Patent Application
20100147502
1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a heat dissipation device and, more particularly, to a heat dissipation device incorporating heat pipes for removing heat from an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
As computer technology continues to advance, electronic components such as central processing units (CPUs) of computers are being made to provide faster operational speeds and greater functional capabilities. When a CPU operates at a high speed in a computer enclosure, its temperature greatly increases. It is desirable to dissipate the heat quickly, for example by using a heat dissipation device attached to the CPU in the enclosure. This allows the CPU and other electronic components in the enclosure to function within their normal operating temperature ranges, thereby assuring the quality of data management, storage and transfer.
A typical heat dissipation device comprises a base contacting an electronic component, a fin assembly disposed on the base and a heat pipe connecting the base and the fin assembly. The fin assembly comprises a plurality of fins connected together. The base absorbs heat from the electronic component and directly transfers the heat to the fins through the heat pipe. By the provision of the heat pipe, heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation device is improved.
However, since most parts of the heat pipe of the conventional heat dissipation device are even in diameters, which results in more material is used for forming the evaporating portion of the heat pipe when the evaporating portion can have a smaller diameter. Furthermore, the evaporating portion of the heat pipe, which has the same diameter as that of the condensing portion, sometimes may hinder the applicability of the heat pipe to dissipate heat from an electronic component which is miniature.
What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device which can overcome the limitations described.
Many aspects of the present embodiments 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 present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Also referring to
The fin assembly 20 comprises a plurality of spaced and parallel fins. The fins each are made of metal such as aluminum, copper or an alloy thereof. Two slits 22 are defined in the two opposite lateral sides of the fin assembly 20 and located adjacent a front face thereof. Three through holes 24 are defined vertically through the fin assembly 20 receiving the heat pipes 30.
The heat pipes 30 each have an L-shaped configuration and comprise an evaporating section 32, a condensing section 34, an arced connecting section 36 interconnecting the evaporating section 32 and the condensing section 34. The evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes 30 are accommodated in channels cooperatively formed by the first and second grooves 122, 146 of the heat spreader 10. The condensing sections 34 of the heat pipes 30 are received in the through holes 24 of the fin assembly 20 and thermally connect the fin assembly 20. The evaporating section 32 of each heat pipe 30 is uniform and has a diameter smaller than that of the condensing section 34 which also has a uniform configuration. The diameter of the connecting section 36 of each heat pipe 30 gradually decreases from a first end connecting with the condensing section 34 to a second end connecting with the evaporating section 32. In other words, the connecting section 36 tapers from the first end connecting with the condensing section 34 to the second end connecting with the evaporating section 32. In this embodiment, the diameter of the condensing section 34 of each heat pipe 30 is 8 mm, and the diameter of the evaporating section 32 of each heat pipe 30 is 6 mm. The evaporating section 32 of each heat pipe 30 is perpendicular to the condensing section 34. The evaporating section 32 and the condensing section 34 of the heat pipe 30 located in a middle of the fin assembly 20 are coplanar, and the evaporating section 32 and the condensing section 34 of each heat pipe 30 located near the lateral side of the fin assembly 20 are non-coplanar.
The fan 40 includes a rectangular frame 42 and an impeller 44 received in the frame 42. The frame 42 defines four orifices 420 in four corners thereof.
The two fixing brackets 50 each include a mounting portion 52 and a positioning portion 54 bent from a side of the mounting portion 52. The mounting portion 52 defines an arced cutout 522 in another side thereof remote from the positioning portion 54. The mounting portion 52 defines two threaded holes 520 in two opposite ends thereof, corresponding to the orifices 420 of the fan 40.
In assembly, the top plate 14 of the heat spreader 10 engages the bottom plate 12 so that the first grooves 122 of the bottom plate 12 and the second grooves 146 of the top plate 14 cooperatively form the channels receiving the evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes 30. The condensing sections 34 of the heat pipes 30 are received in the through holes 24 of the fin assembly 20. The positioning portion 54 of each fixing bracket 50 engages in a corresponding slit 22 of the fin assembly 20. Screws (not shown) extend through the orifices 420 in the fan 40 and engage in the threaded holes 520 of the mounting portions 52, thereby securely mounting the fan 40 on the fixing brackets 50.
In use, the evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes 30 can rapidly transmit the heat absorbed by the heat spreader 10 to the condensing sections 34 of the heat pipes 30. Since the evaporating sections 32 are smaller than the condensing sections 34, material for manufacturing the heat pipes 30 is reduced; thus, the material cost is reduced accordingly. Meanwhile, the smaller evaporating sections 32 match a smaller heat spreader 10, which also saves material and improves feasibility and applicability of the heat spreader 10 in a limited space such as a computer enclosure.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200810306282.2 | Dec 2008 | CN | national |
