US20140174700A1

US20140174700A1 - Vapor chamber and method of manufacturing the same

Info

Publication number: US20140174700A1
Application number: US13/723,061
Authority: US
Inventors: Jen-Cheng Lin; Chien-Hung Sun; Chun Zhou
Original assignee: Cooler Master Co Ltd
Current assignee: Cooler Master Development Corp
Priority date: 2012-12-20
Filing date: 2012-12-20
Publication date: 2014-06-26

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a vapor chamber includes steps of: providing a first metal cover plate with a plurality of first engaging recesses, a second metal cover plate with a plurality of second engaging recesses, and a plurality of support members, wherein a width of a first end of each support member is larger than a width of each first engaging recess, and a width of a second end of each support member is larger than a width of each second engaging recess; making the first end abut against the first engaging recess and making the second end abut against the second engaging recess; and punching the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate so as to rivet the first end into the first engaging recess in a tight-fitting manner and rivet the second end into the second engaging recess in a tight-fitting manner.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vapor chamber and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a method for riveting a support member into a metal cover plate of a vapor chamber in a tight-fitting manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a vapor chamber, a working fluid is filled in a sealed chamber. The working fluid can be evaporated and condensed in cycles such that heat can be conducted by the vapor chamber uniformly and rapidly. In general, the vapor chamber essentially consists of metal casing, capillary structure and working fluid and is manufactured by an annealing process, a vacuumizing process, a soldering and sealing process, and so on. Furthermore, to prevent the vapor chamber from caving in or bulging out, the prior art disposes a plurality of support members in the metal casing and solders opposite ends of each support member onto upper and lower metal cover plates of the metal casing. Since the cost of soldering process is higher than other processes, the manufacture cost of the vapor chamber will increase accordingly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a vapor chamber and a method for riveting a support member into a metal cover plate of a vapor chamber in a tight-fitting manner, so as to solve the aforesaid problems.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber comprises steps of providing a first metal cover plate, a second metal cover plate and a plurality of support members, wherein the first metal cover plate has a plurality of first engaging recesses, the second metal cover plate has a plurality of second engaging recesses, a width of a first end of each support member is larger than a width of each first engaging recess, a width of a second end of each support member is larger than a width of each second engaging recess, and the first end is opposite to the second end; making the first ends of the support members abut against the first engaging recesses and making the second ends of the support members abut against the second engaging recesses; and punching the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate so as to rivet the first ends of the support members into the first engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner and rivet the second ends of the support members into the second engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a vapor chamber comprises a first metal cover plate, a second metal cover plate, a plurality of support members, a capillary structure and a working fluid. The first metal cover plate has a plurality of first engaging recesses. The second metal cover plate has a plurality of second engaging recesses. A first end of each support member is riveted into one of the first engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner and a second end is riveted into one of the second engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner. The capillary structure is formed between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate. The working fluid is filled in between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber comprises steps of providing a first metal cover plate and a second metal cover plate, wherein the first metal cover plate has a plurality of support members, the first metal cover plate and the support members are formed integrally, the second metal cover plate has a plurality of engaging recesses, a width of a free end of each support member is larger than a width of each engaging recess; making the free ends of the support members abut against the engaging recesses; and punching the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate so as to rivet the free ends of the support members into the engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a vapor chamber comprises a first metal cover plate, a second metal cover plate, a capillary structure and a working fluid. The first metal cover plate has a plurality of support members and the first metal cover plate and the support members are formed integrally. The second metal cover plate has a plurality of second engaging recesses and a free end of each support member is riveted into one of the engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner. The capillary structure is formed between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate. The working fluid is filled in between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate.
As mentioned in the above, the invention rivets opposite ends of one single support member into two metal cover plates in a tight-fitting manner through a punch process or, alternatively, rivets a support member, which is formed with a metal cover plate integrally, into another metal cover plate in a tight-fitting manner through a punch process. The process of the invention is simple and the efficiency of manufacturing the vapor chamber can be improved effectively so that the manufacture cost can be reduced.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vapor chamber before a punch process.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vapor chamber after the punch process.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating three different sections of the support member.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the support members according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber according to a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vapor chamber before a punch process.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vapor chamber after the punch process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber according to a first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vapor chamber 1 before a punch process, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vapor chamber 1 after the punch process.
First of all, step S10 is performed to provide a first metal cover plate 10, a second metal cover plate 12 and a plurality of support members 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the first metal cover plate 10 has a plurality of first engaging recesses 100, the second metal cover plate 12 has a plurality of second engaging recesses 120, a width W1 of a first end 140 of each support member 14 is larger than a width W2 of each first engaging recess 100, a width W3 of a second end 142 of each support member 14 is larger than a width W4 of each second engaging recess 120, and the first end 140 is opposite to the second end 142. In this embodiment, the width W1 of the first end 140 of the support member 14 is equal to the width W3 of the second end 142 of the support member 14. However, in another embodiment, the width W1 of the first end 140 of the support member 14 may be larger or smaller than the width W3 of the second end 142 of the support member 14 according to practical applications.
