Memory module cooling structure and related computer system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a memory module cooling structure, which is arranged in a memory module and is used for cooling a memory board, the memory module cooling structure comprises at least one heat pipe, and the heat pipe is a flat heat pipe and at least comprises a first heat pipe part and a third heat pipe part. The third heat pipe portions each extend out of the memory board and the first heat pipe portion is disposed on at least one side of the board surface of the memory board and its main heat dissipation surface is parallel to at least one side of the board surface of the memory board. The main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion is positioned non-parallel and non-coplanar with the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion and at least one of the main heat dissipation surfaces thereof contacts an external cooling device directly or via the TIM. The utility model further relates to a computer system comprising the memory module cooling system with the memory module cooling structure. According to the invention, higher heat dissipation efficiency can be provided, and higher heat dissipation requirements can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model generally relates to a computer system cooling technology, and more specifically, to a memory module cooling structure, in particular, a cooling structure of a memory module such as an in-line memory module, in particular a dual in-line memory module (DIMM). The utility model also relates to a related computer system, which in particular has a memory module cooling system including the above-mentioned memory module cooling structure. Background Art

[0002] In today's computer and data processing fields, a large number of memory modules are usually used for various functions such as computing and storage. For example, for large data processing complexes such as data centers, it is known that a large number of in-line memory modules, especially dual in-line memory modules, are used. These memory modules such as dual in-line memory modules generate considerable heat when operating, especially for dual in-line memory modules that usually need to be arranged relatively compactly.

[0003] In such data centers, the spacing of these large numbers of DIMMs is sometimes reduced to 0.3 inches or even lower. In the current situation where the power of DIMMs is gradually increasing, the heat dissipation and cooling problems caused by these DIMMs are particularly prominent.

[0004] It is known in the prior art that a memory board in a memory module (which includes, for example, a PCB and possible surface components disposed on the PCB) is connected to a heat sink via a thermal interface material, namely, a TIM. The heat sink includes a 2D heat pipe and uses the 2D heat pipe to carry heat generated by the memory board and dissipate heat from the memory module by contact with an external cooling device, such as a water cooling device.

[0005] As known to those skilled in the art, the heat dissipation structure with 2D heat pipes currently used for cooling memory modules has an upper limit on the heat dissipation efficiency. For example, for a specific scenario, it usually supports a heat dissipation of 28W at most. In addition, in the prior art, the heat sink is constructed to be formed by the heat sink and the protective cover cooperating to clamp the 2D heat pipe therein. Therefore, the 2D heat pipe is required to contact the heat dissipation end connected to the heat sink at its end and dissipate the heat to the external cooling device via the heat dissipation end (this is because the 2D heat pipe cannot dissipate heat by directly contacting the external cooling device in this specific scenario), so the heat dissipation efficiency is not high and the heat dissipation requirements cannot be met at a small DIMM spacing (that is, there is an upper limit to heat dissipation).

[0006] Furthermore, considering the use of TIM, the TIM generally needs to have a thickness of about 0.5 mm to ensure that it can cover all surface components of the memory board of the memory module to ensure heat transfer. However, since the conventional TIM is directly inserted between the heat sink and the memory board during assembly, it is difficult to ensure uniform heat dissipation for the memory module. Even if a uniform TIM arrangement is envisioned, it is obvious that due to improper pressing force, it may not be possible to ensure that all surface components are covered, resulting in uneven heat dissipation and lack of heat dissipation performance.

[0007] Based on the above problems, there is a need for a memory module cooling structure that can provide higher heat dissipation efficiency, meet higher heat dissipation requirements, and ensure excellent contact between the memory board of the memory module and the heat sink and / or good coverage of the surface components of the memory board to meet the growing heat dissipation requirements. Utility Model Content

[0008] The utility model relates to a memory module cooling structure, which is used for cooling a memory board of a memory module, wherein the memory module cooling structure comprises at least one heat pipe, which is constructed as a flat heat pipe and has at least a first heat pipe part and a third heat pipe part, wherein the third heat pipe part extends out of the memory board in the memory module, wherein the first heat pipe part is arranged on at least one side of a board surface of the memory board and its main heat dissipation surface is parallel to at least one side of the board surface of the memory board, and the main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe part is positioned neither parallel nor coplanar with the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe part, wherein at least one main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe part is constructed to contact an external cooling device directly or via a thermal interface material TIM.

[0009] Optionally, the memory module cooling structure also includes a heat sink, wherein the heat sink is constructed as a plate-like structure and is arranged between the memory board and the tube, wherein the inner side of the heat sink facing the reservoir plate is constructed to be parallel to the plate surface of the memory board so as to be in full facing contact with at least one side of the memory board, and wherein the heat sink is constructed to receive at least a portion of the first heat pipe portion of the heat pipe on its outer side and the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion is parallel to the outer side surface of the heat sink.

[0010] Optionally, the heat sink further includes a heat sink block extending away from the heat sink at at least one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, one main heat sink surface of the third heat pipe portion is configured to contact an external cooling device directly or via a TIM and the heat sink block is configured to at least contact and cover another main heat sink surface in the third heat pipe portion.

