CN220326085U - Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer - Google Patents

Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN220326085U
CN220326085U CN202223590669.XU CN202223590669U CN220326085U CN 220326085 U CN220326085 U CN 220326085U CN 202223590669 U CN202223590669 U CN 202223590669U CN 220326085 U CN220326085 U CN 220326085U
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
substrate
heat
heat dissipation
circuit unit
heat conduction
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
CN202223590669.XU
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Inventor
王小洪
杨宇航
张希
程远
朱博毓
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Chongqing Aspan Technology Co ltd
Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology
Original Assignee
Chongqing Aspan Technology Co ltd
Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chongqing Aspan Technology Co ltd, Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology filed Critical Chongqing Aspan Technology Co ltd
Priority to CN202223590669.XU priority Critical patent/CN220326085U/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CN220326085U publication Critical patent/CN220326085U/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Landscapes

  • Cooling Or The Like Of Electrical Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of photovoltaics, in particular to a heat radiation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer, which comprises a first circuit unit and a second circuit unit which are arranged in opposite directions, wherein the second circuit unit comprises a plurality of power devices, the heat radiation structure of the photovoltaic optimizer comprises a substrate, a heat conduction gasket and a heat radiation plate which are distributed in a laminated way, the second circuit unit is arranged on one side of the substrate, the heat conduction gasket covers one side of the substrate far away from the second circuit unit, and the substrate is in heat conduction connection with the heat radiation plate through the heat conduction gasket; the heat dissipation plate is provided with a groove on the contact surface with the heat conduction gasket, the groove is matched with the heat conduction gasket, and the groove is used for installing the heat conduction gasket. The heat generated in the operation process of the optimizer is directly transferred to the heat dissipation plate through the substrate and the heat conduction gasket for heat dissipation.

