Many technical applications use panels or boards, respectively, as carriers of electronic circuits. Such circuit boards generally include conductive pathways formed on a non-conductive substrate, e.g., etched metal sheets laminated onto a ceramic substrate. Circuit boards are often used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components mounted either on one or on both sides of the circuit board. Depending on the specific application, the electronic components populating the circuit board can be formed as basic components, e.g., capacitor, resistor or transistor, or as more complex electronic devices, such as integrated circuit devices. The integrated circuit devices may typically include electronic data memories, microprocessors, programmable logic devices, integrated digital and/or analogue circuitries. Examples for electronic data memories include DRAM devices, flash RAM devices, SRAM devices, PCRAM devices, MRAM devices, CBRAM devices, and other volatile and non-volatile memory devices.
Some technical applications use specific panels which are attached to the circuit board in order to form a stack. These panels may serve different purposes such as dissipation of heat, electro-magnetic shielding or mechanical protection of the electronic components mounted on the circuit board or fixing of the circuit board, just to mention some examples. Panels and circuit boards may be attached to each other in order to form an assembly, e.g., a circuit board assembly. The attachment of the panels may be reversible in order to allow a flexible combination of circuit boards and panels.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the present invention and many of the intended advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.
In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “leading,” “trailing,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
Heat dissipating panels such as heat spreaders, heat sinks or the like may be used to dissipate the heat generated by electronic components mounted on a circuit board in order to avoid damage to these devices. These panels may include bodies of heat-conducting materials such as copper or aluminum. The body of a heat dissipating panel generally includes a base plate with a heat receiving contact surface. The shape of the contact surface may be adapted to the shape of the contact area of the corresponding electronic component or circuit board. In order to improve the heat radiation, the panel may include additional structures such as radiating fins or surfaces projecting from the base plate.
To ensure a heat conductance between an electronic component and a heat dissipating panel, the panel may be attached to the circuit board in direct contact with the respective electronic component. However, an adequate thermal transfer may also be achieved by using an intermediate thermo-conductive element arranged between the panel and the electronic component. Alternatively, the panel can also be arranged directly on the surface of the circuit board.
In order to provide a reversible connection between the circuit board and the panels arranged at one or two sides of the circuit board, the panels and the circuit board may be clamped together by one or more clips. These clips may be formed to simultaneously attach a first panel to a first side of a circuit board and a second panel to a second side of the circuit board.
In accordance with one embodiment, the clip includes a first arm portion configured to apply pressure to a first panel in order to force the first panel against a first contact surface on a first side of a second panel, e.g., a circuit board, and a second arm portion configured to apply pressure to a third panel in order to force the third panel against a second contact surface on a second side of the second panel. The clip further includes a bridge portion connecting the first and the second arm portions, the bridge portion having a central section configured to provide a mechanical coupling with an edge of the third panel.
In accordance with a further embodiment, an assembly includes a first panel, a second panel, e.g., a circuit board, and a third panel. The first panel is arranged at a first side of the second panel and the third panel is arranged at a second side of the second panel. The assembly further includes a clip attaching the first and the third panels to the second panel. The clip itself includes a first arm portion, a second arm portion and a bridge portion. The first arm portion applies pressure to the first panel in order to force the first panel against a first contact surface on the first side of the second panel. The second arm portion applies pressure to the third panel in order to force the third panel against a second contact surface on the second side of the second panel. The bridge portion connecting the first and the second arm portions includes a central section. The central section provides a mechanical coupling to an edge of the second panel.
Embodiments relating to a clip for attaching panels to each other as well as embodiments relating to an assembly including such a clip are explained in conjunction with the drawings.
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The bridge portion 110 connecting the two arm portions 120, 140 includes a central section 113 and two spring sections 111, 112. Each spring section 111, 112 connects the central section 113 with one of the arm portions 120, 140. The central section 113 is configured to provide a mechanical coupling to an edge 223 of the second panel 220. In order to provide an adequate contact to a corresponding surface of the edge 223 of the circuit board 220, the central section 113 may include a special formed contact surface 114, e.g., a substantially plane contact surface.
The bridge portion 110 may be provided with an impressed or concave shape. This may be achieved by inwardly bending the two spring sections 111, 112. An exemplary clip 100 including a bridge portion 110 with an impressed shape is illustrated in
The body of the clip 100 may be at least partially formed from a resilient material such as metal. It should be noted that different materials, e.g., plastic materials, or combinations of such materials may be used for the clip 100. In one embodiment the body of the clip 100 is formed as a metal strip formed from e.g., stainless steel or spring steel. Spring steel may be used if good spring characteristics are desired.
In one embodiment the two arm portions 120, 140 and the bridge portion 110 are integrally formed from a single material, e.g., sheet metal. Alternatively, a bended wire with a circular or any other suitable profile may be used for the clip 100.
