PARALLEL-CONNECTED CONDENSER AND COOLING DEVICE USING THE SAME

Abstract

A cooling device includes a parallel-connected condenser and an evaporator assembly. The parallel-connected condenser has a primary condenser assembly and at least one auxiliary condenser assembly. The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator, a coolant input pipe and a coolant output pipe. Two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the evaporator and a first primary condenser tube. Two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the evaporator and a second primary condenser tube for the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly to form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein. By virtue of the primary condenser assembly and the auxiliary condenser assembly parallelly connected, gaseous coolant can be circulated through different paths and liquefied to effectively enhance cooling and liquefaction efficiency of coolant when the coolant is circulated through the cooling device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a parallel-connected condenser and a cooling device using the same and, more particularly, to a parallel-connected condenser with enhanced cooling performance and a cooling device using the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

As we know, heat is generated by electronic devices when the electronic devices are operating. To lower the chance of irregular operation or damage to an electronic device arising from an overheat condition, by and large a cooling device is installed at a heat-generating source of the electronic device to absorb heat generated by the heat-generating source to achieve a cooling purpose.

Conventionally, such cooling device includes an evaporator, a condenser and multiple coolant pipes connected with the evaporator and the condenser to form a closed circulation loop with coolant filled inside the circulation loop. Thus, the coolant in the evaporator absorbs heat generated by an electronic device and is evaporated from a liquid state to a gaseous state. The gaseous coolant flows to the condenser through corresponding coolant pipes and flows through the condenser for heat dissipation, such that the gaseous coolant is converted back to the liquid state. The liquid coolant then returns to the evaporator to resume heat absorption through corresponding coolant pipes. By virtue of the phase change between the liquid state and the gaseous state of the coolant for heat dissipation, the heat-generating source of the electronic device can be cooled down.

As the conventional cooling device only has one condenser, the flow rate of the gaseous coolant may be limited. Therefore, when the coolant inside the evaporator is heated and the amount of the gaseous coolant is beyond a cooling capacity that the condenser can provide, the resultant cooling efficacy of the cooling device fails to be satisfactory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a parallel-connected condenser and a cooling device using the same to provide enhanced flow rate of coolant passing through the parallel-connected condenser and a satisfactory cooling performance of the cooling device.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the parallel-connected condenser includes a primary condenser assembly and at least one auxiliary condenser assembly.

The primary condenser assembly has a first primary condenser tube, a second primary condenser tube and a primary heat-dissipating mechanism.

The second primary condenser tube is mounted to be spaced apart from the first primary condenser tube.

The primary heat-dissipating mechanism is mounted between the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube.

The at least one auxiliary condenser assembly is parallelly connected with the primary condenser assembly. Each auxiliary condenser assembly has a first auxiliary condenser tube, a second auxiliary condenser tube, and an auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism.

The first auxiliary condenser tube communicates with the first primary condenser tube.

The second auxiliary condenser tube is mounted to be spaced apart from the first auxiliary condenser tube, and communicates with the second primary condenser tube.

The auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism is mounted between the first auxiliary condenser tube and the second auxiliary condenser tube.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the cooling device includes the foregoing parallel-connected condenser and an evaporator assembly.

The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator, a coolant input pipe and a coolant output pipe.

The evaporator has a case, an evaporation chamber, a coolant input pipe and a coolant output pipe.

The evaporation chamber is defined in the case.

The heat-conducting base is formed on a bottom of the case.

The coolant input pipe has two ends respectively connected to a top of the case of the evaporator and the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

The coolant output pipe has two ends of the coolant output pipe respectively connected to a sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

The parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein.

The parallel-connected condenser can be applied to a regular cooling device or the foregoing cooling device. By separate paths for coolant to flow through the primary condenser assembly and the auxiliary condenser assembly of the parallel-connected condenser for heat dissipation, the cooling effect on objects or devices can be enhanced. Given an electronic device as an example, the evaporator can be mounted on a heat-generating source of the electronic device.

The pressure of the coolant inside the closed coolant circulation loop increases with a rising amount of the gaseous coolant. The amount of the gaseous coolant increases with the temperature rise of the heat-generating source of the electronic device. When the temperature of the heat-generating source rises and the amount of the gaseous coolant is less than a flow rate of the gaseous coolant that the primary condenser assembly can provide, the gaseous coolant directly passes through the primary condenser assembly. When the amount of the gaseous coolant is more than the flow rate of the gaseous coolant that the primary condenser assembly can handle, high pressure of the gaseous coolant forces a part of the gaseous coolant to enter the auxiliary condenser assembly. By way of separate flow paths and simultaneous cooling, the liquefaction efficiency of the cooling device is increased.

