JP2005175075A - Liquid circulating type cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid circulating type cooling device wherein a water content transmission amount is reduced in a circulating system to make a reserve tank small in size, assembling into an enclosure can be eased and simplified in an electronic apparatus manufacturer, and maintenance work (exchange of CPU or the like, exchange of a device to be cooled) can be easily conducted. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid circulating type cooling device is provided with a heat receiving body 9 that is connected with a heat generating device to convey a heat therefrom to a cooling liquid, a liquid circulation pump 11 to circulate the cooling liquid, a reserve tank 12 to pool the cooling liquid, a heatsink 13 to radiate the heat to the outside of an enclosure, and a liquid piping 15 that communicates respective members and wherein the cooling liquid circulates. The liquid piping 15 is formed by combining a flexible piping 17 and a metallic fixing piping 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device that cools a heating element, and more particularly, to a liquid circulation type cooling device that cools a heating element such as an electronic device using a coolant as a heat transfer medium.

  In recent years, the performance of personal computers has been increasing, and in particular, the amount of heat generated by circuit components such as central processing units (CPUs) and power supply units housed in the main body and power supply devices has increased. Improvement of heat dissipation is desired.

  As a means of encouraging heat dissipation of the heating element, there is known a cooling device in which a heat sink made of metal having excellent thermal conductivity is provided on a heating element such as a CPU and this heat sink is air-cooled. There is a disadvantage in that the size of the apparatus is increased because a corresponding heat dissipation area of the heat sink is required. In recent years, the amount of heat generated by the CPU tends to increase with the high-speed arithmetic processing performance and multi-functionality required of a personal computer, and the heat dissipation performance has almost reached the limit in the air-cooled cooling device.

  As a means for improving such heat dissipation, a liquid circulation type cooling device using a heat transfer medium such as a cooling liquid is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). An example of such a liquid circulation type cooling device is shown in FIGS. In addition, (b) is an A direction front view of the reserve tank 12 and the radiator 13 in (a).

  The liquid circulation type cooling device 90 is connected to a heat generating element, and a heat receiving body 9 that efficiently transfers heat from the heat generating element to a cooling liquid such as water, a liquid pipe 10 through which the cooling liquid circulates, It consists of a liquid circulation pump 11 that circulates, a reserve tank 12 that stores a coolant, and a radiator 13 that is arranged in a heat radiation space and dissipates heat outside the equipment housing. The heat receiving body 9 receives heat generated by the heat generating body, and performs heat exchange with the coolant that circulates in the liquid pipe 10 in the direction of the arrow based on driving of the liquid circulation pump 11. The radiator 13 radiates heat carried from the heat receiving body 9 based on heat exchange with the coolant.

In this liquid circulation type cooling device 90, the reserve tank 12 is provided for the purpose of replenishing a decrease in the amount of water retained in the system by water permeation from the connection portions of the members and the member surfaces. When the liquid circulation type cooling device 90 is mounted on an electronic device such as a personal computer, it is desired that the reserve tank 12 be downsized or omitted from the viewpoint of space saving. For this purpose, it is necessary to reduce the amount of moisture permeation due to water permeation as much as possible.
JP 2003-209210 A

  However, in the liquid circulation type cooling device 90, the liquid pipe 10 is formed of a flexible rubber or resin flexible tube. Since such a flexible tube has a large amount of moisture permeation due to water permeation or the like, the reserve tank for replenishment cannot be reduced in size.

  On the other hand, when a metal pipe is used as the liquid pipe 10, the amount of moisture permeation due to water permeation or the like can be reduced.

  However, when a metal pipe is used for the liquid pipe 10, the positional relationship among the liquid circulation pump 11, the heat receiving body 9, the reserve tank 12, and the radiator 13 is fixed. In the case of incorporating the liquid circulation type cooling device 90, there is a disadvantage that the operation in the housing becomes inconvenient and the work becomes very difficult.

