Blind-mate liquid cooling plug

Abstract

A blind-mating liquid-cooled connector includes a male connector cavity, a male connector base, and an adapter. A fixing member is provided inside the male connector base, and the fixing member is securely mounted within the base. One end of the fixing member connects to the male connector cavity, and the other end connects to the adapter. A telescopic corrugated tube is welded between the mating surfaces of the fixing member and the male connector cavity, and a compression spring is sleeved outside the telescopic corrugated tube. This blind-mating liquid-cooled connector meets the design requirements for PBMC connectors in the OCP standard, allowing the quick-connect connector to swing and float with an amplitude of 2.5° around its internal apex while maintaining a tight seal. After the connector is disconnected, the spring's restoring force automatically returns it to its original position, and the designed limiting protrusion provides corresponding anti-over-mating capability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of liquid cooling system technology, and more particularly to a blind-plug liquid cooling plug technology. Background Technology

[0002] With the accelerated pace of global digital transformation, computing power has been integrated into various aspects of production and daily life. Whether it's the research and development of high-end technology projects or the operation of everyday shopping apps, powerful computing support is essential. Data centers, as the physical carriers of computing power, provide support and guarantees for data transmission and exchange, data processing and analysis through centralized storage, processing, and management of data. They are critical information infrastructure for the digital and intelligent development of industries. Data center hardware generates significant heat, necessitating efficient cooling measures to ensure normal operation. Liquid cooling technology, which uses non-polar liquids instead of air as a refrigerant, is a popular technology for heat exchange of heat-generating components. Compared to traditional air cooling, liquids have a specific heat capacity thousands of times higher, significantly improving heat dissipation efficiency. With its outstanding advantages in energy saving and carbon reduction in heat dissipation and cooling, liquid cooling technology is gradually becoming the mainstream solution for data center cooling.

[0003] In cold-plate liquid cooling applications, self-sealing quick-connect couplings are typically used for connection. Currently, in existing liquid cooling technology, quick-connect couplings are usually a matching male and female pair, as shown in the attached image. Figure 1 The diagram shows a blind-fit connector disclosed in the prior art. The working principle of this type of connector can be summarized as follows: The female connector 20 has a push rod 21 inside, while the male connector 10, when inserted into the female connector 20, typically has a relatively long movable tube 11. Inside the movable tube 11, there is a spring-loaded sliding rod 12, also known as a slider. The docking process involves inserting the movable tube 11 of the male connector into the tube of the female connector 20, causing the push rod 21 of the female connector 20 to press against the sliding rod 12, compressing the spring and causing the sliding rod 12 to retract to a portion with a larger inner diameter. A fluid flow path is then formed around the sliding rod 12, thus achieving the effect of connecting the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 and establishing a fluid flow channel. The illustrated male connector structure also includes a male connector base 40 and an adapter 30. Figure 1 It is clear that the movable tube 11 and the adapter 30 are two separate parts. They can move vertically along their axis, but cannot swing. The movable tube 11 is restricted by sealing rings 31 and 32, maintaining a seal between the male base 40, the movable tube 11, and the adapter 30. (The attached text appears to be a continuation of the previous sentence.) Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the blind insertion of the movable tube 11 of the male connector 10 into the female connector 20. In order to accommodate the case where the axis is not aligned and the axis is offset, it is fully connected and the fluid flow path is opened. The parallel offset L of the axis between the movable tube 11 and the adapter 30 can be seen.

[0004] For example, if the applicant owns patent CN2024109576068 - Self-centering floating connector for liquid cooling equipment, please refer to the attached document. Figure 3 The male connector's mating tube 30 adopts a spherical back seat 32 structure. Within the plug cup 10, which acts as the male connector's base, it can spherically center and swing. However, the plug connector 50, at this point, functions as an adapter, with a threaded assembly structure between it and the mating tube 30, maintaining the seal of the internal fluid channel. During the insertion of the male connector into the female connector, if the mating tube 30 is pressed down, the plug connector 50 will tilt upwards in the opposite direction, symmetrically centered on the points of the plug cup 10 and the spherical back seat 32.

