U.S. patent application number 12/535094 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-10 for heat sink structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS (SHEN ZHEN) CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Wen-Ji Lan, Teng-Zhi Qin.
Application Number | 20110030920 12/535094 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43533914 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110030920 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Qin; Teng-Zhi ; et
al. |
February 10, 2011 |
Heat Sink Structure
Abstract
A heat sink structure includes a heat dissipating body and at
least one heat pipe. The heat dissipating body includes a main body
having two opposite first and second end faces, and a plurality of
radiating fins formed on two wall surfaces of the main body. The
heat dissipating body is made of a heat-conducting plastic material
through injection molding, and the heat pipe is embedded in the
heat dissipating body during the process of injection molding the
heat dissipating body. The heat pipe has two opposite first and
second ends respectively exposed from the first and second end
faces of the heat dissipating body for directly contacting with a
heat source, and a pipe body helically extended between the first
and second ends and embedded in the heat dissipating body. With
these arrangements, the heat sink structure has reduced weight and
material cost while providing good heat dissipating effect.
Inventors: |
Qin; Teng-Zhi; (Shenzhen
City, CN) ; Lan; Wen-Ji; (Shenzhen City, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIKOLAI & MERSEREAU, P.A.
900 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH, SUITE 820
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Assignee: |
ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS (SHEN ZHEN)
CO., LTD.
Shenzhen City
CN
|
Family ID: |
43533914 |
Appl. No.: |
12/535094 |
Filed: |
August 4, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/80.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21V 29/51 20150115;
F28D 15/0233 20130101; F28D 7/024 20130101; H01L 2924/0002
20130101; F21K 9/00 20130101; F21Y 2115/10 20160801; F28F 1/12
20130101; H01L 2924/0002 20130101; F21V 29/773 20150115; F28F 1/16
20130101; H01L 23/427 20130101; F28D 15/0266 20130101; F28F 2275/02
20130101; F28F 21/067 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/80.3 |
International
Class: |
F28F 13/00 20060101
F28F013/00 |
Claims
1. A heat sink structure comprising: a heat dissipating body
including a main body having a first end face and a second end face
opposite to the first end face, and a plurality of radiating fins
formed on the main body; and at least one heat pipe being embedded
in the main body of the heat dissipating body, and having a first
end and a second end located at the first end face and the second
end face of the main body of the heat dissipating body,
respectively.
2. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
radiating fins are formed on an outer wall surface of the main
body.
3. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
radiating fins are formed on an inner wall surface of the main
body.
4. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat
dissipating body is made of a plastic material through injection
molding, and the heat pipe is embedded in the heat dissipating body
during the process of injection molding the heat dissipating
body.
5. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
end of the heat pipe is exposed from the first end face of the main
body of the heat dissipating body.
6. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
second end of the heat pipe is exposed from the second end face of
the main body of the heat dissipating body.
7. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat
pipe has a pipe body extended between the first and the second end,
and the pipe body being embedded in the heat dissipating body.
8. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pipe
body is helically extended between the first and the second
end.
9. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
plastic material for molding the heat dissipating body has thermal
conductivity.
10. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
plastic material has a melting point lower than that of a material
selected for forming the heat pipe.
11. The heat sink structure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
plastic material is selected from the group consisting of Ethylon
(UPE), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PETP),
nylon, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinylidene
fluoride (PVDF), Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE),
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS),
tempered glass, polyether polyols (PES), acrylic
(polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA), poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK),
and poly(amide-imide) (PAI).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat sink structure, and
more particularly to a heat sink structure consisting of a heat
dissipating body made of a heat-conducting plastic material and a
heat pipe made of a metal material to thereby have reduce weight
and material cost while providing good heat dissipating effect.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Various kinds of electronic information products, such as
computers, have become very popular among consumers and been widely
applied in many different fields. Consumers' demands bring
prosperous development in the electronic information industry, and
all the currently commercially available electronic information
products have increasingly upgraded computing speed and expanded
access capacity. As a result, a high amount of heat is also
produced by the electronic elements in the electronic information
products when they operate at high speed.
[0003] A light emitting diode (LED) emits cold light, and has the
advantages of low power consumption, energy-saving, long service
life, low pollution, no idling time, fast response speed, and high
efficiency. Therefore, street lights or other lighting fixture
related thereto that are usually required to provide higher
illuminance will adopt high-power LEDs as their light source. By
supplying higher current to the LED, a relatively high illuminance
can be obtained.
[0004] However, while the high-current LED provides increased
illuminance, the heat produced by the LED is inevitably increased,
too. The produced high amount of heat must be timely removed, lest
the heat should accumulate around the LED to cause lowered lighting
efficiency and even shortened LED service life. There are many
electronic apparatuses that use LEDs as a main light source
thereof. However, all these electronic apparatuses have the same
problem of having relatively poor heat dissipation efficiency,
which adversely results in burned-out apparatus due to overheating,
increased light wane and shortened service life.
[0005] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and sectional views,
respectively, of a conventional heat sink structure 1, which has a
heat dissipating body 11 made of aluminum or other single type of
metal material. The heat dissipating body 11 is configured as a
hollow cylindrical member with a plurality of radiating fins 12
radially extended from an inner and an outer wall surface thereof.
The radiating fins 12 are also formed with one single type of metal
material the same as the heat dissipating body 11 and are
integrally formed with the heat dissipating body 11. Since both of
the heat dissipating body 11 and the radiating fins 12 are made of
a metal material, the heat sink structure 1 requires relatively
high material cost and is relatively heavy, which form limitations
in the applicability of the heat sink structure 1.
