U.S. patent application number 12/352080 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-15 for vapor chamber with wick structure of different thickness and die for forming the same.
Invention is credited to Chieh-Ping Chen, George Anthony Meyer, IV, Chien-Hung Sun.
Application Number | 20100175856 12/352080 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42318215 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100175856 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony ;
et al. |
July 15, 2010 |
VAPOR CHAMBER WITH WICK STRUCTURE OF DIFFERENT THICKNESS AND DIE
FOR FORMING THE SAME
Abstract
A vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
includes a casing, a wick structure, a supporting body and a
working fluid. The casing has a chamber. The wick structure is
adhered to the inner wall of the chamber. The wick structure has a
first wick section and a second wick section extending from the
first wick structure. The thickness of the first wick section is
larger than that of the second wick section. The supporting body is
received within the wick structure. The working fluid is filled
within the chamber. Via the above arrangement, the heat-conducting
efficiency can be increased while the cost can be reduced.
Inventors: |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony;
(San Jose, CA) ; Sun; Chien-Hung; (Zhongli City,
TW) ; Chen; Chieh-Ping; (Zhongli City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HDLS Patent & Trademark Services
P.O. BOX 220746
CHANTILLY
VA
20153-0746
US
|
Family ID: |
42318215 |
Appl. No.: |
12/352080 |
Filed: |
January 12, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.26 ;
72/352 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22F 2998/00 20130101;
F28D 15/046 20130101; B22F 7/004 20130101; B22F 2998/00 20130101;
B22F 3/1283 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.26 ;
72/352 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20060101
F28D015/00; B21D 22/00 20060101 B21D022/00 |
Claims
1. A vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness,
comprising: a casing having a chamber; a wick structure adhered to
an inner wall of the chamber, the wick structure having a first
wick section and a second wick section extending from the first
wick structure, a thickness of the first wick section being larger
than that of the second wick section; a supporting body received
within the wick structure; and a working fluid filled within the
chamber.
2. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 1, wherein the first wick section is formed with
a plurality of first ribs, the second wick section is formed with a
plurality of second ribs, and a height of the first rib is larger
than that of the second rib.
3. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 2, wherein a first groove is formed between any
two adjacent first ribs, a second groove is formed between any two
adjacent second ribs, and a depth of the first groove is larger
than that of the second groove.
4. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 1, wherein the first wick section is formed with
a plurality of first ribs, the second wick section is formed with a
plurality of second ribs, and a height of the first rib is the same
as that of the second rib.
5. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 4, wherein a first groove is formed between any
two adjacent first ribs, a second groove is formed between any two
adjacent second ribs, and a depth of the first groove is smaller
than that of the second groove.
6. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 1, wherein the wick structure is made of porous
metallic sintered powder.
7. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 1, wherein the supporting body comprises two
side plates and a plurality of waved pieces connected between the
two side plates.
8. The vapor chamber with a wick structure of different thickness
according to claim 7, wherein the waved piece is constituted of a
plurality of crests and troughs, and the troughs of any two
adjacent waved pieces are staggered.
9. A die for forming a wick structure of a vapor chamber, the wick
structure having a first wick section and a second wick section
extending from the first wick section, the die comprising: a plate
having a first section and a second section extending from the
first section, the first section being formed with a plurality of
first elongate blocks matching the first wick section, the second
section being formed with a plurality of second elongate blocks
matching the second wick section, a height of the first elongate
block being the same as that of the second elongate block.
10. The die for forming a wick structure of a vapor chamber
according to claim 9, wherein a first slot is formed between any
two adjacent first elongate blocks, a second slot is formed between
any two adjacent second elongate blocks, and a depth of the first
slot is larger than that of the second slot.
11. A die for forming a wick structure of a vapor chamber, the wick
structure having a first wick section and a second wick section
extending from the first wick section, the die comprising: a plate
having a first section and a second section extending from the
first section, the first section being formed with a plurality of
first elongate blocks matching the first wick section, the second
section being formed with a plurality of second elongate blocks
matching the second wick section, and a height of the first
elongate block being smaller than that of the second elongate
block.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a vapor chamber and a die
for forming the vapor chamber, and in particular to a vapor chamber
with a wick structure of different thickness and a die for forming
the vapor chamber.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] Since vapor chambers have many advantageous features such as
large heat-conducting capacity, high heat-transferring rate, light
weight, simple structure, versatility, capability of transferring
large amount of heat without consuming any electricity, low price
and etc., they are widely used in dissipating the heat generated by
electronic elements. Via the vapor chamber, the heat generated by
electronic elements can be dissipated quickly, thereby overcoming
the heat accumulation occurring in the electronic elements at
current stage.
