JP7548177B2 - Control device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a control device for a vehicle.

An automatic driving control device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The automatic driving control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs automatic control of the vehicle by processing a huge amount of sensor data from multiple sensors.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,009,9630

The control circuit of an automatic driving control device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 processes a huge amount of sensor data, which increases the amount of heat generated during processing. Therefore, in order to operate the automatic driving control device with high efficiency, the control circuit needs to be cooled. Possible cooling methods include a combination of air cooling using air and liquid cooling using a coolant. However, when air-cooling the control circuit, there is a risk of moisture in the air condensing. Such condensation is undesirable because it can cause abnormalities such as short circuits or ion migration on the board on which the circuit elements are mounted.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a control device that suppresses the occurrence of abnormalities associated with cooling.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a control device (1) for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle,
A control board (2) on which circuit elements (211, 221, 222) for controlling automatic driving are mounted;
A control housing (10) that houses a control board;
The control housing is
a thermally conductive partition (30) that partitions the air-cooled chamber (111) and the liquid-cooled chamber (121) from the first outer wall portion (101) to the second outer wall portion (102) in the reference direction (X, Y);
An air inlet portion (112) provided in the first outer wall portion for introducing air into the air-cooled chamber;
An air outlet portion (114) provided in the second outer wall portion and configured to lead out air from within the air-cooling chamber;
A liquid inlet port (122) provided on the first outer wall portion for introducing a cooling liquid (4) into the liquid cooling chamber;
A liquid outlet portion (123) is provided in the first outer wall portion and outputs the cooling liquid from the liquid cooling chamber.
The control board located in the air-cooled room is
a mounting portion (21) on which a circuit element (211) is mounted and which sandwiches the circuit element between itself and a partition portion at a position biased toward the second outer wall portion in the reference direction ;
a condensation section (22) that is disposed closer to the first outer wall section than the mounting section in the reference direction and that allows condensation of moisture from the air;
The condensation area is
The mounting portion is provided in a range longer than the mounting portion in the reference direction.
The control housing is
The liquid cooling chamber further includes a resistance portion (128, 129a, 129b) that provides resistance to the flow of the cooling liquid from the first outer wall portion side to the second outer wall portion side in the liquid cooling chamber.

In this manner, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet and the liquid inlet are provided in the first outer wall of the control housing. According to this, the air introduced into the air-cooled chamber from the air inlet can first be indirectly cooled by the cooling liquid introduced into the liquid-cooled chamber from the liquid inlet through the thermally conductive partition. Therefore, moisture condensation from the air flowing while being cooled from the first outer wall side can be preferentially generated on the first outer wall side of the partition. Therefore, in the control board according to one embodiment, the circuit element is mounted on the mounting part located in a position biased toward the second outer wall side of the control housing in the reference direction. According to this, the air dehumidified on the first outer wall side can cool the mounting part located in a position biased toward the second outer wall side by flowing toward the second outer wall side where the air outlet is provided in the control housing. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for condensation to occur due to cooling of the circuit element mounted on the mounting part, and to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities caused by the condensation.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a coolant circuit in which a control device according to a first embodiment is arranged; An oblique view of the control housing according to the first embodiment, seen from the first outer wall portion side. An oblique view of the control housing according to the first embodiment, seen from the second outer wall portion side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a control device according to a second embodiment. An oblique view of a control housing according to a third embodiment, seen from the first outer wall portion side. An oblique view of a control housing according to a third embodiment, seen from the first outer wall portion side. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a control device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a control device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a control device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing the partition part according to the fifth embodiment. An oblique view of a modified control housing, viewed from the first outer wall portion side.

Below, several embodiments are described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each embodiment, corresponding components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted. Furthermore, when only a portion of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment described above may be applied to the other portions of the configuration. Furthermore, in addition to the combinations of configurations explicitly stated in the description of each embodiment, configurations of several embodiments may be partially combined together even if not explicitly stated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

First Embodiment
The control device 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle and controls the automatic driving of the vehicle. The control device 1 is arranged, for example, inside the vehicle body or on the roof of the vehicle. The control device 1 includes a control board 2 for controlling automatic driving in the vehicle and a control housing 10 that accommodates the control board 2. In the following description, unless otherwise noted, the directions indicated by up and down are defined based on the vehicle on a horizontal plane. Furthermore, the horizontal direction of the vehicle indicates a direction parallel to the horizontal plane, and the vertical direction of the vehicle indicates a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Therefore, in the control device 1, the reference direction X is set along the horizontal direction of the vehicle as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Furthermore, in the control device 1, the up-down direction Y perpendicular to the reference direction X is set along the vertical direction of the vehicle.

