Standards Development

Scope

This part of IEC 6xxxx-1 specifies the locations where the temperatures should be measured in the thermal design of electronic device assemblies.

This document applies to measurements used in thermal design of electronic assemblies, especially circuit boards on which small SMDs are mounted, where the heat dissipation path to the board is dominant.

The measurement methods specified in this document do not guarantee the characteristics of individual components or electronic devices.

This document does not provide the methods for each of the measures in thermal design for individual conditions.

Purpose

In recent electronic equipment, where each component is further miniaturized and mounting density is increasing, the dominant heat dissipation path is changing from the conventional convection path from the component surface to the atmosphere to the conduction path from the component to the circuit board.

In response to this situation, it is necessary to change the thermal design concept from "atmospheric heat-dissipation type" to "circuit board heat-dissipation type." In particular, it is necessary to develop an infrastructure including thermal measurement methods to establish a thermal design method that covers miniaturized components that are overlooked in conventional thermal design methods.

However, in "circuit board heat dissipation type" thermal design, a method of cooling high heatdissipating components with heat sinks and fans has been established, but the thermal design method for circuit boards with multiple heat-dissipating components coupling has not yet been established.

Under such circumstances, circuit designers and component selectors responsible for the thermal design of circuit boards often lack expertise in thermal design.

There is no standard to ensure the quality of thermal design for circuit boards in electronic devices, including methods of measurement.

When thermal measurement methods are not appropriate or measurement errors are ignored, thermal risks may be underestimated. In such cases, various impacts on safety, the environment, and the economy can be expected.

Based on this awareness, standardization of measurements in thermal design is desired.