[0005] The conventional vapor chamber includes a casing, a wick
structure, a supporting body and a working fluid. The casing has a
chamber. The wick structure is adhered to the inner wall of the
chamber. The wick structure comprises a first wick section and a
second wick section extending from the first wick structure. The
first wick structure and the second wick structure are formed to
have the same thickness. The supporting body is received within the
wick structure. The working fluid is filled within the chamber. Via
the above arrangement, the vapor chamber is formed.
[0006] In using the vapor chamber, it is adhered to the surface of
an electronic heat-generating element with the first wick section
being arranged to correspond to the central high-temperature heat
source zone of the electronic heat-generating element. The major
portion of the heat of the central high-temperature heat source
zone is substantially transferred to the first wick structure, and
then the heat is absorbed by the working fluid within the first
wick structure. On the other hand, only a small amount of heat is
transferred to the second wick structure.
[0007] However, in practice, the conventional vapor chamber still
has some drawbacks as follows. If the thickness of the wick
structure (i.e. the first and second wick sections) is small, the
amount of working fluid contained therein will become less. Thus,
in this case, the heat-conducting efficiency is poor. On the
contrary, if the thickness of the wick structure is larger, the
heat-conducting efficiency can be improved. However, a major
portion of the heat is transferred to the first wick structure
rather than the second wick structure. The utilization ratio of the
second wick structure is low, which may waste the material and
increase the cost.
[0008] Therefore, in order to overcome the above problems, the
present Inventor proposes a reasonable and novel structure based on
his delicate researches and expert experiments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is to provide a vapor chamber with a
wick structure of different thickness and a die for forming the
vapor chamber so as to increase the heat-conducting efficiency and
reduce the cost.
[0010] The present invention is to provide a vapor chamber with a
wick structure of different thickness, which comprises a casing, a
wick structure, a supporting body and a working fluid. The casing
has a chamber. The wick structure is adhered to the inner wall of
the chamber. The wick structure has a first wick section and a
second wick section extending from the first wick structure. The
thickness of the first wick section is larger than that of the
second wick section. The supporting body is received within the
wick structure. The working fluid is filled within the chamber.
[0011] The present invention is to provide a die for forming the
vapor chamber. The die is constituted of a plate. A surface of the
plate is formed with a first section matching the first wick
section and a second section extending from the first section and
matching the second wick section.
[0012] In comparison with prior art, according to the present
invention, the first wick section of the wick structure has a
larger thickness while the second wick section has a smaller
thickness. Via this arrangement, the present invention has effects
of improving the heat-conducting efficiency and reducing the cost.
In this way, the drawbacks of prior art can be overcome.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a cross-section view showing the vapor chamber of
the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the region A of
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the operating state of
the vapor chamber of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the casing and the die
of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the cooperation of
the present invention with the die;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of FIG. 5 with the die
removed;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective showing the supporting body of FIG.
6;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the
die of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 9 is an assembled view of FIG. 8;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the vapor chamber of
another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0023] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view showing the region B of
FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The detailed description and technical contents of the
present invention will be explained with reference to the
accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only
but not used to limit the present invention.
[0025] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The present invention
provides a vapor chamber 1 with a wick structure of different
thickness, which is constituted of a casing 10, a working fluid 20,
a wick structure 30 and a supporting body 40.
[0026] The casing 10 is made of copper or aluminum. The interior of
the casing 10 is formed with a chamber 11.
[0027] The working fluid 20 is filled in the chamber 11. The
working fluid 20 can be pure water, alcohol, methanol, ethanol or
propyl alcohol, but it is not limited thereto.
[0028] The wick structure 30 is adhered to the inner wall of the
chamber 11. The wick structure 30 has a first wick section 31 and a
second wick section 32 extending from the first wick section 31.
The thickness of the wick section 31 is larger than that of the
second wick section 32. The first wick section 31 is formed with a
plurality of first ribs 33, and the second wick section 32 is
formed with a plurality of second ribs 34. The height of the first
rib 33 is larger than that of the second rib 34. A first groove 35
is formed between any two adjacent first ribs 33, and a second
groove 36 is formed between any two adjacent second ribs 36. The
depth of the first groove 35 is larger than that of the second
groove 36. The wick structure 30 can be made of porous metallic
sintered power, a woven network or the mixture thereof, but it is
not limited thereto.
