Cooling device for PCB

Abstract

The utility model generally relates to a cooling device which is used for a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) which is constructed to be held in a holder in a pluggable manner, and is characterized in that the cooling device at least comprises a heat pipe which is constructed to tightly abut against a to-be-cooled area of the PCB on a first side of the PCB through a first thermal interface material and is held to the first side of the PCB, and a heat dissipation block which is constructed to tightly abut against the to-be-cooled area of the PCB through a second thermal interface material and is held to the first side of the PCB, the heat pipe is configured to be attached to and abut against at least one main heat dissipation surface of the heat pipe at a first end part at the first end part of the heat pipe extending out of the PCB; -a cold plate configured to abut against at least a portion of the surface of the heat sink block via a second thermal interface material to transfer heat diffused into the heat sink block by the heat pipe to the cold plate. By means of the cooling device for the PCB, especially for the PCIe board, on one hand, the cooling device can be suitable for the cooling scene of multiple PCBs and the condition that the PCBs are different in number, position and space distribution, and on the other hand, the cooling requirement can be ensured, and the PUE meeting the expectation can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a cooling device for a PCB, and more generally to a cooling device for a PCIe board. Background Art

[0002] Efforts are underway to improve the energy efficiency of computing facilities, such as data centers, in the hope of achieving high PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainable development. In recent years, PUE targets have become increasingly stringent; for example, some new data centers are required to achieve a PUE of 1.3 or higher.

[0003] In traditional computing facilities, liquid cooling of electronic components such as servers is becoming increasingly popular to reduce power usage effectiveness (PUE) and conserve energy. With the continuous improvement of liquid cooling technology in terms of efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, and the continued growth of data processing demands in computing facilities, liquid cooling has become a crucial component of computing infrastructure. Liquid cooling of cold plates boasts a relatively mature technology and ecosystem, particularly for CPUs and GPUs. However, for PCBs (printed circuit boards) such as PCIe boards (e.g., network interface cards and IB cards), and in particular, for multiple PCBs such as PCIe boards, overall liquid cooling technology is less mature. Currently, there are only a few liquid cooling devices for PCBs such as PCIe boards, and in particular, there are no overall liquid cooling devices for multiple PCBs, such as eight PCIe boards. Clearly, with the increasing number of computing devices, the number of PCIe boards such as IB cards in a system will continue to increase. However, due to limitations in location, space, and number of these PCIe boards, existing liquid cooling technologies for devices such as CPUs cannot be directly applied.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a cooling device that can meet the cooling needs of various types of PCBs, especially PCIe board type PCBs, which can meet the cooling needs of multiple PCBs, so that the cooling device can be applicable and expanded to computing settings of different sizes and facilitate the replacement and repair of PCBs. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present invention generally relates to a cooling device for a PCB, which is used for a PCB, and the PCB is constructed to be, for example, pluggable and held in a holding frame, and is characterized in that the cooling device at least comprises: - a heat pipe, which is constructed to tightly abut against a region to be cooled of the PCB on a first side of the PCB via a first thermal interface material and be held to the first side of the PCB; - a heat sink, which is constructed to attach and abut against at least one main heat dissipation surface of the heat pipe at a first end portion extending away from the PCB; - a cold plate, which is constructed to abut against at least a portion of a surface of the heat sink via a second thermal interface material to transfer heat diffused from the heat pipe into the heat sink to the cold plate.

[0006] Optionally, the heat pipe is constructed as a two-dimensional heat pipe, and the cooling device also includes a heat sink, which is constructed in a plate shape and has a groove on the side facing the PCB that fully accommodates the heat pipe so that the heat pipe is held to the first side of the PCB by fixing the heat sink to the PCB.

[0007] Optionally, the heat pipe includes a first heat pipe portion, a second heat pipe portion and a third heat pipe portion, the first heat pipe portion and the third heat pipe portion are connected into one via the second heat pipe portion and the first heat pipe portion is offset relative to the second heat pipe portion in a vertical direction, so that the first heat pipe portion is located above the second heat pipe portion in the vertical direction.

[0008] Optionally, the heat dissipation plate includes a first heat dissipation plate portion and a second heat dissipation plate portion, wherein the first heat dissipation plate portion is configured to protrude horizontally from the second heat dissipation plate portion and has a smaller width than the second heat dissipation plate portion so as to be recessed upward from the bottom side relative to the second heat dissipation plate portion.

[0009] Optionally, the heat sink is configured as a generally parallelepiped configuration and is thus attached via one of its faces in abutment to the heat sink plate and thus in abutment to one main heat sink surface of the heat pipe at the first end.

