Flexible thermally-conductive shunt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10321606-B2
Application number	US-201715471798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2017
Priority date	Mar 28, 2017
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods associated with a flexible thermally conductive shunt are disclosed herein. The flexible thermally conductive shunt may include a thermally conductive element, the thermally conductive element being flexible. The flexible thermally conductive shunt may further include a thermally conductive member thermally coupled to the thermally conductive element. The thermally conductive member may include a shell and a cavity. The shell may be sealed to the thermally conductive element, wherein the thermally conductive element extends through a discontinuity of the shell. The cavity may be formed at a center of the thermally conductive member and enclosed by the shell, wherein a first portion of the thermally conductive element extends within the cavity and a second portion of the thermally conductive element extends out of the thermally conductive member via the discontinuity of the shell. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermally-conductive apparatus, comprising:
a flexible thermally-conductive element; and
a thermally-conductive member, thermally coupled to the flexible thermally-conductive element, including:
a shell sealed to the flexible thermally-conductive element, wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element extends through a discontinuity of the shell; and
a cavity formed at a center of the thermally-conductive member and enclosed by the shell, wherein a first portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element extends within the cavity and a second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element extends out of the thermally-conductive member via the discontinuity of the shell, and wherein the first portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element located within the cavity is sintered and the second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element that extends out of the thermally-conductive member is not sintered.

2. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element includes thermally-conductive one or more wires.

3. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element is a thermally-conductive ribbon or a flexible, thermally-conductive metal.

4. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-conductive member is a heat pipe with sealed ends.

5. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the discontinuity is a first sealed end of the sealed ends of the heat pipe.

6. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cold block, wherein the second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element that extends out of the thermally-conductive member is thermally coupled to the cold block, the cold block to conduct heat from the thermally-conductive member to a coolant system via the flexible thermally-conductive element.

7. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the discontinuity of the shell is located at an angle to a location that the flexible thermally-conductive element is thermally coupled to the cold block, and wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element extends between the discontinuity of the shell and the location in a flexed manner.

8. A thermally-conductive apparatus, comprising:
a flexible thermally-conductive element; and
a thermally-conductive member, thermally coupled to the flexible thermally-conductive element, wherein the thermally-conductive member is a heat pipe with sealed ends, and wherein the thermally-conductive member includes:
a shell sealed to the flexible thermally-conductive element, wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element extends through a discontinuity of the shell, and wherein the discontinuity is a first sealed end of the sealed ends of the heat pipe; and
a cavity formed at a center of the thermally-conductive member and enclosed by the shell, wherein a first portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element extends within the cavity and a second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element extends out of the thermally-conductive member via the discontinuity of the shell, wherein a third portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element extends out of the heat pipe through a second discontinuity of the shell, the second discontinuity being a second sealed end of the sealed ends, the third portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element being attached to an opposite end of the first portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element from the second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element

a first cold block, wherein the second portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element that extends out of the heat pipe is thermally coupled to the first cold block;
a second cold block, wherein the third portion of the flexible thermally-conductive element that extends out of the heat pipe is thermally coupled to the second cold block, and wherein the flexible thermally-conductive element is to conduct heat between the first cold block and the second cold block;
a heat-generating component thermally coupled to the first cold block; and
a coolant system thermally coupled to the second cold block, wherein heat is transferred between the heat-generating component and the coolant system via the first cold block, the second cold block, and the flexible thermally-conductive element.

9. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a circuit board;
a processor mounted to the circuit board, wherein the first cold block is thermally coupled to the processor or a heat-generating component mounted to the circuit board; and
a coolant system thermally coupled to the second cold block, wherein heat is transferred between the processor or the heat-generating component and the coolant system via the first cold block, the second cold block, and the flexible thermally-conductive element.

10. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising thermally-conductive liquid enclosed within the thermally-conductive member.

11. The thermally-conductive apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising thermally-conductive liquid enclosed within the thermally-conductive member.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Sprenger Mark E
• Arik Kenan
• Brazel Michael S

Classifications

• F28F2255/18

  sintered · CPC title

• G06F2200/201

  Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid · CPC title

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20336 Primary

  Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps · CPC title

• F28F1/405

  and being formed of wires · CPC title