HEAT SINK AND COOLING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME

Disclosed herein is a heat sink including: a heat radiation pattern member having at least one bend cross section; and a heat radiation plate having the heat radiation pattern member disposed on an upper surface thereof, wherein the heat radiation pattern member includes wire patterns having a plurality of bends or a mesh bend pattern having a form of a plurality of bent cross sections.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted. Further, in the following description, the terms “first”, “second”, “one side”, “the other side” and the like are used to differentiate a certain component from other components, but the configuration of such components should not be construed to be limited by the terms. Further, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related art would obscure the gist of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1is a perspective view of a heat sink according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;FIG. 2Ais a perspective view of a heat sink according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;FIG. 2Bis a perspective view of a heat sink according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;FIG. 2Cis a perspective view of a heat sink according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention; andFIG. 3is an illustrative diagram for describing a principle of suppressing a thermal boundary layer phenomenon by the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

First, the heat sink100according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured to include wire patterns110having a plurality of bends and a heat radiation plate101having a plurality of wire patterns110disposed on an upper surface thereof and spaced apart from each other.

The wire pattern110is a heat radiation pattern member formed by forming the plurality of bends in an arch pattern at a metal wire so as to have intervals therebeween. The plurality of wire patterns110may be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate101by a bonding method such as a diffusion bonding method, a welding method, a solder method, or the like.

The wire patterns110as described above may be formed in a form of various patterns having a polygonal cross section other than the arch pattern shown inFIG. 1and be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate101in the state in which they are spaced apart from each other at a regular interval or at an irregular interval in one direction.

The heat radiation plate101, which is a metal plate having high thermal conductivity, may include the plurality of wire patterns110disposed on the upper surface thereof, have a thermal conductive paste applied to a lower surface thereof, and be mounted on one side of a heat radiation target such as a power semiconductor module, or the like.

In the heat sink100including the wire pattern110according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention as described above, a contact area with air or cooling water is increased by the wire pattern110, and a thermal boundary layer phenomenon to be described below is decreased by the bend pattern such as the arch pattern, thereby making it possible to improve heat radiation efficiency.

Apart from the heat sink100including the wire pattern110according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, heat sinks including variously deformed mesh type heat radiation patterns as shown inFIGS. 2A to 2Cmay be formed.

The heat sink200according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 2Ais configured to include a first mesh bend pattern210′ made of a metal material and having a form of a plurality of bent cross sections and a heat radiation plate101having the first mesh bend patterns210′ disposed on an upper surface thereof.

Here, the first mesh bend pattern210′ may be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201through a solder220or be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201by a bonding method such as a diffusion bonding method, a welding method, or the like.

Here, a process of bonding the first mesh bend pattern210′ to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201and a process of forming the bent cross-sections of the first mesh bent pattern210′ may be simultaneously performed.

That is, a planar mesh210is pressed using a jig or a press to thereby be bent as bent cross-sections. At the same time, the first mesh bend pattern210′ having the bent cross sections may be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201through the solder220.

Alternatively, after the first mesh bend pattern210′ is prepared in advance, the first mesh bend pattern210′ may also be bonded to the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201by a bonding method such as a diffusion bonding method, a welding method, or the like, using a bonding apparatus.

Although the first mesh bend pattern210′ as described above is formed to have a wedge shaped cross section as shown inFIG. 2A, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one bend may be formed at an upper end of the wedge shaped cross section to form a second mesh bend pattern210′-1having an “M” shaped cross section.

The second mesh bend pattern210′-1forms a cross section more bent as compared with the first mesh bend pattern210′ to disturb a flow of air or a fluid of cooling water, such that heat exchange is more actively performed, thereby making it possible to improve heat efficiency.

In addition, as a form for further disturbing a flow of air or a fluid of cooling water to improve heat efficiency, as shown inFIG. 2C, a combination of a first mesh bend pattern210′ and a second mesh bend pattern210′-1according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention may be provided on the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201.

Here, the first mesh bend pattern210′ and the second mesh bend pattern210′-1may be provided on the upper surface of the heat radiation plate201in the state in which they are alternately disposed to be misaligned to each other.

