TW202322680A - Cooling liquid flow control device - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooling liquid flow control device includes a heat dissipation bottom plate, a fixing holder, a cooling module, and a temperature control element. The heat dissipation bottom plate has a bottom surface configured to be in contact with a heating element on a substrate. The fixing holder is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate and configured to be fixed with the substrate. The cooling module is connected to a top surface of the heat dissipation bottom plate to form a cavity. The cavity is configured to circulate a cooling liquid. The temperature control element is connected to the cooling module and includes a valve. The valve is configured to reciprocally move based on a temperature of the heating element, thereby adjusting a flow rate of the cooling liquid in and out of the cavity.

Description

Coolant flow control device

The present disclosure relates to a coolant flow control device.

The water-cooling module of the existing electronic components (such as: CPU) is based on the heat-conducting substrate of the electronic components, and the internal circulation circuit is used on the water inlet side and the water outlet side for heat exchange to achieve the effect of heat dissipation of the electronic components, and the electronic component platform corresponds The holes are fixed on the PCB.

However, the existing water-cooling modules do not have the function of controlling the flow rate (for example, the flow rate of cooling water). Since the water-cooling module cannot control the flow rate, it cannot optimize the heat dissipation of the electronic components when they are idle or under full load, and thus cannot adjust the power load of the Cooling Distribution Units (CDU) on the system.

Therefore, how to propose a cooling fluid flow control device to control the cooling fluid flow and achieve the effect of saving energy is one of the problems that the industry is eager to devote research and development resources to solve.

In view of this, one purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a coolant flow control device that can solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a coolant flow control device includes a heat dissipation base plate, a fixing seat, a cooling module, and a temperature control element. The heat dissipation bottom plate has a bottom surface configured to be in contact with the heating element on the substrate. The fixing base is connected with the heat dissipation bottom plate and configured to be fixed with the base plate. The cooling module is connected with the top surface of the heat dissipation bottom plate to form a chamber. The chamber is configured to circulate coolant. The temperature control element is connected with the cooling module and includes a valve body. The valve body is configured to reciprocate based on the temperature of the heating element, thereby regulating the flow of coolant into and out of the chamber.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling module includes a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe, and the chamber further includes a first subchamber and a second subchamber. The first subchamber is configured to receive cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe. The second sub-chamber is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber to the liquid outlet pipe.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling module further includes a top plate, a side wall, and a partition wall. The top plate has a liquid inlet hole and a liquid outlet hole, wherein the liquid inlet hole is connected between the first subchamber and the temperature control element, and the liquid outlet hole is connected between the temperature control element and the second subchamber. The side wall vertically extends from the edge of the top plate and surrounds the edge of the top plate, wherein the side wall is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate. The partition wall vertically extends from the top plate and separates the first sub-chamber from the second sub-chamber, wherein the partition wall is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature control element further includes a cavity and a coil. The cavity is configured to accommodate the cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber. The coil is connected with the cavity and surrounds the valve body.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cavity includes a liquid inlet area, a liquid outlet area, and a spacer. The liquid inlet area is configured to receive cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber. The liquid outlet area is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet area to the second sub-chamber. The spacer separates the liquid inlet area from the liquid outlet area, and has an opening for cooling liquid to circulate between the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve body is configured to stop and disengage from the opening.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the coolant flow control device further includes a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to: receive a temperature signal from the heating element; and convert the signal into a current to output to the coil, wherein the current causes the valve body to generate displacement.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the flow rate of the coolant is based on the displacement of the valve body, and the flow rate has a linear relationship with the current.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve body is configured to block the opening so as not to connect the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area when the heating element is in an idle state.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve body is configured to: disengage from the opening to connect the liquid inlet region and the liquid outlet region when the heating element is under load.

To sum up, in the coolant flow control device disclosed in the present disclosure, since the temperature control element utilizes the characteristic that the valve body can reciprocate based on the temperature of the heating element, the valve body can stop, partially stop or break away from the opening to achieve control. Purpose of coolant flow. In the cooling liquid flow control device disclosed in the present disclosure, since the flow of the cooling liquid based on the displacement generated by the valve body has a linear relationship with the current, the valve body can stop the opening proportionally based on the temperature of the heating element, thereby facilitating The energy saving effect of the coolant flow control device can be achieved.

The above description is only used to explain the problems to be solved by the present disclosure, the technical means to solve the problems, and the effects thereof, etc. The specific details of the present disclosure will be introduced in detail in the following implementation methods and related drawings.

The following will disclose multiple implementations of the present disclosure with diagrams, and for the sake of clarity, many practical details will be described together in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the present disclosure. That is to say, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, these practical details are unnecessary. In addition, for the sake of simplifying the drawings, some well-known structures and components will be shown in a simple and schematic manner in the drawings. The same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar elements.

