Floating Cold Plate Spring Bridge Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional thermal management systems face challenges in achieving effective heat transfer and contact pressure in thin form factor devices due to reduced space and stiffness, leading to compromised thermal management performance.
Innovation Solution
A heat transfer device with a 'floating' cold plate and a spring mechanism that uses a bridge component to span over the cold plate, allowing for independent deformation and varying contact force and location, enabling thin and lightweight designs while maintaining effective thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If traditional thermal management systems are used in thin form factor devices, then the device thickness is reduced, but the contact pressure and thermal management performance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into independent functional modules: a cold plate for heat transfer and a spring mechanism for contact pressure generation. The spring mechanism includes a bridge component that spans over the cold plate, allowing independent deformation of each component. This segmentation enables the cold plate to remain thin while the spring mechanism provides sufficient contact pressure through its elastic deformation, resolving the contradiction between reduced thickness and maintained thermal performance.
2Length of moving object
If the cold plate is made thinner to achieve thin form factor design, then the device becomes more compact, but the contact pressure and contact quality are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge component acts as an intermediary between the spring mechanism and the cold plate. It spans over the cold plate and transfers the contact pressure generated by the spring mechanism to the cold plate, enabling the thin cold plate to receive sufficient contact pressure without compromising its thinness or thermal performance.
3Device complexity
If the spring mechanism is directly connected to the cold plate, then the structure is simplified, but the cold plate deforms with the spring mechanism reducing contact quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the spring mechanism from direct connection to the cold plate by introducing a bridge component. The spring mechanism deforms independently to generate contact pressure, while the bridge component spans over the cold plate to transfer this pressure. This segmentation prevents the cold plate from deforming with the spring mechanism, maintaining contact quality while managing structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for thin and lightweight heat transfer devices that achieve optimal contact pressure and quality, effectively managing heat in thin form factor devices without compromising thermal performance.
Implementation Method 1
A heat transfer device with a 'floating' cold plate and a spring mechanism that uses a bridge component to span over the cold plate, allowing for independent deformation and varying contact force and location
Data Source
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AI summary
A thin design heat transfer device for thermal management is described herein. The heat transfer device uses a cold plate that is independent or "floating" relative to a spring mechanism employed to generate contact pressure with a heat-generating device. A bridge component associated with the spring mechanism is designed to span over the cold plate and contact the cold plate when the spring deforms, which therefore allows the cold plate to be independent of the spring mechanism. The independence between the cold plate and the spring mechanism enables deformation in the spring mechanism to drive contact pressure while eliminating or reducing corresponding deformation in the cold plate. Consequently, components of the heat transfer device may be made relatively thin and have less stiffness than traditional designs, but still provide acceptable contact pressure and quality for effective thermal management.