Patent Publication Number: US-2007110121-A1

Title: Temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact, especially to a temperature sensing apparatus used to examine straight heat pipes and curved heat pipes.  
      2. Description of Prior Art  
      The conventional heat pipe needs examination for heat conduction amount after a batch of heat pipes are manufactured. However, the conventional examination instruments or equipments are expensive and the operation thereof is cumbersome and time consuming. Therefore, the examination of heat pipe is conducted in sampling fashion instead of entire examination. Certain amount of heat pipes are sampled for inspection to estimate the yield for one batch.  
      However, all of the heat pipes are not straight pipe during examination. Some of them might be curved pipe for specific applications.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is to provide a temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact for heat pipe, which can be used for both straight heat pipes and curved heat pipes.  
      Accordingly, the present invention provides a temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact. The temperature sensing apparatus comprises a rod-shaped body, a temperature-sensing head elastically arranged at one end of the body and a clamping rod transversely locked to the body. The temperature-sensing head is connected to a temperature-sensing wire. Another end of the clamping rod is defined with a locking section such that the clamping rod can be connected to a heat-pipe temperature sensing apparatus. Both straight heat pipe and curved heat pipe can be examined by the temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING  
      The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself however may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  shows a sectional view of the temperature sensing apparatus for heat pipe according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  shows a partial sectional view of the temperature sensing apparatus for heat pipe according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  shows a partial top view of the temperature sensing apparatus for heat pipe according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  shows another partial top view of the temperature sensing apparatus for heat pipe according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  shows a sectional view of the temperature sensing apparatus for heat pipe according to the present invention. The present invention provides a temperature sensing apparatus with flexible contact for the examination of heat pipes. The temperature sensing apparatus comprises a heating unit  2 , two clamping units  3  and a cooling circulation system  4 . The heating unit  2  comprises a heater  20  to control heating amount and temperature rising speed and is located at one end of the heat pipe  1 . The cooling circulation system  4  is arranged at another side of the heat pipe  1  and comprises a cooling block  40  and at least one cooling conduit  41  through the cooling block  40 . The cooling conduit  41  is used to connect to another cooling water supplying system (not shown), which is functioned to supply continuously cooling water to the cooling conduit  41 . The two clamping units  3  are used to clamp both ends of the heat pipe  1  and each comprises a pushing unit  30  and a clamping block  31  driven by the pushing unit  30 . The pushing unit  30  comprises a pushing arm  300  and the clamping block  31  is pivotally arranged on the pushing am  300  to provide clamping force to both ends of the heat pipes  1 .  
      With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the present invention provides a temperature sensing apparatus  5  with flexible contact and arranged on the heat-pipe temperature sensing apparatus. The temperature sensing apparatus  5  with flexible contact comprises a body  50 , a temperature-sensing head  51  elastically arranged at end of the body  50  and a clamping rod  54  transversely locked to the body  50 .  
      The body  50  is of rod-shaped and provides a supporting structure. The body  50  comprises a transverse hole  500  and one end of the clamping rod  54  is inserted into the transverse hole  500  such that the body has lateral movement. A bolt  501  is used to lock the clamping rod  54 . Another end of the clamping rod  54  is defined with a locking section, which is a through hole  540 . The pushing unit  30  of the clamping unit  3  has lateral movement in the through hole  540  and is clamped by a bolt  541 . The temperature-sensing head  51  is made of thermal-isolation material such as plastics or bakelite and is connected to a temperature sensing wire  53 . The temperature sensing wire  53  can be fixed to the temperature-sensing head  51  by glue. A spring element  52  is connected between the temperature-sensing head  51  and an end of the body  50 , where the spring element  52  can be compression spring, plate spring or torque spring and provides spring contact force when the temperature-sensing head  51  is in contact with the heat pipe  1 .  
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic diagram of examining a straight heat pipe. The clamping rod  54  is placed at a position overlapping with the heat pipe  1  and the body  50  is laterally moved to atop the heat pipe  1  to be examined. The body  50  and the clamping rod  54  are locked with bolts  501  and  541 . Therefore, the temperature-sensing head  51  at end of the body  50  can perform temperature-sensing operation for the straight heat pipe  1 .  
       FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of examining a curved heat pipe. The clamping rod  54  is rotatable atop the pushing unit  30  of the clamping unit  3  for use with the curved heat pipe  1 . The clamping rod  54  moves the body  50  to a position atop the heat pipe  1  to be examined. The body  50  can be adjusted the position again. Therefore, the temperature-sensing head  51  is aligned with the temperature-sensing point. The body  50  and the clamping rod  54  are again locked with bolts  501  and  541 . Therefore, the temperature sensing apparatus  5  with spring contact can perform temperature-sensing operation for the curved heat pipe  1 .  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.