The present invention is described relative to the several views of the drawings. Where appropriate and only where identical elements are disclosed and shown in more than one drawing, the same reference numeral will be used to represent such identical elements.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a scalable and modular cooling system that removes heat generated by one or more heat generating devices within a personal computer. The heat generating devices include, but are not limited to, one or more central processing units (CPU), a chipset used to manage the input/output of one or more CPUs, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), and/or one or more physics processing units (PPUs), mounted on a motherboard, a daughter card, and/or a PC expansion card. The cooling system can also be used to cool power electronics, such as mosfets, switches, and other high-power electronics requiring cooling. In general, the cooling system described herein can be applied to any electronics sub-system that includes a heat generating device to be cooled. For simplicity, any sub-system installed within the personal computer that includes one or more heat generating devices to be cooled is referred to as a PC card.
The cooling system is configured to be scalable and modular such that as new PC cards including heat generating devices are added to the personal computer, additional cooling components are coupled to the cooling system. Additionally, already installed PC cards can be swapped for new or upgraded PC cards with corresponding alterations to the cooling system.
The cooling system is preferably configured within a personal computer chassis. Alternatively, the cooling system is configured as part of any electronics system that includes heat generating devices to be cooled. The cooling system includes one or more independent fluid-based cooling loops, an air plenum, one or more air movers, and one or more expansion slots. As described herein, reference to a single air mover is used. It is understood that the single air mover is representative of one or more air movers. Each air mover is preferably a fan. The air mover is coupled to a first end of the air plenum. The expansion slots are coupled to a second end of the air plenum. The air mover directs air through the air plenum toward the expansion slots. The air mover is coupled to the first end of the air plenum in a manner that substantially prevents air bypass between the air mover and the air plenum wall.
Each cooling loop includes a fluid-to-air heat exchanger, a pump, and at least one other heat exchanger. The components in the cooling loop are coupled via flexible fluid lines. In some embodiments, the fluid-to-air heat exchanger is a radiator. As described herein, reference to a radiator is used. It is understood that reference to a radiator is representative of any type of fluid-to-air heat exchanging system unless specific characteristics of the radiator are explicitly referenced. Each of the other heat exchangers in the cooling loop are coupled to either another heat exchanger, which is part of a different cooling loop or device, or to a heat generating device.
Each of the expansion slots functions as a receiving bay for one of the radiators. Each radiator is configured in a modular form so as to fit within any of the expansion slots coupled to the air plenum. In general, the air plenum includes N expansion slots and is scalable to receive up to N modular radiators within the N expansion slots. Each of the radiators is preferably configured to be stacked with other modular radiators. Such a configuration substantially prevents air bypass between stacked radiators. In general, each radiator is configured to be positioned adjacent to another modular radiator so as to prevent air bypass between the two. Adjacent radiators can be placed one on top of another or side-by-side.
Any expansion slots that are not used are fitted with removable blanking plates. Each blanking plate is configured so as to substantially prevent air bypass between an adjacently positioned radiator or another blanking plate. The second end of the air plenum is configured such that a radiator or a blanking plate positioned against the air plenum substantially prevents air bypass between the two. Each blanking plate includes one or more air thru-holes that allow air to pass through. The number of air thru-holes and the dimensions of each air thru-hole are configured so as to regulate an air flow-through rate through the corresponding expansion slot. In some embodiments, the configured air flow-through rate through an expansion slot fitted with a blanking plate is substantially equal to an air flow-through rate through an expansion slot fitted with a radiator. In this manner, a consistent air flow-through rate is provided through each expansion slot, regardless of whether or not the expansion slot is occupied with a radiator or a blanking plate. In other embodiments, the air flow-through rate through the blanking plate is configured according to a specific application, in which case the air flow-through rate through the blanking plate may or may not be the same as the air flow-through rate through other expansion slots. In some embodiments, the blanking plate is configured without air thru-holes.
In this configuration, the blanking plate prevents air from passing through the corresponding expansion slot.
Heat generated from a heat generating device is transferred to fluid flowing through the heat exchanger in the cooling loop. The heated fluid flows to the radiator, which is fitted within an expansion slot in the air plenum. The air mover blows air through each radiator fitted within the air plenum, thereby cooling the heated fluid flowing through each radiator. The cooled fluid then flows from the radiator back to the heat exchanger.
The radiator 10 is configured in a modular shape so as to mate to an another adjacently positioned radiator. The radiator 10 includes a modular structure 8 that includes interface surfaces 6 configured to mate with complimentary interface surfaces on the adjacently positioned radiator.