[0029] The supporting body 40 is received within the wick structure
30. The supporting body 40 comprises two side plates 41 (FIG. 7)
and a plurality of waved pieces 42 connected between the two side
plates 41. The waved piece 42 is constituted of a plurality of
crests 421 and troughs 422. The troughs 422 of any two adjacent
waved pieces 42 are staggered. The supporting body 40 can be an
elastic body or an elastic metal plate.
[0030] Please refer to FIG. 3. When the present invention is in
use, the vapor chamber 1 is adhered to a surface of the an
electronic heat-generating element 6 with the first wick section 31
being arranged to correspond to the central high-temperature heat
source zone of the electronic heat-generating element 6. The major
portion of the heat of the central high-temperature heat source
zone is substantially transferred to the first wick structure, and
then the heat is absorbed by the working fluid 20 within the first
wick structure 31, thereby increasing the heat-conducting
efficiency. On the other hand, only a small amount of heat is
transferred to the second wick structure 32. Since the thickness of
the second wick section 32 is smaller than that of the first wick
section 31, so that the cost can be reduced. Therefore, the present
invention has both effects of increasing the heat-conducting
efficiency and reducing the cost.
[0031] Please refer to FIG. 4. The die 5 for making the wick
structure 30 of the vapor chamber 1 according to the present
invention is constituted of a plate 51.
[0032] The plate 51 has a first section 52 and a second section 53
extending from the first section 52. The first section 52 is formed
with a plurality of first elongate blocks 54 (FIG. 5) matching the
first wick section 31, and the second section 53 is formed with a
plurality of second elongate blocks 55 matching the second wick
section 32 o The height of the first elongate block 54 is the same
as that of the second elongate block 55. A first slot 56 is formed
with any two adjacent first elongate blocks 54, and a second slot
57 is formed with any two adjacent second elongate blocks 55. The
depth of the first slot 56 is larger that that of the second slot
57. The plate 51 can be a metal plate, but it is not limited
thereto.
[0033] Please refer to FIGS. 4 to 6. In forming the wick structure
30, first, one side of the casing 10 is provided with an opening
12. Then, the die 5 is disposed in the casing 10 via the opening
12. Metallic powder is filled between the casing 10 and the die 5
(FIG. 5) and then sintered to obtain the final shape. Thereafter,
the die 5 is removed (FIG. 6), thereby forming the wick structure
30. Finally, please refer to FIG. 7, the supporting body 40 is
disposed in the wick structure 30 and the opening 12 is sealed.
Then, the working fluid 20 is filled in the wick structure 30 and
the air therein is exhausted to vacuum. Via this above process, the
manufacturing of the vapor chamber 1 of the present invention is
completed.
[0034] Please refer to FIGS. 8 and 9, which show another embodiment
of the die of the present invention. The difference between the
present embodiment and the previous embodiment lies in that: the
first section 52' of the die 5' is formed with a plurality of first
elongate blocks 54, and the second section 53' is formed with a
plurality of second elongate blocks 55, wherein the height of the
first elongate block 54 is smaller than that of the second elongate
block 55. The present embodiment is an alternative embodiment of
the die 5.
[0035] Please refer to FIGS. 10 and 11, which show another
embodiment of the vapor chamber of the present invention. The
difference between the present embodiment and the previous
embodiment lies in that: the first wick section 31' formed in the
vapor chamber 1' matches the first section 52' of the die 5', and
the second wick section 32' formed in the vapor chamber 1'matches
the second section 53' of the die 5'. The first wick section 31' is
formed with a plurality of first ribs 33 and the second wick
section 32' is formed with a plurality of second ribs 34. The
height of the first rib 33 is the same as that of the second rib 34
(the height of the first rib 33 or the second rib 34 is the
distance from one face of the rib adhered to the inner wall of the
casing 10 to the other face of the rib adhered to the surface of
the supporting body 40). A first groove 35 is formed between any
two adjacent first ribs 33, and a second groove 36 is formed
between any two adjacent second ribs 34. The depth of the first
groove 35 is smaller than that of the second groove 36. The present
embodiment has the same effect as the previous embodiment.
[0036] According to the above, the present invention has the
effects of increasing the heat-conducting efficiency and reducing
the cost, and it overcomes the drawbacks of prior art. Thus, the
present invention really has industrial applicability.
* * * * *