JP7139656B2 - Cooling system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to cooling devices.

A conventional cooling device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This element cooling device has a large number of fin members, a heat receiving plate on which elements to be cooled are mounted, and a plurality of pipe members in which working fluid is enclosed. A cooling fan is arranged above the fin member. The cooling air blown from the cooling fan is guided by the guide duct and flows to the introduction port of the ventilation duct. The cooling air is branched and circulated on both sides from the central portion of each fin member. As a result, the heat transferred to one side of each fin member by the cooling air is radiated into the cooling air.

JP-A-11-307703

However, in the element cooling device disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, when the cooling air is branched to both sides from the central portion of each fin member, the cooling air collides with the pipe member, and the cooling air flows through the entire fin member. I had a difficult task.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device with enhanced cooling effect.

An exemplary cooling device of the present invention comprises a cold plate, a radiator and a pump. The cold plate is in contact with the heat-generating component and has a coolant channel through which the coolant flows. The radiator has cooling fins and a plurality of pipes connected to the coolant channel and through which the coolant flows. A pump circulates the coolant. The plurality of pipes are connected in parallel and have extensions extending along the upper surface of the cold plate above the cold plate, and the positions of the lower ends of at least two of the extensions are vertically aligned. Differently, the lower ends of the fins are located below the lower ends of the extensions and are in contact with the upper surface of the cold plate. are perpendicular to the extending direction of the fins, and the lower ends of the plurality of extending portions are sequentially positioned downward in the extending direction of the fins.

According to the exemplary invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device with enhanced cooling effect.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling device according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooling device according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of the cooling device according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the upper wall portion of the cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a top view showing the bottom wall portion of the cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to a modification of the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to a modification of the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cooling device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the present application, the direction in which the radiator 20 is arranged with respect to the cold plate 10 is called "upper side", and the side opposite to the direction in which the radiator 20 is arranged is called "lower side". Further, in the present application, the direction in which the radiator 20 is arranged with respect to the cold plate 10 is referred to as the "vertical direction", and the direction orthogonal to the "vertical direction" is referred to as the "horizontal direction". explain. However, this defines the vertical direction and the horizontal direction only for convenience of explanation, and does not limit the orientation during manufacture and use of the cooling device 1 according to the present invention.

Further, in the present application, the term “parallel direction” includes substantially parallel directions. In addition, in the present application, the term “perpendicular direction” includes a substantially perpendicular direction.

<First embodiment>
(1. Configuration of cooling device)
A cooling apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which fins 21 are omitted. 3 is a perspective view of the cooling device 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line AA in FIG.

The cooling device 1 has a cold plate 10 , a radiator 20 and a pump 30 . A radiator 20 is arranged on the cold plate 10 . The lower surface of radiator 20 contacts the upper surface of cold plate 10 . The cold plate 10 is in contact with the heat-generating component H at its lower surface. Inside the cold plate 10, a coolant channel 11 through which coolant flows is formed. The pump 30 circulates the coolant inside the cooling device 1 . The pump 30 is arranged in the coolant channel 11 (see FIG. 5). As a result, the cold plate 10, the radiator 20, and the pump 30 can be integrated to reduce the size of the cooling device 1 as a whole.

The cold plate 10 is made of metal with high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum. The cold plate 10 has a bottom wall 12 , a top wall 13 and side walls 14 . In this embodiment, the cold plate 10 is rectangular in top view. That is, the bottom wall portion 12 and the top wall portion 13 are plate-shaped and extend horizontally when viewed from above. Note that the bottom wall portion 12 and the top wall portion 13 of the present embodiment are quadrangular in top view, but are not limited to this, and may be, for example, polygonal or circular with a plurality of corners in top view. A heat-generating component H contacts the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 12 .

The side wall portion 14 connects the peripheral edges of the bottom wall portion 12 and the upper wall portion 13 . The side wall portion 14 has a first side wall portion 14 a extending upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 12 and a second side wall portion 14 b extending downward from the peripheral edge of the top wall portion 13 . The upper surface of the first side wall portion 14a and the lower surface of the second side wall portion 14b are joined.

