|Publication number||US6981322 B2|
|Application number||US 10/335,373|
|Publication date||3 Jan 2006|
|Filing date||31 Dec 2002|
|Priority date||8 Jun 1999|
|Also published as||EP1588401A2, EP1588401A4, US20030127215, WO2004061908A2, WO2004061908A3|
|Publication number||10335373, 335373, US 6981322 B2, US 6981322B2, US-B2-6981322, US6981322 B2, US6981322B2|
|Inventors||Overton L. Parish, IV, Roger S. DeVilbiss|
|Original Assignee||Thermotek, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (101), Non-Patent Citations (5), Classifications (24), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of prior parent application Ser. No. 09/328,183 filed on Jun. 8, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,409.
The present invention generally pertains to cooling apparatus, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to cooling apparatus using “glow profile extrusions”. As is explained in greater detail hereinbelow, such apparatus are extremely useful in printed circuit board (PCB) level cooling of electronic components, and for use as heat exchangers in applications where space is limited and/or low weight is critical. The present invention also pertains to an improved, high volume apparatus and method for manufacturing extruded hollow tubes for heat exchangers and heat pipes, including “low profile extrusions”.
As used in this document, the term “low profile extrusion” refers to a heat exchange apparatus comprising an integral piece of metal having a series of micro extruded hollow tubes formed therein for containing a fluid. The low profile extrusions preferably have multi-void micro extruded tubes designed to operate under the pressures and temperatures required by modern environmentally safe refrigeration gases and to resist corrosion.
The micro extruded tubes are preferably interconnected at their ends so as to provide fluid communication between each tube. Such low profile extrusions are preferably formed from aluminum, although other conventional metals or metal alloys may also be used. The micro tubes can have a diameter from about 0.0625 inches to about 0.5 inches, but can also have significantly smaller diameters.
Such low profile extrusions can currently be manufactured with a profile, or height, as low as about 0.05 inches and with tubes of varying inner diameters. Of course, future advances may allow such low profile extrusions to be manufactured with an even smaller profile. Such low profile extrusions have been conventionally used in heat exchanger applications in the automotive industry, and are commercially available in strip form (having a generally rectangular geometry) or coil form (a continuous strip coiled for efficient transport). Preferred low profile extrusions are sold by Thermalex, Inc. of Montgomery, Ala. A brochure entitled “Thermalex, Inc.—Setting A Higher Standard in Aluminum Extrusions” (hereinafter the “Thermalex Brochure”) provides additional detail regarding the Thermalex low profile extrusions and is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,189, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides additional detail regarding an extrusion die for making such low profile extrusions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,639, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides additional detail regarding a method and apparatus for sizing a plurality of micro extruded tubes used in such low profile extrusions.
In one embodiment, the present invention generally comprises a low profile extrusion, an inlet end cap, an inlet tube, an outlet end cap, an outlet tube, a heat transfer fluid, a means for circulating the heat transfer fluid, end means for removing heat from the heat transfer fluid. The low profile extrusion has a plurality of micro tubes with micro tube inlets and micro tube outlets, and an extrusion surface adapted for receiving heat from at least one heat generating component. The inlet end cap interconnects the micro tube inlets in fluid communication and connects the micro tube inlets in fluid communication with the inlet tube. The outlet end cap interconnects the micro tube outlets in fluid communication and connects the micro tube outlets in fluid communication with the outlet tube. The means for circulating the heat transfer fluid circulates the fluid through the inlet tube, inlet end cap, the plurality of micro tubes in the low profile extrusion, the outlet end cap, and the outlet tube.
A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings wherein:
The preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to
The cooling apparatus 10 generally includes a conventional liquid-to-air heat exchanger 16, an inlet tube 18, a low profile extrusion 20, an outlet tube 22, a conventional pump 24, and tubing 26. The low profile extrusion 20 has a plurality of micro tubes 21, each micro tube 21 having a micro tube inlet 21 a and a micro tube outlet 21 b.
