Sheet-shaped heat pipe

Abstract

To provide a sheet-like heat pipe in which heat of one cooling target is difficult to conduct to other cooling targets when there are a plurality of cooling targets (heat sources). 【Solution means】The sheet-like heat pipe 1 according to the present invention forms an internal space S between a heat dissipation plate 2 and a heat receiving plate 3, and a capillary structure and a working fluid are enclosed in the internal space S. The heat receiving plate 3 has a housing portion 11 protruding in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11 has a plurality of heat receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion 14 formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet-shaped heat pipe that is mounted on a device having a heat source, receives heat from the heat source, and cools the heat source by heat transportation.

Background Art

[0002] A vapor chamber for cooling electronic components, which are heat-generating bodies such as semiconductor elements mounted on electric and electronic devices, has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that heat transportation of two heat-generating bodies (100-1, 100-2) is performed and cooled by a heat transporter (1) that is a single vapor chamber. The heat transporter (1) has a cavity (13) formed therein, a container (10) that is thermally connected to the heat-generating bodies (100-1, 100-2), a working fluid encapsulated in the cavity (13), a wick structure (14) provided in the cavity (13) through which the liquid-phase working fluid (L) flows, and a vapor flow path (15) provided in the cavity (13) through which the gas-phase working fluid (G) flows. Then, two heat-generating bodies (100-1, 100-2) are thermally connected to the second surface (22) of the other plate-like body (12) of the container (10).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the case of the heat transfer medium (1) described in Patent Document 1, if the heating element (100-1) is considerably hotter than the heating element (100-2), the heat of the heating element (100-1) is conducted to the heating element (100-2) through the liquid-phase working fluid (L) flowing through the second surface (22) or the wick structure (14), which may prevent the cooling of the heating element (100-2) and there is a risk that the heating element (100-2) will not be sufficiently cooled.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a sheet heat pipe in which it is difficult for the heat of one cooling target to be conducted to another cooling target when there are a plurality of cooling targets (heat sources).

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The sheet heat pipe of the present invention is a sheet heat pipe in which an internal space is formed between a first plate and a second plate, and a capillary structure and a working fluid are enclosed in the internal space. The second plate has a housing portion protruding in a direction opposite to the first plate, and the bottom surface portion of the housing portion has a plurality of heat receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion and the first concave heat receiving portion. , the plurality of heat receiving parts are in thermal contact with different objects to be cooled respectively. When the temperatures of the objects to be cooled are different, the heat receiving part with a small holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the object to be cooled having a high temperature, and the heat receiving part with a large holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the object to be cooled having a low temperature. It is characterized by the above.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, when cooling a plurality of cooling targets (heat sources) with one sheet heat pipe, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of one cooling target to be conducted to another cooling target.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Figure 11

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described by taking a sheet-like heat pipe (hereinafter referred to as "SHP") mounted on various devices (not shown) as an example. Not all of the configurations described below are essential requirements of the present invention.

[0011] FIGS. 1 to 4 show the SHP1 in the first embodiment of the present invention. The SHP1 includes a heat dissipation plate 2 as a first plate, a heat receiving plate 3 as a second plate, a first capillary structure 4, a second capillary structure 5, and a third capillary structure 6 as capillary structures housed in the heat receiving plate 3, and a working fluid (not shown). The heat dissipation plate 2 and the heat receiving plate 3 of the present embodiment are formed of austenitic stainless steel, but may be formed of an alloy mainly composed of titanium or copper in addition to stainless steel.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the heat dissipation plate 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular thin plate shape, and has a flat portion 7 formed flat and a plurality of support portions 8 protruding in the direction of the heat receiving plate 3. The flat portion 7 and the support portions 8 of the heat dissipation plate 2 are integrally formed by drawing. Note that the heat dissipation plate 2 may be formed by etching.

[0013] The support portions 8 are formed in a hemispherical shape and are in contact with the first capillary structure 4. The plurality of support portions 8 in the present embodiment are arranged in an oblique lattice shape, but may be arranged in a regular triangular lattice shape, a square lattice shape, a rectangular lattice shape, a rectangular lattice shape, etc., or in an irregular arrangement as long as the first capillary structure 4 can be prevented from floating or being displaced.

[0014] Although not shown, a heat sink or the like, which is a radiator, may be brought into thermal contact with the flat portion 7 or the support portions 8 of the heat dissipation plate 2 in order to enhance the heat dissipation effect.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the heat receiving plate 3 is formed in a thin plate shape, and has an outer peripheral portion 10 that joins with the outer peripheral portion 9 of the heat dissipation plate 2, and a housing portion 11 that protrudes in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2. The housing portion 11 integrally has a bottom surface portion 12, an inclined wall portion 13 that connects the outer peripheral portion 10 and the bottom surface portion 12, and a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of heat receiving portions that are recessed in the bottom surface portion 12, namely, a first concave heat receiving portion 14 and a second concave heat receiving portion 15. The heat receiving plate 3 of the present embodiment is formed by drawing.

[0016] The bottom 16 of the first concave heat receiving portion 14 is in thermal contact with the heat source P1, which is a cooling target provided in various devices on which the SHP1 is mounted, and the bottom 17 of the second concave heat receiving portion 15 is in thermal contact with the heat source P2, which is a cooling target provided in various devices on which the SHP1 is mounted. The first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the heat source P1, and the second concave heat receiving portion 15 and the heat source P2 may be in thermal contact via a heat conductor (not shown) having a high thermal conductivity without direct contact.