The structure, function and connection relationship between the components included in the coolant flow control device 100 of the present embodiment will be described in detail below.

Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams of different viewing angles of the coolant flow control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the coolant flow control device 100 includes a heat dissipation bottom plate 110 , a fixing base 120 , a cooling module 130 and a temperature control element 140 . The heat dissipation bottom plate 110 has a top surface 110 a and a bottom surface 110 b. The bottom surface 110b is configured to be in contact with a heating element (not shown; for example: CPU) on a substrate (not shown; for example: PCB). The fixing seat 120 is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and configured to be fixed with the substrate. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 is connected to the fixing seat 120 by the fixing member S1, the heating element is in contact with the bottom surface 110b of the heat dissipation bottom plate 110, and the heating element is located between the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the substrate. , when the fixing seat 120 is fixed toward the substrate by the fixing member S2, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 is pressed against the heating element. The cooling module 130 is connected to the top surface 110 a of the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 to form a cavity. The cooling module 130 also includes a liquid inlet tube IT and a liquid outlet tube OT. The chamber is configured to circulate coolant. The temperature control element 140 is connected to the cooling module 130 and is configured to adjust the flow of cooling fluid into and out of the chamber based on the temperature of the heating element.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the coolant flow control device 100 further includes a housing H. As shown in FIG. The housing H is configured to provide protection for the temperature control element 140 .

In some embodiments, the coolant flow control device 100 further includes a processing unit (not shown). The processing unit is configured to receive the temperature signal from the heating element. The processing unit is also configured to convert the signal into current and output it to the temperature control element 140 .

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the coolant flow control device 100 further includes a wire W. The wire W is configured to deliver current from the processing unit to the temperature control element 140 .

Please refer to Figure 3, Figure 4A and Figure 4B. In this embodiment, the cooling module 130 includes a top plate 132 , a side wall 134 and a partition wall 136 . The top plate 132 has a liquid inlet hole 132A and a liquid outlet hole 132B. The side wall 134 vertically extends from the edge of the top plate 132 and surrounds the edge of the top plate 132 , wherein the side wall 134 is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 . The partition wall 136 vertically extends from the top plate 132 and is configured to divide the chamber into a first sub-chamber C1 and a second sub-chamber C2. That is, the partition wall 136 separates the first sub-chamber C1 from the second sub-chamber C2 , wherein the partition wall 136 is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 . The first sub-chamber C1 is configured to receive cooling liquid from the liquid inlet tube IT. The second sub-chamber C2 is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber C1 to the liquid outlet pipe OT. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the liquid inlet hole 132A is connected between the first subchamber C1 and the temperature control element 140, and the liquid outlet hole 132B is connected between the temperature control element 140 and the second subchamber. Between C2.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the temperature control element 140 includes a cavity 142 , a coil 144 and a valve body 146 . The cavity 142 is configured to accommodate the coolant from the first sub-chamber C1. The coil 144 is connected to the cavity 142 . The valve body 146 is disposed in the coil 144 , specifically, the coil 144 including several wires surrounds the valve body 146 . In some embodiments, the valve body 146 is disposed on the inner surface of the temperature control element 140 . The valve body 146 is configured to reciprocate based on the temperature of the heating element, thereby regulating the flow of coolant into and out of the chamber.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the cavity 142 further includes a liquid inlet area A1 , a liquid outlet area A2 and a spacer 143 . The liquid inlet area A1 is configured to receive the cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber C1. The liquid outlet area A2 is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet area A1 to the second sub-chamber C2. The spacer 143 separates the liquid inlet area A1 from the liquid outlet area A2 and has an opening O. The opening O enables the cooling liquid to circulate between the liquid inlet area A1 and the liquid outlet area A2. In this embodiment, the valve body 146 includes a fixed iron core 147 , an elastic member 148 and a moving iron core 149 . The fixed iron core 147 is fixed on the inner surface of the temperature control element 140 . The elastic member 148 is connected between the fixed iron core 147 and the moving iron core 149 . In some embodiments, the moving iron core 149 is configured to stop and disengage from the opening O. In some embodiments, the end of the moving iron core 149 may include a stopper F, and the stopper F is configured with a stopper and an escape opening O. As shown in FIG. In some embodiments, the temperature control element 140 further includes a pad P disposed between the coil 144 and the cavity 142, and the pad P is configured to separate the coil 144 and the cavity 142 to prevent the coolant in the cavity 142 from contacting the coil. 144 causing damage.

With the aforementioned structural configuration, when the cooling liquid flows into the first sub-chamber C1 from the liquid inlet pipe IT, the cooling liquid enters the liquid inlet area A1 through the liquid inlet hole 132A. Next, the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet area A2 through the opening O on the spacer 143 . Next, the cooling liquid enters the second sub-chamber C2 through the liquid outlet hole 132B, and then flows into the liquid outlet pipe OT.

