`
`12) United States Patent
`Eriksen
`
`10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8.240.362 B2
`* Aug. 14, 2012
`
`9
`
`9
`
`(54) COOLING SYSTEM FOR A COMPUTER
`SYSTEM
`
`w
`(75) Inventor: André Sloth Eriksen, Aalborg (DK)
`
`(73) Assignee: Asetek A/S, Bronderslev (DK)
`(*) Notice:
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent 1s list
`adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 81 days.
`This patent is Subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`(21) Appl. No.: 12/826,768
`(22) Filed:
`Jun. 30, 2010
`
`e a V8
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2010/0326636A1
`Dec. 30, 2010
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(62) Division of application No. 10/578,578, filed as
`application No. PCT/DK2004/000775 on Nov. 8,
`2004, now Pat. No. 7,971,632.
`(60) Provisional
`lication No. 60/517.924, filed on N
`Tyne applicauon No.
`924, Illed on INOV.
`s
`(51) Int. Cl
`(2006.01)
`F28F 7700
`(2006.01)
`H05K 7/20
`(52) U.S. Cl. ................... 165804. 165/10433 361/699
`(58) Field of Classification search
`16580 4
`165/104.33. 104.34, 299 802 805. 361 695.
`s
`s
`361 696 699. 257/71 4
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
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`C. C. a.
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`DE
`
`Primary Examiner — Tho V Duong
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Finnegan, Henderson,
`Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
`57
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`The invention relates to a cooling system for a computer
`system, said computer system comprising at least one unit
`Such as a central processing unit (CPU) generating thermal
`energy and said cooling system intended for cooling the at
`least one processing unit and comprising a reservoir having
`an amount of cooling liquid, said cooling liquid intended for
`accumulating and transferring of thermal energy dissipated
`from the processing unit to the cooling liquid. The cooling
`system has a heat exchanging interface for providing thermal
`contact between the processing unit and the cooling liquid for
`dissipating heat from the processing unit to the cooling liquid.
`Different embodiments of the heat exchanging system as well
`as means for establishing and controlling a flow of cooling
`liquid and a cooling strategy constitutes the invention of the
`cooling system.
`
`19 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets
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`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`EP
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`EP
`WOO1/2.5881 A
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`5, 2005
`* cited by examiner
`
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`Aug. 14, 2012
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`Sheet 1 of 14
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`US 8,240,362 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Aug. 14, 2012
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`Sheet 2 of 14
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`US 8,240,362 B2
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`US 8,240,362 B2
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`1.
`COOLING SYSTEM FOR A COMPUTER
`SYSTEM
`
`This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 10/578,578, filed
`May 5, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,971,632, that is a national
`phase of PCT/DK2004/000775, filed Nov. 8, 2004, that
`claims priority to 60/517.924, filed Nov. 7, 2003, which are
`incorporated herein by reference.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`10
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`2
`a reservoir having an amount of cooling liquid, said cooling
`liquid intended for accumulating and transferring of
`thermal energy dissipated from the processing unit to the
`cooling liquid,
`a heat exchanging interface for providing thermal contact
`between the processing unit and the cooling liquid for
`dissipating heat from the processing unit to the cooling
`liquid,
`a pump being provided as part of an integrate element, said
`integrate element comprising the heat exchanging inter
`face, the reservoir and the pump,
`said pump intended for pumping the cooling liquid into the
`reservoir, through the reservoir and from the reservoir to
`a heat radiating means,
`said heat radiating means intended for radiating thermal
`energy from the cooling liquid, dissipated to the cooling
`liquid, to Surroundings of the heat radiating means.
`By providing an integrate element, it is possible to limit the
`number of separate elements of the system. However, there is
`actually no need for limiting the number of elements, because
`often there is enough space within a cabinet of a computer
`system to encompass the different individual elements of the
`cooling system. Thus, it is Surprisingly that, at all, any attempt
`is conducted of integrating some of the elements.
