Folded fin heat transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9754857-B2
Application number	US-200913201243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2009
Priority date	Mar 23, 2009
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A system for cooling a heat producing device is provided. The system can include an air mover ( 110 ) wherein at least a portion of the discharge airflow ( 115 ) is directed radially outward. The system can also include a thermal conduit ( 120 ) and a thermal member ( 130 ). The thermal member can have a first surface ( 135 ), a second surface ( 140 ) and at least one integrally formed heat exchange surface ( 150 ). At least a portion of the heat exchange surface ( 150 ) can be at least partially disposed in the air mover discharge airflow ( 115 ). At least a portion of the first surface ( 135 ) can be disposed proximate the thermal conduit ( 120 ). At least a portion of the second surface ( 140 ) can be disposed proximate the air mover ( 110 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchange system comprising:
an air mover wherein at least a portion of the air mover discharge airflow is directed radially outward;
a thermal conduit;
a thermal member having a first surface, a second surface and at least one integrally formed heat exchange surface integrally formed as a single unitary body with the first surface and the second surface;
wherein at least a portion of the heat exchange surface is at least partially disposed in the air mover discharge airflow;
wherein at least a portion of the first surface is disposed proximate the thermal conduit; and
wherein at least a portion of the second surface is disposed proximate the air mover.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the thermal conduit is at least partially bonded to at least a portion of the thermal member using a thermally conductive medium.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the thermally conductive medium is selected from the group of media consisting of: a heat transfer mastic, solder, and thermally conductive bonding strips.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal conduit is selected from the group of conduits consisting of: a solid metallic member, a hollow heat pipe and a hollow vapor chamber having a wick at least partially disposed therein.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal conduit comprises a conduit having at least a first end and a second end;
wherein at least a portion of the first end is disposed proximate a heat producing device selected from the group of devices consisting of: a computing device central processing unit (CPU), computing device graphical processing unit (GPU), a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), computing device read only memory (ROM), computing device random access memory (RAM); and
wherein at least a portion of the second end is disposed proximate the thermal member.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal member comprises a planar member having at least one exterior edge; and
wherein the at least one integral heat exchange surface comprises:
cutting a plurality of parallel voids along at least a portion of the one exterior edge to provide a plurality of parallel fins; and
folding at least a portion of the parallel fins about a transverse axis of the thermal member to that through an arc of at least 60° as measured between a longitudinal axis of the thermal member and a longitudinal axis of each of the rotated parallel fins.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising independently rotating at least a portion of each of the plurality of parallel fins through an arc of at least 30° about the longitudinal axis of each of the fins.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal member comprises a single plate providing the first surface, the second surface and the heat exchange surface, the single plate comprising a first aperture therethrough to direct axial airflow from the air mover and second apertures therethrough to direct radial airflow from the air mover.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the single plate comprises a planar portion comprising the first aperture and a folded edge portion comprising the second apertures, wherein the thermal conduit is at least partially bonded to the planar portion between the folded edge portion and the first aperture.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the planar portion extends in a plane, wherein the folded edge portion extends on a first side of the plane and wherein the thermal conduit is at least partially bonded to the planar portion on a second side of the plane.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal member comprises a single plate providing the first surface, the second surface and the heat exchange surface, the single plate supported adjacent the air mover and folded so as to be impacted by both axial discharge airflow and radial discharge airflow from the air mover.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal member comprises:
a folded edge portion comprising a wall comprising:
a face forming the exchange surface, the face having a surface area and extending perpendicular to and across a radial discharge direction of airflow from the air mover; and

apertures through the wall, wherein a majority of the surface area of the face is imperforate.

13. A method for cooling a heat producing device ( 910 ), comprising:
conveying heat from the heat producing device via a thermal conduit having a first end and a second end;
transferring at least a portion of the conveyed heat from the thermal conduit to a thermal member comprising a metallic member having a first surface, a second surface, at least one exterior edge, and at least one integral heat exchange surface integrally formed as part of a single unitary body with the first surface and the second surface;
wherein at least a portion of the first surface is disposed proximate the thermal conduit; and

directing at least a portion of an air mover radial discharge airflow across at least a portion of the heat exchange surface;
wherein at least a portion of the heat exchange surface is disposed in the air mover radial discharge airflow; and
wherein the heat exchange surface comprises a plurality of parallel fins folded about a transverse axis of the thermal member, the fins having minor dimension edges and major dimension faces, the faces extending in a single plane perpendicular to air mover discharge airflow; and
wherein the folded parallel fins form an arc of at least 60° as measured between a longitudinal axis of the thermal member and a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of folded parallel fins.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the thermal conduit is selected from the group of conduits consisting of: a heat pipe and a vapor chamber.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising independently rotating at least a portion of each of the parallel fins by at least 30° about an axis perpendicular to a plane of the thermal member.

16. A system comprising:
an air mover adapted to discharge at least a portion of the discharge airflow in a radial outward direction;
a thermal conduit;
a planar thermal member having a first surface, a second surface and at least one integral heat exchange surface integrally formed as part of a single unitary body with the first surface and the second surface;
wherein at least a portion of the at least one integral heat exchange surface is at least partially disposed in the air mover discharge airflow;
wherein at least a portion of the thermal member forms at least a portion of a housing about the air mover; and
wherein at least a portion of the first surface is disposed proximate the thermal conduit;
wherein the heat exchange surface comprises a plurality of parallel fins folded at an angle of at least 30° measured with respect to an axis perpendicular to a plane of the thermal member.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the thermal conduit is at least partially bonded to at least a portion of the thermal member using a thermally conductive medium selected from the group of heat transfer media consisting of: a heat transfer mastic, solder, and thermally conductive bonding strips.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the thermal conduit is selected from the group of conduits consisting of: a solid metallic member, a hollow heat pipe, and a hollow vapor chamber having a wick at least partially disposed therein.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the thermal conduit comprises a conduit having at least a first end and a second end;

Assignees

• Tracy Mark S
• Moore Earl W
• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Tracy Mark S
• Moore Earl W

Classifications

• H10W40/43 Primary

  by flowing gases, e.g. forced air cooling · CPC title

• H01L23/467 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2924/0002

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2924/00

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title