The control device 1 constitutes a coolant circuit 5 that circulates coolant 4 to cool the control board 2. In addition to the control device 1, the coolant circuit 5 is composed of a pump 6, a heat dissipation unit 7, and piping 8. In the coolant circuit 5, the control device 1, the pump 6, and the heat dissipation unit 7 are connected via the piping 8. The control board 2 arranged in the control device 1 is cooled by the coolant 4 circulating through the coolant circuit 5.

The cooling liquid 4 flows into the control housing 10, which contains the control board 2 to be cooled, from the upstream pipe 8 and is discharged to the downstream pipe 8, thereby circulating within the cooling liquid circuit 5. As a result of this circulation, the cooling liquid 4 is contained within the control housing 10 at a substantially constant volume. Various refrigerants with high thermal conductivity can be used as the circulated cooling liquid 4.

The pump 6 is, for example, a positive displacement pump or a non-positive displacement pump, which is mainly composed of an electric motor unit and a pressure delivery unit. The pump 6 drives the pressure delivery unit with the rotational force generated by the electric motor unit, thereby pressure-delivering the cooling liquid 4 drawn from the upstream pipe 8 to the downstream pipe 8. By pressure-delivering the cooling liquid 4, the pump 6 circulates the cooling liquid 4 between the control housing 10 and the heat dissipation unit 7.

The heat dissipation unit 7 is, for example, a radiator that dissipates heat from the coolant 4 to the outside air by heat exchange between the coolant 4 in the stacked pipe and the outside air outside the stacked pipe. The heat dissipation unit 7 is disposed, for example, at the front of the vehicle, and dissipates heat from the coolant 4 to the outside air.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the control housing 10 has an air-cooled case portion 110 that defines an air-cooled chamber 111 therein, and a liquid-cooled case portion 120 that defines a liquid-cooled chamber 121 therein. The air-cooled case portion 110 and the liquid-cooled case portion 120 are formed from a lightweight resin material in order to reduce the overall weight of the control housing 10. Note that the air-cooled case portion 110 and the liquid-cooled case portion 120 may be formed from a lightweight metal material other than a resin material, such as aluminum.

The air-cooled case section 110 and the liquid-cooled case section 120 each have a bottomed cup shape with one end open. The air-cooled case section 110 and the liquid-cooled case section 120 are detachably connected to each other at their open ends, thereby jointly forming the control housing 10. As a method of connection, various connection methods that allow the air-cooled case section 110 and the liquid-cooled case section 120 to be detachably connected, such as snap fitting, are used. The control housing 10 thus formed has an overall shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. In the first embodiment, the control housing 10 is mounted on the vehicle so that the air-cooled case section 110 is positioned above the liquid-cooled case section 120 in the vertical direction Y. As a result, the air-cooled chamber 111 is located above the liquid-cooled chamber 121 in the vertical direction Y.

In the control housing 10, the first outer wall 101 is constructed by the cooperation of the first air-cooled wall 115, which is the side wall of the air-cooled case 110, and the first liquid-cooled wall 124, which is the side wall of the liquid-cooled case 120. On the other hand, in the control housing 10, the second outer wall 102 is constructed by the cooperation of the second air-cooled wall 116, which is the side wall of the air-cooled case 110, and the second liquid-cooled wall 125, which is the side wall of the liquid-cooled case 120. In the first embodiment, the first air-cooled wall 115 constituting the first outer wall 101 and the second air-cooled wall 116 constituting the second outer wall 102 face each other with their inner surfaces facing each other in the reference direction X. At the same time, in the first embodiment, the first liquid-cooled wall 124 constituting the first outer wall 101 and the second liquid-cooled wall 125 constituting the second outer wall 102 face each other with their inner surfaces facing each other in the reference direction X. With the above configuration, the control housing 10 has a first outer wall portion 101 and a second outer wall portion 102 on both sides of the reference direction X.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the first air-cooled wall 115 of the air-cooled case 110 is provided with an air inlet 112 for introducing air from outside the control housing 10 into the air-cooled chamber 111. At the same time, the first air-cooled wall 115 is provided with an exhaust port 113 for exhausting moisture from within the air-cooled chamber 111 to the outside of the control housing 10.

