Cooling Devices and Systems

Abstract

To provide a cooling device for easily connecting a heat receiving part and a ground wire.SOLUTION: A cooling device 1 includes a metal cold plate 11, a casing 12, a pump 13, a ground wire 133, and a conductive component 15. The pump 13 includes a motor 131 for driving an impeller, and a circuit board 132 for controlling the motor. The circuit board 132 is connected to the ground line 133. The conductive component 15 electrically connects the ground wire 133 and the cold plate 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device and a cooling system. [Background technology]

[0002] A liquid-cooled cooling device is known that includes a cooling liquid circulation path to cool areas where the temperature has risen, a heat receiving part that allows the cooling liquid to absorb the heat from the areas where the temperature has risen, a heat dissipation part that releases the heat from the cooling liquid, and a pump that circulates the cooling liquid (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that the heat receiving part is connected to the earth, and that the metal liquid contact part that is connected to the earth is prevented from being charged with static electricity or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2012-058510 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The cooling device in Patent Document 1 does not specifically describe how the heat receiving part and the ground are connected. When installing the device in an actual device, the routing of the ground wire becomes an issue.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device in which the heat receiving portion and the earth wire can be easily connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An exemplary cooling device of the present invention includes a metal cold plate in contact with a heat-generating component, a casing having an internal space and a flow path through which a coolant flows, a conductive component, and a connecting member connecting one end of the conductive component to the cold plate, the other end of which is connected to ground.

[0008] An exemplary cooling system according to the present invention includes the cooling device, a radiator, and a flow pipe connecting the cooling device and the radiator, through which a refrigerant flows. The radiator is electrically connected to the ground. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a cooling device and cooling system is provided that facilitates connection between a cold plate and a conductive component. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary cooling system of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cooling device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cold plate 11 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the circuit board 132 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the cooling device 1 according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the cold plate 11 side. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In this specification, for ease of understanding, a first direction X, a second direction Y, and a third direction Z, which are perpendicular to each other, are appropriately described. Furthermore, one side of the first direction X will be described as one side X1 of the first direction X, and the other side of the first direction X will be described as the other side X2 of the first direction X. Furthermore, one side of the second direction Y will be described as one side Y1 of the second direction Y, and the other side of the second direction Y will be described as the other side Y2 of the second direction Y. Furthermore, one side of the third direction Z will be described as one side Z1 of the third direction Z, and the other side of the third direction Z will be described as the other side Z2 of the third direction Z. Furthermore, for convenience, the first direction X may be described as the up-down direction. One side X1 of the first direction X indicates the downward direction, and the other side X2 of the first direction X indicates the upward direction. However, the up-down direction, the upward direction, and the downward direction are defined for convenience of explanation and do not necessarily correspond to the vertical direction. Furthermore, the up and down directions are defined merely for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the orientation of the cooling device according to the present invention when in use.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary cooling system S of the present invention. The cooling system S includes a cooling device 1, a radiator 2, and a flow path pipe 3. A refrigerant is filled inside the cooling system S and circulates between the cooling device 1 and the radiator 2 through the flow path pipe 3. The cooling device 1 comes into contact with a heat-generating component, receives heat from the heat-generating component, and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The heat from the cooling device 1 travels through the flow path pipe 3 to the radiator 2. The refrigerant passes through the radiator 2, whereby the heat from the cooling device 1 is radiated to the outside. The heat-generating component may be a microprocessor, a semiconductor element such as a power element, a light source for a projector, or any other heat-generating component, and the cooling device 1 is suitable for cooling these heat-generating components.

[0013] The cooling device 1 has a cold plate 11, a casing 12, a pump 13, and a conductive part 15. The pump 13 is connected to a ground 14. The conductive part 15 also connects the cold plate 11 to the ground 14. The conductive part 15 is connected to the cold plate 11 by a connecting member, which will be described later. By connecting the cold plate 11 to the ground 14 via the conductive part 15, the charge on the cold plate 11 can be drained to the ground 14. The ground 14 may be earthed. It may also be connected to the ground of a power supply circuit (not shown) installed in an actual device such as a server.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) 2 is a perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 1 includes a cold plate 11, a casing 12, a pump 13, and a conductive component 15. In the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment, the cold plate 11, the casing 12, and the pump 13 are arranged in this order from the other first direction X2 toward the one first direction X1.

[0015] The casing 12 has a space inside. A flow path through which the refrigerant flows is formed by the internal space of the casing 12 and a flow path portion 111 of the cold plate 11, which will be described later. Heat transferred from the surface of the cold plate 11 on the other side X2 of the first direction is transferred to the refrigerant flowing on the surface of the cold plate 11 on the one side X1 of the first direction.