[0010] 12. The heat dissipation device of claim 11, wherein the bridge has an indentation on its side opposite the end of the first heat dissipation plate and a notch on the bottom side of the bridge. The notch on the bottom side of the bridge is connected to the end of the first heat dissipation plate by way of an indentation. The notch on the bottom side of the bridge is connected to the end of the first heat dissipation plate by way of an indentation.

[0011] Optionally, the heat sink includes at least one protrusion protruding vertically toward the cold plate on a surface of at least the bottom side in the vertical direction for contacting the cold plate, and the thickness of the second thermal interface material is selected to be higher than the protruding height of the protrusion so as to ensure compression of the second thermal interface material.

[0012] Optionally, the cold plate has at least one of the following:

[0013] at least one elastic element disposed in compression on a side of the cold plate opposite the heat sink block, such that when the heat sink block is held against the cold plate via the second thermal interface material, the at least one elastic element is at least partially compressed to ensure compression of the second thermal interface material;

[0014] at least one guide configured to cooperate with another guide in a position to receive the cold plate to ensure that the cold plate is retained in a desired position; and / or

[0015] At least one stopper is configured to limit the cold plate at the desired position to prevent accidental separation of the cold plate.

[0016] Optionally, the cooling device implements at least one of the following:

[0017] The PCB is a PCIe board and the PCIe board includes an interface cooling component, wherein the interface cooling component is thermally conductively attached to the heat sink via its corresponding heat pipe so that the interface cooling component can be cooled via the heat sink block;

[0018] The cold plate is a liquid cooling plate configured to include a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet; the cold plate is configured to be fixed to a holder of the PCB so that when the PCB is fixed to the holder, the cold plate abuts against at least a portion of the surface of the heat sink via the second thermal interface material;

[0019] The heat sink is fixed to the PCB card via screws; and / or

[0020] The cooling plate includes a bottom cover and a top cover that can be sealed and combined with each other to form an interior space in which a liquid can be guided.

[0021] Optionally, the heat sink is additionally held against the heat sink by means of another notch, the notch comprising a bottom and two vertical portions protruding parallel to each other from the bottom, the two vertical portions clamping the heat sink and the heat sink along the thickness direction of the heat sink and the bottom contacts the plane of the heat sink perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and / or the notch comprises a fixing portion extending from the bottom along a surface parallel to the bottom side or top side of the heat sink away from the heat sink to ensure that the PCB is held to the retaining frame via the fixing portion.

[0022] With the help of the cooling device for PCBs, especially for PCIe boards, the present application can be applicable to cooling scenarios of multiple PCBs, PCBs of different numbers, positions, and spatial distributions, and on the other hand, it can ensure cooling requirements and achieve the expected PUE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which can be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a plurality of PCBs arranged on a holder is shown;

[0025] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 An enlarged view showing the contact position between the heat sink block and the cold plate of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 shows a general schematic diagram of a PCB including a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a cold plate is not shown;

[0028] Figure 5 is an exploded schematic diagram showing a cooling device and a PCB according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a cold plate is not shown;

[0029] Figure 6 is a perspective schematic diagram showing a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cold plate is not shown;

[0030] Figure 7 A schematic side view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention facing a PCB is shown, wherein a cold plate is not shown;

[0031] Figure 8 A schematic side view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, facing away from the PCB, is shown, wherein the cold plate is not shown;

[0032] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing a side of a heat sink block in a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which side is intended to contact a cold plate;

[0033] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing a cold plate of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cold plate is arranged at a desired position; and

[0034] Figure 11 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary structure of a liquid cooling cold plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] It should be understood that throughout the drawings of this application, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0036] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present application, a vertically pluggable (in-line) PCB 1 will be used as an example to describe the embodiments of the present application, for example, via a plug such as a gold finger, wherein the plate-shaped PCB 1 is inserted into its holder in a vertical direction so that the board surface is parallel to the vertical direction. In this case, the vertical direction corresponds to the width direction of the board surface of the PCB 1 and the longitudinal direction corresponds to the length direction of the board surface of the PCB 1. The transverse direction is perpendicular to the board surface of the PCB 1 and parallel to the thickness direction of the PCB 1 (the distance separating the two opposite board surfaces of the PCB 1). These orientations are only for the purpose of clearly describing the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. And although a pluggable PCB is described herein, PCBs held to a holder in other ways also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0037] Furthermore, in the context of this application, the inner side or inner direction corresponds to a side or direction toward the PCB 1, and the outer side refers to a side or direction opposite to the inner side. Furthermore, for purposes of this definition, a plane parallel to both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the PCB 1 is referred to as a board plane. The top side refers to the vertically upward direction, and the bottom side refers to the vertically downward direction.