At least one of the arm portions may include a locking member 123, 143 in order to lock the clip 100 in its mounted position. The locking member 123, 143 may provide a closure between the clip 100 and the stack 200, e.g., positive locking or friction locking. In order to provide a locking mechanism, the locking member 123, 143 may be configured to interact with a complementary locking member 211, 231 formed on the corresponding pressure receiving surface 211, 231 of the stack 200. A locking mechanism providing positive locking is illustrated e.g., in
The locking member 123, 143 may be formed as a protrusion 124, 144 projecting inwardly towards the region between the two arm portions 120, 140. It may then be configured to engage into a corresponding recess 211, 231 of the pressure receiving surface 212, 232 of the associated panel 210, 230. In another embodiment, the locking member 123, 143 may be formed as a recess in the pressure applying surface 121, 141 of the arm portion 120, 140 configured to receive the complementary locking member 221, 231 formed as a protrusion projecting from the pressure receiving surface 212, 232 of the associated panel 210, 230. The locking member 123, 143 of the arm portion 120, 140 may be formed as a bent edge, a barb, a nose, a hook or any equivalent protrusion.
The clip 100 illustrated in
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The clip 100 is locked in its mounted position by the two locking members 123, 143 arranged at the inner side of the arm portions 120, 140. Each of the locking members 123, 143 engages a complementary locking member 211, 231 formed as a recess in the pressure receiving surface 212, 232 of the associated outer panel 210, 230. Here, each recess 211, 231 is formed as an aperture in a border area of the corresponding heat dissipating panel 210, 230. It should be noted that the recess 211, 231 does not necessarily need to be formed as an aperture. Depending on the thickness of the outer panel 210, 230 and the design of the locking member 123, 143, the recesses 211, 231 may also be formed as blind holes.
The central section 113 of the bridge portion 110 engages a recess 224 at the edge of the circuit board 220 in order to provide a mechanical coupling to the circuit board 220. Here, the recess 224 is formed as an end notch in the circuit board 220. During mounting when the clip 100 is slid onto the stack 200, the central section 110 may fit into the end notch 224 and then the protrusions 124, 144 may hook into the holes 211, 231 of the heat dissipating panels 210230. The mechanical coupling between the central section 113 and the circuit board 220 may prevent lateral movement of the outer panels 210, 230. The engaging of the central section 113 and the end notch 224 of the circuit board 220 becomes clearer in conjunction with
It should be noted that the tension between the edge of the second panel 220 and the outer panels 210, 230 results in lateral tractive or tensile forces affecting the panels 210, 230. These tensile forces may be easily adapted to suit different applications and requirements by modifying the geometry of the clip and the panels, especially the length of the arm portions 120, 140, the position of the locking members 123, 143 along the arm portions, the position of the complementary locking members 211, 231 along the outer panels 210, 240 and the positions of the central section 113 and the contact surface 223 at the edge of the second panel 220. Also the pressure applied by the arm portions 120, 140 forcing the outer panels 210, 230 against a pressure receiving surface 212, 232 of the intermediate panel 220 may be adapted modifying the geometry and the materials of the clip 100 and the panels 210, 220, 230. In this context it should be noted that the bridge portion 110 may be designed as a brace providing a relatively high lateral tensile force to each outer panel 210, 230. In particular, the bridge portion 110 may be configured in such a way that the panels 210, 220, 230 are substantially held in position by an equilibrium of lateral tensile forces of at least two clips attached at opposite sides of the stack 200, provided that the tensile forces exceed the orthogonal compression forces of the arm portions 120, 140 by a multiple.
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It is to be noted that a clip like that one illustrated in
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In the mounted position of the clip 100 the impressed bridge portion 110 may act as a leaf spring.
To ensure an adequate fixing of the outer panels 210, 230 relatively to the intermediate panel 220 and an adequate contact between the outer panels 210, 230 and the integrated circuit devices 225, 226 respectively, the amount of pressure applied on the outer panels 210, 230 can easily be varied by the span width or the resilient properties of the clip 100. To facilitate the assembling of the clip 100, its span width can be configured to correspond approximately to the thickness of the stack 200 containing the panels 210, 220, 230. Anyway, due to its flexibility the clip 100 can easily correspond to different thicknesses of the stack 200. Apart from the specific design of the clip 100, the amount of pressure applied on the outer panels 210, 230 acting for example as heat dissipating elements can also be adjusted by varying other features of the clip 100 body such as its cross section or the material used for it.
As illustrated above, the locking members 123, 143 of the arm portions 120, 140 can be formed as latching elements configured to snap into corresponding recesses 211, 231 of the outer panels 210, 230. Alternatively, it is also possible to form the latching element on a heat dissipating panel 210, 230 and the corresponding recess within the associated arm portion 120, 140.
At least one of the following, the bridge portion 110 or the arm portions 120, 140 may be formed resiliently in order to facilitate the mounting of the clip 100 on the stack 200. Also the locking members 123, 143 may be formed resiliently in order to facilitate the mounting of the clip 100 on the stack 200.
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The shoulder section 126, 146 may terminate at the other end thereof into a sloping section 127, 147 which facilitates the mounting of the clip 100. The sloping section 127, 147 itself may terminate into a horizontal end section 128, 148 of the arm portion 120, 140. The horizontal end section 128, 148 may be formed to apply pressure to the corresponding contact surface 212, 232 of the stack 200. In
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As illustrated above, the attachment of panels to a circuit board may be applied in a number of different applications. It is to be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrating flat panels attached directly to one or more electronic components in order to dissipate heat generated by the electronic components are not to be considered limiting of the scope of the invention.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.