U.S. patent application number 13/900837 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-27 for plate-type heat pipe and method of manufacturing the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to COOLER MASTER CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is Cooler Master Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to TE-HSUAN CHIN, JEN-CHENG LIN, CHIEN-HUNG SUN.
Application Number | 20140345831 13/900837 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51934596 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140345831 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIN; JEN-CHENG ; et
al. |
November 27, 2014 |
PLATE-TYPE HEAT PIPE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Abstract
A plate-type heat pipe includes a first plate, a capillary
structure and a support structure. The first plate, the capillary
structure and the support structure are arranged in sequence, and
the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure
are tightly connected by pressing. A method of manufacturing a
plate-type heat pipe is also discussed.
Inventors: |
LIN; JEN-CHENG; (NEW TAIPEI
CITY, TW) ; SUN; CHIEN-HUNG; (NEW TAIPEI CITY,
TW) ; CHIN; TE-HSUAN; (NEW TAIPEI CITY, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cooler Master Co., Ltd. |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
COOLER MASTER CO., LTD.
New Taipei City
TW
|
Family ID: |
51934596 |
Appl. No.: |
13/900837 |
Filed: |
May 23, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.26 ;
29/890.032 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 15/0233 20130101;
F28D 15/04 20130101; B23P 2700/09 20130101; B23P 15/26 20130101;
Y10T 29/49353 20150115; F28F 2255/08 20130101; F28F 2275/04
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.26 ;
29/890.032 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/04 20060101
F28D015/04; B21D 53/02 20060101 B21D053/02 |
Claims
1. A plate-type heat pipe, comprising: a first plate; a capillary
structure; and a support structure; wherein the first plate, the
capillary structure and the support structure are arranged in
sequence, and the first plate, the capillary structure and the
support structure are tightly connected by pressing.
2. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the
support structure includes a plurality of support bodies, and the
ends of the support bodies are tightly connected to the first
plate.
3. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the first
plate has a plurality of grooves corresponding to the support
bodies, and one end of each of the support bodies fittingly mates
with the corresponding groove of the first plate.
4. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the
capillary structure is fixed between the first plate and the
support structure by clamping.
5. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the first
plate has a capillary tissue formed on one face thereof to
immediately contact the capillary structure.
6. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the
capillary structure is formed by grid, fiber, powder sintering or a
combination thereof.
7. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, further
comprising: a second plate correspondingly connected to the first
plate to define a chamber, wherein the chamber is vacuumed and
filled with fluid.
8. A method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe, comprising:
providing a first plate, a capillary structure and a support
structure, wherein the first plate, the capillary structure and the
support structure are arranged in sequence; and pressing the first
plate, the capillary structure and the support structure for
tightly connecting the first plate, the capillary structure and the
support structure.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the support structure
includes a plurality of support bodies, and the ends of the support
bodies are tightly connected to the first plate.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first plate has a
plurality of grooves corresponding to the support bodies, and one
end of each of the support bodies fittingly mates with the
corresponding groove of the first plate.
11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the capillary
structure is fixed between the first plate and the support
structure by clamping.
12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first plate has a
capillary tissue formed on one face thereof to immediately contact
the capillary structure.
13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the capillary
structure is formed by grid, fiber, powder sintering or a
combination thereof.
14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: a second
plate correspondingly connected to the first plate to define a
chamber, wherein the chamber is vacuumed and filled with fluid.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The instant disclosure relates to a plate-type heat pipe; in
particular, to a plate-type heat pipe using two-phase flow
recirculation for heat transferring and a method of manufacturing
the same.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] The trend of technology development is ever complicating,
for example, the integrated circuits or laptop. The shrinking
volume of electronic products is accompanied by the issue of heat
dissipation. During operation, the heat generated by an electronic
device is considerably high. The electronic components are
therefore equipped with suitable heat sink or device to increase
the rate of heat dissipation. Especially to the central processing
unit, the air-cooled system is replaced by liquid-cooled system for
efficiently maintaining optimal operation temperature.
[0005] Additionally, heat pipe is implemented in heat dissipation
design. The plate-type heat pipe is a variation of tubular heat
pipe. The two structures employ the same heat dissipation
mechanism, which transfers heat by two-phase flow
recirculation.
[0006] However, the conventional plate-type heat pipe includes a
plate, capillaries and a support structure. After disposing the
capillaries and the support structure onto the plate, further
brazing or diffusion bonding is required to secure the capillaries
and support structure on the plate. The fabrication process
consumes considerable time and labor and the manufacturing cost
remains high. Thus, the conventional heat pipe is not competitive
in the current market.
[0007] To address the above issues, the inventor strives via
associated experience and research to present the instant
disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described
above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The instant disclosure provides a plate-type heat pipe and a
method of manufacturing the same. The manufacturing process is
simplified to save time and labor and therefore reduces cost for
better product competiveness.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the instant disclosure, the
plate-type heat pipe includes a first plate, a capillary structure
and a support structure. The first plate, capillary structure and
support structure are arranged in sequence and tightly connected by
pressing.
[0010] The instant disclosure also provides a method of
manufacturing the plate-type heat pipe. The method includes firstly
providing a first plate, a capillary structure and a support
structure. The first plate, capillary structure and support
structure are arranged in sequence and pressed to allow tight
connection.
[0011] The plate-type heat pipe is formed by pressing the first
plate, capillary structure and support structure and therefore
brazing or diffusion bonding can be omitted in the manufacturing
process. This fabrication method simplifies the overall process,
reduces time and labor and decreases cost to enhance product
competiveness.