Description

Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer
Technical Field
The utility model relates to the field of photovoltaics, in particular to a heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer.
Background
In a photovoltaic system, in order to ensure the operation efficiency of the photovoltaic system, a photovoltaic optimizer is designed aiming at the photovoltaic system, the output power of the photovoltaic system is ensured, but a power device in the photovoltaic optimizer is integrated in the whole circuit board, when the heat dissipation adjustment of the power device is bad, the operation efficiency of the optimizer can be seriously influenced, the existing heat dissipation structure is complex and large in volume, the miniaturization of the volume of the photovoltaic optimizer cannot be ensured, the installation difficulty of the photovoltaic optimizer in the photovoltaic system is increased, and the heat dissipation structure for the photovoltaic optimizer is provided for improving the heat dissipation effect and simplifying the heat dissipation structure.
Disclosure of Invention
The utility model aims to provide a heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer, so as to improve the heat dissipation effect and simplify the heat dissipation structure.
In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical scheme: the photovoltaic optimizer comprises a first circuit unit and a second circuit unit which are arranged in opposite directions, wherein the second circuit unit comprises a plurality of power devices, the radiating structure of the photovoltaic optimizer comprises a substrate, a heat-conducting gasket and a radiating plate which are distributed in a laminated mode, the second circuit unit is arranged on one side of the substrate, the heat-conducting gasket covers one side, far away from the second circuit unit, of the substrate, and the substrate is in heat-conducting connection with the radiating plate through the heat-conducting gasket; the heat dissipation plate is provided with a groove on the contact surface of the heat conduction gasket, the groove is matched with the heat conduction gasket, and the groove is used for installing the heat conduction gasket.
The principle and the advantages of the scheme are as follows: the optimizer circuit is arranged in a separated mode, and heat generated in the second circuit unit is transferred to the heat dissipation plate through the surface of the substrate and the heat conduction gasket to dissipate heat; in the scheme, the optimizer circuit is arranged separately, so that the power device and the heating device in the optimizer circuit are arranged in the second circuit unit conveniently, the radiating unit only needs to radiate the second circuit unit, the volume of the radiating unit is reduced, the connecting structure between the radiating unit and the circuit is simplified, and the miniaturization of the whole structure of the photovoltaic optimizer is realized.
Preferably, as a modification, the area of the substrate is 180% -240% of the area of the second circuit unit, and the second circuit unit is distributed along the center of the substrate. The substrate is an aluminum plate with the thickness of 1-3mm, so that the heat conduction efficiency of the optimizer and the surface of the substrate is ensured, and the strength of the substrate is improved.
Preferably, as a modification, the area of the heat conducting pad is 120% -150% of the area of the substrate, and the center points of the contact surfaces between the substrate and the heat conducting pad are mutually overlapped. The thickness of the heat conducting gasket is 0.5-3mm, so that the heat resistance between the substrate and the heat radiating plate is reduced, and the heat radiating efficiency of the optimizer is improved.
Preferably, as an improvement, a plurality of heat dissipation protrusions are arranged on one side, away from the optimizer, of the heat dissipation plate, the heat dissipation protrusions are uniformly distributed along the extending direction of the heat dissipation plate, the distance between the heat dissipation protrusions is 10-30mm, and the height of the heat dissipation protrusions along the plane away from the heat dissipation plate is 10-50mm. The contact area between the surface of the radiating plate and the air is increased, and the radiating efficiency of the radiating plate is improved.
Preferably, as an improvement, the surface area of the side of the heat dissipation plate close to the substrate is 500% -700% of the area of the substrate, and the center points of the opposite surfaces of the heat dissipation plate and the substrate are mutually overlapped. The heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation unit is ensured, the volume of the heat dissipation unit is reduced, and the miniaturization and the light weight of the heat dissipation structure of the optimizer are realized.
Preferably, as a modification, the second circuit unit is connected to the first circuit unit through a pin header, and a length of the pin header along the extending direction of the substrate is matched with a length of the substrate. The circuit connection between the optimizer and the circuit board is smooth, and meanwhile, the stability of connection between the first circuit unit and the second circuit unit of the optimizer is guaranteed.
Compared with the prior art, the heating element of the optimizer circuit is arranged on one side of the substrate, the substrate and the radiating plate are in heat conduction connection through the heat conduction gasket, the connection structure of the radiating unit is simplified, the radiating effect of the radiating unit on the optimizer is guaranteed, the volume of the radiating unit is reduced, and the miniaturization of the radiating structure of the photovoltaic optimizer is realized.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a heat dissipation structure according to an embodiment of the utility model.
Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the present utility model.
Detailed Description
The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments:
reference numerals in the drawings of the specification include: circuit board 1, substrate 2, pin header 201, heat dissipation unit 3, heat conductive pad 301, heat dissipation plate 302, heat dissipation boss 303, pin header slot 4.
As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer comprises a circuit board 1, a substrate 2 and a heat dissipation unit 3, wherein a second circuit unit and a first circuit unit of the optimizer are oppositely arranged on the substrate 2 and the circuit board 1, a pin header 201 is arranged on one side of the substrate 2, which is positioned on the second circuit unit, and a power device and a heating device in the optimizer are arranged on the substrate 2 through the second circuit unit; the pin header 201 comprises a plurality of pins, the extending direction of each pin is perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 2, each pin is uniformly arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the substrate 2, a first circuit unit and a pin header slot 4 are arranged on the circuit board 1, and a second circuit unit is electrically connected with the first circuit unit through the pin header 201 and the pin header slot 4; the heat dissipation unit 3 comprises a heat conduction gasket 301 and a heat dissipation plate 302, wherein the heat conduction gasket 301 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are distributed in a laminated mode, the heat conduction gasket 301 is positioned on one side, close to the substrate 2, of the heat dissipation plate 302, and one side, far away from the second circuit unit, of the substrate 2 is in heat conduction connection with the heat dissipation plate 302 through the heat conduction gasket 301; grooves are formed in the contact surface of the heat dissipation plate 302 and the heat conduction gasket 301, the depth and the area of the grooves are matched with those of the heat conduction gasket 301, and the heat conduction gasket 302 is installed in the grooves.
