JP2005317430A - Cooling system and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling system which demonstrates a power generation function and a cooling function and is made small in size easily, and also to provide an electronic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: This is a cooling system which uses fuel 10 of a fuel cell as a cooling medium, and comprises: a heat collector 16 in which the fuel 10 passes as a cooling medium; a cooling passage 101 which makes up a passage for supplying the fuel to the heat collector 16; a power generating stack 20 which makes up the fuel cell by being supplied with the fuel 10; and a power generation passage 102 which makes up a passage for supplying the fuel 10 to the power generation stack 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling system and an electronic device.

  Conventionally, as a cooling system, there is a water cooling system including a pipe for circulating a cooling medium, a heat absorption device (heat absorption radiator) and a heat radiation device (heat radiation radiator) arranged in the pipe. A device to be cooled (for example, a car engine or a CPU of a computer) is disposed in the vicinity of the heat absorbing device. And the heat emitted from the to-be-cooled device is absorbed by the heat absorbing device, the heat heats the cooling medium, and the heated cooling medium is cooled by the heat radiating device.

In recent years, fuel cells have attracted attention as clean power sources. A fuel cell is a device that extracts electrical energy from hydrogen and oxygen by a chemical reaction. For example, there is a direct methanol fuel cell that generates electricity by directly supplying an aqueous methanol solution to a power generation stack. This direct methanol fuel cell has a simple structure and can be easily reduced in size and weight, and has attracted attention as a power source for a mobile phone or a notebook personal computer (for example, see Patent Document 1). Conventionally, a fuel cell comprising a fuel cell structure in which an anode side electrode and a cathode side electrode are provided with an electrolyte membrane sandwiched therebetween and a separator that sandwiches the fuel cell structure has been devised ( For example, see Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-55474 A JP-A-10-55812

  However, the above-described conventional cooling system requires at least a conduit for circulating the cooling medium, a pump, a heat absorbing device, and a heat radiating device, and there has been no technical idea to use power generation means or components of the power supply device. In addition, the conventional fuel cell requires at least a conduit for circulating the fuel, a pump, and a fuel cell structure, and there has been no technical idea for constructing a cooling system using components of the fuel cell.

  Therefore, conventionally, for example, when a fuel cell is used as a power source of a personal computer and a water cooling system is used to cool the CPU of the personal computer, a fuel cell line, a fuel tank, and a radiator are used. In addition, a pipe for the water cooling system, a refrigerant tank, and a radiator are required. Therefore, conventionally, when an apparatus using the fuel cell and water cooling is configured, there is a problem that the number of parts increases, the apparatus becomes larger, and the manufacturing cost also increases. In addition, such a conventional apparatus has a problem in terms of energy efficiency due to an increase in the number of parts and useless mass consumption of heat energy.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling system and an electronic apparatus that can exhibit a power generation function and a cooling function and can be easily downsized.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a cooling system and an electronic device that can be easily downsized and improve energy efficiency.

  The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.

  The cooling system of the present invention is a cooling system having a configuration in which fuel of a fuel cell is used as a cooling medium, and the fuel is passed through the fuel as a cooling medium, and the fuel is supplied to the heat collector. A cooling flow path that forms a flow path for generating power, a power generation stack that forms a fuel cell by being supplied with the fuel, and a power generation flow path that forms a flow path for supplying the fuel to the power generation stack. . Here, the cooling channel and the power generation channel may be provided in parallel.

  In the cooling system according to the present invention, the fuel to be cooled disposed near the heat collector (cooling means) can be cooled using the fuel of the fuel cell (power generation means) as a cooling medium. That is, according to the cooling system of the present invention, it is possible to generate power with the same fuel while cooling the cooled device with the fuel of the fuel cell. Therefore, according to the present invention, the cooling medium and the fuel of the fuel cell can be shared, and the flow path for transporting the fuel can be shared by the cooling means and the power generation means. Therefore, the present invention can easily provide a cooling system that can be made compact and reduce the installation space while having power generation means and cooling means. Moreover, since the cooling system of this invention can be reduced in size as mentioned above, the energy loss for transporting a fuel can be reduced and energy efficiency can be improved.