The coolant channel 11 is formed in an internal space surrounded by the bottom wall portion 12 , the top wall portion 13 and the side wall portions 14 . A plurality of blades 12 a arranged side by side are provided inside the coolant channel 11 . The coolant flows into the coolant channel 11 through the inlet 14c and flows out of the coolant channel 11 through the outlet 14d. In this embodiment, the plurality of inlets 14c and outlets 14d are provided in the side wall portion 14 (see FIG. 5).

After horizontally flowing into the coolant channel 11 through the inlet 14c, the coolant passes between the plurality of blades 12a and flows out horizontally through the outlet 14d. In this embodiment, the refrigerant is liquid, and antifreeze liquid such as ethylene glycol aqueous solution or propylene glycol aqueous solution, pure water, or the like is used.

The radiator 20 has a plurality of pipes 23 and fins 21 for cooling. The pipe 23 communicates with the coolant channel 11 . Five pipes 23 are arranged at equal intervals in the lateral direction Y of the cold plate 10 , and the five pipes 23 are connected to the cold plate 10 in parallel. As a result, heat can be transferred from each pipe 23 to the fins 21 to efficiently cool the coolant.

The pipe 23 has an extension portion 23a and a connection portion 23b. The extending portion 23 a is arranged above the cold plate 10 and extends along the upper surface of the cold plate 10 . That is, the extending portion 23a extends linearly in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG. The positions of the lower ends of at least two extending portions 23a are different in the vertical direction. As a result, when the cooling air is blown in the direction in which the pipes 23 are arranged (the lateral direction Y), the surface area with which the cooling air is in direct contact is increased in at least two extending portions 23a. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is improved, and the cooling effect of the cooling device 1 is enhanced.

The connection portion 23b is bent downward from both ends of the extension portion 23a, and the tip of the connection portion 23b is connected to the inlet 14c and the outlet 14d. In this embodiment, each connecting portion 23b is connected to a plurality of inlets 14c and outlets 14d provided in the side wall portion 14 of the cold plate 10, respectively. The coolant horizontally flows into the coolant channel 11 from the tip of the connecting portion 23b through the inlet 14c, passes between the plurality of blades 12a, and flows horizontally through the outlet 14d to the tip of the connecting portion 23b. flow out from That is, the coolant passes between the plurality of blades 12a in one direction. Thereby, it can pass through the refrigerant|coolant flow path 11 smoothly.

In this embodiment, the lower ends of the plurality of connecting portions 23b are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the height of the cold plate 10 from increasing in the vertical direction. That is, it is possible to prevent the cooling device 1 from becoming large in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the diameters of the adjacent extension portions 23a are the same, and the lower ends of the extension portions 23a are positioned sequentially downward in the arrangement direction of the pipes 23 (lateral direction Y). As a result, each pipe 23 is brought into direct contact with the cooling air. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved.

In the present embodiment, the cooling air blown to the radiator 20 is blown in the direction of arrow D from the higher position to the lower position of the lower end of the extension portion 23a. The temperature of the cooling air blown to the radiator 20 rises downstream due to heat exchange with the pipes 23 and the fins 21 . Further, as the position of the lower end of the extending portion 23a increases, the length of the connecting portion 23b increases and the surface area of the pipe 23 increases, so the cooling performance is high. Therefore, when cooling air is blown in the direction of arrow D from the lower end of the extending portion 23a from the higher position to the lower position, the lower temperature cooling air can be brought into direct contact with the pipe 23 in order from the larger surface area. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved.

The cooling air blown to the radiator 20 flows above and below the pipe 23 . The cooling air flowing below the pipe 23 flows through the lower flow path R formed between the lower end of the extension portion 23 a and the upper surface of the upper wall portion 13 .

The lower flow path R gradually narrows in the direction of arrow D from the higher position to the lower position of the lower end of the extension portion 23a. That is, when the cooling air is blown in the direction of the arrow D, the lower flow path R on the upstream side of the cooling air is wider than the lower flow path R on the downstream side. Therefore, the cooling air flows through the lower flow path R smoothly.

In the adjacent pipes 23, the lower end of one extending portion 23a is located above the lower end of the other extending portion 23a and below the upper end of the other extending portion 23a. As a result, the cooling air flowing through the lower flow path R is less likely to escape to the outside through the gaps between the adjacent extension portions 23a, and the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved. In addition, a plurality of pipes 23 can be arranged close to each other in the vertical direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fins 21 from increasing in size in the vertical direction. That is, an increase in size of the cooling device 1 can be suppressed.

