Vehicle Computer Cooling Architecture

Abstract

The thermal management assembly may implement cooling techniques for cooling at least a portion of a computer system having one or more cooling systems. The techniques may include using a thermal management assembly in fluid communication with the cooling systems to supply fluid from at least one of the cooling systems to at least a portion of the computer system. The techniques may also, or alternatively, include using a first thermal coupling to transfer thermal energy between a first cooling system and the computer system and a second thermal coupling to transfer thermal energy between a second cooling system and the computer system. Cooling the computer system using the cooling techniques described herein reduces the operating temperature of the computer system, thereby mitigating heat-related computer failures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle computer cooling architectures.

Background Art

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 691,521, filed November 21, 2019, entitled "VEHICLE COMPUTER COOLING ARCHITECTURE", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0003] Computers generate heat during operation and may require cooling to continue operating over long periods. Also, heat generated from a computer may be trapped in the area where the computer operates. For example, a computer placed inside a vehicle may generate an amount of heat sufficient to render air cooling ineffective. In semi-autonomous and / or autonomous vehicles, the computer may control aspects of the vehicle that would be lost if the computer were shut down due to heat.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the leftmost digit of a reference number represents the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference number in different figures indicates similar or identical features.

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0006] Modern vehicles include one or more computer systems for controlling the mode of operation. For example, as in the case of semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicles, as these computer systems become more powerful, the amount of heat generated by these computing systems is likely to become quite large. The vehicle may also include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for controlling the temperature and / or humidity within the vehicle's passenger compartment for the comfort of the passengers (e.g., occupants). In semi-autonomous and / or autonomous vehicles, aspects of the vehicle that would be lost if the computer shuts down due to heat may be controlled by the computer.

[0007] This application describes techniques for cooling at least a portion of a vehicle computer system using fluid from a vehicle cooling system. A thermal management assembly in fluid communication with the cooling system is coupled to the computer system to supply fluid from the cooling system to at least a portion of the computer system. In some examples, a manifold transfers fluid from the cooling system to a cooling block coupled to a component of the computer system. In various examples, the manifold directs fluid to a number of cooling blocks to directly or indirectly cool various components of the computer system (such as a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card, etc.). In some examples, a single cooling block may be configured to cool a number of components of the computer system by providing a fluid-cooled surface of the cooling block to contact, be proximate to, and / or be thermally coupled to a number of components. By cooling the computer system using fluid from the cooling system as described herein, the operating temperature of the computer system is reduced, thereby reducing computer failures related to heat and / or improving computer performance, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of the vehicle. Further, in some examples, a number of vehicle cooling systems and / or a number of thermal management assemblies may be used to provide redundant cooling of the vehicle computing system, thereby further enhancing the reliability and safety of the vehicle.

[0008] In various examples, a cooling system can be associated with a vehicle. For example, a thermal management assembly can be configured to supply fluid from a cooling system (e.g., a vehicle's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system) to at least a portion of a computer system. A cooling system generally represents a component or a system of components that removes heat from a fluid, e.g., by a vapor compression cycle and / or an absorption refrigeration cycle. In an example where the cooling system is part of an autonomous vehicle, managing the heat within the housing of the computer system using cooling techniques as described herein contributes to the safe operation of the autonomous vehicle by achieving and / or maintaining a desired temperature associated with the computer system.

[0009] As described above, in some examples, a manifold can direct fluid (e.g., a liquid, a gas, or a combination of a liquid and a gas) towards a number of cooling blocks to cool various components of a computer system. In some examples, the manifold directs fluid from a cooling system in parallel towards a number of cooling blocks and supplies the fluid to each of the number of cooling blocks at a first temperature substantially simultaneously without passing through other blocks of the number of cooling blocks first. Additionally or alternatively, the manifold can be configured to direct fluid from the number of cooling blocks towards the cooling system to cool the fluid. In various examples, the fluid received by the manifold from the number of cooling blocks is at a second temperature (e.g., a temperature higher than the first temperature) after the cooling blocks have absorbed heat from components of the computer system.

[0010] In some examples, the thermal management assembly may include a number of manifolds associated with different cooling blocks. In such examples, each cooling block may be associated with different components of the computer system (e.g., a first manifold associated with a first cooling block coupled to one or more first components, and a second manifold associated with a second cooling block coupled to one or more second components). In other examples, the functionality provided by a number of manifolds may be provided by a single manifold.

[0011] In some examples, the thermal management assembly may include a heat sink between the manifold and a component of the computer system. Here, the heat sink in contact with a portion of the component draws heat from the component to the manifold. The heat sink can be configured in various shapes and sizes to extend from the manifold to the component of the computer system that generates heat. In some examples, the heat sink may include metals such as aluminum, magnesium, copper, and / or crystal structures such as graphite, graphene.

[0012] In some examples, the manifold may include portions for cooling components of the computer system disposed near or coupled to the manifold. For example, the fluid flowing through the channels in the manifold continuously cools the manifold. In some examples, a first portion of the manifold may be disposed near or coupled to a first component to cool the first component, and a second portion of the manifold may be disposed near or coupled to a second component to cool the second component. Additionally or alternatively, the outer surface of the manifold may draw heat from a large amount of air within the computer housing to cool regions within the computer.

[0013] In some examples, the manifold may include a groove for receiving a cooling block and / or a component of a computer system. For example, the manifold may include a recess sized to receive a cooling block attached to at least a portion of the component. A locking mechanism (e.g., a laterally expanding wedge lock, fastener, clamp, screw, etc.) may be used to fit a portion of the component into the groove and adjust to supply a force between the groove of the manifold and the portion of the component to secure a portion of the component to the manifold. Generally, the locking mechanism operates between a fixed state that secures a portion of the component to the manifold and an unfixed state that allows removal of the component from the computer system. In some examples, the locking mechanism, cooling block, and / or manifold of the thermal management assembly are configured to allow removal of the component from the computer system without affecting the fluid flowing within the thermal management assembly. Thus, removal of the cooling block (and one or more components coupled to the cooling block) from the manifold does not affect the manifold that transfers the fluid to another cooling block and / or cooling system.

[0014] The housing can surround or be capable of surrounding the components of a computer system so as to protect the components of the computer system from liquids and other potential hazards. In some examples, the manifold can be coupled to one or more surfaces (e.g., the front and / or back) of the housing to provide rigidity to the housing. In still other examples, the manifold can be coupled to one or more components of the computer system to prevent movement of the components relative to each other. Thus, the manifold can provide structural support to the housing and / or the components of the computer. In some examples, the manifold is coupled to one or more components and to the front and / or back of the housing and can function like a truss structure to increase the rigidity of the computer system. In one non-limiting example, the manifold can be configured to fix a component in a predetermined position relative to another component to prevent the components from approaching and / or separating from each other.

[0015] The manifold can receive fresh fluid (e.g., cold coolant) from a cooling system from a first fitting (e.g., an inlet) on the outer surface of the manifold. The manifold can direct the used fluid (e.g., warm coolant) back towards the cooling system via a second fitting (e.g., an outlet) on the outer surface of the manifold. In some examples, the manifold and the thermal management assembly are part of a closed-loop system that exchanges the used fluid (e.g., warm fluid) with fresh fluid (e.g., cold fluid) to enable continuous cooling of at least a portion of the computer system.

[0016] In various examples, the thermal management assembly may include conduits (e.g., fluid circuits) for transferring fluid from a manifold to a cooling block and / or another manifold. In such examples, the conduits (e.g., tubing that enables liquid flow) may transfer fluid between the cooling system, the manifold, and / or the cooling block. However, in other examples, the first manifold may transfer fluid to at least one of the cooling block or the second manifold without conduits. In such examples, the channels inside the manifold and the cooling block, as well as the openings of the manifold and the cooling block, enable direct fluid transfer between the manifold and the cooling block without the need for conduits.

[0017] In some examples, the thermal management assembly may include one or more heat pipes adjacent to the cooling block and / or the manifold for transferring heat from a component to the cooling block and / or the manifold. Exemplary heat pipes may include vapor filled metal pipes (e.g., copper or aluminum pipes) that cool a component by transferring heat from a first portion of the heat pipe close to the component to a second portion of the heat pipe adjacent to the cooling block and / or the manifold by being in proximity to the component of the computer system. In some examples, the second portion of the heat pipe may be disposed adjacent to the cooling system to cool the vapor inside the heat pipe.

[0018] As described above, in some examples, the thermal management assembly may be part of a closed loop system that transfers fluid between a cooling system and a computer system. In some examples, the thermal management assembly may be coupled to two cooling systems. For example, if a vehicle has two drive modules, each including its own HVAC system, the thermal management assembly may be coupled to both HVAC systems. Generally, each HVAC system may control the temperature and / or humidity within the vehicle's passenger compartment for the comfort of the passengers (e.g., occupants). In some examples, the thermal management assembly may transfer fluid in parallel between the cooling system and a number of cooling blocks to cool a number of components of the computer system at a first time. The thermal management assembly may, in addition or alternatively, transfer fluid in series between the cooling system and a cooling block to cool a component of the computer system at a second time. Determining which components of the computer system to cool in parallel and / or in series may be based at least in part on which components generate the most heat during operation. Components such as a graphics processing unit generally use more power and generate more heat compared to the amount of heat generated by a power supply unit. Thus, in some examples, the thermal management assembly may be configured to send fluid having a first temperature in parallel to a number of cooling blocks coupled to two or more graphics processing units at a first time and to send fluid having a second temperature warmer than the first temperature in series to a cooling block coupled to a power supply unit at a second time. However, in other examples, the thermal management assembly may be configured to send fluid having a first temperature in parallel to a first component of the computer system and to send fluid having a second temperature warmer than the first temperature in series to a second component of the computer system.In such examples, each of the first component and the second component may include at least one of a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply unit, a memory device, an image processing unit, and a network interface card, etc.

