U.S. patent application number 12/637188 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-16 for ionic wind heat sink.
Invention is credited to Yu-Po HUANG, Tung-Jung Kuo.
Application Number | 20110139401 12/637188 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44141618 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110139401 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUANG; Yu-Po ; et
al. |
June 16, 2011 |
IONIC WIND HEAT SINK
Abstract
An ionic wind heat sink includes a heat-dissipating structure
and a high-voltage generator. The high-voltage generator is
configured to output a positive high-voltage surge and a negative
high-voltage surge. The high-voltage generator has a positive
high-voltage end and a negative high-voltage end. A first
electrical wire is electrically connected to the positive
high-voltage end, and a second electrical wire is electrically
connected to the negative high-voltage end. The two electrical
wires generate an ionic wind flowing toward the heat-dissipating
structure. With this arrangement, the whole mechanical construction
of the heat sink can be simplified. The noise, vibrations and
electricity consumption can be reduced, while the heat of a
heat-generating source can be taken away efficiently.
Inventors: |
HUANG; Yu-Po; (Kunshan City,
CN) ; Kuo; Tung-Jung; (Kunshan City, CN) |
Family ID: |
44141618 |
Appl. No.: |
12/637188 |
Filed: |
December 14, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/96 ;
165/104.34; 165/185 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/20172 20130101;
H01L 23/467 20130101; H01L 2924/0002 20130101; H01L 2924/0002
20130101; F28F 13/16 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/96 ; 165/185;
165/104.34 |
International
Class: |
F28F 13/16 20060101
F28F013/16; F28D 15/00 20060101 F28D015/00 |
Claims
1. An ionic wind heat sink, including: a heat-dissipating structure
constituted of a plurality of heat-dissipating pieces; and a
high-voltage generator for generating a positive high-voltage surge
and a negative high-voltage surge, the high-voltage generator
comprising a positive high-voltage end and a negative high-voltage
end; a first electrical wire electrically connected to the positive
high-voltage end and arranged on one side of the heat-dissipating
structure; and a second electrical wire electrically connected to
the negative high-voltage end and arranged on one side of the
heat-dissipating structure, wherein air surrounding the first
electrical wire is ionized after the first electrical wire receives
the positive high-voltage surge, the ionized air is attracted by
the negative high-voltage surge of the second electrical wire,
thereby generating an ionic wind flowing toward the
heat-dissipating structure.
2. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 1, wherein the
second electrical wire is located between the first electrical wire
and the heat-dissipating structure.
3. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 2, wherein the first
electrical wire and the second electrical wire are arranged
horizontally with respect to the heat-dissipating structure.
4. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 2, wherein the first
electrical wire and the second electrical wire are staggered at
different levels with respect to the heat-dissipating
structure.
5. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 2, wherein the first
electrical wire and the second electrical wire are staggered at the
same vertical plane with respect to the heat-dissipating
structure.
6. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 1, wherein the first
electrical wire has a first electrode electrically connected to the
positive high-voltage end, and the second electrical wire has a
second electrode electrically connected to the negative
high-voltage end.
7. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 6, further including
a support, the support having a slot in which the first electrode
and the second electrode are inserted.
8. The ionic wind heat sink according to claim 7, wherein the
support is an insulator.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a heat sink, and in
particular to an ionic wind heat sink.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] Electronic elements in various apparatuses often generate
heat during their operation, which raises the temperature of the
electronic elements. If the heat accumulated in the electronic
element is not dissipated timely, the high temperature may cause
the electronic element to reduce its operating speed and even
suffer damage. In order to dissipate the heat, the conventional way
of dissipating heat is to attach a heat conductor on a
heat-generating source. Further, the heat conductor is formed with
heat-dissipating fins. By using an airflow having a lower
temperature to heat-exchange with the heat-dissipating fins, the
temperature of the electronic element can be reduced.
[0005] In the above heat sink, only the heat-dissipating fins are
used to be heat-exchanged with the ambient airflow, so that the
heat-dissipating efficiency is insufficient. Thus, it is necessary
to provide a fan for generating compulsory airflow to blow the
heat-dissipating fins to thereby increase the heat-dissipating
efficiency. However, the fan may unfavorably generate noise and
vibrations during its operation. As a result, when the fan is used
in a precision electronic system having sensors, the noise and
vibrations may affect the accuracy of the precision electronic
system and even reduce its life.
[0006] In view of the above, the present Inventor proposes a novel
and reasonable structure based on his expert experiences and
delicate researches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is to simplify the mechanical
structure of a heat sink to reduce noise and vibrations and take
away the heat generated by a heat-generating source more
efficiently.
[0008] The present invention is to provide an ionic wind heat sink,
which includes:
[0009] a heat-dissipating structure constituted of a plurality of
heat-dissipating pieces; and
[0010] a high-voltage generator for generating a positive
high-voltage surge and a negative high-voltage surge, the
high-voltage generator comprising a positive high-voltage end and a
negative high-voltage end;
[0011] a first electrical wire electrically connected to the
positive high-voltage end and arranged on one side of the
heat-dissipating structure; and
[0012] a second electrical wire electrically connected to the
negative high-voltage end and arranged on one side of the
heat-dissipating structure,
[0013] wherein air surrounding the first electrical wire is ionized
after the first electrical wire receives the positive high-voltage
surge, the ionized air is attracted by the negative high-voltage
surge of the second electrical wire, thereby generating an ionic
wind flowing toward the heat-dissipating structure.
[0014] The present invention has advantages features as follows.
