초록 ▼

A cooling system comprises an electronics module and a duct. The electronics module produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and is rated to a safe operating temperature. The duct surrounds the electronics module, and has a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the fi

A cooling system comprises an electronics module and a duct. The electronics module produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and is rated to a safe operating temperature. The duct surrounds the electronics module, and has a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the first location and an open region near the second location. The expanded region has greater cross-sectional flow area than the constricted region. Airflow through the duct cools both the first location and the second location to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A cooling system comprising: a electronics module that produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and that is rated to a safe operating temperature;a duct surrounding the electronics module and having a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the first location and an

1. A cooling system comprising: a electronics module that produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and that is rated to a safe operating temperature;a duct surrounding the electronics module and having a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the first location and an open region with greater cross-sectional flow area than the constricted region near the second location, such that airflow through the duct cools both the first location and the second location to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature. 2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the efficiency margin is 10% or less than the safe operating temperature. 3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein the efficiency margin is 5% or less than the safe operating temperature. 4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the shaped baffle has a contour described by a plurality of vertices with coordinates selected to vary the width of an air passage through the duct to form the constricted region and the open region. 5. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising an airflow source. 6. The cooling system of claim 5, wherein the airflow source is a fan. 7. The cooling system of claim 5, wherein the airflow source is an air bleed. 8. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the electronics module is a transformer or an inductor. 9. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the shaped baffle increases power efficiency of cooling the electronics module to below the safe operating temperature by a factor of five or more over an uncontoured duct of similar dimensions. 10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the shaped baffle decreases power requirements of cooling the electronics module to below the safe operating temperature by a factor of ten or more over an uncontoured duct of similar dimensions. 11. A method for designing contours of a duct to cool an electronics module, the method comprising: iteratively adjusting a baffle contour from an initial estimate to decrease cross-sectional flow area near regions of the electronics module above a first temperature threshold; anditeratively adjusting an the baffle contour from the initial estimate to increase cross-sectional flow area near regions of the electronics module below a second temperature threshold lower than the first temperature threshold. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first temperature threshold is a rated safe temperature selected to avoid deterioration or damage to the electronics module. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second temperature threshold is separated from the first temperature threshold by an efficiency margin selected to substantially minimize pressure drop across the cooling fan duct while cooling the electronics module to below the rated safe temperature. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the efficiency margin is 10% or less of the rated safe temperature. 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising finalizing the baffle contour when iterative adjustment produces a contour such that all regions of the electronics module are cooled to a temperature between the first and second temperature thresholds. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising rounding vertices of the baffle contour to soften abrupt airflow path transitions in the duct. 17. A method for cooling an electronics module with relatively hot and relatively cool regions and a safe operating temperature, the method comprising: forcing airflow through a duct containing a shaped baffle;increasing flow speed at a constricted region produced by the baffle near the relatively hot region such that the relatively hot region is cooled to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature; anddecreasing flow speed at an expanded region produced by the baffle near the relatively cool region such that the cool regions is cooled to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the efficiency margin is 10% or less than the safe operating temperature. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein forcing the airflow through a duct comprises driving the airflow with a fan. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein forcing the airflow through the duct comprises diverting the airflow from an air system via a bleed.