[0019] The techniques discussed herein may improve the functionality of a computer system by limiting heat-related failures. In some examples, fluid from a cooling system cools components of a computer system that generate heat via one or more of a cooling block, a manifold, a cooling system, a heat sink, and one or more heat pipes. In some examples, the manifold may be coupled to a portion of the housing of the computer system to improve the rigidity between two portions of the housing. Additionally or alternatively, the manifold may be coupled to a cooling block of the computer system and / or a portion of a component to improve the rigidity between the cooling block and / or the component. In some examples, the first cooling system and / or the second cooling system may cool components of a computer system that generate heat via a first thermal coupling and / or a second thermal coupling. As a result, the computer system can improve its resistance to shock, vibration, and other environmental conditions under which the computer system operates.

[0020] The techniques discussed in this specification can also improve the functionality of vehicles or machines that rely on a computer system for operation. For example, by using the techniques described herein to cool a computer system, the computer system (e.g., a vehicle computer system, a machine vision computer system, etc.) can provide functionality regardless of the environment in which the computer is located and regardless of which of the two cooling systems fails. In some examples, the thermal management assembly can cool a computer system in a high-temperature climate (e.g., a region having an ambient temperature higher than the dew point), and / or a computer system installed in an enclosed space (e.g., inside an enclosed housing, inside a vehicle body, and / or an area with little airflow). In addition to improving the performance of computer systems in various environments, the implementation of the cooling techniques described herein enables the use of more advanced computing resources (e.g., processor units that execute more computations, more processors, more components, etc.) to improve the functionality and performance of the computer system.

[0021] The techniques described in this specification can be implemented in a plurality of ways. Exemplary implementations are shown with reference to the following drawings. Although discussed in the context of autonomous vehicles, the methods, apparatuses, and systems described herein may be applied to various systems (e.g., manually operated vehicles, sensor systems, or robotic platforms) and are not limited to autonomous vehicles. In another example, these techniques can be utilized in the context of aviation or maritime navigation, or in any system that uses machine vision (e.g., a system that uses image data).

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary vehicle 100, where an exemplary thermal management assembly 102 cools computer systems 104A, 104B, and up to the Nth computer system 104N (collectively referred to as "computer systems 104"), where N is any integer greater than or equal to 1. Although described as separate systems, in some examples, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by other vehicle systems, components, and / or computing devices. For example, as described in further detail in connection with FIG. 14, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by or associated with a thermal management assembly 1430 that includes at least in part one or more manifolds, cooling blocks, heat sinks, heat pipes, and / or fluid circuits.

[0023] In various examples, the first cooling system 106 and / or the second cooling system 108 of the vehicle 100 may cool at least a portion of one or more of the computer systems 104 of the vehicle 100. In some examples, a first fluid from the first cooling system 106 and / or a second fluid from the second cooling system 108 of the vehicle 100 is supplied to the thermal management assembly 102 via the first thermal coupling 110 and / or the second thermal coupling 112. In some examples, the first cooling system 106 can be coupled to (e.g., at least partially mounted within) the first drive assembly 114, and the second cooling system 108 can be coupled to the second drive assembly 116. In various examples, each of the first drive assembly 114 and the second drive assembly 116 can be removably coupled to the body 118 of the vehicle 100.

[0024] Generally, the thermal management assembly 102 can be configured to cool one or more of the computer systems 104 by transferring thermal energy from one or more of the computer systems 104 to the first cooling system 106 and / or the second cooling system 108. In some examples, the first thermal coupling 110 and / or the second thermal coupling 112 can include one or more heat pipes and / or fluid circuits for transferring thermal energy from one or more of the computer systems 104 to at least one of the first cooling system 106 or the second cooling system 108. Accordingly, the first thermal coupling 110 and the second thermal coupling 112 can be configured to establish, maintain, and / or interrupt thermal communication (e.g., when heat pipes are used) and / or fluid communication (e.g., when fluid circuits are used) between the first cooling system 106 coupled to the first drive assembly 114 and / or the second cooling system 108 coupled to the second drive assembly 116.

[0025] In various examples, the thermal management assembly 102 can supply fluid to one or more of the computer systems 104 from one or both of the first cooling system 106 and the second cooling system 108 via the first thermal coupling 110 and / or the second thermal coupling 112. In some examples, the thermal management assembly 102 is in fluid communication with the first cooling system 106 and the second cooling system 108 and uses both the first fluid and the second fluid to cool one or more of the computer systems 104. In other examples, such as in the case of a failure of a cooling system, the thermal management assembly 102 is in fluid communication with one of the first cooling system 106 or the second cooling system 108 and uses either the first fluid or the second fluid to cool one or more of the computer systems 104. In some examples, the first fluid from the first cooling system 106 and the second fluid from the second cooling system 108 are in a closed system isolated from each other, and in other examples, the first fluid from the first cooling system 106 and the second fluid from the second cooling system 108 can be shared (i.e., the cooling systems can be in fluid communication with each other).

[0026] In some examples, substantially all of the major systems of vehicle 100 can be disposed in each of a first drive assembly 114 and a second drive assembly 116. For example, each of the first drive assembly 114 and the second drive assembly 116 can include a propulsion system, a power supply system and associated electronics, a steering system, a braking system, a suspension system, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and some or all of the associated control devices and actuators for the above systems. For example, the first cooling system 106 can include the first HVAC system 120, and the second cooling system 108 can include the second HVAC system 122. In various examples, the first drive assembly 114 and the second drive assembly 116 are configured to be separately separable from the body 118 of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the first thermal coupling 110 and the second thermal coupling 112 represent interfaces and / or connectors that enable a secure thermal connection / disconnection between the respective cooling systems and the thermal management assembly 102. In this way, one of the first drive assembly 114 or the second drive assembly 116 can be separated from the body of the vehicle 100 without interrupting the fluid communication within the thermal management assembly.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another exemplary vehicle 202, where an exemplary thermal management assembly cools a computer system of the vehicle 202. Although described as a separate system, in some examples, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by other vehicle systems, components, and / or computing devices. For example, as described in further detail in connection with FIG. 14, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by or associated with a thermal management assembly 1430 that includes at least in part one or more manifolds, cooling blocks, heat sinks, heat pipes, and / or fluid circuits.

[0028] In various examples, the cooling system 204 of the vehicle 202 may cool at least a portion of the computer system 206 of the vehicle 202. In some examples, the cooling system 204 may include the HVAC system of the vehicle 202. In some examples, fluid from the cooling system 204 of the vehicle 202 is supplied to the primary manifold 208 such that the fluid is delivered to the secondary manifold 210 and / or one or more cooling blocks 212. In this example, the cooling system 204 includes up to a first cooling block 212A, a second cooling block 212B, and an Nth cooling block 212N (collectively referred to as "cooling blocks 212"), where N can be any integer greater than or equal to 1. The cooling blocks 212 can be used to cool components 214 of the computer system 206. In the illustrated example, the computer system includes up to a first component 214A, a second component 214B, and an Mth component 214M (collectively referred to as "components 214"), where M can be any integer greater than or equal to 1. In some examples, the number M of components may not be the same as the number N of cooling blocks.

[0029] In some examples, fluid (e.g., vehicle coolant) of the cooling system 204 is supplied to the primary manifold 208 via a fluid circuit (e.g., conduit), flows through a portion of the primary manifold 208 towards an opening, and the opening transfers the fluid to the secondary manifold 210 and / or cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F. In some examples, the primary manifold 208 can transfer fluid to the secondary manifold 210 and / or cooling blocks 212 by transferring the fluid directly to an opening associated with the secondary manifold 210 and / or cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, 212F via one or more conduits and / or (e.g., without using conduits). In some examples, the cooling system 204 can receive used / warm fluid (e.g., fluid that has passed through the manifold and / or cooling blocks) from the primary manifold 208, cool the fluid, and return the cooled fluid to the primary manifold 208 as fresh fluid (e.g., cold coolant).

[0030] In some examples, the primary manifold 208 can be configured to receive fluid from the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F and transfer the fluid to the cooling system 204 to cool the fluid. In such examples, the primary manifold 208 is part of a closed-loop system that includes at least the cooling system 204 and the cooling blocks 212. In some examples, the primary manifold 208 can send fluid from the cooling system 204 in parallel to a number of cooling blocks (e.g., cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F) and supply the fluid to each of the number of cooling blocks at a first temperature substantially simultaneously without passing through other blocks of the number of cooling blocks first.

[0031] In some examples, the primary manifold 208 can transfer fluid to a fluid circuit (e.g., a conduit) coupled to an additional cooling block (not shown) and / or an additional manifold (not shown). For example, the primary manifold 208 can use the fluid circuit to transfer fluid to the additional cooling block and / or the additional manifold.

[0032] In some examples, the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, and / or the cooling block 212 may be coupled to and / or proximate one or more components 214. For example, any component 214 may include any one of a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card. As shown in FIG. 2, components 214G, 214H, 214I, 214J, and 214K are associated with thermal communication (e.g., heat transfer using a heat sink, a primary manifold, a secondary manifold, and / or a heat pipe), and components 214A, 214B, 214C, 214D, 214E, 214F, and 214M are associated with their respective cooling blocks 212, and those cooling blocks 212 are in fluid communication (e.g., fluid flow) with the cooling system 204. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components 214 (e.g., the tenth component 214J) may be coupled to the structural block 216. In some examples, the structural block 216 may be configured to cool one or more components 214 of the computer system 206 (e.g., by transferring heat through contact with at least one of the primary manifold 208 or the secondary manifold 210). As will be described later, the structural block 216 may be configured to provide rigidity to the housing of the computer system 206 and / or one or more components 214 of the computer system 206.

