Liquid-cooled PCIe card and server

Abstract

The application discloses a liquid-cooled PCIe card and a server, relates to the technical field of PCIe cards, and comprises a board card, a back plate and a liquid-cooled plate. The liquid-cooled plate is arranged on one side of the board card provided with heat generating elements and has a heat exchange surface in contact with at least one heat generating element, so that the heat dissipation performance of the heat generating elements is ensured. The back plate is fixedly arranged on the other side of the board card away from the heat generating elements. The back plate serves as a rigid support structure and forms an integral structure with the board card, so that the strength of the board card and elements thereon is improved, and the situation that the stress and strain are out of the rules is avoided. The liquid-cooled plate is connected to the back plate and / or the board card through a plurality of elastic components. The kinetic energy generated by the liquid-cooled plate due to external vibration is absorbed, so that the kinetic energy of the liquid-cooled plate is not directly transmitted to the board card, and then the stress and strain of the board card and devices thereon are out of the rules. Meanwhile, the elastic components can continuously provide stable and self-adaptive compression force for the heat exchange surface of the liquid-cooled plate, so that the low-thermal-resistance contact between the liquid-cooled plate and the heat generating elements is maintained for a long time, and the heat conduction efficiency is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of PCIe card technology, and in particular to a liquid-cooled PCIe card and server. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the server industry, PCIe cards (a type of board that conforms to the PCIe specification) need to support increasingly higher power. This leads to increasingly higher heat dissipation requirements for the connectors and processors on the PCIe cards. However, the form factor and size of PCIe cards are limited by industry standards, which restricts the space occupied by heat sinks. It is not possible to infinitely increase the size of the heat sink to solve the heat dissipation problem of PCIe cards, because increasing the size of the heat sink will cause stress and strain to exceed the specifications during impact and vibration tests, and the size will be too large to meet the PCIe specifications.

[0003] Therefore, how to ensure that PCIe cards meet the heat dissipation requirements in high-power scenarios while complying with PCIe specifications, and how to prevent the stress and strain of PCIe boards and their components from exceeding the limits, is a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a liquid-cooled PCIe card and server to at least solve the problems of poor heat dissipation of components on PCIe cards and excessive stress and strain of PCIe boards and their components in related technologies.

[0005] This application provides a liquid-cooled PCIe card, including a board, a backplane, and a liquid cooling plate;

[0006] The board has multiple heating elements on one side, and the heating elements include at least one of a processor, a connector, a capacitor, and an inductor.

[0007] The liquid cooling plate is disposed on the side of the board where the heating element is located, and has a heat exchange surface that contacts multiple heating elements. The heat exchange surface is a continuous plane or a stepped multi-level plane with different heights. The heat exchange surface contacts the processor and the connector, and a thermally conductive coating is provided between the contact surfaces. The heat exchange surface is spaced apart from the capacitor and the inductor.

[0008] The back plate is fixedly disposed on the side of the board away from the heating element;

[0009] The liquid cooling plate is connected to the back plate and / or the plate through multiple elastic components. The elastic components are used to absorb the kinetic energy of the liquid cooling plate and provide pressure to the heat exchange surface to press the heating element.

[0010] In some embodiments, the side of the board is provided with an outwardly extending device restriction area, one side of the liquid cooling plate corresponds to the device restriction area, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid cooling plate are located on the side of the liquid cooling plate corresponding to the device restriction area.

[0011] In some embodiments, the resilient component includes a locking screw and an elastic element sleeved around the outer periphery of the locking screw;

[0012] The locking screws are used to connect the liquid cooling plate to the back plate and / or the circuit board;

[0013] The elastic element is located between the head of the locking screw and the liquid cooling plate and / or at least on the side of the plate facing the liquid cooling plate.

[0014] In some embodiments, the locking screw passes through the liquid cooling plate and the plate in sequence and is threadedly connected to the back plate, and the elastic element is located between the liquid cooling plate and the head of the locking screw; and / or, the locking screw passes through the plate and is threadedly connected to the liquid cooling plate, and the elastic element is located between the liquid cooling plate and the plate and between the head of the locking screw and the plate.

[0015] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling plate is provided with a threaded hole, the elastic element extends into the threaded hole, the threaded hole has a stepped inner wall, the elastic element abuts against the stepped structure of the stepped inner wall in the axial direction, and the elastic element has axial elastic deformation and radial elastic deformation properties, and the elastic element after radial deformation abuts against the stepped inner wall.

[0016] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling plate has a cavity for the flow of a cooling medium, and the projection of the cavity onto the board at least covers the heating element;

[0017] The cavity is provided with a flow channel, and the two ends of the flow channel are respectively connected to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. The flow channel includes at least one serpentine flow channel corresponding to one of the heating elements.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cavity is provided with a partition, and the cavities on both sides of the partition correspond to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, respectively;

[0019] A flow divider is provided in the cavity corresponding to the liquid inlet. The flow channel includes a first flow channel located between the partition and the flow divider and corresponding to the processor, and a second flow channel located between the flow divider and the cavity wall of the cavity. A first guide plate is provided at one end of the flow divider away from the liquid inlet. The first guide plate is used to guide the cooling medium of the second flow channel to the cavity corresponding to the connector.

[0020] The cross-sectional area connecting the first flow channel and the liquid inlet is larger than the cross-sectional area connecting the second flow channel and the liquid inlet;

[0021] The cavity corresponding to the connector is provided with a second guide plate. The flow channel includes a third flow channel located between the second guide plate and the first guide plate, and a fourth flow channel located between the second guide plate and the cavity wall of the cavity. The fourth flow channel is used to guide the cooling medium in the cavity corresponding to the connector into the cavity corresponding to the liquid outlet.

[0022] In some embodiments, the partition is used to divide the cavity into an inlet cavity communicating with the inlet and an outlet cavity communicating with the outlet. One end of the partition near the outlet and the inlet is fixed to the inner wall of the cavity, and the other end of the partition is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cavity. The inlet cavity and the outlet cavity are connected through the gap between the partition and the inner wall of the cavity.

[0023] In some embodiments, the inlet and outlet are connected to an external liquid cooling circulation system via water pipes, and the liquid cooling plate is covered with a cover plate corresponding to the cavity to form a sealed cavity.

[0024] In some embodiments, a baffle is provided at one end of the board, the baffle including a fixed end that is fixedly clamped between the board and the back plate and an extension end that extends vertically along the board, the extension end having an opening for a connector to pass through.

[0025] A server comprising the liquid-cooled PCIe card described in any of the preceding claims.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this application are that the liquid-cooled PCIe card, by directly attaching the liquid cooling plate to the heat-generating components on the board and utilizing elastic components to connect the liquid cooling plate to the backplate and / or the board, simultaneously achieves heat dissipation performance and mechanical stability. Specifically, the backplate, as a rigid support structure, forms an integral structure with the board, improving the strength of the board and its components and preventing excessive stress and strain. Furthermore, the elastic components absorb the kinetic energy generated by external vibrations of the liquid cooling plate, preventing the kinetic energy of the liquid cooling plate from being directly transferred to the board, thus avoiding excessive stress and strain on the board and its components. Simultaneously, the elastic components can continuously provide stable and adaptive clamping force to the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate, ensuring long-term low thermal resistance contact between the liquid cooling plate and the heat-generating components, significantly improving heat transfer efficiency. This design effectively compensates for component manufacturing tolerances and assembly deviations, avoiding localized overheating due to poor contact, thereby extending the board's lifespan and improving the system reliability of the PCIe card.

[0027] In addition, the heat-generating components on the board include at least one of the following: processor, connector, capacitor, and inductor. When components with different heat-generating efficiencies, such as processor, connector, capacitor, and inductor, are present at the same time, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate is in direct contact with the high heat flux density components such as processor and connector to ensure the shortest heat path and the lowest thermal resistance. For components such as capacitor and inductor, whose heat generation is significantly lower than that of processor and connector, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate is spaced apart from these components, and the heat of capacitor and inductor is removed by thermal radiation to avoid thermal coupling between different heat-generating components and ensure the heat dissipation efficiency of different heat-generating components. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a liquid-cooled PCIe card structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 An exploded view of a liquid-cooled PCIe card provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the liquid cooling plate structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the board, backplane, and baffle provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the liquid cooling plate and board assembly structure provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 6 A top view of a liquid-cooled PCIe card provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Sectional view of AA;

[0036] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle;

[0037] Figure 9 for Figure 7 Enlarged structural diagram at point B;

[0038] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the liquid cooling plate provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0039] The above figures include the following reference numerals:

[0040] 1-Board; 2-Backplate; 3-Liquid cooling plate; 4-Baffle; 5-Elastic component; 6-Thermal conductive coating;

[0041] 11-Processor; 12-Connector; 13-Inductor; 14-Capacitor; 15-Device confinement area;

[0042] 31-Outlet; 32-Inlet; 33-Cavity; 34-Cover; 331-Baffle; 332-Flow divider; 333-First guide plate; 334-Second guide plate; 335-First flow channel; 336-Second flow channel; 337-Third flow channel; 338-Fourth flow channel;

[0043] 41-Fixed end; 42-Extension end; 43-Opening;

[0044] 51-Locking screw; 52-Elastic element. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this application.

[0046] It should be noted that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. The terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly, for example, they can be fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can be mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can be internal connections between two elements. The terms "parallel," "perpendicular," and "equal" include the described situation and situations similar to the described situation, the range of which is within an acceptable deviation range, wherein the acceptable deviation range is determined by those skilled in the art taking into account the measurement under discussion and the error associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, where an acceptable deviation range for approximate parallelism can be, for example, within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, where an acceptable deviation range for approximate perpendicularity can also be, for example, within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, where an acceptable deviation range for approximate equality can be, for example, a difference between the two equal items being less than or equal to 5% of either one. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0047] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0048] This application provides a liquid-cooled PCIe card. A PCIe card is a card compliant with the PCIe specification, and its physical forms include single-width, double-width, half-length, three-quarter-length, and full-length. The liquid-cooled PCIe card's structural design, based on the traditional PCIe card physical form, deeply integrates three core technologies: thermal management, structural rigidity, and vibration suppression, achieving stable, efficient, and long-life heat dissipation performance in high-power-density environments. This solution not only continues the PCIe specification's stringent requirements for electrical interfaces, mechanical dimensions, and signal integrity, but also solves the heat dissipation bottlenecks and reliability risks commonly found in traditional air-cooling solutions for high-power devices such as GPU cards, accelerator cards, and network cards through innovative heat conduction paths and elastic compensation mechanisms.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The liquid-cooled PCIe card involved in this embodiment includes a board 1, a backplane 2, and a liquid cooling plate 3. The board 1 serves as the platform for the entire PCIe card, and multiple heat-generating components are located on one side of it, or in other words, a dense array of heat-generating components is arranged on one side of the board 1. These heat-generating components are not of a single type, but cover a wide range from high heat flux density processors 11 (such as AI accelerator processors, GPU processors, FPGA logic arrays, etc.) and connectors 12 (optical connectors, I / O connectors, etc.), to medium current power management modules, and low-power but numerous passive components (such as ceramic capacitors, power inductors, filter inductors, etc.). This diverse distribution of heat sources makes it difficult for traditional air-cooled heat sinks or vapor chambers to achieve comprehensive coverage and efficient heat dissipation.

[0050] In this embodiment, the liquid cooling plate 3 is disposed on the side of the board 1 with the heating element, and the liquid cooling plate 3 has a heat exchange surface that contacts at least one heating element, thereby quickly removing the heat from the heating element through the heat exchange surface. Furthermore, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can also contact multiple heating elements. For example, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can simultaneously contact high-heat-generating elements such as the processor 11 and connector 12, or it can simultaneously contact heating elements with different heat generation amounts such as the processor 11, capacitor 14, and inductor 13, or it can simultaneously contact low-heat-generating elements such as inductor 13 and capacitor 14, all of which can achieve rapid heat dissipation of the corresponding heating elements.

[0051] Since different heat-generating elements may have different heights on board 1, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can be a continuous plane or a multi-level stepped plane with different heights, ensuring that the plane can contact the corresponding heat-generating elements. Furthermore, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can also be a micro-contact point array, that is, multiple tiny protrusions or point-like contact areas are machined on the heat exchange surface, contacting only these heat-generating elements, thus meeting heat dissipation requirements while avoiding mechanical damage to low-stress sensitive elements.

[0052] In addition, when the heat exchange surface comes into contact with the heating element, the heat exchange surface can come into contact with part of the high-heat core area of ​​the heating element, or it can come into contact with the entire heating element, as long as it can carry away the core heat of the heating element.

[0053] The backplate 2 serves as a structural reinforcement and stress balancing unit in this embodiment, and is fixedly mounted on the side of the board 1 away from the heating element. The backplate 2 can be made of high-strength aluminum alloy or carbon fiber reinforced composite material, and its rigidity modulus is significantly higher than that of the standard PCB substrate, which can effectively suppress the bending deformation of the board 1 caused by mechanical stress and external impact during insertion, removal, transportation and operation.

[0054] Regarding the connection method, the backplate 2 can be fixed to the board 1 using fasteners. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 A threaded hole is made on the board 1, and a bolt passes through the back plate 2 and is threaded into the threaded hole. The bolt head abuts against the back plate 2 to prevent excessive pressure on the bolt head from damaging the board 1. The rigid structure of the back plate 2 improves the overall strength of the board 1, thereby preventing the stress and strain of the board 1 and its components from exceeding the limits.

[0055] Specifically, threaded holes are pre-embedded or drilled on board 1. Bolts are inserted from the outside of back plate 2 and screwed into the threaded holes of board 1. The bolt head is limited by the countersunk hole or boss structure on the inside of back plate 2. This design avoids local pressure concentration on the PCB substrate by the bolt head and prevents micro-cracks or delamination from occurring on board 1 during the fastening process.

[0056] In traditional liquid cooling systems, the liquid cooling plate 3 is typically rigidly fixed to the plate 1. Once subjected to external vibration or impact, it is highly susceptible to relative displacement between the heat exchange surface and the heating element, leading to reduced heat transfer efficiency. In this embodiment, however, the liquid cooling plate 3 is connected to the back plate 2 and / or the plate 1 via multiple elastic components 5. (Please refer to...) Figure 7 Under dynamic operating conditions, when the liquid cooling plate 3 is displaced due to vibration, the elastic component 5 absorbs kinetic energy and buffers impact energy through reversible elastic deformation to prevent rigid collisions; the kinetic energy here includes, but is not limited to, the energy generated by the vibration and impact of the liquid cooling plate 3. After the kinetic energy disappears, the elastic component 5 can use its automatic reset characteristic to ensure that the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can still be pressed against the heating element, and ensure that the two have a certain pressing force.

[0057] In summary, the liquid-cooled PCIe card of this application achieves both heat dissipation performance and mechanical stability by directly attaching the liquid cooling plate 3 to the heat-generating components on the board 1 and using the elastic component 5 to connect the liquid cooling plate 3 to the backplate 2 and / or the board 1. Specifically, the backplate 2, as a rigid support structure, forms an integral structure with the board 1, improving the strength of the board 1 and its components and preventing excessive stress and strain. The elastic component 5 absorbs the kinetic energy generated by external vibrations of the liquid cooling plate 3, preventing the kinetic energy of the liquid cooling plate 3 from being directly transferred to the board 1, thus avoiding excessive stress and strain on the board 1 and its components. Simultaneously, the elastic component 5 continuously provides a stable and adaptive clamping force to the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3, ensuring a long-term low thermal resistance contact between the liquid cooling plate 3 and the heat-generating components, significantly improving heat transfer efficiency. This design effectively compensates for component manufacturing tolerances and assembly deviations, avoiding localized overheating due to poor contact, thereby extending the lifespan of the board 1 and improving the system reliability of the liquid-cooled PCIe card.

[0058] The board 1 is typically a PCB substrate. The component layout on the board 1 meets the signal integrity requirements. The board 1 has an overall rectangular structure. One side of the board 1 is provided with gold fingers for connecting to the PCIe slot. The other side of the board 1 is provided with an outwardly extending device restriction area 15. No device on the board 1 is allowed to be placed in this area. The liquid cooling plate 3 of this application can correspond to the device restriction area 15. At the same time, the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31 of the liquid cooling plate 3 are located on one side of the device restriction area 15. Especially for single-width PCIe cards, the maximum allowable height of a single-width PCIe card is 14.47mm, ensuring a rigid physical boundary for the card to be plugged in and out of the server chassis slot without interference. On this basis, when the inlet and outlet water pipe connectors of the liquid cooling system are installed on the side of the liquid cooling plate 3, their typical installation height is 8-12mm. If the connector is directly installed in a PCB area that is already full of components, in order to avoid collision with protruding components such as processor 11, capacitor 14, and inductor 13, the connector must be raised as a whole, forming a "suspended installation". This will directly cause the liquid cooling plate 3 to be raised, and the overall height of the card will exceed the 14.47mm limit, making it impossible to install the card into the slot or damaging the slot.