[0006] When the heat sink structure 1 is used to remove the heat
produced by an LED module, the LED module is assembled to one end
of the heat dissipating body 11, so that heat produced by the LED
module is absorbed by the heat dissipating body 11 and dissipated
into ambient air via the heat dissipating body 11 and the radiating
fins 12. With the heat dissipating body 11 and the radiating fins
12 being made of the same single type of metal material, the heat
sink structure 1 provides relatively low heat conductivity and
fails to effectively transfer the heat produced by the LED module
from the end of the heat dissipating body 11 with the LED module to
the other end of the heat dissipating body 11 that has a relatively
low temperature.
[0007] In brief, the conventional heat sink structure 1 has the
following disadvantages: (1) low heat conductivity; (2) high
material cost; and (3) heavy in weight.
[0008] It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved
heat sink structure to overcome the above disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
heat sink structure that has a plastic heat dissipating body with a
heat pipe: embedded therein to provide high thermal conductivity
and good heat dissipating efficiency.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a heat
sink structure that has reduced overall weight compared to
conventional heat sink structures of similar types.
[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
heat sink structure that can be manufactured with reduced material
cost compared to conventional heat sink structures of similar
types.
[0012] To achieve the above and other objects, the heat sink
structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes a heat dissipating body and at least one heat
pipe. The heat dissipating body includes a main body having two
opposite first and second end faces, and a plurality of radiating
fins formed on two opposite wall surfaces of the main body to
axially extend between the first and the second end face. The heat
dissipating body is made of a heat-conducting plastic material
through injection molding, and the heat pipe is embedded in the
heat dissipating body during the process of injection molding the
heat dissipating body. The heat pipe has a first and a second end
respectively exposed from the first and second end faces of the
heat dissipating body for directly contacting with a heat source,
and a pipe body helically extended between the first and the second
end and embedded in the heat dissipating body.
[0013] With the heat dissipating body made of a heat-conducting
plastic material through injection molding and the heat pipe
helically embedded in the plastic heat dissipating body, the heat
sink structure of the present invention not only provides high
thermal conductivity and good heat dissipating effect, but also has
reduced weight and material cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional heat sink
structure;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the heat sink
structure of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a heat sink structure
according to the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view of the heat sink
structure of FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 5 shows the heat sink structure of the present
invention in use;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a perspective sectional view of FIG. 5; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4. A heat sink structure
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
includes a heat dissipating body 2 and a heat pipe 3. The heat
dissipating body 2 is made of a plastic material through injection
molding, and can be molded into various shapes depending on actual
need. The plastic material for molding the heat dissipating body 2
is a heat-conducting material selected from the group consisting of
Ethylon (UPE), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate
(PETP), nylon, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE),
polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene or
PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
(ABS), tempered glass, polyether polyols (PES), acrylic
(polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA), poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK),
and poly(amide-imide) (PAI).
[0023] In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the
heat dissipating body 2 is injection molded into a hollow cylinder
including a main body 21 and a plurality of radiating fins 24. The
main body 21 has a first end face 22 and a second end face 23
opposite to the first, end face 22, both of which are a plane
surface. The radiating fins 24 are formed on an inner and an outer
wall surface of the main body 21 to axially extend between the
first and the second end face 22, 23. The radiating fins 24 are
also formed of a plastic material through injection molding. The
heat pipe 3 is embedded in the heat dissipating body 2 during the
process of injection molding the heat dissipating body 2, and
includes a first end 31, a second end 33, and a pipe body 32
extended between the first and the second end 31, 33.
[0024] In the illustrated embodiment, the pipe body 32 of the heat
pipe 3 is helically extended between the first and the second end
31, 33. The first and the second end 31, 33 of the heat pipe 3 are
located at and exposed from the first and the second end face 22,
23 of the heat dissipating body 2, respectively. While the heat
dissipating body 2 is made of a plastic material through injection
molding, the heat pipe 3 is made of a metal material, such as
copper. In other words, for the heat pipe 3 to be embedded in the
heat dissipating body 2, the material selected for the heat
dissipating body 2 should have a melting point lower than that of
the material for the heat pipe 3. In the illustrated preferred
embodiment, the heat dissipating body 2 is made of a plastic
material. However, it is understood, in practical implementation of
the present invention, the heat dissipating body 2 is not
necessarily made of a plastic material but can be made of other
suitable materials.
[0025] Please refer to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 at the same time. The heat
dissipating body 2 can be associated with an LED module 4. The LED
module 4 can be attached to either the first end face 22 or the
second end face 23 of the heat dissipating body 2. In the
illustrated embodiment, the LED module 4 is attached to the second
end face 23 of the heat dissipating body 2 and accordingly contacts
with the second end 33 of the heat pipe 3 exposed from the second
end face 23. When the LED module 4 produces heat during the
operation thereof, the produced heat is directly absorbed by the
second end 33 of the heat pipe 3 and then transferred via the pipe
body 32 to the first end 31. Since the first end 31, the pipe body
32, and the second end 33 of the heat pipe 3 are embedded in the
heat dissipating body 2, the heat absorbed by the second end 33 and
transferred to the pipe body 32 and the first end 31 of the heat
pipe 3 can also be quickly transferred to the heat dissipating body
2 to dissipate into ambient environment. That is, the heat sink
structure of the present invention can advantageously provide high
efficient thermal conduction. With the heat pipe 3 made of a metal
material embedded in the heat dissipating body 2 made of a
heat-conducting plastic material, heat absorbed by the heat pipe 3
can be more effectively guided away from the LED module 4 and
dissipated into air, and the heat sink structure can have reduced
overall weight and be manufactured at reduced material cost.
[0026] In brief, the heat sink structure of the present invention
has the following advantages: (1) having high thermal conductivity;
(2) requiring only reduced material cost; and (3) being light in
weight.
[0027] The present invention has been described with a preferred
embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out
without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention
that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *