ELECTRONIC ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic arrangement (1), comprising: an electronic component (2), a cooler (3) for cooling the electronic component (2), a housing (4), and a contact element (5), wherein: the electronic component (2) and the cooler (3) are arranged within the housing (4); the cooler (3) has at least one coolant connection (31) which protrudes through a through-opening (41) in the housing (4); the contact element (5) interconnects the cooler (3) and the housing (4) in an electrically conductive manner, and the contact element (5) is designed and arranged concentrically with the through-opening (41).

Claims

1. An electronic arrangement comprising: an electronic component (2), a cooler (3) for cooling the electronic component (2), a housing (4), and a contact element (5), wherein the electronic component (2) and the cooler (3) are arranged within the housing (4), wherein the cooler (3) has at least one coolant connection (31) which protrudes through a through-opening (41) of the housing (4), wherein the contact element (5) interconnects the cooler (3) and the housing (4) in an electrically conductive manner, and wherein the contact element (5) is configured and arranged concentrically with the through-opening (41).

2. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a radial gap (35) is arranged between the coolant connection (31) and the housing (4).

3. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the coolant connection (31) extends along a longitudinal axis (50) and wherein the contact element (5) forms a mechanical contact and an electrically conductive contact between the cooler (3) and the housing (4) in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (50).

4. The electronic arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the contact element (5) comprises at least one contact area (51) protruding parallel to the longitudinal axis (50).

5. The electronic arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the contact element (5) comprises a plurality of contact areas (51) distributed around a circumference of the through-opening (41).

6. The electronic arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the contact areas (51) are configured as cutting elements, or spherical areas, or pyramid peaks.

7. The electronic arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the at least one contact area (51) is configured as an annular cutting edge.

8. The electronic arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the cooler (3) and the housing (4) are connected in a fixed manner in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (50), and wherein the at least one contact area (51) is configured to press into an opposing component in the direction of the longitudinal axis (50) when the cooler (3) and housing (4) are screwed together for the first time.

9. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact element (5) comprises a contact surface (53) for forming a flat contact between the cooler (3) and housing (4).

10. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact element (5) is configured as a component that is integral with the housing (4) or with the cooler (3).

11. The electronic arrangement according to claim lone of claims 1, wherein the contact element (5) is configured as a component that is separate from the housing (4) and the cooler (3).

12. The electronic arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the contact element (5) is connected to the housing (4) or to the cooler (3) by an interlocking connection and/or by a bonded connection.

13. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cooler (3) comprises at least two coolant connections (31), and wherein the electronic arrangement (1) comprises one contact element (5) for each coolant connection (31).

14. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a seal (7) arranged in a sealing manner between the cooler (3) and housing (4).

15. The electronic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electronic component (2) comprises power electronics.

16. The electronic arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the coolant connection (31) extends along a longitudinal axis (50) in a tubular manner.

17. The electronic arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the seal (7) is arranged radially within the contact element (5).

18. The electronic arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the power electronics include an inverter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The invention is described in the following with reference to exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings, functionally identical components are identified with respectively identical reference characters. Shown are:

[0021] FIG. 1 a simplified schematic sectional view of an electronic arrangement according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention,

[0022] FIG. 2 a perspective detail view of the electronic arrangement in FIG. 1,

[0023] FIG. 3 a simplified schematic sectional view of an electronic arrangement according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, and

[0024] FIG. 4 a simplified schematic sectional view of an electronic arrangement according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic sectional view of an electronic arrangement according 1 to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The electronic arrangement 1 comprises an electronic component 2, which comprises power electronics. In particular, the electronic arrangement 1 is an inverter of a motor vehicle. For example, the inverter can be provided for supplying electrical energy to an electric motor of the motor vehicle, wherein a supply of energy to the inverter can be performed by means of an electrical energy storage means of the motor vehicle.

[0026] The electronic arrangement further comprises a cooler 3 for cooling the electronic component 2. As can be seen in FIG. 1, partial areas of the electronic component 2 are in this case arranged on both sides of the cooler 3. As a result, a particularly efficient heat dissipation from the electronic component 2 can take place.

[0027] The cooler 3 is plate-shaped, with two cooling plates 3a, 3b connected to each other and arranged in parallel, between which there is a cooling channel 30. During operation of the electronic arrangement 1, a cooling medium, e.g. water, or another cooling liquid, flows through the cooling channel 30. For example, flow through the cooler 3 can in this case take place in the direction indicated by the arrows A.

