1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a heat dissipation device and, more particularly, to a heat dissipation device comprising a plurality of individual fins assembled together for removing heat from a heat-generating electronic component to ambient environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Heat dissipation devices are usually used to remove heat from heat-generating electronic components, such as central processing units (CPUs), light emitting diodes (LEDS) and power transistors, etc., to keep the components in stable operation.
Conventionally, the heat dissipation device comprises a solid base, a plurality of fins horizontally arranged on the base, a plurality of heat pipes connecting the fins and the base together and a fan mounted to one side of the fins. The base contacts the heat-generating electronic components to absorb heat generated by the heat-generating electronic components. The heat pipes comprise evaporating sections embedded in the base and condensing sections extending perpendicularly and upwardly through the fins. Conventionally, the fins are spaced from each other individually and secured by being soldered to the condensing sections of the heat pipes. However, contacting areas between the fins and the heat pipes are so narrow that connective integrity thereof is too weak to securely assemble the fins together in use. As a result, the fins are in high risk of suffering disengagement from the heat pipes, thereby being forced into a sympathetic vibration and producing noise in response to high-frequency vibration from the running fan.
What is needed is a heat dissipation device having a plurality of individual fins assembled together to obtain a fin unit with a rather firm structure.
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.
The base 10 comprises a rectangular conducting plate 12 and four fixing legs 14 extending diagonally from four corners of the conducting plate 12. The conducting plate 12 is made of material with a good heat conductivity such as copper and aluminum and defines a plurality of elongated receiving grooves 120 in a top surface thereof for receiving portions of the heat pipes 30. The receiving grooves 120 are spaced from each other and parallel to two opposite sides of the conducting plate 12. Four fixtures 100 respectively extend through distal ends of the fixing legs 14 and fixed in the fixing legs 14 for mounting the heat dissipation device onto the heat-generating component.
The fin unit 20 comprises a plurality of fins 22 stacked vertically together. Each fin 22 is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of wave crests and wave troughs alternately arranged with each other. In every neighboring two fins 22, the wave crests of a lower one of the two fins 22 respectively engage the wave troughs of an upper one of the two fins 22, while the wave crests of the upper one are separated from and located over the corresponding wave troughs of the lower one, respectively, whereby a plurality of air passages are respectively defined between the corresponding wave crests of the upper one and the corresponding wave troughs of the lower one of the two neighboring fins 22. The fins 22 are rectangular wave-shaped in profile; thus, the air passages each are rectangular in cross section.
The fins 22 are divided into a plurality of pairs which are vertically stacked together. Each pair of fins 22 consists of a first fin 22a and a second fin 22b engaging a bottom of the first fin 22a. Accordingly, the first fins 22a and the second fins 22b are alternately arranged when the pairs of the fins 22 are stacked together. The first fin 22a and second fin 22b of each pair of the fins 22 have the same configuration, but are arranged oppositely in the vertical direction. Each first fin 22a comprises a main body 220a and two engaging parts 222 at two opposite ends of the main body 220a. Each main body 220a of the first fin 22a is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of first crest parts 221a, a plurality of first trough parts 223a and a plurality of first connecting parts 222a interconnecting the first crest and trough parts 221a, 223a, respectively. The first crest and trough parts 221a, 223a are parallel, flatted plates and alternately arranged along a traverse direction of the first fin 22a. The first connecting parts 222a are perpendicular to the first crest and trough parts 221a, 223a and respectively connected to adjacent side edges of neighboring ones of the first crest and trough parts 221a, 223a.
