1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to heat dissipation devices used in association with electronic components and, more particularly, to a heat dissipation device having fins with a specially designed configuration which can enhance heat dissipation efficiency thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer electronic components, such as central processing units (CPUs), generate large amounts of heat during normal operation. If the heat is not properly dissipated, it can adversely affect operational stability of the electronic components and damage associated electronic devices. A heat dissipation device is often attached to a top surface of a CPU to dissipate heat therefrom.
Conventionally, a heat dissipation device includes a base and a plurality of fins arranged on the base. The fins are rectangular and parallel to each other with parallel channels defined therebetween. A cooling fan is generally located at a lateral side of the base and the fins to provide cooling air to flow through the channels of the fins, thereby increasing cooling efficiency of the heat dissipation device. However, a height of the channels is invariable, whereby the speed of the cooling air at an inlet and an outlet of the channels is invariable. The invariable speed of the cooling air, which can not accelerate to dissipate the heat absorbed by the fins, limits the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation device.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved heat dissipation device which can overcome the described disadvantages.
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 plate. The base 10 is made of heat conductive material such as copper or aluminum. Preferably, the base 10 is made of copper, which has a better heat conductivity than aluminum. Two parallel grooves 12 are defined in a top surface of the base 10. A bottom surface of the base 10 is for contacting an electronic component 100 such as a CPU received in an electronic system such as a computer (not shown) and mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown). Four through holes 14 are defined at four corners of the base 10.
The heat dissipation device further comprises two locking members 16 engaging with the base 10 to secure the heat dissipation device to the printed circuit board (not shown) on which the electronic component 100 is mounted, so that the base 10 can have an intimate contact with the electronic component 100. Specifically, two through holes 160 are defined in each of the locking members 16 corresponding to the through holes 14 of the base 10. Four screws 17 engage into the through holes 160, 14 to thereby combine the base 10 and the locking members 16 together. Four fasteners 18 extend through ends of the locking members 16 to secure the locking members 16 to the printed circuit board.
The first fin unit 20 is arranged on the top surface of the base 10. The second fin unit 30 is arranged on the first fin unit 20. The first and second fin units 20, 30 have the same configuration. Each of the first and second fin units 20, 30 comprises a plurality of parallel fins 22 combined together. Each fin 22 comprises a vertical main plate 220 perpendicular to the base 10 and two flanges 221 extending from bottom and top edges of the main plate 220, respectively. The flanges 221 of a fin 22 abut against the main plate 220 of an adjacent fin 22 so as to form a channel 24 between the two adjacent fins 22. The fins 22 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 are combined together by engaging structures (not labeled) formed between adjacent fins 22.
Also referring to
The fins 22 are configured as such a manner that the channels 24 defined therebetween have a variable height. That is, the height of the channels 24 at the inlet sections 222 of the fins 22 is larger than that at the outlet sections 226 of the fins 22, and the height of the channels 24 at the neck sections 224 reduces gradually from the inlet sections 222 to the outlet sections 226 of the fins 22. The channels 24 at the bent sections 228 are slantwise to a horizontal line and oriented downwardly to the printed circuit board. A hole 223 is defined in a center of the outlet section 226 of each of the fins 22. The holes 223 of the fins 22 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 cooperate to define two passages for parts of the heat pipes 40, 50 to extend therethrough, respectively.
A configuration of the heat pipe 40 is similar to that of the heat pipe 50, and both have a substantially U shape. The heat pipe 40 comprises a horizontal evaporating portion 41, a middle portion 42 extending upwardly and slantwise from an end of the evaporating portion 41, and a condensing portion 43 extending horizontally from an end of the middle portion 42 remote from the evaporating section 41. The evaporating portion 41 and the condensing portion 43 are parallel to each other. The heat pipe 50 comprises a horizontal evaporating portion 51, a middle portion 52 extending upwardly and slantwise from an end of the evaporating portion 51, and a condensing portion 53 extending horizontally from an end of the middle portion 52 remote from the evaporating portion 51. The middle portion 52 is longer than the middle portion 42, whereby the condensing portion 53 is located above the condensing portion 43. The evaporating portions 41, 51 of the heat pipes 40, 50 are flattened and received in the two grooves 12 of the base 10. The condensing portions 43, 53 of the heat pipes 40, 50 are round and insert into the holes 223 of the first and second fin units 20, 30, respectively.
The fan 60 is mounted onto the inlet sections 222 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 by two fan holders 65.
Please referring to
In use, heat generated by the electronic component 100 is absorbed by the base 12 and then transferred by the heat pipes 40, 50 to the first and second fin units 20, 30, and dissipated to ambient air at last. Cooling air generated by the fan 60 can flow through the channels 24 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 to accelerate the heat dissipation of the first and second fin units 20, 30. It is noted that, since the height of the neck sections 224 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 reduces gradually, and the height of the outlet sections 226 is smaller than that of the inlet sections 222, the cooling air can speed up at the neck sections 224 and accelerate to flow out from the outlet sections 226 and the bent sections 228. Compared with the conventional heat dissipation device having the same fan 60, the cooling air can flow out of the present heat dissipation device more rapidly, due to the neck configuration of the neck sections 224 of the fin units 20, 30. Therefore, heat absorbed in the base 10 and the fin units 20, 30 can be dissipated to ambient areas more rapidly, thereby insuring that the electronic component 100 can always have a temperature within its normal working range.
Furthermore, since the bent sections 228 are oriented downwardly to the printed circuit board, cooling air flowing out therefrom can cool other heat sources mounted on the printed circuit board. Therefore, the cooling air generated by the fan 60 is well exploited. It is understood that the bent angle of the bent sections 228 can be varied from the disclosed embodiment, so long as the cooling air can be guided downwardly to cool other heat sources mounted on the printed circuit board.
Moreover, the fins 22 of the first and second fin units 20, 30 each are formed by cutting a part of a rectangular fin away therefrom to have the neck configuration. Thus, the fins 22 of the fin units 20, 30 need less material, in comparison with the conventional fin unit constructed by the rectangular fin, while have better heat dissipating effectiveness. Thus, the cost of raw materials of the heat dissipation device in accordance with the present disclosure is lower than the conventional heat dissipation device.
It is believed that the present 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 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 |
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200810306090.1 | Dec 2008 | CN | national |