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US 6,648,064 B1Granted
Active heat sink
AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation
InventorGeorge E. Hanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An active heat sink uses a liquid coolant to transfer heat from a hot zone to a cool zone. The liquid coolant is propelled using a motor comprised of a plurality of external coils that are in magnetic communication with a plurality of magnets attached to a pump gear. The motor does not require any penetration of the liquid cavity. Further, the heat pump may have a temperature monitoring circuit to determine whether or not the pump should be activated.
Claims20
An active heat sink comprising:
- a heat transfer fluid;
- a heat sink body having a circuit for the transmission of said heat transfer fluid, said circuit adapted to flow past a hot zone and past a cool zone, said heat sink body being composed of a non-magnetic material;
- a cover adapted to encapsulate said heat transfer fluid inside of said circuit;
- a first pump gear and a second pump gear adapted to be mounted in said heat sink body and further adapted to be mounted inside said circuit to propel said heat transfer fluid about said circuit, at least one of said pump gear having a plurality of magnets disposed about a diameter of said one of said pump gears;
- a plurality of field coils disposed outside of said circuit and adapted to create a plurality of magnetic fields in the vicinity of said plurality of magnets such that said magnetic fields and said magnets may exert an attractive or a repulsive force;
- and
- a controlling circuit adapted to turn on and off said plurality of field coils to create said plurality of magnetic fields in a sequence such that said pump gear is caused to rotate.
4 more elements
A method for cooling an integrated circuit comprising:
- providing a heat sink body having a circuit for the transmission of a heat transfer fluid, said circuit adapted to flow past a hot zone and a cool zone, said heat sink body being composed of a non-magnetic material;
- providing said heat transfer fluid within said circuit;
- providing a first pump gear and a second pump gear adapted to be mounted in said heat sink body and further adapted to be mounted inside said circuit to propel said heat transfer fluid about said circuit, at least one of said pump gears having a plurality of magnets disposed about a diameter of said pump gear;
- providing a plurality of field coils disposed outside of said circuit and adapted to create a plurality of magnetic fields in the vicinity of said plurality of magnets;
- providing a controlling circuit adapted to turn on and off said plurality of field coils at predetermined times;
- providing a cover for said circuit adapted to entrap said heat transfer fluid and said gears;
- attaching said cover to a integrated circuit to be cooled;
- and
- causing said controller to sequentially turn on and off said field coils such that attractive and repulsive forces are created between said plurality of magnetic fields and said magnets such that said pump gear is caused to rotate and thereby propel said heat transfer fluid about said circuit whereby the heat from said hot zone is transferred to said cool zone.
6 more elements
An active heat sink comprising:
- a heat transfer fluid;
- a first means for containing said heat transfer fluid such that said heat transfer fluid may flow past a hot zone and past a cool zone, said first means being composed of a non-magnetic material;
- a second means for pumping said heat transfer fluid within said first means, said second means comprising a plurality of magnets mounted to at least one gear and disposed within said first means and a plurality of coils outside of said first means;
- and
- a third means for controlling said coils such that said magnets are caused to rotate said at least one gear and cause said heat transfer fluid to be propelled past said hot zone and said cool zone.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.