Title: Heat dissipating device with heat pipe
Abstract: A heat dissipating device incorporating heat pipes is disclosed. The heat dissipating device includes a base (10), a plurality of heat-dissipating fins (30) and at least one heat pipe (20). The base defines at least a groove (13) thereon. The heat pipe comprises an evaporating portion (22) received in the groove and a condensing portion (21) extending through the fins. The evaporating portion of the heat pipe is curved so as to increase contact surface between the evaporating portion and the base. The condensing portion of the heat pipe extends perpendicularly away from the base.
Patent Number: 7,025,125 Issued on 04/11/2006 to Sheng, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Sheng; Jian-Qing (Shenzhen, CN);
Lee; Meng-Tzu (Tu-cheng, TW);
Lin; Shu-Ho (Tu-cheng, TW)
|
| Assignee:
|
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Taipei Hsien, TW)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
892062 |
| Filed:
|
July 15, 2004 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Feb 04, 2004[CN] | 200420044463 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
165/104.33; 165/104.21; 165/80.4; 361/697; 361/704; 361/700; 257/715; 174/15.2 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
F28D 15/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
165/803,185,104.26,104.21,104.33
361/700
257/714-176
174/152
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5651414 | Jul., 1997 | Suzuki et al.
| |
| 5697428 | Dec., 1997 | Akachi.
| |
| 6102110 | Aug., 2000 | Julien et al.
| |
| 6167619 | Jan., 2001 | Beagle.
| |
| 6189601 | Feb., 2001 | Goodman et al.
| |
| 6394175 | May., 2002 | Chen et al.
| |
| 6625021 | Sep., 2003 | Lofland et al.
| |
| 2003/0000689 | Jan., 2003 | Kuo et al.
| |
| 2003/0024687 | Feb., 2003 | Cheng et al.
| |
| 2004/0035558 | Feb., 2004 | Todd et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 00210761.9 | Dec., 2000 | CN.
| |
| 496133 | Jul., 2002 | TW.
| |
Primary Examiner: McKinnon; Terrell
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A heat dissipating device, comprising:
a base defining at least one groove at a surface thereof;
a plurality of heat-dissipating fins arranged above the base and directly facing
the surface; and
at least one heat pipe for transferring heat from the base to the fins, said
at least one heat pipe comprising an evaporating portion attached in said at least
one groove and a condensing portion extending through said fins,
wherein the evaporating portion of said at least one heat pipe is curving in
configuration and said at least one groove has a mating configuration with the
evaporating portion for increasing contact surfaces between said at least one heat
pipe and the base.
2. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein the evaporating portion of
said at least one heat pipe is arc-shaped.
3. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein said at least one heat pipe
further comprises another condensing portion and the evaporating portion is disposed
between the condensing portion and the another condensing portion.
4. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein said at least one heat pipe
comprises the evaporating portion at an end thereof and the condensing portion
at an opposite end thereof.
5. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein the condensing portion of
said at least one heat pipe extends away and substantially perpendicularly from
the base.
6. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein the heat-dissipating fins
are arranged parallel to the surface of the base.
7. The heat dissipating device of claim 1, wherein the evaporating portion of
said at least one heat pipe is approachable to said at least one curving groove
of the base and attachable therein only along a direction from a location of the
fins toward the base.
8. A heat dissipating device comprising:
a base defining at least one groove at a surface thereof;
at least one heat pipe comprising an evaporating portion received in said at
east one groove and a condensing portion extending out of said at least one groove
without passing through said base; and
a plurality of heat-dissipating fins attached to said at least one heat pipe
and stacked along the condensing portion,
wherein the evaporating portion of said at least one heat pipe is substantially
enclosed by the base cooperating with the fins and is curving in configuration
for increasing contact surfaces between said at least one heat pipe and the base,
wherein said at least one heat pipe further comprises another condensing portion
and the evaporating portion is disposed between the condensing portion and the
another condensing portion.
9. The heat dissipating device of claim 8, wherein the evaporating portion of
said at least one heat pipe is arc-shaped.
10. The heat dissipating device of claim 8, wherein said at least one heat pipe
comprises the evaporating portion at an end thereof and the condensing portion
at an opposite end thereof.