[0017] The first concave heat-receiving part 14 and the second concave heat-receiving part 15 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape (rounded rectangular shape) in a plan view. The first concave heat-receiving part 14 and the second concave heat-receiving part 15 of the present embodiment have the same shape. Note that the first concave heat-receiving part 14 and the second concave heat-receiving part 15 may have other polygonal shapes, circular shapes, or irregular shapes in a plan view corresponding to the shapes of the heat sources P1 and P2.

[0018] The outer peripheral part 9 of the heat dissipation plate 2 and the outer peripheral part 10 of the heat receiving plate 3 are joined by methods such as diffusion bonding, laser welding, and brazing, and an internal space S is formed. In the internal space S, a first capillary structure 4, a second capillary structure 5, a third capillary structure 6, and a working fluid are accommodated (enclosed), and the inside of the internal space S is evacuated from the nozzle part 18.

[0019] The first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6 have a capillary structure with fine gaps evenly distributed throughout in order to generate a strong capillary force on the liquid-phase working fluid, and are metal fiber wicks, metal fiber sintered wicks, metal powder sintered wicks, metal fiber felts, metal fiber sintered felts, metal powder sintered filters, powder sintered plates, flat mesh bodies formed by arranging metal wires vertically and horizontally in an aligned manner and knitting them, flat metal foils (not shown) having fine grooves intersecting vertically and horizontally on the surface to generate capillary force and holes arranged at equal intervals at appropriate positions of the grooves, non-woven fabrics (not shown), etc. can be used. Note that since the size of the gaps can be changed by changing the thickness and length of the metal fibers, various types of metal fiber wicks can be adopted. The same applies to metal fiber sintered wicks, metal powder sintered wicks, metal fiber felts, metal fiber sintered felts, metal powder sintered filters, powder sintered plates, mesh bodies, metal foils, and non-woven fabrics.

[0020] The first capillary structure 4 of the present embodiment is a flat mesh body formed by arranging metal wires vertically and horizontally in an aligned manner and knitting them, and is formed to be substantially the same as the shape of the bottom surface part 12 of the heat receiving plate 3 in a plan view, but may have other outer shapes as long as a capillary force capable of flowing the liquid-phase working fluid is generated.

[0021] The first capillary structure 4 is housed in the housing portion 11 while being placed on the bottom surface portion 12 of the heat receiving plate 3.

[0022] The second capillary structure 5 of the present embodiment is a sintered felt of stainless steel fibers and is housed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14. The third capillary structure 6 of the present embodiment is housed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. The upper surfaces of the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 are flush with the bottom surface portion 12 and are in contact with the first capillary structure 4. The second capillary structure 5 is formed to be substantially the same as the internal shape of the first concave heat receiving portion 14, and the third capillary structure 6 is formed to be substantially the same as the internal shape of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. In the present embodiment, the fine gaps between the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 are, on average, narrower than the fine gaps of the first capillary structure 4, but the volume of the gaps per unit volume is larger in the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 than in the first capillary structure 4, and the amount (retention rate) of the working fluid in the liquid phase that can be held per unit volume is larger in the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 than in the first capillary structure 4.

[0023] In the present embodiment, the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 are sintered bodies of different metal fibers, and the amount (retention rate) of the working fluid in the liquid phase that can be held per unit volume is larger in the second capillary structure 5 than in the third capillary structure 6. That is, the relationship of the retention rate of the working fluid in the liquid phase is such that the first capillary structure 4 < the second capillary structure 5 < the third capillary structure 6. Note that the relationship of the retention rate of the working fluid in the liquid phase does not necessarily have to be the first capillary structure 4 < the second capillary structure 5 < the third capillary structure 6, and can be appropriately changed depending on the temperature of the heat sources P1, P2, P3, etc.

[0024] When all of the working fluid is in the liquid phase, the internal space S contains more working fluid than can be held by the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6. When all of the working fluid is in the liquid phase, the first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat receiving portion 15 are filled with the liquid-phase working fluid. Since the second capillary structure 5 can hold a greater amount of the liquid-phase working fluid than the third capillary structure 6, the total amount of the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 is greater than the total amount of the liquid-phase working fluid in the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0025] The support portion 8 of the heat dissipation plate 2 and the first capillary structure 4, the heat receiving plate 3 and the first capillary structure 4, the heat receiving plate 3 and the second capillary structure 5, the heat receiving plate 3 and the third capillary structure 6, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5, and the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6 are in contact with each other, but they may be joined by methods such as diffusion bonding, laser welding, brazing, or the like.

[0026] When the heat sources P1 and P2 are below a predetermined temperature (low temperature), the working fluid is in the liquid phase, and the working fluid is sufficiently held in the gaps of the first capillary structure 4, the gaps of the second capillary structure 5, the gaps of the third capillary structure 6, the first concave heat receiving portion 14, and the second concave heat receiving portion 15. However, when the heat source P1 and the heat source P2 become equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature (high temperature) and the working fluid is heated and vaporized, increasing the amount of the vapor-phase working fluid, the amount of the liquid-phase working fluid decreases. Since the holding amount of the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 is greater than the holding amount of the liquid-phase working fluid in the second concave heat receiving portion 15, even when the amount of the liquid-phase working fluid decreases, the liquid-phase working fluid is always held in the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

[0027] Here, the heat transfer of the working fluid in the internal space S of the SHP1 will be described. Here, the case where the heat source P1 is at a lower temperature than the heat source P2 will be described. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14, which has a large holding amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the lower-temperature heat source P1 and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15, which has a small holding amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the higher-temperature heat source P2, it becomes difficult for the heat of the heat source P2 to be conducted to the heat source P1.