The first liquid cooling wall 124 of the liquid cooling case 120 is provided with a liquid inlet 122 for introducing the coolant 4 circulating in the coolant circuit 5 from outside the control housing 10 into the liquid cooling chamber 121. At the same time, the first liquid cooling wall 124 is provided with a liquid outlet 123 for leading the coolant 4 from inside the liquid cooling chamber 121 to the outside of the control housing 10 and circulating it in the coolant circuit 5. In the first embodiment, the liquid inlet 122 and the liquid outlet 123 are formed to be aligned in the orthogonal direction Z that is orthogonal to the reference direction X and the up-down direction Y in the horizontal direction of the vehicle.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second air-cooled wall 116 of the air-cooled case 110 is provided with an air outlet 114 for leading air from the air-cooled chamber 111 to the outside of the control housing 10. In the first embodiment, the air outlet 114 is disposed at a position facing the air inlet 112 in the reference direction X.

As shown in FIG. 4, the partition 30 is housed in the control housing 10. The partition 30 is formed in a plate shape from a thermally conductive metal material such as aluminum. The peripheral portion of the first partition surface 301, which is the lower surface of the partition 30 in the vertical direction Y, is in continuous close contact with the protrusion 126 that protrudes in a frame shape from the inner surface of each side wall of the liquid-cooled case 120 along the reference direction X and the perpendicular direction Z. The partition 30 is fixed to the protrusion 126 by, for example, adhesive. With this configuration, the partition 30 partitions the air-cooled chamber 111 and the liquid-cooled chamber 121 in the vertical direction Y, spanning from the first outer wall portion to the second outer wall portion 102 along the reference direction X.

Here, particularly in the first embodiment, below the partition 30 in the control housing 10 in the vertical direction Y, a liquid cooling chamber 121 is defined by the first partition surface 301 and the inner surfaces of each side wall and bottom wall of the liquid cooling case 120. The low-temperature cooling liquid 4 that has been radiated from the heat dissipation unit 7 to the outside air by circulation in the cooling liquid circuit 5 flows into the liquid cooling chamber 121 through the liquid inlet port 122 formed in the first outer wall 101. The cooling liquid 4 that has flowed into the liquid cooling chamber 121 indirectly cools the air in the air cooling chamber 111 through the partition 30 while flowing inside the liquid cooling chamber 121. The cooling liquid 4 in the liquid cooling chamber 121 flows out of the liquid cooling chamber 121 through the liquid outlet port 123 formed in the same first outer wall 101 as the liquid inlet port 122, and is circulated again in the cooling liquid circuit 5.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, an air-cooled chamber 111 is defined above the partition 30 in the control housing 10 in the vertical direction Y by the second partition surface 302, which is the upper surface of the partition 30, and the inner surfaces of each side wall and bottom wall of the air-cooled case 110. Air blown from outside the control housing 10 by a blower fan (not shown) flows into the air-cooled chamber 111 through the air inlet 112 formed in the first outer wall 101. The air that flows into the air-cooled chamber 111 is cooled through the partition 30 by the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid-cooled chamber 121, and flows toward the air outlet 114 formed in the second outer wall 102, which is opposite the first outer wall 101 in the reference direction X. The air in the air-cooled chamber 111 that cools the control board 2 with this flow flows out of the air-cooled chamber 111 through the air outlet 114.

The partition 30 of the first embodiment has an inclined structure 303 that inclines downward in the vertical direction Y from the second outer wall 102 side toward the exhaust port 113 on the first outer wall 101 side in the reference direction X. The inclined structure 303 is constructed by a bottom surface portion of a groove formed by molding, cutting, or the like, which has an inclined flat surface and opens into the second partition surface 302 on the air-cooling chamber 111 side. As a result, moisture condensed from the air in the air-cooling chamber 111 as the air is cooled on the second partition surface 302 is guided by gravity to the exhaust port 113 by the inclined structure 303, and can be discharged outside the control housing 10.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the air-cooled chamber 111 houses a control board 2 on which circuit elements 211, 221, and 222 are mounted to control the automatic driving of the vehicle. The control board 2 is, for example, a printed circuit board or the like, and has a wiring pattern formed on the front and back surfaces of an electrically insulating base material. The control board 2 is connected to the partition 30 by a fastening member such as a screw (not shown). Specifically, the control board 2 has a mounting portion 21 at a position biased toward the second outer wall portion 102 in the reference direction X, and a condensation portion 22 at a protection position P that is biased toward the first outer wall portion 101 in the reference direction X and is closer to the first outer wall portion 101 than the mounting portion 21. In the first embodiment, the length L1 of the condensation portion 22 in the reference direction X is set to be longer than the length L2 of the mounting portion 21 in the reference direction X. That is, the condensation portion 22 is provided in a range longer than the mounting portion 21 in the reference direction X.