11. A heat dissipating device comprising:
a heat receiver for receiving heat from a heat source;
at least one heat pipe comprising an evaporating portion contacting the heat
receiver and a condensing portion extending away from the heat receiver; and
a plurality of fins attached to said at least one heat pipe and stacked along
the condensing portion,
wherein said at least one heat pipe absorbs heat from the heat receiver via the
evaporating portion and transfers the heat to the fins via the condensing portion,
and the entire evaporating portion is continuously curving for increasing contact
surfaces between the evaporating portion and the heat receiver,
wherein the heat receiver comprises a first surface in which said at least one
groove is defined and a second surface opposing to the first surface, and the fins
and said at least one heat pipe both are located beside and away from the second
surface of the heat receiver.
12. The heat dissipating device of claim 11, wherein the heat receiver defines
at least one groove having a mating configuration with the evaporating portion
of said at least one heat pipe, and the evaporating portion of said at least one
heat pipe is received in said at least one groove.
13. The heat dissipating device of claim 11, wherein the evaporating portion
of said at least one heat pipe is arc-shaped.
14. The heat dissipating device of claim 13, wherein said at least one heat pipe
further comprises another condensing portion and, the evaporating portion is disposed
between the condensing portion and the another condensing portion.
15. The heat dissipating device of claim 11, wherein said at least one heat pipe
comprises the evaporating portion at an end thereof and the condensing portion
at an opposite end thereof.
16. The heat dissipating device of claim 11 wherein the evaporating portion of
said at least one heat pipe is not physically contactable to the heat source.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to heat dissipating devices for removing
heat from heat-generating devices, and more particularly to a heat dissipating
device incorporating heat pipes for promoting heat dissipation effect thereof.
BACKGROUND
Computer electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs) generate
lots of heat during normal operation. If not properly removed, such heat can adversely
affect the operational stability of computers. Solutions must be taken to efficiently
remove the heat from the CPUs. Typically, a heat sink is mounted on a CPU to remove
heat therefrom, and a fan is often attached to the heat sink for improving heat-dissipating
efficiency of the heat sink. The heat sink commonly comprises a base and a plurality
of heat-dissipating fins arranged on the base.
Nowadays, CPUs and other related computer electronic devices are becoming
functionally more powerful and more heat is produced consequently, resulting in
an increasing need for removing the heat away more rapidly. Conventional heat sinks
made of metal materials, even a fan is used, gradually cannot satisfy the need
of heat dissipation. Accordingly, another kind of heat dissipating device incorporating
heat pipes has been designed to meet the current heat dissipation need, as the
heat pipe possesses an extraordinary heat transfer capacity and can quickly transfer
heat from one point to another thereof. Commonly, a heat pipe consists of a sealed
aluminum or copper container with the internal walls lined with a capillary wick
structure that is filled with a working fluid. As the heat pipe absorbs heat at
one end thereof, fluid is vaporized, and a pressure gradient is formed in the pipe.
This pressure gradient forces the vapor to flow along the pipe from the one end
to the other end where the vapor condenses and gives out its latent heat of vaporization.
The working fluid is then returned back to the one end of the pipe via the capillary
forces developed in the wick structure. When used, an end of the heat pipe is attached
to the base of a heat sink, and the other end of the heat pipe is attached to a
plurality of heat-dissipating fins of the heat sink. Thus the heat generated by
electronic devices is conducted to the base and then rapidly transferred to the
heat-dissipating fins via the heat pipe for further dissipating to ambient air.
However, the above-mentioned heat dissipating device incorporating heat
pipes has a disadvantage that the heat pipe has a small contact surface with the
base of the heat sink. Thus the heat dissipation effect is still not satisfactory.
Therefore, it is desired to design a novel heat dissipating device to
overcome the aforementioned problems and increase the heat dissipation effect thereof.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat
dissipating device incorporating heat pipes which has a large contact surface with
the heat sink so as to increase the heat dissipation effect thereof.
In order to achieve the object set out above, a heat dissipating device for removing
heat from heat-generating devices in accordance with the present invention comprises
a heat receiver, a plurality of heat-dissipating fins and at least one heat pipe.
