Patent Publication Number: US-2023156956-A1

Title: Cooling liquid flow control device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to China Application Serial Number 202111338474.3, filed Nov. 12, 2021, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to a cooling liquid flow control device. 
     Description of Related Art 
     A conventional water-cooling module for a electronic component (for example, CPU) uses a thermally conductive substrate as the substrate, cooperates with the water inlet side and the water outlet side as the internal circulation loop for heat exchange to achieve the effect of heat dissipation for the electronic component, and utilizes the hole corresponding to the electronic component platform to perform the fixation on the printed circuit board (PCB). 
     However, the conventional water-cooling module does not have the function of controlling the flow rate (for example, the flow rate of the cooling water). Since the water-cooling module cannot control the flow rate, the water-cooling module cannot optimize the heat dissipation of the electronic components in the idle or full load state, and thus cannot adjust the electrical load of the cooling distribution unit (CDU) to the system. 
     Therefore, how to propose a cooling liquid flow control device that can solve the aforementioned problems is one of the problems that the industry urgently wants to invest in research and development resources to solve. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of this, one purpose of present disclosure is to provide a cooling liquid flow control device that can solve the aforementioned problems. 
     In order to achieve the above objective, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a cooling liquid flow control device includes a heat dissipation bottom plate, a fixing holder, a cooling module, and a temperature control element. The heat dissipation bottom plate has a bottom surface configured to be in contact with the heating element on a substrate. The fixing holder is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate and configured to be fixed with the substrate. The cooling module is connected to a top surface of the heat dissipation bottom plate to form a cavity. The cavity is configured to circulate a cooling liquid. The temperature control element is connected to the cooling module and includes a valve. The valve is configured to reciprocally move based on a temperature of the heating element, thereby adjusting a flow rate of the cooling liquid in and out of the cavity. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling module includes a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe. The cavity further includes a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity. The first sub-cavity is configured to receive the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe. The second sub-cavity is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity to the liquid outlet pipe. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling module further includes a top plate, a side wall, and a separating wall. The top plate has a liquid inlet hole and a liquid outlet hole. The liquid inlet hole is connected between the first sub-cavity and the temperature control element. The liquid outlet hole is connected between the temperature control element and the second sub-cavity. The side wall extends vertically from an edge of the top plate and surrounds the edge of the top plate. The side wall is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate. The separating wall extends vertically from the top plate and separates the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity. The separating wall is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature control element further includes a chamber body and a coil. The chamber body is configured to accommodate the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity. The coil is connected to the chamber body and surrounds the valve. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the chamber body includes a liquid inlet area, a liquid outlet area, and a spacer. The liquid inlet area is configured to receive the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity. The liquid outlet area is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet area to the second sub-cavity. The spacer separates the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area and has an opening. The opening enables the cooling liquid to circulate between the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve is configured to clog and be separated from the opening. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling liquid flow control device further includes a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to receive a signal of the temperature of the heating element. The processing unit is further configured to convert the signal to a current output to the coil, wherein the current causes a displacement of the valve. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the flow rate of the cooling liquid changes based on the displacement of the valve, and the flow rate and the current are in a linear relationship. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve is configured to clog the opening so as not to communicate the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area when the heating element is in an idle state. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature control element is configured to be separated from the opening so as to communicate the liquid inlet area and the liquid outlet area when the heating element is in a load state. 
     In summary, in the cooling liquid flow control device of the present disclosure, since the temperature control element utilizes the characteristic that the valve can reciprocally move based on the temperature of the heating element, the valve can clog, partially clog, or be separated from the opening to achieve the purpose of controlling the flow rate of the cooling liquid. In the cooling liquid flow control device of the present disclosure, since the flow rate of the cooling liquid that changes based on the displacement generated by the valve has a linear relationship with the current, the valve can proportionally clog the opening based on the temperature of the heating element. In this way, the energy saving effect of the cooling liquid flow control device can be achieved. 
