U.S. patent application number 12/752057 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-06 for thermal module.
This patent application is currently assigned to FU ZHUN PRECISION INDUSTRY (SHEN ZHEN) CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to JIAN YANG, JING ZHANG.
Application Number | 20110240259 12/752057 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44708268 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110240259 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YANG; JIAN ; et al. |
October 6, 2011 |
THERMAL MODULE
Abstract
An exemplary thermal module for dissipating heat of a
heat-generating component includes a fixing member, a centrifugal
fan arranged on the fixing member, a heat sink and a fastener. The
fixing member includes a plurality of fixing portions. The
centrifugal fan includes a housing defining an air outlet and an
impeller rotatably received in the housing. At least one of the
fixing portions is located under the housing. The heat sink is
disposed at the air outlet of the centrifugal fan. The fastener
interconnects the heat sink and the housing of the centrifugal fan.
The fastener is slidably connected to one of the heat sink and the
housing to cause the centrifugal fan to be moveable relative to the
heat sink for exposing the at least one of the fixing portions
located under the housing during fixing of the thermal module to
the heat-generating component.
Inventors: |
YANG; JIAN; (Shenzhen City,
CN) ; ZHANG; JING; (Shenzhen City, CN) |
Assignee: |
FU ZHUN PRECISION INDUSTRY (SHEN
ZHEN) CO., LTD.
Shenzhen City
CN
FOXCONN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Tu-Cheng
TW
|
Family ID: |
44708268 |
Appl. No.: |
12/752057 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 2924/0002 20130101;
H01L 2924/0002 20130101; F28F 9/013 20130101; H01L 23/4093
20130101; H01L 23/427 20130101; F28D 15/0275 20130101; H01L 2924/00
20130101; H01L 23/467 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/67 |
International
Class: |
F28F 9/007 20060101
F28F009/007 |
Claims
1. A thermal module for dissipating heat of a heat-generating
component, the thermal module comprising: a fixing member
comprising a plurality of fixing portions for fixing the thermal
module; and a centrifugal fan arranged on the fixing member, and
comprising a housing and an impeller rotatably received in the
housing, the housing defining an air outlet therein, at least one
of the fixing portions located under the housing; a heat sink
disposed at the air outlet of the centrifugal fan; and a fastener
interconnecting the heat sink and the housing of the centrifugal
fan, wherein the fastener is slidably connected to one of the heat
sink and the housing to cause the centrifugal fan to be moveable
relative to the heat sink for exposing the at least one of the
fixing portions located under the housing during fixing of the
thermal module.
2. The thermal module of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a
head and a pole smaller than the head in diameter, the head being
fixed on the heat sink, and the pole being slidably engaged in the
housing of the centrifugal fan.
3. The thermal module of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a
sliding member extending toward the heat sink, an elongated sliding
groove being defined in the sliding member, and the pole of the
fastener engaged in the sliding groove of the sliding groove.
4. The thermal module of claim 3, wherein the pole of the fastener
comprises a locking portion protruding outward therefrom at a
position adjacent to the head, the sliding member being sandwiched
between the locking portion and the head of the fastener.
5. The thermal module of claim 4, wherein an outer surface of the
locking portion converges along the longitudinal direction of the
pole away from the head, and part of the outer surface of the
locking portion forms a cut flat surface for facilitating extending
of the locking portion through the sliding groove.
6. The thermal module of claim 2, wherein an annular notch is
defined in the head of the fastener, the heat sink being engaged in
the annular notch of the head of the fastener.
7. The thermal module of claim 6, wherein the heat sink comprises a
plurality of fins stacked together, a tab extending from an outmost
fin of the heat sink toward the air outlet of the housing and
engaged in the notch of the head of the fastener.
8. The thermal module of claim 7, wherein a through hole is defined
in the tab, and an aperture is defined in the tab for communicating
the through hole with the outside, a diameter of the head at the
annular notch being not smaller than a diameter of the through hole
but being smaller than a width of the aperture.
