JP2791307B2 - Electronic equipment cooling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling device for an electronic device, and more particularly to a cooling device for an electronic device in which a printed circuit board is cooled using a heat pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In some types of test heads of electronic devices, for example, IC testers, a large number of printed boards are radially arranged for compactness. As a method for cooling the printed circuit board having the radial arrangement, a liquid-cooled type is considered.

In this method, a heat radiating plate having a liquid path is attached to a printed circuit board, an external liquid cooling tube is connected to the liquid path of the heat radiating plate via a coupler, and a liquid is supplied from the outside to the heat radiating plate to form a printed circuit board. They are trying to cool.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned liquid cooling type cooling device has the following disadvantages.

(1) A coupler is inserted and removed to connect the liquid passage of the heat sink attached to the substrate to the external liquid cooling tube. At this time, even if the liquid is removed from the conduit, it cannot be completely removed. Since the liquid used last time slightly remains in the pipeline, some liquid leakage was unavoidable.

(2) It is necessary to mount couplers one by one in order to connect the liquid passages of the radiator plates respectively attached to a large number of boards to the external liquid cooling tubes. As the number of couplers increases, the number of couplers also increases, which takes time. In particular, when the printed circuit board is a double-sided mounting type, the number of couplers is doubled, and the risk is further increased. In addition, there is a risk that the coupler may be forgotten to be mounted, and if the liquid is allowed to flow while the coupler is forgotten, a fatal accident may occur.

(3) It is difficult to cope with the liquid leakage due to the liquid flowing through the heat sink attached to the substrate, and in the worst case, a fatal accident is caused.

Therefore, the present inventors first adopted a heat pipe system instead of a liquid cooling system, thereby making it easy to attach / detach when replacing a printed circuit board and to provide a safe cooling device for electronic equipment without fear of liquid leakage. (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 6-278)
760).

As shown in FIG. 5, a planar heat pipe 5 is attached to a plurality of printed circuit boards 3 so as to cover each printed circuit board 3, and a cooling plate 8 cooled by circulation of a cooling liquid is connected to each heat pipe. 5 is provided close to the heat radiating portion 7. A wedge-shaped fitting 25 is provided between the cooling plates 8 so as to be able to advance and retreat, and is formed so as to gradually reduce its diameter in the direction of entry.
By moving the cooling plate 8 in the approach direction, the cooling plate 8 is pressed against the heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5 to come into close contact therewith.

According to this, since the hydraulic fluid is covered on the printed circuit board 3 by the closed heat pipe 5, there is no liquid leakage on the printed circuit board 3. Also, the printed circuit board 3
The coolant is circulated back and forth at the end of the printed circuit board.
It is not fatal if it stays outside the end of the heat pipe, and if the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe is protruded and separated from the heat generating component.

When the wedge-shaped brackets 25 are simultaneously moved in the approaching direction, the cooling plate 8 can be mounted on the heat pipe 5 at a time, so that the mounting and dismounting at the time of replacing the printed circuit board becomes easy.

[0012]

When adopting the heat pipe method, how to attach the cooling plate to the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe is an important factor for determining the success or failure. Then, there is still room for improvement as follows.

(1) The wedge-shaped fitting 25 is moved in the entry direction, and the heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5 is pushed in a direction perpendicular to the entry direction of the wedge-shaped fitting 25 so as to be in close contact with the cooling plate 8. Therefore, when the cooling plate 8 is brought into close contact with the heat pipe 5, a large force is directly applied to the heat pipe 5, which may cause deformation of the heat pipe 5 having a small thickness in particular.

(2) Each cooling plate 8 is attached to the holder 26,
Since all the cooling plates 8 are collectively brought into close contact with each heat pipe 5 by moving the holder 26, it is difficult to adjust the degree of adhesion individually. It is difficult to bring the printed circuit boards into uniform contact, and cooling between the printed circuit boards 3 becomes uneven.

(3) Using the wedge-shaped bracket 25, each cooling plate 8
Are collectively brought into close contact with the heat pipe 5, a large force is required and the mechanism becomes complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide a simple structure in which the heat pipe is not deformed and the degree of adhesion between each heat pipe and the cooling plate does not vary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling device for electronic equipment.

[0017]

A cooling device for electronic equipment according to the present invention is mounted on a plurality of printed circuit boards arranged substantially parallel and adjacent to each other so as to cover each printed circuit board.
A planar heat pipe for transmitting heat generated by the heat-generating components mounted on each printed circuit board from the heat receiving portion to the heat radiating portion; a cooling plate mounting block provided integrally with the heat radiating portion of each heat pipe; A cooling plate that is detachably attached to the block, cools the block when attached, and absorbs heat transmitted from the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe to the block, and mounting means for detachably attaching each cooling plate to each block. Things.