     The above-mentioned description is only used to explain the problem to be solved by the present disclosure, the technical means to solve the problem, and the effects produced, etc. The specific details of the present disclosure will be well discussed in the following embodiments and related drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to make the above and other objectives, features, advantages and examples of the present disclosure more obvious, the description of the accompanying drawings is as follows: 
         FIG.  1    shows a schematic view of a cooling liquid flow control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    shows another schematic view of a cooling liquid flow control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    shows a cross-sectional view of a cooling liquid flow control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 A  shows a partial schematic view of a cooling module of a cooling liquid flow control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 B  shows another partial schematic view of the cooling module of the cooling liquid flow control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    shows a partial cross-sectional view of a temperature control device in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    shows a schematic view of a valve clogging an opening in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    shows a schematic view of the valve being separated from the opening in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  8    shows a line graph of the relationship between a flow rate of a cooling liquid and a signal of a current in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed in diagrams. For clarity of discussion, many details in practice will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these details in practice should not limit present disclosure. In other words, in some embodiments of present disclosure, these details in practice are unnecessary. In addition, for simplicity of the drawings, some conventionally used structures and elements will be shown in a simple schematic manner in the drawings. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Hereinafter, the structure and function of each component included in a cooling liquid flow control device  100  of this embodiment and the connection relationship between the components will be described in detail. 
     Reference is made to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   .  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2    are schematic views of different viewing angles of the cooling liquid flow control device  100  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the cooling liquid flow control device  100  includes a heat dissipation bottom plate  110 , a fixing holder  120 , a cooling module  130 , and a temperature control element  140 . The heat dissipation bottom plate  110  has a top surface  110   a  and a bottom surface  110   b . The bottom surface  110   b  is configured to be in contact with a heating element (not shown; for example, a CPU) on a substrate (not shown; for example, a PCB). The fixing holder  120  is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and configured to be fixed to the substrate. Specifically, as shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  is connected to the fixing holder  120  by the fixing element S 1 , the heating element is in contact with the bottom surface  110   b  of the heat dissipation bottom plate  110 , and the heating element is located between the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the substrate. When the fixing holder  120  is fixed toward the substrate by the fixing element S 2 , the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  is pressed against the heating element. The cooling module  130  is connected to the top surface  110   a  of the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  to form a cavity. The cooling module  130  also includes a liquid inlet pipe IT and a liquid outlet pipe OT. The cavity is configured to circulate a cooling liquid. The temperature control element  140  is connected to the cooling module  130  and is configured to reciprocally move based on the temperature of the heating element, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the cooling liquid in and out of the cavity. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , the cooling liquid flow control device  100  further includes a housing H. The housing H is configured to provide protection for the temperature control element  140 . 
     In some embodiments, the cooling liquid flow control device  100  further includes a processing unit (not shown). The processing unit is configured to receive the temperature signal from the heating element. The processing unit is also configured to convert the signal into a current and output it to the temperature control element  140 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , the cooling liquid flow control device  100  further includes a wire W. The wire W is configured to deliver the current from the processing unit to the temperature control element  140 . 
     Please refer to  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  4 A , and  FIG.  4 B . In this embodiment, the cooling module  130  includes a top plate  132 , a side wall  134 , and a separating wall  136 . The top plate  132  has a liquid inlet hole  132 A and a liquid outlet hole  132 B. The side wall  134  extends vertically from an edge of the top plate  132  and surrounds the edge of the top plate  132 , in which the side wall  134  is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate  110 . The separating wall  136  extends vertically from the top plate  132  and is configured to divide the cavity into a first sub-cavity C 1  and a second sub-cavity C 2 . That is, the separating wall  136  separates the first sub-cavity C 1  and the second sub-cavity C 2 , in which the separating wall  136  is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate  110 . The first sub-cavity C 1  is configured to receive the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe IT. The second sub-cavity C 2  is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity C 1  to the liquid outlet pipe OT. In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  3   , the liquid inlet hole  132 A is connected between the first sub-cavity C 1  and the temperature control element  140 , and the liquid outlet hole  132 B is connected between the temperature control element  140  and the second sub-cavity C 2 . 
