Heat sink apparatus with extendable pin fins

An apparatus, comprising:

• a heat sink configured to be coupled to a heat-generating component, said heat sink including a cooling chamber containing a liquid metal, said cooling chamber having a heat conducting wall configured to be thermally coupled to said heat-generating component, wherein said liquid metal is in a liquid state over a desired range of operating temperatures to conduct heat away from said heat-generating component;
• a plurality of extendable tubes attached to said heat sink in parallel, each of said extendable tubes having a port end that opens into said cooling chamber and a sealed end that projects away from said cooling chamber, each of said extendable tubes extending in about a same direction to an extended position when filled with liquid metal from said cooling chamber and retracting in about a same direction to a retracted position when emptied of said liquid metal;
• at least one baffle dividing said cooling chamber into a plurality of compartments, wherein each of said compartments is associated with a different group of said plurality of extendable tubes, wherein a first group of extendable tubes includes at least three extendable tubes of the plurality of extendable tubes;
• and
• a pump system located within said heat sink, the pump system including one or more solenoid pumps in fluidic communication with each of said compartments to selectively direct said liquid metal from at least one of said compartments to said first group of extendable tubes associated with said compartment to extend said extendable tubes of the first group to the extended position while selectively leaving at least one other group of extendable tubes associated with another compartment of said plurality of compartments in the retracted position.

A method of cooling a heat-generating component, said method comprising:

• providing a heat sink having a cooling chamber containing a cooling fluid, said cooling chamber having a heat conducting wall configured to be thermally coupled to said heat-generating component, and said cooling fluid is in a liquid state over a desired range of operating temperatures to conduct heat away from said heat-generating component;
• providing a plurality of extendable tubes attached to said heat sink in parallel, each of said extendable tubes having a port end that opens into said cooling chamber and a sealed end that projects away from said cooling chamber, each of said extendable tubes extending in about a same direction to an extended position when filled with said cooling fluid and retracting in about a same direction to a retracted position when emptied of said cooling fluid;
• providing at least one baffle dividing said cooling chamber into a plurality of compartments, wherein each of said compartments is associated with a different group of said plurality of extendable tubes, wherein a first group of extendable tubes includes at least three extendable tubes of the plurality of extendable tubes;
• and
• providing a pump system located within said heat sink, the pump system including one or more solenoid pumps in fluidic communication with each of said compartments to selectively direct said cooling fluid from at least one of said compartments to said first group of extendable tubes associated with said compartment to extend said extendable tubes of the first group to the extended position while selectively leaving at least one other group of extendable tubes associated with another compartment of said plurality of compartments in the retracted position, said pump system including an electronic pump control system interfaced with at least one temperature sensor that monitors the temperature of said heat-generating component.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a heat sink configured to be coupled to a heat-generating component, said heat sink including a cooling chamber containing a liquid metal, said cooling chamber having a heat conducting wall configured to be thermally coupled to said heat-generating component, and said liquid metal is in a liquid state over a desired range of operating temperatures to conduct heat away from said heat-generating component;
• a plurality of extendable tubes attached to said heat sink in parallel, each of said extendable tubes having a port end that opens into said cooling chamber and a sealed end that projects away from said cooling chamber, each of said extendable tubes extending in about a same direction to an extended position when filled with liquid metal from said cooling chamber and retracting in about a same direction to a retracted position when emptied of said liquid metal;
• at least one baffle dividing said cooling chamber into a plurality of compartments, wherein each of said compartments is associated with a different group of said plurality of extendable tubes, wherein a first group of extendable tubes includes at least three extendable tubes of the plurality of extendable tubes;
• a pump system located within said heat sink, the pump system including one or more solenoid pumps in fluidic communication with each of said compartments to selectively direct said liquid metal from at least one of said compartments to said first group of extendable tubes associated with said compartment to extend said extendable tubes of the first group to the extended position while selectively leaving at least one other group of extendable tubes associated with another compartment of said plurality of compartments in the retracted position;
• and
• an electronic pump control system that includes a micro-controller in communication with at least one temperature sensor for activating said pump system to urge said liquid metal into at least one of said groups of extendable tubes to force the at least one group of extendable tubes in the extended position when said at least one temperature sensor reports at least one temperature measurement above a threshold.