JP2577107Y2 - Heat dissipation structure of submarine cable repeater - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for efficiently radiating heat generated inside a repeater of a communication submarine cable to the outside.

[0002] In a submarine cable for communication, repeaters having amplifiers are provided at regular intervals in order to amplify and reproduce a signal attenuated by transmission over a long distance. In the state of use of the submarine cable, the electronic circuit of the repeater operates and generates heat corresponding to the power consumption. When heat is generated in a closed container, if the heat is accumulated, the temperature in the container increases, which causes malfunction of the electronic device. For this reason, it is necessary for the submarine cable repeater to have a heat dissipation structure.

[0003] As a heat dissipation structure of such a submarine cable repeater, there is a structure in which an internal heat generating portion is thermally coupled to an outer water-resistant vessel of the repeater, and internal heat is released to an outer vessel close to the outer seawater. Is common. However, when laying submarine cables on the seabed, the relative position between the internal unit, which is the heat-generating part, and the outer water-resistant vessel is affected because the repeater receives vibrations and impacts, for example, when passing onboard equipment. Although fluctuating, heretofore, there has been no suitable heat dissipation structure that can address such problems.

[0004] As a means for transporting heat, for example, a heat pipe is well known. This is a device in which a medium which is easily changed into a gas phase and a liquid phase as a working fluid is sealed in a sealed tube, and heat is transported by flow through the latent heat of the phase change. The working fluid in the pipe absorbs heat from the surroundings and evaporates to a gas on the high temperature side, flows to a low temperature side in a gaseous state, and releases heat to the surroundings to a liquid on a low temperature side. This liquid is returned to the high temperature side by utilizing the capillary phenomenon. Therefore, the working fluid circulates between the high-temperature side and the low-temperature side while changing phase, and the heat on the high-temperature side of the heat pipe can be efficiently transported to the low-temperature side.

In a submarine cable repeater, the internal unit is housed in an external water-resistant container via a buffer for protecting the internal unit from vibration and impact. It is necessary to provide a buffer structure that has a degree of freedom in which the internal unit and the water-resistant vessel can move relative to each other. However, there is a problem that it cannot be coexisted with the buffer structure.

Conventionally, heat pipes are made of metal having good heat conductivity and cannot be freely expanded and contracted. Therefore, it cannot be applied to heat transfer between objects whose positions relatively change due to vibration, deformation, and the like. Conventionally,
In order to solve this problem, a method is used in which the pipe is made corrugated to have flexibility. In the case of a corrugated heat pipe as shown in FIG. 6, (1) the length of expansion and contraction in the axial direction is reduced. Not very large, (2) expensive due to complex shape and difficult to manufacture, (3) not reproducible in operation like a spring due to plastic deformation of material, (4) repetition by impact or vibration There were problems such as lack of reliability for deformation.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a heat radiating structure of a submarine cable repeater using a novel heat pipe structure in view of the above situation.

[0008]

The heat radiating structure of the submarine cable repeater according to the present invention has a structure in which a part or all of a spring material is provided between an internal unit as a heat source and an external water pressure vessel as a heat absorbing source. It is characterized by being connected by a heat pipe having a spring structure.

According to the present invention, the heat pipe and the spring are integrated, so that even if the relative position between two points to which heat is to be transferred fluctuates, it can follow the change, and the reproducibility and repetition of operation can be achieved. By using a heat pipe having both a highly reliable spring characteristic against deformation and a high-performance heat transfer characteristic of the heat pipe, a high-performance heat dissipation structure of a submarine cable repeater can be realized.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a submarine cable repeater to which a heat dissipation structure according to the present invention is applied. In the figure, 10 is a submarine cable repeater, 11 is a water-resistant vessel, 12 is a heat pipe,
13 is an internal unit. The heat pipe 12 is interposed between the internal unit 10 as a heat source and the external water-resistant vessel 11 as a heat absorbing source. With such a configuration,
The heat pipe 12 not only transfers heat from the internal unit 10 to the watertight vessel 11 in a static state, but also when the watertight vessel 11 is subjected to vibration or impact, for example, when laying on the seabed, for example, while passing through onboard equipment. Is a watertight vessel 11 and internal unit
It can expand and contract naturally following the change in the relative positional relationship of 10, and efficiently conducts heat transfer, and the heat pipe 12 itself also acts as a buffer spring,
Vibration and shock to 10 can be reduced.

As the heat pipe 12 used in the heat radiating structure of the submarine cable repeater of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a pipe formed in a coil shape can be used. Since such a heat pipe 12 also has characteristics as a coil spring, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c), expansion and contraction of two points A and B at which heat should be transmitted in the axial direction. (Pull, shrink), bend, rotate, etc. FIG. 2 illustrates the expansion, contraction, bending, and rotation operations of the coil spring.
Obviously, these operations are possible even in the case of a general spring.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a heat pipe 12 used in the heat dissipation structure of the submarine cable repeater of the present invention, which is formed only in a part into a coil shape so as to be freely expandable, contractible and rotatable. FIG. 4 shows a part formed into a coil shape.
FIG. 8 is a view showing another example of the heat pipe 12 having a structure that can be extended, retracted, and rotated. FIG. 5 is a view showing still another example of the heat pipe 12 which is partly formed into a coil shape and has a structure which can be freely expanded, contracted and rotated. Here, a part of the heat pipe 12 is formed into a U-shaped spring.

In addition, although not particularly described in the drawings,
Furthermore, a spring against bending deformation or a spring (torsion bar) against shaft rotation can be used as a straight pipe structure, or a double coil formed from a coil having a smaller diameter into a coil having a larger diameter can be used. .

The spring material for the heat pipe 12 used in the present invention is a metal material generally used as a spring, such as spring steel, hard steel, piano wire, carbon steel for spring, carbon steel for valve spring, Cr-V steel for valve springs, Si-Cr steel for valve springs, Si-Cr steel for springs, stainless steel for springs, brass, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, nickel silver, etc. can be used. Of these, phosphor bronze and beryllium copper are particularly suitable as materials for heat pipes used in the heat radiation structure of the present invention because they have high elasticity limits, are excellent as spring materials, and have good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance.

[0015]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention,
The internal unit of the submarine cable repeater and the watertight vessel are partly or wholly connected by a heat pipe made of a spring material to increase the heat transfer between two points where the relative positional relationship has been difficult, which has been difficult in the past. It can be performed reliably and efficiently, and greatly contributes to improvement of the performance of the submarine cable repeater.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a submarine cable repeater to which a heat dissipation structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the operation of a spring material, wherein FIG. 2A shows tension, FIG. 2B shows bending, and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a part of a heat pipe is formed as a coil spring.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example in which a part of the heat pipe is used as a coil spring.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which a part of a heat pipe is formed as a U-shaped spring.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a conventional corrugated heat pipe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Submarine cable repeater 11 Waterproof vessel 12 Heat pipe 13 Internal unit

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An undersea floor characterized in that a part or the whole of an internal unit serving as a heat source and an external water-resistant vessel serving as a heat absorbing source is connected by a heat pipe made of a spring material and having a spring structure. Heat dissipation structure of cable repeater.