Micro tubes 21 are formed by a plurality of longitudinal members. The longitudinal members may be vertical or may be offset from vertical. A preferred offset from vertical is between about 5° and 60°. More preferably, longitudinal members are offset from vertical by 30°. Furthermore, longitudinal members may be provided with a capillary groove. The capillary groove may be positioned on an external surface or on the longitudinal members. Further, the capillary grooves may be provided in groups of one, two, three or more.
Referring again to
The micro tube inlets 21 a of the micro tubes 21 in the extrusion 20 are interconnected in fluid communication, and to the inlet tube 18, by an inlet end cap 28 a. Similarly, the micro tube outlets 21 b of the micro tubes 21 in the extrusion 20 are interconnected in fluid communication, and to the outlet tube 22, by an outlet end cap 28 b. Alternatively, micro tube outlets 21 a and/or 21 may be sealed by crimping the extrusion 20. Micro tubes outlets 21 a and/or 21 b may be individually sealed or connected in fluid communication. The heat exchanger 16 may contain a fluid reservoir (not shown) therein for housing a fluid such as water, glycol, alcohol, or other conventional refrigerants.
In addition, a wick, such as screen may be provided within one or all of micro tubes 21. In this case, fluid from the heat exchanger 16 is circulated through the inlet tube 18, the low profile extrusion 20, the outlet tube 22, and the tubing 26 via the pump 24. Alternatively, the entire cooling apparatus 10 may be evacuated and charged with fluid which is then circulated via the pump 24.
During operation of the host electronic device, heat generated by heat generating components 12 is transferred from heat generating components 12 to an evaporator section of low profile extrusion 20, to the fluid circulating within low profile extrusion 20, and then to heat exchanger 16 from a condenser section of low profile extrusion 20. Heat exchanger 16 removes the heat from the fluid in a conventional manner. Preferably, an airflow 30 is passed over heat exchanger 16 to aid in such heat removal. Cooling apparatus 10 thus efficiently removes heat from a limited space, low profile area within the host electronic device (the location of low profile extrusion 20) to an area where it can be removed at a more convenient location and envelope (the location of heat exchanger 16).
To form a heat pipe, the micro tubes 41 of the low profile heat pipe extrusion 42 are evacuated and then charged with a fluid such as water, glycol, alcohol, or other conventional refrigerants before sealing the ends 41 a and 41 b of the micro tubes 41. The ends may be sealed by crimping. By providing vertically offset longitudinal members, longitudinal members tend to lay over during crimping rather than buckling. Therefore, vertically offset members may be advantageous. As is known in the art, a heat pipe generally has an effective thermal conductivity of several multiples higher than that of a solid rod. This increase in efficiency is due to the fact that the phase change heat transfer coefficients are high compared to the thermal conductivity of conventional materials.
The low profile heat pipe extrusion 42 is preferably formed into an evaporator section or first portion 44 for contacting heat generating components 12 and a raised or condenser section second portion 46. First portion 44 and second portion 46 are preferably substantially similar in construction to low profile extrusion 20 of
During operation of the host electronic device, heat generated by heat generating components 12 is transferred from heat generating components 12 to first portion 44. This heat causes the liquid within the micro tubes 41 in first portion 44 to change to vapor, consuming some of the generated heat. Because the vapor is less dense than the surrounding liquid, the vapor and associated heat rise into the micro tubes 41 in second portion 46. Of course, heated liquid may also be transferred from first portion 44 to second portion 46 via the capillary action of the wick structures of the micro extruded tubes therein. In second portion 46, the vapor condenses into liquid onto the inner side walls of the micro extruded tubes 41. The heat generated by the condensation reaction, as well as any heat transferred via capillary action of the wick structure, is then transferred to air flow 48. Cooling apparatus 40 thus efficiently removes heat from a limited space, low profile area within the host electronic device (the location of first portion 44) to an area where it can be removed at a more convenient location and envelope (the location of second portion 46). Of course, if low profile heat pipe extrusion 42 is formed with internal wick structures, it is not necessary that second portion 44 be raised from, or higher than, first portion 42.