Afterward, step S12 is performed to form a capillary structure 16 between the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12, wherein the capillary structure 16 may be a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure according to practical applications. It should be noted that the aforesaid compound capillary structure may consist of at least two capillary structures selected from the groove-type capillary structure, the porous capillary structure, the mesh capillary structure and the sintered capillary structure. Step S14 is then performed to make the first ends 140 of the support members 14 abut against the first engaging recesses 100 and make the second ends 142 of the support members 14 abut against the second engaging recesses 120. Step S16 is then performed to punch the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12 in directions indicated by the arrows A1 and A2 of FIG. 2 so as to rivet the first ends 140 of the support members 14 into the first engaging recesses 100 in a tight-fitting manner and rivet the second ends 142 of the support members 14 into the second engaging recesses 120 in a tight-fitting manner. In this embodiment, the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12 may be made of, but not limited to, copper, aluminum or other metal with low hardness. Accordingly, the invention can rivet the first end 140 and the second end 142 of the support member 14 into the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12 in a tight-fitting manner rapidly and effectively by the punch process, so as to reduce the manufacture cost.
Step S18 is then performed to fill a working fluid 18 (e.g. water) in between the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12. Finally, step S20 is performed to vacuumize the chamber between the first metal cover plate 10 and the second metal cover plate 12 so as to complete the vapor chamber 1 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the vapor chamber 1, which is manufactured by the aforesaid steps, comprises the aforesaid first metal cover plate 10, second metal cover plate 12, support members 14, capillary structure 16 and working fluid 18.
Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating three different sections of the support member 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the sections of the support members 14 may be circular or polygonal (e.g. rectangular or star-shaped) according to practical applications. Accordingly, the sections of the first engaging recesses 100 and the second engaging recesses 120 may be circular or polygonal (e.g. rectangular or star-shaped) corresponding to the sections of the support members 14. In addition to rectangular section and star-shaped section shown in FIG. 4, the sections of the support members 14 may also be formed in other polygonal shapes (e.g. triangular or pentagon) or irregular shape according to practical applications.
Referring to FIG. 5 along with FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the support members 14 according to a second embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the support members 14 can be connected to each other by a connecting structure 144, wherein the support members 14 and the connecting structure 144 are formed integrally. Accordingly, in the aforesaid step S14, an operator can make the first ends 140 of one row of support members 14 abut against the first engaging recesses 100 and make the second ends 142 of one row of support members 14 abut against the second engaging recesses 120 at the same time, so as to enhance the efficiency of manufacturing the vapor chamber 1.
Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a vapor chamber according to a third embodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vapor chamber 3 before a punch process, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vapor chamber 3 after the punch process.
First of all, step S30 is performed to provide a first metal cover plate 30 and a second metal cover plate 32. As shown in FIG. 7, the first metal cover plate 30 has a plurality of support members 34, the first metal cover plate 30 and the support members 34 are formed integrally, the second metal cover plate 32 has a plurality of engaging recesses 320, a width W5 of a free end 340 of each support member 34 is larger than a width WE of each engaging recess 320. In this embodiment, the sections of the support members 34 may also be circular or polygonal (e.g. rectangular or star-shaped) shown in FIG. 4 according to practical applications. Accordingly, the sections of the engaging recesses 320 may also be circular or polygonal (e.g. rectangular or star-shaped) corresponding to the sections of the support members 34.
Afterward, step S32 is performed to form a capillary structure 36 between the first metal cover plate 30 and the second metal cover plate 32, wherein the capillary structure 36 may be a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure according to practical applications. It should be noted that the aforesaid compound capillary structure may consist of at least two capillary structures selected from the groove-type capillary structure, the porous capillary structure, the mesh capillary structure and the sintered capillary structure. Step S34 is then performed to make the free ends 340 of the support members 34 abut against the engaging recesses 320. Step S36 is then performed to punch the first metal cover plate 30 and the second metal cover plate 32 in directions indicated by the arrows A1 and A2 of FIG. 7 so as to rivet the free ends 340 of the support members 34 into the engaging recesses 320 in a tight-fitting manner. In this embodiment, the first metal cover plate 30 and the second metal cover plate 32 may be made of, but not limited to, copper, aluminum or other metal with low hardness. Accordingly, the invention can form the first metal cover plate 30 and the support members 34 integrally in advance and then rivet the free ends 340 of the support members 34 into the second metal cover plate 32 in a tight-fitting manner rapidly and effectively by the punch process, so as to reduce the manufacture cost.
Step S38 is then performed to fill a working fluid 38 (e.g. water) in between the first metal cover plate 30 and the second metal cover plate 32. Finally, step S40 is performed to vacuumize the chamber between the first metal cover plate 30 and the second metal cover plate 32 so as to complete the vapor chamber 3 shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the vapor chamber 3, which is manufactured by the aforesaid steps, comprises the aforesaid first metal cover plate 30, second metal cover plate 32, support members 34, capillary structure 36 and working fluid 38.
As mentioned in the above, the invention rivets opposite ends of one single support member into two metal cover plates in a tight-fitting manner through a punch process or, alternatively, rivets a support member, which is formed with a metal cover plate integrally, into another metal cover plate in a tight-fitting manner through a punch process. The process of the invention is simple and the efficiency of manufacturing the vapor chamber can be improved effectively so that the manufacture cost can be reduced.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a vapor chamber comprising:

providing a first metal cover plate, a second metal cover plate and a plurality of support members, wherein the first metal cover plate has a plurality of first engaging recesses, the second metal cover plate has a plurality of second engaging recesses, a width of a first end of each support member is larger than a width of each first engaging recess, a width of a second end of each support member is larger than a width of each second engaging recess, and the first end is opposite to the second end;

making the first ends of the support members abut against the first engaging recesses and making the second ends of the support members abut against the second engaging recesses; and

punching the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate so as to rivet the first ends of the support members into the first engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner and rivet the second ends of the support members into the second engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sections of the support members are circular or polygonal and sections of the first engaging recesses and the second engaging recesses are circular or polygonal corresponding to the sections of the support members.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the support members are connected to each other by a connecting structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate are made of copper or aluminum.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a capillary structure between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate; and

filling a working fluid in between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the capillary structure is a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure.

7. A vapor chamber comprising:

a first metal cover plate having a plurality of first engaging recesses;

a second metal cover plate having a plurality of second engaging recesses;

a plurality of support members, a first end of each support member being riveted into one of the first engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner and a second end being riveted into one of the second engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner;

a capillary structure formed between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate; and

a working fluid filled in between the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate.

8. The vapor chamber of claim 7, wherein sections of the support member are circular or polygonal and sections of the first engaging recesses and the second engaging recesses are circular or polygonal corresponding to the sections of the support members.

9. The vapor chamber of claim 7, wherein the support members are connected to each other by a connecting structure.

10. The vapor chamber of claim 7, wherein the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate are made of copper or aluminum.

11. The vapor chamber of claim 10, wherein the capillary structure is a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure.

12. A method of manufacturing a vapor chamber comprising:

providing a first metal cover plate and a second metal cover plate, wherein the first metal cover plate has a plurality of support members, the first metal cover plate and the support members are formed integrally, the second metal cover plate has a plurality of engaging recesses, a width of a free end of each support member is larger than a width of each engaging recess;

making the free ends of the support members abut against the engaging recesses; and

punching the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate so as to rivet the free ends of the support members into the engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sections of the support members are circular or polygonal and sections of the engaging recesses are circular or polygonal corresponding to the sections of the support members.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate are made of copper or aluminum.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the capillary structure is a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure.

17. A vapor chamber comprising:

a first metal cover plate having a plurality of support members, the first metal cover plate and the support members being formed integrally;

a second metal cover plate having a plurality of second engaging recesses, a free end of each support member being riveted into one of the engaging recesses in a tight-fitting manner;

18. The vapor chamber of claim 17, wherein sections of the support members are circular or polygonal and sections of the engaging recesses are circular or polygonal corresponding to the sections of the support members.

19. The vapor chamber of claim 17, wherein the first metal cover plate and the second metal cover plate are made of copper or aluminum.

20. The vapor chamber of claim 19, wherein the capillary structure is a groove-type capillary structure, a porous capillary structure, a mesh capillary structure, a sintered capillary structure or a compound capillary structure.