[0059] This application utilizes the device restriction area 15 on the side of board 1, please refer to... Figure 4 No components are allowed to be placed in this area. The liquid cooling plate 3 has a liquid inlet 32 ​​and a liquid outlet 31 located within the restricted area 15 of the device, so that the connectors of the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31 are directly arranged above the restricted area 15 of the device. Since there are no components in this area, the connectors do not need to be raised, and the liquid cooling plate 3 can be closer to the board 1. The height of the liquid cooling plate 3 is entirely determined by its own thickness, so that the height in the card body can be controlled within 14.47mm.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the PCIe specification, a 5.08mm device restriction area 15 is typically required for PCIe cards. This area is used to provide space for the card tail mounting bracket. However, since the liquid cooling plate 3 of this application occupies this device restriction area 15, traditional card tail mounting brackets cannot be installed. In this application, however, the fixing structure (such as clips, studs, and positioning holes) that should originally be located at the card tail is moved to one end of the liquid cooling plate 3 on the same side as the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31. The water inlet end of the liquid cooling plate 3 usually has reserved space for pipe interfaces. This location has high structural strength and no component interference, and fixing features can be directly integrated to achieve overall fixing of the card body.

[0061] Furthermore, to meet PCIe specifications, the outer contour of the liquid cooling plate 3 should not exceed the outer contour of the board 1. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 6 This ensures that the projection of the liquid cooling plate 3 onto the board 1 falls completely within the range of the board 1.

[0062] The liquid cooling plate 3 can be a monolithic metal substrate. Both the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31 of the liquid cooling plate 3 are located on the side corresponding to the device restriction area 15, and are arranged parallel to each other along the length of the board 1 with appropriate spacing. This layout allows external cooling pipes to be connected from only one side of the board 1, without needing to cross the width of the board 1 or exit from the back. The coolant enters the internal flow channel of the liquid cooling plate 3 through the inlet 32, flows along a predetermined path through the entire heat exchange surface area, and finally exits through the outlet 31 on the same side. This design significantly simplifies the wiring complexity of the cooling pipes within the server chassis and avoids spatial conflicts and assembly interference caused by multiple interfaces.

[0063] The elastic component 5 includes a locking screw 51 and an elastic element 52 sleeved around the outer periphery of the locking screw 51. The locking screw 51 and the elastic element 52 form an axially pre-tightened mechanical linkage structure. The locking screw 51 can connect the liquid cooling plate 3 to the back plate 2 and / or the card 1. The locking screw 51 can pass through the liquid cooling plate 3 and be screwed into the threaded hole on the card 1 or the back plate 2, with its head facing the side of the liquid cooling plate 3 and its tail forming a rigid connection with the card 1 or the back plate 2. The locking screw 51 can also pass through the back plate 2 and the card 1 and be screwed into the threaded hole of the liquid cooling plate 3, with its head facing the side of the back plate 2; or, the locking screw 51 can pass through the card 1 and be screwed into the threaded hole of the liquid cooling plate 3, with its head facing the side of the card 1.

[0064] The elastic element 52 has a ring-shaped structure, and its inner diameter is adapted to the outer diameter of the stud of the locking screw 51, ensuring that it can be stably fitted onto the outer circumference of the stud without radial displacement. The elastic element 52 can be arranged in the following ways:

[0065] The elastic element 52 is located between the head of the locking screw 51 and the liquid cooling plate 3, forming an axial force that causes the head of the locking screw 51 to press against the elastic element 52 and the elastic element 52 to press against the liquid cooling plate 3, so that the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 can be tightly fitted with the heat-generating element; please refer to Figure 9 At this time, the locking screw 51 can pass through the liquid cooling plate 3 and be screwed into the threaded hole of the board 1 or the back plate 2, with the head of the locking screw 51 facing the liquid cooling plate 3.

[0066] The elastic element 52 is located at least on the side of the board 1 facing the liquid cooling plate 3, that is, the elastic element 52 is located between the board 1 and the liquid cooling plate 3. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 8 The two ends of the axial section abut against the backplate 1 and the liquid cooling plate 3, respectively. At this time, the locking screw 51 can pass through the backplate 2 and the backplate 1 and be screwed into the screw hole of the liquid cooling plate 3, with the head of the locking screw 51 facing either the backplate 2 or the backplate 1. When the head of the locking screw 51 faces the backplate 1, to prevent direct contact between the head of the locking screw 51 and the backplate 1 and damage to the backplate 1, an elastic element 52 can also be provided between the backplate 1 and the head of the locking screw 51. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 8 This ensures the lifespan of board 1;

[0067] Alternatively, it can be a combination of the two methods mentioned above. For example, when multiple elastic components 5 are arranged on the liquid cooling plate 3, if the arrangement of the elastic components 5 is affected by the structure of the internal cavity 33 of the liquid cooling plate 3, making it impossible to open a hole on the liquid cooling plate 3 to accommodate the head of the locking screw 51, the locking screw 51 can be connected to the threaded hole on the liquid cooling plate 3 by passing through the back plate 2 or the plate 1. The diameter of the threaded hole is significantly smaller than the diameter of the hole that accommodates the head of the locking screw 51, thus meeting the arrangement requirements of the elastic components 5 under different conditions.

[0068] Furthermore, due to factors such as machining and assembly errors, there will be certain actual tolerances when assembling the liquid cooling plate 3 and the board 1. This will cause the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 to not be precisely aligned with the heating element, affecting the heat transfer efficiency of both. However, this application utilizes the elastic force of the elastic element 52 to adaptively ensure that even if there is a slight height difference or tilt between the liquid cooling plate 3 and the board 1, the elastic element 52 can conform to the heating element in a manner parallel to the top surface of the heating element, compensating for installation deviations and reducing reliance on machining accuracy.