Referring now to
Cooling apparatus 60 generally comprises a low profile extrusion 64, an inlet end cap 63 a, an inlet tube 66, an outlet end cap (not shown), an outlet tube (not shown), thermoelectric coolers 52, and conventional bonded fin heat sinks 68 and 70. The low profile extrusion 64 is preferably substantially similar in construction to low profile extrusion 20 of
The low profile extrusion 64 preferably has generally flat bottom and top surfaces for contact with thermoelectric coolers (TEC) 52. The conventional bonded fin heat sink 68 is coupled to TECs 52 on the top surface of low profile extrusion 64, and the conventional bonded fin heat sink 70 is coupled to TECs 52 on the bottom surface of low profile extrusion 64.
In operation, the low profile extrusion 64 serves as a manifold, and the TECs 52 remove heat from fluid 62 flowing through the micro tubes of the low profile extrusion 64. This removed heat is transferred from TECs 52 to bonded fin heat sinks 68 and 70, which dissipate the heat to atmosphere in a conventional manner. Preferably, airflows 72 and 74 pass over and through heat sinks 68 and 70 to facilitate such heat dissipation.
Low profile extrusion 64 has a smaller size and mass than conventional heat exchanger manifolds. For example, a conventional manifold has a minimum profile, or height, in the “z” direction of about 0.75 inches, and low profile extrusion 64 may have a profile as low as about 0.1 inches. The reduced mass of low profile extrusion 64 is believed to produce a cooling apparatus 60 with a near zero time constant, increasing startup performance and temperature control. Therefore, cooling apparatus 60 is especially advantageous in applications involving lasers. The wavelength of a laser beam, and thus beam properties, is strongly influenced by temperature, and the tighter temperature control believed to be provided by cooling apparatus 60 is extremely beneficial.
Cooling apparatus 80, 90, and 100 have the same applications and advantages of cooling apparatus 60 described hereinabove. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, cooling apparatus 60, 80, and 90 may also be operated as heating apparatus by using thermoelectric coolers (TECs) 52 to heat, rather than to cool, a fluid.
Apparatus 110 generally includes an oven 112 having an insulated housing. A vacuum station 114 and a fluid charging station 116 are in fluid communication with oven 112. Alternatively, stations 114 and 116 may be separate from oven 112. A coil 118 is disposed within a portion of oven 112 on a conventional automatic feed system. Coil 118 may be a coil of hollow tubing, a coil of low profile extrusion, or a coil of other conventional extrusion having a series of extruded hollow tubes therein. Furthermore, coil 118 comprises any material that can be formed and welded with any fluid fill. This includes, but is not limited to aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, and titanium alloys. An ultrasonic welder/sealer is also provided. One model of ultrasonic welder/sealer is the Ultraseal® series sold by American Technology, Inc. of Shelton, Conn. A brochure entitled “Ultraseal®-20 20 kHz. Portable Ultrasonic Metal Tube Sealer” (hereinafter the “Amtech Brochure”) provides additional information regarding the Ultraseal® series of ultrasonic welder/sealers and is incorporated herein by reference. A preferred ultrasonic welder/sealer is the Stapla Ultrasonic gantry style seam welder.
In a conventional process, the first step is actually forming and cutting the heat exchanger, heat pipe, or extruded tubes into the desired configuration. Next, this preformed system is evacuated and charged with a fluid such as water, glycol, alcohol, or other conventional refrigerants. The system is then sealed, completing the process. Conventional processes are expensive because they are labor intensive and require long setup times for different configurations of heat exchangers, heat pipes, or extruded tubes.
