Patent ID: 7156158

Claim:
A heat pipe cooler, comprising: a heat receiving plate having lower and upper opposite surfaces, said lower surface of said heat receiving plate arranged to contact a semiconductor element which generates heat and is to be cooled, said upper surface of said heat receiving plate being flat; a plurality of heat pipes fixed to flat portions of said flat upper surface of said heat receiving plate for thermal conduction, said plurality of heat pipes being upstanding with respect to said heat receiving plate, and said plurality of heat pipes being sealed at opposite end portions thereof; a plurality of parallel heat radiating plates fixed to said plurality of heat pipes at positions along said plurality of heat pipes, said parallel heat radiating plates extending substantially parallel to, and having a shape corresponding to said heat receiving plate; a distance between said heat receiving plate and one of said plurality of parallel heat radiating plates which is located adjacent to the heat receiving plate being substantially greater than a distance between two adjacent ones of said plurality of parallel heat radiating plates; a ventilation duct surrounding said parallel heat radiating plates, said ventillation duct having an air inlet and an air outlet and defining a passage for air through a gap between said parallel heat radiating plates; and a fan producing a current of air through said duct, wherein each of said plurality of heat pipes a generally U-shaped or V-shaped profile, wherein said heat receiving plate is arranged entirely outside said ventilation duct to permit cooling of said semiconductor element.