阅读说明：本技术 包括换热单元的冷却系统 (Cooling system comprising a heat exchange unit ) 是由 安诺斯·约林加德·萨克萨厄 于 2020-01-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：随着对紧凑计算且易于安装的计算机组件的需求增加,对用户友好型冷却方案的需求增加。因此,提供了一种用于液冷计算机系统(10)中的冷却液的冷却单元(100),其中冷却单元(100)包括：气流单元(110),其用于沿着气流路径在第一方向(170)上产生气流；辐射单元(130),其具有用于接收冷却液的输入流的液体入口(126)、用于释放冷却液的输出流的液体出口(127)、用于在所述液体入口(126)与所述液体出口(127)之间引导液体的内部液体路径(171)、各自具有多条平行的通道(160)的至少两个辐射桥(131,132)的阵列,所述辐射桥(131,132)横穿所述气流路径并且沿着所述第一方向(170)间隔开,所述辐射桥(131,132)还通过间隙(141)彼此热隔离,其中所述至少两个辐射桥(131,132)的阵列中的第一辐射桥(131)被设置为接收来自所述液体入口(126,127)的液体使其穿过其通道(160),所述第一辐射桥(131)是距离所述气流单元(110)最远的辐射桥,其中所述内部液体路径(171)从所述液体入口(126)引出、按照接近所述第一辐射桥(131)的顺序依次经过所述辐射桥(131,132)到达所述液体出口(127),因此使所述气流单元(110)产生的气流穿过所述辐射桥(131,132),以在所述气流与所述辐射单元(130)之间进行换热。因此,提供了一种在匹配迄今为止不便的形状尺寸的同时提供足够冷却的冷却单元。(As the demand for compact computing and easy to install computer components increases, the demand for user friendly cooling solutions increases. Accordingly, a cooling unit (100) for liquid cooling a cooling liquid in a liquid cooled computer system (10) is provided, wherein the cooling unit (100) comprises: an air flow unit (110) for generating an air flow in a first direction (170) along an air flow path; a radiation unit (130) having a liquid inlet (126) for receiving an inlet flow of cooling liquid, a liquid outlet (127) for releasing an outlet flow of cooling liquid, an internal liquid path (171) for guiding liquid between the liquid inlet (126) and the liquid outlet (127), an array of at least two radiation bridges (131, 132) each having a plurality of parallel channels (160), the radiation bridges (131, 132) traversing the gas flow path and being spaced apart along the first direction (170), the radiation bridges (131, 132) further being thermally isolated from each other by gaps (141), wherein a first radiation bridge (131) of the array of at least two radiation bridges (131, 132) is arranged to receive liquid from the liquid inlet (126, 127) through its channel (160), the first radiation bridge (131) being the radiation bridge furthest from the gas flow unit (110), wherein the inner liquid path (171) leads from the liquid inlet (126), sequentially through the radiation bridges (131, 132) to the liquid outlet (127) in order of approaching the first radiation bridge (131), thereby passing the gas flow generated by the gas flow unit (110) through the radiation bridges (131, 132) for heat exchange between the gas flow and the radiation unit (130). Thus, a cooling unit is provided that provides adequate cooling while matching heretofore inconvenient shape and size.)

1. A cooling unit (100) for liquid cooling a cooling liquid in a liquid-cooled computer system (10), wherein the cooling unit (100) comprises:

-an air flow unit (110) for generating an air flow in a first direction (170) along an air flow path;

-a radiation unit (130) having:

a liquid inlet (126, 226) for receiving an input flow of cooling liquid;

a liquid outlet (127, 227) for releasing an output flow of cooling liquid;

an internal liquid path (171) for directing liquid between the liquid inlet (126, 226) and the liquid outlet (127, 227);

an array of at least two radiating bridges (131, 132) each having a plurality of parallel channels (160), the radiating bridges (131, 132) traversing the gas flow path and being spaced apart along the first direction (170), the radiating bridges (131, 132) further being thermally isolated from each other by a gap (141),

wherein a first radiation bridge (131) of the array of at least two radiation bridges (131, 132) is arranged to receive liquid from the liquid inlet (126) through the channel (160), the first radiation bridge (131) being the radiation bridge furthest from the gas flow unit (110),

wherein the inner liquid path (171) leads from the liquid inlet (126), sequentially through the radiation bridges (131, 132) in order of approaching the first radiation bridge (131) to the liquid outlet (127),

whereby the gas flow generated by the gas flow unit (110) is passed through the radiation bridges (131, 132) to exchange heat between the gas flow and the radiation unit (130).

2. The cooling unit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the parallel channels (160) are spaced apart from each other along a height dimension, and wherein the radiating unit (130) has a length extending in the first direction (170), wherein the length of the radiating unit (130) is larger than its height.

3. Cooling unit (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the radiation unit (130) has more than four radiation bridges (131, 132, 133, 134).

4. The cooling unit (100) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the radiating unit (130) has an even number of radiating bridges.

5. Cooling unit (100) according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the parallel channels of the radiating bridge are substantially flat with a rectangular cross section.

