Ultra-thin pump and cooling system including the pump

Details Ultra-thin pump and cooling system including the pump Ultra-thin pump and cooling system including the pump

2002-09-23

2004-10-26

Freay, Charles G. (Department: 3746)

Pumps

Motor driven

Motor within rotary pumping member

C417S423100, C417S423120, C361S699000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06808371

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an ultra-thin pump and a cooling system including the pump.
BACKGROUND ART
To meet a recent demand for a cooling system for cooling an electronic device, such as a CPU, efficiently, a cooling system using circulation of coolant has received attention. The miniaturization of the electronic device entails many limitations of space for a coolant circulation pump used in such a cooling system. Accordingly, miniaturization and reduction of thickness are strongly demanded of the pump.
Conventional small-size pumps include a small-size centrifugal pump such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-132699. This conventional small-size centrifugal pump is described hereinafter with reference to FIG.
15
. Impeller
101
is rotatably supported by stationary shaft
102
. Pump casing
103
secures ends of shaft
102
, houses impeller
101
and defines a pump chamber for recovering pressure from kinetic energy imparted to fluid by impeller
101
and directing the fluid to discharge port
110
. Impeller
101
is constructed of back shroud
104
and front shroud
105
having a suction opening in the center of impeller
101
. Rotor magnet
106
is fixed to back shroud
104
, and motor stator
107
is provided in a space enclosed by an inner surface of rotor magnet
106
. Bulkhead
108
is provided between rotor magnet
106
and motor stator
107
for sealing the pump chamber. Pump casing
103
also includes suction port
109
and discharge port
110
.
An operation of this conventional centrifugal pump is described as follows. When electric power is supplied from an external power source, current controlled by an electric circuit provided at the pump flows through coils of motor stator
107
, which in turn generates a rotating magnetic field. This rotating magnetic field acts on rotor magnet
106
to impart physical force (rotational torque) to magnet
106
. Since impeller
101
secures this rotor magnet
106
and is rotatably supported by stationary shaft
102
, the rotational torque acts on impeller
101
, whereby impeller
101
starts to rotate. Vanes provided between front and back shrouds
105
,
104
change momentum of the fluid during the rotation of impeller
101
. The fluid flowing in from suction port
109
receives the kinetic energy from impeller
101
and is directed to discharge port
110
. The conventional centrifugal pump is small in size and low-profile because the outer rotor is used to drive the low-profile impeller, as described above. However, there is a limit to further reduction of the thickness of the centrifugal pump due to the structure of the impeller or the like.
On the other hand, a regenerative pump can be easily reduced in thickness. However, the conventional regenerative pump has various problems.
One of the particular problems is that the life of the regenerative pump is hard to extend due to the pump's durability to withstand radial load-induced friction at a rotating part and thrust load-induced friction between the impeller and the pump casing during the rotation of the impeller. The other problems include problems of higher efficiency and further reduction in thickness that are attributable to the structure of the regenerative pump.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An ultra-thin pump of the present invention includes:
a ring-shaped impeller including a plurality of vanes arranged along its outer region, and a rotor magnet at its inner region;
a motor stator provided in a space encircled by an inner peripheral surface of the rotor magnet of the impeller; and
a pump casing for housing the impeller, the pump casing including a suction port, a discharge port and a cylinder disposed between the motor stator and the rotor magnet,
wherein the impeller is rotatably supported by the cylinder.
A cooling system of the present invention includes:
a cooling device for cooling a heat-producing device by heat exchange using a coolant;
a radiator for removing heat from the coolant; and
an ultra-thin pump for circulating the coolant.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3376083 (1968-04-01), Albertus
patent: 3951573 (1976-04-01), Dunning et al.
patent: 6100618 (2000-08-01), Schoeb et al.
patent: 6220826 (2001-04-01), Dobler et al.
patent: 2002/0075645 (2002-06-01), Kitano et al.
patent: 2002/0196604 (2002-12-01), Lehman et al.
patent: 2003/0002254 (2003-01-01), Faneuf et al.
patent: 2003/0011983 (2003-01-01), Chu et al.
patent: 1 091 472 (2001-04-01), None
patent: 2 313 158 (1997-11-01), None
patent: 53068406 (1978-06-01), None
patent: 58-91393 (1983-05-01), None
patent: 5-321872 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 2001-132699 (2001-05-01), None
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 2000, No. 22, Mar. 9, 2001 & JP 2001 132699 A (Matsushita Electric Ind. Co., Ltd.), May 18, 2001, Abstract.

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