Cooling for slot mounted electrical modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10856446-B2
Application number	US-201815892101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 8, 2018
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A cooling manifold positioned on an electrical or computer to provide liquid cooling for a plurality of slot-mounted electrical modules received in a corresponding plurally of module slots arranged in faceplate assembly of an electrical or computer card is described and illustrated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a manifold comprising a housing that encloses an interior cavity, the interior cavity configured to receive a cooling fluid within the interior cavity and to circulate the cooling fluid throughout the interior cavity; and
a plurality of pedestals, each of the pedestals individually and flexibly coupled to the housing and comprising an interior surface in fluid communication with the interior cavity, wherein each pedestal is configured to extend outward from a bottom surface of the housing when a fluid pressure is present within the interior cavity, and wherein each of the pedestals is formed from a thermally conductive material configured to transfer heat from an exterior surface of the pedestal to the interior surface of the pedestal through the thermally conductive material,
wherein the manifold is configured to be positioned adjacent to a plurality of module slots of a faceplate assembly of a card, and each of the plurality of pedestals positioned adjacent to one of the plurality of module slots so that each of the pedestals, when extended away from the bottom surface of the housing, is configured to physically contact an electrical module received in respective module slots of the faceplate assembly adjacent to the pedestal and provide a thermal path to conduct heat from the electrical module to the interior cavity through the pedestal,
wherein the interior cavity is configured to receive and contain the cooling fluid having the fluid pressure, and
wherein the interior surface of each of the plurality of pedestals is configured to receive the fluid pressure at the interior surface and to exert a pressure through the pedestal onto the exterior surface of the electrical module received at the module slot adjacent to the pedestal based at least in part of the received fluid pressure.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pedestals are individually coupled to the bottom surface of the housing through a flexible bellows comprising a folded series of ridges and valleys.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pedestals are individually coupled to the bottom surface of the housing through a flexible bellows comprising beryllium copper.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pedestals are individually coupled to the bottom surface of the housing through a flexible bellows comprising a rubber compound.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pedestals are formed from a material comprising aluminum.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pedestals are formed from a material comprising copper.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one pedestal of the plurality of pedestals comprises a flat planar top surface having a rectangular shape comprising a length and a width dimension configured to allow the top surface of the pedestal to physically contact and thermally couple to an exterior surface of the electrical module received in the module slot of the faceplate assembly adjacent to the pedestal.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one pedestal comprises a first ramp comprising a sloped surface extending from a pedestal base of the pedestal to a first end of the top surface of the pedestal, wherein the first ramp is configured to engage the exterior surface of the electrical module as the electrical module is being received in the module slot adjacent to the pedestal, and to urge the top surface of the pedestal in a direction toward the bottom surface of the housing to allow the electrical module to extend along the top surface of the pedestal as the electrical module is being inserted into the module slot.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one pedestal comprises a second ramp comprising a sloped surface extending from the pedestal base of the pedestal to a second end of the top surface of the pedestal, wherein the second ramp is configured to engage the exterior surface of the electrical module as the electrical module is being extracted from the module slot adjacent to the pedestal, and to urge the top surface of the pedestal in a direction toward the bottom surface of the housing to allow the electrical module to extracted from the module slot along the top surface of the pedestal.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed of a material comprising a thermally non-conductive material.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one pedestal of the plurality of pedestals comprises a set of heat sink fins coupled to the interior surface of the at least one pedestal.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a first portion in fluid communication with a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises the bottom surface having the plurality of pedestals individually and flexibly coupled to the bottom surface, and wherein the second portion comprises a second portion bottom surface configured to be mechanically coupled to a circuit board of the card where the manifold is to be installed to secure a position of the manifold relative to the faceplate assembly of the card.

13. A cooling system for an electrical or computer card, the cooling system comprising:
a circuit board comprising a faceplate assembly, the faceplate assembly comprising a plurality of module slots, each module slot configured to receive and slot-mountable electrical module and electrically couple to the electrical module once the electrical module is received in the module slot;
at least one manifold secured to the circuit board or to the faceplate assembly, and positioned adjacent to the faceplate assembly, the at least one manifold comprising:
a housing that encloses an interior cavity, the interior cavity configured to receive a cooling fluid within the interior cavity and to circulate the cooling fluid throughout the interior cavity,
a plurality of pedestals, each of the pedestals individually and flexibly coupled to the housing and comprising an interior surface in fluid communication with the interior cavity, wherein each pedestal is configured to extend outward from a bottom surface of the housing when a fluid pressure is present within the interior cavity, and wherein each of the pedestals is formed from a thermally conductive material configured to transfer heat from an exterior surface of the pedestal to the interior surface of the pedestal through the thermally conductive material,
wherein the manifold is positioned to have each of the plurality of pedestals positioned adjacent to one of the plurality of module slots so that each of the pedestals, when extended away from the bottom surface of the housing, is configured to physically contact an electrical module received in the module slot of the faceplate assembly adjacent to the pedestal and provide a thermal path to conduct heat from the electrical module to the interior cavity through the pedestal; and

a set of tubing coupling the at least one manifold to a source of cooling fluid, the tubing configured to provide fluid communication between the source of cooling fluid and the at least one manifold.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one manifold includes a plurality of manifolds, each of the plurality of manifolds secured to the circuit board or to the faceplate assembly, wherein each of the plurality of manifolds comprises a plurality of pedestals positioned adjacent to a different set of module slots of the faceplate assembly, and wherein each of the plurality of pedestals is configured to provide cooling to an electrical module received in a module slot of the set of module slots that is located adjacent to the pedestal.

Assignees

• Juniper Networks Inc

Inventors

• Boyden Franklin D
• Leung Jimmy Chun-Chuen

Classifications

• H05K7/20445

  the coupling element being an additional piece, e.g. thermal standoff · CPC title

• H05K7/20772 Primary

  within server blades for removing heat from heat source · CPC title

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title

• G06F1/181

  Enclosures (for portable computers G06F1/1613) · CPC title

• H05K7/20272

  Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds · CPC title