[0038] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of multiple PCBs 1 arranged on a holder is shown. Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of PCBs 1 are vertically inserted into the holder 2, wherein the plurality of PCBs 1 are configured to be vertically inserted into the holder 2 in parallel with each other. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining frame includes a front frame 22 and a rear frame 24 along the longitudinal direction, which are respectively constructed to retain the interface end of the PCB 1 (not its plug end, which is constructed as an interface for transmitting data to or from the PCB to realize data interaction between different devices in the computing facility) and the free end of the PCB (which corresponds to the end opposite to the interface end).

[0039] Although Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, eight PCBs 1 are arranged on the same holder 2, but for those skilled in the art, this is only exemplary, and any number of PCBs 1 greater or less than eight may be arranged according to the selection and needs of the holder 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present application, the PCB 1 is particularly a PCIe board. That is, in the descriptions before or after this application, features applicable to PCBs can naturally also be applied to PCIe boards without departing from the scope of this application. Furthermore, it should be noted that although descriptions of PCIe boards appear in the subsequent descriptions of this application, those skilled in the art should understand that this is merely exemplary, and features applicable to PCIe boards can undoubtedly be applied to other types of PCBs without departing from the scope of this application.

[0041] The following describes in detail the cooling device 3 of the present application, particularly the specific configuration of a cooling device for a PCB 1, and more particularly, for a PCIe board. It should be understood that this description is merely illustrative and non-limiting. One or more of the features described below may be combined as needed, unless such combinations are explicitly stated to conflict.

[0042] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention and Figure 3 An enlarged view is shown of the contact position between the heat sink 32 and the cold plate 34 of the cooling device 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , a cooling device 3 is shown, which is applied to a PCB 1 as described above. Figure 2 In the embodiment of FIG, the PCB 1 is configured to be inserted directly into the holder 2. Figure 2 and 3 In the embodiment of FIG1 , the cooling device 3 includes a heat pipe 30 (not shown), which is configured to be closely abutted against the to-be-cooled area Z of the PCB 1 on the first side of the PCB 1 via the first thermal interface material 302 and is held to the first side of the PCB 1. It should be understood that although Figure 2 Certain additional features are shown in the embodiments of the present invention, but these features are only provided to more fully realize the purpose of the present invention and are not necessary to realize the purpose of the present invention. Figure 2Although a heat sink 36 is shown to cover the heat pipe 30 (which will be described in more detail later), this heat sink 36 is not indispensable for implementing the embodiments of the present application, but is only preferred. It should be noted that the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope defined by the claims of the present application. The cooling area Z of the PCB 1 represents the area in the PCB 1 that is desired to be cooled, wherein the cooling area Z is, for example, Figure 5 The application-specific integrated circuit ASIC of PCB 1 is shown in the figure, but this is only exemplary. In practice, the cooling area Z usually represents an area in the PCB or PCIe that generates high heat and needs to be dissipated. These areas may vary due to different packaging forms or PCB designs.

[0044] In addition, it is important to understand that Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, an interface cooling component 38 for the interface end of the PCB 1 is shown. However, this interface cooling component 38 is well known in the prior art. Although the introduction of the cooling device 3 of the present application results in some changes to its heat dissipation pathway, it should be understood that the overall structure of the interface cooling component 38 itself has not changed significantly. Therefore, it will not be described here and is merely illustrated. The same interface cooling component 38 appearing in other figures will obviously also take the same form.

[0045] As known to those skilled in the art, the heat pipe 30 is generally constructed as a flat heat pipe. 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 emphasized here that for a flat heat pipe or for different heat pipe portions in a flat heat pipe, a flat plane or surface represents a plane or surface defined by the length and width or flat surface of the heat pipe or heat pipe portion. As known to those skilled in the art, for a flat heat pipe or for each of its heat pipe portions, since the thickness of the flat heat pipe is very small, the heat dissipation capacity in the lateral direction is low and mainly relies on the corresponding flat surface of the heat pipe or heat pipe portion to dissipate heat (such as the heat dissipation portion of the heat pipe) or to receive heat (such as the heated portion of the heat pipe). Therefore, the flat surface or plane is also referred to as the main heat dissipation surface in the embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Alternatively, as in Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the heat pipe 30 is held to the PCB 1 by a heat sink 36, which will be described in detail later. Although only a single heat pipe 30 is shown in the embodiment of the present application, this is merely exemplary and any number of heat pipes 30 may be used as needed without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0047] Further, in Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present application, the cooling device 3 further includes a heat sink 32, which is configured to be attached to at least one main heat dissipation surface of the heat pipe 30 at the first end portion of the heat pipe 30 extending away from the PCB 1. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in order to dissipate the heat received by the heat pipe 30, the heat pipe 30 generally includes a heat dissipation portion at its end portion (referred to herein as the first end portion) opposite to the heated portion of the heat pipe. In order to ensure the efficiency of heat dissipation, in the embodiment of the present application, the end portion is configured to be connected to the heat sink 32, and in order to ensure heat transfer between the heat pipe 30 and the heat sink 32, the heat sink 32 is made to contact the main heat dissipation surface of the heat pipe 30 as fully and sufficiently as possible. In addition, it can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, in order to ensure the compactness between the cooling device 3 and the PCB 1, and therefore, in order to avoid the increase in installation space caused by the addition of the heat dissipation block 32 and the tendency of the heat pipe 30 to separate from the area to be cooled Z, the first end of the heat pipe 30 including the heat dissipation portion is constructed to extend away from the PCB 1, so as to facilitate the arrangement of the heat dissipation block 32 without interfering with the PCB 1 or the PCIe board.

