US20100326629A1

US20100326629A1 - Vapor chamber with separator

Info

Publication number: US20100326629A1
Application number: US12/492,195
Authority: US
Inventors: George Anthony. Meyer IV; Chien-Hung Sun; Chieh-Ping Chen; Te-Hsuan Chin
Original assignee: Celsia Technologies Taiwan Inc
Current assignee: Celsia Technologies Taiwan Inc
Priority date: 2009-06-26
Filing date: 2009-06-26
Publication date: 2010-12-30

Abstract

A vapor chamber with separator includes shell, capillary tissue, separator, supporting structure and working fluid. The shell includes inter-sealed lower and upper shell plates. Partial section of the lower shell plate projects downwardly and forms accommodating room therein. The capillary tissue is arranged by distributing over inner wall of the lower shell plate. The separator overlapped the capillary tissue is arranged penetrating trough corresponding to the accommodating room. Liquid passage is formed between the lower shell plate and the separator. The supporting structure is accommodated in the shell with upper and lower sides respectively inter-abutted against the upper shell plate and the separator. Vapor passage formed between the upper shell plate and the separator is communicated to the liquid passage. The working fluid is filled into the shell. Since the vapor and liquid working fluids are separated by the separator to avoid interference, the cooling performance is thus boosted.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention in general relates to a vapor chamber, in particular, to a vapor chamber with separator.
2. Description of Prior Art
The quicker computing speed of a computer is, relatively the more waste heat of computing element (for example, CPU) in computer generates. How to remove the waste heat from the interior of computer chassis in time to make computing element operated under normal temperature has become an issue intended to be addressed urgently by each manufacturer.
In order to enhance the cooling performance of computer chassis, the use of vapor chamber can boost the cooling efficiency significantly. As a general rule, a prior vapor chamber includes an upper shell plate, a lower shell plate, a capillary tissue, a supporting structure and a working fluid. The upper shell plate and the lower shell plate are inter-sealed to each other, between which an accommodating space is formed. The capillary tissue is arranged by distributing over the inner walls of the upper shell plate and the lower shell plate. The supporting structure is accommodated in the accommodating space with upper and lower sides respectively abutted against the capillary tissue. The working fluid is then filled into the accommodating space.
Usually, the lower shell plate contacts a heating element, while the upper shell plate is connected to cooling fins. When the temperature raises because the lower shell plate contacts the heating element and the working fluid contained in the accommodating space absorbs sufficient heat, the working fluid is changed from liquid phase to vapor phase and flows up to the upper shell plate, where the temperature is lower, making the working fluid release heat to the cooling fins. Subsequently, the working fluid is changed from vapor phase to liquid phase and flows down to the lower shell plate. And so on, the circulation is continued until the all waste heat generated from the heating element has been carried away.
However, the prior vapor chamber structure still has some drawbacks in terms of practical usage. Since the phase change between vapor and liquid occurs in a same accommodating space, it will substantially happen an interference between the working fluid in vapor phase flowing upwardly and the working fluid in liquid phase flowing downwardly, whereby an entire cooling performance of the vapor chamber is lowered down.
Accordingly, after a substantially devoted study, in cooperation with the application of relative academic principles, the inventor has finally proposed the present invention that is designed reasonably to possess the capability to improve the drawbacks of the prior art significantly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is mainly to provide a vapor chamber with separator, in which the separator separates the working fluid in vapor phase from the working fluid in liquid phase in a way, such that they won't be interfered to each other and the cooling performance is boosted.
Secondly, the invention is to provide a vapor chamber with separator, including a shell, a capillary tissue, a separator, a supporting structure and a working fluid. The shell includes a lower shell plate and an upper shell plate sealing the lower shell plate. Partial section of the lower shell plate projects downwardly and forms an accommodating room therein. The capillary tissue is arranged by distributing over inner wall of the lower shell plate. The separator overlapped the capillary tissue is arranged a penetrating trough corresponding to the accommodating room. A liquid passage is formed between the lower shell plate and the separator. The supporting structure is accommodated in the shell with upper and lower sides respectively inter-abutted against the upper shell plate and the separator. A vapor passage formed between the upper shell plate and the separator is communicated to the liquid passage. The working fluid is filled into the shell.
Compared with prior arts, the invention has following merits. Since the separator separates the working fluid in vapor phase from the working fluid in liquid phase, the working fluid of each phase has its own passage to avoid interfering to each other, reaching the function of boosting cooling performance significantly. In addition, by arranging folded pieces on the separator, it can further prevent the working fluid in vapor phase from flowing in reverse direction into the liquid passage to generate any interference with the working fluid in liquid phase.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes an exemplary embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective explosive view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective outer view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the sectional line “3-3” in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a locally enlarging illustration of “A” part in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In cooperation with attached drawings, the technical contents and detailed description of the present invention are described thereinafter according to a preferable embodiment, not used to limit its executing scope. Any equivalent variation and modification made according to appended claims is all covered by the claims claimed by the present invention.
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively showing a perspective explosive view and a perspective outer view of the invention. The invention is to provide a vapor chamber 1 with separator 30, including a shell 10, a capillary tissue 20, a separator 30, a supporting structure 40 and a working fluid 50 (referring to FIG. 4).
The shell 10 includes a lower shell plate 11 and an upper shell plate 12 sealing the lower shell plate 11. Partial section of the lower shell plate 11 is projected downwardly to form an accommodating room 111 therein. In this embodiment, the accommodating room 111 is shown as a rectangular configuration, however, not limited to this configuration only. The section of the lower shell plate 11 projected downwardly will contact closely onto an electronically heating element (not shown in the figures).
The capillary tissue 20 is distributed over inner walls of the lower shell plate 11 and the accommodating room 111. The capillary tissue 20 may be comprised of metallically woven net or made by powder sintering process, however, not limited to these only.
The separator 30 shown as a horizontal plate is partially overlapped onto the capillary tissue 20. Central portion of the separator 30 is arranged a penetrating trough 31 shown as a rectangular configuration corresponding to the accommodating room 111 in a way, such that the accommodating room 111 is communicated to the upper shell plate 12. In addition, a liquid passage b (referring to FIG. 4) is formed between the lower shell plate 11 and the separator 30. More specifically, the liquid passage b is substantially the capillary tissue 20 distributed over the inner walls of the lower shell plate 11. In addition, the separator 30 is folded downwardly to form a plurality of folded pieces 32 at a position corresponding to the penetrating trough 31. The folded pieces 32 are located at two opposite sides of the penetrating trough 31 and are extended into the accommodating room 111. Furthermore, end sides of the folded pieces 32 are all abutted against the capillary tissue 20 and a side face of the folded pieces 32 is also contacted closely onto the capillary tissue 20.
The supporting structure 40 accommodated in the shell 10 includes a plurality of corrugated pieces 41 arrayed by intercrossing to one another. Two sides of the corrugated piece 41 are respectively formed into a plurality of through troughs 411. Upper and lower sides of the supporting structure 40 (namely, the wave crest and the wave trough of the corrugated piece 41) are respectively inter-abutted against the upper shell plate 12 and the separator 30. A vapor passage c formed between the upper shell plate 12 and the separator 30 is communicated to the liquid passage b. More specifically, the vapor passage c is a passage formed between the supporting structure 40 and each corrugated piece 41. The working fluid 50 (referring to FIG. 4) is filled into the shell 10. In addition, a connecting section d is respectively formed at two sides of the separator 30 in the shell 10, making the vapor passage c communicated to the liquid passage b.
Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, respectively showing the cross-sectional view along “3-3” sectional line in FIG. 2 and the locally enlarging view of “A” part in FIG. 3. When the vapor chamber 1 is not heated, the working fluid 50 in liquid phase is accommodated in the accommodating room 111. When the waste heat of the electronically heating element (not shown in the figures) is conducted to the lower shell plate 11 of the vapor chamber 1, the working fluid 50 in liquid phase will be changed into the working fluid 50 in vapor phase because the working fluid 50 is heated, then the working fluid 50 in vapor phase flows up to the vapor passage c. Flowing through the vapor passage c, the working fluid 50 will release heat penetrating through the upper shell plate 12 and transferred to the outside.
When the working fluid 50 reaches two sides of the shell 10, since the working fluid 50 has already released heat, the working fluid 50 will be changed from vapor phase to liquid phase. Due to the gravitation and the capillary tissue 20, the working fluid 50 flows back to the accommodating room 111 via the liquid passage b. Therefore, there is no interference between the working fluids 50 respectively in vapor phase and liquid phase and the cooling performance of the vapor chamber 1 is not lowered either. In addition, the operation of the folded pieces 32 is to prevent the working fluid 50 in vapor phase from flowing in reverse direction via the liquid passage b, so there is no interference phenomenon occurring to the working fluid 50 in liquid phase. In addition, since the side face and the end side of the folded piece 32 are respectively contacted to and abutted against the capillary tissue 20, so the probability of the working fluid 50 in vapor phase flowing back to the liquid passage b is reduced significantly.
Accordingly, through the constitution of aforementioned assemblies, a vapor chamber with separator according to the invention is thus obtained.
Summarizing aforementioned description, the vapor chamber with separator according to the invention is an indispensably design for cooling the electrically heating element of computer indeed, which may positively reach the expected usage objective for solving the drawbacks of the prior arts, and which extremely possesses the innovation and progressiveness to completely fulfill the applying merits of new type patent, according to which the invention is thereby applied. Please examine the application carefully and grant it as a formal patent for protecting the rights of the inventor.
However, the aforementioned description is only a preferable embodiment according to the present invention, not used to limit the patent scope of the invention, so equivalently structural variation made to the contents of the present invention, for example, description and drawings, is all covered by the claims claimed thereinafter.

