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US 7,031,156 B2Granted
Reduced package volume convectively cooled sealed electrical system and method
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMatthew Wilbur Naiva, John Herman Blakely, Roger Alan Plemmons
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sealed modular control and monitoring system is provided which affords location of electrical control and monitoring components adjacent to an application. The system comprises modular components which are mounted on a shared thermal base. The base is sealed to the components and presents thermal exchange features on interior and exterior surfaces thereof. Forced convection within the modular system is afforded by a circulating fan that directs air through the component circuitry and adjacent to the thermal base to remove heat from the circuitry during operation.
Claims28
A reduced package volume electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- at least one electrical component configured to be coupled to external circuitry for controlling or monitoring an electrical load, the at least one electrical component having a first inner volume;
- a thermal base sealed to the at least one electrical component to define a second inner volume generally parallel and immediately adjacent to the thermal base, the thermal base being made of a thermally conductive material and presenting a plurality of convective heat transfer elements on both inner and outer surfaces thereof;
- and
- an air circulation system for forcing a flow of air within the system between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the at least one component during operation via the thermal base.
1 more element
A modular electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- a plurality of modular electrical components interconnected with one another and configured to be coupled to external circuitry for controlling or monitoring an electric motor, at least one of the electrical components having a first inner volume;
- a thermal base sealed to the modular electrical components to define a second inner volume generally parallel and immediately adjacent to the thermal base, the thermal base being made of a thermally conductive material and presenting a plurality of convective heat transfer elements on both inner and outer surfaces thereof;
- and
- an air circulation system including a fan and a plenum for directing a flow of air within the system between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the modular components during operation via the thermal base.
1 more element
A modular electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- a plurality of modular electrical components interconnected with one another and configured to be coupled to external circuitry for controlling or monitoring an electric motor, the electrical components including at least an inverter drive having a first inner volume;
- a thermally conductive base sealing secured to the plurality of modular electrical components to define a second inner volume immediately adjacent to an inner surface of the base, a plurality of mounting surfaces for supporting the base and the plurality of electrical components in service, and a plurality of integral convective heat transfer elements extending from both inner and outer surfaces thereof from transferring heat from the second inner volume to the environment surrounding the thermal base;
- and
- an air circulation system including a fan and a plenum for directing a flow of air within the system between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the inverter drive during operation via the thermal base.
1 more element
A modular electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- a plurality of modular electrical components interconnected with one another and configured to be coupled to external circuitry for controlling or monitoring an electric motor, the electrical components including at least an inverter drive having a first inner volume;
- a thermally conductive base sealing secured to the plurality of modular electrical components to define a second inner volume immediately adjacent to an inner surface of the base, a plurality of mounting surfaces for supporting the base and the plurality of electrical components in service, and a plurality of integral convective heat transfer elements extending from both inner and outer surfaces thereof from transferring heat from the second inner volume to the environment surrounding the thermal base, the plurality of integral convective heat transfer elements including a plurality of pins extending into the second inner volume and a plurality of fins disposed between mounting surfaces on the outer surface of the base;
- and
- an air circulation system including a fan and a plenum for directing a flow of air within the system between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the inverter drive during operation via the thermal base.
1 more element
A modular electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- a thermally conductive base having a seal groove configured to receive a seal for sealing the base to a plurality of modular electrical components, a plurality of mounting surfaces for supporting the base and the plurality of electrical components in service, and a plurality of integral convective heat transfer elements extending from both inner and outer surfaces thereof for transferring heat from a sealed inner volume directly adjacent to the inner surface thereof to the environment surrounding the thermal base, wherein the plurality of convective heat transfer elements on the outer surface of the base includes fins extending from the base into a recessed heat transfer region bounded by one or more mounting areas.
A reduced package volume electrical control or monitoring system comprising:
- at least one electrical component configured to be coupled to external circuitry for controlling or monitoring an electrical load, the at least one electrical component having a first inner volume;
- a thermal base sealed to the at least one electrical component to define a second inner volume generally parallel and immediately adjacent to the thermal base, the thermal base being made of a thermally conductive material and presenting a plurality of convective heat transfer elements on both inner and outer surfaces thereof, the convective heat transfer elements on the inner surface of the thermal base being configured to provide convective heat transfer in both forced and natural convection modes, whereby air within the system is exchanged between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the at least one component during operation via the thermal base.
A method for controlling or monitoring an electrical load comprising:
- disposing a plurality of electrical components on a thermal base, at least one of the electrical components including a first inner volume, the thermal base being sealed to the plurality of electrical components to define a second inner volume generally parallel and immediately adjacent to the thermal base, the thermal base being made of a thermally conductive materials and presenting a plurality of convective heat transfer elements on both inner and outer surfaces thereof;
- and
- circulating air between the first and second inner volumes to dissipate heat generated by the at least one modular component during operation via the thermal base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.