Heat exchange – With retainer for removable article – Electrical component
Patent
1999-02-09
2000-04-25
Flanigan, Allen
Heat exchange
With retainer for removable article
Electrical component
165185, 361704, 257722, H05K 720
Patent
active
060532408
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to heat sinks.
Various heat sink designs have been proposed. McGaha (U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,395) discloses a heat sink that includes two side members, a connecting bridge, a foot on each side member for soldering to a mounting pad, a locating pin extending from the foot of each side member, and heat-dissipating fingers on each side member. Harmon (U.S. Pat. No. Des. 361,317) shows a heat sink design formed from two side members joined by a center region, and having a plurality of heat-dissipating fingers that extend from the center region along edges that are orthogonal to the edges to which the side members are coupled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention features a heat sink comprising thermally conductive legs for coupling to a heat pad, a plurality of heat-convecting fins that are thermally coupled to the legs, and a surface cantilevered by support structure coupled between the legs.
In another aspect, the invention features a heat sink comprising thermally conductive legs for coupling to a heat pad, support structure coupled between the legs, a plurality of heat-convecting fins that extend directly from each of the legs, and one or more heat-convecting fins that extend directly from the support structure to provide a thermal path to ambient atmosphere.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The legs, the surface, and the fins are preferably formed from the same piece of thermally conductive material into a unitary structure. The support structure preferably defines an aperture through which one or more leads of a heat generating component may extend. The surface is preferably coupled to the legs in a manner defining one or more vents between the surface and the legs to provide air flow access from above the heat sink to a heat generating component when the heat sink is used therewith. The legs and the cantilevered surface preferably define sufficient space to receive a heat-generating component without direct contact.
In another aspect, the invention features a surface mountable heat sink for convecting heat from a heat-generating component, the heat-generating component being thermally coupled to a thermally conductive heat pad, the heat sink comprising: a pair of thermally conductive legs that respectively couple to the heat pad and respectively extend away from the heat pad when the heat sink is coupled thereto; a pick-and-place surface coupled between the pair of legs, the pair of legs and the pick-and-place surface defining sufficient space to receive the heat-generating component so that the heat sink does not directly contact the heat-generating component when the heat sink is coupled to the heat pad; a pair of feet with each of the feet coupled to a respective one of the legs and oriented at an angle with respect thereto for coupling the heat sink to the thermally conductive pad; and a plurality of heat-convecting fins that are each thermally coupled to the legs for providing a thermal path from the legs to ambient atmosphere, wherein the legs are substantially parallel and each of the fins is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the legs.
In another aspect, the invention features a method for making a heat sink comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of thermally conductive material; bending the sheet along two parallel lines to form first, second, and third sides of the heat sink with the second side being adjacent to both the first and third sides; forming a plurality of fins from the first and third sides of the heat sink; and bending a portion of the second side at an angle with respect to the second side to form a cantilevered surface.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. One or more fins are preferably formed from the second side of the heat sink. Portions of the first and third sides are preferably bent to form feet for coupling to the thermally conductive pad to which a heat generating component is coupled.
Aspects of the invention concern surface mountable
REFERENCES:
patent: D361317 (1995-08-01), Harmon et al.
patent: 3213324 (1965-10-01), McAdam
patent: 4552206 (1985-11-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5311928 (1994-05-01), Marton
patent: 5365399 (1994-11-01), Kent et al.
Haas Daniel J.
Johnston Craig N.
Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc.
Flanigan Allen
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