  Further, the cooling system of the present invention has a radiator disposed on the downstream side of the heat collector in the cooling flow path, and the radiator is disposed in the vicinity of the power generation stack. It is a feature.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the power generation stack can be heated by the heat released from the radiator, and the power generation efficiency in the power generation stack can be improved. In addition, since the power generation stack generally generates power stably at a temperature higher than room temperature, the power generation start time of the power generation stack can be shortened. Here, the power generation start time is the time from the start of fuel supply to the power generation stack to the time when the power generation stack starts to output predetermined power.

  The cooling system of the present invention includes a pump that moves the fuel, and a branching portion that branches the fuel moved by the pump in at least two directions, and an upstream end of the cooling flow path It is connected to the 1st branch end of a branch part, and the upstream end of the said power generation flow path is connected to the 2nd branch end of the said branch part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, fuel can be supplied to both the cooling flow path and the power generation flow path by a single pump. Accordingly, the pump can be shared by the cooling means and the power generation means, and the size can be further reduced.

  In the cooling system of the present invention, the cooling flow path constitutes all or part of a circulation flow path in which the fuel circulates through at least the heat collector, and the power generation flow path has at least the fuel. It is characterized in that it constitutes all or part of the circulation flow path that circulates through the power generation stack.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, fuel can be circulated in both the cooling flow path and the power generation flow path. Therefore, the cooling system of the present invention can be used effectively without wasting fuel, and a cooling system with higher energy efficiency can be provided.

  In addition, the cooling system of the present invention has a reservoir tank that stores the fuel and includes an outlet through which the stored fuel flows out. The outlet of the reservoir tank is connected to the inlet of the pump. It is characterized by being.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the reservoir tank can be shared by the cooling means and the power generation means. Therefore, the present invention can provide a more compact and high-performance cooling system while having power generation means and cooling means.

  In the cooling system of the present invention, the reservoir tank has a plurality of inlets, and the downstream end of the cooling channel is connected to the first inlet of the reservoir tank, The downstream end is connected to the second inlet of the reservoir tank.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the reservoir tank can function as a joining means between the cooling channel and the power generation channel. Therefore, the present invention can provide a more compact and high-performance cooling system while having power generation means and cooling means.

  Further, the cooling system of the present invention has an air blower for supplying air to the radiator, and the power generation stack is arranged downstream of the radiator in the flow of air generated by the air blower. It is characterized by being.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the air blower can be shared by the radiator of the cooling means and the power generation stack of the power generation means. Therefore, the present invention can provide a more compact and high-performance cooling system while having power generation means and cooling means.

  In addition, the cooling system of the present invention includes a first valve disposed in the cooling flow path and a second valve disposed in the power generation flow path.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the supply / stop of fuel to the cooling flow path can be controlled by the first valve, and the supply / stop of fuel to the power generation flow path can be controlled by the second valve. Here, the first valve and the second valve need only be capable of opening and closing, but may be capable of variably controlling the flow rate of the fuel stepwise or smoothly. Further, the opening and closing and opening of the first valve and the second valve may be directly adjusted manually, and the opening and closing and opening may be adjusted by mechanical and electronic control means.

  In the cooling system of the present invention, the first valve is disposed on the upstream side of the heat collector in the cooling flow path, and the second valve is disposed on the upstream side of the power generation stack in the power generation flow path. Control means for controlling opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve, and the control means closes the first valve when cooling by the heat collector is not required, and When the power generation by is not required, the second valve is controlled to be closed.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, when it is not necessary to cool, almost all of the fuel output from the pump by closing the first valve can be used for power generation, and the power generation output can be increased. Further, when it is not necessary to cool and the generated power does not need to be particularly large, the first valve can be closed and the driving power of the pump can be reduced. In the cooling system of the present invention, when it is not necessary to generate power, almost all of the fuel output from the pump can be used for cooling by closing the second valve, and the cooling capacity can be increased. Further, when it is not necessary to generate power and the cooling capacity is not particularly required to be large, the second valve can be closed and the driving power of the pump can be reduced.