9. The thermal module of claim 2, wherein the fastener is rubber
and elastic.
10. The thermal module of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a
mounting portion extending outward therefrom at a position away
from the air outlet, and the mounting portion is connected to the
fixing member.
11. The thermal module of claim 10, further comprising another
fastener, a head of the another fastener engaged with the fixing
member and a pole of the another fastener engaged with the mounting
portion of the fixing member to connect the mounting portion to the
fixing member.
12. The thermal module of claim 11, wherein the fixing member
comprises an ear extending outward therefrom, a circular hole being
defined in the ear, and an opening being defined in the ear
communicating the circular hole with the outside, the opening and
the air outlet of the centrifugal fan being located at opposite
sides of the circular hole.
13. The thermal module of claim 12, wherein a width of the opening
is smaller than a diameter of the circular hole, and the head of
the another fastener is deformably received in the circular hole
via the opening.
14. The thermal module of claim 1, wherein the fixing member
further comprises a first fixing plate, a second fixing plate, a
connecting plate interconnecting the fixing plate and the second
fixing plate, and a supporting plate, the fixing portions extending
outward from the second fixing plate, and the supporting plate
formed between two of the fixing portions which are farthest away
from the first fixing plate.
15. The thermal module of claim 14, wherein a fixing hole is
defined in each of the fixing portions.
16. A thermal module for dissipating heat of a heat-generating
component, the thermal module comprising: a fixing member
comprising a fixing plate adapted for contacting the
heat-generating component and a plurality of fixing portions around
the fixing plate for fixing the thermal module to the
heat-generating component; and a centrifugal fan arranged on the
fixing member, and comprising a housing and an impeller rotatably
received in the housing, the housing defining an air outlet
therein, at least one of the fixing portions located under the
housing; a heat sink disposed at the air outlet of the centrifugal
fan, the heat sink comprising a plurality of fins stacked along the
air outlet; and a fastener interconnecting the heat sink and the
housing of the centrifugal fan, wherein the fastener is slidably
connected to one of the heat sink and the housing to cause the
centrifugal fan to be moveable relative to the heat sink for
exposing the at least one of the fixing portions located under the
housing during fixing of the thermal module.
17. The thermal module of claim 16, wherein the fastener comprises
a head and a pole smaller than the head in diameter, a tab
extending from an outmost fin of the heat sink toward the air
outlet of the housing and engaged with the head of the fastener,
and a sliding member extending from the housing toward the heat
sink, an elongated sliding groove being defined in the sliding
member, the pole of the fastener being engaged in the sliding
groove of the sliding groove.
18. The thermal module of claim 17, wherein the pole of the
fastener comprises a locking portion protruding outward therefrom
at a position adjacent to the head, an outer surface of the locking
portion converging along the longitudinal direction of the pole
away from the head, the sliding member being sandwiched between the
locking portion and the head of the fastener.
19. The thermal module of claim 17, wherein an annular notch is
defined in the head of the fastener, a through hole is defined in
the tab, and an aperture is defined in the tab for communicating
the through hole with the outside, the outmost fin of the heat sink
being engaged in the annular notch of the head of the fastener, a
diameter of the head at the annular notch being not smaller than a
diameter of the through hole but being smaller than a width of the
aperture.
20. The thermal module of claim 16, wherein the fastener is rubber
and elastic.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is related to a co-pending application
entitled as "HEAT DISSIPATION APPARATUS", assigned to the same
assignee of this application and filed on the same date. The
disclosure of the co-pending application is wholly incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to thermal modules,
and more particularly to a thermal module which can be assembled to
a heat generating component easily.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] With the continuing development of electronics technology,
electronic components of electronic devices, such as central
processing units (CPUs), memory modules, and video graphics array
(VGA) chips, generate much heat in operation. The heat needs to be
dissipated efficiently to ensure the continued proper functioning
of the electronic device.
