CN110679207B

CN110679207B - Cooling device

Info

Publication number: CN110679207B
Application number: CN201780091199.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邓实; 朱涛
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2017-05-25
Filing date: 2017-05-25
Publication date: 2021-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-25
Also published as: CN110679207A; WO2018214096A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling device assembled from at least one heat sink module and at least one heat pipe module, wherein the heat sink module has a base in thermal contact with a device to be cooled and a heat sink structure attached to the base, and the heat pipe module has at least one heat pipe attached to the base in the assembled state of the cooling device. And the substrate has at least one groove for receiving an evaporator end of the heat pipe, the at least one groove opening onto and extending within a surface of the substrate.

Description

Cooling device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cooling device for cooling an electronic apparatus.

Background

With the rapid development of electronic technology, electronic devices having high power density are widely used. The more power-dense electronic devices, the more they rely on superior cooling schemes for stable and efficient operation. The cooling solution is advantageous not only in its efficient cooling capacity, but also in effective control of volume and cost. In particular, in the large background of the irreversible trend toward high-density, high-integration, high-frequency, and miniaturized electronic devices, it is particularly significant to seek a high-performance, miniaturized, and low-cost cooling system.

The cooling devices currently used mainly include fin assemblies, heat pipe radiators, vapor chamber radiators, water-cooled panel radiators, thermoelectric radiators, synthetic jet radiators, and immersion cooling devices, to meet different cooling requirements. Among these cooling devices, a heat sink is widely used because of its simple manufacture and low cost.

However, in the case of a high heating power, if the heat sink is used to dissipate heat, the heat dissipation requirement may not be satisfied because the heat dissipation capability of the heat sink is limited. Alternatively, to meet larger heat dissipation requirements, the heat sink has to be designed with a large fin density, large volume, or associated with strong air flow, which can result in significant cost increases. On the other hand, if a heatpipe radiator having improved heat radiation efficiency over a heat sink is used, although the heat radiation requirement can be satisfied, a significant cost increase is incurred because the heatpipe radiator itself is expensive.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a cooling device that is compatible with existing electronic devices while meeting heat dissipation requirements in high heat generation power situations, while also being small in size and economical.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a cooling device for cooling an electronic apparatus, which has a significantly improved heat dissipation performance as compared to a simple heat sink, is compact in structure and does not significantly increase the cost as compared to a simple heat sink, and is compatible with an existing electronic apparatus, i.e., can be directly mounted in the electronic apparatus instead of a heat sink without changing the existing structure and layout of the electronic apparatus.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a cooling device assembled from at least one heat sink module and at least one heat pipe module, wherein the heat sink module has a base in thermal contact with a device to be cooled and a heat sink structure attached to the base, and the heat pipe module has at least one heat pipe attached to the base in an assembled state of the cooling device. And the substrate has at least one groove for receiving an evaporator end of the heat pipe, the at least one groove opening onto and extending within a surface of the substrate.

According to a preferred embodiment, the groove opens onto a first surface of the substrate in thermal contact with the cooled device.

According to another preferred embodiment, the groove opens onto a second surface of the substrate, which is arranged opposite to the first surface of the substrate, which is in thermal contact with the device to be cooled.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the evaporator section of the heat pipe having a circular cross-section received in the groove is machined to have a flat outer surface such that when the heat pipe is received in the groove, the flat outer surface emerges from the groove and lies in a common plane with the first surface of the substrate.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the cooling device further comprises a bottom plate attached to the base at the first surface, the bottom plate being provided with a groove portion on its side facing the base corresponding to the groove, such that the groove on the base and the groove portion on the bottom plate together form a substantially circular groove for receiving the evaporation section when the bottom plate is attached to the base.

According to another preferred embodiment, the base comprises a through hole extending from the groove to a second surface of the base, which is arranged opposite the first surface, the evaporator section of the heat pipe being received within the groove when the heat pipe is attached to the base, and the condenser section of the heat pipe extending from the groove through the base via the through hole and substantially perpendicularly from the second surface of the base to the surroundings.

According to another preferred embodiment, the base is configured as a rectangular plate-like structure, and the surface of the base on which the grooves are opened and/or the surface to which the fin structure is attached is any one of an upper bottom surface and a lower bottom surface of the plate-like structure, respectively.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the cooling device comprises at least two fin modules, wherein in an assembled state of the cooling device the at least two fin modules are abutted side by side such that the respective slots in the fin modules are aligned with each other to form a continuous slot for receiving the evaporator end.