[0033] In various examples, the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210 may include one or more portions that cool components 214 of the computer system 206 disposed near or in contact with the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210. For example, the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210 may include a metal (e.g., aluminum, magnesium, copper, alloys, combinations thereof, etc.) to facilitate heat transfer between the fluid and the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210. One or more portions of the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210 may, additionally or alternatively, cool the ambient temperature within the computer housing. In some examples, the primary manifold 208 and the secondary manifold 210 may include a single manifold (e.g., a manifold manufactured as a single unit).

[0034] In various examples, the thermal management assembly includes a heat sink (not shown) disposed between at least one of the primary manifold 208 or the secondary manifold 210 and associated components (e.g., components 214G, 214H, 214I, 214J, and 214K) and may provide thermal cooling for each component of the computer system 206. Generally, the heat sink is configured to transfer heat from some of the components 214 of the computer system 206 to at least one of the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, and the housing of the computer system 206. As shown in FIG. 2, an eleventh component 214K (e.g., a solid state hard drive or other solid state device) may, in some examples, be thermally connected to the structural block 216 via a heat sink, and the heat sink may be thermally connected to the primary manifold 208. In various examples, the eleventh component 214K may be thermally connected to the housing of the computer system so as to send heat from the eleventh component 214K towards the housing.

[0035] In some examples, the heat sink may be configured to extend from a portion of the cooling block and / or manifold to a component of the computer system 206. For example, the secondary manifold 210 may be connected to the component 214I (e.g., a memory device such as a dynamic random access memory) and the tenth component 214J (e.g., a network interface card) via a first heat sink and a second heat sink, respectively. In some examples, the first heat sink may be between the secondary manifold 210 and the tenth component 214I, and the second heat sink may be between the secondary manifold 210 and the tenth component 214J.

[0036] In still other examples, the heat sink may be coupled to a component of the computer system 206 that is also coupled to one of the primary manifold 208 or the secondary manifold 210 (e.g., a component having a first portion coupled to the manifold and a second portion coupled to the heat sink). For example, the ninth component 214I may be coupled to the secondary manifold 210 and may also be coupled to the heat sink at an end opposite the secondary manifold 210. In some examples, heat from the first portion of the ninth component 214I may be transferred to the heat sink, and heat from the second portion of the ninth component 214I may be transferred to the primary manifold 208 (e.g., independently of the heat sink directly coupled to the primary manifold 208). Thus, in some examples, the heat sink may cool a first portion of one of the components 214, and the primary manifold 208 or the secondary manifold 210 may cool a second portion of one of the components 214.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the secondary manifold 210 can be configured to transfer fluid to cooling blocks 212A and 212B. In other examples, more or fewer cooling blocks may be used with the secondary manifold 210. Additionally or alternatively, the secondary manifold 210 can be configured to draw heat from components 214I and 214J of the computer system 206. Here, components 214I and 214J can be thermally connected to the secondary manifold 210 through physical contact so as to be cooled through one or more portions of the secondary manifold 210. As shown, unlike the primary manifold 208 that receives fluid from cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F, in some examples, the secondary manifold 210 delivers fluid to cooling blocks 212A and 212B without receiving fluid from them again. In some examples, the fluid flows through cooling block 212A to cooling block 212N, and the fluid also flows from cooling block 212B to the primary manifold 208. In various examples, the cooling block 212N can be associated with a component 214M (e.g., a power supply unit) of the computer system 206.

[0038] Generally, fluid enters the computer system 206 in the primary manifold 208 at a first temperature, and the temperature of the fluid rises when the fluid contacts the secondary manifold 210 and / or the cooling block 212. Thus, the fluid exits the computer system 206 in the primary manifold 208 at a second temperature different from the first temperature. For this reason, the fluid flowing through the fifth cooling block 212N can reach a higher temperature compared to the temperature of the fluid flowing through the primary manifold 208. By distributing the fluid as described herein, the cold fluid first reaches the components that generate the most heat, and then the fluid is transferred to components that generally require less cooling. For example, the temperature of the fluid in the cooling block 212N may be warmer than the temperature of the fluid in the cooling block 212C. Thus, the component 214M (e.g., the power supply unit) can be cooled using warmer fluid than the component 214C (e.g., the graphics processing unit).

[0039] FIG. 2 also shows the thermal connection between the seventh component 214G and the cooling block 214A (e.g., the first voltage regulator), and the eighth component 214H and the cooling block 212B (e.g., the second voltage regulator). Each of the component 214G and the component 214H can be cooled based at least in part on its proximity to its respective cooling block (e.g., the cooling blocks 212A and 212B) that absorbs the thermal energy released from the component 214G and the component 214H. By way of example and not limitation, a heat sink may extend from one of the cooling block 212A or the cooling block 212B to at least one of the component 214G or the component 214H in some cases.

[0040] Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows the thermal conduction paths between cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F and the structural block 216. Here, the structural block 216 (e.g., a block of aluminum, magnesium, or copper) may have slots for coupling to at least a portion of the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F to fix one of the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F to the housing of the computer system 206 and / or to another of the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F. By way of non-limiting example, the structural block 216 may include a thermally conductive metal plate having slots for receiving a number of cooling blocks (e.g., cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F).

[0041] In some examples, the structural block 216 may be configured to cool the component 214J of the computer system 206. Here, the component 214J is cooled by the structural block 216, and the structural block 216 may be cooled by one or more of the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F. In some examples, the structural block 216 may be coupled to the primary manifold 208 and may be cooled by the primary manifold 208. In some examples, the structural block 216 may be coupled to a heat sink that draws heat from the structural block 216 to the primary manifold 208, the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F, and / or the housing of the computer system 206. By way of non-limiting example, the heat sink may be coupled to the chipset of the computer system 206, although other components may be cooled by the heat sink. Thus, the thermal management assembly may be configured to cool the computer system 206 by both liquid cooling elements (e.g., cooling blocks) and thermal cooling.

[0042] In various examples, the cooling block 212 can be associated with two or more components of the computer system 206. For example, each of the cooling blocks 212 can be associated with two or more graphics processing units. In some examples, one or more graphics processing units can be attached to the various cooling blocks 212 via a printed circuit board. In some examples, the cooling blocks 212A and 212B can be associated with respective central processing units. In some examples, components can be associated with the cooling blocks and / or manifolds of the computer system 206 based at least in part on the amount of heat generated by each component. Assuming that the amount of heat generated during operation by one or more graphics processing units is typically greater than the amount of heat generated by one or more central processing units, the one or more graphics processing units are associated with the primary manifold 208 via the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F and receive a fluid that is cooler than the fluid supplied to the cooling blocks 212A and 212B that cool the one or more central processing units. Thus, in some examples, components can be associated with the cooling blocks and / or manifolds of the computer system based at least in part on the amount of heat generated by each component.

[0043] As described above, the fluid from the cooling system 204 is typically heated as it passes through and / or around different heat - generating components of the computer system 206. For this reason, components that require more cooling (e.g., components that use more power than other components) can be placed closer to the source of the cold fluid, while components that require less cooling (e.g., components that use less power than other components) can be placed farther from the source of the cold fluid. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components that generate heat during operation can be cooled by thermal connections (e.g., heat sinks, heat pipes, heat tapes, thermal greases, etc.), the primary manifold 208, and / or the secondary manifold 210.

[0044] Figure 3 is a diagram of an exemplary computer system 300 showing a thermal management assembly. In some examples, the thermal management assembly can include an inlet 302 and an outlet 304 between the computer system 300 and the cooling system 204. In various examples, the inlet 302 and / or the outlet 304 connect directly to the primary manifold 208 through one of the faceplates of the computer system 104. In some examples, the inlet 302 and / or the outlet 304 can represent quick - connectors to enable the cooling system 204 to connect and disconnect from the computer system 206. As shown in Figure 3, the thermal management assembly can include the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F, the components 214I, 214J, and 214K, and the fluid circuit 306. The fluid circuit 306 can generally represent one or more conduits that can be used to transfer fluid between the cooling system 204, the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, and / or the cooling blocks 212.

[0045] Figures 4A and 4B are perspective views of an exemplary thermal management assembly 400 for cooling an exemplary computer system (e.g., computer system 206 and / or vehicle computer system 1404). Although described as a separate system, in some examples, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by other vehicle systems, components, and / or computing devices. For example, as described in further detail in connection with FIG. 14, the thermal management techniques described herein may be implemented by or associated with a thermal management assembly 1430 that includes at least in part one or more manifolds, cooling blocks, heat sinks, heat pipes, and / or fluid circuits.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, thermal management assembly 400 includes a primary manifold 208, a secondary manifold 210, cooling blocks 212A, 212B, and 212N, components 214M, a fluid circuit 306, and a printed circuit board 402. In various examples, the fluid circuit 306 (e.g., tubing that allows for the flow of liquid) may be configured to transfer fluid between the cooling system 204, the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, and / or the cooling blocks 212. In some examples, the fluid circuit 306 may be configured to move fluid from the cooling system 204 to the primary manifold 208. Additionally or alternatively, the fluid circuit 306 may be configured to transfer fluid from the secondary manifold 210 to one of the cooling blocks 212A and 212B, from one of the cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F to the primary manifold 208, from the cooling block 212A to the cooling block 212N, from the cooling block 212 to the primary manifold 208, and / or from the primary manifold 208 to the cooling system 204, although other fluid circuit arrangements are contemplated.

[0047] FIG. 4B shows a printed circuit board 402 coupled to the cooling block 212N. As shown, the printed circuit board 402 includes a component 214M that generates heat, and this heat can be captured by the cooling block 212N to cool the component 214M. In some examples, a number of components may be attached to the printed circuit board 402, and the printed circuit board 402 can be cooled based at least in part on physical contact or proximity to the cooling block 212N.