[0028] The liquid-phase working fluid is held in the gaps among the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6, and fills the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15. When the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 rise and the liquid-phase working fluid is heated via the heat-receiving plates 3 (bottom portions 16 and 17) to become a gas-phase working fluid, the gas-phase working fluid moves toward the heat-radiating plate 2 side. At this time, even when the heat of the heat source P2 is conducted to the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 side through the bottom surface portion 12, the gas-phase working fluid, etc., since the liquid-phase working fluid is held in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, the heat from the heat source P2 is received by this liquid-phase working fluid and it is extremely difficult for the heat to be transferred to the heat source P1. The gas-phase working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat-radiating plate 2, so that the heat-radiating plate 2 receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat-radiating plate 2 to the outside of the SHP1. The gas-phase working fluid with the temperature decreased condenses, becomes a liquid phase, moves toward the heat-receiving plate 3 side, and is held by the first capillary structure 4. When the heat reception from the heat sources P1 and P2 by the liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15 continues, due to the capillary force of the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6, the liquid-phase working fluid held by the first capillary structure 4 moves to the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 and is held inside the first capillary structure 4, the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1, and the heat sources P1 and P2 can be cooled to mitigate the temperature rise of the device.

[0029] The SHP1 has a flat heat-receiving portion 19 formed flat on the bottom surface portion 12, and can be in thermal contact with a heat source P3 for which not only the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15 but also the flat heat-receiving portion 19 on the bottom surface portion 12 are heat-dissipation targets, and the heat source P3 can be cooled by the heat transport inside the SHP1.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6 are each of a different type of capillary structure. However, they may all be of the same type of capillary structure, and the retention rates of the liquid-phase working fluid may all be made equal. In that case, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6 may be integrally formed. Also, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5 may be of the same type of capillary structure with equal retention rates of the liquid-phase working fluid, and the third capillary structure 6 may be of a different type of capillary structure with different retention rates of the liquid-phase working fluid. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5 may be integrally formed. Further, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6 may be of the same type of capillary structure with equal retention rates of the liquid-phase working fluid, and the second capillary structure 5 may be of a different type of capillary structure with different retention rates of the liquid-phase working fluid. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6 may be integrally formed.

[0031] As described above, the SHP1 of this embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1 that forms an internal space S between the heat dissipation plate 2 and the heat receiving plate 3. In the internal space S, a capillary structure and a working fluid are encapsulated. The heat receiving plate 3 has a housing portion 11 that protrudes in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11 has a plurality of heat receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion 14 formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat receiving portion 14. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14, which has a large retainable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with a low-temperature heat source P1, and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15, which has a small retainable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with a high-temperature heat source P2, even if the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 increase, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

[0032] Further, the SHP1 of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, a third capillary structure 6 is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15, and a second capillary structure 5 disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the third capillary structure 6 disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. The holding rate of the working fluid of at least one of them may be equal to the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and at least one of the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6 can uniformly hold the liquid-phase working fluid.

[0033] Further, in the SHP1 of the present embodiment, the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the holding rate of the working fluid of the second capillary structure 5 disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the third capillary structure 6 disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 are all different. Therefore, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 to be cooled are all different, a capillary structure having an appropriate working fluid holding rate can be selected according to the temperature.

[0034] Further, in the SHP1 of the present embodiment, a plurality of heat receiving portions are in thermal contact with different heat sources P1, P2, and P3 respectively. When the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 are different, the second concave heat receiving portion 15 having a small holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the heat source P2 having a high temperature, and the first concave heat receiving portion 14 having a large holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the heat source P1 having a low temperature. Therefore, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, the liquid-phase working fluid is likely to remain in the first concave heat receiving portion 14, and it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat source P2 to be conducted to the heat sources P1 and P3 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

[0035] Further, in the SHP1 of the present embodiment, the retention rate of the working fluid in the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the retention rate of the working fluid in the second capillary structure 5 disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14, and the retention rate of the working fluid in the third capillary structure 6 disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 may all be equivalent. In that case, the liquid-phase working fluid retained in the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5, and the third capillary structure 6 can be made uniform.

[0036] Further, in the SHP1 of the present embodiment, the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 is a mesh body incorporating metal wires, and the second capillary structures 5 and 3 disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat receiving portion 15, respectively, the capillary structure 6 is a fiber sintered felt obtained by sintering metal fibers. Since the fiber sintered felt has a higher retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid than the mesh body, it is possible to facilitate the movement of the liquid-phase working fluid from the first capillary structure 4 to the second capillary structure 5 and the third capillary structure 6. As a result, it is possible to easily store the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0037] Further, in the SHP1 of the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0038] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the SHP1A in the second embodiment of the present invention. Here, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will be omitted. In the present embodiment, a heat receiving plate 3A is used in which the area of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A in plan view is formed larger than that of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Although the depth of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A is the same as the depth of the second concave heat receiving portion 15, the volume of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A is larger than the volume of the second concave heat receiving portion 15 because the area of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A in plan view is larger than that of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the amount of the liquid-phase working fluid that can be stored is larger in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A than in the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0039] In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 5A and the third capillary structure 6A of the same type are accommodated in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A and the second concave heat receiving portion 15, but the volume of the second capillary structure 5A accommodated in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A is larger than the volume of the third capillary structure 6A accommodated in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the total amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase that can be held is larger in the second capillary structure 5A than in the third capillary structure 6A.