  Further, the cooling system of the present invention is disposed in the fuel tank that stores the fuel supplied to the reservoir tank, the supply channel that connects the fuel tank and the reservoir tank, and the supply channel. And a supply pump.

  According to the cooling system of the present invention, the fuel stored in the fuel tank can be supplied to the reservoir tank. Therefore, the cooling system of the present invention can replenish the reservoir tank with new fuel when the fuel is consumed in the power generation stack and the fuel in the reservoir tank becomes low.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.

  An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the cooling system.

  According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, for example, a fuel cell is provided as a power source, and a heat generating element such as a CPU can be cooled by the fuel of the fuel cell. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic apparatus that has a power generation unit and a cooling unit and can be made compact and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, according to the present invention, since the power generation function and the cooling function can be exhibited with high energy efficiency, it is possible to provide an electronic device with a low operating cost. For example, according to the present invention, it is possible to accelerate the increase in speed and integration of the CPU by using the CPU as a device to be cooled. Can be configured. Thus, the present invention can make electronic devices such as notebook personal computers and mobile phones more compact and less expensive than conventional ones while enhancing the performance.

  In addition, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes a device to be cooled disposed in the vicinity of the heat collector, and an electronic device that operates using electric power output from the power generation stack. is there. Here, it is preferable that the device to be cooled and the electronic device are the same.

  According to the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to continue driving the cooled device with the electric power generated by the fuel while cooling the cooled device such as the CPU with the fuel. Further, according to the present invention, when it is not necessary to exhibit the power generation capacity, for example, when commercial power can be used, only the cooling function can be exhibited by controlling the first valve and the second valve. The load can be reduced and energy consumption can be reduced. Further, according to the present invention, when it is not necessary to exhibit the cooling capacity, for example, when the CPU is driven at a low speed or when the CPU is stopped, the first valve and the second valve are controlled to generate power. It is also possible to demonstrate only the function. And when excess electric power generate | occur | produces, it can also use for charge of a storage battery etc. This storage battery may be provided in the electronic device of the present invention. And it is good also as supplying electric power from the said storage battery to a pump, CPU, etc. at the time of the starting of the electronic device of this invention. Thus, according to the present invention, wasteful consumption of fuel and wasteful operation of the pump can be reduced, and fuel can be used more efficiently.

  Moreover, the electronic device of this invention is good also as the said cooling system being detachably attached with respect to the main body of the said electronic device. In this way, for example, when the fuel of the cooling system of the present invention runs out or breaks down, a new cooling system of the present invention can be attached to the electronic device body to quickly and easily solve the problem. it can.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the cooling system and electronic device which can exhibit an electric power generation function and a cooling function and can be reduced in size easily can be provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling system and an electronic apparatus that can be easily downsized and improve energy efficiency.

(Cooling system)
Hereinafter, a cooling system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cooling system 1 uses the fuel of the fuel cell as a cooling medium. The cooling system 1 includes power generation means using a fuel cell and cooling means using the fuel 10 of the fuel cell as a cooling medium. Next, a specific configuration of the cooling system will be described.

  The cooling system 1 includes a fuel tank 11, a fuel supply pump 12, a reservoir tank 13, a fuel circulation pump 14, a branch portion 15, a heat collector 16, a radiator 17, an air blower 18, And a power generation stack 20. Further, the cooling system 1 includes a cooling channel 101, a power generation channel 102, a supply channel 103, a first valve G1 disposed in the cooling channel, and a second valve disposed in the power generation channel. G2.