The extension length of the pin header 201 at one side of the substrate 2 is matched with the length of the substrate 2, wherein the number of pins in the pin header 201 is not less than 6, preferably, in the embodiment, the pin header 201 comprises 8 pins, and the 8 pins are equidistantly distributed; each pin in the pin header 201 extends along a direction perpendicular to the plane where the substrate 2 is located towards the circuit board 1, a pin header slot 4 is mounted on the circuit board 1, the extending direction of the pin header slot 4 is matched with the extending direction of the pin header 201, and the height of the pin header 201 slot is matched with the length of the pin header 201.
The area of the substrate 2 is 180% -240% of the area of the second circuit unit, preferably in this embodiment, the area of the substrate 2 is 200% of the area of the second circuit unit, and the second circuit unit is located at the center of the substrate 2, and an aluminum plate with a thickness of 1-3mm is selected as the substrate 2, preferably in this embodiment, an aluminum plate with a thickness of 2mm is selected as the substrate 2. The substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are in heat conduction connection through the heat conduction gasket 301, wherein the thickness of the heat conduction gasket 301 is 0.5-3mm, the area of the heat conduction gasket 301 is 120% -150% of the area of the substrate 2, preferably, in the embodiment, the area of the heat conduction gasket 301 is 130% of the area of the substrate 2, and the substrate 2 is positioned in the center of the heat conduction gasket 301; the heat conducting pad 301 is covered on the center of the heat dissipating plate 303 on the side far away from the substrate 2, the surface area of the heat dissipating plate 303 on the side close to the substrate 2 is 500% -700% of the area of the substrate 2, and the surface area of the heat dissipating plate 302 on the side close to the substrate 2 is 620% of the area of the substrate 2 in the present embodiment.
A plurality of heat dissipation protrusions 303 are arranged on one side, away from the substrate 2, of the heat dissipation plate 302 and the heat conduction gasket 301, of the heat dissipation protrusions 303 are evenly distributed on the surface of the heat dissipation plate 302, the heat dissipation protrusions 303 and the heat dissipation plate 303 are integrally formed, the length of each heat dissipation protrusion 303 extends along the width direction of the heat dissipation plate 302, the length of each heat dissipation protrusion 303 is matched with the width of the heat dissipation plate 302, the height of each heat dissipation protrusion 303 extends along the direction away from the substrate 2 along the plane perpendicular to the heat dissipation plate 302, the distance between the heat dissipation protrusions 303 is 10-30mm, the height of each heat dissipation protrusion 303 is 10-50mm, and the preferred distance between the heat dissipation protrusions 303 in the embodiment is 15mm and the height is 20mm.
The specific implementation process is as follows:
when in connection, one side of the heat radiating unit 3, which is far away from the heat radiating protrusion 303, is in heat conduction connection with one side of the substrate 2, which is far away from the pin header 201, through the heat conduction gasket 301, and the pin header 201 on the substrate 2 is aligned with the pin header slot 4 on the circuit board 1, so that each pin in the pin header 201 is inserted into the pin header 201 slot, and the second circuit unit on the substrate 2 is electrically connected with the first circuit unit on the circuit board 1 through the pin header 201, so that a complete optimizer circuit is formed; when the optimizer circuit works, heat generated by the power device and the heating device in the second circuit unit is transferred to the heat dissipation plate 302 through the substrate 2 and the heat conduction gasket 301, and the heat is transferred to the air through the heat dissipation plate 302 and the heat dissipation protrusions 303 on the heat dissipation plate 302, so that heat generated in the working process of the second circuit unit is transferred, and the temperature in the working process of the second circuit unit is reduced.
In the scheme, the second circuit unit is electrically connected with the first circuit unit through the pin header 201 and the pin header slot 4, so that the circuit between the second circuit unit and the first circuit unit is smooth, the fixed connection between the circuit board 1 and the substrate 2 is realized, the heat dissipation unit 3 and the substrate 2 are in heat conduction connection through the heat conduction gasket 301, the connection structure between the heat dissipation unit 3 and the circuit board 1 is simplified, the occupied area of the heat dissipation unit 3 on the surface of the circuit board 1 is reduced, the space utilization rate of the circuit board 1 is improved, the miniaturization of the circuit design of the photovoltaic optimizer is facilitated, the pins 201 are arranged along the extending direction of the substrate 2, the substrate 2 can be stably fixed on the circuit board 1 in multiple directions, the shaking and displacement of the substrate 2 in the use process are avoided, and the stability of the circuit between the substrate 2 and the circuit board 1 is ensured; meanwhile, the power consumption device and the heating device in the optimizer circuit are independently arranged on the substrate 1 through the second circuit unit, so that the influence of heat generated when the power consumption device and the heating device work on other devices in the circuit is reduced, the design difficulty of the optimizer circuit is reduced, and the running stability of all devices in the circuit is ensured; and the second circuit unit and the first circuit unit are distributed in a laminated way, so that the heat dissipation unit can completely cover the power consumption device and the heating device in the optimizer circuit, the volume of the heat dissipation unit is reduced, and the integral miniaturization and light weight design of the structure of the optimizer are realized.
The substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are stacked through the heat conduction gasket 301 in the heat dissipation unit 3, so that heat generated by the second circuit unit in the operation process can be quickly transferred to the heat dissipation plate 302 through the substrate 2 and the heat conduction gasket 301, the heat dissipation efficiency of the second circuit unit is improved, an aluminum substrate with the thickness of 2mm is selected for the substrate 2, the heat conduction efficiency of the substrate 2 to the second circuit unit and the self mechanism strength of the substrate 2 are ensured, the weight of the substrate 2 is reduced, the pressure of connection between the pin header 201 and the pin header slot 4 is reduced under the combined action of the light weight of the substrate 2 and the miniaturization of the heat dissipation unit 3, and the stability and the reliability of connection between the second circuit unit and the first circuit unit are ensured.
Set up the recess between heating panel 302 and heat conduction gasket 301, install heat conduction gasket 301 in the recess for heat conduction contact also can be carried out between the side of heat conduction gasket 301 and the heating panel 302, increase the radiating efficiency between heat conduction gasket 301 and the heating panel 302, the size of recess and the size phase-match of heat conduction gasket 301 simultaneously make heat conduction gasket 301 can fix the mounted position through the edge of recess, avoid heat conduction gasket 301 to appear the displacement in the use, influence the heat conduction effect between base plate 2 and the heating panel 302.