[0012] In order to further understand the instant disclosure, the
following embodiments are provided along with illustrations to
facilitate the appreciation of the instant disclosure; however, the
appended drawings are merely provided for reference and
illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the
scope of the instant disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a method of manufacturing a
plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (I) showing a method of
manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (II) showing a method of
manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram (III) showing a method of
manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram (IV) showing a method of
manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a plate-type heat pipe
of the instant disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed
descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining
the scope of the instant disclosure. Other objectives and
advantages related to the instant disclosure will be illustrated in
the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.
First Embodiment
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the instant disclosure provides
a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe. The details are
further elaborated herein.
[0021] Step S110, firstly, a first plate 1, a capillary structure 2
and a support structure 3 are provided. The first plate 1,
capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 superimpose on one
another. Specifically, the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and
support structure 3 are disposed successively in that order.
[0022] The first plate 1 may be made of copper, aluminum or other
metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The shape
of the first plate 1 is not restricted by the instant embodiment.
It is worth noting that the first plate 1 can be the bottom or the
top of the plate-type heat pipe. The face that immediately contacts
the capillary structure 2 of the first plate 1 may be formed with a
capillary tissue 11. The capillary tissue 11 can be grooves or
formed by powder sintering or both.
[0023] The capillary structure 2 may be grid, fiber, or formed by
powder sintering or the combination thereof. In the instant
embodiment, the capillary structure 2 is a grid (for example,
copper grid).
[0024] The support structure 3 can be made of copper, aluminum or
other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The
configuration of the support structure 3 is not limited by the
instant embodiment. In the instant embodiment, the support
structure 3 has a plurality of support bodies 31. The support
bodies 31 may be cylindrical, polygonal, rectangular, or the like
and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. In the instant
embodiment, the support bodies 31 are cylindrical pillars having
the same diameter overall, i.e., each column has the same
dimension. The support bodies may vary in size in another
embodiment whereas uniform dimension simplifies the manufacturing
process.
[0025] Step S120, subsequently, the first plate 1, capillary
structure 2 and support structure 3 are pressed. The pressing
allows the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support
structure 3 for tight connection to build the main scaffold of the
plate-type heat pipe.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a mold 5 is fixed on the press
machine (not shown) for conducting the pressing process.
[0027] Additionally, before the pressing process, a plurality of
grooves 12 can be formed on the first plate 1 cooperatively
positioned to the support bodies 31. The end of the support bodies
31 that immediately contacts the first plate 1 has a diameter D
larger than the diameter d of the groove 12. When pressing the
first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3, the
support bodies 31 are tightly connected with the first plate 1 by
mating with the grooves 12. The capillary structure 2 is fixed
between the first plate 1 and the support bodies 31 by clamping and
each layer is closely stacked on one another (as shown in FIGS. 5
and 6).
[0028] Step S130, additionally, a second plate 4 is provided. The
second plate 4 may be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic
materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The second plate 4
is configured to coincide with the first plate 1. It is worth
noting the second plate 4 can be the bottom or the top of the
plate-type heat pipe. The connection of the first plate 1 and
second plate 4 results in a completed plate-type heat pipe. The
first plate 1 and second plate 4 can be connected by brazing,
diffusion bonding or the like to define a chamber 41 between the
first and second plates 1, 4. The chamber 41 is vacuumed and fluid
fills therein (not shown). Different phase conversion of the fluid
can rapidly and evenly transfer the heat generated by electronic
components.
Second Embodiment
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the instant disclosure
provides a plate-type heat pipe. The plate-type heat pipe includes
a first plate 1, a capillary structure 2 and a support structure 3.
The capillary structure 2 can be grid, fiber, or formed by powder
sintering or the combination thereof. The first plate 1, capillary
structure 2 and support structure 3 are stacked in sequence. One
face of the first plate 1 that immediately contacts the capillary
structure 2 may be formed with a capillary tissue 11. The support
structure 3 includes a plurality of support bodies 31 being
cylindrical, polygonal, rectangular, or any other geometric
configuration. The first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support
structure 3 are tightly connected by pressing.
[0030] A plurality of grooves 12 can be formed on the first plate 1
cooperatively positioned to the support bodies 31. The ends of the
support bodies 31 that immediately contact the first plate 1, have
a diameter D larger than the diameter d of the groove 12. When the
first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are
pressed, the support bodies 31 are tightly connected with the first
plate 1 by mating with the grooves 12. That is to say, the support
bodies 31 are fittingly plugged into the grooves 12 of the first
plate 1. The capillary structure 2 is fixed between the first plate
1 and the support bodies 31 by clamping and the first plate 1,
capillary structure 2 and support bodies 31 are closely stacked on
one another.
[0031] In another embodiment of the instant disclosure, a plurality
of protrusions (not shown) is formed on the first plate 1. The end
of each support body 31 is formed with a depression (not shown)
configured to mate with the protrusions. By pressing the first
plate 1, capillary structure 2 and the support structure 3, the
depression portion of the support bodies 31 engages with the
protrusions of the first plate 1. In other words, the mating
configuration among the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and
support structure 3 may vary according to preferable design.
[0032] In addition, the plate-type heat pipe may include a second
plate 4. Upon connection of the first plate 1 and second plate 4, a
chamber 41 is defined between the first and second plates 1, 4. The
chamber 41 is vacuumed and fluid fills therein (not shown).
[0033] In summary, the first plate, capillary structure and support
structure are tightly connected by pressing. Hence, brazing or
diffusion bonding among the first plate, capillary structure and
support structure is not required in the manufacturing process. The
method of manufacturing the plate-type heat pipe reduces time and
labor and brings down the cost, thus increasing product
competiveness.
[0034] The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the
preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the
characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means
restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications
conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to
be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure
delineated by the following claims.
* * * * *