  In order to eliminate this inconvenience, it is conceivable to assemble the liquid circulation type cooling device 90 in a semi-assembled state as a unit and to assemble it in the electronic device casing, but it is difficult to check for liquid leakage after assembly.

  Furthermore, the user may replace the CPU (heating element: object to be cooled), but this operation is also difficult when the liquid pipe 10 is a metal pipe.

  Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to reduce the reserve tank by reducing the amount of moisture permeation in the circulation system, simplify the installation work in the housing of the electronic equipment manufacturer, and further perform maintenance work (CPU replacement). It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid circulation type cooling device that can easily perform a cooling element replacement operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid circulation type cooling device according to the present invention includes a heat receiving body connected to a heating element, a reserve tank for storing liquid, and heat transferred from the heat receiving body via the liquid. The liquid circulation is performed by connecting a radiator for radiating heat and a driving means for circulating the liquid via a liquid pipe, and cooling the heating element by circulating the liquid through the liquid pipe connected between the members. In the mold cooling apparatus, a connecting part of the liquid pipe with the heat receiving body is a flexible pipe, and at least a part of the part other than the connecting part is a metal pipe.

  Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank, a connecting portion between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank may be a flexible piping, and the portion other than the connecting portion may be a metal piping.

  Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank, the connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is a flexible piping, and the other portion is a combination of metal piping and flexible piping. You can also.

  Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank, a connecting portion between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is a flexible pipe, and a metal corrugated tube that can be easily bent other than the connecting portion is also usable. good.

  Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump, a connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump may be a flexible piping, and the portion other than the connecting portion may be a metal piping.

  Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump, a connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump is a flexible piping, and a metal corrugated pipe that can be easily bent other than the connecting portion. It can also be.

  The heat receiving body can be connected to a CPU of a personal computer.

  The flexible piping is preferably a rubber tube or a resin tube.

  The metal pipe is preferably a copper tube, an aluminum tube or a stainless steel tube.

  According to the liquid circulation type cooling device of the present invention, the connection part of the liquid pipe with the heat receiving body is a flexible pipe, and at least a part of the part other than the connection part is a metal pipe. The reserve tank can be reduced in size by reducing the amount of moisture permeation, simplifies the assembly work in the housing of electronic equipment manufacturers, and facilitates maintenance work (e.g., replacement of the element to be cooled, such as CPU replacement). be able to.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a computer device equipped with the liquid circulation type cooling device of this embodiment. In the figure, the side is opened to show the inside. The computer apparatus 1 includes a housing 2 formed of a metal or a resin material, a hard disk drive 3 accommodated in the housing 2, a disk drive 4 for handling a recording medium such as a floppy disk or a compact disk, and the like. The motherboard 5 on which the circuit components are mounted, the case fan 6 for air circulation provided in the housing 2, the power supply unit 7 for supplying power to the motherboard 5 and each drive, and the heat receiving heat received from the heating element (CPU) 8. The body 9, the liquid pipe 15 for circulating the cooling liquid, the liquid circulation pump 11 for sending out the cooling liquid, the reserve tank 16 for storing the cooling liquid, and the heat of the heating element 8 transferred through the cooling liquid. A radiator 13 for radiating heat and a fan 14 for sending wind to the radiator 13 are provided. The heat receiving body 9, the liquid pipe 15, the reserve tank 16, the radiator 13, and the liquid circulation pump 11 form a liquid circulation type cooling device 10 that cools the heating element 8 based on the circulation of the cooling liquid. Further, heat exchange can be promoted by sending air to the radiator 13 by the fan 14.

  2A and 2B are schematic views of the liquid circulation type cooling device 10. In addition, (b) is an A direction front view of the reserve tank 16 and the radiator 13 in (a).

