U.S. patent application number 13/612877 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-13 for heat dissipaion device and thermal module using same.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is Tzu-Chin Chiu. Invention is credited to Tzu-Chin Chiu.
Application Number | 20140069614 13/612877 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50232042 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140069614 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chiu; Tzu-Chin |
March 13, 2014 |
HEAT DISSIPAION DEVICE AND THERMAL MODULE USING SAME
Abstract
A heat dissipation device and a thermal module using same are
disclosed. The heat dissipation device includes at least one water
block, a heat exchanger, a first metal tube and a second metal
tube, and the water block and the heat exchanger are connected to
one another by the first and second metal tubes. The thermal module
includes, in addition to the heat dissipation device, a pump unit
connected to the heat exchanger of the heat dissipation device, and
a cooling fluid filled in the heat dissipation device and the pump
unit. By connecting the water block to the heat exchanger via the
first and second metal tubes, it is able to effectively prevent the
problem of cooling fluid leakage.
Inventors: |
Chiu; Tzu-Chin; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Chiu; Tzu-Chin |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO.,
LTD.
New Taipei City
TW
|
Family ID: |
50232042 |
Appl. No.: |
13/612877 |
Filed: |
September 13, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.13 ;
165/104.19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20130101;
H01L 2924/0002 20130101; F28D 2021/0031 20130101; H01L 2924/0002
20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L 23/473 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.13 ;
165/104.19 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20060101
F28D015/00 |
Claims
1. A heat dissipation device, comprising: at least one water block
internally defining a first receiving space and being provided with
a first inlet and a first outlet, and the first inlet and outlet
being communicable with the first receiving space; a heat exchanger
including at least one hollow container and at least one heat
dissipation element; the hollow container internally defining a
second receiving space and being provided with a first inlet port,
a first outlet port, a second inlet port and a second outlet port;
the first inlet and outlet ports as well as the second inlet and
outlet ports being communicable with the second receiving space,
and the heat dissipation element being attached to the hollow
container; a first metal tube having two ends separately connected
to the first outlet of the water block and the first inlet port of
the heat exchanger; and a second metal tube having two ends
separately connected to the first inlet of the water block and the
first outlet port of the heat exchanger.
2. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
first and the second metal tube are made of a material selected
from the group consisting of a copper material and an aluminum
material.
3. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
second inlet port and the second outlet port of the heat exchanger
respectively have a quick coupler connected thereto.
4. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
heat dissipation element is selected from the group consisting of a
heat sink, a radiating fin assembly, and a cooling fan.
5. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
two ends of the first metal tube are connected to the first outlet
of the water block and the first inlet port of the heat exchanger
by way of ultrasonic welding; and the two ends of the second metal
tube are connected to the first inlet of the water block and the
first outlet port of the heat exchanger by way of ultrasonic
welding.
6. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
first receiving space defined in the water block has a plurality of
radiating fins provided therein.
7. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
water block has at least one side being a heat-absorbing side.
8. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
second receiving space defined in the hollow container of the heat
exchanger is further divided into a first water chamber and a
second water chamber.
9. A thermal module, comprising: a heat dissipation device
including: at least one water block internally defining a first
receiving space and being provided with a first inlet and a first
outlet, and the first inlet and outlet being communicable with the
first receiving space; a heat exchanger including at least one
hollow container and at least one heat dissipation element; the
hollow container internally defining a second receiving space and
being provided with a first inlet port, a first outlet port, a
second inlet port and a second outlet port; the first inlet and
outlet ports as well as the second inlet and outlet ports being
communicable with the second receiving space, and the heat
dissipation element being attached to the hollow container; a first
metal tube having two ends separately connected to the first outlet
of the water block and the first inlet port of the heat exchanger;
and a second metal tube having two ends separately connected to the
first inlet of the water block and the first outlet port of the
heat exchanger; a pump unit being internally provided with a water
guide way and a first pump impeller, and externally provided with a
water outlet port and a water inlet port; the water outlet port and
the water inlet port being communicable with the water guide way;
the first pump impeller being mounted in the water guide way; and
the water outlet port and the water inlet port being connected to
the second inlet port and the second outlet port, respectively, of
the heat exchanger of the heat dissipation device; and a cooling
fluid being filled in the heat dissipation device and the pump
unit.
10. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and
the second metal tube are made of a material selected from the
group consisting of a copper material and an aluminum material.
11. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second
inlet port and the second outlet port of the heat exchanger
respectively have a quick coupler connected thereto.
12. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the heat
dissipation element is selected from the group consisting of a heat
sink, a radiating fin assembly, and a cooling fan.
13. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the two ends
of the first metal tube are connected to the first outlet of the
water block and the first inlet port of the heat exchanger by way
of ultrasonic welding; and the two ends of the second metal tube
are connected to the first inlet of the water block and the first
outlet port of the heat exchanger by way of ultrasonic welding.
14. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first
receiving space defined in the water block has a plurality of
radiating fins provided therein.
15. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the water
block has at least one side being a heat-absorbing side.
16. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the pump unit
further includes a second pump impeller mounted in the water guide
way.
17. The thermal module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second
receiving space defined in the hollow container of the heat
exchanger is further divided into a first water chamber and a
second water chamber.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat dissipation device,
and more particularly to a heat dissipation device that eliminates
the problem of cooling fluid leakage. The present invention also
relates to a thermal module using the above-described heat
dissipation device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] While the currently available various electronic devices
have constantly enhanced computing power, the heat produced by
their internal electronic elements during operation also increases.
Usually, a heat sink or a plurality of radiating fins are attached
to the electronic elements to provide increased heat dissipation
surface area and upgraded heat dissipation effect. However, the use
of the heat sink and the radiating fins to radiate heat can only
provide very limited heat dissipation effect. Thus, liquid-cooling
thermal modules are also employed in an attempt to provide enhanced
heat dissipation effect.
[0003] A liquid-cooling thermal module uses a cooling fluid to
dissipate the heat from a heat source. The liquid-cooling thermal
module includes a water block in contact with the heat source to
absorb and transfer heat, a water tank unit for storing the cooling
fluid, and a pump and a heat exchanger for pressurizing the cooling
fluid and enabling heat exchange via circulation of the cooling
fluid in the thermal module. The water block, the water tank unit,
the pump and the heat exchanger are serially connected to one
another by tubes to enable heat exchange via the circulation of the
cooling fluid. While the liquid-cooling thermal module can provide
upgraded heat dissipation effect, the cooling fluid tends to leak
at joints between the tubes and the water block, the water tank
unit, the pump and the heat exchanger. Since the liquid-cooling
thermal module is in direct contact with the heat sources and
electronic elements in an electronic device, the cooling fluid
leaked out of the thermal module would undesirably damage the
electronic device. It is therefore very important and urgent to
solve the problem of having cooling fluid leaking out of the
thermal module.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
heat dissipation device and a thermal module using same that
overcome the problem of having cooling fluid leaking therefrom.
[0005] To achieve the above and other objects, the heat dissipation
device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes
at least one water block, a heat exchanger, a first metal tube, and
a second metal tube.
[0006] The water block internally defines a first receiving space
and is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet, which are
communicable with the first receiving space. The heat exchanger
includes at least one hollow container and at least one heat
dissipation element; the hollow container internally defines a
second receiving space and is provided with a first inlet port, a
first outlet port, a second inlet port and a second outlet port,
which are communicable with the second receiving space; and the
heat dissipation element is attached to the hollow container. The
first metal tube has two ends separately connected to the first
outlet of the water block and the first inlet port of the heat
exchanger; and the second metal tube has two ends separately
connected to the first inlet of the water block and the first
outlet port of the heat exchanger.
[0007] To achieve the above and other objects, the thermal module
according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heat
dissipation device, a pump unit, and a cooling fluid.
[0008] The heat dissipation device includes at least one water
block, a heat exchanger, a first metal tube, and a second metal
tube. The water block internally defines a first receiving space
and is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet, which are
communicable with the first receiving space. The heat exchanger
includes at least one hollow container and at least one heat
dissipation element; the hollow container internally defines a
second receiving space and is provided with a first inlet port, a
first outlet port, a second inlet port and a second outlet port,
which are communicable with the second receiving space; and the
heat dissipation element is attached to the hollow container. The
first metal tube has two ends separately connected to the first
outlet of the water block and the first inlet port of the heat
exchanger; and the second metal tube has two ends separately
connected to the first inlet of the water block and the first
outlet port of the heat exchanger.
[0009] The pump unit is internally provided with a water guide way
and at least a first pump impeller, and externally provided with a
water outlet port and a water inlet port communicating with the
water guide way. The first pump impeller is mounted in the water
guide way; and the water outlet port and the water inlet port are
connected to the second inlet port and the second outlet port,
respectively, of the heat exchanger of the heat dissipation
device.
[0010] The cooling fluid is filled in the heat dissipation device
and the pump unit.
[0011] With the structural design of the present invention, it is
able to effectively prevent the cooling fluid from leaking out of
the heat dissipation device and the thermal module and accordingly
ensure extended service life of the thermal module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment
of a heat dissipation device according to the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an assembled sectional view of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of a heat exchanger
for a second embodiment of the heat dissipation device according to
the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment
of a thermal module according to the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of FIG. 4;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a pump unit for a second
embodiment of the thermal module according to the present
invention; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of a third
embodiment of the thermal module according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The present invention will now be described with some
preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the
accompanying drawings. For the purpose of easy to understand,
elements that are the same in the preferred embodiments are denoted
by the same reference numerals.
[0021] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are exploded perspective
view and assembled sectional view, respectively, of a first
embodiment of a heat dissipation device 1 according to the present
invention. As shown, the heat dissipation device 1 in the first
embodiment thereof includes at least one water block 11, a heat
exchanger 12, a first metal tube 13, and a second metal tube
14.