[0005] This type of connector can swing and move slightly, but the movable tube 30 cannot remain stationary and does not support self-rotation of the movable tube 30. The degree of freedom for self-rotation needs to be designed to deal with the torsional stress of the coolant hose.

[0006] With the continuous improvement of system performance and the increase in cooling requirements, the Open Computing Project (OCP) standard proposed a PBMC (Pivoting Blind Mate Coupler) quick-connect coupling. The requirements outlined are as follows: The connector itself is not modified for the socket; the main improvements focus on the positional and insertion angle deviations of the male connector. Specifically, the connector must be able to axially deviate during mating and insertion, meaning the male connector cavity and the left-side interface must be separate. The left-side interface must be able to rotate 360° to accommodate the torsional stress of the inlet pipe. The maximum eccentricity and angular deviation between the male and female connector axes must be 2.5° angularly and 5mm eccentrically. Furthermore, it must possess self-floating, self-centering, and automatic reset capabilities.

[0007] The connectors used in existing technologies can only partially meet the requirements, and cannot meet all the constraints, presenting significant technical challenges that urgently need to be overcome. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention designs a blind-mating liquid-cooled connector based on the above technical standards. It meets the design requirements of the OCP standard for PBMC connectors, allowing the quick-connect connector to oscillate and float at a certain angle around its internal apex while maintaining a tight seal. It automatically centers itself after disconnection and has anti-over-mating capability.

[0009] The present invention relates to a blind-plug liquid-cooled plug, comprising a male connector cavity, a male connector base, and an adapter. A fixing member is provided inside the male connector base and is securely mounted inside the male connector base. One end of the fixing member is connected to the male connector cavity, and the other end is connected to the adapter. A telescopic corrugated tube is welded between the mating surfaces of the fixing member and the male connector cavity, and a compression spring is sleeved on the outside of the telescopic corrugated tube.

[0010] A telescopic bellows is welded between the end face of the male head cavity facing the fixing member and the end face of the fixing member. A spring groove is formed on the radial outside of the telescopic bellows, and a limiting protrusion is provided outside the spring groove.

[0011] When the limiting protrusions come into contact, they restrict the distance between the two end faces to be greater than the minimum distance that the telescopic bellows can be compressed to.

[0012] The male head cavity includes a tube head and an end that is fitted into the male head base, wherein the maximum size of the end is larger than the diameter of the hole reserved in the male head base for the tube head of the male head cavity to extend out.

[0013] The end of the male head cavity that contacts the inner wall of the male head base is a spherical arc surface guide slide structure. That is, the end includes a partial spherical surface that cuts off the outer surface of the sphere, while the inside of the base is a partial spherical groove inner wall surface that matches the size of the end sphere. The two adapt to each other to form a spherical arc surface guide slide structure that can rotate in all directions.

[0014] The adapter is connected to the mating body of the fixing part and the male base through an O-ring and a snap ring. The adapter has rotational freedom relative to the fixing part but no axial freedom.

[0015] The fastener is fixedly assembled into the male connector base by tightening with threads, and the external thread of the fastener matches the internal thread of the male connector base.

[0016] There is an assembly gap between the fixing component and the male connector base, near the end face facing the adapter, and the adapter tube wall is adapted to be inserted into the assembly gap. There is a retaining ring groove between the inner wall of the male connector base and the outer surface of the adapter, and the retaining ring is inserted into the retaining ring groove to fix the male connector base and the adapter. There is a sealing ring groove between the inner surface of the adapter tube wall and the outer surface of the fixing component, and the O-ring seal is inserted into the sealing ring groove to seal and connect the two.

[0017] The original connector structure either only satisfies the axial offset but maintains coaxial insertion at the angle, or it has an offset angle but the axis of the connector's rear adapter is aligned with the axis of the female connector. It is impossible to achieve both axial offset and angular swing.