[0040] Since the bottom portion 16A of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A has a larger area than the bottom portion 16 of the first concave heat receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment, it is also possible to make thermal contact with a heat source (not shown) having a contact area larger than the heat source P1.

[0041] Also in this embodiment, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise and the working fluid in the liquid phase is heated through the heat receiving plates 3A (bottom portions 16A, 17, and flat heat receiving portion 19) and becomes the working fluid in the gas phase, the working fluid in the gas phase moves to the side of the heat radiating plate 2. At this time, even when the heat of the heat source P2 is conducted to the side of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A through the bottom portion 12, the working fluid in the gas phase, etc., since the working fluid in the liquid phase is held in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A, the heat from the heat sources P2 and P3 is received by this working fluid in the liquid phase, and it is extremely difficult to transfer heat to the heat source P1. The working fluid in the gas phase makes thermal contact with the heat radiating plate 2, so that the heat radiating plate 2 receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat radiating plate 2 to the outside of the SHP1A. The working fluid in the gas phase whose temperature has decreased condenses, becomes the liquid phase, moves to the side of the heat receiving plate 3A, and due to the capillary force of the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A, it moves to the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A and is held inside the first capillary structure 4, the first concave heat receiving portion 14A, and the second concave heat receiving portion 15. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1A, and the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 are cooled, so that the temperature rise of the device can be alleviated.

[0042] In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A are different types of capillary structures, and the second capillary structure 5A and the third capillary structure 6A are of the same type of capillary structure. However, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A may all be of the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equivalent. In that case, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A may be integrally formed. Further, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5A may be of the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equivalent, and the third capillary structure 6A may be of a different type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5A may be integrally formed. Further, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6A may be of the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equivalent, and the second capillary structure 5A may be of a different type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6A may be integrally formed. Further, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A may all be of different types of capillary structures to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different.

[0043] As described above, the SHP1A of the present embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1A that forms an internal space S between a heat dissipation plate 2 and a heat receiving plate 3A. The internal space S is enclosed with a capillary structure and a working fluid. The heat receiving plate 3A has a housing portion 11 protruding in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11 has a plurality of heat receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion 14A formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat receiving portion 14A. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14A, which can hold a large amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase, into thermal contact with a low-temperature heat source P1, and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15, which can hold a small amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase, into thermal contact with a high-temperature heat source P2, even if the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 increase, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the working fluid in the liquid phase in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A.

[0044] Further, the SHP1A of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, and a third capillary structure 6A is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. The holding rate of the working fluid of at least one of the second capillary structure 5A disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A and the third capillary structure 6A disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 may be equivalent to the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12. In that case, it is possible to uniformly hold the working fluid in the liquid phase in the first capillary structure 4 and at least one of the second capillary structure 5A and the third capillary structure 6A.

[0045] Further, the holding rates of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the holding rate of the working fluid of the second capillary structure 5A disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the third capillary structure 6A disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 of the SHP1A of the present embodiment may all be different. In that case, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 to be cooled are all different, it is possible to select a capillary structure having an appropriate holding rate of the working fluid according to the temperature.

[0046] In addition, the SHP1A of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, a third capillary structure 6A is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15, and the volume of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A is different from the volume of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the holding amount of the working fluid can be selected according to the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 to be cooled.

[0047] In addition, in the SHP1A of the present embodiment, the holding rate of the working fluid in the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the holding rate of the working fluid in the second capillary structure 5A disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A, and the holding rate of the working fluid in the third capillary structure 6A disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 may all be equal. In that case, the liquid-phase working fluid held in the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5A, and the third capillary structure 6A can be made uniform.

[0048] In addition, in the SHP1A of the present embodiment, a plurality of heat receiving portions are in thermal contact with different heat sources P1, P2, and P3 respectively. When the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 are different, the second concave heat receiving portion 15 with a small holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P2 with a high temperature, and the first concave heat receiving portion 14A with a large holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P1 with a low temperature. Therefore, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat source P2 to be conducted to the heat sources P1 and P3 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A.

[0049] In addition, the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 of the SHP1A of the present embodiment is a mesh body in which metal wires are woven, and the second capillary structure 5A and the third capillary structure 6A disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A and the second concave heat receiving portion 15 are fiber sintered felts obtained by sintering metal fibers. Since the fiber sintered felt has a higher holding rate of the liquid-phase working fluid than the mesh body, it is possible to easily move the liquid-phase working fluid from the first capillary structure 4 to the second capillary structure 5A and the third capillary structure 6A. As a result, it is possible to easily store the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A and the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0050] Further, in the SHP1A of the present embodiment, the area of the bottom 16A of the first concave heat receiving portion 14A is different from the area of the bottom 17 of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14A with a large storable amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase into thermal contact with the heat source P1 at a low temperature, and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15 with a small storable amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase into thermal contact with the heat source P2 at a high temperature, even if the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the working fluid in the liquid phase in the first concave heat receiving portion 14A.