[0048] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the heat sink 32 may take any suitable shape without departing from the scope of the present application. For example, the heat sink may take the shape of a generally parallelepiped, in particular a right parallelepiped, more particularly a cuboid or a cube. In the case of a right parallelepiped, it may be chosen to insert the first end of the heat pipe 30 into the right parallelepiped so that the right parallelepiped can contact and abut the two main heat dissipation surfaces of the heat pipe at the first end. Alternatively, one main heat dissipation surface at the first end of the heat pipe may be attached to an outer surface of the right parallelepiped in contact so that the other main heat dissipation surface faces away from the right parallelepiped.

[0049] Furthermore, in Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device 3 further includes a cold plate 34, which is configured to abut against at least a portion of the surface of the heat sink 32 via the second thermal interface material 328 to further transfer the heat diffused into the heat sink 32 by the heat pipe 30 to the cold plate 34. As previously mentioned, the heat sink 32 is configured to promote heat exchange with the heat pipe 30. In order to further enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink 32, at least a portion of the surface of the heat sink 32 is configured to contact the cold plate 34, so that the heat of the heat sink 32 is quickly dissipated by means of the cold plate 34.

[0050] exist Figure 2In the heat sink 32 having a right parallelepiped shape, the cold plate 34 may optionally be configured to contact the surface of the bottom side of the heat sink 32 in the vertical direction or, in other embodiments, contact other surfaces of the heat sink, so that the heat of the heat sink 32 can be quickly dissipated with the help of the cold plate 34.

[0051] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the cold plate 34 may be any suitable type of cold plate, such as a liquid-cooled cold plate, an air-cooled cold plate, or any other type of cold plate without departing from the scope of the present application. In fact, any known or future known cold plate configuration that can accelerate the dissipation of heat from the heat sink 32 may be employed by the cooling device of the present application without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0052] The cooling device 3, which comprises at least the heat pipe 30, the heat sink 32, and the cold plate 34, can ensure cooling of the PCB 1 even in a relatively confined space. Especially when the cold plate is a liquid-cooled cold plate, the cooling device 3 forms a comprehensive water-cooling system that efficiently dissipates heat from the PCB and offers a flexible design.

[0053] The following will further refer to the above Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and will be described in detail below Figures 4 to 9 To describe the preferred or detailed structure of a part of the cooling device 3 according to the embodiment of the present application. Figures 4 to 9 In the various schematic diagrams of FIG, the cold plate 34 of the cooling device 3 is not shown.

[0054] Figure 4 shows an overall schematic diagram of a PCB 1 including a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a cold plate is not shown; Figure 5 1 shows an exploded schematic diagram of a cooling device 3 separated from a PCB 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cold plate is not shown; Figure 6 is a perspective schematic diagram showing a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cold plate is not shown; Figure 7 FIG2 shows a schematic side view of a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, facing the PCB 1, wherein the cold plate is not shown; Figure 8 shows a schematic side view of a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, facing away from the PCB 1, wherein the cold plate is not shown; and Figure 9 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a side of a heat sink block in a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the side being intended to contact a cold plate 34 .

[0055] As mentioned above, the heat pipe 30 is constructed as a flat structure. As another example and optionally, the heat pipe is constructed as a two-dimensional heat pipe, and its structure is, for example, as described above with respect to the heat pipe 30. Figure 2-9 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the cooling device 3 further optionally or preferably includes a heat sink 36, which is constructed in a plate shape and has a groove on the side facing the PCB 1 that completely accommodates the heat pipe 30 (see FIG. 2 ). Figure 7 ) and the heat pipe 30 is held to the first side of the PCB 1 by fixing the heat sink 36 to the PCB 1. Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 7 As shown, the heat sink 36 is configured to cover at least a portion of the surface of the PCB 1 and completely accommodate the heat pipe 30 in the groove defined therein. The shape and size of the groove substantially correspond to the heat pipe 30. To further ensure good thermal contact and heat transfer with the heat pipe 30, the heat pipe 30 may optionally be joined to the groove via a suitable thermal interface material to ensure good contact between the heat sink 36 and the heat pipe 30. Of course, this is merely exemplary, and the heat pipe 30 may alternatively be directly joined to the groove to secure the heat pipe 30 and dissipate the heat absorbed by the heat pipe 30.