The fins 21 are formed in a flat plate shape, stand up from the upper surface of the upper wall portion 13 and extend in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the cold plate 10 has a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y, and the plurality of fins 21 extend in the lateral direction Y. As shown in FIG. Also, the plurality of fins 21 are arranged in parallel at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction X of the cold plate 10 .

In this embodiment, the fins 21 are separate members from the upper wall portion 13 . The lower ends of the fins 21 are welded to the upper surface of the upper wall portion 13 . As a result, the lower ends of the fins 21 are in contact with the upper surface of the upper wall portion 13, and heat transfer from the upper wall portion 13 to the fins 21 is improved. Note that the fins 21 and the upper wall portion 13 may be the same member. In this case, for example, the fins 21 are formed by cutting the upper surface of the upper wall portion 13 . Further, in the present embodiment, the upper ends of the fins 21 are located above the upper ends of the extension portions 23a. As a result, the heat transferred from the extending portion 23a to the fins 21 spreads above and below the fins 21, thereby improving the heat dissipation of the fins 21. As shown in FIG.

The fins 21 and the pipes 23 are welded by inserting the pipes 23 through through holes (not shown) provided in the fins 21 . In this embodiment, the fins 21 are provided only on the extending portion 23a of the pipe 23 . The fins 21 are not provided on the connection portion 23b of the pipe 23 . That is, the fin 21 is joined to the extension portion 23a but not to the connection portion 23b. As a result, the work of mounting the fins 21 on the bending connection portion 23b is omitted, and the work of mounting the fins 21 is simplified.

In the present embodiment, the fin 21 extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the extending portions 23a and traverses the plurality of extending portions 23a. As a result, the flow path of the cooling air formed between the adjacent fins 21 traverses the extending portion 23a. Therefore, the circulating cooling air promotes heat dissipation from the extension portion 23a, and the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is improved.

In the present embodiment, the direction in which the fins 21 extend is orthogonal to the direction in which the extension portions 23a extend. Thereby, the plurality of fins 21 can be closely arranged on the cold plate 10 . Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 can be improved by increasing the surface area of the fins 21 as a whole.

5 is a bottom view of the upper wall portion 13, and FIG. 6 is a top view of the bottom wall portion 12. FIG. A pump 30 is arranged on one end side of the side wall portion 14 in the lateral direction Y. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, pump 30 is a cascade pump. The pump 30 has a suction port 31a and a discharge port 31b on the other end side in the lateral direction Y. As shown in FIG. The upper wall portion 13 has a partition wall 15 protruding downward from the upper surface. The partition wall 15 extends from one end side of the upper wall portion 13 in the transverse direction Y to the other end side. The coolant channel 11 has an inflow side coolant channel 11a and an outflow side coolant channel 11b with a partition wall 15 interposed therebetween. The suction port 31a is arranged in the inflow-side refrigerant channel 11a. Also, the discharge port 31b is arranged in the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 11b.

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of blades 12a are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 12. As shown in FIG. The blade 12a is arranged between the inlet 31a and the inlet 14c and between the outlet 31b and the outlet 14d. The plurality of blades 12a are arranged in parallel. Each blade 12a has a groove portion 12b that is arranged in the center in the longitudinal direction X and is recessed downward. The upper surface of the groove portion 12b contacts the lower end of the partition wall 15. As shown in FIG. A vertical gap S is formed between the upper end of the blade 12a and the lower surface of the upper wall portion 13 (see FIG. 4).

The refrigerant that has flowed into the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 11a through the inlet 14c flows between the blades 12a and flows into the pump 30 through the suction port 31a. The coolant discharged from the discharge port 31b to the outflow-side coolant channel 11b flows between the blades 12a and flows out from the outflow port 14d. At this time, the coolant flows between the blades 12a and spreads to the inflow-side coolant channel 11a and the outflow-side coolant channel 11b. Thereby, the entire cold plate 10 is cooled by the coolant.