[0051] Further, in the SHP1A of the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0052] FIGS. 7 and 8 show the SHP1B in the third embodiment of the present invention. Here, differences from the first and second embodiments will be described, and descriptions of common points with the first and second embodiments will be omitted. This embodiment uses a heat receiving plate 3B in which the depth of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is deeper than the depth of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Although the areas of the bottom 16B of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B and the bottom 17 of the second concave heat receiving portion 15 in plan view are the same, since the depth of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is deeper than that of the second concave heat receiving portion 15, the volume of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is larger than the volume of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase that can be stored is larger in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B than in the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0053] In this embodiment, the same type of second capillary structure 5B and third capillary structure 6B are accommodated in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B and the second concave heat receiving portion 15, but the volume of the second capillary structure 5B accommodated in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is larger than the volume of the third capillary structure 6B accommodated in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase that can be held is larger in the second capillary structure 5B than in the third capillary structure 6B.

[0054] Also in the case of this embodiment, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise and the liquid-phase working fluid is heated via the heat-receiving plates 3B (bottom portions 16B, 17, and flat heat-receiving portion 19) and becomes a gas-phase working fluid, the gas-phase working fluid moves toward the heat-radiating plate 2 side. At this time, even when the heat of the heat source P2 is conducted to the first concave heat-receiving portion 14B side via the bottom surface portion 12 or the gas-phase working fluid, etc., since the liquid-phase working fluid is held in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14B, the heat from the heat source P2 is received by this liquid-phase working fluid and it is extremely difficult for the heat to be transferred to the heat source P1. The gas-phase working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat-radiating plate 2, so that the heat-radiating plate 2 receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat-radiating plate 2 to the outside of the SHP1B. The gas-phase working fluid whose temperature has decreased condenses, becomes a liquid phase, moves toward the heat-receiving plate 3B side, and moves to the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B by the capillary forces of the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B, and is held inside the first capillary structure 4, the first concave heat-receiving portion 14B, and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1B, and the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 are cooled, so that the temperature rise of the device can be alleviated.

[0055] In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B are different types of capillary structures, and the second capillary structure 5B and the third capillary structure 6B are the same type of capillary structure. However, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B may all be the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equal. In that case, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B may be integrally formed. Also, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5B may be the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equal, and the third capillary structure 6B may be a different type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5B may be integrally formed. Further, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6B may be the same type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid equal, and the second capillary structure 5B may be a different type of capillary structure to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different. In that case, the first capillary structure 4 and the third capillary structure 6B may be integrally formed. Additionally, the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B may all be different types of capillary structures to make the retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid different.

[0056] As described above, the SHP1B of this embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1B that forms an internal space S between the heat dissipation plate 2 and the heat receiving plate 3B. The internal space S is filled with a capillary structure and a working fluid. The heat receiving plate 3B has a housing portion 11 that protrudes in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11 has a heat receiving portion, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion 14B formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat receiving portion 14B. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14B, which has a large retainable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the low-temperature heat source P1, and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15, which has a small retainable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the high-temperature heat source P2, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 increase, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B.

[0057] In addition, the SHP1B of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, a third capillary structure 6B is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15, and a second capillary structure 5B disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B and the third capillary structure 6B disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. The holding rate of the working fluid of at least one of them may be equivalent to the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12. In that case, the liquid-phase working fluid can be uniformly held in the first capillary structure 4 and at least one of the second capillary structure 5B and the third capillary structure 6B.

[0058] In addition, the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the holding rate of the working fluid of the second capillary structure 5B disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the third capillary structure 6B disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 of the SHP1B of the present embodiment may all be different. In that case, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 to be cooled are all different, a capillary structure having an appropriate holding rate of the working fluid can be selected according to the temperature.

[0059] In addition, the SHP1B of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, a third capillary structure 6B is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15, and the volume of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is different from the volume of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. Therefore, the holding amount of the working fluid can be selected according to the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 to be cooled.

[0060] In addition, the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12, the holding rate of the working fluid of the second capillary structure 5B disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the third capillary structure 6B disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 of the SHP1B of the present embodiment may all be equivalent. In that case, the liquid-phase working fluid held in the first capillary structure 4, the second capillary structure 5B, and the third capillary structure 6B can be made uniform.

[0061] Further, in the SHP1B of the present embodiment, a plurality of heat receiving portions are in thermal contact with different heat sources P1, P2, and P3 respectively. When the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P2 are different, the second concave heat receiving portion 15 with a small holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P2 with a higher temperature, and the first concave heat receiving portion 14B with a large holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P1 with a lower temperature. Therefore, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B.

[0062] Further, in the SHP1B of the present embodiment, the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 is a mesh body in which metal wires are woven, and the second capillary structure 5B and the third capillary structure 6B disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B and the second concave heat receiving portion 15 are fiber sintered felts obtained by sintering metal fibers. Since the fiber sintered felt has a higher holding rate of the liquid-phase working fluid than the mesh body, it is possible to easily move the liquid-phase working fluid from the first capillary structure 4 to the second capillary structure 5B and the third capillary structure 6B. As a result, it is possible to easily store the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B and the second concave heat receiving portion 15.