[0056] In addition to being configured to secure the heat pipe 30 to the PCB 1, the heat sink 36 also helps dissipate the heat from the heat pipe 30. Clearly, this heat sink 36 has a larger surface area in contact with the air, thereby helping to dissipate the heat received from the heat pipe 30 in an additional manner without affecting the compactness of the PCB installation. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, since the PCB 1 or PCIe may employ an interface cooling component 38 known in the prior art, providing this heat sink 36 can integrate the cooling path of the interface cooling component 38 to ensure overall cooling performance for the PCB 1 or PCIe. The heat sink 36 is secured to the PCB 1, for example, by screws (shown in the figure), bonding, snapping, locking, clamping, or the like, thereby ensuring that the heat pipe 30 retained in its recess has sufficient contact with the area to be cooled Z.

[0057] Of course, it is conceivable that the heat pipe 30 is a three-dimensional heat pipe, that is, there is a direction change in the flat surface of the heat pipe, so that the directions of the flat surfaces of the heat pipe 30, such as the heat dissipating portion and the heated portion, are inconsistent. In this case, it is still possible to consider using such a heat sink 36, but the structure may be changed. On the one hand, the shape of the groove is still constructed to match the shape of the heat pipe 30, but it should be noted that the groove also naturally has an area that matches the direction change of the flat surface of the heat pipe 30 so that the three-dimensional heat pipe has at least one main heat dissipation surface exposed from the groove at any position to ensure that the heat sink 36 is in full contact with the heated portion of the heat pipe 30 and the heat sink 32 is in full contact with the first end of the heat pipe 30.

[0058] Further, optionally, see Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 7 As shown, the two-dimensional heat pipe 30 is constructed to include a first heat pipe portion 304, a second heat pipe portion 306, and a third heat pipe portion 308. The first heat pipe portion 304 and the third heat pipe portion 308 are connected to each other via the second heat pipe portion 306, and the first heat pipe portion 304 is offset relative to the third heat pipe portion 308 in the vertical direction (i.e., the width direction of the PCB 1), so that the first heat pipe portion 304 is located above (or below) the third heat pipe portion 308 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the third heat pipe portion 308 can be considered as the heat receiving portion of the heat pipe 30, while the first heat pipe portion 304 can be considered as the heat dissipation portion of the heat pipe 30. The advantage of this structure is that the position of the heat dissipation portion of the heat pipe 30 can be changed so that it is in a higher (or lower) position to facilitate fixing with the body of the holder 2. As known to those skilled in the art, in order to ensure that the PCB 1 is retained in the holder 2, the PCB 1 is usually fixed to the holder 2 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, especially for in-line PCBs. Therefore, in order to facilitate the fixing of the cooling device 3 to the holder 2, especially the holder 2 known in the prior art, it is necessary to adapt the heat sink 36 and thus the shape of the heat pipe 30 based on the shape of the PCB 1 or the structure of the holder 2, especially to adapt to the holder 2 at the rear end of the PCB 1. Therefore, it is necessary to change the shape of the heat pipe 30 to facilitate the shape change of the heat sink 36 on the one hand and to facilitate the installation and positioning of the heat sink 32 on the other hand. Generally, the heat dissipating portion (first heat pipe portion 304) of the heat pipe 30 needs to be offset by a sufficient height relative to the heat receiving portion (third heat pipe portion 308) in the vertical direction so as to leave enough space for the heat sink 32 in contact with the heat pipe 30 to abut against a structure such as the cold plate 34.

[0059] Accordingly and optionally, see Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 7As shown, the heat sink 36 includes a first heat sink portion 362 and a second heat sink portion 364, wherein the first heat sink portion 362 is constructed to protrude from the second heat sink portion 364 in the longitudinal direction and has a width smaller than the second heat sink portion 364 to form a recessed or stepped portion from the bottom side upward (or from the top side downward) relative to the second heat sink portion 364. Obviously, this shape change is adapted to the shape change of the heat pipe 30 described above to ensure adaptation to the retaining frame 2 and to ensure that space is reserved for the heat sink 32 to contact the cold plate 34. It should be understood that the meaning of the reserved space includes not only the meaning of reserving sufficient space for the heat sink 32, but also the meaning of enabling the heat sink 32 to contact a predetermined portion of the cold plate 34 in a predetermined orientation or with a predetermined portion of its surface (so that the heat sink and the cold plate contact in a desired orientation).