An exemplary configuration of the expansion slots is shown in
The blanking plate 60 preferably includes one or more air thru-holes (not shown) that allow air to pass through. The number of air thru-holes and the dimensions of each air thru-hole are configured so as to regulate the air flow-through rate through the expansion slot 72. In some embodiments, the configured air flow-through rate through the blanking plate 60, and therefore through the expansion slot 72, is substantially equal to an air flow-through rate through the radiator 40 in the expansion slot 74 and an air flow-through rate through the radiator 50 in the expansion slot 76. In this case, a consistent air flow-through rate is provided through each expansion slot 72, 74, 76. In other embodiments, the air flow-through rate through the blanking plate 60 is configured according to a specific application, in which case the air flow-through rate through the blanking plate 60 may or may not be the same as the air flow-through rate through the expansion slots 74, 76. In some embodiments, the blanking plate 60 is configured without air thru-holes. In this configuration, the blanking plate 60 prevents air from passing through the expansion slot 72.
The walls 78 of the air plenum 70 can be rigid or flexible, or a combination of both. For example, the portions of the walls 78 that interface with the air mover 80 and/or the expansion slots 72 and 76 are flexible to conform to the shape of any corresponding mating surfaces, while the remaining portion of the walls 78 is rigid to provide a support structure. In the preferred embodiment, the walls 78 are rigid and the portion of the walls 78 that interface with the expansion slot 72 and the expansion slot 74 are configured with complimentary mating surfaces to the radiator 40, and therefore also to the blanking plate 60, so as to substantially prevent air bypass between the wall 78 and the radiator 50 and between the wall 78 and the blanking plate 60.
The specific configuration of expansion slots with either blanking plates or radiators as shown in
Each radiator is coupled to an independent cooling loop. In particular, the radiator 50 is coupled to a first cooling loop, and the radiator 40 is coupled to a second cooling loop. The first cooling loop is independent of the second cooling loop.
The heat exchanger 92 is coupled to a heat generating device 100. Any conventional coupling means can be used to couple the heat exchanger 92 to the heat generating device 100. Preferably, a removable coupling means is used to enable the heat exchanger to be removed and reused. Alternatively, a non-removable coupling means is used. Heat generated by the heat generating device is transferred to fluid flowing through the heat exchanger 92. The heated fluid is output from the heat exchanger 92 and input to the radiator 50. Although the first cooling loop includes a single heat exchanger 92, the first cooling loop can include more than one heat exchanger coupled in series or parallel to the heat exchanger 92. In this manner, the first cooling loop can be used to cool multiple heat generating devices, where the multiple heat generating devices are all coupled to a single PC card or are distributed on multiple PC cards. The second cooling loop that includes the radiator 40 can be configured the same as or differently than the first cooling loop. Such design flexibility enables application-specific configurations for each cooling loop. Combined with various air thru-hole configurations of the blanking plates, application-specific design flexibility is further enhanced.
In an alternative embodiment, an intermediary cooling loop is coupled between the first cooling loop and the heat generating device 100.
Heat generated by the heat generating device 100 is transferred to fluid flowing through the heat exchanger 114. The heated fluid is output from the heat exchanger 114 and input to the heat exchanger 110. Heat is transferred from the heat exchanger 110 to the heat exchanger 92 via the thermal interface formed between the two. Heat transferred from the heat exchanger 110 to the heat exchanger 92 is then transferred to fluid flowing through the heat exchanger 92. The heated fluid is output from the heat exchanger 92 and input to the radiator 50. An exemplary method of transferring heat from a heat generating device to a fluid-to-air heat exchanger via two or more independent fluid cooling loops is described in detail in the co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/707,350, filed Feb. 16, 2007, and entitled “Liquid Cooling Loops for Server Applications”, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
In yet another alternative embodiment, the heat exchanger 92 of the first cooling is coupled to a thermal bus, where the thermal bus is capable of interfacing with a plurality of heat exchangers from a plurality of different cooling loops. Such a configuration is described in the co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (Cool 05201), filed on Apr. 6, 2007, and entitled “Methodology of Cooling Multiple Heat Sources in a Personal Computer Through the Use of Multiple Fluid-based Heat Exchanging Loops Coupled via Modular Bus-type Heat Exchangers”, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
In the embodiments described above, each radiator is configured to fit within a single expansion slot. In alternative embodiments, a single radiator can be configured to fit within multiple expansion slots. For example, a single radiator is configured to be the size of the radiators 40 and 50 (
It is apparent to one skilled in the art that the present cooling system is not limited to the components shown in
Additionally, although each of the embodiments described above in regards to
In some embodiments, the cooling system is configured to cool each heat generating device included within a PC chassis. In other embodiments, the cooling system is configured to cool only select heat generating devices, or only a single heat generating device, while other heat generating devices are left to be cooled by other or complimentary means.
The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of the principles of construction and operation of the invention. Such reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This Patent Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of the co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/797,955 filed May 4, 2006, and entitled “LIQUID COOLING THROUGH REMOTE DRIVE BAY HEAT EXCHANGER”. The Provisional Patent Application Ser. 60/797,955 filed May 4, 2006, and entitled “LIQUID COOLING THROUGH REMOTE DRIVE BAY HEAT EXCHANGER” is also hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60797955 | May 2006 | US |