Next, how the coolant flow control device 100 controls the flow of the coolant will be described.

Please refer to Figure 6, Figure 7 and Figure 8. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate how the valve body 146 of the temperature control element 140 operates to control the flow of the coolant in the coolant flow control device 100 . FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the flow rate of the coolant and the current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, for example, the temperature of the heating element is obtained by a signal connected to the management chip (BMC) on the substrate. The processing unit obtains the temperature of the heating element through the signal conversion of the management chip on the substrate, and then converts the processing unit into a PWM signal output through the internal software function, and linearly converts the PWM signal with a duty cycle of 0%~100% into 4~20mA The current output of the wire W can control the reciprocating movement of the valve body 146 to control the flow rate or flow of the cooling liquid by receiving the current input from the wire W. As shown in Figure 8, there is a linear relationship between the flow rate of coolant and the current signal. In some embodiments, the aforesaid current substantially causes the moving iron core 149 to displace to stop and break away from the opening O, so as to achieve the effect of controlling the flow of the cooling liquid. When the heating element is in a normal operating state, the processing unit will output an appropriate current to the coil 144 so that the moving iron core 149 generates a displacement corresponding to the current to partially stop the opening O proportionally. Since the stopper F blocks part of the opening O, the coolant from the inlet pipe IT can enter the liquid outlet area A2 and the second sub-chamber C2 through the opening O at a proper flow rate.

In a usage scenario, when the heating element located under the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and in contact with the bottom surface 110b does not generate waste heat because it is in an idle state, the processing unit does not output current to the coil 144, and the moving iron core 149 does not produce upward displacement. (As shown in FIG. 6 ) The stop portion F stops the opening O thus. Since the stopper F blocks the entire opening O, the coolant from the liquid inlet pipe IT cannot enter the liquid outlet area A2 through the opening O temporarily.

In a usage scenario, when the heating element under the heat dissipation base plate 110 generates a relatively large amount of waste heat due to a full load state, the processing unit outputs a corresponding maximum current to the coil 144, so that the moving iron core 149 generates The upward displacement (as shown in Fig. 7) disengages the stop F from the opening O. Since the stopper F is separated from the opening O, the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe IT can enter the liquid outlet area A2 through the opening O.

Through the above operations, the coolant flow control device 100 can properly control the stopper, partial stopper and exit opening O of the moving iron core 149 through the corresponding current output based on the temperature of the heating element, so as to control the flow rate of the coolant , Energy saving effect.

In some embodiments, the stop portion F is disposed on the moving iron core 149 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the moving iron core 149 may not include the stop portion F, but has an end having a pointed shape conforming to the shape of the opening O, for example.

In some embodiments, the valve body 146 includes a fixed iron core 147 and a moving iron core 149 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the valve body 146 may be formed as a single body without including the fixed iron core 147 and the moving iron core 149 . For example, when the coil 144 receives the current from the processing unit, the whole valve body 146 is displaced downward and upward.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 6 , and FIG. 7 , the fixing member S2 includes elements such as springs and screws, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the fixing member S2 may not include a spring. Although the disclosure discloses that the fixing base 120 is connected to the substrate by means of locking, the disclosure is not intended to limit the structure, method or means of connecting the fixing base 120 to the substrate.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 7 , the fixing member S1 is substantially screwed. Although the present disclosure discloses that the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the fixing seat 120 are connected to each other by means of locking (for example: the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the fixing seat 120 are locked to each other through the fixing member S1), but the present disclosure is not intended to focus on the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the fixing seat 120 are limited by the structure, method or means of connecting each other.

In some embodiments, the component of the cooling liquid may be liquid water (H ₂ O), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the composition of the cooling liquid may be ethylene glycol (C ₂ H ₆ O ₂ ) or propylene glycol (C ₃ H ₈ O ₂ ). The above is just an example for simple description, and the present disclosure is not intended to limit the composition of the cooling liquid.

In some implementations, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 are substantially separated, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some implementations, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 may be formed integrally rather than separately. For example, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 can be integrally formed as a water-cooled box with a cavity C. As shown in FIG.

In some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 are substantially tightly connected. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 may be adhesively connected to each other. Alternatively, in some implementations, the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 may be snap-fit connected to each other. The above is just an example for simple description, and the present disclosure is not intended to limit the structure, method or means of connecting the heat dissipation bottom plate 110 and the cooling module 130 to each other.

In some embodiments, the stopper F can be made of flexible materials such as plastic, rubber or cork, so as to stop the liquid inlet hole 132A more tightly. The above is just an example for simple description, and the present disclosure is not intended to limit the material of the stopper F.

In some embodiments, the temperature control element 140 is disposed on the cooling module 130 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some implementations, for example, the temperature control element 140 may be disposed between the first sub-chamber C1 and the second sub-chamber C2. The present disclosure is not intended to limit the location of the temperature control element 140 .

From the above detailed description of the specific implementation of the present disclosure, it can be clearly seen that in the coolant flow control device of the present disclosure, since the temperature control element utilizes the characteristic that the valve body can reciprocate based on the temperature of the heating element, the valve The body can stop, partially stop or break away from the opening to achieve the purpose of controlling the flow of coolant. In the cooling liquid flow control device disclosed in the present disclosure, since the flow of the cooling liquid based on the displacement generated by the valve body has a linear relationship with the current, the valve body can stop the opening proportionally based on the temperature of the heating element, thereby facilitating The energy saving effect of the coolant flow control device can be achieved.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the coolant flow control device disclosed in the present disclosure can be applied to a server, and the server can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, or Use it as a 5G server, cloud server or Internet of Vehicles server.

Although the present disclosure has been disclosed above in terms of implementation, it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the protection of this disclosure The scope shall be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Coolant flow control device 110: heat dissipation bottom plate 110a: top surface 110b: bottom surface 120: fixed seat 130: cooling module 132: top plate 132A: Inlet hole 132B: liquid outlet 134: side wall 136: Partition wall 140: temperature control element 142: Cavity 143: spacer 144: Coil 146: valve body 147: set iron core 148: Elastic parts 149: moving iron heart A1: Inlet area A2: Outlet area C1: first subchamber C2: second subchamber F: stopper H: shell IT: inlet pipe O: open OT: Outlet tube P: pad S1, S2: Fixing parts W: wire

In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more comprehensible, the accompanying drawings are described as follows: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coolant flow control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of a coolant flow control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a coolant flow control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A is a partial schematic diagram of a cooling module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B shows another partial schematic diagram of the cooling module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a temperature control element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a stopper opening of a valve body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a valve body escape opening according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the flow rate of the cooling liquid and the current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

100: Coolant flow control device

110: heat dissipation bottom plate

110a: top surface

120: fixed seat

130: cooling module

140: temperature control element

H: shell

IT: inlet pipe

OT: Outlet tube

S1, S2: Fixing parts

W: wire

Claims (10)

A coolant flow control device, comprising: A heat dissipation bottom plate has a bottom surface configured to be in contact with a heating element on a substrate; a fixing seat, connected with the heat dissipation base plate, and configured to be fixed with the base plate; a cooling module connected to a top surface of the heat dissipation bottom plate to form a cavity configured to circulate a cooling liquid; and A temperature control element is connected with the cooling module and includes a valve body configured to reciprocate based on a temperature of the heating element, thereby regulating a flow rate of the cooling liquid entering and leaving the chamber. The coolant flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling module includes a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe, and the chamber further includes: a first subchamber configured to receive the coolant from the inlet tube; and A second sub-chamber configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the first sub-chamber to the liquid outlet pipe. The coolant flow control device as described in claim 2, wherein the cooling module further includes: A top plate has a liquid inlet hole and a liquid outlet hole, wherein the liquid inlet hole is connected between the first sub-chamber and the temperature control element, and the liquid outlet hole is connected to the temperature control element and the second between the subchambers; a side wall extending vertically from the edge of the top plate and surrounding the edge of the top plate, wherein the side wall is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate; and A partition wall vertically extends from the top plate and separates the first sub-chamber from the second sub-chamber, wherein the partition wall is connected to the heat dissipation base plate. The coolant flow control device as described in claim 3, wherein the temperature control element further includes: a cavity configured to contain the coolant from the first sub-chamber; and A coil is connected with the cavity and surrounds the valve body. The coolant flow control device as described in claim 4, wherein the cavity contains: a liquid inlet area configured to receive the cooling liquid from the first subchamber; an outlet zone configured to deliver the coolant from the inlet zone to the second subchamber; and A spacer separates the liquid inlet area from the liquid outlet area and has an opening for the cooling liquid to circulate between the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area. The coolant flow control device according to claim 5, wherein the valve body is configured to stop and disengage from the opening. The coolant flow control device as described in Claim 6, further comprising a processing unit configured to: receiving a signal of the temperature from the heating element; and The signal is converted into a current and output to the coil, wherein the current causes the valve body to generate a displacement. The coolant flow control device according to claim 7, wherein the flow of the coolant is based on the displacement of the valve body, and the flow and the current have a linear relationship. The coolant flow control device as described in Claim 7, wherein the valve body is configured to: When the heating element is in an idle state, the opening is blocked so as not to communicate with the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area. The coolant flow control device as described in Claim 7, wherein the valve body is configured to: When the heating element is under load, the opening is disengaged to conduct the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area.

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