At least one first circuit element 211 is mounted on the lower mounting surface in the vertical direction Y of the mounting section 21. The first circuit element 211 is exposed to the air-cooled chamber 111 in a state where it is sandwiched between the mounting section 21 and a portion of the second partition surface 302 of the partition 30 that is located closer to the second outer wall portion 102 in the reference direction X than the inclined structure 303. In particular, the first circuit element 211 of the first embodiment is in surface contact with the second partition surface 302 of the partition 30. With this configuration, the first circuit element 211 between the partition 30 and the mounting section 21 in the air-cooled chamber 111 is directly cooled by the air in the air-cooled chamber 111 and is also indirectly cooled by the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid-cooled chamber 121 via the partition 30. Such a first circuit element 211 may be a semiconductor element that generates more heat than the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222 described below by performing, for example, recognition processing and planning processing in the automatic driving control of a vehicle.

At least one second circuit element 221 is mounted on the lower mounting surface in the vertical direction Y of the condensation portion 22. The second circuit element 221 is sandwiched between the construction portion of the inclined structure 303 and the condensation portion 22 on the second partition surface 302 of the partition portion 30. In particular, the second circuit element 221 of the first embodiment is disposed at a protection position P above the inclined structure 303 in the vertical direction Y and is in surface contact with the second partition surface 302 of the partition portion 30. At the same time, in the first embodiment, a protective film 23 is formed in a thin film form, for example by applying a drip-proof material, across the lower mounting surface of the condensation portion 22 to the outer surface of the second circuit element 221 exposed to the air-cooled chamber 111, thereby protecting the second circuit element 221 and the wiring pattern around it from moisture.

With this configuration, the second circuit element 221, in which moisture from the air is allowed to condense between the partition 30 and the condensation portion 22 in the air-cooled chamber 111, is directly cooled by the air in the air-cooled chamber 111 and is also indirectly cooled by the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid-cooled chamber 121 via the partition 30. Thus, the moisture condensed from the air in the cooled condensation portion 22 of the second circuit element 221 flows into the inclined structure 303 by gravity, and is guided to the outlet portion 113 and discharged outside the control housing 10.

At least one third circuit element 222 is mounted on the upper mounting surface in the vertical direction Y of the condensation portion 22. In particular, the third circuit element 222 in the first embodiment is disposed in a protective position P above the inclined structure 303 in the vertical direction Y. At the same time, in the first embodiment, a protective film 23 is continuously formed from the lower mounting surface of the condensation portion 22 across the upper mounting surface of the condensation portion 22 to the outer surface of the third circuit element 222 exposed to the air-cooling chamber 111, thereby protecting the third circuit element 222 and its surrounding wiring pattern from moisture.

With this configuration, the third circuit element 222, in which moisture from the air is allowed to condense between the condensation portion 22 and the bottom wall of the air-cooled case portion 110 in the air-cooled chamber 111, is directly cooled by the air in the air-cooled chamber 111 and is also indirectly cooled by the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid-cooled chamber 121 via the partition portion 30 and the control board 2. Thus, the moisture condensed from the air in the cooled condensation portion 22 of the third circuit element 222 flows into the inclined structure 303 by gravity, and is guided to the outlet portion 113 and discharged outside the control housing 10.

(Action and Effect)
The effects of the first embodiment described above will be described below.

In the first embodiment, the air inlet 112 and the liquid inlet 122 are provided in the first outer wall 101 of the control housing 10. According to this, the air introduced into the air cooling chamber 111 from the air inlet 112 can first be indirectly cooled by the cooling liquid 4 introduced into the liquid cooling chamber 121 from the liquid inlet 122 through the thermally conductive partition 30. Therefore, moisture condensation from the air flowing while being cooled from the first outer wall 101 side can be preferentially generated on the first outer wall 101 side of the partition 30. Therefore, in the control board 2 according to the first embodiment, the first circuit element 211 is mounted on the mounting portion 21 at a position biased toward the second outer wall 102 side of the control housing 10 in the reference direction X. With this, the air dehumidified on the first outer wall 101 side flows toward the second outer wall 102 side where the air outlet 114 is provided in the control housing 10, thereby cooling the mounting section 21 that is biased toward the second outer wall 102 side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent condensation from occurring due to cooling of the first circuit element 211 mounted on the mounting section 21, and to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities caused by the condensation.

According to the first embodiment, the moisture condensed in the partition section 30 is discharged from the outlet section 113 provided in the first outer wall section 101. This makes it possible to prevent the condensed moisture from remaining in the air-cooling chamber 111 and adhering to the first circuit element 211 of the mounting section 21. Therefore, it is possible to improve the effect of suppressing the occurrence of abnormalities in the first circuit element 211.

According to the first embodiment, the inclined structure 303 included in the partition 30 that separates the liquid cooling chamber 121 from the air cooling chamber 111 above it is inclined downward in the reference direction X from the second outer wall 102 side toward the outlet 113 on the first outer wall 101 side. As a result, moisture condensed in the partition 30 is guided by the inclined structure 303 to the outlet 113 on the first outer wall 101 side under the action of gravity, and can be discharged outside the control housing 10. Therefore, it is possible to improve the function of preventing adhesion of condensed moisture to the mounting section 21 and improve the effect of suppressing the occurrence of abnormalities.

According to the control board 2 of the first embodiment, the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222 mounted at the protection position P, which is closer to the first outer wall 101 than the mounting portion 21 in the reference direction X, are protected from moisture. As a result, even if moisture condensed on the first outer wall 101 side of the partition portion 30 adheres to the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222 closer to the first outer wall 101 than the mounting portion 21, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities such as short circuits or ion migration caused by the adhered moisture in those circuit elements 221, 222 in the protected state. Therefore, it is also possible to effectively utilize the space in the air-cooled chamber 111 for arranging the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222, thereby miniaturizing the control device 1.

According to the first embodiment, the second circuit element 221 in the protection position P contacts the partition 30. This allows the second circuit element 221 to be air-cooled by the air flowing through the air-cooling chamber 111, and can also be indirectly liquid-cooled through the contact portion with the partition 30. This makes it possible to improve the cooling effect of the second circuit element 221 mounted on the control board 2 in the protection position P.

According to the control board 2 of the first embodiment, the condensation section 22, which is disposed closer to the first outer wall section 101 than the mounting section 21 in the reference direction X, allows moisture to condense from the air. As a result, moisture condensation from the air flowing while being cooled from the first outer wall section 101 side can occur not only in the partition section 30 but also in the condensation section 22. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which air still containing moisture cools the mounting section 21 on the second outer wall section 102 side, causing abnormalities due to condensation.

According to the first embodiment, the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222 protected against moisture are mounted in the condensation section 22. As a result, even if moisture in the air condenses in the condensation section 22, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities such as short circuits or ion migration caused by the condensed moisture in the second circuit element 221 and the third circuit element 222 in a protected state.

The condensation section 22 according to the first embodiment is provided over a longer range than the mounting section 21 in the reference direction X. This allows moisture to condense from the air flowing while being cooled from the first outer wall section 101 side over the long range of the condensation section 22. This makes it possible to prevent the air still containing moisture from cooling the mounting section 21 on the second outer wall section 102 side, which would cause abnormalities due to condensation.

In the control housing 10 of the first embodiment, the air-cooled case part 110 that forms the air-cooled chamber 111 and the liquid-cooled case part 120 that forms the liquid-cooled chamber 121 are provided so as to be detachable. With this, even if condensed moisture accumulates in the air-cooled chamber 111, the control housing 10 can be disassembled for maintenance. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities caused by the adhesion of moisture remaining after condensation to the mounting part 21.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment as shown in Fig. 5. In the second embodiment, the configurations of the control housing 10 and the partition portion 30 are different from those in the first embodiment.