[0069] The locking screw 51 can be a stepped screw or a cylindrical screw, and the corresponding elastic element 52 can be a spring or a rubber component, etc., with elastic deformation properties. It should be noted that when the elastic element 52 is arranged between the plate 1 and the liquid cooling plate 3, or between the plate 1 or the liquid cooling plate 3 and the head of the locking screw 51, the elastic element 52 can be a rubber component. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 8 When the elastic element 52 is positioned between the head of the liquid cooling plate 3 and the locking screw 51, the elastic element 52 can be a spring. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 9 .

[0070] To avoid local warping of the liquid cooling plate 3 or tilting of the heat exchange surface caused by single-point stress, the elastic component 5 in this embodiment is preferably arranged symmetrically at four corners or in a cross shape. Of course, other regular or irregular distribution methods can also be used. Through finite element analysis (FEA) simulation, the stress-strain distribution of the liquid cooling plate 3 under different arrangement schemes can be accurately simulated to ensure that the heat exchange surface can fit in a posture parallel to the top surface of the heating element.

[0071] Even with certain assembly tolerances (±0.3mm) or certain displacements (±0.1mm), the compression of the elastic element 52 can be automatically adjusted so that the heat exchange surface is always in contact with the top surface of the processor 11, compensating for the actual tolerances caused by factors such as board warping and differences in the packaging height of the heating element.

[0072] It should be noted that if the liquid cooling plate 3 is rigidly locked, the kinetic energy generated by the vibration and impact on the liquid cooling plate 3 will directly act on the board 1, causing the stress and strain of the board 1 and its components to exceed the standard. At the same time, the kinetic energy will also act on the contact surface between the heat exchange surface and the heat-generating element, causing a gap to form between them, reducing the contact pressure, and thus affecting the heat dissipation effect of the heat-generating element.

[0073] In this embodiment, the elastic component 5 is used as the axial deformation compensation unit. After the locking screw 51 applies a preload, the elastic component 52 undergoes controllable compression, storing elastic potential energy. When the liquid cooling plate 3 experiences relative displacement with respect to the plate 1 due to vibration, impact, or other reasons, the elastic component 52 releases the stored energy to maintain constant pressure on the contact surface between the heating surface and the heating element. When the relative displacement trend disappears, the elastic component 52 rebounds, and the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 returns to its initial state of being pressed against the heating element. This method achieves dynamic pressure self-adjustment of the liquid cooling plate 3 on the heating element, ensuring that the heat exchange surface and the heating element are always in effective contact.

[0074] Furthermore, in the server chassis operating environment, vibration and impact loads can easily cause the locking screw 51 to loosen. The damping characteristics of the elastic element 52 can absorb high-frequency mechanical energy, suppress the loosening tendency of the locking screw 51, and significantly improve the structural reliability of the PICe card under long-term high-load conditions.

[0075] In this embodiment, the assembly tolerance between the liquid cooling plate 3 and the plate 1 can be partially compensated by the compression of the axial elastic element 52. However, there is no effective compensation scheme for the small displacement or vibration in the radial direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the plane of the plate 1), which can easily lead to local suspension of the heat exchange surface, uneven contact pressure, and even long-term fatigue failure.

[0076] In this embodiment, the elastic element 52 is designed to partially extend into the threaded hole of the liquid cooling plate 3. Combined with the stepped inner wall within the hole, under axial preload, the elastic element 52 is not only axially compressed, but its outer circumference is also radially squeezed by the inner edge of the stepped structure, forming a stable radial constraint force. Specifically, when rubber components or similar parts are used as the elastic element 52, it possesses elastic deformation capability not only in the axial direction but also in the radial direction. Based on this, when the elastic element 52 is fitted onto the outer circumference of the locking screw 51, it can also appropriately extend into the threaded hole in the liquid cooling plate 3. This threaded hole has a stepped structure, which can generate compressive force with the elastic element 52 not only in the axial direction but also in the radial direction. Thus, through the radial compressive force on the elastic element 52, when the liquid cooling plate 3 is assembled onto the plate 1, it can also absorb the radial kinetic energy of the liquid cooling plate 3 and the radial assembly tolerance. In this embodiment, the axial direction is perpendicular to or approximately perpendicular to the board 1, and the radial direction is parallel to or approximately parallel to the board 1.

[0077] Furthermore, the stepped structure of the threaded hole acts as a rigid limiting surface, preventing the radial free expansion of the elastic element 52, thereby converting part of the axial force energy into radial pressure on the elastic element 52. This pressure acts directly on the liquid cooling plate 3 through the contact surface between the elastic element 52 and the inner wall of the liquid cooling plate 3, forming a lateral constraint force parallel to the plane of the board 1. This force effectively suppresses the radial displacement and swaying of the liquid cooling plate 3 caused by mechanical vibration during server operation, significantly improving the structural stability of the liquid cooling plate 3 in high dynamic environments.

[0078] Board 1 integrates various functional electronic components, including processor 11, connector 12, capacitor 14, and inductor 13. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 The processor 11 and connector 12 are the main heat sources of the system. The heat generated during their operation is concentrated and has a high heat flux density, which needs to be directly and efficiently conducted to the liquid cooling plate 3 to achieve rapid heat dissipation. To this end, the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 is precisely designed to form direct physical contact with the top surface of the packaging shell of the two types of components mentioned above, ensuring the shortest thermal path and the lowest thermal resistance.