However, apparatus 110 may be used to efficiently and economically produce heat exchangers, heat pipes, and extruded tubes, including low profile extrusions, according to the following preferred process. First, coil 118 is placed within a heat producing device such as oven 112 on the automatic feed system. Second, coil 118 is evacuated using vacuum station 114. Preferably, coil 118 is pulled down to a vacuum of about 10−7 torr for a period lasting approximately twenty four hours to many weeks depending on performance requirements. Third, coil 118 is charged with a known amount of fluid, such as water, glycol, alcohol, acetone or other conventional refrigerants, using charging station 116. Acetone is the preferred fluid. Alternatively, coil 118 may be evacuated and charged outside oven 112. Fourth, oven 112 heats coil 118 until at least some of the fluid is in the vapor phase, and the vapor fills the interior of coil 118 evenly. Fifth, using the automatic feed system, the heated and charged coil 118 is reeled out. Preferably the fluid exits the oven 112 at approximately 40° C. to 60° C. allowing enough thermal inertia to draw vapor into the extrusion external to the oven. A temperature sender container may be provided to ensure that the fluid exit temperature is maintained at a desired level. The coil is then processed by crimping, sealing, and cutting the coil 118 into desired lengths. The temperature difference between the oven 118 and the ambient air (or air-conditioned air) temperature condenses the charging fluid in each pipe before it is crimped. These temperatures and flows are used to control the individual heat pipe fills via a weight analysis. A computer and scale monitor the weight of each part and adjust the oven temperatures accordingly.
Subsequent steps comprise crimping, sealing and cutting the coil 118. A hydraulic press, pneumatic or mechanical means may be used for crimping. An ultrasonic welder/sealer, or another standard welding method such as laser electron beam, resistive, TIG, or MIG welding may be used during the sealing stage. Ultrasonic welding is the preferred process. A plasma cutter, or other standard welding method mentioned herein may be used in the cutting stage. However, the plasma cutter is the preferred method. Finished product is collected within container 122. In this manner, heat exchangers, heat pipes, and extruded tubes, including low profile extrusions, are formed while charged with fluid, significantly reducing the setup time and vacuum expense over conventional processes.
In addition, by separating the coil side of the process from the crimping, sealing and welding process steps, the temperatures for the process steps can be adjusted so as to be in the fluid range for the working fluid. Thus, if a cryogenic heat pipe (charging fluid is typically a gas at normal room temperature) is to be manufactured, the temperature of the process steps would be adjusted such that the charging fluid is a liquid. In a similar manner, high temperature heat pipes, where the charging fluid is typically a solid at room temperatures, can be manufactured.
The low profile heat pipe extrusion 220 has a first surface 221 for engaging the heat generating components 12 and receiving heat transfer therefrom. On a second surface 222 of the low profile extrusion 220, a conventional bonded fin heat sink 230 or plurality of cooling fins are mounted to the low profile extrusion 220. Preferably, the micro tubes 223 are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the fins 230 for transfer of heat between each of the individual fins 230. The heat transfer between the individual fins 230 promotes the even distribution of heat across each of the individual fins 230. However, the micro tubes 223 can be oriented for the transfer of heat along the length of the fins 230. Additionally, in one preferred embodiment, the micro extruded hollow tubes 223 in the low profile extrusion 220 are oriented for disbursing heat from the heat generating components 12 to areas of the low profile extrusion 220 which are not in contact with a heat generating components 12.
The use of the low profile extrusion 220 for transferring heat in the cooling apparatus 200 increases the effective surface area that heat is transferred from the heat generating components to the cooling fins 230. The resulting cooling apparatus is therefore smaller in size and lighter in weight for the same effective cooling attributes. In some embodiments, the present invention can decrease the weight of an apparatus for cooling a heat generating component by as much as 50% over traditional fins mounted via a metal plate.
The low profile extrusion fins 270 are low profile extrusions manufactured as a heat pipe capable of phase change heat transfer. The low profile extrusion heat piping 270 are preferably formed with a plurality of micro tubes 273 each preferably having a conventional wick structure such as internal fins, grooved inner side walls, or metal screens, so as to maximize the heat transfer capability via capillary action. The micro tubes 273 of the low profile extrusion heat piping 270 are evacuated and then charged with a fluid such as water, glycol, alcohol, or other conventional refrigerants, before the micro tubes 273 are sealed.