[0011] Optionally, the memory module cooling structure includes two heat pipes, each of the two heat pipes includes a first heat pipe portion and a third heat pipe portion, wherein the corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes each extend away from the heat sink in opposite directions in the longitudinal direction so that the corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes can be covered by the corresponding heat sink blocks at each end of the heat sink to contact the other main heat dissipation surface thereof.

[0012] Optionally, the storage cooling structure is configured to have at least one of the following features:

[0013] The heat pipe further comprises at least one second transition portion configured to connect the first heat pipe portion and a corresponding third heat pipe portion

[0014] The heat sink is provided with a heat pipe receiving groove to receive the entire first heat pipe portion of the corresponding heat pipe therein;

[0015] The two heat pipe sections are configured to have the same or different sizes or shapes; or

[0016] A respective one main heat dissipation surface of the respective third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes is configured as a flat surface or a convex-shaped surface.

[0017] Optionally, each of the two heat pipes includes a first heat pipe portion and two third heat pipe portions, so that each heat pipe includes a third heat pipe portion on both sides of the heat sink in the longitudinal direction and the two corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes on the same side of the heat sink are arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-fitting manner along the thickness direction of the memory module.

[0018] Optionally, a TIM is disposed between at least one side of the memory board and the memory module cooling structure, the TIM being configured as a cured TIM pre-overlay attached to a corresponding surface of the memory module positioned between the memory module cooling structure and the memory board.

[0019] Optionally, the at least one heat pipe each includes a first heat pipe portion and two third heat pipe portions, so that each heat pipe each includes a third heat pipe portion on both sides of the memory board in the longitudinal direction and the corresponding first heat pipe portion of at least one heat pipe is constructed to cover at least one entire side of the board surface of the memory board.

[0020] Optionally, the main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion is orthogonal to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion and parallel to a plane in which the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the memory board are located.

[0021] The utility model also relates to a computer system, which includes a processor, a memory; and a memory module cooling system, the memory module cooling system including a memory module cooling structure, which, as mentioned above, is attached to a memory board via a TIM contact; and an external cooling device, which is constructed to be arranged on the outer surface of a memory module mainboard that receives the memory module, so that when the memory board provided with the memory module cooling structure is attached to the memory module mainboard, at least one main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe part of the heat pipe of the memory module cooling structure contacts the external cooling device directly or via the TIM.

[0022] With the memory module cooling structure of the present application, higher heat dissipation efficiency can be provided, higher heat dissipation requirements can be met, and excellent contact between the memory board of the memory module and the cooling structure can be ensured to meet the increasing heat dissipation requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Other advantages and aspects of the present application will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 An exploded schematic diagram of a memory module cooling structure according to a first embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0025] Figure 2a A schematic diagram of a 3D heat pipe of a memory module cooling structure according to a second embodiment of the present application is shown; Figure 2b A schematic diagram showing the connection of a memory module cooling structure to an external cooling device according to a second embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3a A schematic diagram showing a memory module cooling structure according to a third embodiment of the present application is shown; Figure 3b A schematic diagram showing the connection of a memory module cooling structure to an external cooling device according to a third embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 shows an exploded schematic diagram of a memory module cooling structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 A reference schematic diagram showing a TIM structure in a memory module cooling structure according to the present application;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the improvement in heat dissipation capability achieved by the memory module cooling structure according to various embodiments of the present application compared to the memory module cooling structure in the prior art; and

[0030] Figure 7The memory module cooling structures of the first to fourth embodiments of the present application are shown, and their requirements for the ASHREA condition are different maximum powers that the memory module can handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Throughout the present application, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, parts or steps.

[0032] In the context of the present application, the inside or inner direction corresponds to a side or direction of a memory board facing a memory module, and the outer direction refers to a side or direction opposite to the inside. In the context of the present application, it is also defined that the longitudinal direction corresponds to the longitudinal or length extension direction of the board surface of a memory board of a memory module such as a plug-in memory module, and the transverse direction corresponds to the transverse or width extension direction of the board surface of a memory board of a memory module such as a plug-in memory module, and it is obvious that the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the transverse direction. The thickness direction corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction of a memory module such as a plug-in memory module. In addition, it is defined herein that a plane parallel to the plane where the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction of a memory module such as a plug-in memory module are located is called a board plane.

[0033] It should be understood that the above definition is for a memory module such as a plug-in memory module, and those skilled in the art can make appropriate adjustments and redefines based on the specific memory module structure without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0034] Figure 1 The exploded schematic diagram of the memory module cooling structure 12 according to the first embodiment of the present application is shown. As mentioned above, the memory module cooling structure 12 can be particularly applied to memory modules, such as in-line memory modules, especially dual in-line memory modules DIMM 10. Therefore, in the following description, the relevant memory module cooling structure 12 will be described in particular for DIMM 10, but those skilled in the art should understand that these various memory module cooling structures 12 described for DIMM 10 can naturally be applied to the cooling purpose of various other types of memory modules without departing from the scope of the present application. More specifically, in the embodiments of the present application, the relevant memory module cooling structure described for DIMM 10 can also be applied to any other structure that needs to cool a module including a printed circuit board, i.e., a PCB, without departing from the scope of the application, that is, the memory module cooling structure 12 in the present application can be more broadly referred to as a "PCB cooling structure" without departing from the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the memory module cooling structure 12 includes a heat sink 122 and a heat pipe 126. Figure 1, the heat sink 122 is configured to receive at least a portion of the heat pipe 136 on its outer side. The heat sink 122 is configured to be substantially flat and faces the memory board 14 of the memory module 10 on its inner side, and its inner side surface is substantially parallel to the board surface plane of the memory board of the memory module. In this case, the heat sink 122 can fully face and contact with at least one side of the memory board 14 to help conduct the heat generated by the reservoir board. In other words, the heat sink 122 is configured to be disposed between the memory board 14 and the heat pipe 126, and its inner side facing the memory board 14 is configured to be parallel to the board surface of the memory board 14 to fully face and contact with at least one side of the memory board.

[0036] The heat pipe 126 is constructed as a flat heat pipe and has a first heat pipe portion 1262 (such as a heat pipe body or a heated portion), a possible second transition portion 1266, and a third heat pipe portion 1264 (a heat dissipation surface portion). For a flat heat pipe, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, it means that the thickness of the heat pipe is relatively smaller than the length and width of the heat pipe and presents a flat shape, especially a flat strip. The relevant understanding and definition of a flat heat pipe is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be repeated here. However, it should be additionally emphasized here that for a flat heat pipe or a heat pipe portion of a flat heat pipe, a flat plane or surface refers to a plane or surface defined by the length and width of the heat pipe or the heat pipe portion or the flat surface. As is well known to those skilled in the art, for a flat heat pipe or its respective heat pipe parts, since the thickness of the flat heat pipe is very small, the heat dissipation capacity in the lateral direction is relatively low and mainly relies on the corresponding flat surface of the heat pipe or the heat pipe part to dissipate heat (such as the heat dissipation part of the heat pipe) or receive heat (such as the heat receiving part of the heat pipe). Therefore, the flat surface or plane is also referred to as the main heat dissipation surface in the embodiments of the present application.

[0037] The main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion 1262 of the heat pipe 126 is substantially parallel to the outer side surface of the heat sink 122 and is at least partially or even completely received in the outer side surface of the heat sink 122 so that the first heat pipe portion 1262 can fully contact the outer side of the heat sink 122. In other words, the heat sink 122 is configured to receive at least a portion of the first heat pipe portion 1262 of the heat pipe 126 on its outer side and the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion 1262 is parallel to the outer side surface of the heat sink 122. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the first heat pipe portion 1262 can also be described as the heat receiving portion of the heat pipe 126. The main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe is not parallel to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion 1262 (i.e., neither parallel nor coplanar) or is oriented differently, preferably substantially orthogonal to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion 1262, and therefore substantially perpendicular to the lateral direction of the memory board 14. Obviously, for such a heat pipe with a changeable main heat dissipation surface direction, the main heat dissipation direction is also changed due to the change in the direction of the main heat dissipation surface of different heat pipe parts. Therefore, such a heat pipe has a three-dimensional heat dissipation direction and is called a 3D heat pipe. The concept of a 3D heat pipe is well known in the art and will not be further described here. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the third heat pipe part 1264 is used to dissipate or lose the heat received by the first heat pipe part 1262 and thus can constitute the heat dissipation part of the heat pipe.

[0038] The possible second transition portion 1266 of the heat pipe 126 is constructed to connect the first heat pipe portion 1262 and the third heat pipe portion 1264 so that the heat pipe 126 can transition from the first heat pipe portion 1262 to the third heat pipe portion 1264. Further, the possible second transition portion 1266 and the third heat pipe portion 1264 both extend away from the heat sink 122 without contacting the outside of the heat sink 122 or extend away from the memory board 14 without contacting the memory board. For the third heat pipe portion 1264 that is substantially orthogonal to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion 1262, it is obvious that the third heat pipe portion 1264 has a first main heat dissipation surface 1267 in the lateral direction of the memory board 14, which corresponds to the side away from the electrical terminal pins of the memory board 14, and a second main heat dissipation surface 1268, which is opposite to the first main heat dissipation surface 1267 and closer to the electrical terminal pins of the memory board 14. The first and second main heat dissipation surfaces of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 or at least one of them can be constructed to contact an external cooling device (not shown) to dissipate the heat received by the first heat pipe portion 1262 of the heat pipe 126.

[0039] Furthermore, optionally or alternatively, the memory module cooling structure 12 further includes at least one heat sink 124 extending away from the heat sink at at least one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, wherein one of the first main heat sink surface 1267 and the second main heat sink surface 1268 of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 can be configured to contact an external cooling device, and the heat sink 124 is configured to at least contact the other main heat sink surface covering the third heat pipe portion 1264, so that the heat sink 124 helps to dissipate heat from the third heat pipe portion 1264. The heat sink 124 also helps to cooperate with the external cooling device to clamp the memory module cooling structure 12.

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the memory module cooling structure 12 includes two heat pipes 126, which are independent of each other. The two heat pipes each include a first heat pipe portion 1262, a possible

[0041] The first heat pipe portion 1266 and a third heat pipe portion 1264, wherein the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 extend away from the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 in opposite directions in the longitudinal direction of the memory board so that the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 can be covered by the corresponding heat sink 124 on each side of the heat sink 122 to contact the other main heat dissipation surface thereof. In this embodiment, the first heat pipe portion 1262 is completely received in the heat sink 122.