6. The cooling unit (100) according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the radiation bridges are connected by manifolds (122, 123, 124) providing the internal liquid path (171), the manifolds combining and redistributing the cooling liquid in the channels of adjacent radiation bridges.

7. The cooling unit (100) according to any of claims 1-6, further comprising an expansion card plug (103) adapted to be mounted by friction into a corresponding expansion slot (12) on a motherboard (11) or a logic board of the computer system (10).

8. The cooling unit (100) according to claim 7, wherein the expansion card plug (103) provides an electrical connection between the cooling unit (100) and the main board (11) or a logic board.

9. The cooling unit (100) of any of claims 1-6, adapted to be installed into a server chassis rack system, wherein the cooling unit is adapted to occupy a plurality of rack slots in a server chassis and provide cooling for a plurality of computing units.

10. The cooling unit (100) according to any of claims 1-9, wherein a temperature sensor is provided to measure the liquid temperature in the inner liquid path (171), and wherein sensor data from the sensor is provided for controlling the speed of the air flow unit (110).

11. A liquid cooling system for a processing unit, such as a GPU (1), comprising a cooling unit (100) according to any of claims 1-10, the liquid cooling system further comprising:

-a heat sink (2) attached to the processing unit, the heat sink (2) having a heat sink liquid inlet, a heat sink liquid outlet and a heat sink liquid path for guiding liquid between the heat sink inlet and the heat sink outlet for guiding a cooling liquid for heat exchange;

-a cooling tube (6) extending from the liquid outlet to the fin inlet;

-a return conduit (4) extending from the fin outlet to the liquid inlet;

-a cooling liquid substantially filling the inner liquid path (171), the tubes (4, 6) and the fin liquid path;

-a pump (3) for pumping said liquid through said liquid cooling system, thereby moving said liquid sequentially from said liquid inlet (126), through said radiating bridges (131, 132) in order of proximity to said first radiating bridge (131), and to said liquid outlet (127).

12. An integrated computing system (200) comprising the cooling unit (100) of any of claims 1-10, the integrated computing system (200) further comprising:

-an expansion card comprising an expansion card PCB (201) and a heat generating processing component (281);

-a cold plate (282) attached to the process assembly (281) by a cold plate cavity (283) through which a liquid is guided for heat exchange between the process assembly (204) and the liquid;

-a cooling channel (206) extending from the liquid outlet (227) to the cold plate cavity (283) and a return channel (204) extending from the cold plate cavity (283) to the liquid inlet (226), wherein the channels (204, 206), the inlet and outlet (226, 227), the cold plate cavity (283) and the internal liquid path (171) form a liquid circuit (271);

a liquid pump (280) inserted into the liquid circuit (271) for pumping the liquid through the liquid circuit,

wherein the cooling unit (100) is mounted on the expansion card PCB (201).

13. The integrated computing system (200) of claim 12, wherein the liquid pump (280) moves the liquid in a direction from the liquid inlet (226) to the first radiating bridge, then sequentially through the radiating bridges (131, 132) to the liquid outlet (127) in order of approaching the first radiating bridge (131).

14. The integrated computing system (200) of claim 12 or 13, wherein the airflow unit (110, 210) is preferably a radial fan, and wherein the airflow unit (110, 210) has an upper airflow inlet (213) and a lower airflow inlet (214), wherein one of the airflow inlets receives air from an airflow inlet channel (215) near the expansion card PCB (201), and the airflow inlet channel (215) is configured to provide air cooling to a heat-generating electronic unit (205) on the expansion card PCB (201).

Technical Field

Background

During computer operation, heat is generated by components of the system, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a graphics card.

The amount of heat generation, and thus the cooling effect required, is also increasing, considering for example computers in the gaming industry that can handle ever increasing data. This pressure is combined with the pressure to reduce the size of the computer system. These combined pressures create a need for an effective cooling system that accommodates a variety of computer assembly situations. Accordingly, there is a need for new cooling systems that can be adaptively positioned in computer systems according to user needs.

Air-cooled systems are favored by small computer assemblers due to their variety of shapes, where even smaller systems can achieve heat sinks and fans that fit their configuration.

Water cooled enthusiasts use traditional water cooling systems in small computers. However, this often negates the advantages of small computer solutions, as external cooling circuits are required due to insufficient space for these solutions.

However, air cooling solutions do not perform as well. They are not effective enough to dissipate heat generated by the processing unit quickly enough.

This means that the user has to choose between reduced component life and thermal throttling at high component temperatures, noise emitted by overloaded fans, further reduced computational power by the computer unit, or external components which are at the outset contrary to the user requirements of small computers in the case of water cooling.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to address at least some of the above problems. This is achieved by a cooling unit for liquid cooling of a cooling liquid in a computer system, wherein the cooling unit comprises an air flow unit for generating an air flow in a first direction and a radiation unit. The radiation unit has: a liquid inlet for receiving an input flow of cooling liquid; a liquid outlet for releasing an output flow of cooling liquid; an internal liquid path for directing liquid between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet; a compartment having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, the ends being disposed opposite to each other along the first direction, the air inlet end being disposed adjacent to the air flow unit such that the generated air flow enters the compartment through the air inlet end; two or more radiant bridges having a plurality of parallel channels, the radiant bridges traversing the compartment and being spaced apart along the first direction and also being thermally isolated from each other in the compartment by a gap, wherein the internal liquid path leads from the liquid inlet, sequentially passes through the radiant bridges in order of proximity to the discharge and then to the liquid outlet, such that an air flow generated by the air flow unit enters into the compartment and between the channels of the radiant bridges for heat exchange between the air flow and the radiant units.

