HEAT DISSIPATION DEVICE

Abstract

A heat dissipation device includes a housing, a fan mounted within the housing, a fin assembly fixed to the housing and heat pipes attached on the fin assembly. The housing includes a panel and a sidewall extending upwardly from a periphery of the panel. The fin assembly includes first fins and second fins alternately arranged on the panel. The first fins and the second fins each include a plate, an upper flange and a lower flange extending from a top side and a bottom side of the plate, respectively. Each second fin defines a slot in a lateral side of the plate thereof adjacent to the fan. Every two adjacent first fin and second fin define a channel therebetween. Two adjacent channels communicate with each other at inlets thereof via the slot, and separated from each other at outlets thereof via a second fin.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to heat dissipation devices, and more particularly, to a heat dissipation device having a fan.

2. Description of Related Art

Electronic components generate a large amount of heat in operation thereof. Therefore, heat dissipation, often in the form of device, is required for the electronic components. A typical heat dissipation deice includes a plurality of fins connected to each other. In order to facilitate heat dissipation of the fins, a fan is generally mounted aside the fins. The fan forces airflow to flow through air passages between the fins to accelerate heat exchange between the fins and the surrounding air.

However, since the air passages between the fins are narrow, a large amount of dusts may be accumulated on the inlets of the air passages after the fan works for a long period. Such accumulated dusts would block the airflow to flow into the air passages, thereby affecting the heat dissipation of the fins.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device which can overcome the limitations described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a heat dissipation device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a fin assembly of the heat dissipation device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the fin assembly of FIG. 2, wherein a first fin and a second fin are separated from the fin assembly.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first fin of FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the second fin of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat dissipation device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat dissipation device 10 includes a housing 50, a fan 40 mounted within the housing 50, a fin assembly 20 fixed to the housing 50 and a plurality of heat pipes 30 attached to the fin assembly 20.

The housing 50 is integrally made of a single piece of metal such as aluminum or copper. The housing 50 includes a panel 501 and a sidewall 502 extending upwardly and perpendicularly from a periphery of the panel 501. The sidewall 502 partially surrounds the panel 501. The sidewall 502 has a curved section and two ends extending from the curved section towards a rear side of the panel 501. The fan 40 is fixed on the panel 501 and surrounded by the curved section of the sidewall 502. The two ends of the sidewall 502 are spaced from each other to receive the fin assembly 20. The sidewall 502 can guide an airflow generated by the fan 40 towards the rear side of the panel 501. A plurality of posts 51, tabs 52, and brackets 53, 54 are formed on an outer circumferential face of the sidewall 502 for connection with the other structures such as a printed circuit board, a clip or a fastener.

Also referring to FIGS. 2-4, the fin assembly 20 is fixed on the rear side of the panel 501 and sandwiched between the two ends of the sidewall 502. The fin assembly 20 includes a plurality of first fins 21 and a plurality of second fins 22 alternately connected to each other. Each first fin 21 includes a plate 210, an upper flange 212 extending from a top side of the plate 210 and a lower flange 211 extending from a bottom side of the plate 210. The plate 210 is arranged perpendicularly to the panel 501 of the housing 50. The plate 210 has a vertical front side and an inclined rear side opposite to the front side. The top side of the plate 210 has a portion depressed downwardly towards the bottom side of the plate 210. The upper flange 212 includes a first section 2121 located adjacent to the rear side of the plate 210, a third section 2123 located adjacent to the front side of the plate 210, i.e., adjacent to the fan 40, and a second section 2122 located between the first section 2121 and the third section 2123. The first section 2121 is parallel to the lower flange 211 and spaced from the second section 2122 via a gap. The second section 2122 is located on the depressed portion of the top side of the plate 210. The second section 2122 is mainly parallel to the lower flange 211 with an end thereof bended upwardly towards the first section 2121. The third section 2123 is extended from another end of the second section 2122 firstly horizontally and then inclinedly. The third section 2123 joints the another end of the second section 2122. The first section 2121 and the second section 2122 have the same width which is smaller than that of the third section 2123. Preferably, the width of the first section 2121 and the second section 2122 is a half of that of the third section 2123.

