Housing for cooling electronic control units in motor vehicles

• US 7,729,117 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Schmidt, Dirk, Schiefer, Peter, Schweinbenz, Jochen, Haehnel, Gero
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, ZACHARY
• Application Number:
  US10/821,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20040257757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 361/699, 165/80.4, 165/104.33
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0239 Electronic boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0028 for cooling heat generating elements, e.g. for cooling electronic components or electric devices
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements specially adapted for movement F28F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20872 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

A housing for electronic control units, in particular in motor vehicles, having a bottom section for attaching the electronic control units and having a cooling device that enables heat to be dissipated from the housing via a flowing liquid, a cooling device formed in the bottom section being provided both for improving the cooling capacity and for rigidity. The bottom section is easily manufactured with an integrated cooling channel by injection molding, while cooling is achievable by a medium available in the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A housing for electronic control units, wherein the housing is situated in a motor vehicle, the housing comprising:

a bottom section configured to be affixed to a circuit board; and

a cooling device for enabling heat to be dissipated from the housing via a liquid flowing therethrough, wherein the cooling device is integrally formed in the bottom section, and wherein the bottom section is formed as a cooling plate, and wherein the cooling device includes at least one one-piece cooling tube integrally formed in the bottom section and extending substantially across the length of the bottom section, wherein an interior channel of the one-piece cooling tube is enclosed relative to the bottom section, wherein the entire bottom section including the one-piece cooling tube is formed of a single structural component without joining seams, and wherein sectional members are provided on the outside of the one-piece cooling tube, the sectional members extending diagonally from the one-piece cooling tube to at least one fastening point.

2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein sectional members for conducting heat and reinforcing the bottom section are connected to the outside of the cooling tube.

3. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the one-piece cooling tube is a linear cooling tube which passes through the bottom section in a linear manner.

4. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the one-piece cooling tube has a round cross-section.

5. The housing according to claim 1, wherein an inlet of the one-piece cooling tube and an outlet of the one-piece cooling tube have threaded connectors leading into and out of the bottom section.

6. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device includes a plurality of one-piece cooling tubes integrally formed in the bottom section.

7. The housing according to claim 6, wherein the one-piece cooling tubes are connected by at least one separate cross hole.

8. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the bottom section is manufactured by injection molding.

9. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the bottom section is manufactured by die-casting.