A first end 271 of the low profile extrusion fins 270 is mounted to the second surface 262 of the base 260 with a second end 272 extending outwardly therefrom. The plurality of low profile extrusion fins 270 are preferably mounted in rows for convection heat transfer to the surrounding environment. In one embodiment, the base 260 can also be formed from a low profile extrusion similar to the low profile extrusion 220 in
The use of the heat pipe type low profile extrusion fins 270 in the cooling apparatus 250 increases the effective surface area in which heat is transferred from the heat generating components to the surrounding environment via the base 260. The resulting cooling apparatus is therefore smaller in size and lighter in weight for the same effective cooling attributes.
In operation, the present invention is useful in applications, such as notebook computers, computer network servers, desktop computers, power supplies, chillers/heaters, and telecommunication applications.
The present invention is particularly well suited for applications requiring a heat removal apparatus that has minimal spacial area, such as notebook computer applications. A heat pipe according to the principles of the present invention may be extruded with various twists and turns to maximize heat removal ability in a minimal amount of space.
For applications involving high performance microprocessors, a heat pipe with fins attached opposite one another on the top and bottom surfaces of heat pipe may be used. This configuration allows improved heat removal characteristics.
It is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment. While the device shown is described as being preferred, it will be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. Therefore, the spirit and the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3528494||7 Nov 1966||15 Sep 1970||Teledyne Inc||Heat pipe for low thermal conductivity working fluids|
|US4072188||2 Jul 1975||7 Feb 1978||Honeywell Information Systems Inc.||Fluid cooling systems for electronic systems|
|US4196504||31 Jul 1978||8 Apr 1980||Thermacore, Inc.||Tunnel wick heat pipes|
|US4279294||22 Dec 1978||21 Jul 1981||United Technologies Corporation||Heat pipe bag system|
|US4280519||14 Apr 1980||28 Jul 1981||Chapman Virginia J||Environmental manicure system|
|US4381032||23 Apr 1981||26 Apr 1983||Cutchaw John M||Apparatus for cooling high-density integrated circuit packages|
|US4470450||22 Oct 1981||11 Sep 1984||Lockheed Missiles & Space Co.||Pump-assisted heat pipe|
|US4503906||4 Nov 1982||12 Mar 1985||Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft||Surface heater structure, especially for vehicles|
|US4550774||1 Feb 1983||5 Nov 1985||Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft||Surface heating body for vehicles|
|US4558395||26 Apr 1984||10 Dec 1985||Hitachi, Ltd.||Cooling module for integrated circuit chips|
|US4640347||16 Apr 1984||3 Feb 1987||Q-Dot Corporation||Heat pipe|
|US4675783||31 Aug 1984||23 Jun 1987||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Heat pipe heat sink for semiconductor devices|
|US4729060||25 Jan 1985||1 Mar 1988||Fujitsu Limited||Cooling system for electronic circuit device|
|US4830100||24 Nov 1986||16 May 1989||The Nippon Aluminium Mfg. Co., Ltd.||Heat-pipe device and heat-sink device|
|US4854377||18 Nov 1986||8 Aug 1989||Nec Corporation||Liquid cooling system for integrated circuit chips|
|US4880052||27 Feb 1989||14 Nov 1989||Thermacore, Inc.||Heat pipe cooling plate|
|US4880053||24 Apr 1989||14 Nov 1989||The Board Of Governors Of Wayne State University||Two-phase cooling apparatus for electronic equipment and the like|
|US4884630||14 Jul 1988||5 Dec 1989||Microelectronics And Computer Technology Corporation||End fed liquid heat exchanger for an electronic component|