[0042] Further, in Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the heat sink 122 is provided with a heat pipe receiving groove to fully receive the first heat pipe portion 1262 of the corresponding heat pipe 126 therein so as to ensure the contact between the heat pipe 1262 and the heat sink 122 and save the thickness of the memory module cooling structure 12 to achieve its compactness. Further, it is also conceivable that the heat sink 124 is also provided with a receiving groove on the side thereof facing the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 to ensure the contact between the heat sink 124 and the third heat pipe portion 1264 and save the height.

[0043] Further, in Figure 1In the embodiment, the corresponding first heat pipe portions 1262 of the two heat pipes 126 are respectively fixedly connected to the heat sink 122, for example, by welding to fix the heat sink 122 to ensure the stability between the heat pipe 126 and the heat sink 122. Of course, such welding fixation is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can conceive of any other suitable way to achieve the fixation of the heat pipe 126 to the heat sink 122, such as adhesive connection, snap-fit ​​connection, etc., and can even consider fixing the heat pipe 126 to the heat sink 122 with the help of an additional cover. Similarly, optionally or alternatively, the heat sink 124 can also be constructed to be fixedly connected to another main heat dissipation surface or the first main heat dissipation surface of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 by any possible means as described above, so as to promote heat transfer from the third heat pipe portion to the heat sink block.

[0044] Further, in Figure 1 In the embodiment, the corresponding third heat pipe sections 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 are constructed to have the same size and shape, that is, the lengths and widths of the two third heat pipe sections 1264 are the same, and the main heat dissipation surface shapes of the two third heat pipe sections 1264 are also the same. In this case, it is conceivable that each heat sink 124 also has substantially the same size.

[0045] Further, it is conceivable that the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 extend from the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 at the same distance from the electrical terminal pins of the memory board 14 on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the memory board 14. In this case, since the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 have the same size and shape and the extension position from the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 is also located at the same distance from the electrical terminal pins of the memory board 14, this configuration can also be referred to as a symmetrical heat pipe configuration. Of course, it is conceivable that other solutions in which the extension position of the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes from the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 is located at different distances from the electrical terminal pins of the memory board 14 without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0046] It should be understood that, for the same heat pipe 126 , the corresponding first heat pipe portion 1262 and the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 may have the same or different lengths and the same or different widths.

[0047] Further, optionally or alternatively, as Figure 1As shown, the heat sink 122 can have an opening in at least a portion of the area where it contacts the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 to receive the surface components of the memory board 14 that may have a higher thickness to further save space. It should be understood that the memory board has a certain number of surface components, such as those arranged on both sides of the memory board, which are particularly capable of generating a large amount of heat, but there may be a small number of surface components with particularly large heights. In this case, it is obviously beneficial to open an opening on the heat sink to accommodate these particularly high surface components. On the one hand, although the compactness is only improved by about the thickness of the heat sink, this is obviously beneficial for devices that arrange multiple memory boards in parallel, and it will eventually accumulate considerable space savings and enable more memory modules to be arranged in a limited space. In this case, there is a corresponding third heat pipe portion of the 3D heat pipe that directly contacts the higher thickness surface components in the memory board to achieve cooling and heat dissipation of these surface components.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, without taking into account the higher thickness surface components in the memory module 10 as described above, in order to ensure that other surface components of the memory module 10 are in contact with the inner surface of the heat sink 122, and in order to transfer heat to the heat sink 122 as much as possible, a TIM 16 is usually provided between the memory board 14 and the inner surface of the heat sink 122 so that the surface elements of the memory module 10 can transfer heat via the TIM 16 to ensure sufficient cooling and heat dissipation of these surface elements and the memory board 14.

[0049] Furthermore, if Figure 1 As shown, the memory module cooling structure 12 can be kept relatively fixed with the memory board 14 by appropriate means, such as in Figure 1 The clamp is shown in the figure, which enables the memory module cooling structure and the memory board to be clamped and held together, so that the memory board provided with the memory module cooling structure can be subsequently installed on, for example, a memory module mainboard. Of course, this clamping fixture is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can conceive and adopt any other appropriate fixing method to keep the memory module cooling structure and the memory board relatively fixed, such as snap connection, hook connection, bonding, etc., without departing from the scope of the present application. In fact, these fixing methods can be adjusted or replaced with each other or used in combination according to actual conditions.

[0050] Although in Figure 1The second main heat dissipation surface 1268 of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 is configured to contact the heat dissipation surface of the external cooling device so as to further enhance the heat dissipation effect of the memory module cooling structure 12 with the help of the external cooling device. This will be described in detail later, but it should be understood that the detailed description of this later can obviously be appropriately applied to the memory module cooling structure 12. Figure 1 In the embodiment, even if Figure 1 The embodiments are not described in detail.