[0063] Further, in the SHP1B of the present embodiment, the depth of the first concave heat receiving portion 14B is different from the depth of the second concave heat receiving portion 15. By bringing the first concave heat receiving portion 14B with a large storable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid into thermal contact with the heat source P1 at a lower temperature and bringing the second concave heat receiving portion 15 with a small storable amount of the liquid-phase working fluid into thermal contact with the heat source P2 at a higher temperature, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat source P2 to be conducted to the heat sources P1 and P3 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14B.

[0064] Further, in the SHP1B of the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0065] FIG. 9 shows SHP1C in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Here, the differences from the first to third embodiments will be described, and the description of the common points with the first to third embodiments will be omitted. In this embodiment, as the capillary structure, it has a first capillary structure body 4C, a second capillary structure body 5C, and a third capillary structure body 6C.

[0066] The first capillary structure body 4C is divided into a one-side capillary structure body 4C1 and an other-side capillary structure body 4C2. The one-side capillary structure body 4C1 is integrally formed with the second capillary structure body 5C, and the other-side capillary structure body 4C2 is integrally formed with the third capillary structure body 6C. Note that the one-side capillary structure body 4C1 and the other-side capillary structure body 4C2 may be joined by methods such as diffusion bonding, laser welding, or brazing.

[0067] The one-side capillary structure body 4C1 and the second capillary structure body 5C are formed of the same type of fiber sintered felt, and the other-side capillary structure body 4C2 and the third capillary structure body 6C are formed of the same type of fiber sintered felt. In this embodiment, the holding rate of the liquid-phase working fluid of the one-side capillary structure body 4C1 and the second capillary structure body 5C is higher than that of the other-side capillary structure body 4C2 and the third capillary structure body 6C. However, the holding rate of the liquid-phase working fluid of the one-side capillary structure body 4C1 and the second capillary structure body 5C may be made equal to or lower than that of the other-side capillary structure body 4C2 and the third capillary structure body 6C.

[0068] Also in the case of this embodiment, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise and the liquid-phase working fluid is heated through the heat-receiving plates 3 (bottom portions 16, 17, and flat heat-receiving portion 19) and becomes a gas-phase working fluid, the gas-phase working fluid moves toward the heat-radiating plate 2 side. At this time, even when the heat of the heat source P2 is conducted to the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 side through the bottom surface portion 12, the gas-phase working fluid, etc., since the liquid-phase working fluid is held in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, the heat from the heat source P2 is received by this liquid-phase working fluid, and it is extremely difficult for the heat to be transferred to the heat source P1. The gas-phase working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat-radiating plate 2, so that the heat-radiating plate 2 receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat-radiating plate 2 to the outside of the SHP1C. The gas-phase working fluid whose temperature has decreased condenses, becomes a liquid phase, moves toward the heat-receiving plate 3 side, and moves to the first capillary structure 4C, the second capillary structure 5C, and the third capillary structure 6C by the capillary force of the first capillary structure 4C, the second capillary structure 5C, and the third capillary structure 6C, and is held inside the first capillary structure 4C, the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, and the second concave heat-receiving portion 15. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1C, and the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 are cooled, so that the temperature rise of the device can be alleviated.

[0069] As described above, the SHP1C of this embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1C in which an internal space S is formed between the heat-radiating plate 2 and the heat-receiving plate 3. A capillary structure and a working fluid are enclosed in the internal space S. The heat-receiving plate 3 has a housing portion 11 protruding in a direction opposite to the heat-radiating plate 2. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11 has a plurality of heat-receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat-receiving portions is a first concave heat-receiving portion 14 formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat-receiving portion 14. By bringing the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, which can hold a large amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the heat source P1 having a low temperature, and bringing the second concave heat-receiving portion 15, which can hold a small amount of the liquid-phase working fluid, into thermal contact with the heat source P2 having a high temperature, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14.

[0070] In addition, the SHP1C of the present embodiment has a second concave heat receiving portion 15 in which a plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, and a second capillary structure 6C is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15. The holding rate of the working fluid of at least one of the second capillary structure 5C disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 and the third capillary structure 6C disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion 15 is the same as the holding rate of the working fluid of the first capillary structure 4C disposed on the bottom surface portion 12. Therefore, the liquid-phase working fluid can be uniformly held in the one-side capillary structure 4C1 and the second capillary structure 5C. Also, the liquid-phase working fluid can be uniformly held in the other-side capillary structure 4C2 and the third capillary structure 6C.

[0071] In addition, in the SHP1C of the present embodiment, a plurality of heat receiving portions are in thermal contact with different heat sources P1, P2, and P3 respectively. When the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 are different, the second concave heat receiving portion 15 with a small holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P2 with a high temperature, and the first concave heat receiving portion 14 with a large holdable amount of the working fluid is in thermal contact with the heat source P1 with a low temperature. Therefore, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

[0072] In addition, in the SHP1C of the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0073] FIG. 10 shows the SHP1D in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Here, differences from the first to fourth embodiments will be described, and descriptions of common points with the first to fourth embodiments will be omitted. This embodiment uses a heat receiving plate 3D in which the second concave heat receiving portion 15 of the first embodiment is not formed. Since the second concave heat receiving portion 15 is not formed, the third capillary structure 6 is not used either. Other parts are the same as those of the SHP1 in the first embodiment.