`In preferred embodiments according to this aspect of the
`invention, the pump is placed inside the reservoir with at least
`an inlet oran outlet leading to the liquid in the reservoir. In an
`alternative embodiment the pump is placed outside the reser
`voir in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir and wherein at
`least an inlet oran outlet is leading directly to the liquid in the
`reservoir. By placing the pump inside the reservoir or in the
`immediate vicinity outside the reservoir, the integrity of the
`combined reservoir, heat exchanger and pump is obtained, so
`that the element is easy to employ in new and existing com
`puter systems, especially mainstream computer systems.
`The object may also be obtained by a cooling system for a
`computer system, said computer system comprising:
`at least one unit Such as a central processing unit (CPU)
`generating thermal energy and said cooling system
`intended for cooling the at least one processing unit,
`a reservoir having an amount of cooling liquid, said cooling
`liquid intended for accumulating and transferring of
`thermal energy dissipated from the processing unit to the
`cooling liquid,
`a heat exchanging interface for providing thermal contact
`between the processing unit and the cooling liquid for
`dissipating heat from the processing unit to the cooling
`liquid,
`a pump intended for pumping the cooling liquid into the
`reservoir, through the reservoir and from the reservoir to
`a heat radiating means,
`said cooling system being intended for thermal contact
`with the processing unit by means of existing fastening
`means associated with the processing unit, and
`said heat radiating means intended for radiating from the
`cooling liquid thermal energy, dissipated to the cooling
`liquid, to Surroundings of the heat radiating means.
`The use of existing fastening means has the advantage that
`fitting of the cooling system is fast and easy. However, once
`again there is no problem for the person skilled in the art to
`adopt specially adapted mounting means for any element of
`the cooling system, because there are numerous possibilities
`in existing cabinets of computer systems for mounting any
`kind of any number of elements, also elements of a cooling
`system.
`In preferred embodiments according to this aspect of the
`invention, the existing fastening means are means intended
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`The present invention relates to a cooling system for a
`central processing unit (CPU) or other processing unit of a
`computer system. More specifically, the invention relates to a
`liquid-cooling system for a mainstream computer system
`such as a PC.
`During operation of a computer, the heat created inside the
`CPU or other processing unit must be carried away fast and
`efficiently, keeping the temperature within the design range
`specified by the manufacturer. As an example of cooling
`systems, various CPU cooling methods exist and the most
`used CPU cooling method to date has been an air-cooling
`arrangement, wherein a heat sink in thermal contact with the
`CPU transports the heat away from the CPU and as an option
`a fan mounted on top of the heat sinkfunctions as an airfan for
`removing the heat from the heat sink by blowing air through
`segments of the heat sink. This air-cooling arrangement is
`sufficient as long as the heat produced by the CPU is kept at
`today’s level, however it becomes less useful in future cooling
`arrangements when considering the development of CPUs
`since the speed of a CPU is said to double perhaps every 18
`months, thus increasing the heat production accordingly.
`Another design used today is a CPU cooling arrangement
`where cooling liquid is used to cool the CPU by circulating a
`cooling liquid inside a closed system by means of a pumping
`unit, and where the closed system also comprises a heat
`exchanger past which the cooling liquid is circulated.
`A liquid-cooling arrangement is more efficient than an
`air-cooling arrangement and tends to lower the noise level of
`40
`the cooling arrangement in general. However, the liquid
`cooling design consists of many components, which
`increases the total installation time, thus making it less desir
`able as a mainstream solution. With a trend of producing
`Smaller and more compact PCs for the end-users, the greater
`amount of components in a typical liquid-cooling arrange
`ment is also undesirable. Furthermore, the many components
`having to be coupled together incurs a risk of leakage of
`cooling liquid from the system.