[0060] Accordingly and optionally, see Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 7 As shown, as previously mentioned, the heat sink 32 is constructed as a generally parallelepiped structure, in particular a right parallelepiped. In this case, the right parallelepiped is attached to the heat sink 36 via one of its faces and to a main heat dissipation surface at the first end of the heat pipe 30. This structure of the heat sink 32 has been described above and will not be further detailed here.

[0061] However, it should be noted that it is conceivable that the groove provided in the heat sink 36 only accommodates the portion of the heat pipe 30 other than the first end, while the first end remains free. In this case, the first end of the heat pipe 30 can still be optionally inserted into the body of the heat sink 32 to achieve abutment contact between the two main heat dissipation surfaces and the heat sink 32. It should also be noted that in the case where the groove provided in the heat sink 36 completely accommodates the heat pipe, it is conceivable that the first end of the heat pipe 30 and the heat sink 36 accommodating the first end are integrally inserted into the body of the heat sink 32 to achieve abutment contact between one main heat dissipation surface and the heat sink 32, and abutment contact between the heat sink 36 and the heat sink 32. It is conceivable that an appropriate thermal interface material can be optionally provided between the heat pipe 30 and the heat sink 32 or between the heat sink 36 and the heat sink 32.

[0062] Accordingly and optionally, see Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 7As shown, as mentioned above, especially in the case where the heat sink 32 is a straight parallelepiped structure, the cold plate 34 is constructed to contact the surface of the heat sink 32 on the bottom side in the vertical direction via the second thermal interface material 328. Of course, the position of the surface in the heat sink 32 for contacting the cold plate 34 can be optional. Alternatively, the cold plate 34 is constructed to contact more than one surface of the heat sink 32. For example, the surface of the cold plate 34 can include any matching shape such as a straight surface, a curved surface, a folded surface, etc. that matches a portion of the outer surface of the heat sink 32 of a straight parallelepiped or other shape without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly and optionally, see also Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 9 As shown, as previously described, the heat sink 32, such as a right parallelepiped, further includes lugs 322 configured to extend from the bottom and top surfaces of the heat sink 32 in the vertical direction toward the heat sink 36. It should be understood that, in this case, the heat sink 32, which is a right parallelepiped, is defined as a surface of one of its outer surfaces that abuts against a main heat dissipation surface of the first end of the heat pipe 30 and a side of the heat sink 36. The lugs 322 configured to extend from the bottom and top surfaces of the heat sink 32 in the vertical direction toward the heat sink means that the lugs 322 extend away from the heat sink 32 across the top and bottom edges of the heat sink 36 in the vertical direction. In this case, the lugs 322 each contact and cover the portions of the top and bottom edges of the first heat sink 36 in the vertical direction corresponding to the first end of the heat pipe 30. To ensure flushness, the lug portion 322 extends at most to the plane of the heat sink 36 on the opposite side of the heat pipe 30, that is, it is constructed to extend to be flush with the surface of the heat sink 36 on the opposite side of the PCB 1, so that the appearance and compactness of the assembled PCB can be maintained.

[0063] Accordingly and optionally, see Figure 2-9 And especially Figure 9As shown, as previously described, the heat sink 32 includes at least one protrusion 326 protruding vertically toward the cold plate 34 on at least its bottom vertical surface for contact with the cold plate 34. The thickness of the second thermal interface material 328 is selected to be greater than the protruding height of the protrusion 326, thereby ensuring compression and retention of the second thermal interface material 328. As previously described, the PCB 1 is secured to the retaining frame 2 (rear frame) at its rear end. Therefore, to ensure sufficient contact between the heat sink 32 and the cold plate 34, it is desirable that the heat sink 32 and the cold plate 34 maintain sufficiently tight contact. Due to the use of the second thermal interface material 328, this requirement is related to the desire for sufficient compression of the second thermal interface material 328 by the heat sink 32 and the cold plate 34, while still preventing such compression from being so great as to cause the second hot surface material 302 to be excessively spread, resulting in excessive thinning or even loss of thickness. To this end, in order to ensure the preferred or desired thickness of the second thermal interface material 328, at least one protrusion 326 is provided on the surface of the heat sink 32 that contacts the cold plate 34, here on the surface on the bottom side in the vertical direction, preferably four protrusions (for example, located at the four corners respectively), so that on the one hand, sufficient contact between the heat sink 32 and the surface of the cold plate 34 can be ensured, and since the thickness of the second thermal interface material 328 is higher than the high protrusion 326, the clamping of the second thermal interface material 328 can be ensured and a certain thickness of the second thermal interface material 328 (not less than the height of the protrusion) can be maintained.