[0048] In some examples, the thermal management assembly 400 in FIG. 4 can be configured to transfer fluid through a cooling system to cool the fluid, transfer the fluid through a manifold, deliver the fluid to a cooling block associated with a component of a computer system, transfer the fluid through the cooling block, and cool the component of the computer system. The thermal management assembly 200 can, in addition or alternatively, be configured to transfer fluid from the cooling block to the manifold and / or transfer fluid from the manifold to the cooling system to cool the fluid.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary thermal management assembly 500 within an exemplary computer system. As illustrated, the thermal management assembly 500 includes cooling blocks 212A, 212B, 212C, 212D, 212E, 212F, components 214C, 214D, 214E, 214F, 214H, 214I, a structural block 216, heat sinks 502A, 502B, and 502C (collectively referred to as "heat sinks 502"), cooling block openings 504(1) and 504(2), and lock mechanisms 506(1) and 506(2). The heat sinks 502 can, in some examples, include a heat sink 502A disposed between the secondary manifold 210 and the component 214I, a heat sink 502B disposed between the secondary manifold 210 and the component 214J, and / or a heat sink 502C disposed between the component 214J and the housing 308 (e.g., the enclosure) of the computer 506.

[0050] The locking mechanism 506 can be used to fix the cooling block 212 in the grooves of the structural block 216 and / or the secondary manifold 210. In some examples, the locking mechanism 506 can be adjusted to supply a force between the groove of the structural block 216 and / or the secondary manifold 210 and a portion of one of the cooling blocks 212. Generally, the locking mechanism 506 operates between a fixed state that fixes a portion of one of the cooling blocks 212 to the structural block 216 and / or the secondary manifold 210, and an unfixed state that allows one or more of the cooling blocks 212 (and components coupled to the cooling blocks 212) to be removed from one of the computer systems 104. In some examples, the locking mechanism 506 can include a wedge lock, fastener, clamp, screw, etc. that expands laterally to fix one of the components 214 and / or one of the cooling blocks 212 to the manifold (e.g., the primary manifold 208 and / or the secondary manifold 210) and / or the structural block 216. In one exemplary example, the locking mechanism 506 can be adjustable to fix the cooling block 206 to one of the manifolds and / or the structural block 216, or to remove the cooling block 206 from one of the manifolds and / or the structural block 216.

[0051] In some examples, the cooling block openings 504 of each cooling block 212 are configured to exchange fluid with the openings of the primary manifold 208. For example, one of the cooling block openings 504 can be configured to receive fluid from the primary manifold 208, while another cooling block opening 504 can be configured to transfer fluid to the primary manifold 208.

[0052] Although a specific number of cooling blocks are shown in FIG. 5, any number of cooling blocks can be used to cool the components of the computer system 206. Further, the number of heat sinks and components can also vary in different configurations.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a diagram of an exemplary manifold 600 (e.g., primary manifold 208) in an exemplary thermal management assembly. The primary manifold 208 includes openings 602(1), 602(2), and 602(3) (collectively referred to as "openings 602") for transferring fluid between one or more of the cooling system 204, the secondary manifold 210, and the fluid circuit 306 (e.g., conduit). The primary manifold 208 may also include one or more plugs 604 (e.g., plug 604(1) and plug 604(2) in the example of FIG. 6), and the plugs 604, when removed, provide additional openings for extending the cooling provided by the primary manifold 208 to additional components, cooling blocks, and fluid circuits, etc.

[0054] In some examples, the primary manifold 208 may include an inlet 302 for receiving fluid from the cooling system 204 and an outlet 304 for sending fluid to the cooling system 204. In various examples, the inlet 302 and / or the outlet 304 are directly connected to the primary manifold 208 through a faceplate of one of the computer systems 104. In some examples, the inlet 302 and / or the outlet 304 may represent quick connectors (e.g., Voss Quick connectors with Koloance Quick Disconnects) to enable disconnecting the cooling system 204 from the computer system 206.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, the channel 606 enables fluid communication between the primary manifold 208 and one or more of the cooling block, the fluid circuit, or another manifold. Further, FIG. 6 shows arrows to indicate the direction of fluid flow within the channel 606.

[0056] FIG. 6 also shows a cut-away view of the interior of the primary manifold 208, including arrows representing possible paths for fluid to flow within the primary manifold 208. In some examples, the primary manifold 208 includes cooling block openings 608(1) and 608(2) (collectively cooling block openings 608) configured to transfer fluid between the primary manifold 208 and one or more cooling blocks (e.g., cooling block 212). For example, some of the cooling block openings 608 may be used to send fluid from the primary manifold 208 to the cooling block 212, and other cooling block openings 608 may be used to receive fluid from the cooling block 212. In an example where the cooling block 212 is coupled to the primary manifold 208, heat is transferred not only by exchanging fluid between the cooling block 212 and the primary manifold 208, but also between the outer surfaces of the cooling block 212 and the primary manifold 208. (For example, due to heat from components coupled to the cooling block and the proximity of the primary manifold 208 to the cooling system 204 that generates the cold fluid,) the fluid flowing through the primary manifold 208 is generally colder than the fluid flowing through the cooling block, so the primary manifold 208 cools the cooling block 212, thereby enabling the cooling block 212 to more effectively cool one of the components of the computer system 104.

[0057] In some examples, the opening 610 to the secondary manifold is configured to transfer fluid between the primary manifold 208 and the secondary manifold 210. In some examples, the secondary manifold 210 returns fluid to the primary manifold 208, and in other examples, additionally or alternatively, the fluid may flow from the secondary manifold 210 to an additional cooling block before returning to the primary manifold 208.

[0058] In some examples, the flow rate at which the primary manifold 208 transfers fluid between another manifold, a cooling block, and / or a cooling system can be determined based at least in part on the extent (e.g., diameter) of the opening 602, the extent of the cooling block opening 608, and / or the extent of the opening 610 into the secondary manifold 210. For example, by adjusting (e.g., increasing or decreasing) the extent of the opening 602 and / or the extent of the cooling block opening 608, a desired flow rate can be achieved to exchange the fluid within the thermal management assembly to appropriately cool the computer system 206.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a diagram of an exemplary cooling block 702 coupled to a faceplate 704 and a backplate 706 in a thermal management assembly. In some examples, the cooling block 702 can include any of the cooling blocks 212 (e.g., cooling blocks 212C, 212D, 212E, and 212F) to cool a component 708 coupled to the cooling block 702. In some examples, the component 708 can include any of (e.g., a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, or a network interface card, etc.) and can be associated with a printed circuit board coupled to the cooling block 702.

[0060] The faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 may include a metal (e.g., aluminum, copper, magnesium, etc.) or other conductive material (e.g., graphite, graphene, or other crystal structures, etc.) to transfer heat from the cooling block 702. In some examples, the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 may be coupled to a heat sink to cool portions of the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706. In yet other examples, the heat sink may be disposed between the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 and the component 708 of the computer system cooled by the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 may be coupled to the primary manifold 208 so as to be cooled by thermal communication with the primary manifold 208. In some examples, the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 may provide structural and / or thermal functionality of the structural block 216.

[0061] FIG. 7 also shows cooling system openings 710(1), 710(2), 710(3), and 710(4) (collectively referred to as "cooling block openings 710") configured to fit into the cooling block openings 608 of the primary manifold 208 to transfer fluid between the primary manifold 208 and the cooling block 702. For example, some of the cooling block openings 710 may be used to send fluid to the primary manifold 208, and other cooling block openings 710 may be used to receive fluid from the primary manifold 208. Generally, the cooling block openings 710 associated with the cooling block 702 are configured to transfer fluid between the cooling block 702 and a manifold (e.g., the primary manifold 208) such that the fluid flowing within the cooling block 702 cools the component 708.

[0062] The locking mechanism 506 can be used to secure the cooling block 702 in a groove of the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706. In some examples, the locking mechanism 506 can be adjusted to supply a force between the groove of the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 and a portion of the cooling block 702. Generally, the locking mechanism 506 operates between a fixed state that secures a portion of the cooling block 702 to the faceplate 704 and / or the backplate 706 and an unfixed state that allows the cooling block 702 (and the component 708 coupled to the cooling block 702) to be removed from the computer system (e.g., the computer system 206). In some examples, the locking mechanism 506, the cooling block 702, the faceplate 704, and / or the backplate 706 are configured to allow the cooling block 702 to be removed from the computer system 206 without affecting the fluid flow within the computer system 206 (e.g., without requiring removal of the primary manifold 208). Although shown in FIG. 7 as including four openings, in some examples, any number of cooling block openings 710 may be used.

[0063] FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary secondary manifold 210 in an exemplary thermal management assembly. As shown, the secondary manifold 210 includes a manifold interface 802 that directly couples to the primary manifold 208 via attachment holes 804 that secure the secondary manifold 210 to the primary manifold 208. In some examples, an O-ring or other seal may fit between the primary manifold 208 and the secondary manifold 210 to resist fluid leakage from the manifold interface 802. The secondary manifold 210 may also include grooves 806 for coupling to components of the computer system and / or a printed circuit board on which the components are implemented. In some examples, the grooves 806 may accommodate a locking mechanism 506 for attaching components of the computer system 206. In various examples, the locking mechanism 506 may supply a force to one or more surfaces of the grooves 506 of the secondary manifold 210 to secure a component of the computer system 206 (or, e.g., a printed circuit board to which the component is attached) to the secondary manifold 210.

[0064] FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary connection 900 between a primary manifold, a cooling block, and a secondary manifold in a thermal management assembly. For example, the illustrated primary manifold 208 is coupled to a sixth cooling block 212F and a secondary manifold 210. In some examples, the cooling block openings (e.g., opening 608) of the primary manifold 208 align with the cooling block openings (e.g., opening 504) of the sixth cooling block 212F. In some examples, the opening 610 of the primary manifold 208 may fit into the manifold interface 802 of the secondary manifold 210. In some examples, one or more O-rings or other seals may be between the primary manifold 208 and the sixth cooling block 212F and between the primary manifold 208 and the secondary manifold 210.