     Please refer to  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  5   . In this embodiment, the temperature control element  140  includes a chamber body  142 , a coil  144 , and a valve  146 . The chamber body  142  is configured to accommodate the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity C 1 . The coil  144  is connected to the chamber body  142 . The valve  146  is disposed in the coil  144 . Specifically, the coil  144  including several wires surrounds the valve  146 . In some embodiments, the valve  146  is disposed on an inner surface of the temperature control element  140 . The valve  146  is configured to reciprocally move based on the temperature of the heating element, so as to adjust the flow rate of the cooling liquid in and out of the cavity. 
     Please continue to refer to  FIG.  5   . In this embodiment, the chamber body  142  further includes a liquid inlet area A 1 , a liquid outlet area A 2 , and a spacer  143 . The liquid inlet area A 1  is configured to receive the cooling liquid from the first sub-cavity C 1 . The liquid outlet area A 2  is configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet area A 1  to the second sub-cavity C 2 . The spacer  143  separates the liquid inlet area A 1  from the liquid outlet area A 2  and has an opening O. The opening O enables the cooling liquid to circulate between the liquid inlet area A 1  and the liquid outlet area A 2 . In this embodiment, the valve  146  includes a static iron core  147 , an elastomer  148 , and a moving iron core  149 . The static iron core  147  is fixed on the inner surface of the temperature control element  140 . The elastomer  148  is connected between the static iron core  147  and the moving iron core  149 . In some embodiments, the moving iron core  149  is configured to clog and be separated from the opening O. In some embodiments, an end of the moving iron core  149  may include a stop portion F, and the stop portion F is configured to clog and be separated from the opening O. In some embodiments, the temperature control element  140  further includes a pad P disposed between the coil  144  and the chamber body  142 , and the pad P is configured to separate the coil  144  and the chamber body  142  to prevent the cooling liquid in the chamber body  142  from contacting the coil  144  to cause damage. 
     With the aforementioned structural configurations, when the cooling liquid flows into the first sub-cavity C 1  from the liquid inlet pipe IT, the cooling liquid enters the liquid inlet area A 1  through the liquid inlet hole  132 A. Then, the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet area A 2  through the opening O on the spacer  143 . Then, the cooling liquid enters the second sub-cavity C 2  through the liquid outlet hole  132 B, and then flows into the liquid outlet pipe OT. 
     Next, the way the cooling liquid flow control device  100  controls the flow rate of the cooling liquid will be discussed below. 
     Please refer to  FIG.  6   ,  FIG.  7   , and  FIG.  8   .  FIG.  6    and  FIG.  7    show how the valve  146  of the temperature control element  140  operates to control the flow rate of the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid flow control device  100 .  FIG.  8    depicts the relationship between the flow rate of the cooling liquid and the signal of the current according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, for example, the temperature of the heating element is obtained by the management chip (for example, Board Management Controller (BMC)) on the substrate, in which the management chip receives the signal. The processing unit acquires the temperature of the heating element by signal conversion through the management chip on the substrate. The processing unit converts the signal into a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal output through an internal software function, and linearly converts the PWM signal with a duty ratio of 0% to 100% into the current output ranging from 4 mA to 20 mA. In this way, the wire W can be used to control the reciprocating movement of the valve  146  to control the flow velocity or flow rate of the cooling liquid by receiving the current input. As shown in  FIG.  8   , the flow rate of the cooling liquid and the signal of the current are in a linear relationship. In some embodiments, the aforementioned current substantially displaces the moving iron core  149  to clog and be separated from the opening O, so as to achieve the effect of controlling the flow rate of the cooling liquid. When the heating element is in a normal operating state, the processing unit will output an appropriate current to the coil  144  so that the moving iron core  149  generates a displacement corresponding to the current to partially clog the opening O proportionally. Since the stop portion F clogs a part of the opening O, the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe IT can enter the liquid outlet area A 2  and the second sub-cavity C 2  through the opening O at an appropriate flow rate. 
     In a usage scenario, when the heating element located under the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and in contact with the bottom surface  110   b  does not generate waste heat due to being in an idle state, the processing unit does not output a current to the coil  144 , and the moving iron core  149  does not generate an upward displacement (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) and thus clogs the opening O by the stop portion F. Since the stop portion F clogs the entire opening O, the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe IT cannot enter the liquid outlet area A 2  through the opening O temporarily. 