Thus, the path of the cooling liquid is lengthened due to its movement in the shape of a meandering path through the cooling unit, approaching the air flow unit by passing each time successively through the radiation bridge. The temperature of the air is close to the ambient temperature and the radiator and the air therein are cooled step by step. Improved cooling efficiency is achieved due to the use of a stepped pseudo-convection structure, while maintaining a suitable radiator shape that can be very narrow and thus can be more easily installed into a personal computer, for example. Furthermore, constructing the radiator and the liquid passing therethrough has various manufacturing advantages over more complex true convection structures.

The radiating bridges are connected to each other accordingly, for example by simple channel connectors connecting the end of each channel with a corresponding portion of an adjacent radiating bridge.

In one embodiment, the radiation bridges are connected to provide internal liquid paths at their ends by redistribution manifolds that combine and redistribute the cooling liquid in the channels of adjacent radiation bridges. Thus, temperature differences in the liquid can be equalized. In addition, the structure using the redistribution manifold can be easily manufactured.

In one embodiment, a partial compartment is used, across which the radiation bridge traverses the gas flow. The sides of the compartment are used to keep the airflow moving through all the radiating bridges and to form a manifold or channel connector. The compartment may have a closed or open top and a closed or open bottom. In another embodiment, a true compartment is used that necessarily has open ends and also closed sides and top and bottom to help maximize heat exchange.

Any conventional and adapted air flow generating unit may be used to provide the air flow required by the cooling unit, such as a radial flow fan or an axial flow fan. Preferably a radial fan is used as the air flow unit. By using radial flow fans a durable and powerful low fan profile is achieved and a higher static pressure can be provided and maintained which is advantageous for longer radiating elements. Furthermore, radial flow fans make efficient use of available space.

The cooling unit for liquid cooling of the cooling liquid in the computer system may be adapted to provide cooling to any component of the computer system, such as the GPU, CPU or RAM.

In one embodiment, the parallel channels are spaced apart from each other along a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The parallel channels are spaced apart from each other along a height dimension, and the radiation unit has a length extending in a first direction as a gas flow generation direction. In one embodiment, the length of the radiating element is greater than its height. An advantage of providing a radiation element with a length greater than its height is that it may take a flat shape and thus provide sufficient cooling under the size constraints of the computer system, for example in case the cooling system needs to cool an element that also has a flat shape or in case the available space is flat and elongated.

In one embodiment, the parallel channels are substantially flat and/or have a rectangular cross-section. This enables better fin layer construction, better dissipation characteristics, better control of airflow, and provides less airflow obstruction than a more circular or square cross-section.

In one embodiment, most of the radiating bridges have more than two parallel channels. In one embodiment, most of the radiating bridges have more than three parallel channels. In one embodiment, most of the radiating bridges have more than four parallel channels. In one embodiment, all of the radiating bridges have at least two, at least three, or at least four parallel channels. In one embodiment, the radiating element again has a length of half its height. In one embodiment, the radiating element has a length twice its height. In one embodiment, the radiating element has a length three times its height. In one embodiment, the radiating element has a length four times its height. Providing longer and/or flatter radiating elements can provide adequate cooling while matching tighter dimensional constraints.

In one embodiment, the radiating element has more than three radiating bridges. In one embodiment, the radiating element has more than four radiating bridges. Therefore, the inner liquid path is made longer, and the heat exchange efficiency is improved. In one embodiment, the radiating element has more than five radiating bridges. In one embodiment, the radiating element has more than six radiating bridges. In one embodiment, the radiating element has more than eight radiating bridges. By providing an additional radiation bridge, the internal liquid path becomes longer and the heat exchange efficiency is even further improved.

For all embodiments, the internal liquid paths are directed through the radiation bridge in a contiguous/close order. This means that the path becomes serpentine, zigzag or toothed belt shaped. The liquid inlet directs the liquid to the radiation bridge furthest from the gas flow unit. After the first radiation bridge, the inner liquid path is directed to the radiation bridge closest to the first radiation bridge, then to the radiation bridge closest to the second radiation bridge, and so on, until the inner liquid path has been directed through all radiation bridges. The internal liquid path is finally directed to the nearest radiation bridge to the gas flow cell. The internal liquid path is then directed to the liquid outlet.

In other words, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are only parts of the fluid connection of the radiating unit at the end of its liquid path to another part of the liquid cooling system. The liquid cooling system may be part of an integrated cooling system, such as a rigidly constructed system or a pre-assembled system, or it may enable modular attachment and detachment of liquid conduits.

In one embodiment, the liquid inlet and liquid outlet include a threaded engagement mechanism or a burr engagement mechanism or other conventional engagement mechanism to allow for attachment of a conduit, accessory or other conventional liquid circulation assembly to the liquid inlet and liquid outlet in a modular manner.

In one embodiment, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are structural features that connect the first and last radiant bridge to another part of the liquid circuit. Such inlets and outlets may be part of an integrated liquid circuit configured in any manner, such as an integrated computing system in which a cooling unit is mounted directly to a heat-generating PCB or logic board. In this embodiment, the inlet connects the radiation bridge furthest from the gas flow unit to the liquid return channel; and the liquid outlet connects the radiant bridge closest to the gas flow unit to the cooling channel.

In one embodiment, the radiating element has an even number of radiating bridges.

Thus, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are arranged on the same side of the cooling unit, thus avoiding guiding the liquid path laterally outside along the cooling unit and requiring smaller components. Thus, the efficiency of the cooling unit is improved.

In one embodiment, the cooling unit further comprises an expansion card plug adapted to be frictionally mounted into a corresponding expansion slot on a motherboard or logic board of the computer system. In one embodiment, the cooling unit is adapted to be installed into a computer as an expansion card for a personal computer motherboard, such as a card installed into a PCI-e slot. In one embodiment, the cooling unit is adapted to be installed into the computer through a PCI-e slot.

By configuring the cooling unit as an expansion card, the cooling unit may be configured to be installed into one of the expansion slots of the computer system, such as a PCI-e slot. These slots are typically unfilled, so in many cases there is sufficient space in the computer system for storing cooling units. This enables easier installation of the cooling unit due to having enough space for the operational cooling unit to be fixed in place, compared to the case where the heat exchange unit has to be installed at other locations where a lot of available space has been occupied by a number of components or where the installed elements have to be temporarily removed or repositioned in order to ensure enough space for the heat exchange unit. Furthermore, the fixing of the cooling unit can be performed substantially without the need for screws and other fixing means, and also relying on a friction fit between the plug of the cooling unit and the slot on the main board is better than fastening screws on the bracket to the rear end of the card outside the housing. The installation is therefore very simple and the cooling unit is essentially "plug and play".

By being installed into a predetermined space in a computer through friction, the installation of the cooling unit in the computer is easy and convenient, and the cooling unit can be installed into various types of computers. For example, if a computer has a GPU and the motherboard has more than two PCI-e slots, it is possible to mount the GPU in one slot and the cooling unit in another slot.

In one embodiment, the cooling unit is adapted to have a height dimension that matches a single slot PCI-e card. In one embodiment, the cooling unit is adapted to have a height dimension that matches a dual slot PCI-e card.

By matching with standard expansion card sizes, such as standard PCI-e card sizes, the cooling unit is user friendly to install into a computer for liquid cooling of the computer system.

Furthermore, if the cooling system needs to cool an element (for example a graphics card) also mounted at the socket support, it is advantageous that the cooling system is located close to this element, so that it is possible to connect the cooling system to this element more easily and quickly, and also so that the cooling liquid conduit connecting the heat exchange unit to the pumping unit in contact with said element is kept to the shortest possible length, so that for example the temperature variation of the cooling liquid is reduced as much as possible during its passage through said conduit.

In one embodiment, an expansion card plug provides an electrical connection between the cooling unit and the motherboard or logic board.

Thus, a control of the liquid cooling system and/or a power supply of the cooling unit is provided. This improves cable management in the computer, since at least one cable is omitted from the computer. Many consumers prefer to show their systems, for which the fewer cables the better in the computer. Furthermore, providing electrical connection between the cooling unit and the computer system through the expansion card interface reduces the number of parts and materials used, and can reduce the likelihood of cable damage or loosening.

In one embodiment, a cooling unit is adapted to be installed into a server chassis rack system, wherein the cooling unit is adapted to occupy a plurality of rack slots in a server chassis and provide cooling for a plurality of computing units. Thus, a compact cooling unit is obtained which still enables an efficient cooling by the unique layout of the cooling unit of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the cooling units are mounted into a single rack slot in the server chassis. In one embodiment, the cooling unit is mounted into a dual rack slot/two adjacent rack slots in the server chassis. In one embodiment, the cooling units are mounted into a triple rack slot/three adjacent rack slots in the server chassis. In one embodiment, the cooling units are mounted into four adjacent rack slots in the server chassis. By matching the dimensional criteria of the server chassis, an efficient heat exchanger is obtained which still does not occupy the external space of the inserted server chassis.

In one embodiment, a temperature sensor is provided for measuring the temperature of the liquid in the inner liquid path, and wherein sensor data from the sensor is provided for controlling the speed of the air flow unit.

By controlling the power delivered to the airflow unit, the cooling unit can control its speed and thus the speed and/or pressure of the generated airflow.

In one embodiment, the air flow unit is controlled based on a temperature sensor located in the cooling unit. In another embodiment, the air flow unit is controlled based on a temperature sensor located in the radiation system.

