Thin heat pipe structure

Abstract

A thin heat pipe structure includes a main body having a chamber. The chamber has a wick structure and a working fluid provided therein, and internally defines an evaporating section and at least one condensing section. The condensing section is extended towards at least one or two ends of the evaporating section. The wick structure is provided with at least one groove. The groove is extended through the wick structure along a thickness direction of the main body to connect to two opposite wall surfaces of the chamber, and also extended along a length direction of the main body to communicate with the condensing section and the evaporating section. With these arrangements, the thin heat pipe structure has an extremely small overall thickness and is flexible.

Claims

1. A flat heat pipe structure comprising: a main body including a chamber comprising a first plate member and a second plate member; the first and second plate members being flat and sealed to each other along a perimeter thereof to form the chamber, the chamber disposed between the first and second plate members and comprising a space to sandwich a completely flat wick structure and a working fluid within the chamber, the wick structure internally defining an evaporating section and at least two condensing sections; the at least two condensing sections being respectively extended from two opposite ends of the evaporating section; the wick structure being provided with a composite groove, having a first groove segment, a second groove segment and a third groove segment, the first groove segment, the second groove segment and the third groove segment in communication with each other and extended through a top side and a bottom side of the wick structure, the first groove segment disposed on a central section and extending through the evaporating section, the second groove segment and the third groove segment respectively communicating with the first groove segment and extending through the at least two condensing sections, wherein the composite groove comprises no bending, a width dimension of the composite groove gradually increases from a lesser width at a junction with the first groove segment to a greater width in the second groove segment and the third groove segment, two sides of the completely flat wick structure are respectively and entirely attached to an inner side of the first plate member and an inner side of the second plate member, a heat generation component is attached to the first plate member or the second plate member, and where an outer surface of the first plate member or the second plate member that is in contact with the heat generation component is completely flat.

2. The thin heat pipe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wick structure is selected from the group consisting of meshes, fibers, and woven threads.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a thin heat pipe structure according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is an assembled and partially sectioned perspective view of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according the first embodiment of the present embodiment;

(5) FIG. 4 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a second embodiment of the present embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a third embodiment of the present embodiment;

(7) FIG. 6 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present embodiment;

(8) FIG. 7 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a fifth embodiment of the present embodiment;

(9) FIG. 8 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a sixth embodiment of the present embodiment; and

(10) FIG. 9 is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a seventh embodiment of the present embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(11) The present invention will now be described with some preferred embodiments thereof and by referring to the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of easy to understand, elements that are the same in the preferred embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(12) Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3, which are exploded perspective view, assembled and partially sectioned perspective view, and assembled sectional view, respectively, of a thin heat pipe structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the thin heat pipe structure includes a main body 1.

(13) The main body 1 includes a chamber 11. The chamber 11 has at least one wick structure 111 and a working fluid 2 provided therein, and internally defines an evaporating section 12 and at least one condensing section 13. The condensing section 13 is extended towards at least one or two ends of the evaporating section 12. The wick structure 111 is provided with at least one groove 14. The groove 14 is extended through the wick structure 111 along a thickness direction Y of the main body 1 to connect to two opposite wall surfaces of the chamber 11, and also extended along a length direction X of the main body 1 to communicate with the condensing section 13 and the evaporating section 12. In the first embodiment, the groove 14 has a uniform width.

(14) Please refer to FIG. 4, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a second embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the second embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment except that, in this second embodiment, there are two condensing sections 13 respectively extended from two ends of the evaporating section 12, and the groove 14 is extended through the wick structure 111 in the condensing sections 13 along the thickness direction Y of the main body 1 (as defined in FIG. 2), but not through the wick structure 111 in the evaporating section 12.

(15) Please refer to FIG. 5, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a third embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the third embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment except that, in this third embodiment, the width of the groove 14 is gradually increased from the evaporating section 12 towards the condensing section 13. That is, the width of the groove 14 in the evaporating section 12 is smaller than that of the groove 14 in the condensing section 13, which means that the groove 14 used as a vapor passageway has a gradually increased width towards the condensing section 13.

(16) Please refer to FIG. 6, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the fourth embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment except that, in this fourth embodiment, there are two condensing sections 13 respectively extended from two ends of the evaporating section 12, and the groove 14 is extended through not only the main body 1 along the length direction X, but also the wick structure 111 in the condensing sections 13 and the evaporating section 12 along the thickness direction Y of the main body 1 (as defined in FIG. 2). In the fourth embodiment, the groove 14 has a uniform width.

(17) Please refer to FIG. 7, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a fifth embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the fifth embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the fourth embodiment except that, in this fifth embodiment, the width of the groove 14 is gradually increased from the evaporating section 12 towards the condensing sections 13. That is, the width of the groove 14 in the evaporating section 12 is smaller than that of the groove 14 in the condensing sections 13, which means that the groove 14 used as a vapor passageway has a gradually increased width towards the condensing sections 13.

(18) Please refer to FIG. 8, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a sixth embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the sixth embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment except that, in this sixth embodiment, the groove 14 is extended through the wick structure 111 in the condensing section 13 and the evaporating section 12 along the thickness direction Y of the main body 1.

(19) Please refer to FIG. 9, which is an assembled sectional view of the thin heat pipe structure according to a seventh embodiment of the present embodiment. As shown, the seventh embodiment of the thin heat pipe structure is generally structurally similar to the sixth embodiment except that, in this seventh embodiment, the width of the groove 14 is gradually increased from the evaporating section 12 towards the condensing section 13, meaning that the groove 14 used as a vapor passageway has a gradually increased width towards the condensing section 13.

(20) In the above seven embodiments, the wick structure may be meshes, fibers, or woven threads. Also, the main body 1 further includes a first plate member 1a and a second plate member 1b. The first and the second plate member 1a, 1b are closed to each other to sandwich the wick structure 111 therebetween. In the present invention, the first and the second plate member 1a, 1b respectively have a thickness ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 mm and the wick structure 111 has a thickness ranged from 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

(21) In the above illustrated embodiments, the thin heat pipe structure is provided with one groove 14. However, it is understood more grooves 14 can be provided without being limited to one. Further, the first and the second plate member 1a, 1b are made of a metal material, such as a copper-foil, an aluminum foil, a stainless steel sheet, or any other thermally conductive metal alloy sheet.

(22) The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.