JPH11118372A - Heat pipe structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling structure excellent in maintainability and practicability by laminating and fixing a plurality of plate-type heat pipes in an attachable/detachable manner, and joining a fin for heat radiation to one of the plate-type heat pipes. SOLUTION: Seven electronic parts 53 to be cooled are mounted on a printed circuit board 54, a block 17 in which heat pipes 16 are embedded are brought into contact with the electronic parts 53, and the block 17 and the electronic parts 53 are fixed so as to keep the contact condition. The block 17 is extended to the side of the printed circuit board 54, and heat sinks 11, 12 are mounted on the extended part. The heat sinks 11, 12 are provided with plate-type heat pipes 110, 120, and fins 111, 121 for heat radiation are joined on their main surfaces. A cooling structure excellent in maintainability and practicability can be provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pipe structure using a plate type heat pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Power transistors, rectifiers, MCMs
As a method of cooling electronic components such as a (multi-chip module), in addition to a method of cooling air in a device on which the electronic components are mounted, a heat sink (fin) for heat dissipation is attached to the electronic components, and Methods for releasing heat and the like are known.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a cooling structure in which a heat sink (fin) is attached to an electronic component to be cooled. In this example, in order to cool the six power modules 43 mounted on the printed circuit board 44, the heat sink 4
0 (a material is, for example, an aluminum material) is brought into contact therewith. In the case of such a structure, the heat of the electronic component 43 is substantially transmitted to the block portion 41 of the heat sink 40, and then is released via the fin portion 42.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which a heat sink 45 having a block portion 46 in which two heat pipes 47 are embedded in the longitudinal direction is used instead of the block portion 41 of FIG. To manufacture the heat sink 45, for example, the block portion 46 and the fin portion 48 may be separately prepared, and these may be assembled by welding, brazing, or the like. The block portion 46 may be manufactured by inserting a predetermined heat pipe 47 into a block having two holes obtained by extruding an aluminum material or the like.

In the heat sink 45 used in this example, the heat uniformity of the block portion 46 is enhanced by the effect of the heat pipe 47. That is, the heat transfer performance of the block portion 46 in the longitudinal direction is improved. Thus, the six electronic components 43 are cooled more effectively and more uniformly.

In any of the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the contact between the heat sinks 40 and 45 and the electronic component 43 may be direct contact or contact via heat transfer grease or the like. In some cases, the electronic component 43, the heat sinks 40 and 45, and the electronic component 43 may be joined by soldering or the like.
From the viewpoint of heat dissipation, it is only necessary that the electronic component 41 and the heat sinks 40 and 45 be in a thermally connected state.

The heat pipe has a working fluid (water, alcohol, etc.) sealed in a closed space inside the heat pipe, and the heat absorbing portion (a portion of the electronic component receiving heat) quickly receives heat. It is a device that moves to a heat radiating part (a part where fins and the like are attached). Although heat is transmitted to the inside of the container (container) constituting the heat pipe by heat conduction, and heat is also released from the container to the outside at the heat absorbing portion, the amount of heat is generally small. A heat pipe is a heat transfer device that transfers heat mainly by phase transformation and movement of a working fluid.

[0008] The operation of the heat pipe is briefly described as follows. In the heat absorbing portion of the heat pipe, heat is transferred from the outside of the heat pipe through the material of the container of the heat pipe to the working fluid therein. The working fluid evaporates due to the heat, and the vapor moves to the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe. In the heat radiating portion, the vapor of the working fluid is cooled and returns to the liquid state again. Then, the working fluid that has returned to the liquid phase moves (recirculates) again to the heat absorbing section. Heat is transferred by such phase transformation and movement of the working fluid.

Since the heat pipe is a device for transferring heat as described above, the heat pipe can be suitably applied to a case where electronic components to be cooled and fins for heat radiation are arranged apart from each other. In the example shown in FIG. 6, as a cooling structure for the electronic components 53 mounted on the printed circuit board 54, the heat dissipating fins 50 are arranged so as to be shifted from the position of the printed circuit board 54. The heat pipe 52 has a heat absorbing side on the block 51.
Embedded in the electronic component 53 via the block 51.
Receive heat from Then, the heat is transferred to the heat radiation side (the portion where the fins 50 are attached), and is radiated there.

