U.S. patent application number 11/308500 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-04 for cooling system for computer.
Invention is credited to Xue-Wen Peng.
Application Number | 20070227170 11/308500 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38556867 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070227170 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Peng; Xue-Wen |
October 4, 2007 |
COOLING SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER
Abstract
A computer cooling system includes a computer housing, a
refrigeration loop and two fans. The housing includes an inner
layer and an outer layer and defines an air inlet and an air outlet
on opposite sides thereof. The refrigeration loop orderly includes
a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and
pipes connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve
and the evaporator. The compressor and the pipes are located
between the inner and outer layers. The fans are respectively
located near the air inlet and the air outlet, in order to draw air
into the housing and expel the air out of the housing.
Inventors: |
Peng; Xue-Wen; (Shenzhen,
CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NORTH AMERICA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
P.O. BOX 506
MERRIFIELD
VA
22116
US
|
Family ID: |
38556867 |
Appl. No.: |
11/308500 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/259.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/259.2 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/12 20060101
F25D023/12 |
Claims
1. A computer cooling system comprising: a computer housing
comprising an inner layer and an outer layer and defining an air
inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides thereof; a refrigeration
loop orderly comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion
valve, an evaporator and pipes connecting the compressor, the
condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator, the compressor
and the pipes being located between the inner and outer layers; and
two fans respectively located near the air inlet and the air
outlet, for drawing air into the housing and expelling the air out
of the housing, respectively.
2. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser is close to the
inner layer of the housing.
3. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pipe connecting the evaporator and the compressor is coated with a
thermal insulation material.
4. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
compressor is located at a bottom of the room.
5. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
condenser is near the air outlet.
6. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
evaporator is approximate to the air inlet.
7. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
expansion valve is between the condenser and the evaporator and is
close to the evaporator.
8. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
inner and outer layers are arranged on lateral sides of the
housing.
9. A cooling system for an electronic device, comprising: a housing
of the electronic device, comprising an inner layer and an outer
layer and defining an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides
thereof; a first fan located near the air inlet, the fan drawing
air into the housing; a second fan located near the air outlet, the
second fan expelling air out of the housing; a refrigeration loop
located between the inner and outer layers of the housing; wherein
the refrigeration loop contains refrigerant therein, and the
refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air outlet
has a temperature higher than the air passing through the
refrigeration loop and the refrigerant in the refrigeration loop
approximate to the air inlet has a temperature lower than the air
passing through the refrigeration loop.
10. The cooling system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
refrigeration loop comprises an evaporator near the air inlet to
cool the air entering the housing via the refrigerant therein.
11. The cooling system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
refrigeration loop comprises a condenser close to the air outlet,
the refrigerant in the condenser is cooled by the air passing
through the refrigeration loop.
12. A computer comprising: a housing having an inner layer and an
outer layer thereby defining a room between the inner and outer
layers, and defining an air inlet and an air outlet, an airflow
being generated to flow from the air inlet through the housing to
the air outlet; a heat generating component received in the
housing, the airflow flowing through the heat generating component;
and a refrigeration system received in the room, having an
evaporator located near the air inlet and a condenser located near
the air outlet, the evaporator absorbing heat from the airflow, the
condenser releasing heat to the airflow, the refrigeration system
including refrigerant therein.
13. The computer as claimed in claim 12, wherein the refrigeration
system further comprises a compressor between the condenser and the
evaporator, a pipe interconnecting the compressor and the
evaporator, the pipe being surrounded with a thermal insulation
material, the refrigerant flowing from the condenser through the
compressor to the evaporator.
14. The computer as claimed in claim 13, wherein the refrigeration
system further comprises an expansion valve between the condenser
and the evaporator, the refrigerant flows from the condenser to the
evaporator through the expansion valve.
15. The computer as claimed in claim 13, wherein the refrigeration
system further comprises a second pipe interconnecting the
condenser and the compressor, the second pipe being located close
to the inner layer of the housing.
16. The computer as claimed in claim 12, wherein the air inlet is
provided in a front wall of the housing, and the air outlet is
provided in a rear wall of the housing.
17. The computer as claimed in claim 16, wherein two fans are
provided in the housing near the air inlet and the air outlet,
respectively.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a cooling system,
and more particularly to a cooling system for reducing temperature
within a computer, wherein the cooling system includes a
compressor, an evaporator, a condenser, and an expansion valve and
refrigerant circulating through the system.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0002] Computers are widespread nowadays. A central processing unit
(CPU) is a core of the computer that generates large amounts of
heat during operation and for that reason has to be cooled.
Generally, a heat sink including a plurality of fins is attached on
the CPU to remove the heat therefrom. Air is blown through a
housing of the computer to cool the heat sink from which the heat
can be dissipated to the air. However, with the development of
electronic technology, the CPU has higher and higher frequency and
can perform much more and greater functions; accordingly, the CPU
generates more and more heat. Moreover, other chipsets and
processors such as GPUs (graph processing units) of the computer
also generate more and more heat. Such heat makes it difficult to
control a temperature in the housing of the computer within a safe
range, when the heat dissipation merely depends upon heat sinks
respectively mounted on the CPU or GPU to remove the heat
therefrom. Once the temperature within the housing of the computer
is excessively increased, all of the electronic heat-generating
components within the housing are adversely affected.