The high-voltage generator generates an ionic wind flowing toward
the heat-dissipating structure by means of the first electrical
line and the second electrical line. The ionic wind is an active
cooling airflow, so that it eliminates a need for the installation
of a fan. Further, the whole mechanical construction can be
simplified, the noise and vibration can be reduced, and the
consumption of electricity is low. Thus, the heat sink may not
suffer damage easily and can be repaired rapidly. When the ionic
wind heat sink of the present invention is used in a precision
electronic system that is sensitive to vibrations, the accuracy and
life of the sensors in this precision electronic system will not be
affected and the heat generated by a heat-generating source can be
taken away efficiently.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a view showing the operating mechanism of FIG.
2;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The characteristics and technical contents of the present
invention will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used
to limit the present invention.
[0021] The present invention relates to an ionic wind heat sink.
Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The ionic wind heat sink includes a
heat-dissipating structure 200, a high-voltage generator 300, a
first electrical wire 330, and a second electrical wire 340.
[0022] The heat-dissipating structure 200 is constituted of a
plurality of heat-dissipating pieces 210.
[0023] The high-voltage generator 300 is electrically connected to
a power source for generating a positive high-voltage surge and a
negative high-voltage surge. The high-voltage generator 300
comprises a positive high-voltage end 310 and a negative
high-voltage end 320. The first electrical wire 330 has a first
electrode 360 electrically connected to the positive high-voltage
end 320. The second electrical wire 340 has a second electrode 370
electrically connected to the negative high-voltage end 320. The
first electrical wire 330 and the second electrical wire 340 are
arranged horizontally with respect to the heat-dissipating
structure 200. Further, the second electrical wire 340 is located
between the first electrical wire 330 and the heat-dissipating
structure 200, and a certain distance is formed between the second
electrical wire 340 and the heat-dissipating structure 200 to
thereby prevent the short circuiting of electric arc.
[0024] The ionic wind heat sink further includes a support 350. The
support 350 is an insulator and made of plastic or other suitable
materials. The support 350 is provided with a slot 251 in which the
first electrode 360 and the second electrode 370 can be
inserted.
[0025] Please refer to FIG. 3. After the first electrical wire 330
receives a positive high-voltage surge, the first electrical wire
330 generates a strong electric field exceeding the dielectric
strength of ambient air. Thus, electrons are accelerated to
strongly collide with the crystal structure of air molecules, which
makes the air molecules to generate permanent structural
displacement and start to be ionized, thereby emitting sound and
light. Such a phenomenon is referred to as corona discharge, which
is a stable plasma discharge at low temperature. The region
surrounding the first electrical wire 330 in which the air is
ionized is called a corona range, while the region outside the
corona range in which the air is not ionized is called a unipolar
region. On the other hand, electrons in air molecules are attracted
by a positive electrode to depart from the air molecules, so that
the air molecules are ionized to become positive-charged ions.
These positive ions are attracted by the negative high-voltage
surge of the second electrical wire 340 to move toward the second
electrical wire 340. The travelling positive ions pushes neutral
air molecules to generate a corona wind flowing toward the
heat-dissipating structure 200. Such a corona wind is also referred
to as an ionic wind. The ionic wind flows through the
heat-dissipating pieces 210 and finally exits the heat-dissipating
structure 200.
[0026] The present invention can be used inside an electronic
device of a limited space, such as notebook, mobile phone, electric
dictionary or the like. The ionic wind heat sink can be mounted on
one side of the electronic device or mounted on a circuit board
directly. Alternatively, the ionic wind heat sink can be made into
a module, and then such a module is fixed to the circuit board. The
ionic wind is guided by the heat-dissipating structure 200 to flow
leftwards, rightwards and rearwards respectively, thereby
dissipating the heat of heat-generating sources (such as battery,
light-emitting diodes, CPU or other electronic elements) in
multiple directions.
[0027] The heat-dissipating structure 200 can be made as a
heat-dissipating fin assembly that is attached to a heat-generating
source. The heat-dissipating piece 210 can be made by metals or
other suitable materials. The heat generated by the heat-generating
source is conducted to the heat-dissipating structure 200. The
ionic wind with a lower temperature flows through airflow channels
220 to take away the heat accumulated in the heat-dissipating
pieces 210, thereby cooling the heat-generating source.
[0028] In virtue of the ionic wind heat sink, it is unnecessary to
mount an additional fan to help the heat dissipation. Thus, the
problems resulted from the noise, vibrations and life of the fan
can be avoided. Thus, the ionic wind heat sink is very suitable for
a precision electronic system having sensors. Further, the current
for the operation of the ionic wind heat sink is only several
mini-amperes, and the electricity consumed per second is as low as
several mini-watts. Thus, the present invention consumes less
electricity, which is cost-effective especially in such an era
short of energy sources.
[0029] Alternatively, the arrangement of the first electrical wire
330 and the second electrical wire 340 can be embodied by other
ways. Please refer to FIG. 4. The second electrical wire 340 is
located between the first electrical wire 330 and the
heat-dissipating structure 220. Also, the first electrical wire 330
and the second electrical wire 340 are located at different levels
with respect to the heat-dissipating structure 200. Alternatively,
please refer to FIG. 5. The first electrical wire 330 and the
second electrical wire 340 are located in the same vertical plane
with respect to the heat-dissipating structure 200.
[0030] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be
understood that the invention is not limited to the details
thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications can still
occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the
present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent
modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention
as defined in the appended claims.
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