CONTROL UNIT FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

A control device (SG) for a vehicle is proposed, which contains at least one electronic component (GPU). Furthermore, there is at least one fan (F1), and one air channel (LK), which enables air to flow (LS) from a first side of the at least one electronic component (GPU) to the first fan (F1), wherein the air flow (LS) then flows past a second side of the at least one electronic component (GPU) after passing through the first fan.

Claims

1. A control device for a vehicle that has: at least one electronic component at least one first fan an air channel, that enables air to flow from a first side of the at least one electronic component to the first fan, wherein the air flow flows past the second side of the at least one electronic component.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one first heat pipe is placed in the region of the air flow on the second side of the at least one electronic component.

3. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising there is at least one second heat pipe on the first side of the at least one electronic component.

4. The control device according to claim 3, further comprising that there is a gap filler located between the at least one electronic component and each of the first and second heat pipes.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electronic component is located on a performance board, wherein the performance board is located on a carrier board.

6. The control device according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of performance boards located on the carrier board, wherein the air channel designed to generate an air flow corresponding to the respective electronic component.

7. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one second fan is located outside a housing that encompasses the at least one electronic component, the at least one first fan, and the air channel.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the housing has a ribbed structure on at least part of an exterior of the housing.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the housing has a ribbed structure on at least part of an interior of the housing.

10. The control device of claim 7, wherein the at least one first fan is a radial fan, and/or the at least one second fan is an axial fan.

11. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is filled with nitrogen.

12. The control device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of performance boards each comprise undersurfaces, and further comprising walls that are provided upon the undersurfaces of each of the plurality of performance boards.

13. The control device according to claim 9, wherein the ribbed structure contains parallel elements.

14. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the radial fan is thermally connected to the housing.

Description

[0036] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, and shall be explained in greater detail in the following description.

[0037] Therein:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the control device according to the invention, in a vehicle with devices connected thereto;

[0039] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the control device according to the invention, with an embodiment of an air channel and an outer cooling; and

[0040] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the control device with numerous electronic components on different performance boards.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows the control device SG according to the invention in a block diagram, with sensors connected thereto, radar sensors R1 and R3, lidar sensors L1 and L2, and a camera K. More or fewer sensors of the same or different types can also be connected thereto. The sensor data therefrom are evaluated in the present case by three graphic processors GPU1, GPU2, and GPU3 in the control device SG, for example. A vehicle actuator FS is controlled, by way of example, with the results of the evaluation. These actuators can be a steering system, braking system, transmission, gas pedal, display, audio system, or other vehicle system.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows the control device SG with an exemplary interior configuration. A housing G has inner and outer ribbed structures RS, which partially encompass the housing. These outer and inner ribbed structures RS generate turbulences, as explained above, in the air flow caused by the fan F2. This discharges the heat from the control device. By way of example, a structure containing a graphic processor GPU 1 as an electronic component is located inside the housing G of the control device SG. The graphic processor GPU1 is covered by a heat pipe HP1, to which an air channel LK is connected. There is a so-called gap filler GAP underneath the graphic processor GPU 1, which forms the connection to the heat pipe HP2. The air channel conducts just one air flow LS, which is caused by the fan F1 at the end of the air channel, to the heat pipe HP2. As a result, the air current can be further cooled by the heat pipe HP2.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows the housing G again, with inner and outer ribbed structures RS. Two fans F2 and F3 are located outside the control device on the housing G, which cause the heat transfer by means of the ribbed structure RS, as described above, from the housing of the control device to the exterior. There are three structures with graphic processors GPU1, which are each covered by a gap filler GAP1, and to each of which a heat pipe HP1 is connected in turn. There is a respective air channel LK1, LK2 and LK3 above each heat pipe. There is a respective performance board PB1, PB2 and PB3 under each graphic processor. There is a gap filler GAP2 under each performance board, which in turn is connected to the underlying heat pipe HP2. Each of the three structures has a dedicated fan F1, F4, and F5, which generate different air flows LS1, LS2 and LS3, depending on the thermal development. These can also have an adaptive configuration through the use of sensors. The performance boards PB1, PB2, PB3 are placed on the so-called carrier board on top of spacers AH. The carrier board is indicated by CB.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0044] V vehicle [0045] L1, L2 lidar [0046] R1, R2 radar [0047] K camera [0048] SG control device [0049] GPU1-GPU3 graphic processors [0050] FS vehicle system [0051] G housing [0052] RS inner and outer ribbed structures [0053] F1-F5 fans [0054] HP1, HP2 heat pipes [0055] GAP1, GAP2 gap fillers [0056] LS air flow [0057] LKair channel [0058] PB1-PB3 performance boards [0059] CB carrier board [0060] AH spacer [0061] LS1-LS3 air flows