Drawings

The features of the present invention and its advantages may be further understood by reading the following detailed description of some exemplary preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are as follows:

fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of a cooling apparatus 1 for cooling an electronic device or the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1;

fig. 3 shows a front view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1;

fig. 4 shows a top view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1;

fig. 5 shows a front perspective view of a cooling device 101 for cooling an electronic apparatus or the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a variant of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1-4;

fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a variant of the cooling device shown in fig. 5;

fig. 8 shows a perspective view of a cooling device 401 for cooling an electronic apparatus or the like according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of the cooling device 401 shown in FIG. 8;

fig. 10 shows a perspective view of one of the heat sink modules 402 in the cooling device 401 shown in fig. 8;

fig. 11 is a perspective view of a cooling device 501 for cooling an electronic apparatus or the like according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows an exploded view of the cooling device 501 shown in FIG. 11;

fig. 13 shows a perspective view of one of the heat sink modules 502 in the cooling device 501 shown in fig. 11;

fig. 14 is a perspective view of a cooling device 601 for cooling an electronic apparatus or the like according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 shows a perspective view of one heat sink module 602 in the cooling device 601 shown in fig. 14;

fig. 16 is a front perspective view of a cooling apparatus 701 for cooling an electronic device or the like according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the cooling device 701 shown in FIG. 16;

fig. 18 shows a front perspective view of the heat sink module 702 in the cooling device 701 shown in fig. 16; and is

Fig. 19 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the heat sink module 702 shown in fig. 18.

Detailed Description

Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts or elements.

As used herein, directional terminology, such as "front," "back," "left," "right," "up," "down," "top," "bottom," etc., is described with reference to the positioning and orientation of the components as illustrated in the figures of the specification. These terms are used only to more clearly describe the relative positions of the components and are not intended to limit absolute positions.

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of a cooling device 1 for cooling electronic equipment and the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1, fig. 3 shows a front view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1, and fig. 4 shows a top view of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the cooling device 1 includes a heat sink module 2 and a heat pipe module 3, and the heat sink module 2 and the heat pipe module 3 are assembled together to form the cooling device 1. Wherein the heat sink module 2 has a base 4 in direct or indirect thermal contact with a device to be cooled and a heat sink attached to the base 4. The heat pipe module 3 comprises at least one heat pipe 8 and at least one fin 9 arranged on a condensation section 10 of the heat pipe 8 for helping the condensation section of the heat pipe to radiate heat outwards.

In this embodiment, the base 4 is configured as a plate-like structure, in particular a rectangular (see fig. 4) plate-like structure, one surface of which, in particular the lower surface 17 shown in fig. 2, is in thermal contact with the device to be cooled, while two sets of fins, a first set of fins 18 and a second set of fins 19, are attached to the surface opposite the surface in thermal contact with the device to be cooled, i.e. the upper surface 15 shown in fig. 1, and each set of fins comprises a plurality of fins 5 extending upwardly substantially perpendicular to the upper surface 15 of the base 4. In particular, the two sets of

fins

18 and 19 are arranged with a spacing on the upper surface 15 of the base 4, in particular in a left region of the upper surface 15 adjacent to the left border of the upper surface 15 and in a right region adjacent to the right border of the upper surface 15, respectively. Thus, a space 23 for receiving the condenser section 10 and its fins 9 is defined between the first and second sets of

fins

18, 19.

In particular, the heat sink 5 extends over the entire width of the upper surface 15 of the substrate 4, i.e., the extension of the heat sink 5 in the width direction of the substrate 4 is equal to the width of the upper surface 15 of the substrate 4.

It should be noted here that the first and second groups of

fins

18 and 19 may have identical or symmetrical structures as shown in the drawing, but may be provided to have different structures as the case may be. For example, the number, shape, size and/or distribution of the fins 5 in the two sets of fins may differ.

Further, the heat sink module 2 has a groove 11 opened on a lower surface 17 of the base 4, which is in thermal contact with a device to be cooled, and a through hole 13 communicating the groove 11 with an upper surface 15 of the base 4. In the assembled state of the cooling device 1, the evaporator end 12 of the heat pipe 8 is received in the groove 11, while the condenser end 10 of the heat pipe 8 projects upward from the upper surface 15 of the base 4 through the through-hole 13.