In the liquid-cooled case 120 of the control housing 10 in the second embodiment, a frame-shaped protrusion 127 protrudes from the inner surface of each side wall of the liquid-cooled case 120 in an inclined manner that is lower in the reference direction X from the second outer wall 102 toward the first outer wall 101. In the second embodiment, the plate-shaped partition 30 has the peripheral portion of the first partition surface 301, which is the lower surface in the vertical direction Y, continuously and closely contacted all around the protrusion 127. The partition 30 is fixed to the protrusion 127, for example, by adhesive, so that the second partition surface 302, which is the upper surface in the vertical direction Y, is provided at a lower position in the reference direction X from the second outer wall 102 side toward the first outer wall 101 side.

With this configuration, the partition 30 of the second embodiment separates the air-cooled chamber 111 and the liquid-cooled chamber 121 so as to slope downward in the vertical direction Y as it moves from the first outer wall portion 101 toward the outlet portion 113 of the second outer wall portion 102 in the reference direction X. That is, in the second embodiment, the partition portion 30 can be considered to have an inclined structure as a whole. Therefore, the partition portion 30 of the second embodiment does not have an inclined structure 303.

According to the partition 30 of the second embodiment described above, the second partition surface 302 that divides the air-cooled chamber 111 is provided at a lower position in the reference direction X from the second outer wall portion 102 toward the exhaust port portion 113 of the first outer wall portion 101. As a result, moisture condensed on the second partition surface 302 is guided by the second partition surface 302 to the exhaust port portion 113 on the first outer wall portion 101 side by the action of gravity, and can be discharged to the outside of the control housing 10. Therefore, it is possible to improve the function of preventing the adhesion of condensed moisture to the mounting portion 21 and improve the effect of suppressing the occurrence of abnormalities.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment as shown in Figures 6 to 8. In the third embodiment, the configurations of the control housing 10 and the partition portion 30 are different from those of the first embodiment.

In the control housing 10 of the third embodiment, a set direction X along the horizontal direction of the vehicle and a reference direction Y along the vertical direction of the vehicle are set. As a result, the first outer wall portion 101 is arranged so as to be located below the second outer wall portion 102 in the reference direction Y. Therefore, the partition portion 30 of the third embodiment is not provided with an inclined structure 303. As a result, moisture condensed on the second partition surface 302 of the partition portion 30 from the air in the air-cooled chamber 111 is guided to the outlet portion 113 by the action of gravity and discharged to the outside of the control housing 10. Note that configurations other than the unique configuration of the third embodiment may be implemented by replacing the reference direction X and the up-down direction Y of the first embodiment with the reference direction Y and the set direction X, respectively.

The first outer wall 101 according to the third embodiment described above is positioned below the second outer wall 102. As a result, the cooling liquid 4 is more likely to flow on the first outer wall 101 side than on the second outer wall 102 side due to the action of gravity, and the cooling effect of the air on the first outer wall 101 side can be enhanced to promote moisture condensation. This makes it possible to prevent the air still containing moisture from cooling the mounting section 21 on the second outer wall 102 side, leading to abnormal occurrences caused by condensation.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment as shown in Fig. 9. In the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the control housing 10 is different from that of the first embodiment.

The liquid-cooled case 120 of the control housing 10 in the fourth embodiment has a flat protruding wall 128 that protrudes upward from the inner surface of the bottom wall in the vertical direction Y. In the vertical direction Y, the protruding wall 128 is formed at a height that does not reach the first partition surface 301, which is the lower surface of the partition 30. This allows the coolant 4 to flow from the first outer wall 101 side to the second outer wall 102 side, which are sandwiched between the protruding wall 128 in the reference direction X, and vice versa, within the liquid-cooled chamber 121.

The protruding wall portion 128 is disposed in the intermediate portion between the first outer wall portion 101 and the second outer wall portion 102 in the reference direction X. Here, in the fourth embodiment, the protruding wall portion 128 is located at a position shifted toward the first outer wall portion 101 in the reference direction X from a lower position in the up-down direction Y of the mounting portion 21 of the control board 2. With this configuration, the protruding wall portion 128 functions as a resistance portion that provides resistance to the flow of the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid cooling chamber 121 in the reference direction X, particularly from the first outer wall portion 101 side toward the second outer wall portion 102 side.