[0022] The water block 11 internally defines a first receiving
space 111 and is provided with a first inlet 112 and a first outlet
113, both of which are communicable with the first receiving space
111. The water block 11 is made of a material with good heat
conducting ability. At least one side of the water block 11 is a
heat-absorbing side 114 for directly contacting with a heat source
2, so that heat from the heat source 2 can be directly transferred
to the water block 11 via the heat-absorbing side 114 thereof. The
material with good heat conducting ability for making the water
block 11 may be a copper material, an aluminum material, or any
other suitable metal material. Further, a plurality of radiating
fins 115 is provided in the first receiving space 111 of the water
block 11.
[0023] The heat exchanger 12 includes at least one hollow container
121 and at least one heat dissipation element 122. The hollow
container 121 internally defines a second receiving space 1211 and
is provided with a first inlet port 1212, a first outlet port 1213,
a second inlet port 1214, and a second outlet port 1215. The second
receiving space 1211 is further divided into a first water chamber
1211a and a second water chamber 1211b. The first outlet port 1213
and the second inlet port 1214 are communicable with the first
water chamber 1211a, while the first inlet port 1212 and the second
outlet port 1215 are communicable with the second water chamber
1211b. The heat dissipation element 122 can be a cooling fan, a
heat sink or a radiating fin assembly, and is attached to the
hollow container 121. While the heat dissipation element 122
illustrated in the first embodiment of the heat dissipation device
1 is a cooling fan, it is understood the heat dissipation element
122 for the present invention is not necessarily limited to the
cooling fan.
[0024] The first metal tube 13 has two ends separately connected to
the first outlet 113 on the water block 11 and the first inlet port
1212 on the heat exchanger 12; and the second metal tube 14 has two
ends separately connected to the first inlet 112 on the water block
11 and the first outlet port 1213 on the heat exchanger 12.
[0025] The ends of the first metal tube 13 are connected to the
first outlet 113 on the water block 11 and the first inlet port
1212 on the heat exchanger 12 as well as the ends of the second
metal tube 14 are connected to the first inlet 112 on the water
block 11 and the first outlet port 1213 on the heat exchanger 12 by
ultrasonic welding.
[0026] Please refer to FIG. 3 that is an assembled perspective view
of a heat exchanger 12 for a second embodiment of the heat
dissipation device according to the present invention. As shown,
while the heat exchanger 12 for the second embodiment of the heat
dissipation device is generally structurally similar to that for
the first embodiment, the second inlet port 1214 and the second
outlet port 1215 thereof respectively have a quick coupler 3
connected thereto.
[0027] FIGS. 4 and 5 are exploded perspective view and assembled
sectional view, respectively, of a first embodiment of a thermal
module 4 according to the present invention. As shown, the thermal
module 4 in the first embodiment thereof includes a heat
dissipation device 1, a pump unit 5, and a cooling fluid 6.
[0028] The heat dissipation device 1 includes at least one water
block 11, a heat exchanger 12, a first metal tube 13, and a second
metal tube 14. Since the heat dissipation device 1 included in the
thermal module 4 is structurally identical to the heat dissipation
device 1 previously described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,
it is not repeatedly discussed herein.
[0029] The pump unit 5 is internally provided with a water guide
way 51 and a first pump impeller 54, and externally provided with a
water outlet port 52 and a water inlet port 53, which are
communicable with the water guide way 51. The first pump impeller
54 is mounted in the water guide way 51. The water outlet port 52
and the water inlet port 53 are connected to the second inlet port
1214 and the second outlet port 1215, respectively, of the heat
exchanger 12 of the heat dissipation device 1.
[0030] The cooling fluid 6 is filled in the heat dissipation device
1 and the pump unit 5.
[0031] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a pump unit 5 for a second
embodiment of the thermal module according to the present
invention. The thermal module in the second embodiment is generally
structurally similar to that in the first embodiment, except that
the pump unit 5 in the second embodiment further includes a second
pump impeller 55. The second pump impeller 55 is also mounted in
the water guide way 51. In the event the first pump impeller 54 is
failed, the second pump impeller 55 can be actuated to keep the
pump unit 5 working.
[0032] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of a third
embodiment of the thermal module 4 according to the present
invention. The thermal module 4 of the present invention in the
third embodiment thereof is applied to a server apparatus 7, which
includes a plurality of rack servers 71, and the rack servers 71
respectively have a plurality of heat sources 711. The thermal
module 4 is provided in each of the rack servers 71 with one water
block 11 correspondingly attached to each of the heat sources 711
for transferring heat. The rack servers 71 respectively have a
quick-plug slot 712, into and from which one pump unit 5 can be
correspondingly plugged and unplugged. Since the water outlet port
52 and the water inlet port 53 of the pump unit 5 are respectively
provided with a quick coupler 3 for quickly connecting to the
second inlet port 1214 and the second outlet port 1215 on the heat
exchanger 12, immediate and quick replacement of a failed pump unit
5 can be achieved.
[0033] The present invention has been described with some preferred
embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out
without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention
that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *