Electric heating – Heating devices – With power supply and voltage or current regulation or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-16
2001-03-13
Paschall, Mark (Department: 3743)
Electric heating
Heating devices
With power supply and voltage or current regulation or...
C219S121430, C219S494000, C219S209000, C361S698000, C361S704000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201221
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electronics products, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for providing a heat transfer conduit for the electronic components that operate over a wide temperature range.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wireless electronics products are used in a variety of applications under a number of varying environmental conditions. Wireless products, for example, cellular products, embedded in wireless base stations must be able to function optimally within a broad temperature range. Specifically, wireless base stations are positioned in and operate in environments with a range of temperature from about minus forty degrees Celsius (−40° C.) to about fifty-two degrees Celsius (52° C.).
Current efforts to provide sufficient heating and cooling regimes to wireless base stations have several deficiencies. One effort includes the use of conduction cooling through a heat sink. However, since wireless base stations may, due to their geographical positioning, operate anywhere within the large environmental temperature range (−40° C. to 52° C.), designing a heat sink for optimal performance over that temperature range is difficult. Particularly, a heat sink designed to operate optimally at higher temperatures typically will not operate optimally at lower temperatures. Heaters have also often been added to the conduction cooling devices for heating wireless base station components in lower environmental temperatures. However, in most applications there is insufficient room for an adequately sized heater capable of heating the base station electronic components to a desired temperature range.
An additional problem encountered with conventional approaches is that some electronic components have very high power densities which create localized high heat densities which are often not well dissipated by current approaches.
There exists a need for a heating and cooling apparatus which operates optimally across a broad environmental temperature range, which fits conveniently within wireless base stations in proximity to the electronic components, and which adequately dissipates the high heat densities caused by the heat generated by the electronic components and which adequately heats the electronic components when necessary to maintain desired operating parameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a temperature regulating apparatus for broadening an operating temperature range for electronic components. The temperature regulating apparatus includes a chamber containing a heat transferring material, a plurality of extrusions for providing convection cooling to the chamber and electronic components coupled to the chamber, and a heater located in the chamber for heating, as necessary, the heat transferring material and, in turn, the electronic components. The chamber is located adjacent to the electronic components.
The present invention also provides a wireless base station having electronic components which give off heat when in operation, or which are provided in cold operating environments and need heat to properly operate, which are coupled to the above-described temperature regulating apparatus.
The present invention also provides a method for broadening an operating temperature range for electronic components used in a wireless base station. The method includes the steps of conducting heat from the electronic components to a material-filled chamber with a heat exchanger, cooling the electronic components and the chamber through convection cooling, and heating the chamber, when necessary, with the heater. The convection cooling is accomplished through a plurality of extruded fins extending off of the chamber.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5390076 (1995-02-01), Umezawa
patent: 5402311 (1995-03-01), Nakajima
patent: 5794454 (1998-08-01), Harris et al.
patent: 5892207 (1999-04-01), Kawamura et al.
patent: 5898573 (1999-04-01), Fugaro
LaGrotta James T.
LaGrotta Richard T.
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Paschall Mark
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