In particular, the through hole 13 opens on an intermediate section 16 of the substrate 4 between a first set of fins 18 and a second set of fins 19. Thereby, in the assembled state of the cooling device 1, the condensation section 10 protruding upwards from the base 4 via the through hole 13 is positioned in the space 23 between the first set of fins 18 and the second set of fins 19.

In particular, the fins 9 may abut or be connected to the outer side walls of the first and second sets of

fins

18, 19 adjacent to the fins 9, so that a heat conductive connection may be formed between the fins 9 and the heat sink 5, thereby facilitating the establishment of a more uniform temperature field throughout the cooling device 1 to avoid the formation of significant "hot spots" or "cold spots".

In particular, the fins 9 are configured to extend, in the assembled state of the cooling device 1, above the upper surface 15 of the base 4, over the entire width of this upper surface 15, parallel to the upper surface 15.

Preferably, the shape and size of the fins 9 are substantially identical to the shape and size of the space directly above the base 4, which is bounded by the first and second sets of

fins

18, 19, whereby, as shown in fig. 4, the fins 9 just completely shield the middle section 16 of the base 4 when the assembled cooling device 1 is viewed from above.

Preferably, the fins 9 may be connected to the outer side walls of the first and second sets of

fins

18, 19 and/or the outer side walls of the condenser section 10 of the heat pipe 8 by means of a thermally conductive adhesive, mechanical interference fit, sintering or by means of welding.

Preferably, the geometric shape of the first set of fins 18, the second set of fins 19 and/or the array of fins 9 is a cube or cuboid. Of course, the first set of fins 18, the second set of fins 19 and/or the fins 9 may also be designed in other shapes as the case may be, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, the shape of the heat pipe 8 is designed in a U-shape. Wherein the two end sections of the U-shaped heat pipe form a condensation section 10 and the bottom section between the two end sections forms an evaporation section 12. Thus, when the heat pipe module 3 is assembled to the heat sink module 2, the evaporation section 12 extends horizontally along the slot 11 within the slot 11 and the condensation section 10 extends vertically upward through the through hole 13. Of course, the heat pipe 8 may also be designed in other shapes, as is known to the person skilled in the art. In particular, the evaporation section 12 of the heat pipe 8 is not limited to a straight line and may be provided to extend in a meandering manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the evaporator end 12 of the heat pipe 8 extends only at the middle section 16 of the base 4. Additionally or alternatively, the evaporator end 12 may also extend over a section of the substrate 4 directly below the first set of fins 18 and the second set of fins 19. In addition, the number of the heat pipes 8 included in the cooling device 1 may be set as the case may be, and is not limited to the two illustrated.

Further, the structure and number of the grooves 11 may be set accordingly according to the structure and number of the evaporation stages 12 to be installed. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 17 of the base 4 is perforated with two linearly extending grooves 11 to accommodate the linearly extending evaporator sections 12 of the two heat pipes 8. Also, in this embodiment, the grooves 11 are configured as bidirectional through grooves that open to both the front and rear outer sides of the base 4 as shown in fig. 1, which simplifies the machining of the grooves as compared with non-through grooves.

Further, the heat pipe 8 is fixed to the heat sink module 2 in one or more of the following connection manners: soldering the heat pipe 8 to the substrate 4 at the evaporator end 12; filling a heat-conducting adhesive between the heat pipe 8 and the substrate 4 in the groove 11 and/or the through hole 13; the heat pipe 8 is force-or form-fitted in the groove 11 and/or in the through-hole 13; the heat pipe 8 is fixed to the heat sink module 2 by connecting the fins 9 to the first set of fins 18 and/or the second set of fins 19.

Further, an advantageous design of the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is that: the evaporator end 12 of the heat pipe 8, which is located in the groove 11, is machined to have a flat bottom surface 14 such that the lower surface 17 of the base 4 and the flat bottom surface 14 of the evaporator end 12 are in a common plane (see fig. 3), whereby both the lower surface 17 of the base 4 and the evaporator end 12 of the heat pipe are in substantial surface thermal contact with the device being cooled.

