Heat pipe and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

A heat pipe capable of being remarkably increased in service life by surely exerting sealing effect even under high temperature, and a method of manufacturing the heat pipe. A heat pipe remarkably reduced in cost by increasing productivity and capable of being increased in service life. In the heat pipe (1), an upper plate reinforcement part (50), intermediate plate reinforcement parts (52), reinforcement parts (55) with slits, and a lower plate reinforcement part (60) are fitted to each other in a steam diffusing flow passage (44) facing the peripheral areas of a refrigerant filling hole (4) and an air exhaust hole (5) to form a column structure. Since an external force from a press (75) is supported by the column structure composed of the upper plate reinforcement part (50), the intermediate plate reinforcement parts (52), the reinforcement parts (55) with slits, and the lower plate reinforcement part (60), such disadvantages can be prevented that an upper plate (2) or a lower plate (3) is damaged by the external force, and thereby an internal space (10a) is collapsed.

1 . A heat pipe, the heat pipe comprising comprising:
 a cooling unit main body, the cooling unit main body including a circulation path formed in an interior space thereof;   a refrigerant charging hole, the refrigerant charging hole being formed in the cooling unit main body; and   a sealing member, the sealing member plugging the refrigerant charging hole to seal a refrigerant in the interior space.   
     
     
         2 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant is formed by one or a plurality of intermediate plates provided between an upper plate and a lower plate. 
     
     
         3 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant is made into minute particles and charged in the interior space through the refrigerant charging hole. 
     
     
         4 . The of  claim 1 , wherein the cooling unit main body is made of a metal. 
     
     
         5 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the sealing member does not protrude from a surface of the cooling unit main body. 
     
     
         6 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant charging hole includes a gas venting groove formed around an inner periphery surface thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The heat pipe of  claim 4 , wherein the circulation path includes a vapor diffusion flow path where the refrigerant vaporizes and diffuses. 
     
     
         8 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The heat pipe of  claim 2 , wherein the refrigerant is charged in the interior space of the cooling unit main body. 
     
     
         15 . The heat pipe of  claim 14 , wherein the intermediate plate has a reinforcement member formed at a portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the refrigerant charging hole and having a predetermined thickness, and a hole for the refrigerant formed in a portion corresponding to the refrigerant charging hole. 
     
     
         16 . The heat pipe of  claim 15 , wherein the sealing member does not protrude from a surface of the cooling unit main body. 
     
     
         17 . The heat pipe of  claim 15 , wherein the circulation path includes a vapor diffusion flow path where the refrigerant vaporizes and diffuses. 
     
     
         18 . The heat pipe of  claim 17 , wherein the portion corresponding to the refrigerant charging hole is disposed in the vapor diffusion flow path. 
     
     
         19 . The heat pipe of  claim 18 , wherein the reinforcement member includes a slit formed along a diffusion direction in which the refrigerant vaporizes and diffuses in the vapor diffusion flow path. 
     
     
         20 . The heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein the sealing member does not protrude from a surface of the cooling unit main body. 
     
     
         21 . The heat pipe of  claim 4 , wherein the sealing member does not protrude from a surface of the cooling unit main body. 
     
     
         22 . The heat pipe of  claim 6 , wherein the gas venting groove causes the interior space to keep communicating with an exterior space until the refrigerant charging hole is completely plugged by the sealing member. 
     
     
         23 . The heat pipe of  claim 22 , wherein the gas venting groove is plugged by the sealing member when the refrigerant charging hole is completely plugged. 
     
     
         24 . The heat pipe of  claim 7 , wherein the portion corresponding to the refrigerant charging hole is disposed in the vapor diffusion flow path. 
     
     
         25 . The heat pipe of  claim 24 , wherein the reinforcement member includes a slit formed along a diffusion direction in which the refrigerant vaporizes and diffuses in the vapor diffusion flow path.