[0018] The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector involved in this invention, through the above-described structural design, achieves a maximum axial spacing deviation of 5mm between the male and female connectors, and a maximum head swing angle deviation of 2.5°. This meets the design requirements for PBMC connectors in the OCP standard, allowing the quick-connect connector to swing and float around its internal apex with an amplitude of 2.5° while maintaining a tight seal. After disconnection, the spring's restoring force automatically returns it to its original position, and the designed limiting protrusion provides corresponding anti-over-mating capability. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The accompanying drawings are for reference to the connector in the technical background of this invention; Figure 2 The appendix involved in this invention Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure after the middle connector is plugged in; Figure 3 The accompanying drawings show another type of connector structure within the technical background of this invention; Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the blind-mating liquid-cooled plug involved in this invention; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the blind-plug liquid-cooled plug involved in this invention; Figure 6 This invention relates to a blind-plug liquid-cooled connector. Figure 5 Enlarged view of a portion of point A in the middle; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the maximum deviation when the blind-plug liquid-cooled plug and the female connector involved in this invention are mated; Among them: 10. Male head cavity; 11. Spring; 12. Slider; 13. Tube head; 14. End; 141. Local spherical surface; 20. Male head base; 21. Spherical arc surface guide structure; 211. Partial spherical groove inner wall surface; 22. Snap ring groove; 30. Adapter; 31. O-ring seal; 32. Snap ring; 40. Fastener; 41. Sealing ring groove; 50. Telescopic bellows; 60. Compression spring; 70. Spring slot; 80. Limiting protrusion; 100. Female socket. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and beneficial effects of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. This description is only for explaining the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

[0021] Please refer to the attached document. Figure 4 and attached Figure 5The invention illustrates a blind-plug liquid cooling connector, comprising a male connector cavity 10, a male connector base 20, and an adapter 30. In conventional liquid cooling connectors, the adapter 30 is integrally formed with the male connector cavity 10 or is screwed together using threads. This integral rigid tube maintains a coaxial and linked state at all times and is assembled within the male connector base 20. The male connector base 20 has a reserved aperture for movement, allowing the male connector cavity 10 to float within a certain diameter range. This enables blind-plugging relative to the female connector, and allows the male connector's axis to have a degree of freedom to float within a certain diameter range in a planar range.

[0022] However, in order to meet the Open Computing Project (OCP) standard, this technical solution proposes a PBMC (Pivoting Blind Mate Coupler) standard. On the basis of the floating axis, it is also necessary to allow the deviation of the axial swing angle of the male and female heads, and the two axes to be non-parallel, so that they can be inserted and guided to the correct connection and mating position.

[0023] The structure of the blind-plug liquid cooling plug that realizes this process includes: male base 20, split male cavity 10 and adapter 30. The structure inside the male cavity 10 is roughly the same as other existing connectors. Inside the male cavity 10, there is a slider 12 held by a spring 11. When it encounters the push rod inside the female connector, it will be pushed in the direction of the spring 11, and a liquid passage gap will be formed between the slider 12 and the cavity, which can conduct liquid flow.

[0024] Please refer to the attached document. Figure 5 and attached Figure 6 A fixing member 40 is provided inside the male connector base 20. The fixing member 40 is securely installed inside the male connector base 20. One end of the fixing member 40 is connected to the male connector cavity 10, and the other end is connected to the adapter 30. A telescopic bellows 50 is welded between the mating surfaces of the fixing member 40 and the male connector cavity 10, and a compression spring 60 is sleeved on the outside of the telescopic bellows 50. This telescopic bellows 50 is not a simple telescopic bellows, but an ultra-flexible bellows, which can have axial and lateral elasticity like a spring. The welding at both ends is to achieve sealing, thus combining elasticity and sealing to achieve the previously mentioned functional requirements. Therefore, the concept of forming a rigid structure does not exist. The compression spring 60 on the outside of the telescopic bellows 50 is to enhance the rebound force of the ultra-flexible telescopic bellows 50, thereby making it easier to achieve automatic centering and reset of the male connector cavity.