[0065] FIG. 9 also shows that the cooling block 212F is coupled to the sixth component 214F of FIG. 2.

[0066] Figures 10A and 10B are diagrams of an exemplary heat sink 502A of the thermal management assembly of FIG. 5 coupled to a ninth component 214I of an exemplary computer system 206. For example, heat sink 502A may be coupled to component 214I at a first end of heat sink 502A and may be coupled to secondary manifold 210 at a second end of heat sink 502A. In some examples, a locking mechanism 506 may be used to secure heat sink 502A to secondary manifold 210. Heat generated by the ninth component 214I may be transferred to secondary manifold 210 via heat sink 502A to cool the ninth component 214I. In some examples, the ninth component 214I may be any one of a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, or a network interface card. In some examples, the ninth component 214I may be cooled not only by the second manifold 210 and heat sink 502A, but also by an additional heat sink attached between a portion of the ninth component 214I and a portion of the housing of the computer system. In various examples, heat sink 502A may include aluminum, magnesium, copper, or other metal having conductivity.

[0067] In some examples, the locking mechanism 506 and / or heat sink 502A may be configured to be removed from secondary manifold 210 without removing primary manifold 208. Accordingly, the ninth component 214I coupled to heat sink 502A can be removed (e.g., separated from the second manifold 210) from the computer system without interrupting the cooling provided by the first manifold 208.

[0068] Figures 11A and 11B are diagrams of an exemplary thermal management assembly 1100 for cooling a computer system 1102. The computer system, in some examples, may correspond to one or more of the computer system 104 of FIG. 1, the computer system 206 of FIG. 2, or the vehicle computer system 1404 of FIG. 14. Figures 11A and 11B also show a first thermal coupling 1104, a second thermal coupling 1106, a first cooling block 1108, a second cooling block 1110, a first cooling system 1112, and a second cooling system 1114. In some examples, the cooling architectures of FIGS. 2-10 may be used for one or both of the redundant cooling systems of FIG. 11 (e.g., the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second cooling system 1114).

[0069] In some examples, the first cooling system 1112 and the second cooling system 1114 may be isolated from each other, and in other examples, the first cooling system 1112 and the second cooling system 1114 may be in fluid communication with each other.

[0070] In some examples, the first thermal coupling 1104 may include a first heat pipe or a first fluid circuit, and the second thermal coupling 1106 may include a second heat pipe or a second fluid circuit. In some examples, the first heat pipe may be different from the second heat pipe, and in other examples, a single heat pipe may extend from the first cooling block 1108 to the second cooling block 1110. Additionally or alternatively, the first fluid circuit may be different from the second fluid circuit, and in other examples, the first fluid circuit may be in fluid communication (e.g., exchange fluids) with the second fluid circuit.

[0071] In some examples, the first thermal bond 1104 can transfer heat from a first portion of the first thermal bond 1104 near the first component 1116 to a second portion of the first thermal bond 1104 adjacent to the first cooling block 1108. In some examples, the second thermal bond 1106 can transfer heat from a first portion of the second thermal bond 1106 near the first component 1116 to a second portion of the second thermal bond 1106 adjacent to the second cooling block 1110.

[0072] Generally, heat moves to the coolest of the first cooling block 1108 and the second cooling block 1110. In an example where the first thermal bond 1104 is a heat pipe, heat moves through the heat pipe as vapor to the cooler of the first cooling block 1108 and the second cooling block 1110. In some examples, heat energy is also exchanged between the outer surface of the heat pipe and the air, thereby further cooling the ambient temperature within the housing of the computer system 1102.

[0073] In some examples, the first thermal bond 1104 and the second thermal bond 1106 can be directly coupled to each other to represent one continuous thermal bond between the first cooling block 1108 and the second cooling block 1110 (having a continuous thermal bond behind the first component 1116 and the second component 1118 in FIG. 11A).

[0074] As shown in FIG. 11B, in some examples, the first thermal bond 1104 and the second thermal bond 1106 can be coupled to each other by a third thermal bond 1120. In various examples, the third thermal bond 1120 thermally connects the first thermal bond 1104 and the second thermal bond 1106 (and the cooling blocks in thermal communication with each thermal bond).

[0075] In some examples, as shown at 1122 in FIG. 11B, the first cooling system 1112 may not be available (e.g., due to an obstruction and / or being disposed within a drive assembly separated from the vehicle body). In such examples, the third thermal coupling 1120 and the second thermal coupling 116 transfer heat from the first component 1116 and the second component 1118 to the second cooling block 1110. In this way, redundant cooling techniques are provided to the computer system 1102 to ensure that sufficient cooling is available to the computer system 1102 even in the event of a failure of one of the cooling systems (e.g., in the event of a failure of the HVAC system within the vehicle).

[0076] FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are diagrams of an exemplary thermal management assembly 1200 within an exemplary computer system. FIG. 12A is a top perspective view and includes heat pipes 1202A, 1202B, 1202C, and 1202D (collectively referred to as "heat pipes 1202"), components 1204A, 1204B, 1204C, 1204D, and 1204E (collectively referred to as "components 1204"), a cooling block 1206 including a first inlet 1208, a first outlet 1210, a first cooling coil 1212, a second inlet 1214, a second outlet 1216, and a second cooling coil 1218, and a circuit board 1220. In some examples, the cooling architecture of FIG. 12 may be used in conjunction with one or both of the redundant cooling systems of FIG. 11 (e.g., the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second cooling system 1114). For example, the first cooling system 1112 may be in fluid communication with the first cooling coil 1212 via the first inlet 108 and the first outlet 1210, and the second cooling system 1114 may be in fluid communication with the second cooling coil 1218 via the second inlet 1214 and the second outlet 1216. In this way, the cooling block 1206 may be cooled by one or both of the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second cooling system 1114.

[0077] In some examples, the heat pipe 1202 can include one or more metal pipes (e.g., one or more copper or aluminum pipes) that transport hot vapor from the component 1204 towards the cooling block 1206. The cooling block 1206, in some examples, can receive fluid from a cooling system (e.g., the cooling system 204 of FIG. 2) at a first inlet 1208 and send the fluid to the cooling system via a first outlet 1210. In some examples, each of the heat pipes 1202A, 1202B, 1202C, and 1202D shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C can include a number of metal pipes. In other examples, each of the heat pipes 1202A, 1202B, 1202C, and 1202D can include a single metal pipe.

[0078] In addition to or alternatively, in some examples, the thermal management assembly 1200 can include a solid metal conductor, such as copper, to transfer thermal energy between one of the components 1204 and the cooling block 1206. For example, the cooling block 1206 can use a solid metal conductor, in addition to or instead of the heat pipe 1202, to cool the component 1204.

[0079] The component 1204 can include one of a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card. By way of example and not limitation, the components 1204A, 1204B, 1204C, and 1204D can be graphics processing units, and the component 1204E can include a central processing unit. Regardless of the type of component being cooled, the thermal management assembly 1200 enables the cooling block 1206 to cool five different components in this illustrative example.

[0080] In some examples, the first inlets 1208, 1214, and / or the first outlets 1210, 1216 may represent quick connectors or other connectors that enable the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second cooling system 1114 to connect to and disconnect from the cooling block 1206.

[0081] The first cooling coil 1212 and the second cooling coil 1218 represent one or more heat elements that enable the first fluid of the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second fluid of the second cooling system 1114 to cool the cooling block 1206. In some examples, each of the first cooling coil 1212 and the second cooling coil 1218 includes a separate fluid circuit that contacts, abuts, and / or extends around a portion of the heat pipe 1202 (as shown by the dashed line by the heat pipe 1202 in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C) within a portion of the cooling block 1206. In various examples, each of the first cooling coil 1212 and the second cooling coil 1218 may include an area that is substantially equal to the area of the cooling block 1206. In other words, the dashed lines representing the first cooling coil 1212 and the second cooling coil 1218 in FIG. 12A may include various sizes and shapes up to an area that is substantially equal to the area of the cooling block 206. By including the first cooling coil 1212, the second cooling coil 1218, the first inlets 1208 and 1214, and the first outlets 1210 and 1216, the cooling block 1206 can be cooled by a redundant cooling system. In this way, the cooling block 1206 can cool the component 1204 despite a failure of one of the first cooling system 1112 or the second cooling system 1114.

[0082] The circuit board 1220 may represent a printed circuit board on which the fifth component 1204E may be mounted.

[0083] FIG. 12B is a side perspective view of the thermal management assembly 1200 showing the heat pipe 1202 configured to cool the corresponding component 1204 by transferring heat (e.g., steam) to the cooling block 1206.

[0084] FIG. 12C is a bottom perspective view of a thermal management assembly 1200 showing a heat pipe 1202 disposed between a component 1204 and a cooling block 1206.

[0085] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal management assembly 1100 of FIG. 11 cooling a computer system 1102. A first thermal coupling 1104 may be configured to transfer thermal energy between a first cooling system 1112 and the computer system 1102, and a second thermal coupling 1106 may be configured to transfer thermal energy between a second cooling system 1114 and the computer system 1102.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 13, the first thermal coupling 1104 and / or the second thermal coupling 1106 may include any number of heat pipes and / or fluid circuits. For example, each of the first thermal coupling 1104 and the second thermal coupling 1106 is associated with four thermal couplings, but in some examples, more or fewer thermal couplings are possible. In various examples, the first thermal coupling 1104 may include a first set of heat pipes or a first set of fluid circuits for cooling a first component 1304, and the second thermal coupling 1106 may include a second set of heat pipes or a second set of fluid circuits for cooling a second component 1118. In some examples, either the first component 1116 or the second component 1118 may include one of a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card. By including two of the first cooling system and the second cooling system, at least one cooling system may be available to cool the computer system 1102 when the other cooling system fails or is being serviced (e.g., when the drive assembly in which the cooling system is disposed is removed from the vehicle body).