[0028] The electronic component 2 and the cooler 3 are arranged within a housing 4. The housing 4 is used to protect against environmental factors, as well as preferably also against electromagnetic radiation. The housing 4 is in this case designed in two parts, with a housing bottom 42 and a housing cover 43.

[0029] The cooler 3 is screwed to the housing 4 on the shoulders 44 of the housing 4 in order to provide a mechanical connection and positioning of the cooler 3 and electronic component 2 in the housing 4.

[0030] In order to enable the coolant to flow through the cooler 3, the cooler 3 comprises two coolant connections 31, each of which is fluidically connected to the cooling channel 30. The coolant connections 31 are each designed as tubular connecting pieces, each extending along a longitudinal axis 50. The longitudinal axis 50 is in this case perpendicular to the cooling plates 3a, 3b.

[0031] The coolant connections 31 in this case each protrude through a through-opening 41 of the housing 4 such that the coolant connections 31 can be connected outside the housing 4, e.g. using lines (not shown). The through-openings 41 are in this case each designed such that a radial gap 35 exists between an inner circumference of the through-opening 41 and the respective coolant connection 31. As a result, the coolant connections 31 and housing 4 can move at least slightly against each other, e.g. due to different thermal expansions of the housing 4 and the cooler 3.

[0032] The electronic arrangement 1 further comprises one contact element 5 for each coolant connector 31.

[0033] A single contact element 5 is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 2. The contact element 5 in this case comprises a plurality of protruding contact areas 51 arranged on a circular ring concentrically with the through-opening 41, which protrude from a base surface 45 of the housing bottom 42 facing the cooler 3 along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 50. Each contact area 51 is in this case designed in the form of a cutting element, which has a predetermined length 51a in a plane parallel to the base surface 45 and which is tapered in cross section (see FIG. 1).

[0034] All of the contact areas 51 are in this case arranged at a predefined radial distance 75 from an inner circumference of the through-opening 41. The radial distance 75 is preferably at most 50%, preferably at most 30%, particularly at least 10%, of an inner diameter 47 of the through-opening 41.

[0035] The cooler 3 and the housing 4 are in this case screwed together such that the contact areas 51 dig into the underside 36 of the cooler 3. As a result, the contact element 5 forms a mechanical and an electrical contact between the housing 4 and cooler 3. Therefore, potential differences in an electrical potential between the cooler 3 and housing 4 caused by the electronic component 2 can be equalized via the contact elements 5. Given that the contact elements 5 are arranged to be concentric with the through-opening 41, and therefore particularly close to the coolant connections 31, potential differences at or in the area of the coolant connections 31 can also be compensated for particularly reliably and without significant carryovers. For example, the coolant connections 31 can as a result be prevented from having different potentials during fast switching operations of the electronic component 2 compared to areas of the cooler 3 close to the shoulders 44 if they are, e.g., also in electrically contact with the housing 4.

[0036] As a result of the contact areas 51 being designed in the form of cutting elements, contact with the cooler 3 is substantially linear, and yet only distributed selectively around the circumference of the through-opening 41. As a result, a good compromise is achieved between the greatest possible contact for equalizing electrical potentials and, on the other hand, sufficient flexibility of the mechanical contact between the cooler 3 and housing 4 in order to be able to additionally provide sealing by means of an additional seal between the cooler 3 and the housing 4 in the area of the coolant connections 31.

[0037] Such sealing by means of an additional seal 7 is provided in the second exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The second exemplary embodiment thereby substantially corresponds to the first exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the difference of the additional seal 7. The seal 7 is made of an elastic material.

[0038] The seal 7 is in this case arranged in a sealing manner between the cooler 3 and the housing 4, the seal 7 being arranged radially within the contact element 5. Specifically, the seal 5 is located on a sealing surface 70, which is located radially within the contact areas 51 and is a part of the base surface 45 of the housing bottom 42 (see FIG. 2).

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a simplified schematic sectional view of an electronic arrangement 1 according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention. The third exemplary embodiment substantially corresponds to the first exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the difference that the contact element 5 comprises a single contact surface 53 instead of a plurality of contact areas 51 distributed around the circumference, which produces a flat contact between the cooler 3 and housing 4. The contact surface 53 can be used to produce a particularly good electrical contact between the cooler 3 and housing 4 in order to equalize the electrical potentials in the area of the coolant connections 31 between cooler 3 and housing 4 particularly reliably. The contact surface 53 is in this case designed to be close to an inner circumference of the through-opening 41. The contact surface 53 is in this case formed by a top side of an area protruding from the base surface 45 of the housing bottom 42.