[0079] In contrast, although capacitor 14 and inductor 13 perform functions such as energy storage and filtering in the circuit, their heat generation per unit volume is significantly lower than that of processor 11 and connector 12, and their thermal characteristics have a limited impact on the overall system temperature rise. To avoid unnecessary thermal coupling, the heat exchange surface of liquid cooling plate 3 maintains a clear physical distance from these two types of components, avoiding direct contact. The heat from capacitor 14 and inductor 13 is transferred to liquid cooling plate 3 through thermal radiation, thereby removing the heat from capacitor 14 and inductor 13.

[0080] Furthermore, a continuous and uniform thermally conductive coating 6 is provided in the contact area between the heat exchange surface of the liquid cooling plate 3 and the processor 11 and connector 12. This coating is a non-metallic, high thermal conductivity composite material, such as thermal grease, and is extremely thin. It is used to fill the air gaps caused by microscopic surface roughness and eliminate interfacial thermal resistance. The thermally conductive coating 6 material has good wettability and long-term stability, and will not crack or fail to conduct heat due to temperature changes.

[0081] The liquid cooling plate 3 has an integrally formed cooling medium flow cavity 33 inside, please refer to... Figure 3 and Figure 5 The overall outline of the cavity 33 is designed according to the distribution pattern of the heat-generating elements on the board 1. The projection area of ​​the cavity 33 on the plane of the board 1 completely covers all areas defined as heat-generating elements. This area includes the heat source distribution range of the processor 11, connector 12, inductor 13 and capacitor 14, thereby ensuring that the heat in this range can be carried away by the cooling medium in the liquid cooling plate 3.

[0082] A flow channel is provided inside cavity 33, please refer to... Figure 3 and Figure 10 The two ends of the flow channel are connected to the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31 respectively, thereby ensuring that the cooling medium can enter the flow channel of the cavity 33 through the liquid inlet 32 ​​and be discharged through the liquid outlet 31 after passing through the flow channel, forming a circulation channel for the cooling medium.

[0083] The flow channel includes at least one serpentine flow channel corresponding to a heating element. This serpentine flow channel extends in a meandering pattern, its direction not random but directionally arranged according to the spatial distribution of the heating elements. The serpentine flow channel presents a continuous "U"-shaped, "S"-shaped, or "Z"-shaped path, thereby increasing the flow time of the cooling medium and removing heat more effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, the serpentine flow channel can correspond to each heating element, thus ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency of each heating element.

[0084] Please refer to Figure 10 A longitudinal partition 331 is provided in the cavity 33, dividing the cavity 33 into two areas: an inlet cavity and an outlet cavity. The inlet cavity is the area of ​​the cavity 33 located on one side of the partition 331 and correspondingly connected to the inlet 32. The outlet cavity is the area of ​​the cavity 33 located on the other side of the partition 331 and correspondingly connected to the outlet 31. One end of the partition 331 near the outlet 31 and the inlet 32 ​​is fixed to the inner wall of the cavity 33, and the other end of the partition 331 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cavity 33, through which the inlet cavity and the outlet cavity are connected.

[0085] The liquid inlet chamber is located at the end near the liquid inlet 32. Its core function is to receive the initial low-temperature medium from the external liquid cooling circulation system and distribute it initially. The liquid outlet chamber is located at the end near the liquid outlet 31. Its function is to collect the high-temperature medium that has completed heat exchange and smoothly discharge it. The presence of the baffle 331 enables the entire cavity 33 to achieve physical isolation between input and output in space, laying the structural foundation for subsequent refined fluid control.

[0086] After the cooling medium enters the cavity 33 through the inlet 32, it first enters the inlet chamber, then flows through the gap between the baffle 331 and the inner wall of the cavity 33, towards the outlet chamber, and finally exits through the outlet 31, thus forming a flow path for the cooling medium. This flow path corresponds to at least one heating element, and of course, it can also correspond to multiple heating elements, or even each heating element, thereby ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency of multiple heating elements.

[0087] Furthermore, a flow divider 332 is provided in the liquid inlet chamber, which is parallel to or partially parallel to the partition 331. The flow channel includes a first flow channel 335 located between the partition 331 and the flow divider 332. The downward region of the first flow channel 335 corresponds to the processor 11, thereby removing the heat from the processor 11. However, considering that the processor 11 is a high-heat-generating component with a heat generation rate per unit area far exceeding that of other components, it is necessary to prioritize obtaining the cooling medium with the largest flow rate to achieve rapid heat dissipation. Therefore, after the cooling medium from the liquid inlet 32 ​​enters the liquid inlet chamber, it preferentially and in large quantities enters the first flow channel 335, forming the main cooling channel for the processor 11. The serpentine flow channel increases the flow time of the cooling medium in the first flow channel 335, ensuring that the heat of the processor 11 is fully removed.

[0088] In some embodiments, the serpentine flow path in the first flow channel 335 is a continuous "S"-shaped path, please refer to... Figure 10 The flow divider 332 can extend away from the inlet 32, and multiple finger-shaped portions extending toward the partition 331 are provided on the flow divider 332. At the same time, multiple finger-shaped portions extending toward the flow divider 332 are also provided on the partition 331. The finger-shaped portions on the flow divider 332 and the finger-shaped portions on the partition 331 are staggered and spaced apart, so that the continuous interval forms an "S" shaped path of the first flow channel 335.

[0089] The flow channel includes a second flow channel 336 located between the flow divider 332 and the cavity wall of the cavity 33. Here, the cavity wall of the cavity 33 refers to the cavity wall of the cavity 33 on the side of the flow divider 332 facing away from the partition 331. It can be seen that the first flow channel 335 and the second flow channel 336 are located on both sides of the flow divider 332, respectively. After the cooling medium enters the liquid inlet chamber through the liquid inlet 32, it is divided by the flow divider 332. A portion of the cooling medium enters the first flow channel 335 to carry away the heat of the processor 11, while the other portion of the cooling medium enters the second flow channel 336.