According to the fourth embodiment described above, the flow of the cooling liquid 4 from the first outer wall portion 101 side to the second outer wall portion 102 side in the liquid cooling chamber 121 is resisted by the protruding wall portion 128 as a resisting portion. As a result, the cooling liquid 4 flows more easily on the first outer wall portion 101 side than on the second outer wall portion 102 side, so that the cooling effect of the air on the first outer wall portion 101 side can be enhanced and moisture condensation can be promoted. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a situation in which air still containing moisture cools the mounting portion 21 on the second outer wall portion 102 side, causing abnormalities due to condensation.

Fifth Embodiment
The fifth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In the fifth embodiment, the configuration of the control housing 10 is different from that of the first embodiment.

The liquid-cooled case 120 of the control housing 10 in the fifth embodiment has a plurality of flat fins 129a, 129b that protrude downward from the first partition surface 301, which is the lower surface of the partition 30, in the vertical direction Y. In the vertical direction Y, each fin 129a, 129b is formed at a height that does not reach the inner surface of the bottom wall of the liquid-cooled case 120. This allows the flow of the cooling liquid 4 from the first outer wall 101 side to the second outer wall 102 side in the liquid-cooled chamber 121, and the reverse flow. At the same time, the cooling performance of the air through the partition 30 in the air-cooled chamber 111 can be improved by the heat conduction from the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid-cooled chamber 121 to the partition 30 through each fin 129a, 129b.

The first fins 129a are provided below the mounting section 21 of the control board 2 in the vertical direction Y. The first fins 129a are arranged in a predetermined number at set intervals in the reference direction X and the orthogonal direction Z. On the other hand, the second fins 129b are provided below the condensation section 22 of the control board 2 in the vertical direction Y. The second fins 129b are arranged in a predetermined number at set intervals in the reference direction X and the orthogonal direction Z. Here, in the fifth embodiment, the arrangement interval of the second fins 129b in the reference direction X is narrower than the arrangement interval of the first fins 129a, and the number of the second fins 129b is greater than the number of the first fins 129a. That is, in the reference direction X, the arrangement density of the second fins 129b is higher than the arrangement density of the first fins 129a. With this configuration, each fin portion 129a, 129b works together to function as a resistance portion that provides resistance to the flow of the cooling liquid 4 in the liquid cooling chamber 121 in the reference direction X, particularly from the first outer wall portion 101 side to the second outer wall portion 102 side.

According to the fifth embodiment described above, the flow of the cooling liquid 4 from the first outer wall portion 101 side to the second outer wall portion 102 side in the liquid cooling chamber 121 is resisted by the fin portions 129a and 129b as resistive portions. As a result, the cooling liquid 4 flows more easily on the first outer wall portion 101 side than on the second outer wall portion 102 side, so that the cooling effect of the air on the first outer wall portion 101 side can be enhanced to promote moisture condensation. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a situation in which air still containing moisture cools the mounting portion 21 on the second outer wall portion 102 side, causing abnormalities due to condensation.

Other Embodiments
Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to those embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the modified examples of the first, second, fourth, and fifth embodiments, the liquid inlet port 122 and the liquid outlet port 123 may be formed to be aligned in the vertical direction Y.

In a modified example of the third embodiment, the liquid inlet port 122 and the liquid outlet port 123 may be formed to be aligned in the set direction X.

In the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments, at least one of the circuit elements 221, 222 may be omitted. In this case, the protective film 23 may be formed to allow condensation on the mounting surface of the condensation portion 22 on the side where at least one of the circuit elements 221, 222 is omitted, or may be omitted. In the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments, the condensation portion 22 may be omitted from the control board 2 together with both the circuit elements 221, 222.

In a modified example of the fourth embodiment, a protruding wall portion 128 may be provided as a resistance portion, spanning from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion of the liquid-cooled case portion 120 to the first partition surface 301 of the partition portion 30 in the vertical direction Y. In this case, it is preferable to provide flow ports at two locations in the perpendicular direction Z on the protruding wall portion 128, which individually allow the flow of the cooling liquid 4 from the first outer wall portion 101 side to the second outer wall portion 102 side, which sandwich the protruding wall portion 128 in the reference direction X, and the flow in the opposite direction.

In a modification of the fourth embodiment, a protruding wall portion 128 serving as a resistance portion may be provided so as to protrude from the first partition surface 301 of the partition portion 30, and the protruding wall portion 128 may exert a heat conduction effect equivalent to that of the fin portions 129a, 129b of the fifth embodiment. In the modifications of the second, third, and fifth embodiments, a protruding wall portion 128 serving as a resistance portion equivalent to that of the fourth embodiment or each of the modifications thereof may be provided.

