BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional heat column;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a heat column;
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic views of the column body 22 and the base 24 in FIG. 2 during assembling;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the base in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are schematic views of embodiments of heat columns applied to a heat dissipation module;
FIGS. 7A-7C are schematic views of different kinds of base; and
FIGS. 8A-8B are schematic views of the base and the wick structure in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a heat column 20 including a column body 22 and a base 24. The column body 22 includes a top portion 224 and a sidewall 222 ringed with the top portion 224. The sidewall 222 and the top portion 224 are integrally formed. The column body 22 further includes a filling tube 226 integrally formed with the top portion 224 of the column body 22. The base 24 is disposed opposite to the top portion 224.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic views of the column body 22 and the base 24 of FIG. 2 during assembling. In FIG. 2, the base 24 can be circular, rectangular, or other shape. The base 24 includes an indentation 242, for example, an annular groove 242, for allowing an end of the sidewall 222 of the column body 22 to insert so as to form a closed space between the base 24 and the column body 22.
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the base 24 further has an annular protrusion 244 close to the annular groove 242. It is noted that FIG. 3 shows that the annular protrusion 244 is not yet pressed, and FIG. 4 shows that the annular protrusion 244 has been pressed to compress the sidewall 222 of the column body 22. After the end of the sidewall 222 of the column body 22 is inserted into the annular groove 242 of the base 24, the annular protrusion 244 is processed to be filled between the annular groove 242 and the sidewall 222 by means of pressing or squeezing, so that the base 24 is tightly engaged with the column body 22, as shown in FIG. 4.
Further, a soldering paste or other solder is applied between the annular groove 242 and the sidewall 222 of the column body 22, and the column body 22 and the base 24 are welded or soldered to form a closed space between the base 24 and the column body 22.
Alternatively, except of the annular groove, the indentation on the base 24 in FIG. 2 can be a concave platform. As shown in FIG. 5, another embodiment of the base in FIG. 2 has the indentation formed on the base 54 as a concave platform 542. The end of the sidewall 222 of the column body 22 is inserted into the periphery of the concave platform 542. Also, a soldering paste or other solder is applied between the concave platform 542 and the sidewall 222 of the column body 22, and the column body 22 and the base 54 are welded or soldered to form a closed space between the column body 22 and the base 54. Accordingly, waste materials and the number of soldering procedures are decreased, and assembly processes is simplified as are costs.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are schematic views of two heat column applied to the heat dissipation module. The heat dissipation module 60A, 60B is applied to a heat source (not shown). The heat column 20 can directly contact a heat source, or the heat column 20 contacts the heat source through an external base (not shown), such as a solid metal block, for transmitting heat from the heat source to the heat dissipation fins 62a, 62b. The heat source is a heat-generating element, such as a central processing unit (CPU), transistor, server, high-level drawing card, hard disc, power supply, driving controller, multimedia electronic device, wireless base transceiver station or high-level video game station. Additionally, a fan can be additionally applied to the heat dissipation module 60A or 60B for improving heat to dissipate
In FIG. 6A, the heat dissipation module 60A includes a heat column 20 and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 62a. The heat column 20 is the same as that in FIG. 2, so description thereof is omitted. The heat dissipation fins 62a, formed by aluminum extrusion, stamping, pressing, or other process, are disposed outside of the heat column 20. Further, the heat dissipation fins 62a are connected with heat column 20 by soldering, locking, engaging, wedging, or gluing. For example, the heat dissipation fins 62a can be engaged with the heat column 20 by thermal shrink. Furthermore, a soldering paste or grease is disposed between the heat dissipation fins 62s and the heat column 20.
The heat dissipation fins 62a are radially disposed outside of the heat column 20 and are connected with the heat column 20. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6B, the heat dissipation fins 62b are disposed around the heat column 20, wherein the heat dissipation fins 62b are spaced apart and oriented horizontally, and the heat dissipation fins 62b are horizontally disposed with each other. Note that arrangement of the heat dissipation fins is not limited to that described, and can include spacing and orientation vertically, obliquely, or in other manners.
