U.S. patent application number 13/104239 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-15 for vapor chamber with improved sealed opening.
This patent application is currently assigned to CELSIA TECHNOLOGIES TAIWAN, I. Invention is credited to Chieh-Ping Chen, Te-Hsuan Chin, Ming-Kuei Hsieh, George Anthony Meyer, IV, Chien-Hung Sun.
Application Number | 20120285662 13/104239 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47141087 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120285662 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony ;
et al. |
November 15, 2012 |
VAPOR CHAMBER WITH IMPROVED SEALED OPENING
Abstract
The vapor chamber includes a casing, wick structure, working
fluid and filling/degassing tube. The casing is composed of two
plates and has a chamber therein. The wick structure and working
fluid are disposed in the chamber. The filling/degassing tube is
connected with the casing to form a passage communicating with the
chamber. A portion of the plates which overlaps the
filling/degassing tube is pressed to deform for making the passage
closed. And the outer end of the filling/degassing tube is flush
with the side of the casing.
Inventors: |
Meyer, IV; George Anthony;
(Morgan Hill, CA) ; Sun; Chien-Hung; (Zhongli
City, TW) ; Chen; Chieh-Ping; (Zhongli City, TW)
; Hsieh; Ming-Kuei; (Zhongli City, TW) ; Chin;
Te-Hsuan; (Zhongli City, TW) |
Assignee: |
CELSIA TECHNOLOGIES TAIWAN,
I
|
Family ID: |
47141087 |
Appl. No.: |
13/104239 |
Filed: |
May 10, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 15/04 20130101;
F28D 15/0283 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.26 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/04 20060101
F28D015/04 |
Claims
1. A vapor chamber comprising: a casing, composed of two plates,
and having a chamber therein; a wick structure disposed in the
chamber; a work fluid filled in the chamber; and a
filling/degassing tube, connected with the casing, and having a
passage communicating with the chamber; wherein a portion of the
casing which overlaps the filling/degassing tube is pressed to
deform for making the passage closed, and an outer end of the
filling/degassing tube is flush with a side of the casing.
2. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the casing is a
substantial rectangle in shape, an angle of the casing is formed
with a truncated angle, an insert channel for being inserted by the
filling/degassing tube is formed at the truncated angle.
3. The vapor chamber of claim 2, wherein an outer end of the
filling/degassing tube is flush with a side of the truncated
angle.
4. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the wick structure is a
metal mesh, fiber bundle or sintered metal powder.
5. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein the filling/degassing tube
has a semicircular cross-section.
6. The vapor chamber of claim 1, wherein one of the plates is
pressed to form a groove.
7. The vapor chamber of claim 6, wherein the groove has a U-shaped
cross-section.
8. The vapor chamber of claim 6, wherein the groove has a L-shaped
cross-section.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The invention relates to heat pipes, particularly to vapor
chambers.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] Vapor chambers are a variant type of heat pipe. Because of
lightness and thinness, vapor chambers are widely applied in
portable electronic apparatuses.
[0005] A conventional vapor chamber includes a casing, wick
structure, working fluid and filling/degassing tube. The casing has
a chamber therein. The wick structure and working fluid are
disposed in the chamber. The filling/degassing tube is connected
with the casing and protrudent from the chamber. The
filling/degassing tube is used for filling the working fluid into
the casing and degassing the air in the casing. After that, the
filling/degassing tube have to be sealed by welding.
[0006] When a vapor chamber is installed in an electronic
apparatus, the protrudent filling/degassing tube usually interferes
with other components or mechanisms. This may limit availability of
vapor chambers. Further, the protrudent filling/degassing tube
tends to be damaged by unexpected collisions or pressure when
assembling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An object of the invention is to provide a vapor chamber,
which is easy to make a sealed end of the filling/degassing tube
and avoids the tube from interfering with other components by the
tube with the casing.
[0008] To accomplish the above object, the vapor chamber of the
invention includes a casing, wick structure, working fluid and
filling/degassing tube. The casing is composed of two plates and
has a chamber therein. The wick structure and working fluid are
disposed in the chamber. The filling/degassing tube is connected
with the casing to form a passage communicating with the chamber. A
portion of the plates which overlaps the filling/degassing tube is
pressed to deform for making the passage closed. And the outer end
of the filling/degassing tube is flush with the side of the
casing.
[0009] An advantage of the invention is to provide an option of the
second cutting, which may increase availability of vapor chambers.
Besides, the manufacturing cost and process can also be reduced and
simplified, respectively.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention before the
filling/degassing tube is machined;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the invention before the
filling/degassing tube is pressedly machined;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the invention after the
filling/degassing tube is pressedly machined;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the invention before the
filling/degassing tube is cut;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
invention; and
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in
FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Please refer to FIG. 1. The vapor chamber of the invention
includes a casing 10, a wick structure 20, a working fluid 30 and a
filling/degassing tube 40.
[0018] The casing 10 is made of copper or copper alloy. In this
embodiment, the casing 10 is composed of an upper plate 11 and a
lower plate 12. Each of the two plates 11,12 is of a substantially
rectangular shape. A periphery of the overlapping plates 11,12 is
sealed by welding to form a chamber 13 therein. An angle of the
casing 10 is formed with a truncated angle 14. The upper plate 11
is arced at the truncated angle 14 to form an insert channel 15
which communicates with the chamber 13.
[0019] The wick structure 20 may be metal mesh, fiber bundle or
sintered metal powder. It is attached on the plates 11,12 in the
chamber 13. The wick structure 20 provides a capillary force to
make liquid working fluid 30 flow back.
[0020] The work fluid 30 may be water and is filled in the chamber
13. Under a room temperature, the work fluid 30 is liquid absorbed
in the wick structure 20. The work fluid 30 will be vaporized to
flow upwards.
[0021] The filling/degassing tube 40 has a semicircular
cross-section. A portion of the filling/degassing tube 40 is
inserted into the insert channel 15 and firmly connected therewith,
and the other portion is exposed and protrudent from the plates
11,12. The filling/degassing tube 40 is provided with a passage 41
which communicates with the chamber 13.
[0022] Please refer to FIGS. 2-5. After the work fluid has been
filed in the chamber 13 of the casing 10 and the air in the chamber
13 has been removed out, A press machine is employed to press the
upper plate 11 at the location of filling/degassing tube 40. As a
result, the upper plate 11 and the filling/degassing tube 40 will
be deformed to make the passage 41 closed and to form a groove 16
in the upper plate 11. In the shown embodiment, the groove 16 has a
U-shaped cross-section. After that, a knife 8 as shown in FIG. 5 is
employed to cut a portion of the filling/degassing tube 40 which is
protrudent from the truncated angle 14 of the casing 10. This can
flush an outer end of the filling/degassing tube 40 and the casing
10.
[0023] Please refer to FIGS. 6 and 7, which illustrate another
embodiment of the invention. The knife 8 may be used to perform a
second cut to the groove 16 in the above embodiment to form a new
groove 16'. The new groove 16' has a substantially L-shaped
cross-section. This may further decrease a size of the
filling/degassing tube 40 to expand availability in small
apparatuses.
[0024] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that
the above embodiments have been described by way of example only
and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and
modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
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