[0051] Figure 2a A schematic diagram showing a heat pipe 126 of a memory module cooling structure 12 according to a second embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2b A schematic diagram showing the connection of a memory module cooling structure 12 to an external cooling device 20 according to a second embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0052] exist Figure 2a In an embodiment of the present invention, the heat pipe of the memory module cooling structure is configured as Figure 1 The configuration of the heat pipes 126 in the embodiments of the present invention is substantially the same, and the only difference is the size of the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126. As described above, in Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the corresponding third heat pipe sections 1264 of the two heat pipes are constructed to have the same size and shape, that is, the two third heat pipe sections have the same length and the same width. Figure 2b , which shows a schematic diagram of the connection of the memory module cooling structure 12 to the external cooling device 20 according to the second embodiment of the present application. Generally, in order to maximize the heat dissipation capacity of the heat pipe 126, it is generally desired that the third heat pipe portion 1264 contacts the external cooling device 20 as much as possible. However, in this Figure 2b In the embodiment, for the external cooling device 20 disposed on one side of the memory module mainboard, since it has a connector 202 for fixing the installed memory module 10 (which includes the memory module cooling structure 12), the heat dissipation surface of the external cooling device 20 on this side cannot be fully used to contact the entire second main heat dissipation surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the corresponding heat pipe 126. For example, Figure 2bIn the embodiment, on one side of the external cooling device 20, the size of the portion that can be used to contact the second main heat dissipation surface of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 is changed from 20 mm to 15 mm. In this case, the excessive length of the third heat pipe portion 1264 will obviously cause a conflict with the connector provided on the external cooling device 20, which is obviously not desirable. For this reason, in view of this situation, it is necessary to consider adjusting the length of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 on this side to 15 mm. Obviously, for the external cooling device 20, there is no connector 202 for fixing the installed memory module 10 (which includes the memory module cooling structure 12), and there is no need to shorten the length of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 to ensure the heat dissipation performance. In this case, since the length of the third heat pipe portion 1264 is shortened on one side to adapt to the corresponding external cooling device 20, the length of the third heat pipe portion on the other side is different in size, which is also called an asymmetric structure.

[0053] It is contemplated that an additional TIM 204 may be provided between the second main heat dissipation surface of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 and the external cooling device 20 to facilitate heat transfer from the third heat pipe portion 1264 to the external cooling device.

[0054] Of course, the above description is exemplary and non-restrictive. It is conceivable that the lengths of the corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes can be the same but different in width or both in length and width, as long as the corresponding heat dissipation efficiency requirements can be met or sufficient contact with the external cooling device can be ensured.

[0055] Figure 3a A schematic diagram of a memory module cooling structure 12 according to a third embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 3b FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the connection of the memory module cooling structure 12 to the external cooling device 20 according to the third embodiment of the present application. Figure 3a In the embodiment of the present invention, the heat pipe 126 of the memory module cooling structure 12 is constructed with Figure 1 The configuration of the heat pipe 126 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is substantially the same, and the difference lies only in the geometry of the second main heat dissipation surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126. As described above, in Figure 1 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the second main heat dissipation surfaces 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 are also configured as flat surfaces, that is, planes parallel to the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the memory board 14. Figure 3bAs shown, it shows a schematic diagram of the connection of the memory module cooling structure 12 to the external cooling device 20 according to the third embodiment of the present application. Generally, in order to maximize the heat dissipation capacity of the heat pipe 126, it is generally desired that the second main heat dissipation surface 1268 of the third heat pipe portion 1264 contacts the external cooling device 20 with as large an area as possible. In this case, in order to expand the contact area between the second main heat dissipation surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 and the external cooling device 20, the second surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 is designed to be a non-planar shape, such as any convex three-dimensional shape such as a semi-cylindrical, spherical, semi-elliptical, triangular, etc. (Since the thickness of the heat pipe 126 itself is very low, the second surface is not suitable for being made into a concave shape structure). Accordingly, a corresponding receiving surface can be provided in the external cooling device 20 that contacts the second main heat dissipation surface 1268 to expand the contact area between the second surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 and the external cooling device 20. As shown in FIG. Figure 3a As shown, the second surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 is designed to be semi-cylindrical, so that the area of ​​the second surface is expanded. Accordingly, a corresponding semi-cylindrical receiving surface is provided in the external cooling device 20 in contact with the second surface 1268, so that the second surface 1268 of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 can be accommodated in the corresponding semi-cylindrical receiving surface of the external cooling device 20. In addition to facilitating the cooling of the memory module 10 or the memory board 14, this structure also helps to position and disassemble the memory module 10 (including the memory module cooling structure 12).

[0056] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a memory module cooling structure 12 according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present invention, the memory module cooling structure 12 is substantially the same as that of the embodiments 1-3, and the difference lies only in the structure of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126. Figure 4 As shown, in the fourth embodiment, each memory module cooling structure 12 still includes two heat pipes 126, however, each heat pipe 126 includes a first heat pipe portion 1262, possibly two second transition portions 1266, and two third heat pipe portions 1264. In other words, in the fourth embodiment, each heat pipe 126 includes a third heat pipe portion 1264 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the memory board 14 (or on both sides of the heat sink), and the two corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 on the same side of the memory board 14 are arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-matched manner, especially arranged in parallel along the thickness direction of the memory board 14. Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, two corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of two heat pipes 126 on the same side of the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 in the longitudinal direction are arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-matched manner along the thickness direction of the memory board 14 to further optimize the compactness of the entire memory module cooling structure 12. Figure 4 In the embodiment, for limited space and a certain number of memory modules 10 to be installed, it can be considered that for each heat pipe 126, the width of each third heat pipe portion 1264 is reduced and the total width of the two corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126, which are arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-fitting manner on the same side of the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 in the longitudinal direction, is within a specified range.

