US20070227170A1

US20070227170A1 - Cooling system for computer

Info

Publication number: US20070227170A1
Application number: US11/308,500
Authority: US
Inventors: Xue-Wen Peng
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Foxconn Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-03-30
Filing date: 2006-03-30
Publication date: 2007-10-04

Abstract

A computer cooling system includes a computer housing, a refrigeration loop and two fans. The housing includes an inner layer and an outer layer and defines an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides thereof. The refrigeration loop orderly includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and pipes connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator. The compressor and the pipes are located between the inner and outer layers. The fans are respectively located near the air inlet and the air outlet, in order to draw air into the housing and expel the air out of the housing.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a cooling system, and more particularly to a cooling system for reducing temperature within a computer, wherein the cooling system includes a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser, and an expansion valve and refrigerant circulating through the system.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Computers are widespread nowadays. A central processing unit (CPU) is a core of the computer that generates large amounts of heat during operation and for that reason has to be cooled. Generally, a heat sink including a plurality of fins is attached on the CPU to remove the heat therefrom. Air is blown through a housing of the computer to cool the heat sink from which the heat can be dissipated to the air. However, with the development of electronic technology, the CPU has higher and higher frequency and can perform much more and greater functions; accordingly, the CPU generates more and more heat. Moreover, other chipsets and processors such as GPUs (graph processing units) of the computer also generate more and more heat. Such heat makes it difficult to control a temperature in the housing of the computer within a safe range, when the heat dissipation merely depends upon heat sinks respectively mounted on the CPU or GPU to remove the heat therefrom. Once the temperature within the housing of the computer is excessively increased, all of the electronic heat-generating components within the housing are adversely affected.
What is needed is a cooling system which can lower the temperature within a housing of a computer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A computer cooling system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a computer housing, a refrigeration loop and two fans. The computer housing comprises an inner layer and an outer layer and defines an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite front and rear sides thereof. The refrigeration loop orderly comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator. Pipes are used to connect the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator together. The compressor and the pipes are located between the inner and outer layers. The fans are respectively located near the air inlet and the air outlet, in order to draw air into the housing and expel the air out of the housing.
Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, plan view of a cooling system in a computer in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a lateral side of the computer; and
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but merely shows two fans of the cooling system in the computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a cooling system 100 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a double-layered housing 110, a motherboard assembly 120, a compressor 130, a condenser 140, an expansion valve 150, an evaporator 160 and two fans 170, 180.
The housing 110 comprises an outer layer 112 and an inner layer 114 and defines a room 116 between the two layers 112, 114. Referring to FIG. 2, the housing also defines an air inlet 117 and an air outlet 118 in opposite front and rear sides thereof, respectively. The fan 170 is located near the air inlet 117 for drawing outside cooling air into the housing 110 via the air inlet 117. The fan 180 is located near the air outlet 118 for expelling the air out of the housing 110 via the air outlet 118.
The motherboard assembly 120 is installed within the inner layer 114 of the housing 110 and has heat-generating components, such as a CPU 122 mounted thereon.
Flat pipes 134, 145, 156, 163 are located between the inner and outer layers 112, 114 in the preferred embodiment, and connect the compressor 130, condenser 140, expansion valve 150 and evaporator 160 together so that the compressor 130, condenser 140, expansion valve 150 and evaporator 160 form a refrigeration loop wherein a refrigerant can flow from the compressor 130 to the condenser 140, from the condenser 140 to the expansion valve 150, from the expansion valve 150 to the evaporator and then back to the compressor 130. The refrigeration loop can be wholly accommodated in the room 116 of the housing 110. It is preferable that the compressor 130 is located at a bottom of the room 116 but is not excluded that the compressor 130 is located at other locations of the room 116. The condenser 140 is located near the air outlet 118 so that the air passing therethrough can absorb the heat on the condenser 140 before leaving the housing via the air outlet 118. The expansion valve 150 is located close to the evaporator 160 to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant flowing therethrough and control the flux of the refrigerant. The evaporator 160 is approximate to the air inlet 117 so that the air passing therethrough can be cooled by the evaporator 160 before the air reaches the heat-generating components, such as the CPU 122.
In operation of the refrigeration loop, the refrigerant is compressed in the compressor 130 to have a high temperature and a high pressure. The refrigerant at the higher temperature then enters the condenser 140 via the pipe 134. Heat in the refrigerant is removed at the condenser 140 so that the refrigerant is cooled by the air passing therethrough to have a lower temperature. The refrigerant at the reduced temperature then flows through the expansion valve 150. The expansion valve 150 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and controls the flux of the refrigerant. A reduction in pressure of the refrigerant further reduces its temperature so that the refrigerant becomes cool. The cool refrigerant then flows through the evaporator 160 to cool air entering the housing 110, and finally flows back to the compressor 130 for a subsequent circulation.
For the cooling system, when the fan 170 draws air into the housing 110 via the air inlet 117, the air is blown to the evaporator 160 and is cooled down at the evaporator 160. The cooled air is then blown to the heat-generating components on the motherboard assembly 120 and is heated by the heat-generating components, whereby the heat of the heat-generating components is taken away by the cooled air. The air heated by the heat-generating components, passes through the condenser 140 and then leaves the housing 110 via the air outlet 118. The refrigerant in the condenser 140 releases the heat thereof to the air which has a temperature still lower than the refrigerant in the condenser 140. The fan 180 finally expels the air further heated by the condenser 140 out of the housing 110. That is to say, the refrigeration loop contains refrigerant therein, and the refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air outlet has a temperature higher than the air passing the refrigeration loop and the refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air inlet has a temperature lower than the air passing through the refrigeration loop.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the design of the double-layered housing 110 is in favor of protecting the pipes 134, 145, 156, 163, and partition the pipes 134, 145, 156, 163 and electronic heat-generating components in different spaces. The fans 170, 180 guide the air to suitably flow in the housing 110 and enhance convection in the housing 110. The fans 170, 180 also enforce heat exchange of the condenser 140 and the evaporator 160 with the air passing therethrough. The pipe 134 connecting the compressor 130 and the condenser 140 is preferably close to the inner layer 114 of the housing 110; thus, the air, which has passed through the heat-generating components and has a temperature still lower than that of the refrigerant in the pipe 134 can blow the inner layer 114 to cool the refrigerant in the pipe 134. The pipe 163 is preferably coated with a thermal insulation material 165 so that the air cooled by the evaporator 160 is thermally isolated from the refrigerant in the pipe 163.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A computer cooling system comprising:

a computer housing comprising an inner layer and an outer layer and defining an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides thereof;

a refrigeration loop orderly comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and pipes connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator, the compressor and the pipes being located between the inner and outer layers; and

two fans respectively located near the air inlet and the air outlet, for drawing air into the housing and expelling the air out of the housing, respectively.

2. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser is close to the inner layer of the housing.

3. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pipe connecting the evaporator and the compressor is coated with a thermal insulation material.

4. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressor is located at a bottom of the room.

5. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condenser is near the air outlet.

6. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the evaporator is approximate to the air inlet.

7. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expansion valve is between the condenser and the evaporator and is close to the evaporator.

8. The computer cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner and outer layers are arranged on lateral sides of the housing.

9. A cooling system for an electronic device, comprising:

a housing of the electronic device, comprising an inner layer and an outer layer and defining an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides thereof;

a first fan located near the air inlet, the fan drawing air into the housing;

a second fan located near the air outlet, the second fan expelling air out of the housing;

a refrigeration loop located between the inner and outer layers of the housing;

wherein the refrigeration loop contains refrigerant therein, and the refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air outlet has a temperature higher than the air passing through the refrigeration loop and the refrigerant in the refrigeration loop approximate to the air inlet has a temperature lower than the air passing through the refrigeration loop.

10. The cooling system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the refrigeration loop comprises an evaporator near the air inlet to cool the air entering the housing via the refrigerant therein.

11. The cooling system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the refrigeration loop comprises a condenser close to the air outlet, the refrigerant in the condenser is cooled by the air passing through the refrigeration loop.

12. A computer comprising:

a housing having an inner layer and an outer layer thereby defining a room between the inner and outer layers, and defining an air inlet and an air outlet, an airflow being generated to flow from the air inlet through the housing to the air outlet;

a heat generating component received in the housing, the airflow flowing through the heat generating component; and

a refrigeration system received in the room, having an evaporator located near the air inlet and a condenser located near the air outlet, the evaporator absorbing heat from the airflow, the condenser releasing heat to the airflow, the refrigeration system including refrigerant therein.

13. The computer as claimed in claim 12, wherein the refrigeration system further comprises a compressor between the condenser and the evaporator, a pipe interconnecting the compressor and the evaporator, the pipe being surrounded with a thermal insulation material, the refrigerant flowing from the condenser through the compressor to the evaporator.

14. The computer as claimed in claim 13, wherein the refrigeration system further comprises an expansion valve between the condenser and the evaporator, the refrigerant flows from the condenser to the evaporator through the expansion valve.

15. The computer as claimed in claim 13, wherein the refrigeration system further comprises a second pipe interconnecting the condenser and the compressor, the second pipe being located close to the inner layer of the housing.

16. The computer as claimed in claim 12, wherein the air inlet is provided in a front wall of the housing, and the air outlet is provided in a rear wall of the housing.

17. The computer as claimed in claim 16, wherein two fans are provided in the housing near the air inlet and the air outlet, respectively.