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`SUMMARY OF INVENTION
`
`It may be one object of the invention to provide a small and
`compact liquid-cooling solution, which is more efficient than
`existing air-cooling arrangements and which can be produced
`at a low cost enabling high production Volumes. It may be
`another object to create a liquid-cooling arrangement, which
`is easy-to-use and implement, and which requires a low level
`of maintenance or no maintenance at all. It may be still
`another object of the present invention to create a liquid
`cooling arrangement, which can be used with existing CPU
`types, and which can be used in existing computer systems.
`This object may be obtained by a cooling system for a
`computer system, said computer system comprising:
`at least one unit Such as a central processing unit (CPU)
`generating thermal energy and said cooling system
`intended for cooling the at least one processing unit,
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`for attaching a heat sink to the processing unit, or the existing
`fastening means are means intended for attaching a cooling
`fan to the processing unit, or the existing fastening means are
`means intended for attaching a heat sink together with a
`cooling fan to the processing unit. Existing fastening means
`of the kind mentioned is commonly used for air cooling of
`CPUs of computer systems, however, air cooling arrange
`ments being much less complex than liquid cooling systems.
`Nevertheless, it has ingeniously been possible to develop a
`complex and effective liquid cooling system capable of util
`ising such existing fastening means for simple and less effec
`tive air cooling arrangements.
`According to an aspect of the invention, the pump is
`selected from the following types: Bellows pump, centrifugal
`pump, diaphragm pump, drum pump, flexible liner pump,
`flexible impeller pump, gear pump, peristaltic tubing pump,
`piston pump, processing cavity pump, pressure washer pump,
`rotary lobe pump, rotary vane pump and electro-kinetic
`pump. By adopting one or more of the Solution of the present
`invention, a wide variety of pumps may be used without
`departing from the scope of the invention.
`According to another aspect of the invention, driving
`means for driving the pump is selected among the following
`driving means: electrically operated rotary motor, piezo-elec
`trically operated motor, permanent magnet operated motor,
`fluid-operated motor, capacitor-operated motor. As is the case
`when selecting the pump to pump the liquid, by adopting one
`or more of the solution of the present invention, a wide variety
`of pumps may be used without departing from the scope of the
`invention.
`The object may also be obtained by a cooling system for a
`computer System, said computer System comprising:
`at least one unit Such as a central processing unit (CPU)
`generating thermal energy and said cooling system
`intended for cooling the at least one processing unit,
`a reservoir having an amount of cooling liquid, said cooling
`liquid intended for accumulating and transferring of
`thermal energy dissipated from the processing unit to the
`cooling liquid,
`a heat exchanging interface for providing thermal contact
`between the processing unit and the cooling liquid for
`dissipating heat from the processing unit to the cooling
`liquid,
`a pump intended for pumping the cooling liquid into the
`reservoir, through the reservoir and from the reservoir to
`a heat radiating means, and
`said cooling system further comprising a pump wherein the
`pump is driven by an AC electrical motor by a DC
`electrical power Supply of the computer system,
`where at least part of the electrical power from said power
`Supply is intended for being converted to AC being Sup
`plied to the electrical motor.
`It may be advantageous to use an AC motor, Such as a 12V
`AC motor, for driving the pump in order to obtain a stabile
`unit perhaps having to operate 24hours a day, 365 days a year.
`However, the person skilled in the art will find it unnecessary
`to adopt as example a 12V motor because high Voltage Such as
`220V or 110V is readily accessible as this is the electrical
`Voltage used to power the Voltage Supply of the computer
`system itself. Although choosing to use a 12V motor for the
`pump, it has never been and will never be the choice of the
`person skilled in the art to use an AC motor. The voltage
`Supplied by the Voltage Supply of the computer system itself
`is DC, thus this will be the type of voltage chosen by the
`skilled person.
`In preferred embodiments according to any aspect of the
`invention, an electrical motor is intended both for driving the
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`pump for pumping the liquid and for driving the a fan for
`establishing a flow of air in the vicinity of the reservoir, or an
`electrical motor is intended both for driving the pump for
`pumping the liquid and for driving the a fan for establishing a
`flow of air in the vicinity of the heat radiating means, or an
`electrical motor is intended both for driving the pump for
`pumping the liquid, and for driving the a fan for establishing
`a flow of air in the vicinity of the reservoir, and for driving the
`a fan for establishing a flow of air in the vicinity of the heat
`radiating means.