Claims

1. A vapor chamber with separator, comprising:

a shell, which includes a lower shell plate and an upper shell plate sealing the lower shell plate, a partial section of the lower shell plate projecting downwardly and forming an accommodating room therein;

a capillary tissue, which is arranged by distributing over inner walls of the lower shell plate;

a separator, which is partially overlapped the capillary tissue and is arranged a penetrating trough corresponding to the accommodating room, a liquid passage being formed between the lower shell plate and the separator;

a supporting structure, which is accommodated in the shell with upper and lower sides respectively inter-abutted against the upper shell plate and the separator, a vapor passage formed between the upper shell plate and the separator being communicated to the liquid passage; and

a working fluid, which is filled into the shell.

2. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 1, wherein the separator is folded downwardly to form a plurality of folded pieces at a position corresponding to the penetrating trough and the plural folded pieces are all extended into the accommodating room.

3. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 2, wherein end sides of the folded pieces are all abutted against the capillary tissue.

4. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 3, wherein a side face of the folded piece is contacted closely to the capillary tissue.

5. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 4, wherein the penetrating trough is shown as a rectangular configuration.

6. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 5, wherein the folded pieces are separately located at two opposite sides of the penetrating trough.

7. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 1, wherein a connecting section formed at each of two sides of the separator in the shell makes the vapor passage and the liquid passage communicated to each other.

8. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 1, wherein the supporting structure includes a plurality of corrugated pieces arrayed by intercrossing to one another.

9. The vapor chamber with separator according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of through troughs are formed at two sides of the corrugated piece respectively.