ENCLOSURE FOR AN OPTOELECTRONIC SENSOR AND LIDAR SENSOR

Abstract

An enclosure for an optoelectronic sensor. The enclosure includes a thermodynamically open first chamber; a thermodynamically closed second chamber; and a rotor extending from the first chamber into the second chamber. The rotor includes a shaft part in the second chamber coaxial to the rotational axis of the rotor. The shaft part mounts an optoelectronic sensor device. The rotor includes a head part in the first chamber coaxial to the rotational axis of the rotor. A heat dissipation fan is fixedly arranged on and surrounds the head part. The head part and the fan are rotatably and thermally coupled to the shaft part to rotate simultaneously with the shaft part. The rotor transfers heat over the shaft part from the second chamber to the head part and the fan dissipates the transferred heat to an environment.

Claims

1. An enclosure for an optoelectronic sensor, comprising: a first chamber which is thermodynamically open; a second chamber arranged adjacent to the first chamber, wherein the second chamber is thermodynamically closed; and a rotor which extends from the first chamber into the second chamber, wherein the rotor includes: a shaft part arranged in the second chamber coaxially to a rotational axis of the rotor, wherein the shaft part includes an arrangement configured to mount an optoelectronic sensor device; and a head part which is arranged in the first chamber coaxially to the rotational axis of the rotor, wherein a heat dissipation fan is fixedly arranged on the head part and surrounding the head part, the head part and the heat dissipation fan being rotatably and thermally coupled to the shaft part and rotate simultaneously with the shaft part around the rotational axis of the rotor; wherein the rotor is configured to transfer heat over the shaft part from the second chamber to the head part arranged in the first chamber, and the heat dissipation fan of the head part is configured to dissipate the heat, transferred from the second chamber to the first chamber over the rotor, to an environment by an external air flow entering the first chamber and/or by generating a forced convection heat transfer due to rotation of the rotor.

2. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation fan includes a lamellar disc-like structure comprising discs spatially separated from each other and stacked along a stacking direction coaxial to the rotational axis, wherein a disc of the disc-like structure comprises arc finned protrusions and/or staggered pins on a circular surface, and/or a propeller structure and/or an impeller structure, wherein the lamellar disc-like structure includes holes which are configured to allow air circulation through the lamellar disc-like structure.

3. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein at least one thermodynamically closed heat pipe is arranged inside of the shaft part, the heat pipe being configured to transfer heat from the second chamber to the heat dissipation fan.

4. The enclosure according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the at least one heat pipe extends into the head part.

5. The enclosure according to claim 3, wherein the heat pipe includes a liquid medium, in an internal volume of the heat pipe, comprising ethanol, and/or methanol, and/or water, and/or aqueous ammonia, and/or acetone.

6. The enclosure according to claim 3, wherein the head part includes a vapor chamber arranged in a center of the head part coaxially to the rotational axis of the rotor, wherein at least two heat pipes extend from an internal volume of the shaft part and terminate into the vapor chamber, and the at least two heat pipes are fluidly coupled to each other, to form a thermodynamically closed system within the rotor.

7. The enclosure according to claim 4, wherein shaft part includes at least two closed heat pipes in a center of the shaft part, wherein the at least two heat pipes extend parallel to each other and parallel to the rotational axis of the rotor (4) and/or in a V-like arrangement, and wherein the at least two heat pipes diverge in the shaft part with respect to the rotational axis in a direction extending away from the head part.

8. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein a motor, which is configured to transmit a rotational movement to the rotor, is arranged adjacently to the shaft part in the second chamber.

9. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the first chamber includes air openings.

10. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein a portion separating the first and the second chamber includes a bearing which is configured to support a rotational movement of the rotor and which is configured to keep the second chamber thermodynamically closed.

11. A LiDAR sensor, comprising: an optoelectronic sensor device; and an enclosure for an optoelectronic sensor, including: a first chamber which is thermodynamically open, a second chamber arranged adjacent to the first chamber, wherein the second chamber is thermodynamically closed, and a rotor which extends from the first chamber into the second chamber, wherein the rotor includes: a shaft part arranged in the second chamber coaxially to a rotational axis of the rotor, wherein the optoelectronic sensor device is mounted on the shaft part, and a head part which is arranged in the first chamber coaxially to the rotational axis of the rotor, wherein a heat dissipation fan is fixedly arranged on the head part and surrounding the head part, the head part and the heat dissipation fan being rotatably and thermally coupled to the shaft part and rotate simultaneously with the shaft part around the rotational axis of the rotor, wherein the rotor is configured to transfer heat over the shaft part from the second chamber to the head part arranged in the first chamber, and the heat dissipation fan of the head part is configured to dissipate the heat, transferred from the second chamber to the first chamber over the rotor, to an environment by an external air flow entering the first chamber and/or by generating a forced convection heat transfer due to rotation of the rotor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the following, variants of the present invention are described in detail with respect to the figures.

