Cooling system for a computer system

Abstract

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.

1 - 72 . (canceled) 
   
   
       73 . A cooling system for a heat generating electronic component of a computer system, comprising:
 a reservoir adapted to pass a cooling liquid therethrough, the reservoir including a heat exchange interface configured to be positioned in thermal contact with the electronic component;   a heat radiator fluidly coupled to the reservoir and configured to dissipate heat from the cooling liquid; and   a pump configured to circulate the cooling liquid between the reservoir and the heat radiator, the pump including a rotor, a stator, and an impeller, the rotor being coupled to the impeller and positioned within the reservoir and the stator being positioned outside the reservoir and isolated from the cooling liquid.   
   
   
       74 . The cooling system of  claim 73 , wherein a wall of the reservoir extends between the stator and the rotor and shields the stator from the cooling liquid in the reservoir. 
   
   
       75 . The cooling system of  claim 73 , wherein the reservoir includes a hollow sleeve extending away from a surface opposite the heat exchanging interface, the rotor of the pump being positioned within the sleeve and the stator being positioned outside the sleeve. 
   
   
       76 . The cooling system of  claim 75 , wherein the sleeve is a substantially cylindrical sleeve that extends substantially from a center of the surface opposite the heat exchanging interface. 
   
   
       77 . The cooling system of  claim 76 , wherein the reservoir has a generally cylindrical shape. 
   
   
       78 . The cooling system of  claim 73 , wherein the reservoir includes an impeller cover that defines a pump chamber housing the impeller and an intermediate member that defines a thermal exchange chamber adjacent to the heat exchange interface, the pump chamber and the heat exchange chamber being spaced apart fluid enclosures that are fluidly coupled together. 
   
   
       79 . The cooling system of  claim 78 , wherein the impeller cover includes a first opening radially offset from a center of the impeller and the intermediate member includes a second opening that is aligned with the first opening, the first opening and the second opening being configured to direct the cooling liquid from the pump chamber into the thermal exchange chamber. 
   
   
       80 . The cooling system of  claim 79 , wherein the intermediate member further includes a third opening spaced apart from the second opening, the third opening being configured to direct cooling liquid out of the thermal exchange chamber. 
   
   
       81 . The cooling system of  claim 78 , wherein the heat exchange interface includes a plurality of pins that extend into the thermal exchange chamber. 
   
   
       82 . The cooling system of  claim 73 , wherein the rotor includes permanent magnets and the impeller includes a plurality of curved blades. 
   
   
       83 . The cooling system of  claim 73 , further including a clip configured to mate with features on an external surface of the reservoir and keep the heat exchange interface in thermal contact with the electronic component. 
   
   
       84 . The cooling system of  claim 83 , wherein the clip defines a generally circular opening that is dimensioned to fit around the reservoir, and the clip includes features configured to be attached to a motherboard of the computer system. 
   
   
       85 . The cooling system of  claim 83 , wherein the clip is configured to be attached to the motherboard using pre-existing holes on the motherboard. 
   
   
       86 . A cooling system for a computer system, comprising:
 a reservoir configured to be thermally coupled to a heat generating electronic component of the computer system, the reservoir including a thermal exchange chamber proximate the heat generating electronic component and a pump chamber longitudinally displaced from the thermal exchange chamber, the reservoir being adapted to direct a cooling liquid from the pump chamber to the thermal exchange chamber to remove heat from the heat generating electronic component; and   a pump including a rotor, a stator, and an impeller, wherein the impeller is positioned in the pump chamber, the rotor is positioned within the reservoir and exposed to the cooling liquid in the reservoir, and the stator is positioned outside the reservoir and isolated from the cooling liquid in the reservoir.   
   
   
       87 . The cooling system of  claim 86 , wherein the stator is positioned radially outward of the rotor and a wall of the reservoir extends between the rotor and the stator, the wall shielding the stator from the cooling liquid in the reservoir. 
   
   
       88 . The cooling system of  claim 87 , wherein reservoir includes a heat exchange interface in thermal contact with the heat generating electronic component and the wall is a hollow sleeve extending from a surface opposite the heat exchange interface, the rotor of the pump being positioned within the sleeve and the stator being positioned outside the sleeve. 
   
   
       89 . The cooling system of  claim 86 , wherein the reservoir includes an impeller cover that defines the pump chamber and an intermediate member that defines the thermal exchange chamber, the impeller cover and the intermediate member including mutually aligned openings configured to direct cooling liquid from the pump chamber to the thermal exchange chamber. 
   
   
       90 . The cooling system of  claim 86 , further including a heat radiator fluidly coupled to the reservoir, the heat radiator being configured to dissipate heat from the cooling liquid to air. 
   
   
       91 . The cooling system of  claim 90 , wherein the reservoir and the heat radiator form an integrated unit. 
   
   
       92 . The cooling system of  claim 90 , wherein the heat radiator and the reservoir are positioned at different locations within the computer system and the heat radiator and the reservoir are fluidly coupled to each other with tubes. 
   
   
       93 . A method of cooling a heat generating electronic component of a computer system, comprising:
 directing a cooling liquid to a reservoir, the reservoir including a heat exchange interface thermally coupled to the electronic component and an impeller mechanically coupled to a rotor of a pump, the rotor being exposed to the cooling liquid in the reservoir and being operatively coupled to a stator of the pump, the stator being positioned radially outwards the rotor and located outside the reservoir;   passing the cooling liquid from a pump chamber to a thermal exchange chamber to remove at least a portion of the heat from the electronic component, the pump chamber being an enclosed space within the reservoir that houses the impeller, and the thermal exchange chamber being a separate enclosed space within the reservoir adjacent to the heat exchange interface; and   dissipating the heat from the cooling liquid to ambient by passing the cooling liquid through a heat radiator.   
   
   
       94 . The method of  claim 93 , wherein passing the cooling liquid from the pump chamber to the thermal exchange chamber includes directing the cooling liquid to the pump chamber through a first opening on one side of the impeller, and directing the cooling liquid to the thermal exchange chamber through a second opening on an opposite side of the impeller, the second opening being positioned substantially tangential to a circumference of the impeller. 
   
   
       95 . The method of  claim 94 , wherein passing the cooling liquid from the pump chamber to the thermal exchange chamber further includes rotating the impeller in a fixed direction. 
   
   
       96 . A method of operating a liquid cooling system for a heat generating electronic component of a computer system, the cooling system including a reservoir and a pump driven by an AC motor to circulate a cooling liquid through the reservoir, the pump including a stator, a rotor, and an impeller, the impeller being mechanically coupled to the stator and configured to be rotated in a preferred direction, the rotor being positioned within the reservoir and exposed to the cooling liquid in the reservoir, the stator being positioned outside the reservoir and isolated from the cooling liquid in the reservoir, comprising;
 converting a DC voltage of a power supply of the computer system to an AC voltage;   detecting an algebraic sign of the AC voltage;   detecting an angular position of the rotor; and   applying a signal to the AC motor to rotate the impeller in the preferred direction, the signal being selected based at least on the detected angular position and the algebraic sign of the AC voltage.