Another advantageous design of the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is that: each set of fins is provided with a closure 6 on the side remote from the base 4, which closure 6 is attached to the end of each fin of the set of fins opposite the base 4 (the upper end in fig. 1-4) and closes the air flow channel 7 between each two fins 5 of the set of fins from the upper side. Thereby it is achieved that: not only the heat dissipation area of each group of radiating fins is enlarged, but also a stable and consistent cooling air flow path is formed.

Furthermore, in order to create a uniform flow of cooling air, an air flow generating device (not shown), such as a fan or blower, may be provided.

The assembly process of the cooling device 1 will be explained below. First, the base 4 of the heat sink module 2 and the at least one heat pipe 8 of the heat pipe module 3 are provided; the heat pipe 8 is then installed from below the substrate 4 such that the condenser section 10 of the heat pipe 8 extends from the channel 11 through the through hole 13 and into the space above the substrate 4 until the evaporator section 12 of the heat pipe 8 is received within the channel 11. The heat pipe 8 may then be secured to the substrate 4 using suitable connections as described above. Wherein the heat sink 5 may already be attached to the base 4 before the heat pipe 8 is assembled to the base 4, e.g. may be integrally formed with the base 4, or may be attached to the base 4 after the heat pipe 8 is assembled to the base 4. Also, the fins 9 may be already attached to the heat sink 5 before the heat pipe 8 is assembled to the base 4, or may be attached to the heat pipe 8 after the heat pipe 8 is assembled to the base 4. The heat pipe 8 and the heat sink 5 may be connected by, for example, soldering.

The operation of the cooling device 1 will be described below. The heat dissipated by the cooled device is guided into the substrate 4 and the evaporation section 12 from the lower surface 17 of the substrate 4 and the flat bottom surface 14 of the evaporation section 12 of the heat pipe 8, and further, the heat guided into the substrate 4 is conducted to the first group of heat dissipation fins 18 and the second group of heat dissipation fins 19, and is dissipated to the surrounding environment from the first group of heat dissipation fins 18 and the second group of heat dissipation fins 19, and the heat guided into the evaporation section 12 of the heat pipe 8 is carried to the condensation section 10 of the heat pipe 8 by the movement of the phase change medium in the heat pipe, and is released by the phase change of the phase change medium at the condensation section 10 and is dissipated outwards by the fins 9. Therefore, the cooling device 1 cools the cooled device through at least two ways, namely solid heat conduction and fluid phase change, and compensates the deficiency of the heat dissipation power of the heat dissipation fins by the heat pipes with high heat dissipation power, and simultaneously compensates the disadvantage of the heat pipes on economic benefit by the heat dissipation fins with low cost, thereby obtaining the cooling device with high heat dissipation power and high cost benefit.

Fig. 5 shows a front perspective view of a cooling device 101 for cooling an electronic apparatus or the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of simplicity, the same parts of the cooling device 101 and the cooling device 1 will not be described in detail, and only the differences will be described below. The cooling device 101 according to this embodiment has a base 120 attached to the lower surface 117 of the base 104 of the heat sink module 102 in addition to the heat sink module 102 and the heat pipe module 103. Thus, the lower surface 122 of the base 120 is in thermal contact with the cooled device as an introduction surface of the cooling device 102. Also, the base 104 is similarly opened with an upper groove 111 as the base 4 in the above embodiment, and the surface of the base 120 disposed opposite to the base 104 is correspondingly opened with a lower groove 121. When the base 120 is attached to the base 104, the upper groove portion 111 of the base 104 and the lower groove portion 121 of the base 120 together form a groove for receiving an evaporation section (not shown in the drawings) of the heat pipe 108.

This structure has the following advantages: since it is no longer necessary to additionally machine a flat bottom surface 14 (fig. 3) on the evaporator end of the heat pipe 108 for surface thermal contact with the device being cooled, the manufacturing process is simplified, and possible damage or damage to the heat pipe 108 caused by this additional machining step is reduced, while the robustness of the heat pipe 108 is increased.

In particular, both the upper groove portion 111 and the lower groove portion 121 may be provided as a bidirectional through groove like the groove 11 of fig. 1, i.e., provided to open to both front and rear sides of the base 104 as shown in fig. 5.

