Liquid Metal Thermal Pad Compression for Lower Thermal Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal pads for vehicle-mounted chips with high computing power have poor thermal conductivity and excessive thickness, leading to high thermal resistance and ineffective heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A thermal pad design featuring a tubular structure with liquid metal enclosed by elastic shells and metal covers, allowing for compression to reduce thickness and enhance heat conduction through high thermal conductivity and elastic deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a thermal pad is made with traditional materials (metal oxide or silicone gel), then the manufacturing is simple, but the thermal conductivity is poor and thermal resistance is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses liquid metal as the core heat conduction material, which has significantly higher thermal conductivity than traditional metal oxide or silicone gel materials. The liquid metal is encapsulated within an elastic shell structure, creating a composite system that combines the high thermal conductivity of liquid metal with the mechanical flexibility and sealability of the elastic shell. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by achieving superior thermal performance while maintaining manufacturability through the encapsulation design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and thermal properties of the heat conduction material from solid (metal oxide or silicone gel) to liquid (liquid metal). This parameter change enables dramatically improved thermal conductivity. The liquid metal can flow and adapt to contact surfaces, ensuring optimal thermal contact while providing the high thermal conductivity needed to resolve the contradiction between ease of manufacture and thermal performance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the thermal pad thickness is increased to 1-2 mm to accommodate manufacturing tolerances, then the structural stability is improved, but the thermal resistance becomes very large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an elastic shell to encapsulate the liquid metal, creating a flexible thermal pad structure. This elastic shell can deform and adapt to manufacturing tolerances and surface irregularities, providing structural stability without requiring excessive thickness. The flexibility of the elastic shell allows the thermal pad to maintain stable contact while keeping the thickness minimal, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural stability and thermal resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal pad is designed with dynamic characteristics through the elastic shell that can compress and deform. During assembly, the thermal pad can be compressed to reduce thickness and eliminate air gaps, optimizing thermal contact. This dynamic capability allows the thermal pad to adapt to different assembly conditions and maintain low thermal resistance while providing structural stability, resolving the contradiction between thickness and thermal performance.
3Reliability
If the thermal pad thickness is reduced to minimize thermal resistance, then the heat conduction effect is improved, but the ability to accommodate manufacturing tolerances deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic shell encapsulating the liquid metal provides flexibility and compliance that allows the thin thermal pad to accommodate manufacturing tolerances. The elastic material can deform to compensate for variations in component dimensions and assembly alignment, ensuring reliable thermal contact even with minimal thickness. This resolves the contradiction by enabling thin design for low thermal resistance while maintaining tolerance accommodation through material flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical properties of the thermal pad by using liquid metal within an elastic shell, creating a material system with high compliance and adaptability. This parameter change in material properties allows the thermal pad to maintain effective contact under compression while keeping thickness minimal, thereby achieving both low thermal resistance and tolerance accommodation simultaneously.
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 design significantly reduces thermal resistance and improves heat dissipation efficiency by compressing the thermal pad to minimize thickness while maintaining effective contact with electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
filling the liquid metal into the elastic shell can not only implement good heat conduction effect by using high thermal conductivity of the liquid metal
Implementation Method 2
implement compression on the thermal pad during assembly of the thermal pad by using compressibility of the elastic shell
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4(F)
Figure 5(A)~7
AI summary
A thermal pad and an electronic device are disclosed, and relate to the field of heat dissipation technologies, to effectively dissipate heat of an electronic component. The thermal pad includes a first cover, a second cover, an elastic shell, and liquid metal. The elastic shell is bent and closed into a tubular structure. The first cover and the second cover are respectively mounted at two ends of the tubular structure to form a closed cavity. The closed cavity is configured to accommodate the liquid metal. Filling the liquid metal into the elastic shell not only implements good heat conduction effect by using high thermal conductivity of the liquid metal, but also implements compression on the thermal pad during assembly of the thermal pad by using compressibility of the elastic shell, to reduce a thickness of the thermal pad as much as possible. This reduces thermal resistance of the thermal pad, and further improves heat conduction effect of the thermal pad, thereby helping effectively dissipate heat of the electronic component.