`By utilising a single electrical motor for driving more than
`one element of the cooling system according to any of the
`aspects of the invention, the lesser complexity and the reli
`ability of the cooling system will be further enhanced.
`The heat exchanging interface may be an element being
`separate from the reservoir, and where the heat exchanging
`interface is secured to the reservoir in a manner so that the
`heat exchanging interface constitutes part of the reservoir
`when being secured to the reservoir. Alternatively, the heat
`exchanging interface constitutes an integrate surface of the
`reservoir, and where the heat exchanging Surface extends
`along an area of the Surface of the reservoir, said area of
`Surface being intended for facing the processing unit and said
`area of Surface being intended for the close thermal contact
`with the processing unit. Evenalternatively, the heat exchang
`ing interface is constitutes by a free surface of the processing
`unit, and where the free surface is capable of establishing heat
`dissipation between the processing unit and the cooling liquid
`through an aperture provided in the reservoir, and where the
`aperture extends along an area of the Surface of the reservoir,
`said Surface being intended for facing the processing unit.
`The object may also be obtained by a cooling system for a
`computer system, said computer system comprising:
`at least one unit Such as a central processing unit (CPU)
`generating thermal energy and said cooling system
`intended for cooling the at least one processing unit
`comprising
`a reservoir having an amount of cooling liquid, said cooling
`liquid intended for accumulating and transferring of
`thermal energy dissipated from the processing unit to the
`cooling liquid,
`a heat exchanging interface for providing thermal contact
`between the processing unit and the cooling liquid for
`dissipating heat from the processing unit to the cooling
`liquid,
`a pumping means being intended for pumping the cooling
`liquid into the reservoir, through the reservoir and from
`the reservoir to a heat radiating means,
`said heat radiating means intended for radiating thermal
`energy from the cooling liquid, dissipated to the cooling
`liquid, to Surroundings of the heat radiating means,
`said heat exchanging interface constituting a heat exchang
`ing Surface being manufactured from a material Suitable
`for heat conducting, and
`with a first side of the heat exchanging Surface facing the
`central processing unit being Substantially plane and
`with a second side of the heat exchanging Surface facing
`the cooling liquid being Substantially plane and
`said reservoir being manufactured from plastic, and chan
`nels or segments being provided in the reservoir for
`establishing a certain flow-path for the cooling liquid
`through the reservoir.
`Providing a plane heat exchanging Surface, both the first,
`inner side and on the second, outer side, results in the costs for
`manufacturing the heat exchanging Surface is reduced to an
`absolute minimum. However, a plane first, inner Surface may
`also result in the cooling liquid passing the heat exchanging
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`Surface too fast. This may be remedied by providing grooves
`along the inner Surface, thereby providing a flow path in the
`heat exchanging Surface. This however results in the costs for
`manufacturing the heat exchanging Surface increasing.
`The solution to this problem according to the invention has
`been dealt with by providing channels or segments in the
`reservoir housing in stead. The reservoir housing may be
`manufactured by injection moulding or by casting, depending
`on the material which the reservoir housing is made from.
`Proving channels or segments during moulding or casting of
`the reservoir housing is much more cost-effective than mill
`ing grooves along the inner Surface of the heat exchanging
`Surface.
`The object may also be obtained by a cooling system for a
`computer system, said computer system comprising:
`at least one unit Such as a central processing unit (CPU)
`generating thermal energy and said cooling system
`intended for cooling the at least one processing unit
`comprising
`at least one liquid reservoir mainly for dissipating or radi
`ating heat, said heat being accumulated and transferred
`by said cooling liquid,
`said cooling system being adapted Such as to provide trans
`fer of said heat from a heat dissipating Surface to a heat
`radiating Surface where
`said at least one liquid reservoir being provided with one
`aperture intended for being closed by placing said aper
`ture covering part of alternatively covering the whole
`of the at least one processing unit in Such a way that a
`free surface of the processing unit is in direct heat
`exchanging contact with an interior of the reservoir, and
`thus in direct heat exchanging contact with the cooling
`liquid in the reservoir, through the aperture.