The area of the substrate 2 is 200% of the area of the second circuit unit, the second circuit unit is located in the center of the substrate 2, the substrate 2 can fully cover a power device and a heating device in the second circuit unit, the heat outward transmission efficiency of the second circuit unit is improved, an aluminum plate with the thickness of 2mm is selected as the substrate 2, the structural strength of the substrate 2 and the compressive strength of the substrate 2 are guaranteed, the safety of components in the second circuit unit is improved, and the substrate 2 can guarantee the safety of the second circuit unit on the substrate 2 when bearing pressure.
The thickness of the heat conduction gasket 301 is 1mm, concave-convex points existing on the contact surface of the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are filled through the soft silica gel gasket, the heat transfer is prevented from being influenced by gaps existing between the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302, the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are connected through the self viscosity of the heat conduction gasket 301, the connection stability between the heat dissipation plate 302 and the substrate 2 is ensured, and meanwhile, the connection structure of the heat dissipation unit 3 is simplified; the heat conducting gasket 301 with the thickness of 1mm is selected to reduce the distance between the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302, reduce the thermal resistance between the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302 and accelerate the heat transfer between the substrate 2 and the heat dissipation plate 302; the area of the heat conduction gasket 301 is 130% of the area of the substrate 2, and the substrate 2 is located at the center of the heat conduction gasket 301, so that the heat conduction gasket 301 can be ensured to be completely covered on the surface of the substrate 2, and the heat conduction effect of the heat conduction gasket 301 is enhanced.
The surface area of the side of the heat dissipation plate 302, which is close to the substrate 2, is 620% of the area of the substrate 2, so that the heat dissipation plate 302 has enough area to be in contact with air, the heat dissipation effect of the heat dissipation plate 302 is improved, meanwhile, the overlarge area of the heat dissipation plate 302 is avoided, the space occupation of the heat dissipation unit 3 on the circuit board 1 is increased, and the overall structure of the photovoltaic optimizer is not easy to lighten and miniaturize. A plurality of heat dissipation bulges 303 are arranged on one side of the heat dissipation plate 302 away from the substrate 2 and the heat conduction gasket 301, the heat dissipation bulges 303 are uniformly distributed on the surface of the heat dissipation plate 302, the contact surface area between the heat dissipation plate 302 and air is further increased, the heat dissipation capacity of the heat dissipation plate 302 is improved, the heat dissipation bulges 303 and the heat dissipation plate 302 are integrally formed, and the heat transfer efficiency between the heat dissipation bulges 303 and the heat dissipation plate 302 is ensured; the spacing between the heat dissipating bulges 303 is set to 15mm, and the height is set to 20mm, so that the heat dissipating unit 3 can reduce the volume and the number of the heat dissipating bulges 303 in the heat dissipating unit 3 while meeting the heat dissipating requirement of the second circuit unit, reduce the overall volume and the weight of the heat dissipating unit 3, and realize miniaturization and light weight of the heat dissipating structure.
The foregoing is merely exemplary of the present utility model, and specific technical solutions and/or features that are well known in the art have not been described in detail herein. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the technical solution of the present utility model, and these should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present utility model, which does not affect the effect of the implementation of the present utility model and the practical applicability of the patent. The protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the content of the claims, and the description of the specific embodiments and the like in the specification can be used for explaining the content of the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer, its characterized in that: the photovoltaic optimizer comprises a first circuit unit and a second circuit unit which are arranged in opposite directions, wherein the second circuit unit comprises a plurality of power devices, the radiating structure of the photovoltaic optimizer comprises a substrate, a heat-conducting gasket and a radiating plate which are distributed in a laminated mode, the second circuit unit is arranged on one side of the substrate, the heat-conducting gasket covers one side, far away from the second circuit unit, of the substrate, and the substrate is in heat-conducting connection with the radiating plate through the heat-conducting gasket; a groove is formed in the contact surface of the heat radiation plate and the heat conduction gasket, the groove is matched with the heat conduction gasket, and the groove is used for installing the heat conduction gasket; the cooling plate is far away from one side of the optimizer, a plurality of cooling bulges are arranged on the cooling plate, and the cooling bulges are uniformly distributed along the extending direction of the cooling plate.
2. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the area of the substrate is 180% -240% of the area of the second circuit unit, and the second circuit unit is distributed along the center of the substrate.
3. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 2 wherein: the substrate is an aluminum plate with the thickness of 1-3 mm.
4. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the area of the heat conduction gasket is 120% -150% of the area of the substrate, and the center points of the contact surfaces between the substrate and the heat conduction gasket are mutually overlapped.
5. The heat spreading structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as claimed in claim 4 wherein: the thickness of the heat conducting gasket is 0.5-3mm.
6. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the distance between the heat dissipation bulges is 10-30mm, and the height of the heat dissipation bulges far away from the plane where the heat dissipation plates are located is 10-50mm.
7. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the surface area of one side of the heat dissipation plate close to the substrate is 500% -700% of the area of the substrate, and the center points of the opposite surfaces of the heat dissipation plate and the substrate are mutually overlapped.
8. The heat dissipation structure for a photovoltaic optimizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the second circuit unit is connected with the first circuit unit through a pin header, and the length of the pin header along the extending direction of the substrate is matched with the length of the substrate.
CN202223590669.XU 2022-12-30 2022-12-30 Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer Active CN220326085U (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202223590669.XU CN220326085U (en) 2022-12-30 2022-12-30 Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202223590669.XU CN220326085U (en) 2022-12-30 2022-12-30 Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN220326085U true CN220326085U (en) 2024-01-09

