System and method for maintaining efficiency of a heat sink
AssigneeFractal Heatsink Technologies LLC
InventorAlexander I Poltorak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heatsink comprising a heat exchange device having a plurality of heat exchange elements each having a surface boundary with respect to a heat transfer fluid, having successive elements or regions having varying size scales. According to one embodiment, an accumulation of dust or particles on a surface of the heatsink is reduced by a removal mechanism. The mechanism can be thermal pyrolysis, vibration, blowing, etc. In the case of vibration, adverse effects on the system to be cooled may be minimized by an active or passive vibration suppression system.
Claims20
A system for maintaining efficiency of a heatsink with respect to an accumulation of deposits due to a flow of air over a surface of the heatsink, comprising:
- a vibrator mechanism configured to excite a vibration in the heatsink;
- and
- a control system, configured to produce a control signal for controlling the vibrator mechanism to excite the vibration in the heatsink over a range of different frequencies, the vibration being adapted to dislodge accumulated deposits on the heatsink, to thereby maintain an efficiency of the heatsink against reduction die to the accumulated deposits.
A method for maintaining efficiency of a heatsink with respect to an accumulation of deposits due to a flow of air over a surface of the heatsink, comprising:
- exciting a vibration in the heatsink with a vibrator mechanism, dependent on a control signal;
- producing the control signal to excite the vibration in the heatsink over a range of different frequencies with a control system having an automated processor;
- and
- dislodging accumulated deposits on the heatsink, to thereby maintain an efficiency of the heatsink against reduction due to the accumulated deposits.
A nontransitory computer readable medium for controlling a system to maintain efficiency of a heatsink with respect to an accumulation of deposits, comprising:
- instructions for determining a reduction in efficiency of the heatsink;
- and
- instructions for generating a control signal for a vibrator configured to vibrate the heatsink over a range of frequencies, based on the determined reduction in efficiency, a computational model of the heatsink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.