Moreover, the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly has a coolant inlet and two coolant outlets. The coolant inlet is formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube, and the two coolant outlets are respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube. The two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the top of the case of the evaporator and the coolant inlet of the primary condenser assembly. The two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly. The evaporator assembly has a quick return pipe with two ends respectively connected to another sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly. When the gaseous coolant enters the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly through the coolant input tube, liquefied coolant flows down to a bottom portion inside the first primary condenser tube and directly returns to the evaporator through the quick return pipe. The remaining part of the gaseous coolant passes through the primary cooling mechanism and the liquefied coolant flows to the second primary condenser tube and then returns to the evaporator through the coolant output pipe. By utilizing coolant capable of flowing through different paths and changing phase upon circulation, enhanced cooling effect of the cooling device can be attained.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a parallel-connected condenser in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of the parallel-connected condenser in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the parallel-connected condenser in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cooling device using the parallel-connected condenser in FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is an operational enlarged side view of the cooling device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an operational perspective view of the cooling device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a first operational enlarged top view of the cooling device in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 is a second operational enlarged top view of the cooling device in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a parallel-connected condenser in accordance with the present invention includes a primary condenser assembly 10 and an auxiliary condenser assembly 20.

The primary condenser assembly 10 has a first primary condenser tube 11, a second primary condenser tube 12 and a primary heat-dissipating mechanism 13. The first primary condenser tube 11 and the second primary condenser tube 12 are vertically mounted and are spaced apart from each other. The primary heat-dissipating mechanism 13 is horizontally mounted between the first primary condenser tube 11 and the second primary condenser tube 12. The primary heat-dissipating mechanism 13 includes multiple primary cooling flat ducts 14 and multiple primary heat sinks 15. The multiple primary cooling flat ducts 14 are horizontally connected between the first primary condenser tube 11 and the primary second condenser tube 12 and are spaced apart from one another. Adjacent two of the multiple primary heat sinks 15 are separated by a corresponding primary cooling flat duct 14. Each primary heat sink 15 conductively contacts a periphery of at least one primary cooling flat duct 14 and takes a wavy form.

The auxiliary condenser assembly 20 is parallelly connected with the primary condenser assembly 10 and has a first auxiliary condenser tube 21, a second auxiliary condenser tube 22 and an auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism 23. The first auxiliary condenser tube 21 and the second auxiliary condenser tube 22 are vertically mounted and are spaced apart from each other. The auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism 23 is horizontally mounted between the first auxiliary condenser tube 21 and the second auxiliary condenser tube 22. The auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism 23 includes multiple auxiliary cooling flat ducts 24 and multiple auxiliary heat sinks 25. The multiple auxiliary cooling flat ducts 24 are horizontally connected between the first auxiliary condenser tube 21 and the second auxiliary condenser tube 22 and are spaced apart from one another. Adjacent two of the multiple auxiliary heat sinks 25 are separated by a corresponding auxiliary cooling flat duct 24. Each auxiliary heat sink 25 conductively contacts a periphery of at least one auxiliary cooling flat duct 24 and takes a wavy form.

With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first auxiliary condenser tube 21 of the auxiliary condenser assembly 20 has multiple first flow paths 26 formed inside the first auxiliary condenser tube 21 and directly or indirectly communicating with the first primary condenser tube 11. The second auxiliary condenser tube 22 of the auxiliary condenser assembly 20 has multiple second flow paths 27 formed inside the second auxiliary condenser tube 22 and directly or indirectly communicating with the second primary condenser tube 12.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a cooling device in accordance with the present invention includes the foregoing parallel-connected condenser and an evaporator assembly 30.

The evaporator assembly 30 includes an evaporator 31, a coolant input pipe 32 and a coolant output pipe 33. The evaporator 31 has a case 35, an evaporation chamber 34 and a heat-conducting base 36. The evaporation chamber 34 is defined inside the case 35. The heat-conducting base 36 is formed on a bottom of the case 35. Two ends of the coolant input pipe 32 are respectively connected to a top of the case 35 of the evaporator 31 and the first primary condenser tube 11 of the primary condenser assembly 10, and two ends of the coolant output pipe 33 are respectively connected to a sidewall of the case 35 of the evaporator 31 and the second primary condenser tube 12 of the primary condenser assembly 10, such that the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly 30 form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant 50 filled therein. The coolant input pipe 32 is greater than the coolant output pipe 33 in diameter.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the first primary condenser tube 11 of the primary condenser assembly 10 has a coolant inlet 16 and two coolant outlets 17, 18. The coolant inlet 16 is formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube 11. The two coolant outlets 17, 18 are respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube 11 and the second primary condenser tube 12. The two ends of the coolant input pipe 32 are respectively connected to the top of the case 35 of the evaporator 31 and the coolant inlet 16 of the primary condenser assembly 10. The two ends of the coolant output pipe 33 are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case 35 of the evaporator 31 and the coolant outlet 18 of the second primary condenser tube 12 of the primary condenser assembly 10. The evaporator assembly 30 has a quick return pipe 37 with two ends thereof respectively connected to another sidewall of the case 35 of the evaporator 31 and the coolant outlet 17 of the first primary condenser tube 11 of the primary condenser assembly 10. The coolant input pipe 32 is greater than the coolant output pipe 33 and the quick return pipe 37 in diameter.

