Cray Research, Inc.

Other

Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Bradley W Bartilson

Elliot F Schlimme

James Joseph Jirak

Steven Nolan

Ronald Kunkel

A 'super fuel efficient', safe, low-cost and yet high performance 4-wheeled vehicle is configured with motorcycle wheels and tires having continuous radius tires and of outside diameter (20-26 inches). A special configuration of the invention permits a 4-wheeled vehicle to naturally camber while engaging a corner, or while maneuvering on a slope. Integration of a 'short-cycling', low storage mass hybrid drivetrain into the vehicle, and further, an exhaust heat energy recovery system, secures the efficiency opportunity.

Safe, super-efficient, four-wheeled vehicle employing large diameter wheels with continuous-radius tires, with leaning option

A thermal-to-electrical conversion system converts internal combustion engine exhaust heat into useful electrical energy in a hybrid vehicle system. The converted energy is sent to an energy-storage control system via a DC-DC converter. High power-density storage medium (e.g. ultracapacitors) is used in the designated 'short-cycle' hybrid design to maximize transfer efficiency and capacity while minimizing weight. An upconversion circuit within the control system allows high use of the storage capacity. Employed in a lightweight vehicle platform, the system addresses the most significant barriers to achieving high transportation efficiency-mass and combustion energy loss to waste heat.

Hybrid drivetrain with waste heat energy conversion into electricity

A serial hybrid drivetrain enables 'super-efficiency' (fuel efficiency exceeding 100 miles-per-gallon) in a lightweight transportation vehicle, utilizing only high power density storage media (for example ultracapacitor media), with the total energy of storage constrained to minimize storage mass, and the resulting low energy requiring a short-cycle of charge and discharge. A unique control system design enables a high extraction of the total energy from the medium, as well as full-rate recovery of regenerative braking energy.

Short-cycling serial hybrid drivetrain with high power density storage

The control system for an UltraCapacitor (or 'SuperCapacitor) based energy storage system consists of a relay switch, a voltage up-converting device (e.g. DC-DC converter), regulated power supplies and a comparator circuit. The comparator circuit compares the storage system output voltage with a reference voltage, causing the storage system output to be diverted through a voltage up-converting device when the said voltage has declined to a threshold value (typically set by the load requirements). Wide-input range power supplies enable consistent operation of the circuit as the UltraCapacitor system output bus voltage declines. The wide-range of input allowed by the up-converting device enables the continuance of power drain from the UltraCapacitors, i.e. more efficient use of available storage capacity, while maintaining the required output voltage to the load. Efficiency is increased by direct connection of the UltaCapacitor system to the load bus until its voltage falls below stated threshold. In the case of a given 48 VDC system electric motor application, 500% more energy is extracted from the UltraCapacitor system with the stated control system than would be permitted by the load voltage requirements without such system.

Method and apparatus to maximize stored energy in UltraCapacitor Systems

Diamond is used as an electrically insulating substrate in multi-layer devices. In a transformer, the first electrical conductor forms a coil. The first electrical conductor is formed in a plurality of layers. Electrical carriers are formed on a layer to make an electrical path around a core of ferrous material. The second conductor forms a second coil of the transformer and also wraps around the core of ferrous material. Using diamond is advantageous in a transformer since the diamond is very effective at transferring heat from the core. The diamond also electrically insulates the various portions of the transformer. An electronic packaging concept includes mounting one or more electronic components to a substrate including a layer of diamond. The layer of diamond is sufficient to transfer heat from the one or more electronic components attached to the diamond substrate. The entire substrate can also be made of diamond. Diamond is unique in that it is a good electrical conductor as well as a good thermal conductor.

Diamond-based transformers and power convertors

An apparatus for electrically connecting a plurality chips to a circuit board includes a pair of ceramic chip carriers that have flexible circuits connected to the electrical contact locations on each ceramic chip. The apparatus for electrically connecting a plurality chips to a circuit board may also include an area between two chip connect surfaces which has multiple metallization layers isolated from one another by flexible isolation material. A flexible circuit extends beyond the edge of the ceramic chip or the chip-connect area and forms a flap. The flexible circuit flap includes electrical paths to pads on the chip-connect area of the device. Each flap portion of the flexible circuit has a set of pads. The pads on the flaps of the first and second ceramic chips are positioned to connect to a third set of pads on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is provided with pads positioned so that the pads on the flaps will correspond to the pads on the flaps of the ceramic chips. The circuit board is positioned near the edge of the first ceramic substrate and the second ceramic substrate so that the flaps of the first and second flexible circuit contact the third set of pads on said circuit board. The first and second ceramic chips having flexible circuit flaps or the device with the metallized layers isolated by flexible nonconductive material, can be stacked on one another to provide a very densely packaged unit. If cooling is a concern, thermally conducting surfaces can also be stacked with the devices. The thermally conductive surfaces can be heat pipes or surface treatments on the flat surface of the chip which conduct heat away from the components.