[0087] In some examples, the first thermal coupling 1104 (e.g., the first heat pipe) may be different from the second thermal coupling 1106 (e.g., the second heat pipe), and in other examples, the first thermal coupling 1104 and the second thermal coupling 1106 may include a single thermal coupling (e.g., a single heat pipe).

[0088] In various examples, the first fluid from the first cooling system 1112 and / or the second fluid from the second cooling system 1114 is supplied to the thermal management assembly 1100 via the first thermal coupling 110 and / or the second thermal coupling 112 of FIG. 1. The first thermal coupling 110 and the second thermal coupling 112 may be configured to transfer heat captured by the first thermal coupling 1104 and / or the second thermal coupling 1106 to the first cooling system 1112 or the second cooling system 1114 in some examples.

[0089] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1400 for implementing the techniques described herein. In at least one example, the system 1400 may include a vehicle such as vehicle 1402. Vehicle 1402 may include a vehicle computer system 1404, one or more sensor systems 1406, one or more emitters 1408, one or more communication connections 1410, at least one direct connection 1412, and one or more drive assemblies 1414.

[0090] The vehicle computer system 1404 can include one or more processors 1416, as well as a memory 1418 communicatively coupled to the one or more processors 1416. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 1402 is an autonomous vehicle, but the vehicle 1402 can be other types of vehicles such as a semi-autonomous vehicle, or any other system having at least an image capture device (e.g., a smartphone with a camera). In the illustrated example, the memory 1418 of the vehicle computer system 1404 stores a localization component 1420, a perception component 1422, a planning component 1424, one or more system controllers 1426, and one or more maps 1428. Although shown in FIG. 14 as being present within the memory 1418 for illustrative purposes, the localization component 1420, the perception component 1422, the planning component 1424, the one or more system controllers 1426, and / or the one or more maps 1428 can be additionally or alternatively accessible by the vehicle 1402 (e.g., stored in a memory remote from the vehicle 1402, such as the memory 1454 of the remote computer device 1448, or otherwise accessible thereby). In some examples, multiple vehicle computer systems can be included in the vehicle 1402 and can be cooled using the thermal techniques described herein.

[0091] In at least one example, the localization component 1420 may include functionality to receive data from the sensor system 1406 to determine the position and / or orientation of the vehicle 1402 (e.g., one or more of the x, y, z positions, roll, pitch, or yaw). For example, the localization component 1420 may include and / or request a map of the environment from a map 1428 and / or a map component 1456, etc., and may continuously determine the position and / or orientation of the autonomous vehicle within the map. In some examples, the localization component 1420 may utilize SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), CLAMS (calibration, localization and mapping, simultaneously), relative SLAM, bundle adjustment, or non-linear least squares optimization, etc., to receive image data, lidar data, radar data, IMU data, GPS data, wheel encoder data, etc., in order to accurately determine the position of the autonomous vehicle. In some examples, the localization component 1420 may provide data to various components of the vehicle 1402 to determine an initial position of the autonomous vehicle for determining the relevance of an object to the vehicle 1402, as discussed herein.

[0092] In some examples, the perception component 1422 may include functionality for performing object detection, segmentation, and / or classification. In some examples, the perception component 1422 may provide processed sensor data indicative of the presence of an object (e.g., an entity) proximate to the vehicle 1402 and / or the classification of the object as an object type (e.g., car, pedestrian, cyclist, animal, building, tree, road surface, curb, sidewalk, unknown, etc.). In some examples, the perception component 1422 may provide processed sensor data indicative of the presence of a stationary entity proximate to the vehicle 1402 and / or the classification of the stationary entity as a type (e.g., building, tree, road surface, curb, sidewalk, unknown, etc.). In additional or alternative examples, the perception component 1422 may provide processed sensor data indicative of one or more features associated with a detected object (e.g., a tracked object) and / or the environment in which the object is disposed. In some examples, features associated with an object may include, but are not limited to, an x position (global and / or local position), a y position (global and / or local position), a z position (global and / or local position), an orientation (e.g., roll, pitch, yaw), an object type (e.g., classification), a speed of the object, an acceleration of the object, a range (size) of the object, etc. Features associated with the environment may include, but are not limited to, the presence of another object in the environment, the state of another object in the environment, time, day of the week, season, weather conditions, a darkness / brightness indication, etc.

[0093] Generally, the planning component 1424 can determine a route that the vehicle 1402 follows to traverse the environment. For example, the planning component 1424 can determine various routes and trajectories as well as various levels of detail. For example, the planning component 1424 can determine a route for traveling from a first location (e.g., the current location) to a second location (e.g., the target location). For the purposes of this discussion, a route can include a sequence of waypoints for traveling between two locations. As a non-limiting example, waypoints can include roads, intersections, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, and the like. Further, the planning component 1424 can generate instructions for guiding the autonomous vehicle along at least a portion of the route from the first location to the second location. In at least one example, the planning component 1424 can determine how to guide the autonomous vehicle from a first waypoint in the sequence of waypoints to a second waypoint in the sequence of waypoints. In some examples, the instructions can be a trajectory or a portion of a trajectory. In some examples, multiple trajectories can be generated substantially simultaneously (e.g., within the technical tolerance) according to a look-ahead horizon technique, and one of the multiple trajectories is selected for the vehicle 1402 to navigate.

[0094] In some examples, the planning component 1424 can include a prediction component for generating a predicted trajectory of an object (e.g., an object) in the environment. For example, the prediction component can generate one or more predicted trajectories for objects within a threshold distance from the vehicle 1402. In some examples, the prediction component can measure a trace of the object and generate a trajectory of the object based on the observed and predicted behavior.

[0095] In at least one example, the vehicle computing device 1404 may include one or more system controllers 1426, which may be configured to control steering, propulsion, braking, safety, emitters, communications, and other systems of the vehicle 1402. The system controller 1426 may communicate with and / or control corresponding systems of the drive assembly 1414 and / or other components of the vehicle 1402.

[0096] The memory 1418 may further include one or more maps 1428 that may be used by the vehicle 1402 to navigate within the environment. For the purposes of this discussion, a map may be any number of data structures modeled in two dimensions, three dimensions, or N dimensions that can provide information about the environment such as, but not limited to, topology (such as intersections), streets, mountains, roads, terrain, and the environment in general. In some examples, the map may include, but is not limited to, texture information (such as color information (such as RGB color information, Lab color information, HSV / HSL color information, etc.)), intensity information (such as lidar information, radar information, etc.), spatial information (such as image data projected onto a mesh, individual "surfels" (such as polygons associated with individual colors and / or intensities)), reflectivity information (such as specular information, retroreflectivity information, BRDF information, BSSRDF information, etc.). In one example, the map may include a three-dimensional mesh of the environment. In some examples, the vehicle 1402 may be controlled at least in part based on the map 1428. That is, the map 1428 may be used in relation to the localization component 1420, the perception component 1422, and / or the planning component 1424 to determine the position of the vehicle 1402, detect objects within the environment, generate routes, and determine actions and / or trajectories for navigating within the environment.

[0097] In some examples, one or more maps 1428 may be stored on a remote computing device (such as computing device 1448) accessible via network 1450. In some examples, multiple maps 1428 may be stored based on, for example, features (such as entity type, time, day of week, season, etc.). Storing multiple maps 1428 may have similar memory requirements, but may increase the speed at which data within the maps can be accessed.

[0098] FIG. 14 also shows a vehicle 1402 including a thermal management assembly 1430, the thermal management assembly 1430 including a manifold 1432, a cooling block 1434, a heat sink 1436, a heat pipe 1438, and a fluid circuit 1440. The vehicle 1402 is also shown to include a cooling system 1442 including a heating ventilation and cooling system 1444. In some examples, the heating ventilation and cooling system 1444 may include an evaporator, a condenser, a compressor, and / or a chiller. In some examples, the cooling system 1442 is coupled to and / or in fluid communication with the thermal management assembly 1430 to cool the vehicle computer system 1404. In various examples, the thermal management assembly 1430 may be in thermal and / or fluid communication with two cooling systems 1442 (such as each cooling system 1442 disposed at different drive assemblies 1414).

[0099] In various examples, the thermal management assembly 1430 can supply fluid between the cooling system 1442 and the manifold 1432. The manifold 1432 can correspond to the primary manifold 208, the secondary manifold 210, or a combination of the primary manifold 208 and the secondary manifold 210. For example, the manifold 1432 can be configured to transfer fluid (e.g., liquid, gas, or a combination of liquid and gas) to one or more cooling blocks 1434 to cool various components of the vehicle computer system 1404. In some examples, the manifold 1432 directs fluid from the cooling system 1442 in parallel to a number of cooling blocks 1434 and supplies the fluid to each of the number of cooling blocks 1434 at a first temperature substantially simultaneously without passing through other blocks of the number of cooling blocks 1434 first. Additionally or alternatively, the manifold 1432 can be configured to direct fluid from the number of cooling blocks 1434 to the cooling system 1442 to cool the fluid.

[0100] In some examples, the cooling blocks 1434 can be associated with various components such as one or more processors 1416, positioning components 1420, perception components 1422, planning components 1424, one or more system controllers 1426, and one or more maps 1428 of the vehicle computer system 1404. Additionally or alternatively, the cooling blocks 1434 can be associated with a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, and / or a network interface card of the vehicle computer system 1404.