[0006] Generally, a thermal module is provided to dissipate heat of
the electronic component. The thermal module includes a fixing
plate, a centrifugal fan arranged on the fixing plate, a heat sink
arranged at an air outlet of the centrifugal fan, and a heat pipe
for transferring heat of the electronic component to the heat sink.
The fixing plate defines a plurality of mounting holes therein.
Screws are extended through the mounting holes to attach the
thermal module to the electronic component.
[0007] Typically, the thermal module is assembled for the purposes
of packaging or transportation. Thus several of the mounting holes
of the fixing plate may be covered by the centrifugal fan. Later
on, when the thermal module is attached to an electronic component,
the centrifugal fan must be detached from the fixing plate to
expose the mounting holes, and then attached again to the fixing
plate after the fixing plate is fixed to the electronic component.
Such detaching and reattaching is inconvenient.
[0008] What is needed, therefore, is a thermal module to overcome
the above-described limitations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an isometric, assembled view of a thermal module,
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an elastic member of the
thermal module shown in FIG. 2.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a fixing plate of the thermal
module shown in FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, taken along line
V-V thereof.
[0014] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a fastener of the thermal
module shown in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a thermal module 10 according to
an exemplary embodiment is shown. The thermal module 10 includes a
first heat spreader 11, a second heat spreader 12, a fixing member
13, a heat sink 15, a first heat pipe 16, two second heat pipes 17,
and a centrifugal fan 18.
[0016] The first heat spreader 11 is made of metal or metal alloy
which has a high heat conductivity coefficient, such as copper or
copper-alloy. The first heat spreader 11 is rectangular and flat.
The first heat spreader 11 includes a planar bottom face 110
configured for contacting a heat generating component (not shown),
and a planar top face 112. The heat generating component is
typically an electronic component. Two elastic members 19 are
fixedly joined to the top face 112 of the first heat spreader 11.
The two elastic members 19 are arranged parallel to each other, and
are spaced from each other. Each elastic member 19 is formed by
bending a narrow metal sheet.
[0017] The two elastic members 19 are identical to each other.
Referring also to FIG. 3, each elastic member 19 includes a fixing
piece 190, and two latching pieces 192 bending from opposite ends
of the fixing piece 190, respectively. The fixing piece 190 is
fixed on the top face 112 of the first heat spreader 11. A middle
of the fixing piece 190 protrudes upwards to form a bridge 191. In
this embodiment, the bridge 191 includes two connecting portions
195 extending perpendicularly from the fixing piece 190, and a
resisting portion 193 interconnecting top ends of the connecting
portions 195. The resisting portion 193 is parallel to, and is
spaced apart from, the fixing piece 190. A space 100 is thus formed
between the resisting portion 193 and the first heat spreader 11,
for receiving the first heat pipe 16.
[0018] Each of the latching pieces 192 includes an elongated
portion 194 and a latching portion 196. The two elongated portions
194 of the latching pieces 192 are straight, and extend aslant from
opposite ends of the fixing piece 190 generally toward each other.
The latching portions 196 of the latching pieces 192 are
respectively formed at top ends of the elongated portions 194, and
are configured like a pair of symmetrically opposite angle
brackets. More specifically, each latching portion 196 is generally
V-shaped, and includes a first section 197 bending outward and
upwards from the elongated portion 194 generally away from the
other latching portion 196, and a second section 198 bending inward
and upwards from the first section 197 generally toward the other
latching portion 196. Thus a distance between the two junctions of
the latching portions 196 and the elongated portions 194 is smaller
than that between the first sections 197 of the latching portions
196.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 2 again, the second heat spreader 12 is
also made of metal or metal alloy which has a high heat
conductivity coefficient. The second heat spreader 12 is
rectangular; and includes a planar bottom surface 124 configured
for contacting another heat generating component (not shown), and a
top surface 126. Two upper grooves 120 are defined in the top
surface 126 of the second heat spreader 12. The upper grooves 120
are straight and parallel to each other. Each upper groove 120
extends through the second heat spreader 12 along a longitudinal
direction of the second heat spreader 12. A cross section of each
of the upper grooves 120 is semicircular. A securing portion 121
extends outwards from each lateral side of the second heat spreader
12. Two securing holes 122 are defined in each of the securing
portions 121.
