U.S. patent application number 12/170590 was filed with the patent office on 2009-08-20 for isothermal vapor chamber and support structure thereof.
Invention is credited to Ming-Kuei Hsieh, I-Ying Lee, Yung-Tai Lu, George Anthony Meyer, IV, Chien-Hung Sun.
Application Number | 20090205812 12/170590 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40954033 |
Filed Date | 2009-08-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090205812 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony ;
et al. |
August 20, 2009 |
ISOTHERMAL VAPOR CHAMBER AND SUPPORT STRUCTURE THEREOF
Abstract
In an isothermal vapor chamber and its support structure, the
isothermal vapor chamber includes a casing, a capillary wick, a
support structure and a working fluid. The capillary wick is
disposed in the casing. The support structure is contained in the
capillary wick for supporting the capillary wick and the support
structure includes two side panels and a plurality of wavy plates
are connected between the two side panels. The wavy plate is formed
by a plurality of wave peak sections and a plurality of wave valley
sections, and the wave peak sections of any two adjacent wavy
plates are installed alternately with each other, and any two
adjacent wavy plates are partitioned to form a partition channel.
The working fluid is filled into the casing and flowed through the
partition channel for improving the heat conducting efficiency of
the isothermal vapor chamber.
Inventors: |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony;
(San Jose, CA) ; Lu; Yung-Tai; (Zhongli City,
TW) ; Sun; Chien-Hung; (Zhongli City, TW) ;
Hsieh; Ming-Kuei; (Zhongli City, TW) ; Lee;
I-Ying; (Zhongli City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HDLS Patent & Trademark Services
P.O. BOX 220746
CHANTILLY
VA
20153-0746
US
|
Family ID: |
40954033 |
Appl. No.: |
12/170590 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 15/046 20130101;
F28D 15/0233 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.26 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20060101
F28D015/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 14, 2008 |
TW |
097202718 |
Claims
1. An isothermal vapor chamber, comprising: a casing; a working
fluid, filled into the casing; a capillary wick, disposed in the
casing; and a support structure, contained in the capillary wick,
for supporting the capillary wick, and including two side panels
and a plurality of wavy plates connected between the two side
panels, and the wavy plate being comprised of a plurality of wave
peak sections and a plurality of wave valley sections, and the wave
peak sections of any two adjacent wavy plates being installed
alternately with each other.
2. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the casing
comprises a lower casing panel and an upper casing panel sealed and
coupled to the lower casing panel.
3. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 2, wherein the lower
casing panel is formed by a bottom panel and a plurality of
surrounding panels disposed around the periphery of the bottom
panel.
4. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 2, wherein the capillary
wick comprises a lower-layer capillary wick and an upper-layer
capillary wick connected onto the lower-layer capillary wick, and
the upper-layer capillary wick is attached onto a surface of the
upper casing panel, and the lower-layer capillary wick is attached
onto a surface of the lower casing panel.
5. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the capillary
wick is a metal wire mesh.
6. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein any two
adjacent wavy plates are installed alternately with each other to
form a partition channel.
7. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the wave peak
section is higher than the top surface of the side panel.
8. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the wave valley
section is lower than the bottom surface of the side panel.
9. The isothermal vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the wave valley
sections of any two adjacent wavy plates are installed alternately
with each other.
10. A support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber, comprising:
two side panels; and a plurality of wavy plates, coupled between
the two side panels, and formed by a plurality of wave peak
sections and a plurality of wave valley sections, and the wave peak
sections of any two adjacent wavy plates being installed
alternately with each other.
11. The support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber of claim
10, wherein any two adjacent wavy plates are installed alternately
with each other to form a partition channel.
12. The support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber of claim
10, wherein the wave peak section is higher than the top surface of
the side panel.
13. The support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber of claim
10, wherein the wave valley section is lower than the bottom
surface of the side panel.
14. The support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber of claim
10, wherein the wave valley sections of any two adjacent wavy
plates are installed alternately with each other.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a support
structure, and more particularly to a support structure of an
isothermal vapor chamber and the isothermal vapor chamber.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] As the computing speed of CPU in a computer becomes
increasingly higher, the heat generated by the CPU also increases
accordingly, and thus a general heat dissipating device composed of
aluminum extrusion heat sink and fan no longer satisfies the
requirements for the CPU anymore, and manufacturers keep on
developing heat pipes and isothermal vapor chambers with a higher
heat conducting performance, and combining the heat pipes and
isothermal vapor chambers with heat sinks to overcome the heat
dissipation issue effectively. Since the isothermal vapor chamber
provides a direct large-area contact with a heat generating
component, it attracts more manufactures to put in their efforts on
the research of isothermal vapor chambers.