With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the parallel-connected condenser can be applied to a regular cooling device or the foregoing cooling device 30. By separate paths for coolant 50 to flow through the primary condenser assembly 10 and the auxiliary condenser assembly 20 of the parallel-connected condenser for heat dissipation, the cooling effect on objects or devices can be enhanced. Given an electronic device as an example, the evaporator 31 can be mounted on a heat-generating source 40 of the electronic device. When the heat-generating source 40 of the electronic device generates heat and the temperature of the heat-generating source 40 rises, heat generated by the heat-generating source 40 is thermally transferred to the coolant 50 inside the evaporation chamber 34 through the heat-conducting base 36, and the coolant 50 inside the evaporation chamber 34 is evaporated to become gaseous coolant 50. Due to the concept of heat convection that hot air naturally rises, the gaseous coolant flows in the coolant input pipe 32 connected with the top of the case 35. The gaseous coolant 50 is cooled down to be liquid coolant 50 after passing through the multiple primary cooling flat ducts 14 of the primary cooling mechanism 13, and the liquid coolant 50 enters the second primary condenser tube 12 and returns to the evaporator 31 through the coolant output pipe 33.

With reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, the pressure of the coolant 50 inside the closed coolant circulation loop increases with a rising amount of the gaseous coolant. Generally, the amount of the gaseous coolant increases with the temperature rise of the heat-generating source 40 of the electronic device. When the temperature of the heat-generating source 40 rises and the amount of the gaseous coolant 50 is more than a flow rate of the gaseous coolant 50 that the primary condenser assembly can handle, the pressure of the coolant 50 inside the closed coolant circulation loop will rise, and at the moment the gaseous coolant 50 can be divided to separately flow through the primary condenser assembly 10 and the auxiliary condenser assembly 20 to achieve the effect of cooling and liquefaction. The liquefied coolant 50 then gathers in the second primary condenser tube 12 and returns to the evaporator 31 through the coolant output pipe 33.

When the gaseous coolant 50 enters the first primary condenser tube 11 through the coolant input pipe 32, a part of the gaseous coolant 50 is liquefied into liquid coolant 50 as being distal to the heat-generating source 40. After entering the first primary condenser tube 11, the liquid coolant 50 then flows down to a bottom portion inside the first primary condenser tube 11 and directly returns to the evaporator 31 through the quick return pipe 37. The remaining part of the gaseous coolant 50 sequentially passes through the primary cooling mechanism 13 and the second primary condenser tube 12 and then returns to the evaporator 31 through the coolant output pipe 33.

In sum, the cooling device in accordance with the present invention is collaborated with the primary condenser assembly 10 and the auxiliary condenser assembly 20 of the parallel-connected condenser to divide, cool and liquefy the flow of the gaseous coolant 50 to effectively raise cooling and liquefaction efficiency of the cooling device. Besides, the liquid coolant 50 not liquefied through the primary heat-dissipating mechanism 13 enters the first primary condenser tube 11 and directly returns to the evaporator 31 through the quick return pipe 37 for heat absorption. By utilizing coolant capable of flowing through different paths and changing phase upon circulation, a high-performance cooling effect can be realized.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A parallel-connected condenser, comprising: a primary condenser assembly having: a first primary condenser tube;a second primary condenser tube mounted to be spaced apart from the first primary condenser tube; anda primary heat-dissipating mechanism mounted between the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube; andat least one auxiliary condenser assembly parallelly connected with the primary condenser assembly, each of the at least one auxiliary condenser assembly having: a first auxiliary condenser tube communicating with the first primary condenser tube;a second auxiliary condenser tube mounted to be spaced apart from the first auxiliary condenser tube, and communicating with the second primary condenser tube; andan auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism mounted between the first auxiliary condenser tube and the second auxiliary condenser tube.