  Here, the cooling flow path 101 forms a flow path for supplying fuel to the heat collector 16 and is a flow path through which the fuel 10 passes as a cooling medium. And in the cooling flow path 101, the 1st valve G1, the heat collector 16, and the heat radiator 17 are arrange | positioned in series from the upstream. The power generation flow path 102 forms a flow path for supplying the fuel 10 to the power generation stack. In the power generation flow path 102, the second valve G2 and the power generation stack 20 are arranged in series from the upstream side. The fuel 10 passing through the cooling channel 101 and the fuel 10 passing through the power generation channel 102 are the same, that is, the fuel 10 stored in the reservoir tank 13.

  The upstream side of the cooling flow path 101 and the power generation flow path 102 is connected by a branch portion 15, and the downstream side of the cooling flow path 101 and the power generation flow path 102 is connected by a reservoir tank 13. Therefore, the cooling channel 101 and the power generation channel 102 are provided in parallel. A fuel circulation pump 14 is connected to the downstream side of the reservoir tank 13, and a branching portion 15 is connected to the downstream side of the fuel circulation pump 14. With such a configuration, the fuel 10 discharged from the reservoir tank 13 passes through the fuel circulation pump 14, the branch portion 15, and the cooling flow path 101 (including the first valve G 1, the heat collector 16, and the radiator 17). Thus, it returns to the reservoir tank 13. In other words, the cooling flow path 101 constitutes a part of the circulation flow path for the fuel 10 used as the cooling medium in the heat collector 16. Further, the fuel 10 discharged from the reservoir tank 13 returns to the reservoir tank 13 through the fuel circulation pump 14, the branching portion 15, and the power generation flow path 102 (including the second valve G2 and the power generation stack 20). Become. In other words, the power generation flow path 102 constitutes a part of the circulation flow path through which the fuel 10 circulates through the power generation stack. Next, each component of the cooling system 1 will be described.

  A methanol aqueous solution is suitable as the fuel 10 of the fuel cell. However, the fuel 10 is applicable to any fuel cell fuel, and may be composed of a liquid other than methanol, a solution, or the like. For example, methanol, borohydride sodium (NaBH 4), dimethyl ether, naphtha, biomass, kerosene, or the like can be applied as the fuel 10. However, it is necessary to change the configuration of the power generation stack 20 according to the type of the fuel 10, and the heat collection effect in the heat collector 16 is also different. Therefore, the methanol aqueous solution can generate power by being directly supplied to the power generation stack 20 and has a large heat collecting effect in the heat collector 16, so that the fuel 10 of the cooling system 1 of the present embodiment that achieves compactness and energy saving is achieved. It is suitable as.

  The fuel tank 11 is a tank that stores the fuel 10 of the fuel cell. The fuel tank 11 has an inflow port 11 a for putting the fuel 10 into the fuel tank 11. The inlet 11a may be provided with a valve or a plug, and may be connected to a fuel supply device such as another fuel tank via the valve.

  The fuel supply pump 12 is disposed in a supply flow path 103 that connects the fuel tank 11 and the reservoir tank 13. The fuel supply pump 12 is a pump that sends out the fuel 10 in the fuel tank 11 to the reservoir tank 13. The operation of the fuel supply pump 12 is controlled by control means (not shown) of the cooling system 1. The control unit drives the fuel supply pump 12 to move the fuel 10 from the fuel tank 11 to the reservoir tank 13 when the water level of the fuel 10 in the reservoir tank 13 becomes a predetermined value or less, for example.

  The reservoir tank 13 is a tank that temporarily stores the fuel 10 sent from the fuel tank 11. The reservoir tank 13 is a part of the circulation path of the fuel 10 in the cooling system 1 (a circulation path having a part of the cooling path 101 and a circulation path having a part of the power generation path 102). It is what you make. Specifically, the reservoir tank 13 has three inflow portions 13A, 13B, and 13C and one outflow portion 13D. The inflow portion 13A serves as an inflow port for the fuel 10 sent from the fuel tank 11 via the fuel supply pump 12. The outflow portion 13 </ b> D serves as an outlet for the fuel 10 stored in the reservoir tank 13. The inflow portion 13 </ b> B forms the first inflow port of the present invention, is connected to the downstream end of the cooling flow path 101, and forms the inflow port of the fuel 10 emitted from the radiator 17. The inflow portion 13C forms the second inlet of the present invention, is connected to the downstream end of the power generation flow path 102, and forms the inlet of the fuel 10 discharged from the power generation stack 20. .

