Patent Application
20130037242
1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a heat pipe, and more particularly, to a thin-type heat pipe structure that is used to guide heat generated by an electronic heat source.
2. Related Art
The exacerbating problems caused by electronic heat sources can be resolved by using heat pipes to conduct or dissipate heat generated by electronic products. Replacing cooling structures formed by cooling fins with heat pipes seems to be the future development trend. However, because electronic products generally have to be light, thin, short, and small, only a small space can be provided to heat pipes. As a result, the industry desires to have new heat pipe designs to resolve the problem.
A conventional heat pipe generally includes a round pipe, a capillary structure, and a working fluid. Inside the round pipe there is a containing chamber. The capillary structure is set inside the containing chamber and stuck to the inner surface of the pipe. The working fluid is filled in the containing chamber and accumulated in the capillary structure. As a whole, these parts form a conventional heat pipe structure.
However, conventional heat pipes are round and hence are not suitable for electronic products that should be as thin as possible. Furthermore, the capillary structure is a single-configuration structure. If the density of the capillary structure is high, the inner air will flow out swiftly when receiving heat, causing the heat receiving area to dry out quickly. If the density of the capillary structure is low, the heat pipe will be inefficient in conducting heat, and resulting in some problems that must be resolved.
The present invention provides a thin-type heat pipe structure. By staking and arranging several capillary structures, the present invention speeds up inner air's outflow and inner liquid's backflow.
In one aspect, the thin-type heat pipe structure of the present invention comprises a flat pipe, having two boards corresponding to each other and a containing chamber surrounded by the two boards, a first capillary structure being set up on the inner surface of the boards; a second capillary structure, contained inside the containing chamber and covering a part of the first capillary structure; a third capillary structure, being a stripe, contained inside the containing chamber and clipped in between the second capillary structure and another part of the first capillary structure; and a working fluid, filled in the containing chamber.
In another aspect, the thin-type heat pipe structure of the present invention comprises a flat pipe, having two boards corresponding to each other and a containing chamber formed between the two boards, the height of the two boards and the containing chamber being below 1.5 millimeters, a first capillary structure being set on the inner surface of the boards; a second capillary structure, contained inside the containing chamber and covering a part of the first capillary structure; a third capillary structure, being a stripe, contained inside the containing chamber and clipped in between the second capillary structure and another part of the first capillary structure; and a working fluid, filled in the containing chamber.
The present invention stakes capillary structures of different densities and segments some air passages. A first capillary structure has a low density and hence allows evaporated air to flow out quickly. A second capillary structure has a medium density and hence can accumulate inner liquid and prevent dry out. The third capillary structure has a high density and hence can facilitate inner air's flow. The third capillary structure further accumulates much liquid to supply for the second capillary structure's need. The staking of the capillary structures enhances the overall capillary absorption force.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
Please refer to
The flat pipe 10 is made up of materials with good heat conductivity and good ductility, such as copper or copper alloy. It is formed by pressing a round pipe and hence has a flat shape. In this embodiment, the pipe 10 is a stripe formed by an upper board 11 and a lower board 12 that correspond to each other. Each of the upper and lower boards 11 and 12 is formed by a lateral flat section and a longitudinal curved section that extends from the lateral flat section. As shown in
The second capillary structure 20 is a mesh structure formed by a plurality of metal lines. This mesh structure has single or multiple layers. The directions of the metal lines can be parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the third capillary structure 30, or be diagonal. This feature is not shown in the figures. The mesh-shaped second capillary structure 20 is contained in the containing chamber 13, and a face of the second capillary structure 20 covers the underneath first capillary structure 14. The second capillary structure 20 provides internal liquid accumulation to avoid the dry out situation. Furthermore, the interior of the second capillary structure 20 has a plurality of holes. The interval between these holes is smaller than the interval between the furrows 141 of the first capillary structure 14. As a result, the density of the second capillary structure 20 is higher than that of the first capillary structure 14.
The third capillary structure 30 is a rectangular stripe. It is a component formed by sintered metal powder. In this embodiment there are two stripes of third capillary structures 30. In another embodiment, there can be only one or multiple third capillary structures 30. The third capillary structures 30 are contained in the containing chamber 13, and clipped between another face of the second capillary structure 20 and the above first capillary structure 14. As shown in
The working fluid 40, as shown in
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including configurations ways of the recessed portions and materials and/or designs of the attaching structures. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
