Method and system for tailoring fluidic resonant frequency in a MEMS-based cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12507371-B2
Application number	US-202218082527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2022
Priority date	Dec 17, 2021
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A fluid flow system is described. The fluid flow system includes an actuator and a chamber having a feature therein. The actuator is configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal. The chamber is in communication with the actuator. The chamber is characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency. Vibration of the actuator tends to drive a fluid through the chamber. The feature is within the chamber and obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fluid flow system, comprising:
an actuator configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the actuator, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, a vibration of the actuator tending to drive a fluid through the chamber; and
a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature;
wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the actuator residing between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the feature residing in the upper chamber, the actuator being configured to direct the fluid from the upper chamber to the lower chamber in response to the driving signal.

2 . The fluid flow system of claim 1 , wherein the feature is configured to increase an effective length for the chamber.

3 . The fluid flow system of claim 1 , wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall and wherein the feature includes at least one mesa extending from the top wall.

4 . A fluid flow system, comprising:
an actuator configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the actuator, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, a vibration of the actuator tending to drive a fluid through the chamber; and a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall and wherein the feature includes at least one mesa extending from the top wall; and wherein the at least one mesa is configured such that at least seventy-five percent of the fluid is directed around the at least one mesa and not more than twenty-five percent of the fluid travels between the at least one mesa and the actuator.

5 . The fluid flow system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one mesa has a footprint configured to reduce fluidic vortices.

6 . A fluid flow system, comprising:
an actuator configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the actuator, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, a vibration of the actuator tending to drive a fluid through the chamber; and a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall and wherein the feature includes at least one mesa extending from the top wall, the at least one mesa having a footprint configured to reduce fluidic vortices, the footprint being selected from a triangle, a diamond, and a flattened diamond.

7 . A fluid flow system, comprising:
an actuator configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the actuator, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, a vibration of the actuator tending to drive a fluid through the chamber; and a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall, the top wall having a split vent therein, the split vent including a first aperture and a second aperture; and wherein the feature includes a divider wall separating the first aperture from the second aperture such that the first aperture is in fluid communication with a first portion of the chamber and the second aperture is in fluid communication with a second portion of the chamber.

8 . The fluid flow system of claim 7 , wherein the chamber is characterized by a center line, the first aperture is offset from the center line in a first direction, and the second aperture is offset from the center line in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

9 . The fluid flow system of claim 7 , wherein the split vent includes a third aperture and a fourth aperture.

10 . A fluid flow system, comprising:
an actuator configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the actuator, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, a vibration of the actuator tending to drive a fluid through the chamber; a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; and a support structure; wherein the actuator includes a central region and a perimeter, the actuator being supported by the support structure at the central region, at least a portion of the perimeter being unpinned, the at least the portion of the perimeter configured to vibrate in response to the driving signal.

11 . A cooling system, comprising:
a cooling element configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the cooling element, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, the chamber including an orifice plate having at least one orifice therein, a vibration of the cooling element tending to drive a fluid through the chamber and out the at least one orifice; and a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the cooling element residing between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the feature residing in the upper chamber, the cooling element being configured to direct the fluid from the upper chamber to the lower chamber in response to the driving signal.

12 . The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the feature is configured to increase an effective length for the chamber.

13 . The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall and wherein the feature includes at least one mesa extending from the top wall.

14 . A cooling system, comprising:
a cooling element configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication with the cooling element, the chamber being characterized by a fluidic resonant frequency, the chamber including an orifice plate having at least one orifice therein, a vibration of the cooling element tending to drive a fluid through the chamber and out the at least one orifice; and a feature within the chamber that obstructs direct flow of the fluid within the chamber such that the fluidic resonant frequency is less than a nominal fluidic resonant frequency that would exist without the feature; wherein the chamber includes an upper chamber having a top wall and wherein the feature includes at least one mesa extending from the top wall, the at least one mesa being configured such that at least seventy-five percent of the fluid is directed around the at least one mesa and not more than twenty-five percent of the fluid travels between the at least one mesa and the cooling element.

15 . A cooling system, comprising:
a cooling element configured to vibrate in response to a driving signal; a chamber in communication

Assignees

• Frore Systems Inc

Inventors

• Ganti Suryaprakash
• Mukundan Vikram
• Yalamarthy Ananth Saran
• Madhavapeddy Seshagiri Rao
• Sathyamurthy Prabhu
• Rayapati Narayana Prasad

Classifications

• 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

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20509

  Multiple-component heat spreaders; Multi-component heat-conducting support plates; Multi-component non-closed heat-conducting structures · CPC title

• G06F2200/201

  Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid · CPC title

• G06F1/203

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title