  The fuel circulation pump 14 is a pump that circulates the fuel 10 through the cooling flow path 101 and the power generation flow path 102. The inlet of the fuel circulation pump 14 is connected to the outflow portion 13D of the reservoir tank 13. The branch part 15 branches the fuel discharged from the fuel circulation pump 14 in two directions. And the branch part 15 has the inflow port 15a, the 1st branch end 15b, and the 2nd branch end 15c. The inflow port 15 a of the branch portion 15 is connected to the outflow port of the fuel circulation pump 14. The first branch end 15b of the branch portion 15 is connected to the upstream end of the cooling flow path 101, that is, the inlet of the first valve G1. The second branch portion 15c of the branch portion 15 is connected to the upstream end of the power generation flow path 102, that is, the inlet of the second valve G2.

  With such a configuration, the fuel 10 in the reservoir tank 13 is sent to the branching section 15 by the fuel circulation pump 14, and is branched into the cooling flow path 101 and the power generation flow path 102 by the branching section 15. And returns to the reservoir tank 13 through the power generation channel 102.

  The first valve G1 supplies or stops the fuel 10 to the cooling flow path 101. The second valve G2 supplies or stops the fuel 10 to the power generation channel 102. The first valve G1 and the second valve G2 need only be capable of opening and closing, but may be capable of variably controlling the flow rate of the fuel 10 stepwise or smoothly. Further, the first valve G1 and the second valve G2 may be those that can be directly opened and closed or adjusted in opening degree manually, or those that are opened and closed or adjusted in opening degree by mechanical and electronic control means.

  The heat collector 16 forms a heat absorption device (heat absorption heat exchanger) using the fuel 10 as a cooling medium. The heat collector 16 may be disposed in the vicinity of the cooled device 30 and may be in close contact with the cooled device 30. The apparatus to be cooled 30 is an apparatus that is cooled by the cooling system 1, and for example, a heating device such as a CPU in a personal computer or a mobile phone is applied. The cooling target device 30 is not limited to the CPU, but can be applied to a high-density and high-speed integrated circuit, a projector component forming a display device, and a mechanical element such as a car engine.

  The radiator 17 releases the heat of the fuel 10 that passes through the cooling flow path 101. That is, the fuel 10 heated by the heat collector 16 is cooled by the radiator 17. Any radiator 17 may be used as long as it can release the heat of the fuel 10. The radiator 17 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the power generation stack 17.

  The air blower 18 forms a blower (fan), and supplies air to the radiator 17 for forced air cooling. The power generation stack 20 is preferably disposed downstream of the radiator 17 in the flow of air 40 generated by the air blower 18.

  The power generation stack 20 forms a fuel cell using the fuel 10 as a fuel. That is, various fuel cells can be applied to the power generation stack 20 as long as they form a fuel cell. When a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is applied as the power generation stack 20, the following configuration can be adopted. The power generation stack 20 has a configuration in which both sides of the electrolyte are sandwiched between a negative electrode and a positive electrode, a methanol aqueous solution as a liquid fuel 10 is supplied to the negative electrode, and air 40 as an oxidant gas is supplied to the positive electrode. A cell stack in which a plurality of cells having the structure described above are stacked. In addition, a separator having a channel groove and a manifold for discharging a reaction product generated by an electrochemical reaction in each cell is inserted between the cells.

  Then, the fuel 10 (methanol aqueous solution) is supplied to the negative electrode of each cell of the power generation stack 20, and the air 40 is supplied to the positive electrode. Then, methanol and water react with each other in the negative electrode to generate carbon dioxide, and in the positive electrode, oxygen in the air 40 takes in hydrogen ions and electrons that have passed through the electrolyte to generate water. Energy is generated (generated electricity). This electrical energy is output to an external circuit (not shown) electrically connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The surplus fuel 10 in the power generation stack 20, that is, the fuel 10 not used for power generation is sent to the reservoir tank 13.

