Thermacore, Inc.

Thermal Corporation

The Whitaker Corporation

George A Meyer, Iv

Jerome E Toth

Scott D Garner

Richard W Longsderff

Attalee Snarr Taylor

Mai-Loan Thi Tran

Robert F Coleman

An apparatus is a heat conducting connection between a heat pipe and a structure such as an integrated circuit heat sink. The heat sink contains a groove with extension tabs protruding above edges of the groove so that the tabs can be bent over to hold the heat pipe in the groove which is dimensioned to give a clearance space around the heat pipe. When the tabs are bent down far enough to deform the heat pipe or a heat conductive hardening material is used to fill the clearance space, the heat pipe is fixed in place. If the tabs are bent down to barely contact the heat pipe and a heat conductive non-hardening material is used to fill the clearance space, the heat pipe can still be rotated within the groove.

Integrated circuit heat sink with rotatable heat pipe

The apparatus is a device for transferring heat across the hinged joint between the two sections of the case of a laptop computer. Two simple heat pipe cylinders are inserted into parallel cylindrical holes in a heat conductive block. One cylinder is bonded within its hole, and the other cylinder is permitted to rotate within its hole. The axis of the rotatable cylinder is located in line with the axis of the mechanical hinges which permit the panels to pivot relative to each other. A heat producing device in one panel can be then attached to one heat pipe, and a heat sink on the other panel can be attached to the other heat pipe. The heat transfer between the heat source and the heat sink is essentially that of a heat pipe except for the very short heat conductive path through the solid block and the one rotating joint.

Heat pipes inserted into first and second parallel holes in a block for

The apparatus is a heat sink for an integrated circuit chip which uses heat pipe cooling to remove the heat. The heat sink is a heat conductive structure such as a bowl which is associated with the integrated circuit socket, with the heat conductive structure held against the integrated circuit. A heat pipe is attached to the structure by using an extension from the heat conductive structure and wrapping the extension around a simple cylindrical heat pipe. One embodiment uses spring clips to attach the heat sink to the socket, and another version uses attachment screws through tabs which are formed from the material around a bowl shaped heat conductive structure.

Integrated circuit heat seat

The invention is an apparatus for attaching a heat pipe to an integrated circuit or other surface. The heat pipe is held against the flat surface by a heat conducting clamp constructed as a 'U' cross section with flanges on the ends of the 'U' section, and both the heat pipe and the clamp are held onto the integrated circuit or other surface with heat conductive tape which has adhesive on both its faces. The heat pipe itself can be deformed so that its contact surface also is flat and yields better heat transfer with the integrated circuit.

Integrated circuit with taped heat pipe

The disclosure is for a heat pipe in the form of a simple foil envelope and a method of constructing such a heat pipe. Two plastic coated metal foil sheets are sealed together on all four edges to enclose a semi-rigid channeled sheet of plastic foam, and the envelope is evacuated and loaded with a suitable quantity of liquid to act as a heat pipe. Despite the use of the essentially poor thermally conductive materials such as the plastic coating on the surface of the casing and the foam plastic for the wick, the apparatus operates well as a heat spreader for an integrated circuit chip placed in contact with the envelope surface. The heat is transferred across the thin plastic coating with only a small temperature differential, and the foam plastic wick with channels efficiently transports condensed liquid back to the heat input location for evaporation.

Electrically insulated envelope heat pipe

The apparatus is a cooling device for an integrated circuit chip which includes a heat conductive pad for contact with the top surface of the chip and for attachment to a heat pipe to dispose of the heat. One surface of the pad is flat and contacts the circuit chip while the opposite surface of the pad is attached to a simple cylindrical heat pipe. The pad includes extensions from its sides to which a holding fixture applies force so that the pad is held tightly against the chip. The holding fixture is held on the mounting board by screws while the top of the pad which is attached to the heat pipe protrudes through a hole in the holding fixture. A finned heat exchanger is attached to an end of the heat pipe remote from the conductive pad.

Integrated circuit cooling apparatus

A heat pipe cooling plate in which one or more heat pipes sandwiched between cover plates is an expandable heat pipe made with thin flexible walls forming the heat pipe casing. One advantage of such an expandable heat pipe within the cooling plate structure is that the heat pipe need not be bonded to the outer casing. Instead, the heat pipe balloons out when the vapor pressure increases upon heating, and the flexible heat pipe casing moves into intimate contact with the boundary surfaces of the cooling plate.

Cooling plate with internal expandable heat pipe

A flat cooling plate which is assembled with individual heat pipes which are annealed, flattened tubes with sintered wicks formed within them. The completely constructed and pre-tested heat pipes are set into slots in a spacer plate which is sandwiched between two unslotted flat sheets. For assembly, bonding material is placed between the slotted plate and unslotted sheets, and the assembly is heated to the bonding material working temperature while compressed in a press in order to prevent damage from excessive internal heat pipe pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Conestoga, PA, United States of America

George A Meyer, Iv