Family

ID=89424709

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202223590669.XU Active CN220326085U (en) 2022-12-30 2022-12-30 Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CN (1) CN220326085U (en)

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN105977423A (en) Heat dissipating structure of cylindrical battery module
CN220326085U (en) Heat radiation structure for photovoltaic optimizer
CN210470147U (en) Power device heat abstractor and motor driver
CN209402925U (en) A kind of two-side radiation device of pcb board
CN207690645U (en) A kind of thin-film capacitor of high-cooling property
CN207282486U (en) A kind of fixed structure, controller and the electric car of controller metal-oxide-semiconductor
CN211959657U (en) CEM-3 copper-clad plate easy to radiate heat
CN216527051U (en) Heat radiator for sealed terminal equipment
CN209472944U (en) Electronic load radiator
CN109413956A (en) Electronic load radiator
CN219780268U (en) Camera with heat dissipation function
CN215819171U (en) Circuit board heat radiation structure
CN217955966U (en) Lithium battery protection board convenient to heat dissipation
CN112787027A (en) Heat dissipation bottom plate and battery box
CN217241238U (en) Heat pipe radiator
CN220730761U (en) Industrial computer heat radiation structure
CN211828824U (en) High-efficient heat dissipation diode
CN219068755U (en) Heat radiation structure and terminal applying same
CN218677129U (en) Cover plate with heat dissipation device
CN215450899U (en) Solid state hard drives that heat conductivity is good
CN215418164U (en) MOSFET packaging structure
CN215378745U (en) Switch power adapter
CN111949094B (en) Water-cooling heat dissipation structure for memory
CN213206048U (en) Cooling fan suitable for server VR power module and server
CN219287980U (en) Electronic equipment

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
GR01 Patent grant
GR01 Patent grant