The heat receiver defines at least a groove at a surface thereof. The heat pipe
comprises an evaporating portion received in the groove of the heat receiver and
a condensing portion extending away from the heat receiver. The fins are attached
to the heat pipe and stacked along the condensing portion. The heat pipe absorbs
heat from the heat receiver via the evaporating portion and transfers the heat
to the fins via the condensing portion. The evaporating portion of the heat pipe
is curved in configuration, and the groove of the heat receiver has a mating configuration
so as to increase contact surface between the heat pipe and the heat receiver,
thereby increasing the heat dissipation effect of the heat dissipating device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will
become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a heat dissipating device in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the heat dissipating device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1, but showing four heat pipes and not showing the
fins; and
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of another kind of heat pipe of the heat dissipating device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present
invention in detail.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a preferred embodiment of a heat dissipating device in
accordance with present invention. The heat dissipating device comprises a heat
receiver such as a base
10, a plurality of spaced heat-dissipating fins
30 and two heat pipes
20 thermally connecting the base
10
with the fins
30.
The base
10 has a top surface
11 and a bottom surface
12
opposite to the top surface
11. The bottom surface
12 of the base
10 is for contacting a heat-generating device (not shown). The base
10
defines a pair of symmetrical grooves
13 in the top surface
11 thereof.
Each heat pipe
20 has two condensing portions
21 and an evaporating
portion
22 disposed between the two condensing portions
21. The evaporating
portion
22 of the heat pipe
20 is curved to form a continuous arc-shaped
configuration, or alternatively bent to form a substantial U shape configuration
or other configurations. The groove
13 of the base
10 has a mating
shape with the evaporating portion
22. The two condensing portions
21
of each heat pipe
20 are parallel with each other, and preferably but not
necessarily, extend perpendicularly from the evaporating portion
22. The
fins
30 are arranged above the base
10, and each of the fins
30
are parallel to the top surface
11 of the base
10 and directly faces
the top surface
11 thereof. Alternatively, the fins
30 may be disposed
in a direction perpendicular to the base
10 or otherwise disposed. Each
of the fins
30 symmetrically defines two pairs of holes
31 thereon,
which is located adjacently to two opposite side edges of each of the fins
30.
In assembly, the heat pipes
20 are attached to the base
10 and
the
evaporating portions
21 are received in the grooves
13 of the base
10 for increasing contact surface between the heat pipes
20 and the
base
10. The condensing portions
21 extend through the holes
31,
and as a result, the fins
30 are attached to and stacked along the condensing
portions
21. The fins
30 is in close proximity to the top surface
11 so that the evaporating portion
22 of the heat pipe
20
is substantially enclosed by the base
10 cooperating with the fins
30.
The heat pipes
20 is attached to the base
10 and the fins
30
by means of soldering, bonding or being interferentially received in the grooves
13 or holes
31.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when the base
10 is in thermally
conductive relation to the heat-generating device, the heat pipes
20 absorbs
heat from the base
10 via the evaporating portions
22 and transfers
the heat to the fins
30 via the condensing portions
21, and further
the fins
30 spread the heat to ambient air.
The number of heat pipes
20 incorporated in the heat dissipating device
and the grooves
13 defined in the base
10 can be designed according
to actual applications. As illustrated in FIG. 3, four heat pipes
20a
are used. Each heat pipe
20a is almost the same as the heat pipe
20 of FIG. 1 and has an arc-shaped evaporating portion
22a which
is attached to a corresponding groove
13a defined in a base
10a.
FIG. 4 shows another kind of heat pipe
20b suitable for the heat
dissipating device of the present invention. The heat pipe
20b has
an evaporating portion
22b at an end thereof and a condensing portion
21b at an opposite end thereof. The evaporating portion
22b
of the heat pipe
20b is arc-shaped so as to increase the contact
surface with a base.
The heat dissipating device of the present invention has achieved much better
heat dissipation effect due to the evaporating portions of the heat pipes
20,
20a,
20b are curved in shape thereby increasing the
contact surface between the heat pipes and the base to which the heat pipes are
attached. Selectively, a fan unit can attach to the heat dissipating device for
providing forced airflow to further enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of
the heat dissipating device.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and
advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description,
together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure
is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters
of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention
to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which
the appended claims are expressed.
*