     In a usage scenario, when the heating element located under the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  is in a full load state and generates a relatively large amount of waste heat, the processing unit outputs a corresponding maximum current to the coil  144  to enable the moving iron core  149  to generate an upward displacement (as shown in  FIG.  7   ) so that the stop portion F is separated from the opening O. Since the stop portion F is separated from the opening O, the cooling liquid from the liquid inlet pipe IT can enter the liquid outlet area A 2  through the opening O. 
     Through the above operations, the cooling liquid flow control device  100  can appropriately control the moving iron core  149  to clog, partially clog, and be separated from the opening O based on the temperature of the heating element through the corresponding current outputs, so as to achieve the effects of controlling the flow rate of the cooling liquid and saving energy. 
     In some embodiments, the stop portion F is disposed on the moving iron core  149 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the moving iron core  149  may not include the stop portion F, but has an end having a pointed shape that matches the shape of the opening O, for example. 
     In some embodiments, the valve  146  includes a static iron core  147  and a moving iron core  149 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the valve  146  may not include the static iron core  147  and the moving iron core  149  and may be formed as a unitary body. For example, the entire valve  146  is displaced downward and upward when the coil  144  receives the current from the processing unit. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  6   , and  FIG.  7   , the fixing element S 2  includes elements such as springs and screws, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the fixing element S 2  may not include a spring. Although the present disclosure discloses that the fixing holder  120  is connected to the substrate by means of locking, the present disclosure does not intend to limit the structure, method, or means for connecting the fixing holder  120  to the substrate. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  5   , and  FIG.  7   , the fixing element S 1  is substantially a screw. Although the present disclosure discloses that the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the fixing holder  120  are connected to each other by means of locking (for example, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the fixing holder  120  are locked to each other through the fixing element S 1 ), the present disclosure does not intend to limit the structure, method, or means for connecting the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the fixing holder  120  to each other. 
     In some embodiments, the composition of the cooling liquid may be liquid water (H 2 O), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the composition of the cooling liquid may be ethylene glycol (C 2 H 6 O 2 ) or propylene glycol (C 3 H 8 O 2 ). The above is merely an example for simple description, and the present disclosure does not intend to limit the composition of the cooling liquid. 
     In some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  are substantially separated from each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  may be integrally formed rather than separately provided. For example, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  can be integrally formed into a water cooling case body with a cavity C. 
     In some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  are substantially tightly connected. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  may be adhesively connected to each other. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  may be buckled and connected to each other. The foregoing is merely an example for simple description, and the present disclosure does not intend to limit the structure, method, or means for connecting the heat dissipation bottom plate  110  and the cooling module  130  to each other. 
     In some embodiments, the stop portion F may be a flexible material such as plastic, rubber, or cork to clog the liquid inlet hole  132 A more tightly. The above is merely an example for simple description, and the present disclosure does not intend to limit the material of the stop portion F. 
     In some embodiments, the temperature control element  140  is disposed on the cooling module  130 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, for example, the temperature control element  140  may be disposed between the first sub-cavity C 1  and the second sub-cavity C 2 . The present disclosure does not intend to limit the location of the temperature control element  140 . 
     From the above detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be clearly seen that in the cooling liquid flow control device of the present disclosure, since the temperature control element utilizes the characteristic that the valve can reciprocally move based on the temperature of the heating element, the valve can clog, partially clog, or be separated from the opening to achieve the purpose of controlling the flow rate of the cooling liquid. In the cooling liquid flow control device of the present disclosure, since the flow rate of the cooling liquid that changes based on the displacement generated by the valve has a linear relationship with the current, the valve can proportionally clog the opening based on the temperature of the heating element. In this way, the energy saving effect of the cooling liquid flow control device can be achieved. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling liquid flow control device of the present disclosure can be applied to a server, which can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, or used as a 5G server, cloud server or vehicle networking server. 
     Although the present disclosure has been disclosed as above in the embodiment manner, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope of the attached claims.