[0020] The fixing member 13 is also made of metal or metal alloy
which has a high heat conductivity coefficient, such as aluminum or
aluminum-alloy. The fixing member 13 is integrally formed as a
single monolithic piece. The fixing member 13 includes a first
fixing plate 130 mounted on the first heat spreader 11, a second
fixing plate 140 mounted on the second heat spreader 12, and a
connecting plate 131 interconnecting the first fixing plate 130 and
the second fixing plate 140.
[0021] The first fixing plate 130 defines two slots 133
corresponding to the elastic members 19. The slots 133 are
elongated, and are parallel to each other. Each slot 133 extends
through the first fixing plate 130 along the thickness direction of
the first fixing plate 130. A length of the slot 133 is shorter
than the distance between the junctions of the latching portions
196 and the elongated portions 194 of the latching pieces 192 when
the latching pieces 192 are in a free state. Referring also to
FIGS. 4 and 5, a protrusion 136 extends from the first fixing plate
130 into the slot 133 at each end of the slot 133. A profile of a
cross section of the protrusion 136 is generally V-shaped. The
protrusion 136 includes a first outer side 137a and a second outer
side 137b extending aslant from the end of the slot 133, with the
first and second outer sides 137a, 137b meeting at an apex of the
V-shape.
[0022] Referring back to FIG. 1 again, when the thermal module 10
is assembled, the first fixing plate 130 of the fixing member 13 is
arranged over the first heat spreader 11 such that the slots 133
are aligned with the elastic members 19. A force is applied to the
latching pieces 192 of each elastic member 19 to decrease the
distance between the latching pieces 192, and thereby the latching
portions 196 of each elastic member 19 can extend through the
corresponding slot 133 of the first fixing plate 130. Therefore,
the protrusions 136 of the first fixing plate 130 are engaged with
the junctions of the elongated portions 194 and the latching
portions 196 of the latching pieces 192 to avoid disengagement of
the elastic members 19 from the first fixing plate 130. Thus the
first heat spreader 11 is connected to the first fixing plate 130
of the fixing member 13, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2 again, the second fixing plate 140 is
rectangular, and has a size the same as that of the second heat
spreader 12. Two lower grooves 143 are formed at a bottom of the
second fixing plate 140, corresponding to the upper grooves 120 of
the second heat spreader 12. A cross section of each lower groove
143 is semicircular. When assembled, the second fixing plate 140 is
disposed on the second heat spreader 12 such that the lower grooves
143 are aligned with the upper grooves 120. Screws (not shown)
extend through the securing holes 122 of the second heat spreader
12 and are engaged in the second fixing plate 140. In this way, the
second heat spreader 12 is attached to the fixing member 13. Thus,
each upper groove 120 and one corresponding lower groove 143
together form a cylindrical channel for receiving one second heat
pipe 17.
[0024] Four fixing portions 142 extend outward from four corners of
the second fixing plate 140, respectively. A fixing hole 144 is
defined in an outer end of each fixing portion 142, for assembling
of the fixing member 13 to one or more electronic components. A
supporting plate 145 is connected between outer ends of two of the
fixing portions 142 which are farthest away from the first fixing
plate 130. An ear 132 extends integrally outward from the
connecting plate 131 at a position near the first fixing plate 130.
A circular hole 138 is defined in the ear 132. An opening 139 is
defined in the ear 132 at a side facing the first fixing plate 130.
The opening 139 communicates the circular hole 138 with the
outside. A width of the opening 139 is slightly narrower than a
diameter of the circular hole 138.