|US4896716||13 Feb 1989||30 Jan 1990||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Heat pipe type heat-exchanger for the ventilation|
|US4909315||30 Sep 1988||20 Mar 1990||Microelectronics And Computer Technology Corporation||Fluid heat exchanger for an electronic component|
|US4921041||15 Jun 1988||1 May 1990||Actronics Kabushiki Kaisha||Structure of a heat pipe|
|US4982274||14 Dec 1988||1 Jan 1991||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Heat pipe type cooling apparatus for semiconductor|
|US5002122||25 Sep 1984||26 Mar 1991||Thermacore, Inc.||Tunnel artery wick for high power density surfaces|
|US5005640||17 Sep 1990||9 Apr 1991||Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation||Isothermal multi-passage cooler|
|US5029389 *||14 Dec 1987||9 Jul 1991||Hughes Aircraft Company||Method of making a heat pipe with improved end cap|
|US5036384||30 Apr 1990||30 Jul 1991||Nec Corporation||Cooling system for IC package|
|US5044429||5 Dec 1990||3 Sep 1991||Fujikura Ltd.||Heat pipe and method of manufacturing the same|
|US5054296||15 May 1990||8 Oct 1991||Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Pipe for cooling unit, cooling unit and individual cooling system|
|US5069274||22 Dec 1989||3 Dec 1991||Grumman Aerospace Corporation||Spacecraft radiator system|
|US5076351||17 Jul 1990||31 Dec 1991||Showa Aluminum Corporation||Heat pipe|
|US5084966||6 Feb 1990||4 Feb 1992||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Method of manufacturing heat pipe semiconductor cooling apparatus|
|US5099311||17 Jan 1991||24 Mar 1992||The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy||Microchannel heat sink assembly|
|US5139546||4 Jun 1991||18 Aug 1992||Novobilski Carl G||Nail vapor and dust collection and treatment device|
|US5159529||15 May 1991||27 Oct 1992||International Business Machines Corporation||Composite liquid cooled plate for electronic equipment|
|US5168921||23 Dec 1991||8 Dec 1992||Thermacore, Inc.||Cooling plate with internal expandable heat pipe|
|US5186252||13 Jan 1992||16 Feb 1993||Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Heat transmission tube|
|US5199487||31 May 1991||6 Apr 1993||Hughes Aircraft Company||Electroformed high efficiency heat exchanger and method for making|
|US5283464||20 May 1993||1 Feb 1994||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Electrically insulated heat pipe type cooling apparatus for semiconductor|
|US5283715||29 Sep 1992||1 Feb 1994||International Business Machines, Inc.||Integrated heat pipe and circuit board structure|
|US5285347||6 Feb 1992||8 Feb 1994||Digital Equipment Corporation||Hybird cooling system for electronic components|
|US5314010||7 Oct 1991||24 May 1994||Fujikura Ltd.||Heat pipe and method of manufacturing the same|
|US5316077||9 Dec 1992||31 May 1994||Eaton Corporation||Heat sink for electrical circuit components|
|US5336128||12 Aug 1993||9 Aug 1994||Esau Birdsong||Nail technician's ventilator|
|US5342189||1 Oct 1992||30 Aug 1994||Mitsubishi Aluminum Co., Ltd.||Extrusion dies|
|US5353639||20 May 1993||11 Oct 1994||Thermalex, Inc.||Method and apparatus for sizing multiple tubes|
|US5355942||5 Apr 1993||18 Oct 1994||Sun Microsystems, Inc.||Cooling multi-chip modules using embedded heat pipes|
|US5388635||8 May 1992||14 Feb 1995||International Business Machines Corporation||Compliant fluidic coolant hat|
|US5409055||22 Mar 1993||25 Apr 1995||Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Heat pipe type radiation for electronic apparatus|
|US5465782||13 Jun 1994||14 Nov 1995||Industrial Technology Research Institute||High-efficiency isothermal heat pipe|
|US5535816||29 Aug 1994||16 Jul 1996||Diamond Electroic Mfg. Co. Ltd.||Heat sink|