Traditionally, in liquid cooling systems, pumps that have included electronics near the liquid system have had liquid temperature sensors for controlling the speed of the air flow unit that cools the radiator. However, this misses an important moment, since there is a certain distance between the pump and the radiator. Furthermore, it is practical to provide the sensor control system directly in the cooling unit. This provides a user-friendly accurate cooling. By providing the airflow unit controller directly on the cooling unit, wiring in the PC housing is simplified, as the conventional control cables from the pump/processing unit can be omitted.

In one embodiment, the sensor is located at the liquid inlet. By placing the sensor at the liquid inlet, the effect of changes in the workload on the calculation unit temperature/liquid temperature can be sensed and the gas flow unit speed can be adjusted accordingly as liquid enters the radiation unit.

In one embodiment, the sensor is located at the liquid outlet. By arranging the sensor in the liquid outlet, the combined effect of the calculation unit workload and the gas flow unit workload can be evaluated and the gas flow unit speed can be adjusted accordingly.

In one embodiment, sensors are provided at both the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. Thus, the liquid temperature can be precisely adjusted as desired. This also allows the efficiency of the cooling unit to be assessed over time. For example, a baseline performance may be created where a given fan speed at a given ambient temperature has an expected outlet temperature. Due to excessive build-up of tubing in the radiator or a leaky liquid cooling system, the cooling unit may perform poorly at a given fan speed, which may then be accurately determined as a deviation from the expected relationship between power delivered to the fan and liquid output temperature at the liquid outlet.

In one embodiment, the invention relates to a liquid cooling system for a processing unit, such as a GPU, comprising a cooling unit according to the invention. The liquid cooling system also includes a heat sink attached to the processing unit. The fin has a fin liquid inlet, a fin liquid outlet, and a fin liquid path for directing liquid between the fin inlet and the fin outlet to direct a cooling liquid for heat exchange. The liquid cooling system also has a cooling tube extending from a liquid outlet to a fin inlet, a return tube extending from the fin outlet to the liquid inlet, a cooling liquid substantially filling the internal liquid path, the tubes, and the liquid passage, and a pump for pumping the liquid through the liquid cooling system such that the liquid moves sequentially from the liquid inlet, through the radiant bridge, and to the liquid outlet in order of proximity to the discharge.

Thus, a liquid cooling system is provided, wherein the liquid is used for cooling the computing unit by using the cooling unit in a desired manner in a pseudo-convective structure. This allows for efficient cooling of a computing unit such as a GPU.

In one embodiment, the invention relates to an integrated computing system comprising a cooling unit according to the invention. The integrated computing system further comprises:

-an expansion card comprising an expansion card PCB and a heat generating processing component;

-a cold plate attached to the processing component by a cold plate cavity through which a liquid is conducted for heat exchange between the processing component and the liquid;

-a cooling channel extending from the liquid outlet to the cold plate chamber and a return channel extending from the cold plate chamber to the liquid inlet, wherein the channel, inlet and outlet, cold plate chamber and internal liquid path form a liquid circuit;

a liquid pump inserted into the liquid circuit for pumping the liquid through the liquid circuit,

wherein the cooling unit is mounted on the expansion card PCB.

Thus, a compact and efficient cooling is achieved for the expansion card.

In one embodiment of the integrated computing system, the liquid pump moves liquid in a direction from the liquid inlet, sequentially through the radiation bridges in order of proximity to the first radiation bridge, and to the liquid outlet. Thus, a convective heat exchanger is achieved.

In one embodiment of the integrated computing system, the airflow unit has an upper airflow inlet and a lower airflow inlet. One of the airflow inlets receives air from an airflow inlet channel adjacent the expansion card PCB and the airflow inlet channel is configured to provide air cooling to the heat-generating electronic units on the expansion card PCB. Expansion cards tend to generate more and more heat, while central processing chips, such as GPU processing chips, generate the most heat, and other components also generate a significant amount of heat. By constructing an airflow inlet channel designed to cool a particular heat-generating electronic unit on the expansion card PCB, granular and precise cooling can be achieved.

In one embodiment, the airflow inlet channel opening is located at the rear end of the card, remote from the airflow unit. In one embodiment, the airflow inlet channel is located on a lateral side. In one embodiment, a plurality of gas flow inlet passages are provided.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments according to the present invention are described below, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cooling unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a cooling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view in parallel projection of a PC having a cooling device according to the present invention;

6A-6C are front cross-sectional views of various embodiments of cooling devices according to the present invention;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are top cross-sectional views of an integrated computing system according to the present invention;

FIG. 7C is a side cut-away view of an integrated computing system according to the present invention; and is

FIG. 8 is a side cut-away view of an embodiment of an integrated computing system according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in detail by way of embodiments, which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a cooling unit 100 according to the present invention. The cooling unit 100 has an air flow unit 110 and a radiation unit 130. The air flow unit is adapted to provide an air flow through/across the radiation unit 130 along a first direction 170.

The radiating unit 130 has a liquid inlet 126 and a liquid outlet 127 for engaging with liquid conduits of the liquid cooling system. They are typically configured to ensure easy matching to the size of the tubing conventionally used for liquid cooling of computer systems.