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1 for a conventional isothermal vapor
chamber, the isothermal vapor chamber is formed by a casing 10a, a
capillary wick 20a, a support structure 30a and a working fluid
40a. The casing 10a includes a lower casing panel 11a and an upper
casing panel 12a for sealing and connecting the lower casing panel
11a. The capillary wick 20a is disposed in the casing 10a, and the
interior of the capillary wick 20a forms a containing space 21a.
The support structure 30a is contained in the containing space 21a
for supporting the capillary wick 20a and the casing 10a, and the
support structure 30a is formed by a plate, and the plate is formed
into a wavy shape with continuous bends by a stamping technology to
define a plurality of partition channels 22a between the plate and
the capillary wick 20a. Finally, the upper casing panel 12a is
welded with four sealing sides of the lower casing panel 11a, and
the interior is vacuumed to form the isothermal vapor chamber after
the required working fluid 40a is filled.
[0006] In an application of the isothermal vapor chambers of this
sort, a plurality of heat dissipating fins (not shown in the
figure) are installed on a surface (such as the upper casing panel
12a) of the isothermal vapor chamber, and another surface (such as
the lower casing panel 11a) is attached onto a surface of a heat
generating component (such as a CPU, and not shown in the figure),
so that the working fluid 40a in the capillary wick 20a in contact
with the surface of the lower casing panel 11a is vaporized by heat
and passed through the partition channels 22a and a gap (not shown
in the figure) that is formed by both lateral sides of the support
structure 30a and the casing 10a. The working fluid 40a flows into
the capillary wick 20a that is in contact with the surface of the
upper casing panel 12a to conduct the heat to the heat dissipating
fins for dissipating the heat produced by the heat generating
component.
[0007] However, the working fluid 40a of the isothermal vapor
chamber has to go through the partition channels 22a of a long path
before reaching the capillary wick 20a which is in contact with the
surface of the upper casing panel 12a for dissipating heat from the
heat generating component. Since the path of heat dissipating is
very long, therefore the heat conducting efficiency of the
isothermal vapor chamber becomes poor and adversely affects the
performance of dissipating heat from the heat generating component.
In addition, the path of the partition channels 22a is long, and
thus the supporting force provided by the support structure 30a of
the isothermal vapor chamber for supporting the upper casing panel
12a or the lower casing panel 11a is uneven. As a result, the
casing 10a may be deformed or collapsed easily.
[0008] Therefore, finding a way of overcoming the foregoing
shortcomings of the prior art demands immediate attentions and
feasible solutions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor
of the present invention based on years of experience in the
related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments,
and finally developed an isothermal vapor chamber and its support
structure in accordance with the present invention.
[0010] It is a primary objective of the present invention to
overcome the foregoing shortcomings by providing an isothermal
vapor chamber and its support structure, wherein partition channels
are designed among a plurality of wavy plates of the support
structure for enhancing the heat conducting efficiency of the
isothermal vapor chamber.
[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber, such that the
module design of the support structure capable of fitting different
models of isothermal vapor chambers is provided for lowering the
manufacturing cost.
[0012] A further objective of the present invention is to provide a
support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber, wherein the wave
peak sections of any two adjacent wavy plates are installed
alternately, such that the isothermal vapor chamber is exerted
evenly by a force to prevent the isothermal vapor chamber from
being collapsed or deformed.
[0013] To achieve the foregoing objectives, the present invention
provides an isothermal vapor chamber, and the isothermal vapor
chamber comprises a casing, a capillary wick, a support structure
and a working fluid, wherein the capillary wick is disposed in the
casing, and the support structure is contained in the capillary
wick for supporting the capillary wick, and the support structure
includes two side panels and a plurality of wavy plates connected
between the two side panels, and the wavy plate is formed by a
plurality of wave peak sections and a plurality of wave valley
sections, and the wave peak sections of any two adjacent wavy
plates are installed alternately with each other, and the working
fluid is filled in the casing.
[0014] In addition, the present invention further provides a
support structure of an isothermal vapor chamber, and the support
structure is formed by two side panels and a plurality of wavy
plates. The wavy plates are connected between the two side panels,
and the wavy plates are formed by a plurality of wave peak sections
and a plurality of wave valley sections, and the wave peak sections
of any two adjacent wavy plates are installed alternately with each
other.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the support structure of the
present invention is installed and partitioned by the wavy plates
to form the partition channels and overcome the shortcoming of a
poor heat conducting efficiency of the partition channels due to
the long path of the isothermal vapor chamber. Therefore, the
present invention can achieve the effect of enhancing the heat
conducting efficiency.