[0074] In the case of this embodiment, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P3 rise and the working fluid in the liquid phase is heated via the heat receiving plate 3D (bottom 16, flat heat receiving part 19) and becomes the working fluid in the gas phase, the working fluid in the gas phase moves to the side of the heat radiating plate 2. The working fluid in the gas phase comes into thermal contact with the heat radiating plate 2, so that the heat radiating plate 2 receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat radiating plate 2 to the outside of the SHP1D. The gas-phase working fluid with reduced temperature condenses, becomes the liquid phase, moves to the heat receiving plate 3D side, and moves to the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5 by the capillary force of the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5, and is held inside the first capillary structure 4 and the first concave heat receiving part 14. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1D, and the heat sources P1 and P3 can be cooled to mitigate the temperature rise of the device.

[0075] As described above, the SHP1D of this embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1D that forms an internal space S between the heat radiating plate 2 and the heat receiving plate 3D. The internal space S is enclosed with a capillary structure and a working fluid. The heat receiving plate 3D has a housing part 11 protruding in a direction opposite to the heat radiating plate 2. The bottom surface part 12 of the housing part 11 has a plurality of heat receiving parts, and at least one of the plurality of heat receiving parts is a first concave heat receiving part 14 formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface part 12 and the first concave heat receiving part 14. Even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1 and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat source P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the working fluid in the liquid phase in the first concave heat receiving part 14.

[0076] Further, in the SHP1D of this embodiment, the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface part 12 is a mesh body in which metal wires are woven, and the second capillary structure 5 disposed in the first concave heat receiving part 14 is a fiber sintered felt obtained by sintering metal fibers. Since the fiber sintered felt has a higher retention rate of the working fluid in the liquid phase than the mesh body, it is possible to easily move the working fluid in the liquid phase from the first capillary structure 4 to the second capillary structure 5. As a result, it is possible to easily store the working fluid in the liquid phase in the first concave heat receiving part 14.

[0077] In addition, the SHP1D of the present embodiment has a flat heat receiving portion 19 in which at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0078] FIG. 11 shows the SHP1E in the sixth embodiment of the present invention. Here, the differences from the first to fifth embodiments will be described, and the description of the common points with the first to fifth embodiments will be omitted. The SHP1E includes a heat dissipation plate 2E as a first plate, a heat receiving plate 3E as a second plate, a first capillary structure 4 and a second capillary structure 5 as capillary structures accommodated in the heat receiving plate 3E, and a working fluid (not shown).

[0079] The heat dissipation plate 2E is formed with a plurality of support portions 8 and a plurality of support portions 8E that are longer than the support portions 8 and protrude in the direction of the heat receiving plate 3E.

[0080] The heat receiving plate 3E integrally has a first concave heat receiving portion 14 recessed in a direction opposite to the heat dissipation plate 2E, a second concave heat receiving portion 15E recessed in the direction of the heat dissipation plate 2E, and a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat.

[0081] Since the accommodating portion 11E of the heat receiving plate 3E is formed with the second concave heat receiving portion 15E, it is formed deeper than the accommodating portion 11 of the first to fifth embodiments.

[0082] The bottom portion 16 of the first concave heat receiving portion 14 is in thermal contact with the heat source P1 to be cooled, the top plate portion 20 of the second concave heat receiving portion 15E is in thermal contact with the heat source P2 to be cooled, and the flat heat receiving portion 19 is in thermal contact with the heat source P3 to be cooled.

[0083] The first capillary structure 4 is disposed along the bottom surface portion 12 and is bent along the second concave heat receiving portion 15E. Among the first capillary structure 4, the support portion 8 abuts on the portion disposed along the second concave heat receiving portion 15E, and the support portion 8E abuts on the other portions.

[0084] In the case of this embodiment, when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise and the liquid-phase working fluid is heated through the heat-receiving plate 3 (bottom portion 16, top plate portion 20, flat heat-receiving portion 19) and becomes a gas-phase working fluid, the gas-phase working fluid moves toward the heat-radiating plate 2E side. At this time, even when the heat of the heat source P2 is conducted to the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 side through the bottom surface portion 12 or the gas-phase working fluid or the like, since the liquid-phase working fluid is held in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14, the heat from the heat source P2 is received by this liquid-phase working fluid, and it is extremely difficult for the heat to be transferred to the heat source P1. The gas-phase working fluid comes into thermal contact with the heat-radiating plate 2E, so that the heat-radiating plate 2E receives heat from the working fluid and radiates heat from the heat-radiating plate 2E to the outside of the SHP1E. The gas-phase working fluid with a decreased temperature condenses, becomes a liquid phase, moves toward the heat-receiving plate 3E side, and moves into the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5 by the capillary force of the first capillary structure 4 and the second capillary structure 5, and is held inside the first capillary structure 4 and the first concave heat-receiving portion 14. In this way, heat transport is performed by the working fluid inside the SHP1E, and the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 are cooled, so that the temperature rise of the device can be alleviated.