The radiating element 130 also has two radiating bridges 131, 132 thermally isolated by a gap 141. These individual radiating bridges 131, 132 may be generally referred to simply as radiators and may be similar in structure to conventional liquid-cooled radiators. They are erected from side to side by the airflow generated through the airflow unit 110. An internal liquid path 171 passing through the radiation bridges 131, 132 in sequence is provided in the radiation unit 130. The order of the internal liquid paths is first through the first radiating bridge 131 and then through the nearest radiating bridge adjacent to the gas flow cell 110.

This allows the temperature of the first radiation bridge 131 to be different from the temperature of the second radiation bridge 132. Because the cooling unit 100 directs the internal liquid path 171 towards the airflow unit 110 in a serpentine fashion across the airflow path, stepped cooling of the liquid is achieved internally. This achieves some of the benefits of convective radiator design while being easier to manufacture and easier to match convenient shape dimensions.

The radiating bridges 131, 132 each comprise at least two parallel channels 160 (only one channel is shown for each radiating bridge in fig. 1) which are spaced apart from each other along a direction which is angled, preferably perpendicular, to the first direction 170.

Preferably, a dividing manifold is provided in the channel 160 of the first radiant bridge 131 to effectively separate the liquid from the liquid inlet 126, while a combining manifold is preferably provided to effectively combine the liquid streams before they are provided to the liquid outlet 127. Between the radiating bridges 131, 132, the flow is redistributed from one bridge to the next in the sequential proximity.

Preferably, the flow is recombined starting from the channel of the previous radiant bridge and redistributed in the channel of the next radiant bridge using the redistribution manifold. This serves to reduce the flow resistance, to reduce the temperature differences in the liquid, to provide a radiator wall which does not allow gas flow to escape, and to be easily manufactured. It is also possible to continuously direct the flow of liquid through the parallel long S-shaped channels in the radiation unit 130 without redistribution in the individual channels 160.

More radiating bridges may be provided to increase the effective length of the inner liquid path 171, as will be described with respect to other figures. The preferred number of radiating bridges is four, six and eight for different use cases.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of a cooling device 100 according to the present invention. The cooling device has a radiation unit 130 and an air flow unit 110 blowing ambient air across/through the radiation unit 130 through a fan opening 111. The radiating element 130 has an array of radiating bridges 133, 135, 137, 139 and a side plate 120. The side plates 120 ensure that the airflow generated by the airflow unit 110 passes through all four radiating bridges. The side plates 120 have manifolds that will be described further below. Each having a plurality of channels 160 for transporting water and a fin layer 150 sandwiched therebetween. The air from the airflow unit 110 passes through the fin layer 150, thereby absorbing heat radiated to the fin layer 150 and from the channels 160 themselves.

Between each pair of adjacent radiating bridges, an isolation gap ensures effective thermal isolation. The isolation gap is usually simply air or in other words a void of thermally conductive and radiative material. The cooling device 100 is mounted on a PCI-e sized board or PCB101 having an elongated plug for securing in a PCI-e slot. The tabs may be electrically connected to the PCI-e slots or simply have a matching thickness that ensures that they can be reversibly frictionally secured in the PCI-e slots.

Liquid enters the cooling unit 100 through the liquid inlet 126, from where it passes along the internal liquid path through the first radiation bridge 133, then through the second radiation bridge 135, the third radiation bridge 137, the fourth radiation bridge 139 and out the liquid outlet 127. This ensures that the liquid is further cooled as it approaches the airflow unit 110.

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the cooler 100 of the present invention, for example, showing the internal liquid path in greater detail. The cooler 100 is mounted on a PCB101 having PCI-e compliant tabs 103. The cooling device 103 may draw power to the airflow unit 110 through the PCI-e slot. The cooling device may also obtain cooling control through the PCI-e plug 103. The electrical connector shown on the PCI-e plug is preferred but not required.

The cooling device 100 may be mounted in a PC housing using a standard PCI-e rack 102 at the rear interface. By attaching the cooling device 100 in a PC housing using the PCI-e bracket 102 and PCI-e interface, the cooling device 100 is effectively secured in the housing as is conventional and easy installation is achieved.

The cooling liquid heated by the processing unit enters the cooler 100 from the return pipe 4 through the liquid inlet 126. The cooling liquid flows through the radiation unit 130 and then out of the outlet fitting 127 into the cooling tube 6. The structure of the individual radiation bridges 131, 132, 133, 134 or manifolds 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 is not shown in the top view schematic.

The cooling liquid is dispersed in the partition manifold 121 between the channels of the first radiation bridge 131. Where the heated cooling liquid is actively cooled by air from the air flow unit 110 passing through the first radiation bridge 131. On the opposite side of the first radiation bridge 131, the redistribution manifold 122 distributes the now slightly cooled water into the channels of the second radiation bridge 132. Where the water is cooled again. When water is located on the opposite side of the second radiant bridge 135, the second redistribution manifold 123 distributes the now further cooled water into the channels of the third radiant bridge 133. Where the water is cooled a third time by the air from the air flow unit 110. After the water passes through the third radiant bridge 133, it enters the third redistribution manifold 124 and is distributed into the channels of the fourth radiant bridge 125. As the water passes through the fourth radiant bridge 125, it is cooled a fourth time by the air flow unit 110. The water leaves the cooling device 100 and enters the cooling tube 6, moving to a processing unit such as a GPU to provide cooling.