|US5555622||21 Feb 1995||17 Sep 1996||The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.||Method of manufacturing a heat transfer small size tube|
|US5567493||2 Nov 1993||22 Oct 1996||Nippondenso Co., Ltd.||Die for extrusion of multi-hole tube and multi-hole tube made with the die|
|US5598632||6 Oct 1994||4 Feb 1997||The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration||Method for producing micro heat panels|
|US5615086||17 May 1994||25 Mar 1997||Tandem Computers Incorporated||Apparatus for cooling a plurality of electrical components mounted on a printed circuit board|
|US5636684||18 Dec 1995||10 Jun 1997||Atherm||Cooling element and connector for an electronic power component cooled by a fluid electrically isolated from the component|
|US5642775||16 Feb 1996||1 Jul 1997||Actronics Kabushiki Kaisha||Ribbon-like plate heat pipes|
|US5651414||28 Dec 1994||29 Jul 1997||Hitachi, Ltd.||Heat-pipe type cooling apparatus|
|US5660229||31 Dec 1992||26 Aug 1997||Sunkyong Industries Co., Ltd.||Plate type heat transfer device|
|US5666819 *||23 Feb 1996||16 Sep 1997||Rocky Research||Rapid sorption cooling or freezing appliance|
|US5675473||23 Feb 1996||7 Oct 1997||Motorola, Inc.||Apparatus and method for shielding an electronic module from electromagnetic radiation|
|US5682748||14 Jul 1995||4 Nov 1997||Thermotek, Inc.||Power control circuit for improved power application and temperature control of low voltage thermoelectric devices|
|US5689957||12 Jul 1996||25 Nov 1997||Thermotek, Inc.||Temperature controller for low voltage thermoelectric cooling or warming boxes and method therefor|
|US5690849||27 Feb 1996||25 Nov 1997||Thermotek, Inc.||Current control circuit for improved power application and control of thermoelectric devices|
|US5692558||22 Jul 1996||2 Dec 1997||Northrop Grumman Corporation||Microchannel cooling using aviation fuels for airborne electronics|
|US5697428||2 Dec 1994||16 Dec 1997||Actronics Kabushiki Kaisha||Tunnel-plate type heat pipe|
|US5711155||19 Dec 1995||27 Jan 1998||Thermotek, Inc.||Temperature control system with thermal capacitor|
|US5727619||10 Jul 1996||17 Mar 1998||Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha||Honeycomb sandwich panel with built in heat pipes|
|US5737186||22 Apr 1996||7 Apr 1998||Daimler-Benz Ag||Arrangement of plural micro-cooling devices with electronic components|
|US5890371||11 Jul 1997||6 Apr 1999||Thermotek, Inc.||Hybrid air conditioning system and a method therefor|
|US5901037||18 Jun 1997||4 May 1999||Northrop Grumman Corporation||Closed loop liquid cooling for semiconductor RF amplifier modules|
|US5901040||30 Jul 1997||4 May 1999||Hewlett-Packard Company||Heat sink and Faraday Cage assembly for a semiconductor module and a power converter|
|US5960866||14 Nov 1997||5 Oct 1999||Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd||Method for manufacturing cooling unit comprising heat pipes and cooling unit|
|US5989285||15 Aug 1996||23 Nov 1999||Thermotek, Inc.||Temperature controlled blankets and bedding assemblies|
|US6032726||30 Jun 1997||7 Mar 2000||Solid State Cooling Systems||Low-cost liquid heat transfer plate and method of manufacturing therefor|
|US6041850||12 Nov 1996||28 Mar 2000||General Electric Company||Temperature control of electronic components|
|US6058712||12 Jul 1996||9 May 2000||Thermotek, Inc.||Hybrid air conditioning system and a method therefor|
|US6072697||15 Jul 1998||6 Jun 2000||Systems & Electronics, Inc.||Modular heat sink stack|
|US6101715||30 Jan 1998||15 Aug 2000||Daimlerchrysler Ag||Microcooling device and method of making it|
|US6148906||15 Apr 1998||21 Nov 2000||Scientech Corporation||Flat plate heat pipe cooling system for electronic equipment enclosure|