[0025] The heat sink 15 is arranged on the supporting plate 145 of
the fixing member 13, and includes a plurality of fins 150 spacedly
stacked in parallel along a longitudinal direction of the
supporting plate 145. Three channels 152 extend through the heat
sink 15 for receiving the first heat pipe 16 and the second heat
pipes 17. A tab 153 extends from a corner of each outmost fin 150
of the heat sink 15 toward the second fixing plate 140. Each of the
tabs 153 is parallel to the fins 150 of the heat sink 15. A through
hole 154 is defined in each tab 153. An aperture 155 is defined in
each tab 153 for communicating the through hole 154 with the
outside. A width of the aperture 155 is slightly narrower than a
diameter of the through hole 154. Preferably, the diameter of the
through hole 154 is equal to that of the circular hole 138 of the
ear 132, and the width of the aperture 155 is equal to that of the
opening 139 of the ear 132.
[0026] The first heat pipe 16 includes an evaporation section 160
and a condensing section 162 respectively formed at opposite ends
thereof. Each of the second heat pipes 17 includes an evaporation
section 170 and a condensing section 172 respectively formed at
opposite ends thereof. The evaporation section 160 of the first
heat pipe 16 is received in the space 100 formed between the bridge
191 of the elastic members 19 and the first heat spreader 11, while
the condensing section 162 of the first heat pipe 16 is received in
one of the channels 152 of the heat sink 15. The evaporation
sections 170 of the second heat pipes 17 are respectively received
in the cylindrical channels formed by the upper grooves 120 of the
second heat spreader 12 and the lower grooves 143 of the second
fixing plate 140. The condensing sections 172 of the second heat
pipes 17 are respectively received in the other two channels 152 of
the heat sink 15. Thus the heat sink 15, the first heat pipe 16,
the second heat pipes 17, the first heat spreader 11, the second
heat spreader 12, and the fixing member 13 are connected
together.
[0027] The centrifugal fan 18 is slidably mounted on the second
fixing plate 140 of the fixing member 13 by three fasteners 20. The
fasteners 20 are made of rubber, and are elastic. Referring also to
FIG. 6, each fastener 20 includes a head 21, and a pole 22 smaller
than the head 21 in diameter. An annular notch 23 is defined in the
head 21 of the fastener 20. The diameter of the head 21 at the
annular notch 23 is slightly larger than the widths of the opening
139 of the ear 132 and the apertures 155 of the tabs 153, but not
larger than the diameters of the circular hole 138 and the through
holes 154. A locking portion 24 protrudes outward from the pole 22
of the fastener 20 at a position adjacent to the head 21. An outer
surface 242 of the locking portion 24 converges along the
longitudinal direction of the pole 22 from an end adjacent to the
head 21 to an opposite end away from the head 21. Part of the outer
surface 242 of the locking portion 24 is cut to form two opposite
flat surfaces 240, for facilitating assembly of the fastener 20 to
the centrifugal fan 18.
[0028] The centrifugal fan 18 includes a housing 180, and an
impeller 182 rotatably received in the housing 180. An air outlet
183 is defined in the housing 180 and faces the heat sink 15,
whereby airflow generated by the centrifugal fan 18 can directly
flow to the heat sink 15. Two sliding members 184 extend outward
from the housing 180 at opposite ends of the air outlet 183 toward
the heat sink 15. The sliding members 184 are elongated, and
parallel to the fins 150 of the heat sink 15. A distance between
the sliding members 184 is slightly larger than a distance between
the tabs 153 of the heat sink 15. A sliding groove 185 is defined
in each of the sliding members 184. Each sliding member 184 is
elongated, with a length thereof much greater than a width thereof.
Preferably, the width of the sliding groove 185 is slightly greater
than the diameter of the pole 22 of the corresponding fastener 20,
but slightly less than a minimum width of the locking portion 24 of
the fastener 20.
[0029] A mounting portion 186 extends outward from the housing 180,
corresponding to the ear 132 of the fixing member 13. In this
embodiment, the two sliding members 184 are arranged symmetrically
about an axis (not shown) defined by the mounting portion 186. A
mounting hole 187 is defined in the mounting portion 186,
corresponding to the circular hole 138 of the ear 132. Preferably,
a diameter of the mounting hole 187 is equal to the width of the
sliding groove 185 of the sliding member 184. That is, the diameter
of the mounting hole 187 is greater than the diameter of the pole
22 of the corresponding fastener 20, but slightly less than the
minimum width of the locking portion 24 of the fastener 20.