The airflow unit 110 is positioned near the last radiation bridge as the fourth radiation bridge 134. The ambient air from the airflow unit 110 gradually absorbs their heat as it passes through/across the radiating bridge. This ensures that the air from the air flow unit 110 is hottest at the first radiation bridge 131 when the water is hottest and that the air is close to the ambient temperature at the fourth radiation bridge 134 when the water is coldest. As the water exits the cooling unit 100, it potentially and ideally achieves a temperature close to ambient.

By providing the radiator gap 141, hot water from the radiation bridge is prevented from dissipating heat to the cooler "upstream" radiation bridge and the effective length of the radiator is increased. Furthermore, since each subsequent radiation bridge is closer to the air of the ambient temperature of the air flow unit 110, the temperature gradient is maintained and the average temperature difference between the air and the radiator is increased, thereby improving the cooling efficiency. In other words, while the cooling unit 100 relies on a cross-flow radiator design, it achieves advantageous stepped convective heat transfer characteristics for a given size and dimensional constraint.

In fig. 3, the side plates of the illustrated embodiment are only manifolds 121, 122, 123, 124, 125.

Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the surface of the cooling device 100 according to the present invention parallel to the long sides of the PCI-e rack 102. The channel 160 is part of the radiating bridge and extends between the side plates 120. The channels 160 are formed of a thermally conductive material, such as aluminum or copper. They allow a fluid connection between the manifolds 121, 122 on both sides of the radiating bridge. Between the channels 160, the fin layer 150 of heat conductive material allows air to be transported in a first direction, which is the direction of the air flow provided by the air flow unit, while providing a large surface area for heat dissipation.

FIG. 5 is a side view in parallel projection of a stationary computer 10 having a cooling apparatus according to the present invention. The computer 10 includes a drive tray 30, a power supply unit 50, and a main board 11. Further, the PC has electrical wiring 51 and cabling holes 53 for cable management.

The motherboard 11 has a CPU with a pump 20 for liquid cooling through a CPU tube 21, a CPU radiator and a CPU fan 23. The motherboard is equipped with a RAM module 24. The motherboard also has three PCI-e slots 12, 13, 14.

GPU1 is installed in top PCI-e slot 12. GPU1 includes a heat sink 2 having a GPU pump 3. The cooling water is led to the heat sink 2 where it absorbs the heat generated by the GPU. The heat sink can be made of any thermally conductive material and is typically made of aluminum, copper or zinc copper. The liquid pump 3 keeps the water flowing and may be typically made integral with or attached to the GPU heat sink 2. Water is moved between the GPU1 and the cooling unit 100 through the cooling pipe 6 and the return pipe 4.

The cooling unit 100 is installed in another PCI-e slot 15. In FIG. 4, the cooling unit 100 is installed in the bottom PCI-e slot 14. Any desirable PCI-e slot may be used, depending on the layout of the motherboard.

The cooling liquid enters the cooling unit 100 through a liquid inlet 126 and exits through a liquid outlet 127. They may be generally modular to allow mounting tubes to extend between the GPU and the cooling unit 100.

The cooling unit 100 has an air flow unit 110 for blowing ambient air across the radiation unit 130 of the cooling unit 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the airflow unit 110 is powered by a conventional fan electrical connector 112. In a preferred embodiment, power is supplied to the PCI-e plug of the cooling unit 100 through the PCI-e slot 14.

In the embodiment shown, the air flow unit 110 is controlled by a temperature sensor located in the radiation system of the cooling unit 100, thereby allowing accurate cooling and easy cable management in the PC housing. The cabling may instead be laid out on the PCB101 using a temperature sensor located at the cooling unit, since the control wires may thus be omitted to ease cable management.

Fig. 6A-6C are front cross-sectional views of various embodiments of a cooling unit 100 according to the present invention. Fig. 6A illustrates the radiating element 130 of the embodiments shown and discussed so far. It has four radiating bridges 131, 132, 133, 134, and each has four channels 160 with three fin layers interposed therebetween. It also has an airflow unit 110 and three radiator gaps 141.

Fig. 6B shows another embodiment of a cooling device 100 according to the invention with six radiating bridges 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136. Therefore, the effective length of the radiator is increased, which can improve the cooling efficiency.

FIG. 6C shows another embodiment of a cooling device 100 according to the present invention in which the cooling bridge has six channels 160 and five fin layers 150 interposed therebetween. Accordingly, the surface area of water is increased for each volume passing through the cooling device 100, which may improve cooling efficiency.

