715, 257/720
• US Class Current: 165/104.33
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0275 Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20936 Liquid coolant with phase change
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20945 Thermal management, e.g. inverter temperature control

Abstract

A system for temperature control of an electronic component includes a heat plate supporting the component; a heat plate temperature sensor; a fan capable of providing air for cooling the heat plate; and a fan control for using the heat plate temperature to control the operation of the fan to provide a substantially constant heat plate temperature. The system can further include a heat pipe assembly having fins and coupled to the heat plate with the fan capable of providing air to the fins. The heat pipe assembly can include at least two heat pipes each having first ends coupled to the heat plate and second ends situated in a condensation section where at least one of the heat pipes has a different working fluid than an other. A switch temperature or load current sensor can be coupled to the heat plate and supply data to a switch controller for receiving the switch temperature, determining whether the temperature or load current has changed, and adjusting a switching frequency of the at least one electronic switch device in response to any change of the switch temperature. A bus layer can be situated adjacent the component and selectively coated with an insulating material and studs can mechanically and electrically coupling the bus layer and a printed circuit board to the component. An insulating shield can be situated between the bus layer and the printed circuit board with the studs.

Claims

1. A system for temperature control of at least one electronic component, the system comprising:

a heat plate supporting the at least one electronic component;

a heat plate temperature sensor for obtaining a heat plate temperature;

an ambient temperature sensor for obtaining an initial ambient temperature;

a fan capable of providing air for cooling the heat plate and the at least one electric component; and

a fan control for converting the initial ambient temperature to a reference temperature, comparing the heat plate temperature with the reference temperature, and adjusting the fan speed to drive the heat plate temperature towards the reference temperature.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the fan comprises a variable speed fan.

3. The system of claim 1, further including a heat pipe assembly having fins, the heat pipe coupled to the heat plate, the fan capable of providing air to the fins.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the heat pipe comprises a variable conductance heat pipe.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the heat pipe is capable of compensating for impulse load changes and the fan is capable of compensating for average injected heat changes.