The base 24 may have a flat internal surface 241 as shown in FIG. 2, or a non-flat internal surface, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C. In FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C, the internal surface 741 of the base 74 faces the top portion 224 of the column body 22, and the base 24 has at least one protrusion 743 on the internal surface 741 of the base 24. The protrusion 743 is semicircular, curved, triangular, rectangular, square, trapezoid, or other shape in cross-section. It is noted that the shape and number of the protrusion 743 are not limited, and the number of the protrusion 743 can be multiple (as shown in FIG. 7B) or single (as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7C). For example, when the base has a plurality of protrusions 743 on the internal surface of the base, the plurality of protrusions 743 can form a checker pattern, a determinant pattern, a symmetrical pattern, or a non-symmetrical pattern.
Referring to FIG. 2 again, the heat column 20 further includes a first wick structure 26a, a second wick structure 26b, and a working fluid W filled therein. The first wick structure 26a is disposed both on the inner surface of the sidewall 222 of the column body 22 and the inner surface of the top portion 224. The second wick structure 26b is disposed on the internal surface 241 of the base 24, and the second wick structure 26b is connected with the first wick structure 26a.
FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the base and the wick structure in FIG. 2. As shown, the second wick structure 26b is disposed along the outline of the internal surface 241 of the base 24, and the second wick structure 26b has uniform or non-uniform thickness. It is noted that FIG. 8A shows a plurality of protrusions 843 formed on the internal surface 841 of the base, which is different from the single protrusion 743 of the base 74 as shown in FIG. 7A.
Referring to FIG. 8B, FIG. 8B is another schematic view of the base and the wick structure in FIG. 2. The second wick structure 26b is disposed on the internal surface 841 of the base 84 so that the second wick structure 26b forms a flat plane facing the top portion 224 of the column body 22. The second wick structure 26b includes a first depth H1 and a second depth H2, and the first depth H1 exceeds the second depth H2. The first depth H1 is the depth of the second wick structure 26b on the internal surface 841 without the protrusion 843. The second depth H2 is the depth of the second wick structure 26b on the internal surface 841 with the protrusion 843.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the heat column 20 is used, the heat source (not shown) is under the heat column 20, and the base 24 directly contacts to the heat source so as to transfer heat therefrom. Alternatively, an external base (not shown) can be disposed under the heat column 20 for contacting the heat source. When heat is applied at the base 24 (the evaporating section), the working fluid W at the end of the second wick structure 26b absorbs heat from the heat source and vaporizes. The resulting difference in pressure drives vaporized working fluid W to the top portion of the column body 22 (the condenser section) where the vaporized working fluid W condenses releasing the latent heat to the heat dissipation fins 62a or 62b, and enters the first wick structure 26a. The capillary pressure pumps the condersed working fluid W in liquid state back to the second wick structure 26b for re-evaporation. Circulation is repeated to achieve heat dissipation.
The column body 22 and base 24 include a high thermal conductive material, such as copper, silver, aluminum, or alloy thereof. The first wick structure 26a and the second wick structure 26b include plastic, metal, alloy, or porous non-metal material. Further, the first wick structure 26a and second wick structure 26b are disposed by sintering, gluing, stuffing, depositing, or combination thereof. The working fluid W is inorganic compound, water, alcohol, liquid metal, ketone, coolant, organic compound, or a combination thereof.
Since the column body 20 and base 24 are two independent components, the internal surface 241 of the base 24 can be manufactured as a non-flat surface so as to increase contact area between the base 24 and the wick structure 26b for enhancing efficiency of heat dissipation. Next, the second wick structure 26b of the internal surface 241 and the first wick structure 26a of the column 20 are independently disposed. Thus, the second wick structure 26b can be easily disposed on the rough base 24 with a single uniform thickness or non-uniform thickness so as to increase the surface area of the wick structure and improve evaporation efficiency of the working fluid, thereby enhancing heat dissipation efficiency of the evaporation section of the heat column 20.
The disclosed column body, with an integrally formed column body and specially designed base provides decreased waste materials and number of soldering procedures, with assembly processes simplified as are costs.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Patent Application
20070277961