As in the present invention, if a heat pipe in which the hydraulic fluid is closed and the fluid path is closed is used for cooling the heat-generating components mounted on the printed circuit board, the hydraulic fluid does not leak. There is no danger of leaks on the heat-generating parts compared to the liquid-cooled type, which has a liquid passage that circulates the liquid from the outside to the heat sink attached to cover the printed circuit board. Safe and reliable. Further, since the cooling plate mounting block is provided integrally with the heat radiating portion of each heat pipe, a cooling plate that absorbs heat from the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe can be easily mounted on the heat pipe side. In addition, when the cooling plate is attached so as to be in close contact with the block, heat from the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe can be efficiently absorbed by the cooling plate via the block. Furthermore, since the cooling plate is detachably attached to the block, maintenance and maintenance of the heat plate
Inspection is easy.

In the above-mentioned present invention, the mounting means may be a banana jack provided on one of the block and the cooling plate, and an insertion hole provided on the other of the block and the cooling plate and into which the banana jack is inserted. , Or a fastener for fastening the block and the cooling plate to each other, or further, a screwing means.

When the mounting means is of the banana jack type, the cooling plate can be easily attached to and detached from the block with a small force, and when it is a fastener, the cooling plate can be attached and detached to and from the block with one touch. When the means is used, the degree of adhesion between the block and the cooling plate can be further ensured.

Further, a liquid passage for supplying a cooling liquid to each of the cooling plates is provided, and a cooling liquid is supplied to the liquid passage through a distribution branch pipe connected to the main pipe, and the liquid flows through the liquid passage of each cooling plate. The liquid after the cooling treatment may be returned through the collecting branch connected to the main pipe, and the distribution branch and the collecting branch may be formed of a flexible tube.

When both branch pipes are formed of flexible tubes, the position and posture of the cooling plate can be freely changed, so that the cooling plate can be easily attached to and detached from the block.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which a cooling device for electronic equipment of the present invention is applied to a test head of an IC tester will be described.

FIG. 2 shows the entire configuration of the test head portion. As shown in the figure, at the center of the test head 1, there is provided a cylindrical body 2 forming a hole for a microscope penetrating vertically. On the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 2, a large number of printed boards 3 are erected and arranged radially. The lower end of the printed circuit board 3 is inserted and connected to a connector of a motherboard (not shown). Heat generating electronic components 4 such as LSIs are mounted on each printed circuit board 3, and a planar heat pipe 5 is attached to each printed circuit board 3 so as to cover these heat generating electronic components 4. The printed circuit board 3 is of a double-sided mounting type,
A planar heat pipe 5 is attached to both sides of the printed circuit board 3 so as to sandwich the same.

The heat receiving portion 6 of the heat pipe 5 that absorbs the heat of the heat-generating electronic component 4 is a plate-like body extending in an arc from the upper outside to the lower inside of the printed circuit board 3. The reason for the arc shape is that the heat-generating electronic components 4 on the printed circuit board 3 are arranged in an arc shape. The heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5 that emits the heat absorbed by the heat receiving portion 6 is located above the end of the printed circuit board 3. A block 9 for attaching a cooling plate 8 to be described later is integrally attached to the heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5 located above the end of the printed board 3 by means such as brazing, and absorbed by the heat receiving portion 6. The heat of the heat-generating electronic component 4 is radiated from the radiator 7 via the block 9. In the heat pipe 5, a large number of closed-loop liquid paths through which the working fluid flows between the heat receiving section 6 and the heat radiating section 7 are formed.

Outside the printed circuit board 3, there are provided cooling plates 8 which are detachably attached to blocks 9 of the heat pipes 5 attached to both sides of each printed circuit board 3. A liquid passage is provided inside the cooling plate 8, and a cooling liquid is supplied to the liquid passage to cool the block 9 and absorb heat transmitted from the heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5 to the block 9. . Each cooling plate 8 is disposed below the printed circuit board 3 so as to surround the outer periphery of the printed circuit board 3.
Each cooling plate 8 is attached to a main pipe 10 that supplies cooling water. In the main pipe 10, a cooling water distribution pipe 11 and a cooling water collecting pipe 12 after the cooling process are formed. The distribution pipe 11 makes a U-turn after being rotated around the main pipe 10 approximately, and is connected to the collection pipe 12. The pipe 12 is connected to the pipe 11.
It is arranged to return along again. The cooling water is supplied to each cooling plate 8 from each branch pipe 13 connected to the pipe 11 of the distribution unit.
The water after the cooling process is returned from the branch pipe 14 of each cooling plate 8 to the conduit 12 of the collecting part and discharged. The branch pipes 13 and 14 are formed of flexible tubes, and the position and posture of the cooling plate 8 can be freely changed.

Each cooling plate 8 is removably attached to the block 9 of each heat pipe 5 by an attaching means, and comes into close contact with the block 9 at the time of attachment. As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting means 15 includes a plurality of banana jacks 16 provided on the cooling plate 8 and a plurality of insertion holes 17 provided on the block 9 and into which the banana jacks 16 are inserted. As shown in an enlarged view, the banana jack 16 has a plurality of leaf springs 16b slightly floating from the peripheral surface of the jack 16a and attached to a banana skin around the axis. When the banana jack 16 is inserted into the insertion hole 17 of the block 9, these leaf springs 16 b are reduced in diameter in the radial direction by the insertion pressure to facilitate insertion, and are expanded radially outward when the insertion is stopped. The cooling plate 8 is fixed to the block 9 so as to make it difficult to remove from the insertion hole 17 by making the diameter.

