Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-12
2003-09-30
Datskovsky, Michael (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S688000, C361S707000, C165S080300, C165S104320
Reexamination Certificate
active
06628521
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the field of environmentally protected housings for containing electronic components and, in particular, to the enhanced cooling of electronic components contained within environmentally protected housings.
BACKGROUND
Environmentally protected housings are used in a wide variety of applications, including containing and protecting electronic components of the type used for transferring signals over long distances. For example, the telecommunications industry transfers signals over optical fibers. If the signal is transferred over a long distance, the signal may be too weak by the time it reaches its destination to be useful. Consequently, electronic circuit cards are used to detect, clean up, and amplify a weak signal for retransmission through another length of fiber-optic cable. These electronic circuit cards are often deployed in environmentally protected housings located above and below ground.
Increased demands on the telecommunications industry, such as the advent of High-Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Lines (HDSL), to meet the increasing needs of internet subscribers has resulted in the need to transfer more and stronger electrical signals over greater distances. One way of accomplishing this is to amplify the signals using electronic circuit cards deployed in environmentally protected housings. To meet the need for transferring stronger electrical signals over greater distances, electronic circuit cards having higher amplification capabilities, and thus greater heat dissipation rates, than the last generation of circuit cards of this type may be used. The need for more electrical signals of this type may be accommodated by placing as many of these higher-heat-dissipating circuit cards into a single environmentally protected housing as possible. However, existing housings configured to accommodate the heat loads of the last generation of electronic circuit cards cannot accommodate the increased heat load of larger numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for environmentally protected housings that can handle the increased heat load associated with increased numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards and thereby maintain an acceptable operating temperature within the housing.
SUMMARY
The above-mentioned problems with existing housings configured to accommodate the heat loads of the last generation of electronic circuit cards being unable accommodate the increased heat load of larger numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards and other problems are addressed by embodiments of the present invention and will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. Embodiments of the present invention provide a housing adapted to contain objects, for example electronic circuit cards; at least one case located within the housing, the case adapted to confine the objects to different locations within the housing, the case also thermally coupled to the objects; and at least one heat sink adapted to absorb heat from the case, the heat sink thermally coupled to the case and the housing.
More particularly, in a first embodiment, the housing has a partial-shell. The partial-shell has a multitude of fins on its exterior, an aperture, and a cover adapted to selectively seal the aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. The partial-shell has a base adapted to seal the partial-shell against the weather and a pressure differential. The partial-shell and the cover can be any material having a suitable combination of thermal properties, corrosion resistance, and strength, such as a formulation of aluminum, bronze, and nickel. The base can be any material having a suitable combination corrosion resistance and strength, such as nylon, plastic, such as ABS, or structural foam.
The case defines an object containment volume within the housing. The case has a frame that surrounds the object containment volume. The case has a first partition that divides the object containment volume two individual regions. The case has several second partitions that divide each region into several sections. Each of the second partitions is thermally coupled to the frame and to the first partition.
Each of the sections is divided into several slots. Each slot contains one of the objects. Each object is either thermally coupled to the frame, a second partition, and the first partition or to two second partitions and the first partition. The frame, the first partition, and the second partitions can be any material having suitable thermal properties, such as aluminum, copper bronze, brass, or the like.
The case is adapted to selective reconfiguration between operating and non-operating configurations. The non-operating configuration is defined by the second partitions of one of the regions being displaced relative to the second partitions of the other region. The operating configuration is defined by the second partitions of one of the regions being aligned with the second partitions of the other region.
At least one heat sink is thermally coupled to the case. The heat sink is a solid block and can be of any material suitable for heat sinks, such as aluminum, copper bronze, brass, or the like.
The first embodiment has a cage attached to the base. The cage is adapted to confine the case, including at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto, to the base. The cage can be of any suitable material, such as plastic. In this configuration at least one heat sink extends through the cage. When the partial-shell is attached to the base with the cage, having at least one heat sink protruding therethrough, attached thereto, the heat sink protruding therethrough is thermally coupled to the partial-shell. The base has a lead-out, such as for wires used to input and output electrical signals to and from the objects. The lead-out is sealed against the weather and a pressure differential.
In a second embodiment, the housing has a pair of partial-shells. The partial shells are mated together to form a single-shell that has opposing first and second openings. Each of the partial shells has a number of fins on its exterior. The partial-shells can be of a material equivalent to that of the partial shell of the first embodiment. The embodiment includes a case that can be structurally and functionally equivalent to the case of the first embodiment. The embodiment includes at least one heat sink thermally coupled to the case that can be functionally equivalent to the heat sink of the first embodiment. The case and the heat sink can be of materials equivalent to the case and heat sink of the first embodiment, respectively.
The second embodiment has a cage that contains the case, including at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto. The cage has continuous opposing first and second openings. The cage, including the case having at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto, is contained between the partial shells, as mated together to form the single-shell. In this configuration, the first opening of the cage coincides with the first opening of the single shell and the second opening of the cage coincides with at least a portion of the second opening of the single shell.
The second embodiment has a first cover adapted to selectively simultaneously close the first opening in the single-shell and seal the first opening of the cage against the weather and a pressure differential. The second embodiment has a second cover adapted to simultaneously close at least a portion of the second opening in the single-shell and seal the second opening of the cage against the weather and a pressure differential.
The first cover can be of the same material as the partial-shells, or a suitable equivalent. The second cover can be the same material as the base of the first embodiment, or a suitable equivalent. Th
Bishop Michelle
Daniels Fredrick
Gustine Gary
Ham Charles G.
King Lane
ADC Telecommunications Inc.
Datskovsky Michael
Fogg and Associates LLC
Ryan Laura A.
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