Therefore, the flow of the air or the fluid of the cooling water is further disturbed while passing through the heat sink including the first mesh bend pattern210′ and the second mesh bend part201′-1, such that the heat exchange may be more actively performed.

Therefore, the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has the bend patterns such as the wire pattern110, the first mesh bend pattern210′, and the second mesh bend pattern210′-1to decrease the thermal boundary layer phenomenon, thereby making it possible to improve the heat radiation efficiency.

More specifically, the thermal boundary layer indicates a layer generated as a low temperature fluid passes through a high temperature flat plate10, for example, as represented by “A” inFIG. 3. At a portion at which the fluid meets the high temperature flat plate10, a temperature change ratio of the fluid is high; however, as the fluid passes through the flat plate10while becoming distant from the flat plate10, a temperature change ratio of the fluid is gradually decreased, such that a boundary of a region is formed.

As a region of the thermal boundary layer A becomes thick in a length direction of the flat plate10, heat transfer to the fluid is not performed, such that heat radiation efficiency cannot but be deteriorated.

Therefore, the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses the heat radiation member having the bend patterns such as the wire pattern110, the first mesh bend pattern210′, and the second mesh bend pattern210′-1, thereby making it possible to suppress and disturb generation of the thermal boundary layer.

Therefore, the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention suppresses and disturbs the generation of the thermal boundary layer A, thereby making it possible to maximize transfer of the heat to the air or the fluid of the cooling water and improve the heat radiation efficiency.

Hereinafter, a module and a cooling system to which the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference toFIGS. 4A to 5.FIG. 4Ais a perspective view showing an example in which the heat sink according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is a power semiconductor module;FIG. 4Bis a perspective view showing an example in which the heat sink according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is a power semiconductor module; andFIG. 5is a configuration diagram for describing a cooling system including the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

An example shown inFIGS. 4A and 4Bis an example in which the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied to a power semiconductor module in an air cooling scheme, whereinFIG. 4Ashows a form in which the heat sink according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is bonded to an upper surface of a power semiconductor device50, andFIG. 4Bshows a form in which the heat sink according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is bonded to the upper surface of the power semiconductor device50.

In addition, the heat sink according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 2Bor the heat sink according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 2Cmay also be bonded to the upper surface of the power semiconductor device50to radiate heat of the power semiconductor device50in an air cooling scheme.

Hereinafter, in addition to the example in which the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied to the power semiconductor module in the air cooling scheme, a cooling system in which the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied to the power semiconductor module in a water cooling scheme will be described with reference toFIG. 5.

The cooling system including the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 5is configured to include the heat sink100or200, an injecting part300engaged with the heat sink100or200to thereby be sealed by and coupled to the heat sink100or200and having air or cooling water flowing therein, and a controlling unit400generally controlling a cooling process using the heat sink100or200.

The heat sink100or200may be mounted at one side of a heat radiation target such as the power semiconductor module, or the like, through a thermal conductive paste, and cooling air or cooling water may absorb heat of the heat radiation target while passing through the heat radiation member having the bend pattern such as the wire pattern110, the first mesh bend pattern210′ or the second mesh bend pattern210′-1.

In addition, the heat sink100or200may include a temperature sensing sensor (not shown) dispose at one side thereof and transfer temperature information detected by the temperature sensing sensor to the controlling unit400.

The controlling unit400, which is connected to the temperature sensing sensor of the heat sink100or200, an air pump310, and the like, to generally control a cooling process using the heat sink100or200, may receive the temperature information transferred from the temperature sensing sensor and control a flow amount, flow velocity, or the like, of the cooling air or the cooling water injected into the injecting part300through the air pump310.

The cooling system including the heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above may efficiently cool the heat radiation target such as the power semiconductor module, or the like, by the cooling air or the cooling water flowing while passing through the injecting part300.

The heat sink according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention suppresses and disturbs the generation of the thermal boundary layer to maximize the transfer of the heat to the air of the fluid of the cooling water, thereby making it possible to improve the heat radiation efficiency.