Patent Application
20080093052
Many aspects of the present 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 present apparatus. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring to
The base 10 is a substantially rectangular metal plate having good heat conductivity, and has a bottom face (not labeled) for contacting with an electronic device (not shown) and a top face (not labeled) opposing the bottom face. Two substantially S-shaped grooves 12 are defined in the top face of the base 10 for receiving the heat pipes 20 therein.
The two grooves 12 are defined adjacent to each other. Each groove 12 comprises a first linear portion 122, a second linear portion 123, a third linear portion 124, a first arched portion 126 and a second arched portion 128. The first linear portion 122 spans a center of the base 10, the second linear portion 123 is located adjacent to one lateral side of the base 10, the third linear portion 124 is located adjacent to an opposite lateral side of the base 10. The linear portions 122, 123, 124 are each parallel to the two opposite lateral sides of the base 10. The first and second arched portions 126, 128 extend reversely from two opposing ends of the first linear portion 122 and a distance from the first linear portion 122 to the second linear portion 123 is longer than that from the first linear portion 122 to the third linear portion 124. The first arched portions 126 connect the first and the second linear portions 122, 123 together and combine with them to form a first U-shaped region (not labeled), while the second arched portion 128 connects the first and third linear portions 122, 124 and combines with them to form a second U-shaped region (not labeled) which is smaller than the first U-shaped region. The first and second U-shaped regions have opposite orientations. The second U-shaped region of one of the grooves 12 is located in the first U-shaped region of another one of the grooves 12 and is closely surrounded by the first and second linear portions 122, 123 and the first arched portion 126 of the another one of the grooves 12.
The two heat pipes 20 are flat and similar in configuration to the grooves 12 of the base 10. Each heat pipe 20 comprises a first linear section 122, a second linear section 23, a third linear section 24, a first arched section 26 and a second arched section 28. The heat pipes 20 are fittingly accommodated in the corresponding grooves 12 of the base 10, with the first, second, third linear sections 22, 23, 24 thereof received in corresponding first, second, third linear portions 122, 123, 124 of the grooves 12 and with the first, second arched sections 26, 28 thereof received in first, second arched portions 126, 128 of the grooves 12. As a result the first linear sections 22 of the heat pipes 20 are located at the central portion of the base 10, the second, third linear sections 23, 24 are located at corresponding lateral parts of the base 10. Upper surfaces (not labeled) of the heat pipes 20 are flat and share a same plane with the top surface of the base 10.
The fins 30 are stacked in a direction along the parallel linear portions 122, 123, 124 of the grooves 12. Each of the fins 30 is substantially rectangular and is made from a metal sheet. Each fin 30 is parallel to and spaced with a predetermined distance from an adjacent fin 30. Each fin 30 has a flange (not label) extending perpendicularly from a lower end thereof. The flanges of all the fins 30 cooperate to define a plane, for facilitating positioning of the fins 30 relative to the base 10. The fins 30 are arranged on the base 10 extending in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the base 10, and with the flanges soldered to the upper surfaces of the heat pipes 20 and the top surface of the base 10. Thus the fins 30 are kept in thermal contact with both the base 10 and the heat pipes 20.
In use of the heat dissipation device in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, a centre of the base 10 absorbs heat from the electronic device to which the base 10 is attached. The first linear portions 22 of the heat pipes 20 absorb the heat accumulated in the centre of the base 10 and spreads the heat to other parts of the base 10 via the first, second arched sections 26, 28 and the second, third linear sections 23, 24. The heat is thus symmetrically and evenly distributed on the base 10 and conducted to the fins 30 from both the base 10 and the heat pipes 20 simultaneously. The heat in the fins 30 is subsequently dissipated to ambient air.
It is believed that the present invention 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.