[0090] The end of the flow divider 332 furthest from the inlet 32 ​​is provided with a first guide plate 333. The first guide plate 333 extends at a specific angle towards the cavity 33 region corresponding to the connector 12. Its function is to guide the cooling medium of the second flow channel 336 to the cavity 33 region corresponding to the connector 12. Generally speaking, under normal server operation, the heat generated by the processor 11 is higher than that generated by the connector 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cross-section connecting the first flow channel 335 and the inlet 32 ​​is larger than the cross-section connecting the second flow channel 336 and the inlet 32, thereby ensuring that most of the cooling medium can enter the first flow channel 335 to ensure the heat dissipation efficiency of the processor 11; while only a small portion enters the second flow channel 336 to dissipate heat from the connector 12.

[0091] Furthermore, a second guide plate 334 is provided in the cavity 33 region corresponding to the connector 12. The second guide plate 334 is approximately parallel to the first guide plate 333, and the flow channel also includes a third flow channel 337 disposed between the second guide plate 334 and the first guide plate 333. Please refer to... Figure 10 The arrows in the diagram indicate the overall flow direction of the cooling medium. The inlet of the third channel 337 corresponds to the outlet of the first channel 335, thus ensuring that at least a portion of the cooling medium discharged from the first channel 335 can enter the cavity 33 area corresponding to the connector 12 through the third channel 337. This ensures that the cooling medium, which was originally only used to dissipate heat from the processor 11, does not waste its remaining cooling capacity after completing the main heat exchange. Instead, it is actively guided to another key heat source, the connector 12, to further cool the connector 12. This allows the cooling medium to be used for two purposes, expanding the cooling coverage without increasing the total amount of liquid entering the system.

[0092] The flow channel also includes a fourth flow channel 338 located between the second guide plate 334 and the cavity wall of the cavity 33. Here, the cavity wall of the cavity 33 is the cavity wall of the cavity 33 on the side of the second guide plate 334 facing away from the first guide plate 333. The fourth flow channel 338 serves as an auxiliary return channel, which can guide the cooling medium in the region of the cavity 33 corresponding to the connector 12 out of the liquid cavity, so that the cooling medium flows in the cavity 33 according to a preset path.

[0093] Furthermore, the cooling medium discharged from the first flow channel 335 can also flow directly to the liquid outlet chamber and be discharged through the liquid outlet chamber and the liquid outlet 31. Further, since the capacitor 14 and inductor 13 radiate relatively little heat, in this embodiment, the area of ​​the liquid outlet chamber can correspond to the capacitor 14 and inductor 13 to fully utilize the cooling capacity of the cooling medium and achieve cooling and temperature reduction of the capacitor 14 and inductor 13.

[0094] The cooling medium, carrying cold energy, enters the inlet chamber through the inlet 32. Firstly, a portion of the cooling medium carries away heat from the processor 11 in the first flow channel 335, ensuring the processor 11's heat dissipation efficiency. The other portion flows through the second flow channel 336 to the cavity 33 area corresponding to the connector 12, ensuring the connector 12's heat dissipation efficiency. It should be noted that the second flow channel 336 can also correspond to a portion of the capacitor 14 and inductor 13, carrying away their radiated heat.

[0095] Part of the cooling medium flowing out of the first flow channel 335 flows to the liquid outlet chamber, while the other part enters the cavity 33 region corresponding to the connector 12 via the third flow channel 337. This ensures that the cooling capacity of the cooling medium can be fully utilized, guaranteeing its heat dissipation efficiency. After exchanging heat with the connector 12, the cooling medium enters the liquid outlet chamber via the fourth flow channel 338, where it carries away some of the heat from the capacitor 14 and inductor 13, further improving the utilization rate of the cooling capacity and ensuring the overall heat dissipation efficiency of the heat-generating components on the board 1.

[0096] Of course, for some low-energy-consumption and low-heat-generating heating elements, the flow channel inside the cavity 33 can be designed in a simplified manner, ensuring that the flow channel can correspond to one or more heating elements, thus saving processing costs.

[0097] The liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31 are connected to water pipes via quick-release connectors. The quick-release connectors are sealed to the liquid inlet 32 ​​and the liquid outlet 31, respectively, and the water pipes are sealed to the quick-release connectors. A cooling circulation system is connected to the water pipes to provide a continuous cooling medium to the liquid cooling plate 3, allowing the cooling medium to circulate within the cavity 33 to achieve continuous cooling of the heat-generating elements. The cooling circulation system has at least the functions of rapidly dissipating heat from the high-temperature cooling medium and providing circulation power for the cooling medium.

[0098] To form a completely enclosed cooling medium flow cavity 33, in this embodiment, the liquid cooling plate 3 is covered with a cover plate 34 corresponding to the cavity 33. The cover plate 34 can cover the entire flow channel area and, together with the partition plate 331, the flow divider plate 332, the guide plate, and other structures inside the cavity 33, forms the corresponding flow channel structure. Furthermore, the cover plate 34 and the liquid cooling plate 3 are designed separately, and the two can be connected by welding, bolting, and sealing rings to achieve a sealed connection, which facilitates the machining of the cavity 33 and the corresponding flow channel structure on the liquid cooling plate 3.

[0099] In some embodiments, a baffle 4 is further disposed at one end of the board 1, the baffle 4 being located at the end of the board 1 away from the device restriction area 15. The baffle 4 includes a fixed end 41 fixedly clamped between the board 1 and the backplate 2 and an extension end 42 extending vertically along the board 1. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 The fixed end 41 is located between the plate 1 and the back plate 2. When the back plate 2 and the plate 1 are fixed by bolts, the bolt shank can pass through the back plate 2, the fixed end 41 and the plate 1 in sequence to achieve a fixed connection between the three.