2. The parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the primary heat-dissipating mechanism has: multiple primary cooling flat ducts horizontally connected between the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube and spaced apart from one another; andmultiple primary heat sinks, wherein adjacent two of the multiple primary heat sinks are separated by a corresponding primary cooling flat duct, and each primary heat sink conductively contacts a periphery of at least one of the multiple primary cooling flat duct; andthe auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism has: multiple auxiliary cooling flat ducts horizontally connected between the first auxiliary condenser tube and the second auxiliary condenser tube and spaced apart from one another; andmultiple auxiliary heat sinks, wherein adjacent two of the multiple auxiliary heat sinks are separated by a corresponding auxiliary cooling flat duct, and each auxiliary heat sink conductively contacts a periphery of at least one of the multiple auxiliary cooling flat duct.

3. The parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the multiple primary heat sinks of the primary heat-dissipating mechanism and the multiple auxiliary heat sinks of the auxiliary heat-dissipating mechanism are wavy.

4. The parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple first flow paths formed inside the first auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the first primary condenser tube, and the second auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple second flow paths formed inside the second auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the second primary condenser tube.

5. The parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple first flow paths formed inside the first auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the first primary condenser tube, and the second auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple second flow paths formed inside the second auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the second primary condenser tube.

6. The parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple first flow paths formed inside the first auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the first primary condenser tube, and the second auxiliary condenser tube of the auxiliary condenser assembly has multiple second flow paths formed inside the second auxiliary condenser tube and directly or indirectly communicating with the second primary condenser tube.

7. A cooling device comprising: the parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 1; andan evaporator assembly including: an evaporator having: a case;an evaporation chamber defined in the case; anda heat-conducting base formed on a bottom of the case;a coolant input pipe with two ends respectively connected to a top of the case of the evaporator and the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; anda coolant output pipe with two ends of the coolant output pipe respectively connected to a sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly;wherein the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein.

8. A cooling device comprising: the parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 2; andan evaporator assembly including: an evaporator having: a case;an evaporation chamber defined in the case; anda heat-conducting base formed on a bottom of the case;a coolant input pipe with two ends respectively connected to a top of the case of the evaporator and the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; anda coolant output pipe with two ends of the coolant output pipe respectively connected to a sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly;wherein the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein.

9. A cooling device comprising: the parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 3; andan evaporator assembly including: an evaporator having: a case;an evaporation chamber defined in the case; anda heat-conducting base formed on a bottom of the case;a coolant input pipe with two ends respectively connected to a top of the case of the evaporator and the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; anda coolant output pipe with two ends of the coolant output pipe respectively connected to a sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly;wherein the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein.

10. A cooling device comprising: the parallel-connected condenser as claimed in claim 4; andan evaporator assembly including: an evaporator having: a case;an evaporation chamber defined in the case; anda heat-conducting base formed on a bottom of the case;a coolant input pipe with two ends respectively connected to a top of the case of the evaporator and the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; anda coolant output pipe with two ends of the coolant output pipe respectively connected to a sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly;wherein the parallel-connected condenser and the evaporator assembly form a closed coolant circulation loop with coolant filled therein.

11. The cooling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly has: a coolant inlet formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube; andtwo coolant outlets respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube;the two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the top of the case of the evaporator and the coolant inlet of the primary condenser assembly;the two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; andthe evaporator assembly has a quick return pipe with two ends respectively connected to another sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

12. The cooling device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly has: a coolant inlet formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube; andtwo coolant outlets respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube;the two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the top of the case of the evaporator and the coolant inlet of the primary condenser assembly;the two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; andthe evaporator assembly has a quick return pipe with two ends respectively connected to another sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

13. The cooling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly has: a coolant inlet formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube; andtwo coolant outlets respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube;the two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the top of the case of the evaporator and the coolant inlet of the primary condenser assembly;the two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; andthe evaporator assembly has a quick return pipe with two ends respectively connected to another sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

14. The cooling device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly has: a coolant inlet formed through an upper portion of a peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube; andtwo coolant outlets respectively formed through lower portions of the peripheral wall of the first primary condenser tube and the second primary condenser tube;the two ends of the coolant input pipe are respectively connected to the top of the case of the evaporator and the coolant inlet of the primary condenser assembly;the two ends of the coolant output pipe are respectively connected to the sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the second primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly; andthe evaporator assembly has a quick return pipe with two ends respectively connected to another sidewall of the case of the evaporator and the coolant outlet of the first primary condenser tube of the primary condenser assembly.

15. The cooling device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the coolant output pipe in diameter

16. The cooling device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the coolant output pipe in diameter

17. The cooling device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the coolant output pipe in diameter

18. The cooling device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the coolant output pipe in diameter

19. The cooling device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the quick return pipe in diameter.

20. The cooling device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the coolant input pipe is greater than the quick return pipe in diameter.