1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to heat dissipation, and particularly to a heat dissipation apparatus utilizing a heat pipe for enhancing a dissipating efficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that if heat generated by electronic components, such as integrated circuit chips, during operation is not efficiently dissipated, these electronic components may suffer damage. Thus, heat dissipation apparatuses are often used to cool the electronic components.
A typical heat dissipation apparatus includes a fin assembly and a heat pipe attached to the fin assembly. The heat pipe has an arcuate condensation section. The fin assembly includes a plurality of radial stacked fins. Each of the fins defines a hole for receiving the condensation section of the heat pipe therein, and extends perpendicularly out a flange around the hole. The flange has a uniform height. The flange increases a contacting surface between the fin assembly and the heat pipe, and compels the heat pipe to be steadily mounted in the fin assembly.
In the heat dissipation apparatus, due to the arcuate condensation section of the heat pipe, the holes of the fins must be enlarged for making the heat pipe extending easily therethrough without any block of the flanges of the fins. The enlarged holes will form an enlarged gap between the heat pipe and the flanges, which results that the heat pipe can't intimately contact with the fin assembly, and heat transferring efficiency of the heat dissipation apparatus is accordingly reduced.
What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation apparatus which overcomes the above-described limitations.
Many aspects of the present heat dissipation apparatus can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosed heat dissipation apparatus. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring to
The base 10 is a metal plate, and has a high heat conductivity. Preferably, the base 10 is made of copper. The base 10 thermally connects with a heat generating electronic component at a bottom surface thereof, and attaches to the heat pipe assembly 20 at a top surface thereof.
The heat pipe assembly 20 includes a pair of first heat pipes 21 and a pair of second heat pipes 23. Each of the first heat pipes 21 is bent to have an evaporation section 211, a condensation section 212, and an adiabatic section 213 interconnecting the evaporation section 211 and the condensation section 212. The evaporation section 211 of each of the first heat pipes 21 is straight and flat, and is mounted on the top surface of the base 10. The adiabatic section 213 extends upwardly and slantwise from one end of the evaporation section 211. The adiabatic sections 213 are located at two opposite sides of the base 10. The condensation section 212 is substantially semicircular, and extends from a free end of the adiabatic section 213 along an anticlockwise direction. The condensation sections 212 are approximately at the same level and cooperatively form a circle.
The second heat pipes 23 are similar to the first heat pipes 21, and each also include an evaporation section 231, a condensation section 232, and an adiabatic section 233 interconnecting the evaporation section 231 and the condensation section 232. The evaporation sections 231 of the second heat pipes 23 are arranged on the top surface of the base 10, and between the evaporation sections 211 of the first heat pipes 21. A free end of the adiabatic section 233 of each second heat pipe 23 is higher than that of each first heat pipe 21. The condensation sections 232 of the second heat pipes 23 are at the same level, and higher than the condensation sections 212 of the first heat pipes 21. Similarly, the condensation sections 232 of the second heat pipes 23 cooperatively form a circle. A plane defined by the condensation sections 232 of the second heat pipes 23 is parallel to a plane defined by the condensation sections 212 of the first heat pipes 21.
The heat sink 30 is annular, and includes a pair of first fin assemblies 31 and a pair of second fin assemblies 33.
Each of the first fin assemblies 31 is sectorial, and includes a plurality of radial first fins 311 stacked on each other along a circumferential direction. An air channel 312 is defined between every two adjacent first fins 311. Each of the first fins 311 includes a rectangular main body 313 and an extension arm 314 extending upwardly from an outer side of the main body 313.
The main body 313 defines a first receiving hole 315 and a second receiving hole 316 above the first receiving hole 315. The first and second receiving holes 315, 316 are circular. All the first receiving holes 315 of the first fins 311 of each first fin assembly 31 cooperatively form an arcuate first receiving groove 325 for receiving the condensation section 212 of one of the first heat pipes 21 therein. All the second receiving holes 316 of the first fins 311 of each first fin assembly 31 cooperatively form a second receiving groove 326 for receiving the condensation section 232 of one of the second heat pipes 23 therein. The first receiving hole 315 is defined in a middle of the main body 313. The main body 313 extends a first flange 317 perpendicularly around the first receiving hole 315. The first flange 317 is annular, and has a height varied along a circumferential direction thereof. Referring to
The main body 313 extends a side edge 321 perpendicularly at an inner side thereof, a bottom edge 322 perpendicularly at a bottom side thereof just below the extension arm 314, and a protrusion 323 adjacent to the side edge 321. The side edge 321 and the bottom edge 322 of the main body 313 abut the main body 313 of the neighboring first fin 311 as the first and second flanges 317, 319. A diameter of the protrusion 323 gradually decreases along a height direction of the protrusion 323 from the main body 313. The main body 313 further defines a fixing hole 324 through the protrusion 323. An inner diameter of the fixing hole 324 is smaller than the outer diameter of the protrusion 323 at a bottom end connected to the main body 313, but larger than that at a free end of the protrusion 323 which is away from the main body 313. The protrusion 323 is inserted into the fixing hole 324 of the neighboring first fin 311, for accurately aligning the side edges 321 so that they can be positioned in a line when the first fins 311 are assembled together.
The extension arm 314 extends upwardly form a top side of the main body 313, and has a width less than that of the main body 313. A top edge 327 extends perpendicularly from a top side of the extension arm 314, and is parallel to the bottom edge 322. The first fins 311 are joined together and space from each other via the top and bottom edges 327, 322.