[0025] The telescopic bellows involved in this application is an electrodeposition bellows technology, which involves depositing metal on a specially made mold core through an electrochemical method, and then removing the mold core to obtain a precision thin-walled tubular elastic element.

[0026] A telescopic bellows 50 is welded between the end face of the male head cavity 10 facing the fixing member 40 and the end face of the fixing member 40. Spring slots 70 are formed on both end faces radially outside the telescopic bellows 50. The two ends of the compression spring 60 are respectively locked in the spring slots 70 on the two end faces to achieve stable locking of the compression spring 60.

[0027] A limiting protrusion 80 is provided outside the spring slot 70. The limiting protrusion 80 serves two purposes: firstly, it limits the minimum distance between the two end faces, and secondly, it forms part of the groove of the spring slot 70. The reason for limiting the two end faces is to prevent extreme compression of the telescopic bellows 50. The telescopic bellows 50 is welded to the end face of the fixing component and the end face of the male cavity respectively, connecting the internal pipe passages of the fixing component and the male cavity in a flexible and highly sealed manner, thus facilitating the fluid flow path.

[0028] The telescopic corrugated pipe 50 has good elasticity, sealing and compressibility, and is preferably made of lightweight metal material, which is easy to weld; specifically, stainless steel can be selected.

[0029] When the limiting protrusions 80 come into contact, they prevent the distance between the two end faces from being greater than the minimum distance that the telescopic bellows 50 can be compressed to. This avoids excessive pressure on the end faces, which could cause the telescopic bellows 50 to break. The compression spring 60 fitted outside the telescopic bellows 50 increases its elasticity and compressibility, serving as a second layer of limiting and protection.

[0030] The male head cavity 10 includes a tube head 13 and an end 14 that is fitted into the male head base 20, wherein the maximum size of the end 14 is larger than the diameter of the hole reserved in the male head base 20 for the tube head 13 of the male head cavity 10 to extend out.

[0031] The end 14 of the male head cavity 10, which contacts the inner wall of the male head base 20, is a spherical arc-shaped guide sliding structure 21. That is, the end 14 includes a partial spherical surface 141 that cuts off the outer surface of the sphere, while the inside of the male head base 20 is a partial spherical groove inner wall surface 211 that matches the size of the sphere at the end 14. The two are adapted to each other to form a spherical arc-shaped guide sliding structure 21 that can rotate in all directions.

[0032] This spherical arc-shaped guide structure 21 allows the male head cavity 10 to rotate at any angle relative to the male head base 20 within the spherical range.

[0033] The adapter 30 is connected to the mating body of the fixing member 40 and the male connector base 20 via an O-ring seal 31 and a retaining ring 32. The adapter 30 has rotational freedom relative to the fixing member 40 but no axial freedom. The fixing member 40 is fastened to the male connector base 20 by threads. Figure 5As can be seen from the structural diagram, the fastener 40 has external threads, which are tightened and fixed in conjunction with the internal threads of the male base 20.

[0034] Furthermore, in the connection relationship between the adapter 30 and the fixing member 40 / male base 20, the adapter 30 and the male base 20 can be clamped together and fitted onto the port of the fixing member 40, or the adapter 30 can be directly clamped onto the end of the fixing member 40.

[0035] exist Figure 5 In the specific embodiment shown, there is an assembly gap between the fixing member 40 and the male base 20 at the end face facing the adapter 30, and the tube wall of the adapter 30 is adapted to be inserted into this assembly gap. A retaining ring groove 22 is provided between the inner wall of the male base 20 and the outer surface of the adapter 30, and the retaining ring 32 is engaged in the retaining ring groove 22 to fix the male base 20 and the adapter 30. A sealing ring groove 41 is provided between the inner surface of the adapter 30 tube wall and the outer surface of the fixing member 40, and the O-ring 31 is engaged in the sealing ring groove 41 to seal and connect the two. This assembly structure allows the adapter 30 to rotate relative to the axis of the fixing member 40 while ensuring a seal, and the retaining ring ensures that the adapter can only rotate and cannot fall off.