|US6293333||2 Sep 1999||25 Sep 2001||The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force||Micro channel heat pipe having wire cloth wick and method of fabrication|
|US6302192||12 May 1999||16 Oct 2001||Thermal Corp.||Integrated circuit heat pipe heat spreader with through mounting holes|
|US6394175||13 Jan 2000||28 May 2002||Lucent Technologies Inc.||Top mounted cooling device using heat pipes|
|US6397935||18 Dec 1996||4 Jun 2002||The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.||Flat type heat pipe|
|US6462949||7 Aug 2000||8 Oct 2002||Thermotek, Inc.||Electronic enclosure cooling system|
|US6523259||18 Jul 2001||25 Feb 2003||P1 Diamond, Inc.||Method of manufacturing a heat pipe|
|US6679316||2 Oct 2000||20 Jan 2004||The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force||Passive thermal spreader and method|
|US6698502||2 Jun 2000||2 Mar 2004||Lee Jung-Hyun||Micro cooling device|
|US6745825||14 Nov 2000||8 Jun 2004||Fujitsu Limited||Plate type heat pipe|
|US6795310||28 Dec 2000||21 Sep 2004||Intel Corporation||Enhanced space utilization for enclosures enclosing heat management components|
|US6810946||20 Dec 2002||2 Nov 2004||Tth Research, Inc.||Loop heat pipe method and apparatus|
|US6820684||26 Jun 2003||23 Nov 2004||International Business Machines Corporation||Cooling system and cooled electronics assembly employing partially liquid filled thermal spreader|
|US6828675||26 Sep 2001||7 Dec 2004||Modine Manufacturing Company||Modular cooling system and thermal bus for high power electronics cabinets|
|US20020189793||28 Jun 2002||19 Dec 2002||Hajime Noda||Wick, plate type heat pipe and container|
|DE1284506B||24 Oct 1964||5 Dec 1968||Linde Ag||Traegerblech fuer temperaturempfindliche elektrische Schaltungsteile|
|DE3117758A1||5 May 1981||21 Jan 1982||Ericsson Telefon Ab L M||Kuehlvorrichtung fuer diskrete elektronische bauteile und/oder schaltungsplatten, auf denen die bauteile montiert sind|
|DE8512617U1||29 Apr 1985||14 Aug 1985||Remmele-Fischer, German, 8390 Passau, De||Title not available|
|DE19849919A1||29 Oct 1998||12 May 1999||Duewag Ag||Active semiconductor module|
|GB334209A||Title not available|
|GB1402509A||Title not available|
|GB2128319A||Title not available|
|GB2128320A||Title not available|
|1||"Furukawa Electric Heat Planar"; Brochure undated from Trade Show, Aug. 1999; 4 pages.|
|2||"Gore's Polarchip Thermal Interface Materials . . . Bridge the Gap Between Hot PCBs and Cool Heat Sinks."; W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc. 2000; 1 page.|
|3||"Thermal Management Components To Fill Virtually Any Gap Configuration"; Stockwell Rubber Company; Nov. 2001.|
|4||Andre Ali; Robert DeHoff; and Kevin Grubb; "Advanced Heat Pipe Thermal Solutions For Higher Power Notebook Computers"; Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA, 1999; Thermacore, Inc. Lancaster, PA 1999; 6 pages;.|
|5||Thermalex, Inc.; "Setting A Higher Standard In Aluminum Extrusions"; Brochure undated; 8 pages.|
|U.S. Classification||29/890.032, 165/80.3, 257/E23.088, 165/80.4|
|International Classification||F28D15/02, B23P6/00, B21C23/08, H01L23/427, F28F1/02, F28F7/00|
|Cooperative Classification||Y10T29/49353, F28F1/022, H01L23/427, H01L2924/0002, B21C23/085, F28D15/0283, F28D2021/0029, F28D15/0233, F28D2015/0225|
|European Classification||F28D15/02P, F28D15/02E, B21C23/08B, H01L23/427, F28F1/02B|
|13 Mar 2003||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: THERMOTEK, INC., TEXAS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PARISH, OVERTON L., IV;DEVILBISS, ROGER S.;REEL/FRAME:013847/0150;SIGNING DATES FROM 20030214 TO 20030217
|14 Mar 2006||CC||Certificate of correction|
|24 Jun 2009||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|12 Mar 2013||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8