Similar to the first fins 22a, each second fin 22b comprises a main body 220b and two engaging parts 222 at two opposite ends of the main body 220b. Each main body 220b of the second fins 22b is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of second crest parts 221b, a plurality of second trough parts 223b and a plurality of second connecting parts 222b interconnecting the second crest and trough parts 221b, 223b. The second crest and trough parts 221b, 223b are parallel flatted plates and alternately arranged. The second connecting parts 222b are perpendicular to the second crest and trough parts 221b, 223b and respectively connected to adjacent side edges of neighboring ones of the second crest and trough parts 221b, 223b. The two engaging parts 222 of each pair of the fins 22 at the same ends of the main bodies 220a, 220b of the fins 22 protrude away from each other and thus separated from each other. A plurality of receiving holes 226 spaced from each other are defined in the corresponding engaging parts 222 for receiving the heat pipes 30. Each of the first and second fins 22a, 22b has an annular collar 2260 extending perpendicularly from an edge of the receiving hole 226 for enlarging a contacting area between the first and second fins 22a, 22b and the heat pipes 30.
In assembly of the fin unit 20, the first trough parts 223a of one of the first fins 22a respectively engage the crest parts 221b of the lower neighboring second fin 22b, while the first crest parts 221 of the first fin 22a are respectively separated from and located over the second trough parts 223b of the lower neighboring second fin 22b. The corresponding wave crest parts 221a, 221b and wave trough parts 223a, 223b have the same configuration and size and are fitly coupled with each other. A plurality of air paths 228 are respectively defined between the corresponding separated first crest parts 221a and second trough parts 223b and between the corresponding separated first trough parts 223a and second crest parts 221b of the neighboring first and second fins 22. The two engaging parts 222 of the fins 22 at opposite ends of the main bodies 220a, 220b of the fins 22 are parallel to and spaced from each other with a constant distant.
Each heat pipe 30 is U-shaped and comprises an evaporating section 32 and two condensing sections 34 extending upwardly and perpendicularly from two opposite ends of the evaporating section 32. The evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes 30 are respectively received in the receiving grooves 120 of the base 10. The condensing sections 34 of the heat pipes 30 are respectively received in the receiving holes 226 of the engaging parts 222 of the fins 22 and intimately surrounded by the annular collars 2260 of the fins. The condensing sections 34 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the fins 22.
The heat dissipating member 40 is formed by continuously folding a metallic sheet and comprises a plurality of vertical sheets 42 and a plurality of connecting flanges 44 interconnecting top edges or bottom edges of every two neighboring vertical sheets 42. The heat dissipating member 40 is sandwiched between a bottom of the fin unit 20 and the top surface of the conducting plate 12 of the base 10 and located between the two condensing sections 34 of each heat pipes 30. In detail, the vertical sheets 42 are perpendicular to the conducting plate 12 and the fins 22. Lower ones of the connecting flanges 44 at the bottom edges of the vertical sheets 42 are intimately attached to the top surface of the conducting plate 12 and engage a top of the evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes simultaneously. Upper ones of the connecting flanges 44 at the top edges of the vertical sheets 42 are attached to the bottom of the fin unit 20. More specific, the lower ones of the connecting flanges 44 engage bottom surfaces of the second trough parts 223b of the second fin 22b at the bottom of the fin unit 20.
The fan 50 is mounted to rear sides of the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40 by the two fan holders 60 for producing an airflow through the air paths 228 of the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40.
In use of the heat dissipation device, heat generated by the heat-generating component is absorbed by the conducting plate 12 of the base 10 and then directly conducted to the heat dissipating member 40 and simultaneously distributed over fin unit 20 via the heat pipes 30; the heat is finally brought into ambient environment by the airflow produced by the fan 50 and passing through the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40. As the fins 22 are wave-shaped in profile and the crest parts and trough parts of the fins 22 are respectively coupled with each other to form a structure like a honeycomb, the fin unit 20 can have a firm structure and will not have a sympathetic resonance to produce an unbearable noise when the fin unit 20 is subject to a high-frequency vibration from the fan 50 in use. In addition, the fins 22 are in adequate contact with each other, whereby thermal resistant between the fins 22 are so low that heat from the heat pipes 30 can be more evenly and quickly distributed over the fin unit 20.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their 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 disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
200910302934.X | Jun 2009 | CN | national |