System for stacking of integrated circuit packages

An interconnection device has a multiplicity of individual arms attached to a carrier board. The carrier board includes vias which go through the board and have a pad on the top and bottom of the board near the via. Attached to each via pad is an arm. The arm is attached so that its free end extends out over the clearance hole in the carrier board. The free end of the arm positioned over the clearance hole includes a surface treatment which allows the free end to make good electrical contact with a mating device. Each of the arms is positioned so that it corresponds to the pads on the device to which it will connect. Each of the arms acts as a cantilevered beam. The arms are deflected. The geometry, material, material temper, and surface plating allow for a very low overall force having to be applied to the interconnection in order to provide good electrical contact between the first module and second module being interconnected. The amount of compliance may be 10 to 12 mils. Compliance will vary widely depending on pitch.

Demateable, compliant, area array interconnect

The invention is a computer module for scalably adding computing power and cooling capacity to a computer system. Computing power can be added by merely adding additional printed circuit cards to the computing module. Cooling capability is added by adding heat pipes to the computer module. The computing module for a computer includes a first heat pipe assembly. The first heat pipe assembly has an evaporator plate with an evaporator surface. The first heat pipe also has a condenser in fluid communication with the evaporator plate. The evaporator plate is positioned adjacent one side of a printed circuit board populated with at least one electronic component. The computing module may use a printed circuit board which has two sides populated with electronic components. When a printed circuit board having components on two sides is used, a second heat pipe having the same construction, namely an evaporator plate with an evaporator surface and a condenser in fluid communication with said evaporator plate, is positioned adjacent the other side of said printed circuit board so that the electronic components on the other side are positioned adjacent said evaporator surface of said second heat pipe. The evaporator plate of each heat pipe is connected to the condenser by a plurality of necked-down regions. This forms at least one window between the condenser and the evaporator plate of each heat pipe. When more than one heat pipe is used in the computing module, the windows of the various heat pipes align. Electrical connector components can be routed through the windows. The connector component connects the edge of the printed circuit board positioned near the windows. Additional building blocks, comprising one additional heat pipe and one additional populated printed circuit card can be added to further scale up or upgrade a computer system.

Large area, multi-device heat pipe for stacked MCM-based systems

An air distribution system for electronic components utilizes an air supply unit with a silencer unit. The silencer unit attenuates sound associated with the air unit blowers with inlet and discharge silencers. The blowers have check valves which provide for isolating each blower for continued operation even with one blower. The cooling air is transported to a circuit board module stack from the blowers through ducts and a bank of rod valves. The valves allow maximum air flow to the modules with minimum resistance. The ducts have a flexible portion which have quick disconnects and act to isolate the modules from vibrations and static. The modules utilize channels in an air plate with different sized baffles to provide even distribution of cooling air to the printed circuit boards.

Air distribution system and manifold for cooling electronic components

In a cooling system, an air manifold provides an equalized static pressure so that the air manifold evenly distributes air in a uniform basis without varying static pressures and volumes at each chip site on a printed circuit board. The air manifold is also distributes this air at the lowest possible volume so that the pumping energy required and the associated pumping noise are minimized.

Air manifold for cooling electronic components

A monitoring system for printed circuit boards which are air-cooled utilizes temperature sensors which have thermal diodes embedded directly into the integrated circuits. The thermal diodes are part of the fully-functioning integrated circuit which utilize voltages on the board for driving so that no added power sources are required. The thermal diode has a voltage which is inversely proportional to the temperature and can be calibrated so that a given voltage can be converted into a given temperature. This can be utilized by a logic controller to monitor and control cooling. Pressure sensors are also used with the temperature sensors to monitor air pressure along the ducts leading to the printed circuit boards. Pressure sensors also utilize voltages from the board for driving and have an amplification circuit to increase the signal. The pressure reading can also be utilized by a logic controller for controlling and monitoring the cooling of the boards.

Printed circuit board with cooling monitoring system

Temperature monitoring system for air-cooled electric components

An air manifold mounted adjacent to a circuit board for directing air jets onto electronic devices mounted on the circuit board. The air manifold has an air inlet and a plurality of outlet nozzles positioned along the channel for directing air onto the electronic devices. A plurality of members are positioned next to the nozzles with the members increasing in length as the distance between the inlet and the outlets increase.

Air manifold for cooling electronic devices

A high reliability, non-blocking air filter for filtering large volumes of low pressure air from equipment to be maintained free of dust and impurities while being ventilated during operation is disclosed. The filter media is mounted in a frame having a U-shaped cross section construction, which is attached over an air intake opening of the piece of equipment. The filter media includes a planar base surface and a plurality of projections. The tops of the projections define a surface above said planar base surface for supporting free-flowing articles so as such that these articles do not obstruct the air flow through the air intake filter.

Air filtering apparatus

An air-jet impingement cooling method combined with a miniature pin-fin heat sink provides equivalent fluid flow to each IC package in a module and achieves a high heat transfer rate per volume. The packaging design is comparable to high-density packaging systems utilizing low-temperature coolant.

Growing community of inventors

Chippewa Falls, WI, United States of America

Bradley W Bartilson