[0023] FIG. 1a shows a front and a rear view of a variant of an example enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 1b shows a rear view of another variant of the example enclosure of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a variant of an example enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a further variant of the example enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a variant of the example enclosure in accordance with the present invention with V-shaped pipes.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows a variant of the example enclosure in accordance with the present invention, having a thermosiphon chamber.

[0029] FIG. 6a shows an arc-finned heat dissipation fan.

[0030] FIG. 6b shows a variant of a heat dissipation fan with staggered pins.

[0031] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of an inverted arrangement of the example enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The left side of FIG. 1a shows a front view of an example enclosure 1a in accordance with the present invention. The example enclosure 1a comprises a cover 2 which is permeable for radiation with a wavelength in the range of 800 nm to 1000 nm. Furthermore, the enclosure 1a comprises a rotor 4. The front side of the enclosure 1a in addition comprises air openings 3a into which air can enter which is illustrated by the respective arrows. The right side of FIG. 1a shows a rear view of the enclosure 1a which also comprises air openings 3b arranged opposite to the air openings 3a through which air can exit.

[0033] FIG. 1b shows a further variant of the example enclosure 1b, wherein the enclosure 1b has a cylindrical shape. There are also front openings 3a into which air can enter in order to assist the cooling process. The enclosures of FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b are capable of including components for a LiDAR sensor. In other words, the enclosures 1a, 1b can be used as enclosures for LiDAR sensors.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a variant the example enclosure 1. The example enclosure 1 comprises a rotor 4 extending from the first chamber 9 in which the example rotor 4 comprises a head part 11 and a heat dissipation fan 8 over a separating portion 16 in which the rotor 4 is surrounded by bearing 12. The rotor 4 furthermore extends into the second chamber 10 which is a thermodynamically closed system. In contrast, the first chamber 9 is a thermodynamically open system. The rotor also includes a heat pipe 6 which furthermore includes a liquid, like for example water, within its inner volume. Heat generated in the second chamber 10 can be transferred over the rotor shaft 7 and the pipes 6 due to the vaporization of the liquid in the pipe, and due to conductive heat transportation, wherein the heat flow which is illustrated by the arrows, is transferred to the head part 11. Due to the rotational movement of the head part 11 and the heat dissipation fan 8 surrounding the head part 11, the heat transferred from the second chamber 10 into the first chamber 9 can be dissipated to an environment, since the first chamber 9 is an open system. The heat transfer from the second chamber 10 to the first chamber 9 is driven by a temperature gradient which is indicated as an arrow left to the enclosure 1 of FIG. 2.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows another variant of the example enclosure 1. A motor 5, which is also present in FIG. 2, is configured to transmit a rotational movement to the rotor 4. A rotational axis 19 extends through the center of the rotor 4. The rotor 4 also contains a void in which an arrangement of four heat pipes 6a-6d is arranged. The heat pipes 6a-6d extend to the head part 11, wherein heat can be transferred due to the temperature gradient, shown for FIG. 2, to the heat dissipation fan 8.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a similar variant of the example enclosure 1. However, in this case the shaft 7 and the rotor 4 do not contain voids for the pipes 6a, 6b. The pipes 6a, 6b have a V-shaped arrangement which diverge in the second chamber 10 and converge with respect to an upwards direction coaxial to the rotational axis 19 of the rotor 4.

[0037] FIG. 5 shows a similar arrangement like in FIG. 4. In this case, a vapor chamber 13 is arranged in the head part 11. In addition, a bearing 12 is arranged in a separating portion 16 between the first chamber 9 and the second chamber 10.

[0038] FIG. 6a shows a variant of an example heat dissipation fan 8 in accordance with the present invention. The heat dissipation fan 8 has a disc-like structure which is surrounding the head part 11 of the rotor 4. The disc-like structure of the heat dissipation fan 8 comprises an arc-finned structure 15 in order to generate a forced convection due to the rotation of the rotor 4 and/or due to air entering the openings 3a. Acr-finned structures 15 can be arranged on each of the discs.

[0039] FIG. 6b shows an arrangement of a disc-like structure of a heat dissipation fan 8. Between the disc-like structure and on the top of the disc-like structure there are pins 14 in order to enhance the forced convection which is caused by the rotational movement of the head part 11 and the heat dissipation fan 8 respectively. Staggered pins can be arranged on each of the discs.

[0040] For both arrangements of FIGS. 6a and 6b, air openings 3a are provided in order to circulate air through the discs.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows a particular cross-sectional view of the example enclosure 1. The arrow right to the enclosure 1 pointing downwards illustrates the effective direction of the gravitational force. In this case, the enclosure 1 can be arranged into a sensor arrangement in a way that the gravitational forces apply in the direction shown by the arrow right to the Figure. Thus, the example enclosure 1 can be arranged in a sensor arrangement or in a robot or a car independent on the direction in which the enclosure is arranged or independent of the direction of the gravitational forces. In addition, the heat pipes can have a diameter of e.g. 2 mm so that a liquid can be transported by capillary forces.