[0101] In some examples, the heat sink 1436 may be between the manifold 1432 and a component of the vehicle computer system 1404 and may provide thermal cooling to the component of the vehicle computer system 1404. Here, the heat sink 1436 in contact with a portion of the component draws heat from the component into the manifold 1432. The heat sink 1436 can be configured to extend from the manifold 1432 to a component of the computer system that generates heat, in various shapes and sizes. In some examples, the heat sink 1436 may include metals such as aluminum, magnesium, copper, and / or crystal structures such as graphite, graphene. In some examples, the heat sink 1436 can be configured to extend from a portion of the cooling block 1434 and / or the manifold 1432 to a component of the vehicle computer system 1404. Thus, in an example, the heat sink 1432 may cool a first portion of the computer component, and the manifold 1432 may cool a second portion of the computer component.

[0102] In some examples, the heat pipe 1438 may represent the heat pipe 1202 in FIG. 12.

[0103] In some examples, the fluid circuit 1440 may be used to transfer fluid between the cooling system 1442, the manifold 1432, and / or the cooling block 1434. In some examples, a first fluid circuit may be associated with a first cooling system, and a second fluid circuit may be associated with a second cooling system.

[0104] As can be understood, the components discussed herein (e.g., the localization component 1420, the perception component 1422, the planning component 1424, one or more system controllers 1426, one or more maps 1428) are described separately for purposes of illustration. However, the operations performed by the various components may be combined or performed in any other component of the vehicle computer system 1404.

[0105] In some examples, some or all aspects of the components discussed herein may include any model, technique, and / or machine learning technique. For example, in some examples, the components in memory 1418 (and memory 1454 described below) may be implemented as a neural network.

[0106] As described herein, an exemplary neural network is a biology-inspired technique that passes input data through a series of connected layers to generate an output. Each layer in a neural network may include another neural network and may include any number of layers (whether convolutional or not). As can be understood in the context of the present disclosure, a neural network may utilize machine learning, which may refer to a broad class of such techniques where an output is generated based on learned parameters.

[0107] Although discussed in the context of neural networks, any type of machine learning can be used in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, machine learning techniques include, but are not limited to, regression methods (ordinary least squares regression (OLSR), linear regression, logistic regression, stepwise regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS)), instance-based techniques (e.g., ridge regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), elastic net, least angle regression (LARS)), decision tree techniques (e.g., classification and regression tree (CART), iterative dichotomiser 3 (ID3), chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID), decision stump, conditional decision tree), Bayesian techniques (naive Bayes, Gaussian naive Bayes, multinomial naive Bayes, average one-dependent estimators (AODE), Bayesian belief network (BNN), Bayesian network), clustering techniques (e.g., k-means, k-medians, expectation maximization (EM), hierarchical clustering), association rule learning techniques (e.g., perceptron, backpropagation, Hopfield network, radial basis function network (RBFN)), deep learning algorithms (e.g., deep Boltzmann machine (DBM), deep belief network (DBN), convolutional neural network (CNN), stacked autoencoder), dimensionality reduction techniques (e.g., principal component analysis (PCA), principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), Sammon mapping, multidimensional scaling (MDS), projection pursuit, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), mixture discriminant analysis (MDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), flexible discriminant analysis (FDA)), ensemble techniques (e.g., boosting, bootstrap aggregation (bagging), AdaBoost, stacked generalization (blending), gradient boosting machine (GBM), gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT), random forest), SVM (support vector machine), supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, etc. Additional examples of architectures include neural networks such as ResNet70, ResNet101, VGG, DenseNet, PointNet, etc.

[0108] In at least one example, sensor system 1406 can include a rider sensor, a radar sensor, an ultrasonic transducer, a sonar sensor, a position sensor (e.g., GPS, compass, etc.), an inertial sensor (e.g., an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, etc.), a camera (RGB, IR, intensity, depth, time of flight, etc.), a microphone, a wheel encoder, an environmental sensor (temperature sensor, humidity sensor, light sensor, pressure sensor, etc.), and the like. Sensor system 1406 can include multiple instances of each of these or other types of sensors. For example, the rider sensor can include individual rider sensors disposed at the corners, front, rear, sides, and / or top of vehicle 1402. As another example, the camera sensor can include multiple cameras disposed at various positions external and / or internal to vehicle 1402. Sensor system 1406 can provide inputs to vehicle computer system 1404. Additionally or alternatively, sensor system 1406 can transmit sensor data to one or more computing devices 1448 via one or more networks 1450 at a particular frequency, after the elapse of a predetermined period, substantially in real time, and the like.

[0109] Vehicle 1402 may also include one or more emitters 1408 for emitting light and / or sound. The emitter 1408 may include internal audio and video emitters for communicating with the passengers of the vehicle 1402. By way of example and not limitation, the internal emitters may include speakers, lights, signs, display screens, touch screens, tactile emitters (e.g., vibration and / or force feedback), mechanical actuators (e.g., seat belt tensioners, seat positioners, headrest positioners, etc.), and the like. The emitter 1408 may also include external emitters. By way of example and not limitation, lights for signaling the direction of progress of a vehicle action or other indicators (e.g., indicator lights, signs, light arrays, etc.), and one or more audio emitters (e.g., speakers, speaker arrays, horns, etc.) for communicating audibly with pedestrians or other nearby vehicles, one or more of which may include acoustic beam steering technology.

[0110] Vehicle 1402 may also include one or more communication connections 1410 that enable communication between the vehicle 1402 and one or more other local or remote computing devices. For example, the communication connection 1410 may facilitate communication with other local computing devices and / or drive assemblies 1414 on the vehicle 1402. Also, the communication connection 1410 may enable the vehicle to communicate with other nearby computing devices (e.g., remote computing device 1448, other nearby vehicles, etc.) and / or one or more remote sensor systems 1452 for receiving sensor data. The communication connection 1410 may also enable the vehicle 1402 to communicate with a remote control computing device or other remote service.

[0111] The communication connection unit 1410 may include a physical and / or logical interface for connecting the vehicle computing device 1404 to a network such as another computing device or network 1450. For example, the communication connection unit 1410 may enable Wi-Fi-based communication via a frequency defined by the IEEE 1402.11 standard, short-range wireless frequencies such as Bluetooth, cellular communication (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.), or any suitable wired or wireless communication protocol that enables each computing device to interface with other computing devices.

[0112] In at least one example, the vehicle 1402 may include one or more drive assemblies 1414. In some examples, the vehicle 1402 may have a single drive assembly 1414. In at least one example, when the vehicle 1402 has multiple drive assemblies 1414, the individual drive assemblies 1414 may be disposed at both ends of the vehicle 1402 (e.g., the front and rear, etc.). In at least one example, the drive assembly 1414 may include one or more sensor systems for detecting the state of the drive assembly 1414 and / or the surroundings of the vehicle 1402. By way of non-limiting example, the sensor system may include one or more wheel encoders (e.g., rotary encoders) for sensing the rotation of the wheels of the drive assembly, inertial sensors (e.g., inertial measurement units, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc.) for measuring the orientation and acceleration of the drive assembly, cameras or other image sensors, ultrasonic sensors for acoustically detecting objects around the drive assembly, lidar sensors, radar sensors, and the like. Some sensors, such as wheel encoders, may be specific to the drive assembly 1414. In some cases, the sensor system on the drive assembly 1414 may overlap with or supplement the corresponding system of the vehicle 1402 (e.g., the sensor system 1406).

[0113] The drive assembly 1414 can include a high-voltage battery, a motor that propels the vehicle, an inverter that converts direct current from the battery to alternating current for use by other vehicle systems, a steering system that includes a steering motor (which can be electric) and a steering rack, a braking system that includes a hydraulic or electric actuator, a suspension system that includes hydraulic and / or pneumatic components, a stability control system that disperses braking force to reduce traction loss and maintain control, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (e.g., the HVAC system 1444), lighting (e.g., lighting such as head / tail lights that illuminate the vehicle's external environment), and one or more other systems (e.g., a cooling system, a safety system, an on-board charging system, other electrical components such as a DC / DC converter, high-voltage junctions, high-voltage electrical cables, a charging system, a charging port, etc.). Further, the drive assembly 1414 can include a drive assembly controller that can receive data from the sensor system, preprocess it, and control the operation of various vehicle systems. In some examples, the drive assembly controller can include one or more processors and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The memory can store one or more modules for performing various functionalities of the drive assembly 1414. Further, the drive assembly 1414 can include one or more communication connections that enable communication of each drive assembly with one or more other local or remote computing devices.

[0114] In at least one example, the direct connection portion 1412 can provide a physical interface that couples one or more drive assemblies 1414 to the body of the vehicle 1402. For example, the direct connection portion 1412 can enable the transfer of energy, fluid, air, data, etc. between the drive assembly 1414 and the vehicle. In some examples, the direct connection portion 1412 can further releasably secure the drive assembly 1414 to the body of the vehicle 1402.

[0115] In at least one example, the localization component 1420, the perception component 1422, the planning component 1424, the one or more system controllers 1426, and the one or more maps 1428 can process sensor data as described above and send their respective outputs to one or more computing devices 1448 via one or more networks 1450. In at least one example, the localization component 1420, the perception component 1422, the planning component 1424, the one or more system controllers 1426, and the one or more maps 1428 can send their respective outputs to the computing device 1448 at a specific frequency, after the elapse of a predetermined period, substantially in real time, and the like.

[0116] In some examples, the vehicle 1402 can send sensor data to the computing device 1448 via the network 1450. In some examples, the vehicle 1402 can receive sensor data from the computing device 1448 and / or the remote sensor system 1452 via the network 1450. The sensor data can include raw sensor data and / or processed sensor data and / or representations of sensor data. In some examples, the (raw or processed) sensor data can be sent and / or received as one or more log files.