`Heat dissipation from the processing unit to the cooling
`liquid must be very efficient to ensure proper cooling of the
`processing unit, Especially in the case, where the processing
`unit is a CPU, the surface for heat dissipation is limited by the
`surface area of the CPU. This may be remedied by utilising a
`heat exchanging Surface being made of a material having a
`high thermal conductivity Such as copper or aluminium and
`ensuring a proper thermal bondage between the heat
`exchanging Surface and the CPU.
`However, in a possible embodiment according to the fea
`tures in the above paragraph, the heat dissipation takes place
`directly between the processing unit and the cooling liquid by
`providing an aperture in the reservoir housing, said aperture
`being adapted for taking up a free surface of the processing
`unit. Thereby, the free surface of the processing unit extends
`into the reservoir or constitutes a part of the boundaries of the
`reservoir, and the cooling liquid has direct access to the free
`Surface of the processing unit.
`According to one aspect of the invention, a method is
`envisaged, said method of cooling a computer system com
`prising at least one unit Such as a central processing unit
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`(CPU) generating thermal energy and said method utilising a
`cooling system for cooling the at least one processing unit
`and, said cooling system comprising a reservoir, at least one
`heat exchanging interface, an air blowing fan, a pumping
`means, said method of cooling comprising the steps of
`applying one of the following possibilities of how to oper
`ate the computer system: establishing, or defining, or
`Selecting an operative status of the computer system
`controlling the operation of at least one of the following
`means of the computer system; the pumping means and
`the air blowing fan in response to at least one of the
`following parameters; a surface temperature of the heat
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`generating processing unit, an internal temperature of
`the heat generating processing unit, or a processing load
`of the CPU and
`in accordance with the operative status being established,
`defined or selected, controlling the operation of the com
`puter system in order to achieve at least one of the
`following conditions; a certain cooling performance of
`the cooling system, a certain electrical consumption of
`the cooling system, a certain noise level of the cooling
`system.
`Applying the above method ensures an operation of the
`computer system being in accordance with selected proper
`ties during the use of the computer system. For some appli
`cations, the cooling performance is vital Such as may be the
`case when working with image files or when downloading
`large files from a network during which the processing units
`is highly loaded and thus generating much heat. For other
`applications, the electrical power consumption is more vital
`Such as may be the case when utilising domestic computer
`systems or in large office building in environments where the
`electrical grid may be weak Such as in third countries. In still
`other applications, the noise generated by the cooling system
`is to be reduced to a certain level, which may be the case in
`office buildings with white collar people working alone, or at
`home, if the domestic computer perhaps is situated in the
`living room, or at any other location where other exterior
`considerations have to be dealt with.
`According to another aspect of the invention, a method is
`envisaged, said method being employed with cooling system
`further comprising a pumping means with an impeller for
`pumping the cooling liquid through a pumping housing, said
`pumping means being driven by an AC electrical motor with
`a stator and a rotor, and said pumping means being provided
`with a means for sensing a position of the rotor, and wherein
`the method comprises the following steps:
`initially establishing a preferred rotational direction of the
`rotor of the electrical motor
`before start of the electrical motor, sensing the angular
`position of the rotor
`during start, applying an electrical AC Voltage to the elec
`trical motor and selecting the signal value, positive or
`negative, of the AC voltage at start of the electrical motor
`said selection being made according to the preferred rota
`tional direction, and
`said application of the AC voltage being performed by the
`computer system for applying the AC Voltage from the
`electrical power Supply of the computer system during
`conversions of the electrical DC voltage of the power
`supply to AC voltage for the electrical motor.