[0036] When using, install and fix the male connector 20 onto the rear panel of the server chassis. Figure 5 The adapter 30 located on the left is connected to the cold plate water inlet pipe. The adapter 30 can rotate 360° around the axis, so it can eliminate the stress caused by the cold plate water inlet pipe due to installation twisting. The male head cavity 10 also has a certain angle swinging ability because of the spherical arc surface guide sliding structure 21 of the male head base 20.

[0037] When the axis of the male cavity 10 of the connector deviates from the axis of the female connector on the distributor, the radial and angular deviations can be eliminated by swinging. At the same time, the flexible connection structure of the rear end of the male cavity through the telescopic bellows 50 gives the male cavity a certain compressive elasticity when inserted into the female connector, which can eliminate the error in the insertion distance between the male and female connectors.

[0038] Please refer to the attached document. Figure 7 The diagram shows the maximum deviation L1 between the male connector base axis A and the female connector socket 100 axis B when the male connector cavity 10 is inserted into the female connector socket 100. It also illustrates the maximum deviation angle α between the male connector cavity 10 axis A' being inserted into the female connector socket 100 and the male connector base axis A.

[0039] The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector involved in this invention, through the above-described structural design, achieves a maximum axial spacing deviation of 5mm between the male and female connectors, and a maximum head swing angle deviation of 2.5°. This meets the design requirements for PBMC connectors in the OCP standard, allowing the quick-connect connector to swing and float around its internal apex with an amplitude of 2.5° while maintaining a tight seal. After disconnection, the connector automatically returns to its original position due to the restoring force of the compression spring, and the designed limiting protrusion provides corresponding anti-over-mating capability.

Claims

1. A blind-plug liquid-cooled connector, comprising a male connector cavity, a male connector base, and an adapter, characterized in that, A fixing component is provided inside the male connector base. The fixing component is securely installed inside the male connector base. The end of the male connector cavity that contacts the inner wall of the male connector base is a spherical arc-shaped guide sliding structure. That is, the end includes a partial spherical surface that cuts off the outer surface of the sphere, while the inside of the base is a partial spherical groove inner wall that matches the size of the end sphere. The two are adapted to each other to form a spherical arc-shaped guide sliding structure that can rotate in all directions. One end of the fixing component is connected to the male connector cavity, and the other end is connected to an adapter. A telescopic bellows is welded between the mating surfaces of the fixing component and the male connector cavity, and a compression spring is sleeved on the outside of the telescopic bellows.

2. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, A telescopic bellows is welded between the end face of the male head cavity facing the fixing member and the end face of the fixing member. A spring groove is formed on the radial outside of the telescopic bellows, and a limiting protrusion is provided outside the spring groove.

3. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the limiting protrusions come into contact, they restrict the distance between the two end faces to be greater than the minimum distance that the telescopic bellows can be compressed to.

4. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male head cavity includes a tube head and an end that is fitted into the male head base, wherein the maximum size of the end is larger than the diameter of the hole reserved in the male head base for the tube head of the male head cavity to extend out.

5. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adapter is connected to the mating body of the fixing member and the male base through an O-ring and a retaining ring. The adapter has rotational freedom relative to the fixing member but no axial freedom.

6. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fastener is fixedly assembled into the male connector base by tightening with threads, and the external thread of the fastener matches the internal thread of the male connector base.

7. The blind-plug liquid-cooled connector according to claim 6, characterized in that, There is an assembly gap between the fixing component and the male connector base, near the end face facing the adapter, and the adapter tube wall is adapted to be inserted into the assembly gap. There is a retaining ring groove between the inner wall of the male connector base and the outer surface of the adapter, and the retaining ring is inserted into the retaining ring groove to fix the male connector base and the adapter. There is a sealing ring groove between the inner surface of the adapter tube wall and the outer surface of the fixing component, and the O-ring seal is inserted into the sealing ring groove to seal and connect the two.

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