  In this liquid circulation type cooling apparatus 10, the volume of the reserve tank 16 formed by being connected to the radiator 13 is reduced in size as compared with the conventional reserve tank 12 shown in FIG. Moreover, in the liquid piping 15 which connects each member of the heat receiving body 9, the reserve tank 16 (heat radiator 13), and the liquid circulation pump 11, the flexible piping 17 is used for the part connected with each member. Further, a central portion of the liquid pipe 15 between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16 other than the connecting portion, and a central portion of the liquid piping 15 between the heat receiving body 9 and the liquid circulation pump 11 other than the connecting portion. A metal fixed pipe 18 is used for the portion. As the flexible pipe 17, either a rubber tube or a resin tube can be used. In addition, as the metal fixed pipe 18, a copper tube, an aluminum tube, a stainless steel tube or the like having excellent thermal conductivity can be used. For example, a silicon tube is used as the rubber tube.

  In particular, the length of the flexible pipe 17 is appropriately determined in consideration of the workability of the attaching / detaching work of the heat receiving body 9 for the user's maintenance work (replacement for upgrading the CPU, etc.) at the connection portion with the heat receiving body 9. It is preferable to decide on a specific one. Furthermore, the usable length of the entire flexible pipe 17 is obtained based on the moisture permissible amount of the entire liquid circulation type cooling device 10 and the moisture permeability of the flexible pipe 17 to be used. Considering the workability of assembling to the housing, the flexible piping 17 is allocated to the liquid piping 15 between the members, so that moisture permeation is suppressed as much as possible, and a liquid circulation type cooling unit that meets each individual need is supplied. It becomes possible.

According to this liquid circulation type cooling device 10, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the flexible pipe 17 is used for the connection portion with the heat receiving body 9, when the user performs maintenance work such as replacement for upgrading the CPU version, the workability of attaching and detaching the heat receiving body 9 is greatly improved. improves.
(2) Since the flexible piping 17 is used also in the connection part with the liquid circulation pump 11 and the connection part with the reserve tank 16 and the radiator 13, the assembly workability to the housing | casing in an electronic device manufacturer improves. At the same time, it is possible to easily perform replacement work of each member by the user thereafter.
(3) The portion of the liquid piping 15 other than the connecting portion with each member is a metal fixed piping 18, and a copper tube, an aluminum tube, a stainless steel tube or the like is used so that the amount of water permeation due to water permeation in the circulation system is minimized. can do. For this reason, the reserve tank 12 can be reduced in size, which can contribute to space saving.
(4) Based on the moisture permeability of the flexible piping 17 to be used, the usable length of the flexible piping 17 of the entire liquid circulation type cooling device is obtained, so that the user's workability and the workability of assembling to the housing at the electronic equipment manufacturer By assigning the flexible piping 17 to the liquid piping 15 between the members in consideration of the above, it becomes possible to supply a liquid circulation type cooling unit that meets the individual needs.
[Second Embodiment]
In FIG. 3, the schematic of the liquid circulation type cooling device 20 of 2nd Embodiment is shown.
This liquid circulation type cooling device 20 uses a flexible pipe 17 in the central portion of the metal fixed pipe 18 between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16 in the liquid circulation type cooling apparatus 10 of the first embodiment. It is.

According to this liquid circulation type cooling device 20, in addition to the effects exhibited by the first embodiment, the following effects can also be achieved.
(5) Since the flexible pipe 17 is also used in the central portion of the metal fixed pipe 18 between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16, the flexibility of the liquid pipe 15 is improved, and the casing of the electronic equipment manufacturer is improved. The workability of the assembly work and the replacement work by the user can be further improved. Especially when the liquid piping 15 between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16 is long as compared with the liquid circulation type cooling device 10 of the first embodiment, work efficiency such as assembly work and replacement work is improved. Become.
[Third Embodiment]
In FIG. 4, the schematic of the liquid circulation type cooling device 30 of 3rd Embodiment is shown.
This liquid circulation type cooling device 30 has a flexibility that allows repeated bending instead of the metal fixed pipe 18 between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16 in the liquid circulation type cooling device 10 of the first embodiment. In addition, a metal corrugated tube 19 having a small moisture permeation amount is used.