[0016] In the meantime, the wave peak sections of any two adjacent
wavy plates of the support structure of the invention are installed
alternately with each other, such that a force is exerted evenly
onto the casing to prevent the isothermal vapor chamber from being
collapsed and deformed. The invention complies with the
requirements of the patent application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a traditional isothermal
vapor chamber;
[0018] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Area A of a
support structure as depicted in FIG. 2;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a top view of a support structure in a lower
casing panel as depicted in FIG. 2;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Section 5-5 of a support
structure covered with an upper casing as depicted in FIG. 4;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of another preferred embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0023] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of Area B as
depicted in FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The technical characteristics, features and advantages of
the present invention will become apparent in the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to
the accompanying drawings. It is noteworthy to point out that the
preferred embodiments are used for illustrating the present
invention only, but not intended to limit the scope of the present
invention.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the isothermal vapor chamber of
the invention is formed by a casing 10, a capillary wick 20, a
support structure 30, and a working fluid 40.
[0026] The casing 10 comprises a lower casing panel 11 and an upper
casing panel 12 sealed and coupled to the lower casing panel 11,
and the lower casing panel 11 is formed by a bottom panel 111 and a
plurality of surrounding panels 112 disposed around the periphery
of the bottom panel 111, wherein the surrounding panel 112 installs
a filling pipe 113 connected both to the interior and exterior of
the casing 10.
[0027] The capillary wick 20 is disposed in the casing 10, and the
capillary wick 20 includes a lower-layer capillary wick 21 and an
upper-layer capillary wick 22 connected onto the lower-layer
capillary wick 21, and the upper-layer capillary wick 22 is
attached onto a surface of the upper casing panel 12, and the
lower-layer capillary wick 21 is attached onto a surface of the
lower casing panel 11, and a containing space 23 is formed after
the upper-layer capillary wick 22 is connected to the lower-layer
capillary wick 21. Further, the capillary wick 20 can be a metal
wire mesh.
[0028] The support structure 30 is contained in the containing
space 23 of the capillary wick 20 for supporting the capillary wick
20. The support structure 30 comprises at least two side panels 31
and a plurality of wavy plates 32 connected between the two side
panels 31. The wavy plate 32 is formed by a plurality of wave peak
sections 321 and a plurality of wave valley sections 322, and the
wave peak sections 321 of any two adjacent wavy plates 32 are
installed alternately with each other, and the wave valley sections
322 are also installed alternately with each other correspondingly.
Any two adjacent wavy plates 32 are partitioned and installed to
form a partition channel 324, wherein the wave peak sections 321
are higher than the top surface of the side panel 31, and the wave
valley sections 322 are lower than the bottom surface of the side
panel 31.
[0029] The working fluid 40 is filled into the casing 10, and the
working fluid 40 can be pure water. Finally, the upper casing panel
12 is welded and connected at a sealing position around the four
sides of the lower casing panel 11, and the working fluid 40 is
filled into the casing 10 through the filling pipe 113, and the
casing 10 is vacuumed to complete the isothermal vapor chamber of
the present invention.
[0030] In the application of the present invention, a plurality of
heat dissipating fins (not shown in the figure) are installed on a
surface of the upper casing panel 12 of the isothermal vapor
chamber, and then a surface of a heat generating component (such as
a CPU) (not shown in the figure) is attached onto a surface of the
lower casing panel 11 of the isothermal vapor chamber, such that
the working fluid 40 in the capillary wick 20 in contact with a
surface of the lower casing panel 11 is vaporized by heat and
passed from the partition channels 324 directly and quickly into
the capillary wick 20 in contact with a surface of the upper casing
panel 12 to shorten the heat conducting path. The heat is
transmitted to the heat dissipating fins, and the heat of the heat
generating components is conducted, so that the present invention
features a short heat conducting path of enhancing the heat
conducting efficiency.
[0031] The wave peak sections 321 of any two adjacent wavy plates
32 are installed alternately with each other, such that the forces
of the heat dissipating fins or the heat generating component can
be exerted evenly onto the isothermal vapor chamber to prevent the
isothermal vapor chamber from being collapsed or deformed.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the difference of this
embodiment with the previous preferred embodiment resides on that
the support structure 50 is comprised of a plurality of side panels
51 and a plurality of wavy plates 52 connected between the two side
panels 51. The wavy plate 52 is formed by at least one wave peak
section 521 and at least one wave valley section 522, and the wave
peak sections 521 of any two adjacent wavy plates 52 are installed
alternately with each other. The support structure 50 can be
divided longitudinally or transversally into a plurality of
modularized support structures to operate together with the
isothermal vapor chambers of different models and sizes. With the
structural design of the support structure 50, the isothermal vapor
chamber of the invention can be produced in mass production to
lower the manufacturing cost, and thus the invention can achieve
the effect of saving costs.
[0033] In summation of the description above, the present invention
can achieve the effects of saving costs and enhancing the heat
conducting efficiency, as well as preventing the isothermal vapor
chamber from being collapsed or deformed. Obviously, the invention
overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and complies with the
requirements of patent application, and thus is duly filed for
patent application.
[0034] While the invention is described in by way of examples and
in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, the aim is to
cover all modifications, alternatives and equivalents falling
within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
* * * * *