[0010]

In a cooling structure using a heat pipe, in order to sufficiently cool an electronic component to be cooled, it is necessary to sufficiently transfer the heat to a radiating fin. It is. For example, in the case of a cooling structure as shown in FIG. 6, it is desired that the heat of the electronic component 53 transmitted through the heat pipe 52 be sufficiently transmitted to the fin 50.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the fins 50 are inserted and fixed in the heat pipe 52,
It is not possible to say that the fins 50 are large in size or the number of fins 50 is large, and the maintenance performance is not good. For example, the usage condition of the electronic component 53 and the case where the number of the electronic component 53 is changed may be considered. In order to easily cope with such a case,
It has been desired that the fins 50 can easily cope with an increase in size or the like.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a practically excellent heat pipe structure. The heat pipe structure of the present invention is a heat pipe structure in which a plurality of plate-type heat pipes are detachably stacked and fixed. In some cases, at least one of the plate-shaped heat pipes constituting the heat pipe structure has a radiating fin joined thereto.

In the above-described heat pipe structure, at least one set of adjacent plate-type heat pipes may be stacked and fixed with a heat transfer member interposed therebetween. The plate-type heat pipes constituting the heat pipe structure of the present invention are preferably stacked and fixed by an elastic spring.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a method for cooling an electronic component using a heat pipe structure according to the present invention. The heat pipe structure of the present invention is obtained by laminating and fixing two plate-type heat pipes 11 and 12, and in this example,
The heat pipe structure is applied to a part of the electronic component 53 that emits heat.

The seven electronic components 53 to be cooled are mounted on a printed circuit board 54. In the electronic component 53,
The block 17 in which the heat pipe 16 is embedded is in contact. The electronic component 53 and the block 17 are fixed so that they maintain a contact state, but the fixing means is not shown.

The block 17 extends to the side surface of the printed circuit board 54 as shown in the figure, and heatsinks 11 and 12 are attached to the extended portion. The heat sinks 11 and 12 are plate heat pipes 110 and 12 respectively.
0 and fins 111 and 112 joined to the main surface.

The block 17 is fixed to the heat sinks 11 and 12 by sandwiching the block 17 between the plate-shaped heat pipe 110 and the plate-shaped heat pipe 120 and tightening them with screws 13 and nuts 15. In this example, the heat sinks 11 and 12 and the block 17 are elastically fixed using the spring 14.

The heat sinks 11 and 12 are provided with fins 111 and 1 on plate heat pipes 110 and 120 having excellent heat uniformity.
Because of the structure to which the block 21 is attached, the heat transmitted from the block 17 is quickly radiated. As described above, the plate-type heat pipe 110 and the plate-type heat pipe 120 are stacked and fixed (in this example, the block 17 is interposed).
The heat pipe structure of the present invention
1 and the heat sink 12 can be easily exchanged, and the maintainability thereof is high. Further, as shown in this figure, a plate-type heat pipe 110 and a plate-type heat pipe 12 are
When the layers 0 and 0 are stacked and fixed, these thermal connection states are favorably maintained.

In the heat pipe structure of the present invention, a plurality of plate heat pipes are detachably laminated and fixed, but the number of plate heat pipes may be three or more.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, three plate-type heat pipes 20 to 22 may be stacked. Also, as shown in FIG. 2A, a block 2 in which a normal rod-shaped heat pipe 23 is embedded is used instead of the plate-shaped heat pipe 21 in the middle part.
4 may be interposed. This block 24 corresponds to block 17 in FIG.

As a method for laminating and fixing a plurality of plate-shaped heat pipes, in addition to the method using the coiled spring 14 as shown in FIG. 1, for example, as shown in FIG. The method is also simple. In this example, the plate type heat pipes 20, 21 and 22 are elastically laminated and fixed by the clip 25.

[0021]

As described in detail above, the heat pipe structure of the present invention can be suitably used for a cooling structure excellent in maintainability and practicality.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cooling structure using a heat pipe structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a heat pipe structure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an example of a plate-type heat pipe of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example of a conventional cooling structure.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of a conventional cooling structure.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of a conventional cooling structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Heat sink 110 Plate heat pipe 111 Fin 12 Heat sink 120 Plate heat pipe 121 Fin 13 Screw 14 Spring 15 Nut 16 Heat pipe 17 Block 20 Plate heat pipe 21 Plate heat pipe 22 Plate heat pipe 23 Heat pipe 24 Block 25 Clip 40 heat sink 41 block portion 42 fin portion 43 electronic component 44 printed board 45 heat sink 46 block portion 47 heat pipe 48 fin portion 50 fin 51 block 52 heat pipe 53 electronic component 54 printed board

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A heat pipe structure in which a plurality of plate type heat pipes are detachably stacked and fixed. 2. The heat pipe structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plate-type heat pipes constituting the heat pipe structure has a fin for heat radiation bonded thereto. 3. The at least one set of adjacent plate-type heat pipes is stacked and fixed with a heat transfer member interposed therebetween.
The heat pipe structure according to claim 1. 4. The heat pipe structure according to claim 1, wherein the plate heat pipes constituting the heat pipe structure are stacked and fixed by an elastic spring.