Vapor Chamber Wick with Variable Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vapor chambers with penetration or cutout portions for accommodating other components around them experience reduced heat transportation capacity due to narrow internal spaces, which interrupt the flow of the working medium.
Innovation Solution
A vapor chamber design with a wick having varying thickness along its cross-section, supported by pillars, allows for increased capacity in transporting both liquid and gas working media by optimizing the wick's arrangement and structure to enhance capillary force and vapor passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If penetration portions or cutout portions are formed in the vapor chamber to avoid interference with surrounding components, then adaptability to other components is improved, but heat transportation capacity deteriorates due to narrow internal spaces interrupting working medium flow
Solution Approach 1:
The wick is designed with variable thickness along its cross-section, with thicker regions positioned at locations corresponding to penetration portions or cutout portions. This local quality enhancement ensures that the wick maintains sufficient capillary action and working medium transport capacity even when the internal space is constricted by openings, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and heat transportation capacity.
2Productivity
If the wick thickness is increased to enhance liquid working medium transport capacity, then heat transportation capacity is improved, but device complexity increases due to variable thickness structure
Solution Approach 1:
The wick's thickness parameter is varied along its cross-section rather than maintaining a uniform thickness. This parameter change allows the wick to provide enhanced capillary action and working medium transport capacity in critical regions (thicker portions) while maintaining a simpler structure in other areas, thereby improving heat transportation capacity without uniformly increasing device 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
This design significantly increases the heat transportation capacity of the vapor chamber by ensuring efficient movement of both liquid and gas working media, minimizing interference with surrounding components and maintaining high heat dissipation performance.
Implementation Method 1
a wick for transporting the working medium by capillary force
Implementation Method 2
The working medium absorbs heat from a heat generation element in an evaporation portion which absorbs heat from the heat generation element, evaporates in the vapor chamber
Implementation Method 3
moves to a condensation portion, and is cooled to return to be in a liquid phase
Implementation Method 4
can diffuse heat two dimensionally at high speed by utilizing evaporation latent heat and condensation latent heat of the working medium
Data Source
AI summary
A vapor chamber that includes a housing defining an internal space, a first pillar arranged in the internal space of the housing to support the housing from the internal space, a working medium enclosed in the internal space of the housing, and a wick arranged in the internal space of the housing, the wick having a portion of a first main surface thereof supported by the first pillar so as to be spaced from the housing, and a thickness of the wick is partially different along a cross-section thereof.