Cooling Liquid Device for a Computer

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquid cooling device for a computer, provided for a housing ( 1 ), enclosing a computer processor. In order to dissipate the heat by a radiant effect, the device advantageously comprises heat-removal means ( 20, 22, 23, 25 ) within the housing, attached to a lower wall ( 100 ), an upperwall ( 105 ) and at least one lateral wall ( 102, 103 ) of the housing ( 1 ). Each of the heat-removal means has two walls (P 1, P 2 ) at a separation from each other, made from a thermally-conducting material between which at least one circulation channel for a fluid is formed which is connected by a closed circuit ( 3 ) to at least one cooling element ( 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 ), attached to a power component in the computer. A pump ( 30 ), integrated in the circuit ( 3 ), circulates the fluid which permits a dissipation of the heat across the walls.

1 . A liquid cooling device for a computer, including heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) attached to at least one wall ( 100 ,  102 ,  103 ,  105 ) to dissipate the heat by radiant effect, each of the heat-removal means including two spaced walls (P 1 , P 2 ) made of a thermally-conducting material between which is formed at least one circulation channel ( 200 ) for a fluid, said channel  200  being linked to at least one cooling element ( 6 ) attached to an electronic component of the computer by a closed circuit ( 3 ) including a pumping device ( 30 ), Characterized in that:
 each of the two walls (P 1 , P 2 ) delimit the channel ( 200 ); and   the walls (P 1 , P 2 ) of at least one of the heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) constitute an external wall (P 1 ) and an internal wall (P 2 ) of a housing ( 1 ) enclosing a computer processor, said heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) being substantially spread out on the whole of the housing ( 1 ) to let the housing ( 1 ) play the role of heat exchanger with exterior.   
   
   
       2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said two walls (P 1 , P 2 ) are flat and formed by a sheet layer of aluminium or copper, the spacing ( 2 ) between those walls (P 1 , P 2 ) being included between 2 and 5 mm. 
   
   
       3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) are attached to the walls of a housing ( 1 ) of the type having the lower wall ( 100 ), upper wall ( 105 ), and the lateral walls ( 102 ,  103 ) to delimit an interior volume used to close a computer processor, the first heat-removal means ( 20 ) being associated to a lower wall ( 100 ) of the housing ( 1 ), the second heat-removal means ( 25 ) being associated to an upper wall ( 105 ) of the housing ( 1 ); at least a third heat-removal means ( 22 ,  23 ) being associated to at least a lateral wall ( 102 ,  103 ) of the housing ( 1 ). 
   
   
       4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) consists of two walls constitutive of the housing ( 1 ). 
   
   
       5 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 ) is attached to a wall made of a thermally-conducting material of a cabinet. 
   
   
       6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the closed circuit ( 3 ) of cooling liquid circulation consists of at least an outlet blocked by a closing element ( 51 ), an expansion device ( 50 ) being provided either to at least an outlet, or a bypass, to allow dilatation of the cooling liquid. 
   
   
       7 . The device according to  claim 3 , wherein the expansion device ( 50 ) consists of a flexible and waterproof membrane consisting of a plastic material and is installed within the housing ( 1 ). 
   
   
       8 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the closed circuit ( 3 ) consists of:
 a plurality of connecting pipes (T) to supply the liquid to each circulation channel ( 200 ) of the heat-removal means ( 20 ,  22 ,  23 ,  25 );   a liquid flow controlling device ( 32 );   liquid distribution means ( 33 ).   
   
   
       9 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling element ( 6 ) is provided with a cooling liquid circulation zone between two walls facing one another of which at least one is attached to a microprocessor and/or other power components in the computer. 
   
   
       10 . The device according to  claim 1 ; wherein each of the cooling elements ( 6 ) is only in contact with an electronic component that releases heat, fasteners ( 600 ) being provided on each cooling element ( 6 ) to solidarize this latter against electronic component to be cooled. 
   
   
       11 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the closed circuit ( 3 ) includes:
 a cooling element ( 61 ) to cool the supplying device of the computer;   a cooling element ( 62 ) to cool an electronic component of the graphic board type;   a cooling element ( 63 ) to cool a mass storage device in the computer;   a cooling element ( 64 ) to cool an exchange controlling component between the microprocessor and the working memory of the computer;   a cooling element ( 65 ) to cool the microprocessor of the computer.   
   
   
       12 . The device according to  claim 3 , wherein the sensors ( 4 ) of control and security are provided in at least one heat-removal means attached to one of the walls ( 100 ,  102 ,  103 ,  105 ) of the housing ( 1 ) to carry out the measurement of temperature and/or the pressure of the cooling liquid. 
   
   
       13 . The device according to  claim 12 , wherein the means of optic, magnetic and/or radio detection are furthermore provided to estimate the qualitative properties of the cooling liquid. 
   
   
       14 . The device according to  claim 3 , wherein the closed circuit ( 3 ) is linked to a heat exchanger (K) integrated or not to the housing ( 1 ), the cooling liquid being a liquid chosen among water, oil, mono ethylene glycol and similar cooling liquid of the type having one or several alcohol functions. 
   
   
       15 . The device according to  claim 3 , wherein the closed circuit ( 3 ) consists of the means of connection to at least one portion of external circuit of the housing ( 1 ) allowing the cooling of said cooling liquid. 
   
   
       16 . The device according to  claim 3 , wherein at least an air agitator ( 5 ) with low speed of rotation is provided in the interior of the housing ( 1 ) to generate a micro sweeping of the air allowing the cooling of small components of the computer. 
   
   
       17 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the closed circuit ( 3 ) is equipped with at least one element having electric resistance to transform the cooling into heating.