[0057] By way of example and not limitation, in Figure 4 In the embodiment, the shape of the main heat dissipation surface of the two third heat pipe portions 1264 of each of the two heat pipes 126 is constructed to be rectangular so that the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 of the two heat pipes 126 on the same side of the longitudinal direction of the memory board 14 can be arranged in parallel and contact with each other in a shape-matched manner.

[0058] As an example, two corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 that are arranged in parallel and contact with each other in a shape-fitting manner on the same side of the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 in the longitudinal direction are roughly equivalent to the width of the corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 in the first to third embodiments in which there is only one heat pipe on each side of the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 in the longitudinal direction.

[0059] Although in the drawings of the present application, the memory module cooling structure 12 each includes two heat pipes 126, this is only exemplary and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can imagine that each memory module cooling structure 12 each includes only one heat pipe 126 or more than two heat pipes 126 without departing from the scope of the present application. As an example, for each memory module cooling structure 12 each including only one heat pipe, the heat pipe 126 includes a first heat pipe portion, two possible second transition portions 1266 and two third heat pipe portions 1264, wherein the two possible second transition portions 12666 and two third heat pipe portions 1264 in the heat pipe 126 are all extended in the longitudinal direction in the opposite direction from the memory board 14 or the heat sink 122 (if present). In this case, it can be imagined that in order to ensure sufficient contact area with the memory board 14 or the heat sink 122 (if present), its first heat pipe portion 1264 can be constructed to have a wider width, such as occupying one-half or more of the width of the memory board 14 or the heat sink 122 (if present). Similarly, the width of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 is comparable to or close to or even equal to that of the first to third embodiments, and in fact, it is sufficient as long as the heat dissipation requirements of the third heat pipe portion 1264 are met. Further, for the case of two or more heat pipes 126, new 3D heat pipes can be further added based on the fourth embodiment, or more than two heat pipes having only one third heat pipe portion 1264 can be modified in accordance with the fourth embodiment. That is, two or more 3D heat pipes having only one third heat pipe portion 1264 have corresponding third heat pipe portions 1264 arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-matched manner on one side of the heat sink 122 or the memory board 14 to form a larger heat pipe portion.

[0060] Although in the above-mentioned first to fourth embodiments, the memory module cooling structure 12 is only arranged on one side of the memory board 14, it is conceivable that the memory module cooling structure 12 can be respectively arranged on both sides of the memory board 14 or the memory module 10 without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0061] Here, it should be understood that the memory module cooling structures 12 of different constructions described in the above different embodiments or examples can be used alone or in any technically possible combination without departing from the scope of the present application, unless such combination is explicitly excluded or causes technical contradictions.

[0062] Although the present application is described in detail above with reference to specific drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these descriptions are merely exemplary, and various modifications may be made without departing from the teachings of the present application and without departing from the scope of the present application, for example, the size of the heat pipe 126 may be adjusted based on the size of the memory module mainboard and the memory module 10, the size of the corresponding third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 may be adjusted based on the heat dissipation requirements and the specifications of the external cooling device, the shape of the corresponding second transition portion of the heat pipe 126 may be adjusted based on the manufacturing process and may or may not include a curved plane, the shape of the heat sink may be adjusted based on the shape of the memory board 14, etc. In fact, these adjustments are all included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0063] In the first to fourth embodiments of the present application, considering the 0.3 inch mounting spacing of the currently known memory modules on the memory module mainboard (the mounting spacing represents the distance between two adjacent memory modules mounted on the memory module mainboard), it is conceivable that for the first to third embodiments, the width of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of each heat pipe can be selected to be 7 mm. For the fourth embodiment, it is conceivable that the width of each third heat pipe portion 1264 of each heat pipe is 3.5 mm respectively and therefore the total width of the two third heat pipe portions arranged in parallel and in contact with each other is 7 mm. Of course, the selection of the width of these third heat pipe portions 1264 is only exemplary and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can select different widths of the third heat pipe portions according to the specifications, properties, heat dissipation requirements, etc. of different heat pipes.

[0064] In addition, it is also conceivable that, for the first to fourth embodiments, the lengths and widths of the corresponding first heat pipe portions 1262 of the two heat pipes are the same. Of course, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive. It is conceivable that at least one of the lengths or widths of the corresponding first heat pipe portions 1262 of the two heat pipes is different from each other.

[0065] In addition, it is also conceivable that, for the first to fourth embodiments, the corresponding first heat pipe portions 1262 of the two heat pipes 126 are arranged parallel to each other in the heat sink. Of course, this is only exemplary and non-restrictive, and it is conceivable that the first heat pipe portions 1262 are arranged non-parallel to each other.