[0016] The pump 13 has a motor 131, a circuit board 132, and a ground line 133. The motor 131 rotates an impeller (not shown) housed in the casing 12. The circuit board 132 is equipped with a plurality of electronic components (not shown) that control the motor 131. The rotation of the impeller circulates the refrigerant in the cooling system S. A ground line 133 is connected to the circuit board 132, and is electrically connected to the motor 131 and the electronic components.

[0017] The cooling device 1 has a conductive component 15 that electrically connects the cold plate 11 and the ground wire 133. A lead wire is used as the conductive component 15, for example. However, instead of the lead wire, various conductive components such as a conductive plate-shaped component or a conductive tape can be used as long as they are conductive.

[0018] 3 is a perspective view of a cold plate 11 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The cold plate 11 is a plate-shaped component made of metal. Examples of materials that can be used for the cold plate 11 include copper and aluminum, which have high thermal conductivity. A heat-generating component (not shown) is in contact with the surface of the cold plate 11 on the other side X2 of the first direction. The cold plate 11 and the heat-generating component may be in direct contact with each other, or may be indirectly in contact with each other via a member having high thermal conductivity.

[0019] A flow path 111 through which the refrigerant flows is provided on the surface of the cold plate 11 on the first side X1 in the first direction. A plurality of fins 112 extending toward the first side X1 in the first direction are provided on the flow path 111. The plurality of fins 112 are formed from the same material as the cold plate 11. More specifically, they are formed by skiving. Providing the plurality of fins 112 increases the area in contact with the refrigerant, improving heat exchange efficiency.

[0020] As the refrigerant circulates, it comes into contact with the components that make up the cooling system S, causing a transfer of electric charge. As a result of this charge transfer, the cold plate 11 becomes electrically charged. When the cold plate 11 becomes electrically charged, impurities tend to accumulate in the cooling system S. In particular, because the gaps between the fins 112 are small, impurities accumulate in these gaps, reducing the heat exchange efficiency and, as a result, reducing the cooling performance of the heat-generating components.

[0021] By electrically connecting cold plate 11 and ground wire 133 with conductive component 15, the charge on cold plate 11 flows to ground wire 133 via conductive component 15. As a result, the charge on cold plate 11 decreases, reducing the accumulation of impurities in cooling system S. As a result, a decrease in heat exchange efficiency is prevented, and the life of the cooling performance of heat-generating components is extended.

[0022] 2, one end of the conductive part 15 is connected to the cold plate 11. The other end of the conductive part 15 is connected to the circuit board 132. The conductive part 15 is connected to the circuit board 132 while running along the outer circumferential surface of the casing 12.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a circuit board 132 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The circuit board 132 has a first connecting portion 1321, a second connecting portion 1322, and a wiring portion 1323. A ground line 133 is connected to the first connecting portion 1321. A conductive component 15 is connected to the second connecting portion 1322. The wiring portion 1323 connects the first connecting portion 1321 and the second connecting portion 1322. For example, lands are used for the first connecting portion 1321 and the second connecting portion 1322, and the ground line 133 is connected to the conductive component 15 by, for example, soldering. Instead of soldering, a method is also conceivable in which the first connecting portion 1321 and the second connecting portion 1322 are made of connector components and connected to the ground line 133 and the conductive component 15. Furthermore, for example, a copper circuit pattern is used for the wiring portion 1323.

[0024] 2, for convenience, circuit board 132 is shown exposed, but is then embedded in resin. Examples of resins that can be used include potting resins such as urethane resin and epoxy resin. Embedding circuit board 132 in resin also embeds electronic components, connections between ground wire 133 and circuit board 132, and connections between conductive components 15 and circuit board 132 in resin, improving water resistance.

[0025] Connecting conductive part 15 to ground line 133 via circuit board 132 of pump 13 eliminates the need for a ground line separate from the ground line of motor 131 of pump 13. In particular, since conductive part 15 can be concentrated in cooling device 1, the problem of conductive part 15 getting in the way when installing cooling device 1 in an actual machine is reduced.

[0026] (Embodiment 2) 5 is a perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment and the first embodiment have the same structure and effect, except for the method of connecting the ground wire 133A and the conductive component 15A.

[0027] In the second exemplary embodiment, the conductive component 15A is connected to an intermediate portion of the ground line 14A. More specifically, a connector 16 is connected to an intermediate portion of the ground line 14A, and the conductive component 15A is further connected to the connector 16, thereby establishing electrical continuity between the two. An example of the connector 16 is a branch connector.

[0028] In the exemplary second embodiment, when the mounting area of the circuit board 132 is small and the circuit board 132 and the conductive component 15A cannot be connected to each other, the ground line 133A and the conductive component 15A can be electrically connected to each other.

[0029] (Embodiment 3) 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the cold plate 11 side. The third embodiment and the other embodiments have the same structure and effect, except for the method of connecting the conductive part 15B.