The block 9 and the cooling plate 8 are made of aluminum or copper, and the branch tubes 13 and 14 as flexible tubes are made of synthetic resin.

Now, in the above configuration, when each cooling plate 8 is mounted on each of the blocks 9 attached to each of the heat pipes 5, the cooling plate 8 is pinched to connect a plurality of banana jacks 16 to the plurality of blocks 9 of the block 9. It is inserted into the insertion hole 17 and pushed until the contact surface between the block 9 and the cooling plate 8 comes into close contact. At this time, even if the cooling plate 8 is in a position or posture where it is difficult to attach to the block 9, the branch pipes 13 and 14 connecting the cooling plate 8 to the main pipe 10 are flexible tubes, so that the cooling plate 8 can be easily attached to the block 9. Can be.
This is performed for each cooling plate 8. In order to further improve the adhesiveness between the block 9 and the cooling plate 8 to improve the thermal conductivity, silicon grease or a film-like heat conductive sheet having elasticity and good thermal conductivity may be used. It is good to intervene.

Conversely, when removing the cooling plate 8 from the block 9, it is sufficient to simply remove the banana jack 16 from the insertion hole 17, and a large removal force is not required. Even if the cooling plate 8 is removed from the block 9, the working fluid in the heat pipe 5 is in a closed loop, so that no liquid leakage occurs. Further, since the attachment and detachment of the plurality of banana jacks 16 and the insertion holes 17 can be performed at the same time, the operation of attaching and detaching a large number of couplers one by one as in the conventional liquid cooling system is not required.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
A block 9 for attaching a cooling plate to the heat radiating portion 7 of the heat pipe 5
The cooling plate 8 can be easily attached to the heat pipe 5 as compared with the case where the cooling plate is directly attached to the heat pipe. Also, the attachment and detachment of the cooling plate 8 and block 9
Since heat is not applied to the heat pipe 5 at the time of attachment / detachment, deformation of the heat pipe 5 having a planar shape and a small thickness can be effectively prevented. Also, since each cooling plate 8 is individually attached to each block 9, the degree of adhesion between the block 9 and the cooling plate 8 can be easily adjusted individually as compared with a case where all the cooling plates 8 are attached collectively. In addition, uniform cooling without variation between the printed circuit boards 3 can be realized.

In the above embodiment, the case where the printed circuit boards are arranged radially in parallel with each other has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to the case where the printed circuit boards are arranged in parallel. Further, the cooling device of the electronic device of the present invention is not limited to the test head of the IC tester, but can be applied to any device that cools a printed board with a planar heat pipe.

The mounting means may be constituted by fasteners or by screwing means in addition to the banana jack system described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment composed of fasteners. A hook 18 is provided at a lower end of the cooling plate 8 and a fastening ring 19 is provided at an upper end, a hook hole 20 for engaging the hook 18 is provided at a lower end of the block 9, and a hooking piece 21 is provided at an upper end. First hook 18
Are engaged with the hook holes 20 and the cooling plate 8 is
Is pivoted, the fastening ring 19 is hooked on the hook piece 21, and the fastening ring 19 is pulled forward to be fixed, so that the cooling plate 8 is fastened to the block 9 to be in close contact therewith. According to this, the cooling plate 8 can be attached to the block 9 with one touch.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment comprising screwing means. A plurality of stud bolts 23 are implanted in the block 9 in advance, a plurality of stupid holes 24 are formed in the cooling plate 8 to be fixed, the stud bolts 23 are fitted into the holes, and the cooling plate 8 is fastened to the block 9 with the nut 22. By tightly tightening the nut 22, the degree of adhesion between the block 9 and the cooling plate 8 can be remarkably improved.

[0036]

According to the present invention, a block is provided in the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe, and the cooling plate is detachably attached to this block. The deformation of the planar heat pipe can be effectively prevented, and the reliability of the cooling device using the heat pipe can be improved. In addition, since each cooling plate is individually attached to each block, the degree of adhesion between the block and the cooling plate can be easily adjusted individually compared to the case where each cooling plate is attached to each block collectively. Uniform cooling without variation between substrates can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a first embodiment in which a cooling device for an electronic device of the present invention is applied to an IC test head.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a test head portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a conventional IC test head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 heat pipe 8 cooling plate 9 block 15 mounting means 16 banana jack 17 insertion hole

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heat-generating component mounted on a plurality of printed circuit boards arranged substantially parallel and adjacent to each other so as to cover each of the printed circuit boards. A planar heat pipe that conveys, a cooling plate mounting block that is provided integrally with the heat radiating section of each heat pipe, and is detachably attached to each block ,
The cooling liquid circulated and supplied to the folded liquid passage
Thus a cooling plate which absorbs the heat transferred from the heat radiating portion of the heat pipe to cool the block to the cooling plate mounting block, and mounting means for removably attaching the respective cooling plates to each cooling plate mounting block, for the cooling A main pipe for supplying the liquid, and a fluid pipe connecting the main pipe and the folded liquid passage of the cooling plate.
A cooling device for electronic equipment comprising a flexible tube .