In a modification of the fifth embodiment, fins 129a, 129b may be provided as resistance parts so as to protrude from the inner surface of the bottom wall of the liquid-cooled case 120. In modifications of the second to fourth embodiments, fins 129a, 129b may be provided as resistance parts conforming to the fifth embodiment or the modifications thereof.

In a modified example of the fifth embodiment, the arrangement density, arrangement interval, and fin shape of the fin portions 129a, 129b may be changed. As long as the effect of increasing the cooling action of the air on the first outer wall portion 101 side relative to the second outer wall portion 102 and promoting moisture condensation is achieved, the configuration of the fin portions 129a, 129b is not necessarily limited to a specific arrangement density, arrangement interval, and fin shape. For example, if the effect can be achieved by the arrangement interval and fin shape, the arrangement density of the first fin portion 129a may be higher than the arrangement density of the second fin portion 129b.

1: control device, 2: control board, 4: cooling liquid, 10: control housing, 21: mounting section, 22: condensation section, 30: partition section, 101: first outer wall section, 102: second outer wall section, 110: air-cooled case section, 111: air-cooled chamber, 112: air inlet section, 114: air outlet section, 120: liquid-cooled case section, 121: liquid-cooled chamber, 122: liquid inlet section, 123: liquid outlet section, 211: first circuit element, 128: protruding wall section, 129a: first fin section, 129b: second fin section, 221: second circuit element, 222: third circuit element, 302: partition surface, 303: inclined structure, X, Y: reference direction

Claims (10)

A control device (1) for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle,
A control board (2) on which circuit elements (211, 221, 222) for controlling the automatic operation are mounted;
A control housing (10) that houses the control board;
The control housing includes:
a thermally conductive partition (30) that partitions the air-cooled chamber (111) and the liquid-cooled chamber (121) from the first outer wall portion (101) to the second outer wall portion (102) in the reference direction (X, Y);
An air inlet portion (112) provided in the first outer wall portion for introducing air into the air-cooling chamber;
An air outlet portion (114) provided in the second outer wall portion and configured to guide the air from the air-cooling chamber;
A liquid inlet port (122) provided in the first outer wall portion for introducing a cooling liquid (4) into the liquid cooling chamber;
a liquid outlet portion (123) provided in the first outer wall portion and configured to discharge the cooling liquid from the liquid cooling chamber;
The control board disposed in the air-cooling chamber is
a mounting portion (21) on which the circuit element (211) is mounted and which sandwiches the circuit element between itself and the partition portion at a position biased toward the second outer wall portion in the reference direction ;
a condensation portion (22) that is disposed closer to the first outer wall portion than the mounting portion in the reference direction and that allows condensation of moisture from the air;
The condensation portion is
The mounting portion is provided in a range longer than the mounting portion in the reference direction.
The control housing includes:
The control device further includes a resistance portion (128, 129a, 129b) that provides resistance to the flow of the cooling liquid from the first outer wall portion side toward the second outer wall portion side in the liquid cooling chamber . The control housing includes:
The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a drain port (113) provided in the first outer wall portion for draining moisture condensed in the partition portion. The air cooling chamber is located above the liquid cooling chamber,
The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the partition portion includes an inclined structure (303) that is inclined downward in the reference direction from the second outer wall portion side toward the discharge port portion on the first outer wall portion side. The air cooling chamber is located above the liquid cooling chamber,
The control device described in claim 2, wherein the partition surface (302) that divides the air cooling chamber in the partition portion is provided at a lower position in the reference direction as it moves from the second outer wall portion to the exhaust outlet portion of the first outer wall portion. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first outer wall portion is located below the second outer wall portion. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the circuit elements (221, 222) protected against moisture are mounted at a protection position (P) on the control board that is closer to the first outer wall portion than the mounting portion in the reference direction. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the circuit element (221) in the protection position contacts the partition. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the circuit elements (221, 222) protected against the moisture are mounted in the condensation portion. The control device according to claim 8 , wherein the condensation portion holds the circuit element (221) between the condensation portion and the partition portion. The control housing includes:
An air-cooled case portion (110) that forms the air-cooled chamber;
10. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a liquid-cooled case portion (120) detachably provided in the air-cooled case portion and forming the liquid-cooled chamber.

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