[0066] Figure 51 shows a reference schematic diagram of a TIM 16 in a memory module cooling structure 12 according to the present application. As mentioned above, in order to ensure good contact between the surface components of the memory board 14 and the heat sink 122 or the heat pipe 126 itself to promote heat dissipation, a TIM 16 is provided between the heat sink 122 or the heat pipe 126 and the memory board. In the prior art, these TIMs 16 are usually in the form of sheets and inserted between the memory board 14 and the corresponding heat sink 122 so that when the memory board and the memory module cooling structure 12 are assembled, the TIM 16 is applied or provided in a fixed area on a side of the memory module cooling structure 12 facing the memory board 14 and then the memory board is assembled to the memory module cooling structure. However, for this TIM arrangement, on the one hand, the TIM thickness may be uneven or even too thick, thereby causing unnecessary space occupation, and on the other hand, this TIM arrangement cannot ensure complete coverage of each surface component. For example, there may be areas on the side surfaces of the surface components that cannot be directly covered by the TIM, which is obviously not conducive to cooling the memory board 14, especially cooling the surface components on the side opposite to the TIM in the memory board 14. Figure 5 In the embodiment of the present invention, in contrast to the conventional TIM arrangement, a cured TIM 16 pre-wrapped and attached to the memory board 14 is arranged between the memory module cooling structure 12 and the memory board 14. Figure 5 In the embodiment of the present invention, the TIM 16 is in a fluid state before being cured and is applied to at least one side of the memory board 14 and cured to be pre-coated and attached to the memory board 14, thereby covering all surface components of the memory board 14 as much as possible. The above-mentioned method of pre-coating and attaching at least one side of the memory board with the help of a TIM in a fluid state is, for example, dipping or overmolding known in the art, which achieves coating by curing the fluid TIM on the memory board in a mold. In fact, with the help of this embodiment, not only is sufficient contact between the surface components of the memory board and the corresponding TIM ensured as much as possible to ensure heat transfer and flatness, but on the other hand, such a cured TIM actually also ensures certain elastic properties, thereby providing additional protection for these surface components. Preferably, the curing of the cured liquid TIM is reversible or its removal is easy, which will not be further elaborated here. It can be imagined that the cured TIM can be cured with the help of a liquid two-phase Epoxy TIM so that the cured TIM of the surface components of the memory board can be completely coated.

[0067] Although not described separately and in detail in the embodiments of the present application, the present application also relates to a memory module cooling system, the memory module cooling system comprising: a memory module cooling structure 12, which is attached to the memory board via TIM 16 as described in any one of the above embodiments or a combination thereof; and an external cooling device, which is configured to be arranged on the outer surface of the memory module main board receiving the memory module 10, so that when the memory module 10 provided with the memory module cooling structure 12 is attached to the memory module main board, at least one main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion 1264 of the heat pipe 126 of the memory module cooling structure 12 directly or via TIM contacts the external cooling device to promote the dissipation of the heat carried by the heat pipe 126. It can be imagined that the above-mentioned external cooling device 20 can be selected as any possible cooling device such as an external liquid cooling device without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0068] It should be noted that, although in the above embodiments of the present application, the memory module cooling system is described as including heat sinks, these heat sinks are not necessary, and it is conceivable that the memory module cooling system of the above embodiments may not include heat sinks and the heat pipes may be directly attached to at least one side of the memory board. In this case, any appropriate technology may be used to ensure that the heat pipes and the memory board remain relatively fixed so as to be able to dissipate the heat from the memory board.

[0069] In this case, it is also conceivable that, for the first to fourth embodiments, the respective first heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes are arranged parallel to each other when attached to the memory board. It is also conceivable that, for the first to fourth embodiments, the respective first heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes are configured to cover the surface of the side of the memory board as much as possible. Of course, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive.

[0070] Obviously, in the absence of a heat sink, the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion of the heat pipe is substantially parallel to at least one side of the board surface of the memory board and is attached to the at least one side of the memory board. In this case, the possible second transition portion and the third heat pipe portion of the heat pipe both extend away from the memory board without contacting the memory board. For the third heat pipe portion that is substantially orthogonal to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion, it is obvious that the third heat pipe portion has a first main heat dissipation surface along the lateral direction of the memory board, which corresponds to the side away from the electrical terminal pins of the memory board, and a second main heat dissipation surface, which is opposite to the first main heat dissipation surface and closer to the electrical terminal pins of the memory board. The first surface and the second surface of the third heat pipe portion of the heat pipe or at least one of them can be configured to contact an external cooling device to achieve the dissipation of the heat received by the first heat pipe portion of the heat pipe.

[0071] In addition, in the absence of a heat sink, it can be imagined that in the fourth embodiment, each heat pipe includes a first heat pipe portion, two possible second transition portions, and two third heat pipe portions. In this case, each heat pipe includes a third heat pipe portion at both ends (or on both sides of the memory board) in the longitudinal direction and the two corresponding third heat pipe portions on the same side of the memory board of the two heat pipes are arranged in parallel contact with each other in a shape-matched manner, especially arranged in parallel along the thickness direction of the memory board. Although two heat pipes are shown in this fourth embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine using only one heat pipe or more than two heat pipes. In an embodiment using only one heat pipe, it can be imagined that the width of the first heat pipe portion of the one heat pipe should be large enough to cover at least one side of the memory board as much as possible. For more than two heat pipes, it can be imagined that the corresponding first heat pipe portions of the more than two heat pipes can and are arranged on at least one side of the memory board to cover at least one side of the memory board as much as possible to promote heat dissipation.

