Patent Application
20090151921
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat sink, and more particularly to a heat sink having locking device for assembling conveniently.
2. Description of Related Art
The central processing unit (CPU) mounted on the motherboard in a computer is the center of operations of the computer. During the operations of the computer, the CPU produces heat. The heat must be quickly carried away from the CPU during the operations of the computer. Accordingly, a heat sink is used to remove the heat from the CPU.
Conventionally, a heat sink includes a lower plate contacting the CPU, an upper plate fixed on the lower plate, and a plurality of heat pipes sandwiched between the lower plate and the upper plate, for increasing a heat transferring efficiency of the heat sink. The lower plate includes a board soldered with the heat pipes, a pair of sidewalls extending from two opposite lateral sides of the board, and a pair of flanges extending oppositely and horizontally from the pair of sidewalls, respectively. The upper plate is welded on the flanges to combine with the lower plate.
However, in assembly, before the upper plate is welded on the flanges, it needs to be positioned by some clamps firstly to ensure the upper plate can be accurately disposed on the two flanges and fully cover the heat pipes. The clamps increase a total cost of the heat sink and the processes making the clamps are labor-waste.
What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipating device which can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.
A heat sink adapter for cooling an electronic component includes a lower plate, an upper plate fixed on the lower plate, and a plurality of heat pipes sandwiched between the lower plate and the upper plate. The lower plate includes a panel, a pair of sidewalls extending upwardly from two opposite sides of the panel, and a plurality of flanges extending upwardly from the sidewalls, respectively. The upper plate defines a plurality of cutouts corresponding to the flanges. The flanges fit into the cutouts to position the upper plate on the lower plate, whereby the lower plate and the upper plate are mechanically connected together. Since the lower plate forms the flanges thereon, the upper plate can be guided by the flanges to engage with the lower plate; thus, a convenient assembly of the heat sink is achieved.
Other advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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
Also referring to
The upper plate 30 is also made by a metal plate, it has a rectangular and planar configuration identical to that of the panel 22 of the lower plate 20. Three cutouts 32 are defined at each lateral side of the upper plate 30 corresponding to the three flanges 26 on each sidewall 24 of the lower plate 20, wherein two cutouts 32 are located at a front and a rear side of the upper plate 30, respectively, and one cutout 32 is located between the two cutouts 32 and at a middle of the lateral side of the upper plate 30. A length of each cutout 32 is similar to that of each flange 26, and a thickness of the upper plate 30 is essentially equal to the height of each flange 26, whereby the flanges 26 can substantially be retained into the cutouts 32, respectively, thereby positioning the upper plate 30 on the lower plate 20. The sidewalls 24, the flanges 26 of the lower plate 20, and the cutouts 32 of the upper plate 30 cooperatively act as a locking device (not labeled) of the heat sink 10 for facilitating an assembly of the heat sink 10.
Each of the fins 50 comprises a rectangular flake (not labeled) and a pair of tabs (not labeled) extending horizontally and perpendicularly from a bottom and a top of the flake, respectively. Lower tabs are soldered on a top face of the upper plate 30 to fix the fins 50 on the upper plate 30. Two lateral parts of the plurality of fins 50 are cut away to form two spaces 52 at two opposite lateral sides of the fins 50.
The heat pipes 40 are sandwiched between the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention there are four heat pipes 40; however, the number of the heat pipes 40 is adjustable according to amount of heat that the electronic component generates. Two middle ones of the four heat pipes 40 are straight and planar and parallel to each other, two lateral ones of the four heat pipes 40 are planar and each have a straight section 440 parallel to the two middle heat pipes 42, two bended sections 442 extended slantwise and outwardly from two opposite ends of the straight section 440, and an extremity end 446 extending forwardly from a front bended section 442, wherein each bended section 442 defines an angle approximate to 45 degrees with the straight section 440. The four heat pipes 40 are so arranged that the two middle heat pipes 42 abut side-by-side against each other along a lengthwise direction of the lower plate 20, and the two lateral heat pipes 44 are juxtaposed with the two middle heat pipes 42 in a manner that the straight sections 440 thereof directly contact the two middle heat pipes 42, the bended sections 442 are inclinedly spaced from the two middle heat pipes 42, and the extremity ends 446 are gapped from and parallel to the two middle heat pipes 42. A distance from an outmost portion of a rear bended section 442 to an outmost portion of the extremity end 446 is identical to a length of the middle heat pipe 42. A distance between two extremity ends 446 is less than that between two sidewalls 24 of the lower plate 20, whereby when the four heat pipes 40 are fixed on the lower plate 20, the extremity ends 446 would be spaced from the sidewalls 24 to define gaps therebetween, which allow an airflow therethrough to increase heat dissipation of the heat sink 10.
In assembly, the heat pipes 40 are brought to be disposed downwardly on the panel 22 and soldered on the panel 22; then put the upper plate 30 on the lower plate 20 to hold the flanges 26 of the lower plate 20 engaged into the cutouts 32 of the upper plate 30; at last, solder the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20 together and weld the fins 50 on the upper plate 30.
Compared to the conventional heat sink which needs clamps to position an upper plate on a lower plate, the lower plate 20 of the present invention forms the flanges 26 thereon, which can guide the upper plate 30 to fit with the lower plate 20 as the flanges 26 inserted into the cutouts 32 of the upper plate 30. Therefore, the heat sink 10 does not need any clamps to realize positioning between the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30, and a total cost is reduced and a labor waste is avoided, accordingly.
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.