[0003] What is needed is a cooling system which can lower the
temperature within a housing of a computer.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0004] A computer cooling system in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention comprises a computer housing, a
refrigeration loop and two fans. The computer housing comprises an
inner layer and an outer layer and defines an air inlet and an air
outlet on opposite front and rear sides thereof. The refrigeration
loop orderly comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion
valve, an evaporator. Pipes are used to connect the compressor, the
condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator together. The
compressor and the pipes are located between the inner and outer
layers. The fans are respectively located near the air inlet and
the air outlet, in order to draw air into the housing and expel the
air out of the housing.
[0005] Other advantages and novel features will become more
apparent from the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, plan view of a cooling system in a
computer in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, as viewed from a lateral side of the computer; and
[0007] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but merely shows two
fans of the cooling system in the computer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, a cooling system 100 in accordance with
a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a double-layered
housing 110, a motherboard assembly 120, a compressor 130, a
condenser 140, an expansion valve 150, an evaporator 160 and two
fans 170, 180.
[0009] The housing 110 comprises an outer layer 112 and an inner
layer 114 and defines a room 116 between the two layers 112, 114.
Referring to FIG. 2, the housing also defines an air inlet 117 and
an air outlet 118 in opposite front and rear sides thereof,
respectively. The fan 170 is located near the air inlet 117 for
drawing outside cooling air into the housing 110 via the air inlet
117. The fan 180 is located near the air outlet 118 for expelling
the air out of the housing 110 via the air outlet 118.
[0010] The motherboard assembly 120 is installed within the inner
layer 114 of the housing 110 and has heat-generating components,
such as a CPU 122 mounted thereon.
[0011] Flat pipes 134, 145, 156, 163 are located between the inner
and outer layers 112, 114 in the preferred embodiment, and connect
the compressor 130, condenser 140, expansion valve 150 and
evaporator 160 together so that the compressor 130, condenser 140,
expansion valve 150 and evaporator 160 form a refrigeration loop
wherein a refrigerant can flow from the compressor 130 to the
condenser 140, from the condenser 140 to the expansion valve 150,
from the expansion valve 150 to the evaporator and then back to the
compressor 130. The refrigeration loop can be wholly accommodated
in the room 116 of the housing 110. It is preferable that the
compressor 130 is located at a bottom of the room 116 but is not
excluded that the compressor 130 is located at other locations of
the room 116. The condenser 140 is located near the air outlet 118
so that the air passing therethrough can absorb the heat on the
condenser 140 before leaving the housing via the air outlet 118.
The expansion valve 150 is located close to the evaporator 160 to
reduce the pressure of the refrigerant flowing therethrough and
control the flux of the refrigerant. The evaporator 160 is
approximate to the air inlet 117 so that the air passing
therethrough can be cooled by the evaporator 160 before the air
reaches the heat-generating components, such as the CPU 122.
[0012] In operation of the refrigeration loop, the refrigerant is
compressed in the compressor 130 to have a high temperature and a
high pressure. The refrigerant at the higher temperature then
enters the condenser 140 via the pipe 134. Heat in the refrigerant
is removed at the condenser 140 so that the refrigerant is cooled
by the air passing therethrough to have a lower temperature. The
refrigerant at the reduced temperature then flows through the
expansion valve 150. The expansion valve 150 reduces the pressure
of the refrigerant and controls the flux of the refrigerant. A
reduction in pressure of the refrigerant further reduces its
temperature so that the refrigerant becomes cool. The cool
refrigerant then flows through the evaporator 160 to cool air
entering the housing 110, and finally flows back to the compressor
130 for a subsequent circulation.
[0013] For the cooling system, when the fan 170 draws air into the
housing 110 via the air inlet 117, the air is blown to the
evaporator 160 and is cooled down at the evaporator 160. The cooled
air is then blown to the heat-generating components on the
motherboard assembly 120 and is heated by the heat-generating
components, whereby the heat of the heat-generating components is
taken away by the cooled air. The air heated by the heat-generating
components, passes through the condenser 140 and then leaves the
housing 110 via the air outlet 118. The refrigerant in the
condenser 140 releases the heat thereof to the air which has a
temperature still lower than the refrigerant in the condenser 140.
The fan 180 finally expels the air further heated by the condenser
140 out of the housing 110. That is to say, the refrigeration loop
contains refrigerant therein, and the refrigerant in the
refrigeration loop approximate to the air outlet has a temperature
higher than the air passing the refrigeration loop and the
refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air inlet
has a temperature lower than the air passing through the
refrigeration loop.
[0014] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
design of the double-layered housing 110 is in favor of protecting
the pipes 134, 145, 156, 163, and partition the pipes 134, 145,
156, 163 and electronic heat-generating components in different
spaces. The fans 170, 180 guide the air to suitably flow in the
housing 110 and enhance convection in the housing 110. The fans
170, 180 also enforce heat exchange of the condenser 140 and the
evaporator 160 with the air passing therethrough. The pipe 134
connecting the compressor 130 and the condenser 140 is preferably
close to the inner layer 114 of the housing 110; thus, the air,
which has passed through the heat-generating components and has a
temperature still lower than that of the refrigerant in the pipe
134 can blow the inner layer 114 to cool the refrigerant in the
pipe 134. The pipe 163 is preferably coated with a thermal
insulation material 165 so that the air cooled by the evaporator
160 is thermally isolated from the refrigerant in the pipe 163.
[0015] It is believed that the present embodiments and their
advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and
it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or
sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples
hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary
embodiments of the invention.
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