As a result, according to the cooling system 1 of the present embodiment, the device to be cooled 30 disposed in the vicinity of the heat collector 16 can be cooled using the fuel 10 of the fuel cell as a cooling medium.
The cooling system 1 can generate power with the power generation stack 20 using the same fuel 10 while cooling the cooled device 30 with the fuel 10 of the fuel cell. Therefore, the cooling system 1 can share the fuel 10 serving as a cooling medium and the fuel 10 of the fuel cell, and the reservoir tank 13 and the fuel circulation pump 14 that form a part of the circulation flow path can generate electricity with the cooling means. Can be shared with the means. The cooling system 1 can share the fuel tank 11 and the fuel supply pump 12 between the cooling means and the power generation means. Therefore, the cooling system 1 can have a compact configuration while having power generation means and cooling means, and can reduce the installation space. Further, since the cooling system 1 can share the fuel 10, the fuel tank 11, the reservoir tank 13, the fuel circulation pump 14, and the like between the power generation means and the cooling means as described above, the energy loss for transporting the fuel is reduced. Can be reduced and energy efficiency can be improved.

  Further, in the cooling system 1 of the present embodiment, the power generation stack 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the radiator 17 in the flow of air 40 generated by the air blower 18, so the air blower 18 is connected to the radiator 17 and the power generation stack. 20 and the air 40 heated by the radiator 17 can be supplied to the power generation stack 20. Therefore, the cooling system 1 can heat the power generation stack 20 with the heat released from the radiator 17, thereby improving the power generation efficiency in the power generation stack 20. Since the cold power generation stack 20 generally generates power stably at a temperature higher than room temperature, the cooling system 1 can shorten the power generation start time of the power generation stack 20. In order to stably obtain generated power in the power generation stack 20, in the case of a direct methanol fuel cell, it is preferable to operate at an ambient temperature of 30 ° C. to 90 ° C.

  Further, in the cooling system 1 of the present embodiment, when it is not necessary to cool the apparatus 30 to be cooled, the first valve G1 is closed and the second valve G2 is opened, and all of the fuel 10 output from the fuel circulation pump 14 is obtained. May be caused to flow through the power generation channel 102. If it does in this way, the electric power generation output in the electric power generation stack 20 can be increased rather than the case where the 1st valve G1 and the 2nd valve G2 are opened. In the cooling system 1, when the device to be cooled 30 does not need to be cooled and the generated power need not be particularly large, the first valve G 1 is closed and the second valve G 2 is opened, and the fuel circulation pump 14 is driven. Electric power can be reduced. Thereby, the power consumption in the fuel circulation pump 14 can be reduced, and the energy efficiency can be improved. In the cooling system 1, when it is not necessary to generate power, almost all of the fuel 10 output from the fuel circulation pump 14 is used as a cooling medium by opening the first valve G1 and closing the second valve G2. The cooling capacity can be increased. In the cooling system 1, when it is not necessary to generate power and the cooling capacity is not particularly large, the first valve G1 is opened and the second valve G2 is closed, and the driving power of the fuel circulation pump 14 is reduced. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, by using a polymer electrolyte membrane as the electrolyte of the power generation stack 20, the power generation stack 20 can constitute a solid polymer fuel cell (PEFC).

(Electronics)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the electronic apparatus shown in FIG. The electronic device 50 of this embodiment includes the cooling system 1 shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The electronic device 50 is a notebook personal computer. The electronic device 50 includes the cooling system 1, a main body 51, a display unit 52, a keyboard unit 53, and a disk drive 54. The cooling system 1 constitutes a fuel cell unit and is detachably attached to the main body 51. Therefore, the cooling system 1 can be detached from the main body 51 and used as a conventional general notebook personal computer. Further, when the cooling system 1 fails, a new cooling system 1 can be attached to the main body 51.

