Vapor Chamber Spacer Layout for Deformation-Resistant Heat Diffusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vapor chambers face issues with deformation due to internal pressure increases from high heat or external forces, limited mechanical strength, and decreased thermal performance due to resistance forces such as gravity and inertial forces, especially when installed in varying environments or moving bodies.
Innovation Solution
The vapor chamber design includes a housing with reinforcing members and a capillary channel structure featuring a two-dimensional lattice pattern, ensuring the capillary force exceeds resistance forces, and the channel structure is optimized to maintain continuous heat diffusion by satisfying specific conditions related to acceleration, work, and evaporation latent heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcing members are added to increase mechanical strength, then the vapor chamber can resist external stress and internal pressure, but the internal space for coolant circulation is reduced and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a sintered metal porous body as the housing material, which inherently provides high mechanical strength and pressure resistance without requiring additional reinforcing members. The porous structure achieves strength-to-weight ratio optimization and eliminates the need for complex internal reinforcement, thereby resolving the contradiction between mechanical strength and manufacturing complexity.
2Reliability
If capillary channel density is increased to improve heat diffusion, then thermal performance improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and resistance forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sintered metal porous body naturally forms capillary channels through its porous structure, eliminating the need for precise machining of individual channels. The capillary channels are formed by the inherent pore structure of the sintered material, which provides sufficient thermal performance while avoiding complex manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical channel formation (machining, drilling) with a sintering process that naturally creates capillary channels. This substitution of manufacturing method reduces precision requirements while maintaining effective heat diffusion through the porous structure.
3Reliability
If vapor chamber thickness is increased to improve heat diffusion capacity, then thermal performance improves, but mechanical strength against external stress decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sintered metal porous body provides high mechanical strength despite reduced thickness because the sintering process creates a dense, interlocked grain structure that resists external stress. The porous housing achieves both thermal performance and mechanical strength without requiring increased thickness, resolving the contradiction between heat diffusion capacity and mechanical strength.
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 effectively suppresses deformation and maintains continuous heat diffusion by ensuring the capillary force exceeds resistance forces, preventing dryout and maintaining thermal performance regardless of installation posture or environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a capillary channel through which the coolant liquefied by heat radiation is sent to the heat receiving portion by a capillary force
Implementation Method 2
A liquefied coolant that receives heat by a heat receiving portion evaporates, vaporizes, and moves to a condensing portion in the surface direction and the thickness direction by a pressure difference in the internal space
Implementation Method 3
A liquefied coolant that receives heat by a heat receiving portion evaporates, vaporizes
Implementation Method 4
The vaporized coolant that reaches the condensing portion discharges the heat, condenses, and liquefies
Implementation Method 5
a plurality of reinforcing members that reinforces the housing in a thickness direction is arranged in the internal space along a surface direction of the housing
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A vapor chamber (1) includes a housing (50) having a flat plate shape and having an internal space (20), the housing (50) includes a heat receiving portion (3) that receives heat from a heat source body (2), a vapor channel (5) through which a coolant (CO) vaporized in the heat receiving portion (3) moves, and a capillary channel (4) through which the coolant (CO) liquefied by heat radiation is sent to the heat receiving portion (3) by a capillary force, and a plurality of spacers (42) that reinforces the housing (50) is arranged in the internal space (20) along a surface direction of the housing (50). In a case where a permissible amount of a bending deformation amount of the housing (50) is δc [mm], a modulus of longitudinal elasticity of the housing (50) is E [N/mm2], a moment of inertia of area of the housing (50) is I [mm2], and a uniform distribution load that is a load per unit length applied to the housing (50) by an internal pressure or an external pressure generated in the internal space (20) is w [N/mm], an interval Lsp [mm] between the spacers (42) and bonding protrusions (17) adjacent to each other is prescribed in such a way as to satisfy an equation below. Lsp<384δcEI5w4