Referring to
Each of the second fins 331 includes a main body 333 and an extension arm 334. Like the extension arm 314 of the first fin 311, the extension arm 334 of the second fin 331 also forms a top edge 347 at a top side thereof. The main body 333 also includes a side edge 341 at an inner side thereof, a protrusion 343 adjacent to the side edge 341, and a fixing hole 344 through the protrusion 343.
The difference between the second fin assemblies 33 and the first fin assemblies 31 is that the main body 333 of each second fin 331 is substantially triangular, and thus defines a cutout 348 at a lower side thereof. The main body 333 defines a first receiving hole 335 and a second receiving hole 336 therein, aligning with the first receiving hole 315 and the second receiving hole 316, respectively. The first and second receiving holes 335, 336 each are semicircular, and exposed to and in communication with the cutout 348. All the first receiving holes 335 of the second fins 331 of each second fin assembly 33 cooperatively form an arcuate first receiving groove 345 for receiving the condensation section 212 of one of the first heat pipes 21 therein. All the second receiving holes 336 of the second fins 331 of each second fin assembly 33 cooperatively form a second receiving groove 346 for receiving the condensation section 232 of one of the second heat pipes 23 therein. All the cutouts 348 of the second fins 331 cooperatively form an opening 349 at a lower side of the second fin assembly 33, whereby the condensation sections 212, 232 of the first and second heat pipes 21, 23 can be respectively conveniently inserted into the first and second receiving grooves 345 via the opening 349.
The main body 333 extends a first flange 337 perpendicularly around the first receiving hole 335. The first flange 337 is semicircular, and has a height varied along a circumferential direction thereof. Referring to
Referring to
The second fin assemblies 33 are inserted into spaces between the first fin assemblies 31 from top to bottom, respectively. The free end of the condensation section 212 of each first heat pipe 21 enters into and is received in the first receiving groove 345 through the opening 349 of a corresponding second fin assembly 33, and is attached to the first flanges 337 of the corresponding second fin assembly 33. The free end of the condensation section 232 of each second heat pipe 23 enters into and is received in the second receiving groove 346 through the opening 349 of a corresponding second fin assembly 33, and is attached to the second flanges 339 of the corresponding second fin assembly 33. The adiabatic sections 213, 233 of the first and second heat pipe 21, 23 are received in the openings 349. At this time, the first fin assemblies 31 and the second fin assemblies 33 are alternate with each other, and cooperatively form the annular heat sink 30.
The heat conductive core 40 is enclosed by the main bodies 313, 333 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33. The heat conductive core 40 attaches to the evaporation sections 211, 231 of the first and second heat pipes 21, 23 at a bottom surface thereof, and attaches to the side edges 321, 341 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 at a side surface thereof. The first and second fins 311, 331 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 extend out from the heat conductive core 40 in a radial pattern. The extension arms 314, 334 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33, cooperatively form a recessed space 39 over the heat conductive core 40. The fan 50 is received into the space 39, and is supported by the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 of the heat sink 30.
During operation of the heat dissipation apparatus, the base 10 absorbs heat from the heat generating electronic component, which is transferred to the heat sink 30 via the heat conductive core 40 and the heat pipe assembly 20. The fan 50 produces an airflow toward the heat sink 30, and dissipates heat from the heat sink 30 into ambient air.
In the heat dissipation apparatus, since the heat sink 30 includes a pair of first fin assemblies 31 and a pair of second fin assemblies 33, the heat pipe assembly 20 can be assembled into the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 successively. Thus, the heat dissipation apparatus is conveniently assembled even though the first and second heat pipes 21, 23 are bent to form a plurality of sections.
In addition, the height of each of the first flanges 317, 337 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 increases outwardly in the direction away from the center of the heat sink 30 of the heat dissipation apparatus, and the height of each of the second flanges 319, 339 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 increases outwardly in the direction away from the center of the heat sink 30 of the heat dissipation apparatus, which conform with a varied distance between neighboring fins 311, 331 along a radial direction of the heat sink 30. Therefore, without enlarging the first and second receiving holes 315, 335, 316, 336 in the first and second fins 311, 331, the condensation sections 312, 332 of the first and second heat pipes 31, 33 can be easily extended through the first and second receiving holes 315, 335, 316, 336, respectively, without being blocked by inner portions of the flanges 317, 337, 319, 339 since the inner portions of the flanges 317, 337, 319, 339 each are now designed to have a reduced height than outer portions of the flanges 317, 337, 319, 339. Thus, a gap between the condensation sections 312, 332 of the first and second heat pipes 31, 33 and the first and second flanges 317, 337, 319, 339 of the first and second fins 311, 331 is not necessary to be increased, whereby heat transferring efficiency between the first and second fins 311, 331 and the heat pipes 31, 33 of the heat dissipation apparatus is improved.
Furthermore, the fan 50 is mounted in the space 39 of the heat sink 30, and the impeller 52 is enclosed by the heat sink 30, which makes most of the cool airflow produced by the fan 50 flow through the first and second fins 311, 331. Meanwhile, the heat sink 30 enclosing the fan 50 severs as a sidewall of the typical fan, which saves material of the fan 50 and increases pressure of the airflow produced by the fan 50.
Moreover, the first and second fins 311, 331 of the first and second fin assemblies 31, 33 extend out from the heat conductive core 40 in a radial pattern. The airflow produced by the fan 50 is easily guided toward other heat generating electronic components around the heat sink 30 through the airflow channels 312, 332 between the first and second fins 311, 331. Thus, the heat dissipation apparatus not only takes heat away from the heat sink 30, but also dissipates heat from the heat generating electronic components around the heat sink 30.
It is believed that the disclosure and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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200810304213.8 | Aug 2008 | CN | national |