  The main body 51 forms the main body of the electronic device 50 that forms a notebook personal computer, and includes a disk drive 54 and a motherboard 55. The disk drive 54 reads / writes data from / to a flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, CD or DVD. The motherboard 55 is a board on which a basic device group for configuring a computer system, such as a CPU, a memory, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), an expansion slot, and the like, each including a semiconductor chip is mounted on a single substrate. On the motherboard 55, the heat collector 16 of the cooling system 1 is also mounted.

  In the electronic apparatus 50, the apparatus to be cooled 30 is a CPU 30a and a chip set 30b of a notebook personal computer. The chip set 30b has a circuit that controls data flowing through various buses that control I / O between the CPU 30a and peripheral chips, for example. Further, as the chip set 30b, functions related to the CPU 30a and necessary for the mother board 55 may be integrated into a plurality of LSIs. For example, the chip set 30b may include a timer, an interrupt control circuit, a DMA (Direct Memory Access) circuit, a memory control circuit, a bus interface, and the like.

  The CPU 30 a and the chip set 30 b are arranged on the surface of the heat collector 16. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, only the heat collector 16 and the pipe connected to the heat collector 16 in the cooling system 1 are disposed in the main body 51. The power generation stack 20 of the cooling system 1 may be a power source of the electronic device 50.

  Further, the cooling system 1 of the electronic device 50 includes an exhaust port 21, a partition wall 22, and an intake port 23. The air 40 enters from the air inlet 23 and goes to the radiator (radiator) 17, and goes from the radiator 17 to the power generation stack 20. Then, since the power generation stack 20 generates carbon dioxide (and water), the carbon dioxide (and water) is exhausted from the exhaust port 21. The partition wall 22 is a heat insulating material for avoiding heat generated in the power generation stack 20 from being transmitted to the reservoir tank 13 and the main body 51.

  Further, the electronic device 50 may include a storage battery (battery) that accumulates the electric power generated by the power generation stack 20. In the initial stage of operation of the circuit of the notebook personal computer including the cooled device 30 (for example, several minutes after the main switch of the electronic device 50 is turned on), power is supplied to the circuit by the storage battery, and then the power generation stack 20 is If power generation is stable, power may be supplied from the power generation stack 20 to the storage battery and the circuit. Here, the fuel circulation pump 14 may be driven by the power of the storage battery simultaneously with the main switch ON, and the cooling function and the power generation function of the cooling system 1 may be activated. In this way, the electronic device 50 can be operated with the power of the storage battery until the power generation stack 20 generates power stably, and the capacity of the storage battery is significantly reduced from that of a conventional notebook personal computer. Can do.

  As a result, since the electronic device 50 includes a fuel cell as a power source, the electronic device 50 can be driven with high energy efficiency, and the exhaust gas is clean and an environment-friendly device. In addition, since the electronic device 50 includes a fuel cell as a power source, the electronic device 50 has very low noise, can be driven for a long time without being charged while being compact, and is suitable as a portable device.

  Further, the electronic device 50 includes a fuel cell as a power source, and the heat generation elements such as the CPU 30a and the chip set 30b can be cooled by the fuel 10 of the fuel cell. Therefore, the electronic device 50 has a power generation means and a cooling means, is compact, can promote high speed and high integration of the CPU 30a and the chip set 30b, etc., and is a high-performance and inexpensive notebook personal computer. Can be.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the specific materials and layers mentioned in the embodiment can be added. The configuration is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate.

  For example, the electronic device in the above embodiment is not limited to a personal computer, but may be applied to various electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), a camera, a watch, a projector, and an automobile electronic control circuit. Can do. In addition, the cooling system 1 of the present invention is not limited to an electronic device, and various devices such as an automobile engine itself or a power generator motor itself can be applied as the cooled device 30, and various mechanical devices can be applied. It can also be applied to power devices and the like.