[0030] When assembling the fasteners 20 to the centrifugal fan 18,
the locking portions 24 of the fasteners 20 are squeezed to
decrease the widths thereof, and thus can be extended through the
sliding grooves 185 of the sliding members 184 and the mounting
hole 187 of the mounting portion 186, respectively. Thus, the
fasteners 20 are assembled on the centrifugal fan 18, with the
mounting portion 186 and the sliding members 184 engaged between
the heads 21 and the locking portions 24 of the respective
fasteners 20. Since the sliding grooves 185 are elongated, the
poles 22 of the two fasteners 20 on the sliding members 184 can
slide along the sliding grooves 185. In this embodiment, after
being assembled, the heads 21 of the two fasteners 20 engaged with
the sliding members 184 are located between the sliding members
184, and the head 21 of the fastener 20 engaged with the mounting
portion 186 is located below the mounting portion 186.
[0031] The centrifugal fan 18 with the fasteners 20 is then mounted
onto the second fixing plate 140 of the fixing member 13 such that
the annular notches 23 of the heads 21 of the fasteners 20 on the
sliding members 184 are aligned with the apertures 155 of the tabs
153. The heads 21 of the two fasteners 20 are respectively pushed
into the circular holes 138 via the apertures 155. Since the
diameters of the two fasteners 20 at the annular notches 23 are
larger than the widths of the apertures 155, the fasteners 20 are
fixedly engaged in the through holes 154 of the tabs 153 of the
heat sink 15. That is, the components of the thermal module 10,
i.e., the centrifugal fan 18, the heat sink 15, the first heat pipe
16, the second heat pipes 17, the first heat spreader 11, the
second heat spreader 12 and the fixing member 13 are connected
together.
[0032] For assembling the thermal module 10 to the electronic
components, the first heat spreader 11 and the second heat spreader
12 are disposed onto two different electronic components with the
fixing holes 144 of the fixing member 13 aligned with corresponding
holes (not shown) of a circuit board on which the electronic
components are arranged. The centrifugal fan 18 is pushed to move
toward the first fixing plate 130 to expose the two fixing holes
144 farthest away from the first fixing plate 130. In such a state,
the poles 22 of the fasteners 20 on the sliding members 184 are
located at outmost ends of the sliding grooves 185. The head 21 of
the fastener 20 on the mounting portion 186 is at a lateral side of
the ear 132 of the fixing member 13, and faces the opening 139.
Thus, screws (not shown) can extend through the four fixing holes
144 of the fixing member 13 to engage with the circuit board to fix
the thermal module 10 to the electronic component.
[0033] After the thermal module 10 is fixed, the centrifugal fan 18
is pushed to slide toward the heat sink 15, and thus cause the head
21 of the fastener 20 on the mounting portion 186 to engage in the
circular hole 138 of the ear 132 via the opening 139. Thereby, the
stability of the centrifugal fan 18 is enhanced. As shown in FIG.
1, in such a state, the heat sink 15 is adjacent to the air outlet
183 of the centrifugal fan 18, the two fasteners 20 on the sliding
members 184 are located adjacent to the air outlet 183 of the
centrifugal fan 18, and the two fixing holes 144 which are farthest
away from the first fixing plate 130 are located under and shaded
by the centrifugal fan 18. Therefore, the thermal module 10 can be
assembled to the electronic components easily.
[0034] During operation, the heat of the first heat spreader 11 and
the second heat spreader 12 absorbed from the two different
electronic components is timely transferred to the heat sink 15 by
the first heat pipe 16 and the second heat pipes 17, and finally is
taken away to the outside by the airflow of the centrifugal fan 18.
Therefore, the thermal module 10 can take away the heat from the
two electronic components simultaneously.
[0035] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of certain embodiments have been set
forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the
structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
* * * * *