[0064] In the following, we will combine Figure 10-11 The corresponding specific construction of the cold plate 34 is described, wherein Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing a cold plate 34 of a cooling device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cold plate 34 is arranged at a desired position; and Figure 11 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary structure of a liquid cooling cold plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Alternatively and as an example, see Figure 10-11As shown, the cold plate 34 has at least one elastic element 342, which is compressed and disposed on the side of the cold plate 34 opposite to the heat sink 32. When the heat sink 32 is held against the cold plate 34 via the second thermal interface material 328, the at least one elastic element 342 is at least partially compressed to ensure compression of the second thermal interface material 328. As previously mentioned, a certain degree of compression of the second thermal interface material 328 is required. However, due to manufacturing tolerances and the thickness of the second thermal interface material 328, precise maintenance of adequate compression is difficult to achieve, particularly when compression relaxation occurs. Therefore, to ensure reliable retention of the second thermal interface material 328, at least one elastic element 342 is disposed on the side of the cold plate 34 opposite to the heat sink 32. The at least one elastic element 342 is in a natural state, or a first compressed state, when the cold plate 34 is not in contact with the heat sink 32. When the cold plate 34 is not in contact with the heat sink 32, the contact of the protrusion 326 of the heat sink 32 with the cold plate 34 will push the at least one elastic element 342 into a compressed state (relative to the natural state) or into a second compressed state that is more compressed than the first compressed state, so that the at least one elastic element 342 will apply an elastic force toward the heat sink 32, thereby ensuring that the compression of the second thermal interface material 328 is maintained.

[0066] Alternatively and as an example, see Figure 10-11 As shown, the cold plate 34 includes at least one guide portion 344 configured to cooperate with another guide portion at the location where the cold plate 34 is to be received to ensure that the cold plate 34 is retained in the desired position. This design is particularly advantageous for constructing a removable cold plate 34. The other guide portion is, for example, provided at a predetermined position relative to the retaining frame 2 or directly integrated with the retaining frame 2. Thus, a newly installed cold plate 34 can be ensured to always be properly installed without excessive installation errors, ensuring proper alignment of the heat sink 32 with the cold plate 34 and proper positioning of the cold plate 34 on the retaining frame 2. By way of example, the at least one guide portion 344 is configured as a guide hole provided in the body of the cold plate 34, and the other guide portion is configured as a guide pin 346 provided at a predetermined position. Of course, any other configuration that achieves precise positioning of the cold plate 34 may be selected without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0067] Alternatively and as an example, see Figure 10-11As shown, the cold plate 34 further includes at least one retaining portion 348, which is configured to retain the cold plate 34 in a desired position and prevent it from accidentally detaching. As previously mentioned, once the cold plate 34 is positioned in the desired position, there is a certain risk of it detaching. To prevent this detachment, at least one retaining portion 348 is optionally provided to prevent the cold plate 34 from detaching. For example, the retaining portion 348 can be any suitable retaining portion, such as a clip, nut, or other suitable retaining portion, provided on the free end of the guide pin passing through the guide hole, wherein the diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the guide hole. Alternatively, the at least one retaining portion 348 can be configured to engage a pin defined in a blind hole on the bottom side of the cold plate 34. The pin has a head that is larger than the through-hole extending through the mechanism in which the cold plate 34 is positioned, and its pin portion is inserted into the blind hole to removably connect the cold plate 34 to the pin and prevent it from accidentally detaching.

[0068] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 1-11 As shown, the cooling device is used for a PCIe board, wherein the PCIe board includes an interface cooling component 38, wherein the interface cooling component 38 is thermally conductively attached to a heat sink 36 via its corresponding heat pipe to enable cooling of the interface cooling component 38. The structure of the interface cooling component 38 is well known in the art and is therefore not further described herein.

[0069] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 1-11 As shown, the cold plate 34 is a liquid cooling cold plate, which is configured to include a liquid inlet 3410 and a liquid outlet 3412. Of course, as mentioned above, other types of cold plates are also possible and will not be described in detail here.

[0070] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 1-11 As shown, the cold plate 34 is constructed to be fixed to the holder 2 of the PCB 1 so that when the PCB 1 is fixed to the holder 2, the cold plate 24 abuts against at least a portion of the surface of the heat sink 32 via the second thermal interface material 328, such as the surface of the bottom side of the right parallelepiped in the vertical direction, as described above and will not be further elaborated here.

[0071] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 1-11 As shown, the heat sink 36 is fixed to the PCB via screws, which has been described above and will not be further elaborated here.

[0072] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 1-11As shown, the cold plate 34 includes a bottom cover 3414 and a top cover 3416 that can be sealed together to form an interior space in which liquid can be guided. In fact, this configuration is a conventional configuration of liquid-cooled cold plates, which include walls that can be sealed together to form an interior space in which coolant can be guided.