  In the electronic device 50 of the above embodiment, when the fuel 10 in the fuel tank 11 runs out, the fuel may be supplied from the inlet 11a of the fuel tank 11. Further, when the fuel tank 11 is a cartridge type and is detachably attached to the cooling system 1 and the fuel 10 in the fuel tank 11 runs out, the fuel tank 11 itself is replaced with another full tank fuel tank 11. It is good also as exchanging for.

  In addition, the electronic device 50 of the above embodiment may include a DC-DC converter that converts the voltage of the power output from the power generation stack 20 of the cooling system 11. The heating element in the DC-DC converter may be the cooled device 30.

  In the cooling system 1 of the above-described embodiment, a plurality of the heat collectors 16 and the heat radiators 17 may be provided, and the power generation stack 20 is cooled as the cooling target device 30 cooled by one of the heat collectors 16. It is good also as a structure.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the cooling system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross section which shows the internal structure of an electronic device same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cooling system 10 ... Fuel 11 ... Fuel tank 12 ... Fuel supply pump 13 ... Reservoir tank 14 ... Fuel circulation pump 15 ... Branching part 16 ... Heat collector 17 ... Radiator 18 ... Air blower 20 ... Power generation stack 25 ... Fuel channel 26 ... Supply channel 30 ... Cooled device 40 ... Air 50 ... Electronic device 51 ... Main unit 52 ... Display unit 53 ... Keyboard unit 54 ... Disk drive 101 ... Cooling channel 102 ... Power generation channel 103 ... Supply flow path G1 ... 1st valve G2 ... 2nd valve

Claims (13)

A cooling system having a configuration using fuel of a fuel cell as a cooling medium,
A collector through which the fuel passes as a cooling medium;
A cooling flow path forming a flow path for supplying the fuel to the heat collector;
A power generation stack that is supplied with the fuel to form a fuel cell;
A cooling system comprising: a power generation flow path that forms a flow path for supplying the fuel to the power generation stack.   The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling flow path and the power generation flow path are provided in parallel. Having a radiator disposed downstream of the collector in the cooling channel;
The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the radiator is disposed in the vicinity of the power generation stack. A pump for moving the fuel;
A branching portion for branching the fuel moved by the pump in at least two directions,
The upstream end of the cooling flow path is connected to the first branch end of the branch portion,
The cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an upstream end of the power generation channel is connected to a second branch end of the branch portion. The cooling flow path constitutes all or part of a circulation flow path in which the fuel circulates through at least the heat collector,
The said power generation flow path comprises all or part of the circulation flow path in which the said fuel circulates through the said power generation stack at least. Cooling system. A reservoir tank that stores the fuel and includes an outlet through which the stored fuel flows out;
The cooling system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the outlet of the reservoir tank is connected to the inlet of the pump. The reservoir tank has a plurality of inlets,
The downstream end of the cooling channel is connected to the first inlet of the reservoir tank,
The cooling system according to claim 6, wherein a downstream end of the power generation channel is connected to a second inlet of the reservoir tank. An air blower for supplying air to the radiator;
The cooling system according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the power generation stack is arranged on the downstream side of the radiator in the flow of air generated by the air blower. A first valve disposed in the cooling flow path;
The cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising a second valve disposed in the power generation flow path. The first valve is disposed on the upstream side of the heat collector in the cooling flow path,
The second valve is disposed on the upstream side of the power generation stack in the power generation flow path,
Control means for controlling opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve;
The control means controls to close the first valve when cooling by the heat collector is not required, and to close the second valve when power generation by the power generation stack is not required. 10. The cooling system according to 9. A fuel tank for storing the fuel supplied to the reservoir tank;
A supply flow path connecting the fuel tank and the reservoir tank;
The cooling system according to any one of claims 6 to 10, further comprising a supply pump disposed in the supply flow path.   An electronic apparatus comprising the cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A to-be-cooled device disposed in the vicinity of the heat collector;
The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: an electronic device that operates using electric power output from the power generation stack.

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