In modern electronic systems, a relatively large amount of heat is generated due to operation of electronic devices in such systems. Various approaches have been used for cooling electronic devices of systems.
Traditionally, air flow generators, such as fans, are provided within a system to generate air flow for cooling electronic devices in the system. However, as operating speeds of electronic devices, such as microprocessors, have dramatically increased, the use of just air flow cooling techniques have generally not been sufficient for cooling electronic devices of certain types of systems, such as high-end computer servers, storage systems, or communications systems.
Enhanced cooling can be provided by provision of fluid pipes inside the chassis of a system, where the fluid pipes are used for carrying a cooling fluid. The challenge of employing fluid pipes within a system is that the fluid pipes may have to be routed to many different points inside the system. The presence of such pipes may make it difficult to access certain components in the system, such as to perform repair or replacement tasks. Also, during servicing, possible leakage of fluids from fluid pipes is also an issue when a component is disconnected and removed from the system,
Some embodiments of the invention are described, by way of example, with respect to the following figures:
The system depicted in
In the ensuing discussion, reference is also made to
In accordance with some embodiments, rigid fluid pipes are fixedly mounted inside the housing 100 of the system. A “rigid” fluid pipe refers to a fluid pipe formed of a relatively sturdy material that would make bending of the fluid pipe relatively difficult. For example, the rigid fluid pipe can be formed of a metal or plastic material. A “pipe” can be a generally cylindrical conduit or can be any other type of conduit having other geometries (e.g., rectangular cross-section, square cross-section, etc.). The fluid pipe has an inner longitudinal bore enclosed by the wall of the pipe, where the inner longitudinal bore is used for carrying cooling fluid.
In the example depicted in
The heat sink 104 of the heat-generating assembly 102 has various ports connected to respective flexible fluid pipes 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128. A “flexible” fluid pipe is a pipe formed of a relatively soft elastic material that allows the flexible fluid pipe to be flexed or bent relatively easily. The ports of the heat sink 104 include input ports and output ports. An input port is to receive input cooling fluid for routing through the inner fluid passages of the heat sink 104, and the output ports are used for outputting heated cooling fluid for carrying such heated fluid away from the heat sink 104.
The flexible fluid pipes 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 are attached to the heat-generating assembly 102 such that the assembly 102 with the attached flexible fluid pipes can be mounted or dismounted from the system housing 100 as a unit. The flexible fluid pipes are easily manipulated by a user for ease of connection of the flexible fluid pipes to the corresponding rigid fluid pipes.
A heat exchanger 130 is also provided in the system housing 100. The heat exchanger 130 also has internal fluid passages (not shown) that are connected to corresponding fluid pipes, including flexible fluid pipes 116 and 152 (see
The flexible fluid pipes 116 and 152 connected to ports of the heat exchanger 130 are connected to respective rigid fluid pipes 111 and 113. Note that the heat exchanger 130 is another example of a heat-generating assembly that can be removably mounted in the system. The use of the flexible fluid pipes 116 and 152 attached to the heat exchanger 130 enables convenient connection of the heat exchanger 130 to the rigid pipes 111 and 113.
In accordance with some embodiments, quick-connect mechanisms 140 are provided for connecting each flexible fluid pipe to a corresponding fluid pipe. The quick-connect mechanism 140 includes a first connection element attached to an end portion of the rigid fluid pipe, and a second connection element attached to an end portion of the corresponding flexible fluid pipe. The quick-connect mechanism has a sealing element to automatically provide a fluid seal when the first and second connection elements are disconnected. The sealing element can be in the form of a valve (e.g., a ball valve that is released from a sealing position when the first and second connection elements are connected, but that is allowed, to move to a sealing position when the first and second connection elements are disconnected). The scaling elements of the quick-connect mechanisms allow for heat-generating assemblies to be disconnected from the rigid fluid pipes while reducing the likelihood of leaking cooling fluids.
A quick-connect mechanism is a connection mechanism that enables relatively easy snap-on connection and snap-off disconnection such that a user can connect or disconnect components without the use of tools. The flexible fluid pipes further enhance convenience when connecting or disconnecting since the flexible fluid pipes are easily manipulated when connecting the flexible fluid pipes to corresponding rigid pipes using the quick-connect mechanisms.
In operation, a user mounts the heat-generating assembly (102 or 130 in
In the disconnected position depicted in
Although the first connection element 204 is depicted as a female connection element, and the second connection element 206 is depicted as a male connection element, an alternative embodiment can implement the reverse, with the first connection element 204 implemented as a male connection element, whereas the second connection element 206 is implemented as a female connection element.
By employing the cooling assembly including flexible fluid pipes, rigid fluid pipes, and quick-connect mechanisms, in accordance with some embodiments, a solution is provided to enable easy installation or removal of heat-generating assemblies from a system housing, and to provide leak resistance when connecting/disconnecting fluid pipes.
In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US08/77345 | 9/23/2008 | WO | 00 | 3/14/2011 |