Heat exchange – With retainer for removable article – Electrical component
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-24
2002-07-16
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
With retainer for removable article
Electrical component
C165S185000, C257S722000, C361S697000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06419007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cooling apparatus equipped with a heat sink for dissipating heat emitted from a heat source, and more particularly to a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus suitable for use for cooling an electronic component such as a CPU or the like.
Heat generated or emitted from an electronic component such as a CPU or the like used in a computer is progressively increased with an increase in performance of the electronic component. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 15982/1991 discloses a cooling apparatus which is so constructed that a cooling fan is arranged above a heat sink having a plurality of radiation fins radially arranged on a front surface of a base plate thereof, to thereby permit air discharged from the cooling fan to be fed to a central region of the base plate and then outwardly exhausted through the radiation fins. Another conventional cooling apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,834 (corresponding to Japanese Patent No. 2,765,801 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 111302/1985) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,292 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 102566/1997), which includes a heat sink having a plurality of radiation fins arranged in directions of flowing of air radially discharged from an impeller of a fan. In the cooling apparatus disclosed, the radiation fins are arranged so as to surround a part of the impeller of the fan. A further conventional cooling apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,116 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 219478/1998), which includes a heat sink having a plurality of radiation fins arranged on a base plate thereof so as to surround an impeller of a fan. The radiation fins are arranged in a manner to be inclined with respect to a central line extending through a center of the fan. In the cooling apparatus thus constructed, the heat sink including the plural radiation fins is formed by subjecting a cylindrical material to cutting which is carried out in a direction inclined with respect to a central line of the cylindrical material. Also, in the cooling apparatus, predetermined accurate relationship must be established between an angle of the radiation fins and an angle of the blades of the fan in order to permit the cooling apparatus to exhibit satisfactory cooling performance. Further, a motor of the fan is mounted on the heat sink.
The first and second conventional cooling apparatuses described above each are not suitable for use for cooling an electronic component increased in heat generation. The third conventional cooling apparatus described above is suitable for cooling an electronic component increased in heat generation as compared with the first and second cooling apparatuses. However, in the third cooling apparatus, the heat sink is increased in manufacturing cost and it is required to increase machining accuracy. Also, the third apparatus, as described above, is so constructed that the radiation fins are arranged so as to surround the impeller of the fan. Such arrangement causes a size of the cooling apparatus in a radial direction thereof to be significantly increased. Further, mounting of the motor of the fan on the heart sink in the third apparatus causes transmission of heat from the heat sink to the motor, leading to a deterioration in durability of the motor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing disadvantage of the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus which is capable of exhibiting increased cooling performance and durability and reducing a size thereof in a radial direction thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus which is capable of being reduced in manufacturing cost thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus which is capable of exhibiting increased cooling performance.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus which is capable of permitting the number of radiation fins arranged to be increased to a degree sufficient to enhance cooling performance of the cooling apparatus.
In accordance with the present invention, a heat sink-equipped cooling apparatus is provided. The cooling apparatus includes a heat sink for dissipating heat generated from a heat source. The heat sink includes a base plate increased in thermal conductivity and including a front surface and a rear surface with which the heat source is contacted, a virtual central line defined so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the base plate, a plurality of virtual vertical planes defined so as to extend in both a radial direction from the central line and a vertical direction perpendicular to the front surface of the base plate and be spaced from each other at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of a virtual circle defined about the central line, and a radiation fin unit mounted on the front surface of the base plate in a manner to be heat-transferable and including a plurality of radiation fins arranged so as to surround the central line while aligning the central line with a center in arrangement of the radiation fins. The cooling apparatus also includes a cooling fan including an impeller which includes a plurality of blades and is rotated by a motor and mounted on the heat sink so that the impeller is positioned above the radiation fin unit.
In the heat sink, the radiation fins each include a lower edge positioned on a side of the base plate, an upper edge positioned opposite to the lower edge, an inner edge connecting the lower edge and the upper edge and positioned on the side of the center line, and an outer edge connecting the lower edge and the upper edge and positioned opposite to the inner edge, and a radiation surface positioned between the lower edge and the upper edge. The radiation fins each are fixedly mounted directly or indirectly on the front surface of the base plate so as to be positioned on an intersection line between the virtual vertical plane corresponding to each of the lower edges and the front surface of the base plate. Also, the radiation fins each are arranged while being inclined in an identical direction with respect to the virtual vertical plane (or toward one side in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle) so that an inclination angle &thgr; of predetermined degrees between the radiation surface of the radiation fin and the virtual vertical plane may be defined. The radiation fin unit and cooling fan are arranged in positional relationship to each other which permits each of the blades of the cooling fan and the upper edge of each of the radiation fins to be opposite to each other. The cooling fan is arranged so as to permit cooling air to be fed to the radiation fins of the radiation fin unit. For this purpose, the cooling fan may be operated so as to blow air against the radiation fins. Alternatively, it may be operated so as to suck air from a side of the radiation fins.
When the impeller of the cooling fan and the heat sink are arranged in proximity to each other, air fed from the fan is substantially kept from being fed to a portion of the heat sink which is not opposite to the blades of the fan or a portion of the heat sink which is opposite to a cup member on which the blades of the impeller are fixed. Also, an air stream generated due to rotation of the impeller is not permitted to flow in an axial direction of the motor but is caused to flow in a direction of rotation of the impeller. Thus, arrangement of the radiation fins in a mere radial manner causes the radiation fins to act as flow resistance, to thereby fail to permit an increase in cooling performance of the cooling apparatus. This is also true of a structure which is constructed so as to forcibly flow air in a radial direction using an axia
Maruyama Haruhisa
Ogawara Toshiki
Sasa Noriyasu
Watanabe Michinori
Bennett Henry
McKinnon Terrell
Rankin, Hill Porter & Clark LLP
Sanyo Denki Co. Ltd.
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