[0117] Computing device 1448 may include a processor 1446 and a memory 1454 that stores a map component 1456 and a sensor data processing component 1458. In some examples, the map component 1456 may include functionality for generating maps of various resolutions. In such examples, the map component 1456 may send one or more maps to the vehicle computer system 1404 for navigation purposes. In various examples, the sensor data processing component 1458 may be configured to receive data from one or more remote sensors such as the sensor system 1406 and / or the remote sensor system 1452. In some examples, the sensor data processing component 1458 may be configured to process the data and send the processed sensor data to the vehicle computer system 1404. In some examples, the sensor data processing component 1458 may be configured to send the raw sensor data to the vehicle computer system 1404.

[0118] The processor 1416 of the vehicle 1402 and the processor 1446 of the computing device 1448 can be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions for processing data and performing operations as described herein. By way of example and not limitation, processors 1416 and 1446 can include one or more central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), or any other device or portion of a device that processes electronic data and converts that electronic data into other electronic data that can be stored in registers and / or memory. In some examples, integrated circuits (e.g., ASICs, etc.), gate arrays (e.g., FPGAs, etc.), and other hardware devices can also be considered processors as long as they are configured to implement encoded instructions.

[0119] Memory 1418 and memory 1454 are examples of non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 1418 and memory 1454 store an operating system and one or more software applications, instructions, programs, and / or data to implement the methods described herein and the functions resulting from the various systems. In various implementations, the memory may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), non-volatile / flash type memory, or any other type of memory capable of storing information. The architectures, systems, and individual elements described herein may include many other logical, programmatic, and physical components, of which those shown in the accompanying drawings are merely examples relevant to the discussion herein.

[0120] In some examples, memory 1418 and memory 1454 may include at least working memory and storage memory. For example, working memory may be a limited-capacity high-speed memory (e.g., cache memory) used to store data operated on by processors 1416 and 1446. In some examples, memory 1418 and memory 1454 may include storage memory, which may be a relatively large-capacity low-speed memory used for long-term storage of data. In some cases, processors 1416 and 1446 may not be able to operate directly on data stored in storage memory, and data may need to be loaded into working memory in order to operate on the data, as discussed herein.

[0121] Although FIG. 14 is shown as a distributed system, note that in alternative examples, components of vehicle 1402 may be associated with computing device 1448 and / or components of computing device 1448 may be associated with vehicle 1402. That is, vehicle 1402 may perform one or more of the functions associated with computing device 1448, and vice versa.

[0122] (Exemplary items) Any of the exemplary items in this section can be used together with any other exemplary item and / or any other example or embodiment described in this specification.

[0123] A: A vehicle, comprising a computer system, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle, and a thermal management assembly in fluid communication with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle and coupled to the computer system so as to supply fluid from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle to cool at least a part of the computer system.

[0124] B: The vehicle according to paragraph A, wherein the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle controls the temperature or humidity inside the vehicle body.

[0125] C: The vehicle according to paragraph A or B, wherein the thermal management assembly includes a manifold for transferring fluid to a first cooling block associated with a first component of the computer system and a second cooling block associated with a second component of the computer system.

[0126] D: The vehicle according to paragraphs A to C, wherein each of the first component and the second component includes at least one of a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply unit, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card.

[0127] E: The vehicle according to paragraphs A to D, wherein the thermal management assembly includes a heat sink between the manifold and at least one of the first component or the second component.

[0128] F: The vehicle according to paragraphs A to E, wherein the manifold includes a first portion for cooling a first component of the computer system and a second portion for cooling a second component, and the first portion is different from the second portion.

[0129] G: The vehicle according to paragraphs A to F, wherein the computer system includes a housing surrounding the first component and the second component, and the manifold is coupled to the front surface or the rear surface of the housing.

[0130] H: The vehicle according to paragraphs A to G, wherein the manifold is further coupled to the first component and the second component, and the first component and the second component are coupled to the front surface or the rear surface of the housing.

[0131] I: A thermal management assembly, comprising a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and a thermal management assembly in fluid communication with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and coupled to the computer system, the thermal management assembly supplying fluid from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to cool the computer system, the thermal management assembly including a manifold for transferring the fluid to a cooling block associated with a component of the computer system.

[0132] J: The thermal management assembly according to paragraph I, wherein the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system controls the temperature or humidity inside the vehicle body.

[0133] K: The thermal management assembly according to paragraph I or J, wherein the thermal management assembly further includes a heat pipe adjacent to the cooling block, and one or more heat pipes are configured to transfer heat from the component to the cooling block.

[0134] L: The thermal management assembly according to paragraphs I to K, wherein the thermal management assembly further includes a heat sink between the manifold and a component of the computer system.

[0135] M: The manifold includes a first portion for cooling a first component of the computer system and a second portion for cooling a second component, the first portion being different from the second portion, the thermal management assembly described in paragraphs I through L.

[0136] N: The component of the computer system includes at least one of a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card, the thermal management assembly described in paragraphs I through M.

[0137] O: The fluid includes a liquid, a gas, or a combination of a liquid and a gas, the thermal management assembly described in paragraphs I through N.

[0138] P: The computer system includes a housing surrounding a first component and a second component, the manifold being coupled to a front surface or a back surface of the housing, the thermal management assembly described in paragraphs I through O.

[0139] Q: A system comprising a housing, a computer system disposed within the housing, and a thermal management assembly disposed within the housing, the thermal management assembly including a manifold for supplying fluid from a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to cool at least a portion of the computer system.

[0140] R: The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system controls the temperature or humidity inside the vehicle body, the system described in paragraph Q.

[0141] S: The system according to paragraph Q or R, wherein the component of the computer system includes at least one of a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply unit, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card.

[0142] T: The system according to paragraph Q to S, wherein the manifold includes a first portion for cooling a first component of the computer system and a second portion for cooling a second component, and the first portion is different from the second portion.

[0143] Although the above exemplary clauses are described with respect to one specific implementation, it should be understood that in the context of this document, the content of the exemplary clauses may be implemented by a method, a device, a system, a computer-readable medium, and / or another implementation.

[0144] (Conclusion) One or more examples of the technologies described in this specification are described, but various modifications, additions, substitutions, and equivalents thereof are included within the scope of the technologies described in this specification.

[0145] In the description of the examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application and which illustrate, by way of example, specific examples of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that other examples may be used and that changes or modifications such as structural changes may be made. Such examples, changes, or modifications do not necessarily depart from the scope of the intended claimed subject matter. The steps in this specification may be presented in a particular order, but in some cases, the order may be changed so that a particular input is provided at a different time or in a different order without changing the functionality of the described system and method. The disclosed procedures may also be executed in a different order. Further, the various calculations in this specification need not be performed in the disclosed order, and other examples using alternative orders of calculation can be readily implemented. In addition to permutations, the calculations may be broken down into sub-calculations that yield the same result.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a computer system; a vehicle cooling system; a thermal management assembly for cooling at least a part of the computer system; wherein the thermal management assembly comprises: a first manifold configured such that fluid from the cooling system is supplied through a fluid circuit; a second manifold configured to receive the fluid transferred from the first manifold; a plurality of cooling blocks configured to receive the fluid transferred from the first manifold or the second manifold and to cool at least a part of the computer system; wherein the first manifold is further configured to receive the fluid from the plurality of cooling blocks and transfer the fluid to the cooling system for cooling; the second manifold is configured not to receive the fluid from the plurality of cooling blocks; the first manifold, the second manifold, and the plurality of cooling blocks are associated with the components at least partially based on the amount of heat generated by the components of the computer system; the computer system comprises: a processor; a memory storing instructions for cooling at least a part of the computer system using the thermal management assembly when executed by the processor; a system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling system comprises a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for controlling the temperature or humidity inside the vehicle body.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the component comprises at least one of a graphics processing unit, a central processing unit, a voltage regulator, an Ethernet controller, a chipset, a solid state drive, a power supply unit, a memory device, an image processing unit, or a network interface card.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thermal management assembly further comprises a heat sink between the first manifold and the component and / or between the second manifold and the component.

5. The computer system further includes a housing surrounding the component, and the first manifold and / or the second manifold is coupled to a front surface of the housing or a back surface of the housing. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a locking mechanism coupled to a cooling block of the plurality of cooling blocks.

7. A thermal management assembly for cooling at least a portion of a computer system of a vehicle using fluid from a cooling system of the vehicle, a first manifold configured such that the fluid from the cooling system is supplied through a fluid circuit; a second manifold configured to receive the fluid transferred from the first manifold; a plurality of cooling blocks configured to receive the fluid transferred from the first manifold or the second manifold and to cool at least a portion of the computer system; comprising the first manifold is further configured to receive the fluid from the plurality of cooling blocks and transfer the fluid to the cooling system for cooling the fluid; the second manifold is configured not to receive the fluid from the plurality of cooling blocks; the first manifold, the second manifold, and the plurality of cooling blocks are associated with the component based at least in part on an amount of heat generated by a component of the computer system. A thermal management assembly.

8. The thermal management assembly according to claim 7, wherein the cooling system includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for controlling a temperature or humidity inside the vehicle body.

9. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 or 8, further comprising one or more heat pipes adjacent to the cooling block, the one or more heat pipes being configured to transfer heat from the component toward the cooling block. A thermal management assembly as described.

10. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a heat sink between the first manifold and the component and / or between the second manifold and the component. A thermal management assembly as described.

11. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the fluid is a liquid, a gas, or a combination of a liquid and a gas.

12. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising a locking mechanism coupled to the cooling blocks of the plurality of cooling blocks.

13. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising a groove coupled to the cooling block of the plurality of cooling blocks or to the printed circuit board to which the cooling block is attached.

14. A computer program comprising coded instructions that, when executed on a computer, implement a method of operating the thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 13, the method of operating being a method for cooling at least a portion of the vehicle's computer system using the fluid from the vehicle's cooling system.

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