Virtual valve in a mems-based cooling system
OwnerVikram Mukundan, Ananth Saran Yalamarthy +4inventors
InventorsVikram Mukundan, Ananth Saran Yalamarthy, Prabhu Sathyamurthy, Suryaprakash Ganti, Narayana Prasad Rayapati, Seshagiri Rao Madhavapeddy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An active cooling system is described. The active cooling system includes at least one cooling element that has a vent therein and is in communication with a fluid. The cooling element(s) are actuated to vibrate to drive the fluid toward a heat-generating structure and to alternately open and close at least one virtual valve corresponding to the vent. The virtual valve is open for a low flow resistance and closed for a high flow resistance. The vent remains physically open for the virtual valve being closed.
Claims20
An active cooling system, comprising:
- a chamber having sidewalls, a bottom plate including a plurality of orifices therein, and a top vent;
- and
- a cooling element residing in the chamber between the top vent and the bottom plate, the cooling element being in communication with a fluid, the cooling element being actuated to undergo vibrational motion to draw fluid into the chamber through the top vent and to drive the fluid through the plurality of orifices, the cooling element being actuated to alternately open and close at least one virtual valve, the at least one virtual valve being open for a low flow resistance and closed for a high flow resistance, the vent remaining physically open when the virtual valve is closed.
An active piezoelectric cooling system comprising:
- a plurality of piezoelectric cooling cells, each of the plurality of piezoelectric cooling cells including a chamber and a cooling element, the chamber having sidewalls, a bottom plate including a plurality of orifices therein, and a top vent, the cooling element residing in the chamber between the top vent and the bottom plate, the cooling element being in communication with a fluid, the cooling element being actuated to undergo vibrational motion to draw fluid into the chamber through the top vent and to drive the fluid through the plurality of orifices, the cooling element being actuated to alternately open and close at least one virtual valve, the at least one virtual valve being open for a low flow resistance and closed for a high flow resistance, the vent remaining physically open when the virtual valve is closed.
A method of cooling a heat-generating structure, comprising:
- driving a cooling element to induce vibrational motion, a piezoelectric cooling cell including a chamber and the cooling element, the chamber having sidewalls, a bottom plate including a plurality of orifices therein, and a top vent, the cooling element residing in the chamber between the top vent and the bottom plate, the cooling element being in communication with a fluid, the cooling element being driven to undergo the vibrational motion to draw fluid into the chamber through the top vent and to drive the fluid through the plurality of orifices, the cooling element being actuated to alternately open and close at least one virtual valve, the at least one virtual valve being open for a low flow resistance and closed for a high flow resistance, the vent remaining physically open when the virtual valve is closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.