According to this liquid circulation type cooling device 30, in addition to the effects exhibited by the first embodiment, the following effects can also be achieved.
(6) Since the metal corrugated pipe 19 having flexibility and a small moisture permeation amount is used, the workability can be further improved as compared with the first embodiment. Further, unlike the second embodiment, there is no need to insert the flexible pipe 17 between the metal fixed pipes 18. For this reason, the number of parts can be reduced and the amount of moisture permeation can be reduced.
[Fourth Embodiment]
In FIG. 5, the schematic of the liquid circulation type cooling device 40 of 4th Embodiment is shown.
This liquid circulation type cooling device 40 is flexible so that it can be repeatedly bent instead of the metal fixed pipe 18 between the heat receiving body 9 and the liquid circulation pump 11 in the liquid circulation type cooling device 20 of the second embodiment. A metal corrugated tube 19 having a small moisture permeation amount is provided.

According to the liquid circulation type cooling device 40, the following effects can be achieved in addition to the effects exhibited by the second embodiment.
(7) Since the metal corrugated pipe 19 having flexibility and a small moisture permeation amount is used, the workability can be further improved as compared with the second embodiment. Further, even when the liquid pipe 15 between the heat receiving body 9 and the liquid circulation pump 11 is long, the working efficiency can be improved without inserting the flexible pipe 17 between the metal fixed pipes 18. Further, since it is not necessary to insert the flexible pipe 17, the number of parts can be reduced and the moisture permeation amount can be reduced.

  In the fourth embodiment, the metal corrugated pipe 19 is used only between the heat receiving body 9 and the liquid circulation pump 11. However, the metal corrugated pipe 19 may be used between the heat receiving body 9 and the reserve tank 16. it can. Moreover, in 1st-4th embodiment, although the piping between the liquid circulation pump 11 and the heat radiator 13 was made into the flexible piping 17, the combination of the fixed piping 18 and the flexible piping 17 as needed, A metal corrugated tube 19 can also be used.

It is a perspective view of the computer apparatus carrying the liquid circulation type cooling device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the liquid circulation type cooling device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the liquid circulation type cooling device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the liquid circulation type cooling device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the liquid circulation type cooling device which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the conventional liquid circulation type cooling device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Computer apparatus 9 Heat receiving body 10 Liquid circulation type cooling device 11 Liquid circulation pump 13 Radiator 15 Liquid piping 16 Reserve tank 17 Flexible piping 18 Metal fixed piping 19 Metal corrugated pipe 20 Liquid circulation type cooling device 30 Liquid circulation type cooling device 40 Liquid circulation cooling system

Claims (9)

  A heat receiving body connected to the heat generating body, a reserve tank for storing the liquid, a radiator for radiating heat transferred from the heat receiving body through the liquid, and a driving means for circulating the liquid In a liquid circulation type cooling apparatus that cools the heating element by circulating the liquid through the liquid pipe connected between pipes and connecting the members, the connection to the heat receiving body in the liquid pipe A liquid circulation type cooling apparatus characterized in that the part is a flexible pipe and at least a part of the part other than the connecting part is a metal pipe.   The liquid pipe provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is characterized in that a connecting portion between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is a flexible pipe and a portion other than the connecting portion is a metal pipe. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to 1.   Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank, the connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is a flexible piping, and the other portion is a combination of metal piping and flexible piping. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to claim 1.   Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the reserve tank, a connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the reserve tank is a flexible piping, and a metal corrugated tube that can be easily bent other than the connecting portion. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to claim 1.   Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump, a connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump is a flexible piping, and a portion other than the connecting portion is a metal piping. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to claim 1.   Of the liquid piping provided between the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump, a connecting portion of the heat receiving body and the liquid circulation pump is a flexible piping, and a metal corrugated pipe that can be easily bent other than the connecting portion. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to claim 1, wherein   The liquid circulation type cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat receiving body is connected to a CPU of a personal computer.   The liquid circulation type cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the flexible pipe is a rubber tube or a resin tube. The liquid circulation type cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the metal pipe is a copper tube, an aluminum tube, or a stainless steel tube.

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