`Adopting the above method according to the invention
`ensures the most efficient circulation of cooling liquid in the
`cooling system and at the same time ensures the lowest pos
`sible energy consumption of the electrical motor driving the
`impeller. The efficient circulation of the cooling liquid is
`obtained by means of an impeller being designed for rotation
`in one rotational direction only, thus optimising the impeller
`design with regard to the only one rotational direction as
`opposed to both rotational directions. The low energy con
`Sumption is achieved because of the impeller design being
`optimised, thus limiting the necessary rotational speed of the
`impeller for obtaininge certain amount of flow of the cooling
`liquid through the cooling system. A bonus effect of the
`lowest possible energy consumption being obtained is the
`lowest possible noise level of the pump also being obtained.
`The noise level of the pump is amongst other parameters also
`dependent on the design and the rotational speed of the impel
`ler. Thus, an optimised impeller design and impeller speed
`
`Cooler Master Co., Ltd. Ex. 1001, Page 19 of 26
`Cooler Master Co., Ltd. v. Asetek Danmark A/S
`IPR2023-00667
`
`
`
`US 8,240,362 B2
`
`7
`will reduce the noise level to the lowest possible in consider
`ation of ensuring a certain cooling capacity.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
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`The invention will hereafter be described with reference to
`the drawings, where
`FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the prior art. The figure
`shows the typical components in an air-cooling type CPU
`cooling arrangement.
`FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the prior art. The figure
`shows the parts of the typical air-cooling type CPU cooling
`arrangement of FIG. 1 when assembled.
`FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the prior art. The figure
`shows the typical components in a liquid-cooling type CPU
`cooling arrangement.
`FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the invention and the sur
`rounding elements.
`FIG. 5 shows the parts shown in the previous figure when
`assembled and attached to the motherboard of a computer
`system.
`FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the reservoir from the pre
`vious FIGS. 4 and 5 seen from the opposite site and also
`showing the pump.
`FIG. 7 is a cut-out view into the reservoir housing the pump
`and an inlet and an outlet extending out of the reservoir.
`FIG. 8 is a view of the cooling system showing the reservoir
`connected to the heat radiator.
`FIG. 9-10 are perspective views of a possible embodiment
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`of reservoir housing providing direct contact between a CPU
`and a cooling liquid in a reservoir.
`FIG. 11-13 are perspective views of a possible embodiment
`of heat sink and a reservoir housing constituting an integrated
`unit.
`FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in
`FIG. 9-10 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 11-13 all
`together constituting an integrated unit.
`FIG.15-16 are perspective view of a preferred embodiment
`of a reservoir and a pump and a heat exchanging Surface
`constituting an integrated unit.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`
`FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of prior art
`cooling apparatus for a computer system. The figure shows
`the typical components in an air-cooling type CPU cooling
`arrangement. The figure shows a prior artheat sink 4 intended
`for air cooling and provided with segments intersected by
`interstices, a prior art air fan 5 which is to be mounted on top
`of the heat sink by use of fastening means 3 and 6.
`The fastening means comprises a frame 3 provided with
`holes intended for bolts, screws, rivets or other suitable fas
`tening means (not shown) for thereby attaching the frame to a
`motherboard 2 of a CPU 1 or onto another processing unit of
`the computer system. The frame 3 is also provided with
`mortises provided in perpendicular extending studs in each
`corner of the frame, said mortises intended for taking up
`tenons of a couple of braces. The braces 6 are intended for
`enclosing the heat sink 4 and the airfan 5 so that the airfan and
`the heat sink thereby is secured to the frame. Using proper
`retention mechanisms, when the frame is attached to the
`motherboard of the CPU of other processing unit, and when
`the tenons of the braces are inserted into the mortises of the
`frame, the air fan and heat exchanger is pressed towards the
`CPU by using a force perpendicular to the CPU surface, said
`force being provided by lever arms.
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`FIG. 2 shows the parts of the typic