(2. Operation of cooling device)
A heat-generating component H to be cooled, such as a CPU, is brought into contact with the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 12 of the cold plate 10 to drive the pump 30 . Thereby, the coolant circulates through the coolant channel 11 and the pipe 23 . Heat generated by the heat generating component H is transmitted to the bottom wall portion 12 of the cold plate 10 . The heat transferred to the bottom wall portion 12 is transferred to the fins 21 through the upper wall portion 13 and also transferred to the fins 21 through the coolant flowing through the pipes 23 . As a result, heat is radiated via the fins 21, and the temperature rise of the heat-generating component H can be suppressed.

By disposing a cooling fan (not shown) on the side of the radiator 20 and blowing cooling air in the direction of the arrow D, the heat dissipation from the fins 21 and the pipes 23 is promoted as described above, and the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is improved. improve more.

7 and 8 are side cross-sectional views showing modifications of the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment. The arrangement of the pipes 23 is not limited to the pattern of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in this modified example, the positions of the lower ends of the extending portions 23a of the pipes 23 arranged at both ends in the arrangement direction (the lateral direction Y) of the pipes 23 are different in the vertical direction. However, the lower ends of the extending portions 23a of some adjacent pipes 23 are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. In this case, the surface area of the extending portion 23a that directly contacts the cooling air in the direction of the arrow D is larger than when all the lower ends of the extending portions 23a are located at the same vertical position. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is improved.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this modification, the lower end of the connecting portion 23b coincides with the lower end of the outflow port 14d. At this time, the lower end of the connecting portion 23b positioned highest is positioned below the upper end of the connecting portion 23b positioned lowest. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the height of the cold plate 10 from increasing in the vertical direction. That is, it is possible to prevent the cooling device 1 from becoming large in the vertical direction. The plurality of connection portions 23b may be arranged at positions overlapping each other in the horizontal direction, and the positions of the plurality of connection portions 23b in the vertical direction may be different.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cooling device 1 of the second embodiment, showing a state in which the fins 21 are omitted. For convenience of explanation, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are given the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, the connecting portion 23b is connected to a plurality of inlets 13a and outlets 13b provided in the upper wall portion 13, respectively.

By providing the inlet 13 a and the outlet 13 b in the upper wall portion 13 , the connection portion 23 b does not protrude to the side of the cold plate 10 . Therefore, the cooling device 1 can be downsized.

In this embodiment, the lengths of at least two extension portions 23a in the longitudinal direction X are different. As a result, when the cooling air is blown in the arrangement direction of the pipes 23 (transverse direction Y), the surface area of the extending portion 23a with which the cooling air is in direct contact is increased. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is improved.

The length of the extending portion 23a in the longitudinal direction gradually decreases in the direction in which the pipes 23 are arranged (the lateral direction Y). As a result, each connecting portion 23b of each pipe 23 is brought into direct contact with the cooling air. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved. In the present embodiment, the lower ends of the extending portions 23a are positioned downward in the direction in which the pipes 23 are arranged (the lateral direction Y). At this time, the position of the lower end of the extending portion 23a having the longest length in the longitudinal direction is positioned highest. As a result, each extending portion 23a of each pipe 23 is also brought into direct contact with the cooling air. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved.

In this embodiment, the cooling air blown to the radiator 20 is blown in the direction of arrow D from the longer side to the shorter side in the longitudinal direction X of the extension portion 23a. As a result, the cooling air having a lower temperature can be brought into direct contact with the pipes 23 in descending order of surface area. Therefore, the cooling performance of the radiator 20 is further improved.

The lower flow path R gradually narrows in the direction of arrow D from the longer side to the shorter side in the longitudinal direction X of the extension portion 23a. That is, when the cooling air is blown in the direction of the arrow D, the lower flow path R on the upstream side of the cooling air is wider than the lower flow path R on the downstream side. As a result, the cooling air flows through the lower flow path R smoothly.

Next, the effects of the present invention will be specifically described using examples and comparative examples. Table 1 shows the results of evaluating the height of the lower ends of the plurality of extending portions 23 a and the cooling performance of the cooling device 1 .

A cooling device similar to that of the first embodiment was used in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1 below.

In Example 2, the same cooling device 1 as in Example 1 is used, but the blowing direction is different as described later.

[Comparative Example 1]
In the pipe 23 according to Comparative Example 1, the positions of the lower ends of the extension portions 23a are all arranged at the same height.

[Measurement of thermal resistivity]
Table 1 shows the results of measuring the thermal resistivity R (K/W) of the cooling devices according to Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Example 1. The cooling air was blown in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the pipes 23 (lateral direction Y).

