Patent Application
20210088293
The present invention relates to a heat transfer assembly, in particular to, a heat transfer assembly that provides a tight connection between the heat transfer assembly and a heat source without penetrating an airtight chamber of the heat transfer assembly.
As the performance of existing electronic apparatus is getting higher, the electronic components thereof for signal processing and computing produce a more significant amount of heat than ever. In general, a heat transfer component such as a heat pipe, heat sink, or vapor chamber, etc, which is in direct contact with an electronic component producing heat for increasing heat transfer efficiency, is used to prevent the electronic component from a failure scenario due to a high temperature.
A vapor chamber is a two-dimensional heat transfer application for wider heat dissipation, which is different from a one-dimensional heat transfer of a heat pipe and is suitable for a relatively small space.
A conventional vapor chamber is mounted on a base plate when being used, and transfers heat produced by the components on the base plate. In general, the method of mounting the conventional vapor chamber onto the plate is as follow: each of the four corners of the vapor chamber is formed with a hole through which a copper column having an internal thread is disposed; the four spots of the plate relative to the four corners of the vapor chamber are formed with an opposing hole, respectively; and a threaded element is threadedly engaged with the internal thread of the copper column and the opposing hole of the plate at the four corners. So, the vapor chamber can be fixedly mounted onto the base plate without damaging an inner chamber of the vapor chamber. However, this mounting method results in a higher thermal resistance, because the four copper columns are disposed within the four corners of the vapor chamber, which are away from the components on the plate that produce heat and thus no direct contact is between the vapor chamber and the heat-producing components. For addressing the issue of no direct contact, a person in the conventional art disposes the copper column within the vapor chamber in a spot adjacent to the heat-producing components on the opposing plate, with the copper column penetrating the inner chamber of the vapor chamber. Although thermal resistance is improved by the closer connection, the inner chamber of the vapor chamber is no longer in a vacuum due to air leakage caused by the copper column penetrating the inner chamber. Furthermore, the path of working fluids inside the inner chamber may be blocked due to the damage resulted from the penetrating copper column, which decreases heat transfer efficiency, and in the worst scenario, causes the leakage of the fluids that leads to complete failure of the heat transfer of the vapor chamber.
In addition, referring to
Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional vapor chambers have shortcomings as follow: 1. higher thermal resistance, 2. reduced contact area for heat transfer, and 3. reduced heat transfer efficiency.
Accordingly, for addressing the shortcomings of the prior arts, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat transfer assembly that provides a tight connection between the heat transfer assembly and a heat source without penetrating an airtight chamber of the heat transfer assembly.
To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is provided with a heat transfer assembly comprising a first plate, a second plate, and an engaging unit; the first plate having a first side and a second side; the second plate having a third side and a fourth side, the third side attached to the first side which defines a sealed chamber between the first and second plates, the fourth side having an accommodating portion that is in thermal contact with at least a heat source; and the engaging unit disposed adjacent to the accommodating portion, and engaged with the heat source.
The heat transfer assembly of the present invention enables the assembly to be tightly connected with the heat source without penetrating a sealed chamber of the assembly, and ensures that the chamber inside the assembly is kept airtight.
The first plate 11 has a first side 111 and second side 112, which are defined by the upper and lower sides of the first plate 11, respectively.
The second plate 12 has a third side 121 and fourth side 122. The third side 121 is attached to the first side 111, which defines a sealed chamber 14 between the first and second plates 11 and 12. The fourth side 122 has an accommodating portion 123 in thermal contact with at least a heat source 2.
The engaging unit 13 is disposed adjacent to the accommodating portion 123 to receive the heat source 2 therein. In this embodiment of the present invention, the engaging unit 13 is formed with a first engaging part 131, second engaging part 132, third engaging part 133, and fourth engaging part 134. The engaging unit 13 is integrally extended from the fourth side 122 of the second plate 12, or disposed on the fourth side by any of overmolding, welding, adhesively attaching, and hook-and-loop fastener.
The first, second, third, and fourth engaging parts 131, 132, 133, and 134 are disposed adjacent to the heat source 2, and enables the heat source 2 to be stuck therein.
The first and second plates 11 and 12 are formed from any of copper, aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium, and the first plate 11 can be formed from a material the same as or different from the second plate 12.
A hydrophilic coating 141 is coated on the first side 111 of the first plate 11 relative to the sealed chamber 14, thereby improving the efficiency of the vapor-liquid flow of working fluids inside the sealed chamber 14.
In an embodiment where the structure having a porous material is formed by the electrochemical deposition, the material thereof is any of copper, titanium, aluminum, and a metal with high thermal conductivity.
In an embodiment where the capillary wick is the mesh structure, the material of the wick is copper, aluminum, stainless steel or titanium, or combination thereof.
The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat transfer assembly having a vacuum chamber that can be engaged with a heat source by the engagement between engaging unit 13 and the engaging element 3 without penetrating the chamber. Accordingly, the vapor-liquid flow of working fluids inside the heat transfer assembly is not blocked and kept advantageous circulation. In addition, the efficiency of the vapor-liquid flow of working fluids inside the heat transfer assembly can be improved by the combination of the hydrophilic coating and capillary wick.