In addition, in order to enhance the heat transfer between the evaporation section of the heat pipe 108 and the substrate 104 and the base 120, the evaporation section may be in sufficient direct contact with the grooves 111 and 121 (for example, the evaporation section is shaped and fitted in the grooves 111 and 121), or a thermal interface material, such as a thermal paste, for increasing the contact area may be filled between the heat pipe 108 and the

grooves

111 and 121 in the

grooves

111 and 121. Further, to secure the heat pipe 108 to the substrate 104, the heat pipe 108 may be welded to the substrate 104 and/or the base 120, or the heat pipe 108 may be force-fit within the

grooves

111, 121 via a closing force between the substrate 104 and the base 120. These means for enhancing thermal contact and the means for mechanical fixing can be flexibly combined depending on the situation.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a variant of the cooling device 1 shown in fig. 1-4. The cooling device 201 shown in fig. 6 differs from the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment mainly in that: the heat sink is not provided with the closure 6 shown in fig. 1-4. Thus, the air flow channels 207 between the fins 205 in each set of fins are open upward. This design not only reduces the volume of the cooling device 201 by omitting the closing part 6, but is particularly suitable for the following cases: due to the high distribution density and/or high aspect ratio of the fins 205 in each set of fins, it is difficult to manufacture the fin module 202 with the closed portions or to stably attach, such as by bonding or welding, the closed portions to the fins 205; or such machining or attachment may result in a high rejection rate or require significant effort and cost. Furthermore, the cooling device 201 without the closing part 6 is also particularly suitable for the following cases: after the cooling unit 201 is in place, the upper ends of its fins 205 may contact or be in close proximity to a larger heat-dissipating surface, such as the wall of the housing of the unit to be cooled. In this case, the larger heat-dissipating surface has the same or similar effect as the closing part 6, so that it is no longer necessary to provide the closing part 6 exclusively.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a modification of the cooling device shown in fig. 5. The cooling device 301 shown in fig. 7 differs from the cooling device 101 shown in fig. 5 mainly in that: the closures described above are not provided. The advantages and applicability of this design have been described in detail in describing the embodiment of fig. 6 and will not be described again.

Fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a cooling device 401 for cooling electronic equipment or the like according to a third embodiment of the present invention, fig. 9 illustrates an exploded view of the cooling device 401 illustrated in fig. 8, and fig. 10 illustrates a perspective view of one heat sink module 402 in the cooling device 401 illustrated in fig. 8.

As shown in fig. 8 to 10, the cooling device 401 according to this embodiment is different from the foregoing cooling devices mainly in that: a slot 411 in substrate 404 for receiving evaporator end 412 of heat pipe 408 opens onto an upper surface 415 of substrate 404. Thus, in the assembled state of the cooling device 401, the evaporation section and the condensation section of the heat pipe 408 are located on the same side of the substrate 404, so that the above-described through hole for passing the condensation section through does not need to be formed in the substrate.

Thus, the cooling device 401 can be manufactured in the following manner: a heat sink module 402 comprising a base 404 and a heat sink 405 and a heat pipe module 403 comprising a heat pipe 408 and fins 409 are machined separately and then the heat pipe module 403 is assembled to the heat sink module 402 from above such that the evaporator end 412 of the heat pipe 408 of the heat pipe module 403 is received within the slot 411 of the heat sink module 402. Such an opening position of the slot 411 enables a modular manufacturing manner for the cooling device, thereby greatly simplifying the manufacturing process of the cooling device.

Further, the cooling apparatus 401 shown in FIGS. 8-10 differs from the cooling apparatus described above, which includes only one heat sink module and one heat pipe module, by having two structurally identical heat sink modules 402-1 and 402-2 and one heat pipe module 403. This provides a technical idea of: the number of the heat sink modules and the number of the heat pipe modules in the cooling device can be specifically selected according to specific needs, and even the same cooling device can be provided with a plurality of heat sink modules with different structures and/or a plurality of heat pipe modules with different structures.

Still further, the slot 411 may be provided as a bi-directional through slot as in the above embodiments, i.e., provided to open to the front and rear sides of the substrate 404 shown in fig. 10. Thus, in assembling a cooling device from two heat sink modules 402-1 and 402-2 and one heat pipe module 403, first, the two heat sink modules 402-1 and 402-2 are arranged side by side with each other in such a way that the slot 411-1 of the heat sink module 402-1 and the heat sink module 402-2 and slot 411-2 are aligned with each other, whereby the slots 411-1 and 411-2 together form a continuous slot for receiving the evaporator end 412 of the heat pipe 408. At the same time, the space 423-1 between the two sets of fins 418-1 and 419-1 of fin module 402-1 and the space 423-2 between the two sets of fins 418-2 and 419-2 of fin module 402-2 form a continuous space for receiving the condenser section 410 and fins 409 after the two fin modules 402-1 and 402-2 are arranged alongside one another. Heat pipe module 403 is then assembled to heat sink modules 402-1 and 402-2 from above such that evaporator section 412 is received within the continuous channel.