In Example 1, the cooling air was blown from the higher position of the lower end of the extension portion 23a to the lower position. Further, in Example 2, cooling air was blown from the lower end of the extending portion 23a toward the higher end.

The thermal resistivity R was measured by contacting the lower surface of the cold plate 10 with a heat source. The thermal resistivity R was calculated from the amount of temperature rise ΔT of the lower surface of the cold plate 10 with respect to the amount of heat generated ΔQ per unit time by R=ΔT/ΔQ.

[Evaluation of cooling performance]
As shown in Table 1, when the positions of the lower ends of at least two extension portions 23a are different in the vertical direction, the thermal resistivity R is lower than when the positions of the lower ends of the extension portions 23a are at the same height. It was confirmed that In addition, the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment, in which the cooling air is blown from the lower end of the extension portion 23a toward the lower end, cools the lower end of the extension portion 23a from the lower end toward the higher position. It was confirmed that the thermal resistivity R is lower and the cooling performance of the cooling device 1 is higher than that of the cooling device 1 according to the second embodiment in which air is blown.

(3. Others)
The above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention. The configuration of the embodiment may be changed as appropriate without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. Also, the embodiments may be implemented in combination within a possible range.

Although the pump 30 is arranged in the coolant channel 11 in the above embodiment, it may be arranged adjacent to the outside of the cold plate 10 .

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cooling device 10 cold plate 11 coolant channel 11a inflow side coolant channel 11b outflow side coolant channel 12 bottom wall portion 12a... blade, 12b... groove, 13... upper wall, 13a, 14c... inlet, 13b, 14d... outlet, 14... side wall, 14a... third 1 side wall portion, 14b... second side wall portion, 15... partition wall, 20... radiator, 21... fin, 22... refrigerant flow path, 23... pipe, 23a... Extension part 23b... Connection part 30... Pump 31a... Suction port 31b... Discharge port D... Arrow H... Heat generating part R... Lower flow Path, S... Gap, X... Longitudinal direction, Y... Transverse direction

Claims (11)

a cold plate having a coolant channel in which the heat-generating component and the lower surface are in contact and in which coolant flows;
a radiator having cooling fins and a plurality of pipes connected to the coolant channel and through which the coolant flows;
a pump for circulating the refrigerant,
the plurality of pipes are connected in parallel and have extensions extending along the upper surface of the cold plate above the cold plate;
the positions of the lower ends of at least two of the extending portions are different in the vertical direction;
a lower end of the fin is positioned below a lower end of the extension and is in contact with the upper surface of the cold plate;
the extending portion extends linearly,
the direction in which the fins extend and the direction in which the extension portions extend are perpendicular to each other;
The cooling device , wherein the lower ends of the plurality of extension portions are sequentially positioned downward in the direction in which the fins extend .
2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the pipes arranged at both ends in the arrangement direction of the pipes have different lower ends of the extension portions in different positions in the vertical direction.
In the adjacent pipes, the lower end of one of the extending portions is located above the lower end of the other extending portion and below the upper end of the other extending portion. Item 3. The cooling device according to any one of items 2 .
each of the pipes has a connection portion that bends downward from both ends of the extension portion;
4. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein each of said connection portions is connected to a plurality of inlets and outlets provided in said side wall portion of said cold plate.
In the plurality of connection portions, the lower end of the connection portion positioned highest is positioned below the upper end of the connection portion positioned lowest.
or,
5. The cooling device according to claim 4 , wherein the lower ends of all the connection portions are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction.
each of the pipes has a connection portion that bends downward from both ends of the extension portion;
6. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein each of said connecting portions is connected to a plurality of inlets and outlets provided on the upper wall of said cold plate.
7. The cooling device of claim 6 , wherein at least two of said extensions have different longitudinal lengths.
7. The cooling device according to claim 6 , wherein the longitudinal length of said extension portion gradually decreases in the direction in which said pipes are arranged.
The cooling device according to any one of claims 4 to 8 , wherein the fins are provided only on the extending portion of the pipe.
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein said fin extends in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of said extending portion and traverses said plurality of said extending portions.
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the upper ends of the fins are positioned above the upper ends of the extension portions.

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