[0072] Figure 6 The diagram shows the improvement in heat dissipation capability achieved by the memory module cooling structures according to various embodiments of the present application compared to the memory module cooling structures in the prior art.

[0073] Specifically, Figure 6 The improvement obtained by the first to fourth examples of the present application under the same environment (for example, for memory modules with the same power installed on the same memory module motherboard) compared with the prior art is shown. Obviously, the memory module cooling structure of the fourth embodiment achieves the greatest improvement in heat dissipation capacity and has the strongest heat dissipation capacity.

[0074] Figure 7 The figure shows the different maximum powers that the memory module cooling structures of the first to fourth embodiments of the present application can handle for different ASHREAs without airflow for the memory modules that have been transferred to the memory cooling system. W32 in the figure indicates that the liquid injection temperature of the external cooling device (water cooling) is 32 degrees Celsius, and the others are similar. Obviously, with Figure 6 Correspondingly, since the fourth embodiment has the strongest heat dissipation capability, it can achieve higher power for different memory modules, which obviously helps to expand the types of memory modules that can be used compared to the prior art and achieve the wide application of the memory module cooling structure.

[0075] The above embodiments described in this application are merely exemplary and non-restrictive. A person skilled in the art should understand that various modifications can be made to the above embodiments according to the disclosure of this application without departing from the scope of this application, and these modifications or equivalents also fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A memory module cooling structure, characterized in that: The memory module cooling structure is used to cool a memory board of the memory module, wherein the memory module cooling structure comprises at least one heat pipe, wherein the heat pipe is configured as a flat heat pipe and has at least a first heat pipe portion and a third heat pipe portion, wherein the third heat pipe portion extends away from the memory board in the memory module, wherein the first heat pipe portion is disposed on at least one side of the board surface of the memory board, and its main heat dissipation surface is parallel to the at least one side of the board surface of the memory board, and the main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion is positioned non-coplanar and non-parallel to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion, Wherein, at least one main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion is configured to contact an external cooling device directly or via a thermal interface material TIM.

2. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein: The memory module cooling structure also includes a heat sink, wherein the heat sink is constructed in a plate-like structure and is arranged between the memory board and the heat pipe, wherein the inner side of the heat sink facing the memory board is constructed to be parallel to the board surface of the memory board to fully face and contact with at least one side of the memory board, and wherein the heat sink is constructed to receive at least a part of the first heat pipe portion of the heat pipe on its outer side and the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion is parallel to the outer side surface of the heat sink.

3. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 2, wherein: The heat sink also includes a heat sink block extending away from the heat sink at at least one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, one main heat sink surface of the third heat pipe portion is configured to contact an external cooling device directly or via a TIM and the heat sink block is configured to contact and cover at least another main heat sink surface in the third heat pipe portion.

4. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 3, wherein: The memory module cooling structure includes two heat pipes, each of the two heat pipes includes a first heat pipe portion and a third heat pipe portion, wherein the corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes each extend away from the heat sink in opposite directions in a longitudinal direction so that the corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes can be covered by a corresponding heat sink block at each end of the heat sink to contact the other main heat dissipation surface thereof.

5. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 4, wherein: The storage cooling structure is configured to have at least one of the following features: The heat pipe further comprises at least one second transition portion configured to connect the first heat pipe portion and the corresponding third heat pipe portion; The heat sink is provided with a heat pipe receiving groove to receive the entire first heat pipe portion of the corresponding heat pipe therein; The two heat pipe sections are configured to have the same or different sizes or shapes; or The one main heat dissipation surface of the respective third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes is configured as a flat surface or a convex-shaped surface.

6. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 4, wherein: Each of the two heat pipes includes a first heat pipe portion and two third heat pipe portions, so that each heat pipe includes a third heat pipe portion on both sides of the heat sink in the longitudinal direction and the two corresponding third heat pipe portions of the two heat pipes on the same side of the heat sink are arranged in parallel and in contact with each other in a shape-fitting manner along the thickness direction of the memory module.

7. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A TIM is disposed between at least one side of the memory board and the memory module cooling structure, the TIM being configured as a pre-cured TIM over-attached to a corresponding surface of the memory module positioned between the memory module cooling structure and the memory board.

8. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one heat pipe each includes a first heat pipe portion and two third heat pipe portions, so that each heat pipe includes a third heat pipe portion on both sides of the memory board in the longitudinal direction and the corresponding first heat pipe portion of the at least one heat pipe is configured to cover the entire at least one side of the board surface of the memory board.

9. The memory module cooling structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion is orthogonal to the main heat dissipation surface of the first heat pipe portion and parallel to a plane in which the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the memory board are located.

10. A computer system, characterized in that: It includes: processor; Memory; and a memory module cooling system, the memory module cooling system comprising: A memory module cooling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the memory module cooling structure is attached to the memory board via TIM contacts; as well as An external cooling device is configured to be disposed on an outer surface of a memory module mainboard receiving the memory module, so that when the memory board provided with the memory module cooling structure is attached to the memory module mainboard, at least one main heat dissipation surface of the third heat pipe portion of the heat pipe of the memory module cooling structure contacts the external cooling device directly or via a TIM.

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