Since two heat sink modules are associated with one heat pipe module, the dimension of the fins 409 in the width direction of the base 404 can be set to twice the width of the heat sink module 402, as can be clearly seen in the exploded view of fig. 9. This sizing significantly increases the heat dissipation area of the heat pipe.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a cooling device 501 for cooling electronic equipment or the like according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 12 is an exploded view of the cooling device 501 shown in fig. 11, and fig. 13 is a perspective view of one heat sink module 502 in the cooling device 501 shown in fig. 11. The cooling device 501 according to this embodiment differs from the cooling device according to the third embodiment mainly in structure in that: the groove 511 is not provided as a bidirectional through groove that opens to the circumferential side of the base 504 at both ends thereof, but is provided as a unidirectional through groove that opens to the circumferential side of the base 504 only at one end thereof. Thus, the cooling device can be assembled by taking the following steps: the two fin modules 502-1 and 502-2 are arranged side-by-side with the sides thereof each penetrated by the slot 511 facing each other so that the slot 511-1 of the fin module 502-1 and the slot 511-2 of the fin module 502-2 together form a continuous slot for receiving the evaporator end 512 of the heat pipe 508.

This structure is suitable for an application where a thermal mass is required to be large because the thermal mass of the substrate is increased because the grooves 511 are not designed as bidirectional grooves, as compared with the structure having bidirectional grooves according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a cooling device 601 for cooling electronic equipment or the like according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 15 shows a perspective view of one heat sink module 602 in the cooling device 601 shown in fig. 14. An important feature of the cooling device 601 according to this embodiment is that: the condenser section 610 and fins 609 of the heat pipe 608 are completely circumferentially surrounded by the fins 605 of the heat sink module 602.

This embodiment provides a technical idea of: the arrangement of the heat sink fins and the condenser section on the surface of the substrate is not limited to the manner described in the above embodiments, i.e., the condenser section occupies the middle section of the surface of the substrate and the heat sink fins occupy the both side sections of the surface of the substrate. Rather, the condenser section and the heat sink can occupy the surface of the substrate in various suitable ways.

The embodiment also provides a technical idea that: the condenser section of the heat pipe is not limited to the arrangement of the above embodiments, i.e., directly exposed to the ambient environment on opposite lateral sides. Instead, it may be exposed to the surroundings in various suitable ways, for example it may be arranged as in this embodiment that none of the four lateral sides is directly exposed to the surroundings, or it may also be arranged that one, three, even four or that two adjacent lateral sides or a part of one lateral side is directly exposed to the surroundings.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 15, each heat sink module 602 is provided with, in addition to the first set of heat sinks 618 and the second set of heat sinks 619, a third set of heat sinks 630 located between the first set of heat sinks 618 and the second set of heat sinks 619, connecting the first set of heat sinks 618 and the second set of heat sinks 619. The third set of fins 630 have the same height as the first and second sets of

fins

618, 619, but do not extend the full width of the base 604 as the first and second sets of

fins

619, 618, but extend only a portion of the width of the base 604 at a location adjacent one of the front and rear sides of the base 604, thereby forming a "reentrant" configuration (in plan view) with the first and second sets of

fins

618, 618. The slot 611 is located in the area of the upper surface 615 of the base 604 not covered by the three sets of

fins

618, 619 and 630, i.e. in the recess of the "reentrant" configuration, and opens to the other of the front and rear sides of the base 604.

In assembling the cooling device 601 from two heat sink modules 602-1 and 602-2 and one heat pipe module 603, the two heat sink modules 602-1 and 602-2 may first be arranged side by side with their respective sides penetrated by the slot 611 facing each other, so that the slot 611 of the heat sink module 602-1 and the slot 611 of the heat sink module 602-2 together form a continuous slot for receiving the evaporator section (hidden from view and therefore not shown) of the heat pipe 608, while the three sets of fins of the heat sink module 602-1 and the three sets of fins of the heat sink module 602-2 enclose a space 623 for accommodating the condenser section 610 and the fins 609. The heat pipe 608 with the fins 609 is then inserted into the space 623 from above until the evaporator end of the heat pipe 608 is positioned within the continuous groove.