[0030] The cooling device 1 according to the third embodiment includes a cold plate 11, a casing 12, and a fastening part 17. The cold plate 11 and the casing 12 are assembled together by the fastening part 17. For example, a screw is used as the fastening part 17. The fastening part 17 is attached to the casing 12 by passing through a hole 113 formed in the cold plate 11 shown in FIG. 3 .

[0031] One end of conductive part 15B is connected to cold plate 11 and fastening part 17. More specifically, one end of conductive part 15B is sandwiched and fixed between cold plate 11 and fastening part 17. For example, conductive part 15B is formed by attaching a ring-shaped round terminal to one end of a lead wire. Then, this round terminal is sandwiched and fixed to cold plate 11 by the head of a screw, which is fastening part 17, thereby electrically connecting cold plate 11 and conductive part 15B.

[0032] This allows conductive part 15B to be connected and fixed to cold plate 11, which is a plate-shaped part. Fastening part 17 is a part that assembles cold plate 11 and casing 12, and allows conductive part 15B and cold plate 11 to be connected without using any other parts.

[0033] The other end of the conductive part 15B is preferably connected to the ground line 133 in the same manner as in the other embodiments, but the same effect can be obtained if it is connected to another ground portion.

[0034] (Embodiment 4) 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a cooling device 1 according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The fourth embodiment and the other embodiments have the same structure and effect, except for the method of connecting the conductive component 15C.

[0035] As in the third embodiment, cooling device 1 has cold plate 11 and casing 12 assembled together with fastening parts 17. One end of conductive part 15C is disposed in the gap between cold plate 11 and casing 12. Then, by assembling cold plate 11 and casing 12 with fastening parts 17, one end of conductive part 15C is sandwiched between cold plate 11 and casing 12. One end of conductive part 15C comes into contact with cold plate 11, thereby establishing an electrical connection.

[0036] This allows conductive part 15C to be connected and fixed to cold plate 11, which is a plate-shaped part. Furthermore, conductive part 15C and cold plate 11 can be connected without using any other parts.

[0037] The other end of the conductive part 15B is preferably connected to the ground line 133 in the same manner as in the other embodiments, but the same effect can be obtained if it is connected to another ground portion.

[0038] (Other embodiments) The heat sink 2 of the cooling system S shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a radiator. The heat sink 2 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. A refrigerant flows inside the heat sink 2, but the heat sink 2 also becomes electrically charged. As shown in Fig. 1, the charge of the heat sink 2 can be released by connecting a ground 21 to the heat sink 2.

[0039] The embodiments (including modifications) of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The present invention can be embodied in various forms. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. For example, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each illustrated component may differ from the actual components due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention can be used in, for example, a cooling device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1: Cooling device 11: Cold plate 111: Flow path section 112: Finn 113: Hole 12: Casing 13: Pump 131: Motor 132: Circuit board 133: Ground line 1321: First connection part 1322: Second connection part 1323:Wiring section 14: Ground 15: Conductive parts 16: Connector 17: Fastening parts

Claims

1. a cold plate made of metal and in contact with the heat-generating component; a casing having an internal space and a flow path through which a refrigerant passes; A conductive component; a connecting member for connecting one end of the conductive component to the cold plate; A pump and and The other end of the conductive component is connected to ground, The pump a motor that rotates the impeller; a circuit board on which electronic components for controlling the motor are mounted; a ground line having one end connected to the circuit board and the other end connected to the ground; and The conductive component is connected to the circuit board and electrically connected to the ground line via the circuit board.

2. A cold plate made of metal that comes into contact with a heat-generating component; a casing having an internal space and a flow path through which a refrigerant passes; A conductive component; a connecting member for connecting one end of the conductive component to the cold plate; A pump and and The other end of the conductive component is connected to ground, The pump a motor that rotates the impeller; a circuit board on which electronic components for controlling the motor are mounted; a ground line having one end connected to the circuit board and the other end connected to the ground; and the conductive component is connected to the circuit board and electrically connected to the ground line via the circuit board; The circuit board includes: a first connection portion connected to the ground line; a second connection portion that connects to the conductive component; a wiring portion connecting the first connection portion and the second connection portion; A cooling device having

3. A cold plate made of metal that contacts a heat-generating component; a casing having an internal space and a flow path through which a refrigerant passes; A conductive component; a connecting member for connecting one end of the conductive component to the cold plate; A pump and and The other end of the conductive component is connected to ground, The pump a motor that rotates the impeller; a circuit board on which electronic components for controlling the motor are mounted; a ground line having one end connected to the circuit board and the other end connected to the ground; and The conductive component is connected to the ground line.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting member is a fastening part that assembles the cold plate and the casing together.

5. the connecting member is the casing, The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein one end of the conductive part is fixed by being sandwiched between the casing and the cold plate.

6. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A heat sink; a flow path pipe connecting the cooling device and the radiator, through which a refrigerant flows; 1. A cooling system comprising: The heat sink is electrically connected to the ground.

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