[0085] As described above, the SHP1E of this embodiment is a sheet-shaped heat pipe 1E that forms an internal space S between the heat-radiating plate 2E and the heat-receiving plate 3E. A capillary structure and a working fluid are enclosed in the internal space S. The heat-receiving plate 3E has a housing portion 11E that protrudes in a direction opposite to the heat-radiating plate 2E. The bottom surface portion 12 of the housing portion 11E has a plurality of heat-receiving portions, and at least one of the plurality of heat-receiving portions is a first concave heat-receiving portion 14 formed in a concave shape. The capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 and the first concave heat-receiving portion 14. By bringing the first concave heat-receiving portion 14 storing the liquid-phase working fluid into thermal contact with the heat source P1 having a lower temperature and bringing the second concave heat-receiving portion 15 into thermal contact with the heat source P2 having a higher temperature, even when the temperatures of the heat sources P1, P2, and P3 rise, it is possible to make it difficult for the heat of the heat sources P2 and P3 to be conducted to the heat source P1 by the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat-receiving portion 14.

[0086] In addition, in the SHP1E of the present embodiment, the first capillary structure 4 disposed on the bottom surface portion 12 is a mesh body in which metal wires are woven, and the second capillary structure 5 disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion 14 is a fiber sintered felt obtained by sintering metal fibers. Since the fiber sintered felt has a higher retention rate of the liquid-phase working fluid than the mesh body, it is possible to easily move the liquid-phase working fluid from the first capillary structure 4 to the second capillary structure 5. As a result, it is possible to easily store the liquid-phase working fluid in the first concave heat receiving portion 14.

[0087] In addition, in the SHP1E of the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion 19 formed flat. Therefore, the heat source P3 can be brought into thermal contact with the flat heat receiving portion 19 that is not formed in a concave shape for cooling.

[0088] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the outer shapes of the SHP1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E can be other outer shapes corresponding to the position of the heat source of the device on which the SHP1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are mounted and the arrangement of the surrounding components. Further, the shapes, depths, and types of the fiber sintered felts accommodated in the first concave heat receiving portions 14, 14A, 14B, the second concave heat receiving portions 15, 15E, and the SHP1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1C, 1D, 1E can be appropriately determined according to the shape, position, temperature, etc. of the heat source. Further, three or more heat receiving portions may be formed.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0089] 1 SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 1A SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 1B SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 1C SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 1D SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 1E SHP (Sheet Heat Pipe) 2 Heat Dissipation Plate (First Plate) 2E Heat Dissipation Plate (First Plate) 3 Heating Plate (Second Plate) 3A Heating Plate (Second Plate) 3B Heating Plate (Second Plate) 3D Heating Plate (Second Plate) 3E Heating Plate (Second Plate) 4 First Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 4C First Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 5 Second Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 5A Second Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 5B Second Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 5C Second Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 6 Third Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 6A Third Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 6B Third Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 6C Third Capillary Structure (Capillary Structure) 11 Accommodating Portion 11E Accommodating Portion 12 Bottom Surface Portion 14 First Concave Heating Portion 14A First Concave Heating Portion 14B First Concave Heating Portion 15 Second Concave Heating Portion 16A Bottom 17 Bottom 19 Flat Heating Portion P1 Heat Source (Object to be Cooled) P2 Heat Source (Object to be Cooled) P3 Heat Source (Object to be Cooled) S Internal Space

Claims

1. A sheet-shaped heat pipe that forms an internal space between a first plate and a second plate, wherein a capillary structure and a working fluid are enclosed in the internal space, the second plate has a receiving portion protruding in a direction opposite to the first plate, the bottom surface portion of the receiving portion has a plurality of heat receiving portions, at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a first concave heat receiving portion formed in a concave shape, the capillary structure is disposed on the bottom surface portion and the first concave heat receiving portion, the plurality of heat receiving portions are in thermal contact with different objects to be cooled, when the temperatures of the objects to be cooled are different, the heat receiving portion with a small holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the object to be cooled having a high temperature, and the heat receiving portion with a large holdable amount of the working fluid is brought into thermal contact with the object to be cooled having a low temperature. A sheet-shaped heat pipe characterized by having such a structure.

2. It has a second concave heat receiving portion in which the plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, the capillary structure is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion, The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the holding rate of the working fluid of at least one of the capillary structure disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion and the capillary structure disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion is equivalent to the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed on the bottom surface portion.

3. The plurality of heat receiving portions have a second concave heat receiving portion formed in a concave shape, the capillary structure is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion, The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed on the bottom surface portion, the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion are all different.

4. It has a second concave heat receiving portion in which the plurality of heat receiving portions are formed in a concave shape, the capillary structure is disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion, The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the first concave heat receiving portion and the volume of the second concave heat receiving portion are different.

5. The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 4, wherein the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed on the bottom surface portion, the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed in the first concave heat receiving portion, and the holding rate of the working fluid of the capillary structure disposed in the second concave heat receiving portion are all equivalent.

6. The capillary structure disposed on the bottom surface portion is a mesh body incorporating metal wires, The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the capillary structure disposed on the heat receiving portion is a fiber sintered felt obtained by sintering metal fibers.

7. The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the area of the bottom of the first concave heat receiving portion is different from the area of the bottom of the second concave heat receiving portion.

8. The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the depth of the first concave heat receiving portion is different from the depth of the second concave heat receiving portion.

9. The sheet-shaped heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of heat receiving portions is a flat heat receiving portion formed flat.

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