In a preferred embodiment, the space has a rectangular shape in horizontal cross-section.

Fig. 16 is a front perspective view of a cooling device 701 for cooling electronic equipment and the like according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 17 is a bottom perspective view of the cooling device 701 shown in fig. 16, fig. 18 is a front perspective view of a heat sink module 702 in the cooling device 701 shown in fig. 16, and fig. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the heat sink module 702 shown in fig. 18.

An important difference between the cooling device 701 according to this embodiment and the cooling devices according to the foregoing embodiments is that the arrangement of the heat sink 705 and the condenser section 710 of the heat pipe 708 on the surface of the substrate 704 is different. Specifically, in this embodiment, the heat sink module 702 has only one set of heat sinks 718, and the set of heat sinks 718 is positioned between one side condenser section 710-1 and the other side condenser section 710-2 of the U-shaped heat pipe 708 on the upper surface 715 of the base 704. That is, the set of fins 718 occupies a middle section of the upper surface 715 of the substrate 704, and the two side condenser sections 710-1 and 710-2 of the heat pipe 708 occupy two side sections of the upper surface 715 of the substrate 704 that are located on either side of the middle section.

In addition, another important difference of this embodiment from the cooling device of the foregoing embodiments is that: the height of each fin 705 in a set of fins 718 is set to be different. Accordingly, the set of fins 718 is also correspondingly not provided with the closures described above.

In particular, the height distribution of fins 705 in the fin group is designed to accommodate an airflow generating device (not shown) such as a fan or blower. More specifically, the height of the fin 705 at the center position in the fin group is the highest, and the height of the fin gradually decreases from the center position toward the outside (as shown in fig. 16 to 18).

Further, a groove 711 for receiving an evaporation section 712 of the heat pipe 708 is opened on a surface of the base 704 opposite to the surface to which the heat sink 705 is attached, i.e., on a lower surface 717 shown in fig. 16. Thus, one side of heat pipe 708, condenser section 710-1, extends through substrate 704 at one side of fin set 718, and the other side of heat pipe 708, condenser section 710-2, extends through substrate 704 at the opposite side of fin set 718.

In particular, the channel 711 may be designed as a bi-directional channel, in particular as a straight bi-directional channel extending over the entire length of the substrate.

It should be noted that the features described in the above embodiments may be combined with each other to form new embodiments, and these new embodiments also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover all such modifications, substitutions and changes as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

List of reference numerals

1 Cooling device

2 Heat sink module

3 heat pipe module

4 base

5 Heat sink

6 closing part

7 air flow passage

8 heat pipe

9 Fin

10 condensation section

11 groove

12 evaporation stage

13 through hole

14 bottom surface of the evaporation section

15 upper surface of the substrate

16 middle section of the substrate

17 lower surface of the substrate

18 first set of fins

19 second set of fins

23 space (c)