Fig. 7A and 7B are top views of embodiments of the present invention, wherein they relate to an integrated computing system 200. The integrated computing system 200 includes a computing card, such as an expansion card. The computing card has a heat generating electronic component and a unit built in the computing card PCB 201. Fig. 7A and 7B show two different portions of the liquid circuit 271. The liquid circuit 271 corresponds to the internal liquid path of the radiation unit 230 described so far, with additional features for forming a complete liquid circuit.

In fig. 7A, a portion of the liquid circuit 271 matching the internal liquid path described so far is shown. The liquid loop 271 follows the serpentine path described so far for the internal liquid path through the radiation unit 230. The dashed circle indicates the location of the liquid pump 280, which is located at the top of the cold plate chamber (better shown in fig. 8A and 8B).

Looking now at fig. 7B, it can be seen from the radiation unit 230 that the liquid circuit 271 directs the cooling liquid through the liquid-cooling channel 206 through the outlet 227 to the pumping chamber 281 of the liquid pump 280, which drives the flow of the cooling liquid. From the pumping chamber 281, the coolant moves into the cold plate chamber 283 at the bottom of the liquid pump 280. In the cold plate cavity 283, the cooling fluid absorbs heat from the electronic components of the computing/expansion card PCB201 and is then further directed through the return channel 204 to the fluid inlet 226 and then back to the radiating element 230 furthest from the airflow element 210 to again move along the fluid path of the radiating element 230 toward the airflow element 210 as shown in fig. 7A. In the radiating element, the cooling fluid then dissipates heat into the airflow generated by the airflow element 210.

This configuration allows convective liquid-to-air heat exchange to be performed by the radiant unit 230 and is therefore very efficient, while being user friendly due to the integrated, compact pre-programmed unit.

Fig. 7C is a side view cross-section of the integrated computing system 200 also shown in fig. 7A and 7B. Having a cooling unit as described in fig. 1-6 configured as an integral part of the integrated computing system 200. In this embodiment, a computing card, such as an expansion card, has heat-generating electronic components 204. This is typically a GPU processor, but may also be RAM, a translator, and/or other such components. The cooling unit is mounted directly on top of the computing/expansion card PCB 201. The radiating element 230 and airflow element 210 are securely attached to the computing card PCB 201.

The cold plate 281 is attached to the at least one electronic component 204 and allows liquid to flow through the cold plate 281 to remove heat. The liquid pump 280 moves liquid from the cold plate 281 to the radiation unit 230 as described so far, but will be described in more detail below. The liquid pump 280 is attached to the cold plate 281, which enables a compact integrated computing system 200. Liquid is directed from the cold plate 281 to the radiation unit 230 via the pump 280 by first entering the radiation unit 230 at the end away from the airflow unit 210 and then moving along the serpentine internal liquid path towards the airflow unit 210. After the cooling fluid has flowed through the radiation unit 230, it returns to the fluid pump 280 and the cold plate 281 to remove heat from the electronic components 204.

At one location along the serpentine path, at least one radiation bridge is modified or completely abandoned to allow placement of the liquid pump 280 and/or cold plate 281 within the boundaries of the radiation unit 230. This arrangement of the liquid pump 230 allows for the maximum amount of space available for heat exchange within the physical footprint of a single expresscard slot or any number of slots (e.g., two, three, or four such slots). Constrictions in the liquid and gas flow may form around the liquid pump 280 where the liquid and gas flow increase. In other words, the constriction is formed with fewer channels than elsewhere in the radiating bridge, while fewer fin layers between the channels of the radiating bridge form the airflow constriction. To improve thermal efficiency, a cover plate 284 may be provided over the affected radiation bridge, e.g., the radiation bridge including the pump and the radiation bridge in the vicinity thereof. This maintains the gas flow within the radiant cells 230, which in turn increases the thermal efficiency of the radiant bridge downstream of the liquid pump in the gas flow direction. Obviously, such a cover plate 284 may cover the entire length of the radiator or the entire length of the cooling unit. Advantageously, the cover plate 284 may be made of a thermally insulating material, such as a polymer, or a very thin strip of metal foil. Thin strips of perforated plastic/polymer or metal foil may also be used to cool the cover plate 284 and avoid thermal communication between the radiation bridges.

In another embodiment, the pump 280 is positioned proximate to the gas flow unit 210 rather than within the radiation unit 230.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a computing system 200 according to the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the airflow unit 210 is preferably a radial flow fan. The airflow unit 210 has an upper airflow inlet 213 and also has a lower airflow inlet 214. The upper airflow inlet 213 is used to allow a higher intake air amount. Lower airflow inlet 214 is connected to an airflow inlet channel 215 that extends along expansion card PCB201 and through at least one heat-generating electronic unit 205. In this way, the incoming air may be used to cool some electronic components. In addition to a plurality of heat-generating electronic components 204, expansion card PCB201 may have a plurality of intermediate heat-generating electronic units 205 that generate different levels of heat, either smaller than the central chip or remote from the central electronic components 204. It is therefore advantageous to cool at least some of these electronic units 205 by means of an air flow. By sizing the lower airflow inlet 214 and airflow inlet channel 215 according to the thermal profile of the expansion card PCB201, granular and efficient card cooling can be achieved.