Cooling device with nested chambers for computer hardware

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880595-B2
Application number	US-201615176842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

The present invention is notably directed to a cooling device, e.g., for computer hardware. The device comprises a deformable, outer chamber, having at least one thermally conducting section, the latter suited for thermally contacting a heat source of a computer hardware. The outer chamber is deformable upon a pressure increase therein. The cooling device further comprises at least one inner chamber nested in the outer chamber, the inner chamber expandable in volume upon a pressure increase therein. The invention is further directed to a computer hardware apparatus comprising such a cooling device, or stacks of such cooling devices paired with respective set of electronic components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling device, comprising: a deformable, outer chamber comprising at least one thermally conducting section, suited for thermally contacting a heat source, wherein the outer chamber is deformable upon a pressure increase therein; and at least one inner chamber nested in the outer chamber, the inner chamber expandable in volume upon a pressure increase therein; and wherein said at least one section is a thermally conducting, deformable section, and is deformable upon a pressure increase in the outer chamber; wherein the at least one deformable section comprises one or more hinges and is connected to a remaining section of the outer chamber by said one or more hinges, said remaining section being substantially less deformable than said at least one deformable section.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein said outer chamber comprises a set of thermally conducting, deformable sections, wherein: each of said deformable sections comprises one or more hinges and is connected to the remaining section of the outer chamber by said one or more hinges, said remaining section being substantially less deformable than each of said deformable sections; and said deformable sections are suitably arranged for thermally contacting respective heat sources.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more hinges are concertinaed.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer chamber comprises a first liquid having a first boiling point, at which the first liquid changes into a first vapor, so as to increase the thermal conductivity of the outer chamber.

5. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein
the inner chamber comprises a second liquid having a second boiling point that is lower than the first boiling point, at which second boiling point the second liquid changes into a second vapor to thereby increase pressure in the inner chamber, so as to expand the latter in volume and increase pressure in the outer chamber.

6. The cooling device according to claim 5 , wherein:
the outer chamber comprises a first liquid having a first boiling point, at which the first liquid changes into a first vapor; and
a difference between said second boiling and said first boiling point is between 20 C and 40 C.

7. The cooling device according to claim 4 , wherein
said first boiling point is between 50 C and 120 C.

8. The cooling device according to claim 5 , wherein
said second boiling point is between 20 C and 40 C.

9. The cooling device according to claim 1 , further comprising
at least one compressibly deformable thermal interface material attached to the outer chamber, so as to allow said at least one thermally conducting section to thermally contact said heat source.

10. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer chamber further comprises a wicking structure extending over an inner area of the outer chamber.

11. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein
an average thickness of a material forming the outer chamber is between 50 μm and 1000 μm.

12. The cooling device according to claim 11 , wherein
said material forming the outer chamber is a metal alloy.

13. A computer hardware apparatus comprising:
a support with at least one electronic component, and
at least one cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one thermally conducting section is in thermal communication with said at least one electronic component.

14. The computer hardware apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein:
said at least one section of the cooling device is a thermally conducting, deformable section, and is deformable upon a pressure increase in the outer chamber, and wherein the at least one deformable section comprises one or more hinges and is connected to a remaining section of the outer chamber by said one or more hinges, said remaining section being substantially less deformable than said at least one deformable section,

the apparatus further comprising:
a compressibly deformable thermal interface material attached to the outer chamber of the cooling device vis-à-vis said at least one deformable section, such that the latter is in thermal communication with said at least one electronic component via said thermal interface material, and wherein,
said at least one deformable section is deformable upon a pressure increase in the outer chamber so as to compress said thermal interface material at the level of said at least one electronic component.

15. The computer hardware apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein:
said support comprises a set of electronic components,
said outer chamber of said cooling device comprises a set of thermally conducting, deformable sections, wherein:
each of said deformable sections comprises one or more hinges and is connected to the remaining section of the outer chamber by said one or more hinges, said remaining section being substantially less deformable than each of said deformable sections; and
said deformable sections are suitably arranged for thermally contacting respective heat sources,

and wherein:
each of said deformable sections is in thermal communication with a respective one of the electronic components via a respective portion of the thermal interface material; and
each of said deformable sections is deformable upon a pressure increase in the outer chamber, so as to compress a respective portion of the thermal interface material at the level of a respective one of the electronic components.

16. The computer hardware apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
said support comprises a set of electronic components and wherein said outer chamber of said cooling device comprises a set of thermally conducting, deformable sections, wherein:
each of said deformable sections comprises one or more hinges and is connected to the remaining section of the outer chamber by said one or more hinges, said remaining section being substantially less deformable than each of said deformable sections; and

said deformable sections are suitably arranged for thermally contacting respective heat sources,

and wherein:
the apparatus further comprises a set of compressibly deformable thermal interface materials attached to the outer chamber of the cooling device vis-à-vis each of the deformable sections, such that each of the deformable sections is in thermal communication with a respective one of the electronic components via a respective one of the thermal interface materials; and
each of said deformable sections is deformable upon a pressure increase in the outer chamber so as to compress a respective one of the thermal interface materials at the level of a respective one of the electronic components.

17. The computer hardware apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the outer chamber of the cooling device comprises several inner chambers, each nested in the outer chamber and expandable in volume upon a pressure increasing therein.

18. The computer hardware apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the apparatus comprises:
a stack of at least two supports, each having at least one electronic component, and wherein:
said at least one thermally conducting section of said cooling device is in thermal communication with at least one electronic component of one of the two supports, and
the two supports and the at least one cooling device are mounted in the apparatus, so as for said one of the two supports and the cooling device to be removable in isolation from the other one of the two supports.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brunschwiler Thomas
• Meijer Ingmar
• Michel Bruno
• Paredes Stephan
• Schlottig Gerd

Classifications

• H05K7/2029

  using a liquid coolant with phase change in electronic enclosures (in cabinets of standardized dimensions H05K7/20536; in server cabinets H05K7/20709; in vehicle electronic casings H05K7/20845; in power control electronics H05K7/2089; in displays H05K7/20954) · CPC title

• H05K7/2039

  characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body (arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00) · CPC title

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20309

  Evaporators · CPC title

• H05K7/20318

  Condensers · CPC title