101 cooling device

102 heat sink module

103 heat pipe module

104 base

108 Heat pipe

111 upper groove part

117 lower surface

120 base

121 lower groove part

122 bottom surface of the base

201 cooling device

202 heat sink module

205 heat sink

207 air flow passage

301 cooling device

401 cooling device

402. 402-1 and 402-2 heat sink modules

403 heat pipe module

404 substrate

405 heat sink

408 heat pipe

409 Fin

410 condensation section

411. 411-1 and 411-2 slots

412 evaporation stage

415 upper surface of the substrate

418-1, 418-2, 419-1 and 419-2 fin sets

423-1 and 423-2 space

501 cooling device

502. 502-1 and 502-2 heat sink modules

504 substrate

508 heat pipe

511. 511-1 and 511-2 slots

512 evaporation section

601 cooling device

602. 602-1 and 602-2 heat sink modules

603 heat pipe module

604 substrate

605 radiating fin

608 Heat pipe

609 fin

610 condensation section

611 groove

615 the upper surface of the substrate

618 first set of heat sink fins

619 second set of heat sinks

623 space

630 third group of radiating fins

701 cooling device

702 heat sink module

703 heat pipe module

704 substrate

705 heat sink

708 heat pipe

710. 710-1 and 710-2 condenser stages

711 groove

712 evaporation section

715 upper surface of the substrate

717 lower surface of substrate

718 radiating fin group

Claims

1. A cooling device assembled from at least two heat sink modules and at least one heat pipe module, wherein the heat sink module has a base in thermal contact with a device to be cooled and a heat sink structure attached to the base, the heat pipe module having at least one heat pipe attached to the base in an assembled state of the cooling device, the heat pipe module further having a fin attached to a condenser section of the heat pipe, the base having at least one groove for receiving an evaporator section of the heat pipe, the at least one groove opening in and extending within a surface of the base, the heat sink structure comprising at least two sets of heat sinks arranged spaced apart on the base;

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the slots are located between adjacent sets of fins, and in an assembled state of the cooling device, the at least two fin modules are abutted side-by-side together such that corresponding slots in the fin modules are aligned with one another to form a continuous slot for receiving the evaporator section and spaces of each fin module located between adjacent sets of fins are aligned with one another to collectively receive the condenser section and fins thereof of the heat pipe.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1,

the slot opens on a first surface of the substrate in thermal contact with the cooled device.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1,

the slot opens on a second surface of the substrate that is opposite the first surface of the substrate that is in thermal contact with the cooled device.

4. The cooling device according to claim 2,

the evaporator section of the heat pipe having a generally circular cross-section received in the groove is machined to have a flat outer surface such that when the heat pipe is received in the groove, the flat outer surface is exposed from the groove and lies in a common plane with the first surface of the substrate.

5. The cooling device according to claim 2,

the cooling device further comprises a base plate attached to the base at the first surface, the base plate being provided with a groove portion corresponding to the groove on a side thereof facing the base, such that the groove on the base and the groove portion on the base plate together form a groove for receiving the evaporation section when the base plate is attached to the base.

6. The cooling device according to claim 2,

the base includes a through hole extending from the slot to a second surface of the base disposed opposite the first surface, an evaporator end of the heat pipe being received within the slot when the heat pipe is attached to the base, and a condenser end of the heat pipe extending through the base via the through hole and extending substantially perpendicularly from the second surface of the base to an ambient environment.

7. Cooling arrangement according to any of claims 2-6,

-the heat sink structure is attached to the substrate at a second surface of the substrate, which is arranged opposite to the first surface; and/or

-the heat sink structure comprises at least one set of heat sinks extending substantially perpendicularly from the surface of the substrate; and/or

-the fins comprise a closure for closing off an air flow channel between the fins at a side of the fins opposite the substrate; and/or

-in the assembled state of the cooling device, the fins abut against or are connected to the outside of the heat sink structure; and/or

-in an assembled state of the cooling device, the condensation section of the heat pipe is positioned on the same side of the substrate as the heat sink structure; and/or

-the groove is configured as a straight through groove open at its two ends to the circumferential sides of the base, respectively; and/or

-the heat pipe is configured as a U-shaped heat pipe.

8. Cooling arrangement according to any of claims 1-6,

the base is configured as a rectangular plate-like structure, and the surface of the base on which the grooves are opened and/or the surface to which the fin structure is attached is the bottom surface of the plate-like structure.

9. The cooling apparatus according to claim 8,

-the fins extend over the entire width or length of the bottom surface of the plate-like structure; and/or

-in the assembled state of the cooling device, the fins extend over a bottom surface of the plate-like structure, over the entire width or length thereof, parallel to the bottom surface; and/or

-the heat sink structure comprises two sets of heat sinks, wherein the two sets of heat sinks have the same or a symmetrical structure and are arranged with a spacing on a bottom surface of the substrate in the following manner: the two groups of radiating fins occupy two end regions of the bottom surface opposite in the length or width direction; and, in an assembled state of the cooling device, the condenser section of the heat pipe extends through the base between the two sets of fins; and/or

The heat sink structure comprises a set of heat sinks located on a central region of a bottom surface of the base, and, in the assembled state of the cooling device, the condenser section of the heat pipe extends through the base at opposite sides of the set of heat sinks.

10. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 9,

in an assembled state of the cooling device, the at least two heat sink modules abut side by side such that the heat dissipating structures in the at least two heat sink modules together define a space for receiving the condenser section of the heat pipe.