[0073] Alternatively and as an example, see all Figure 2-9 As shown, the heat sink 32 is additionally secured against the heat sink 36 by means of another notch 3210. The notch 3210 includes a bottom 3212 and two vertical portions 3214 protruding substantially parallel to each other from the bottom 3212. The notch 3210 is U-shaped and clamps the heat sink 36 and the heat sink 32 along the thickness direction of the heat sink 36. Its bottom 3212 abuts against a surface of the heat sink 32 perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the notch 3210 includes a securing portion 3216 extending from the bottom along a surface parallel to the bottom or top side of the heat sink 32, away from the heat sink 32, to ensure that the PCB 1 is secured to the holder 2 via the securing portion 3216.

[0074] Although the detailed structure of the cooling device of the present application is described in detail above, these descriptions are merely exemplary and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cooling device for a PCB, wherein the PCB is configured to be held in a holder, characterized in that: The cooling device at least comprises: a heat pipe configured to be placed in close contact with the PCB area to be cooled on a first side of the PCB via a first thermal interface material and held to said first side of the PCB, a heat sink configured to be attached to at least one main heat dissipating surface of the heat pipe at a first end portion of the heat pipe extending away from the PCB; a cold plate configured to contact at least a portion of a surface of the heat slug via a second thermal interface material to transfer heat diffused into the heat slug by the heat pipe to the cold plate.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heat pipe is constructed as a two-dimensional heat pipe, and the cooling device also includes a heat sink, which is constructed in a plate shape and has a groove on the side facing the PCB that completely accommodates the heat pipe, so that the heat pipe is held to the first side of the PCB by fixing the heat sink to the PCB.

3. The cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that The heat pipe includes a first heat pipe portion, a second heat pipe portion, and a third heat pipe portion. The first heat pipe portion and the third heat pipe portion are integrally coupled via the second heat pipe portion. The first heat pipe portion is offset relative to the second heat pipe portion in a vertical direction so that the first heat pipe portion is located above the second heat pipe portion in the vertical direction.

4. The cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that The heat dissipation plate includes a first heat dissipation plate portion and a second heat dissipation plate portion configured to protrude horizontally from the second heat dissipation plate portion and have a smaller width than the second heat dissipation plate portion so as to be recessed upward from a bottom side relative to the second heat dissipation plate portion.

5. The cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that The heat sink is configured as a generally parallelepiped configuration and is therefore attached via one of its faces in abutment to the heat sink plate and thus in abutment to one main heat dissipating surface of the heat pipe at the first end.

6. The cooling device according to claim 4, characterized in that and a heat dissipation module, wherein the heat dissipation module, wherein the heat dissipation module, and the heat dissipation module, wherein the heat dissipation module, and the heat dissipation module, respectively, engages with each other and engages with the heat dissipation module on the intermediary side of the heat dissipation module, and the like.

7. The cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that The heat sink includes at least one protrusion protruding vertically toward the cold plate on a surface of at least a bottom side in the vertical direction for contacting the cold plate, and / or the thickness of the second thermal interface material is selected to be higher than a protruding height of the protrusion so as to ensure compression retention of the second thermal interface material.

8. The cooling device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The cold plate has at least one of the following: at least one elastic element disposed in compression on a side of the cold plate opposite the heat sink block, such that when the heat sink block is held against the cold plate via the second thermal interface material, the at least one elastic element is at least partially compressed to ensure compression of the second thermal interface material; at least one guide configured to cooperate with another guide in a position to receive the cold plate to ensure that the cold plate is retained in a desired position; and / or At least one stopper is configured to limit the cold plate at the desired position to prevent accidental separation of the cold plate.

9. The cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that The cooling device implements at least one of the following: The PCB is a PCIe board and the PCIe board includes an interface cooling component, wherein the interface cooling component is thermally conductively attached to the heat sink via its corresponding heat pipe so that the interface cooling component can be cooled via the heat sink block; The cold plate is a liquid cooling plate configured to include a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet; The cold plate is configured to be secured to a holder of the PCB such that the cold plate contacts at least a portion of a surface of the heat slug via the second thermal interface material when the PCB is secured to the holder; The heat sink is fixed to the PCB card by screws, bonding, snapping, locking, or clamping; and / or The cooling plate includes a bottom cover and a top cover that can be sealed and combined with each other to form an interior space in which a liquid can be guided.

10. The cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that The heat dissipation block is additionally held against the heat dissipation plate by means of another notch member, the notch member comprising a bottom and two vertical portions protruding parallel to each other from the bottom, the two vertical portions clamping the heat dissipation plate and the heat dissipation block along the thickness direction of the heat dissipation plate and the bottom is in contact with a plane of the heat dissipation block perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and / or the notch member comprises a fixing portion extending from the bottom along a surface parallel to the bottom side or top side of the heat dissipation block away from the heat dissipation block to ensure that the PCB is held to the retaining frame via the fixing portion.

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