[0100] The extension end 42 is provided with an opening 43 for the connector 12 to pass through, through which the connector 12 can achieve signal connection with external devices. At the same time, the extension end 42 can also be used to assist in positioning the liquid-cooled PCIe card, so that the liquid-cooled PCIe card can be stably installed in the server.

[0101] This application also provides a server that includes the aforementioned liquid-cooled PCIe card.

[0102] The liquid-cooled PCIe card and server provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled PCIe card, characterized in that, Includes board (1), backplate (2) and liquid cooling plate (3); The board (1) has multiple heating elements on one side, including at least one of a processor (11), a connector (12), a capacitor (14), and an inductor (13); The liquid cooling plate (3) is disposed on the side of the board (1) where the heating element is disposed, and has a heat exchange surface that contacts multiple heating elements. The heat exchange surface is a continuous plane or a stepped multi-level plane with different heights. The heat exchange surface contacts the processor (11) and the connector (12), and a thermally conductive coating (6) is provided between the contact surfaces. The heat exchange surface is spaced apart from the capacitor (14) and the inductor (13). The back plate (2) is fixedly disposed on the other side of the plate (1) away from the heating element; The liquid cooling plate (3) is connected to the back plate (2) and / or the plate (1) by a plurality of elastic components (5). The elastic components (5) are used to absorb the kinetic energy of the liquid cooling plate (3) and provide pressure to the heat exchange surface to press the heating element.

2. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The board (1) has an outwardly extending device restriction area (15) on its side. One side of the liquid cooling plate (3) corresponds to the device restriction area (15), and the liquid inlet (32) and liquid outlet (31) of the liquid cooling plate (3) are located on the side of the liquid cooling plate (3) corresponding to the device restriction area (15).

3. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic component (5) includes a locking screw (51) and an elastic element (52) sleeved on the outer periphery of the locking screw (51). The locking screw (51) is used to connect the liquid cooling plate (3) to the back plate (2) and / or the board (1). The elastic element (52) is located between the head of the locking screw (51) and the liquid cooling plate (3) and / or at least on the side of the plate (1) facing the liquid cooling plate (3); The locking screw (51) passes through the liquid cooling plate (3) and the plate (1) in sequence and is threaded to the back plate (2). The elastic element (52) is located between the liquid cooling plate (3) and the head of the locking screw (51); and / or, the locking screw (51) passes through the plate (1) and is threaded to the liquid cooling plate (3). The elastic element (52) is located between the liquid cooling plate (3) and the plate (1) and between the head of the locking screw (51) and the plate (1).

4. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 3, characterized in that, The liquid cooling plate (3) is provided with a threaded hole, and the elastic element (52) extends into the threaded hole. The threaded hole has a stepped inner wall. The elastic element (52) abuts against the stepped structure of the stepped inner wall in the axial direction. The elastic element (52) has axial elastic deformation and radial elastic deformation properties. After radial deformation, the elastic element (52) abuts against the stepped inner wall.

5. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 2, characterized in that, The liquid cooling plate (3) has a cavity (33) inside for the flow of cooling medium, and the projection of the cavity (33) on the board (1) at least covers the heating element; The cavity (33) is provided with a flow channel, and the two ends of the flow channel are respectively connected to the liquid inlet (32) and the liquid outlet (31). The flow channel includes at least one serpentine flow channel corresponding to one of the heating elements.

6. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 5, characterized in that, The cavity (33) is provided with a partition (331), and the cavities (33) on both sides of the partition (331) correspond to the liquid inlet (32) and the liquid outlet (31) respectively; A flow divider (332) is provided in the cavity (33) corresponding to the liquid inlet (32). The flow channel includes a first flow channel (335) located between the partition (331) and the flow divider (332) and corresponding to the processor (11), and a second flow channel (336) located between the flow divider (332) and the cavity wall of the cavity (33). A first guide plate (333) is provided at one end of the flow divider (332) away from the liquid inlet (32). The first guide plate (333) is used to guide the cooling medium of the second flow channel (336) to the cavity (33) corresponding to the connector (12). The cross-sectional area connecting the first flow channel (335) and the liquid inlet (32) is larger than the cross-sectional area connecting the second flow channel (336) and the liquid inlet (32); A second guide plate (334) is provided in the cavity (33) corresponding to the connector (12). The flow channel includes a third flow channel (337) located between the second guide plate (334) and the first guide plate (333), and a fourth flow channel (338) located between the second guide plate (334) and the cavity wall of the cavity (33). The fourth flow channel (338) is used to guide the cooling medium in the cavity (33) corresponding to the connector (12) into the cavity (33) corresponding to the liquid outlet (31).

7. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 6, characterized in that, The partition (331) is used to divide the cavity (33) into an inlet cavity communicating with the inlet (32) and an outlet cavity communicating with the outlet (31). One end of the partition (331) near the outlet (31) and the inlet (32) is fixed to the inner wall of the cavity (33), and the other end of the partition (331) is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cavity (33). The inlet cavity and the outlet cavity are connected through the gap between the partition (331) and the inner wall of the cavity (33).

8. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inlet (32) and outlet (31) are connected to an external liquid cooling circulation system via water pipes. The liquid cooling plate (3) is covered with a cover plate (34) corresponding to the cavity (33) to form a sealed cavity (33).

9. The liquid-cooled PCIe card according to claim 1, characterized in that, A baffle (4) is provided at one end of the board (1). The baffle (4) includes a fixed end (41) that is fixedly clamped between the board (1) and the back plate (2) and an extension end (42) that extends vertically along the board (1). The extension end (42) is provided with an opening (43) for the connector (12) to pass through.

10. A server, characterized in that, Includes the liquid-cooled PCIe card as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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