Also referring to FIG. 5, each second fin 22 has a lower flange 221 and an upper flange 222 extending from a plate 220. The lower flange 221 and the second flange 222 with a first section 2221 and a second section 2222 have the same configuration as that of the lower flange 211 and the upper flange 212 of the first fin 21. The plate 220 has the same configuration as that of the plate 210 of the first fin 21 except a slot 2200 defined in the plate 220. The slot 2200 includes a first part 2201 adjacent to the fan 40, a third part 2203 remote from the fan 40 and a second part 2202 communicating the first part 2201 with the third part 2203. The first part 2201 is gradually expanded from the second part 2202 towards the fan 40 such that the upper flange 222 does not have a third section. An upper edge of the first part 2201 is terminated at the second section 2222 of the upper flange 222, and a lower edge of the first part 2201 is terminated at the lower flange 221. The second part 2202 is straight and parallel to the lower flange 221. The third part 2203 is extended downwardly from the second part 2202 towards the lower flange 221. The lower flange 221 of the second fin 22 has the same length as that of the first fin 21, and the first section 2221 and the second section 2222 of the upper flange 222 of the second fin 22 have the lengths same as that of the first fin 21. The second fins 22 are assembled to the first fins 21 in a manner that the first section 2121 and the second section 2122 of the upper flange 212 and the lower flange 211 of each first fin 21 abut against that of an adjacent second fin 22, and the third section 2123 of the upper flange 212 of each first fin 21 abuts against the second section 2222 of the upper flange 222 of the adjacent second fin 22 and the third section 2123 of the upper flange 212 of a next first fin 21. The second sections 2122, 2222 of the upper flanges 212, 222 of the first fins 21 and the second fins 22 cooperatively form a groove 202 in a top of the fin assembly 20 to receive the heat pipes 30 (shown in FIG. 2).

After the first fins 21 and the second fins 22 are alternately assembled between the two ends of the sidewall 502, a plurality of air channels 201 are defined between neighboring first and second fins 21, 22. Each channel 201 has an air inlet 2011 adjacent to the fan 40 and an air outlet 2012 away from the fan 40. Two adjacent channels 201 between two adjacent first fins 21 and a second fin 22 sandwiched between the two adjacent first fins 21 communicates with each other at the inlets 2011 thereof via the slot 2200 exposed to the fan 40, and spaced from each other at the outlets 2012 thereof via the second fin 22. Therefore, the dusts brought by the airflow would not be blocked at the inlets 2011 of the channels 201 and can easily enter the channels 201. Once the dusts enter the channels 201, they would be readily blown by the airflow rapidly flowing through the channels 201 to an outside environment via the outlets 2012. Thus, the dusts are not accumulated at the inlets 2011 of the channels 201. Furthermore, the gradually expanded first part 2201 of the slot 2200 can facilitate entrance of the dusts into the channels 201.

It is believed that the present embodiments will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation device comprising:

a fan for generating an airflow, the fan defining an air outtake for exhausting the airflow; and

a fin assembly coupled to the air outtake of the fan, the fin assembly comprising a plurality of first fins and second fins each alternating with the first fins, each second fin defining a slot in a lateral side thereof adjacent to the fan;

wherein two adjacent first fin and second fin define an airflow channel therebetween, each channel has an inlet adjacent to the fan and an outlet away from the fan, and two adjacent channels are communicated with each other at the inlets thereof through a corresponding slot.

2. The heat dissipation device of claim 1, wherein the two adjacent channels are separated at the outlets thereof by the corresponding second fin defining the slot.

3. The heat dissipation device of claim 2, wherein each of the first fin and the second fin comprises a plate, and the plates of the first fins and the second fins are parallel to each other.

4. The heat dissipation device of claim 3, wherein the slot is defined in the plate of each second fin.

5. The heat dissipation device of claim 4, wherein the slot has a first section gradually expanding towards the fan.

6. The heat dissipation device of claim 5, wherein the slot has a second section extending in a direction away from the first section and a third section extending downwardly towards a bottom side of the plate.

7. The heat dissipation device of claim 6, wherein the second section communicates the first section with the third section.

8. The heat dissipation device of claim 5, wherein each of the first fin and the second comprises an upper flange and a lower flange extending from a top side and a bottom side of the plate thereof, respectively.

9. The heat dissipation device of claim 8, wherein the upper flange of each of the first fin and the second fin comprises a first section and a second section spaced from the first section.

10. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the first section of the upper flange is parallel to the lower flange.

11. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the second section is located lower than the first section and has an end bended upwardly towards the first section.

12. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the slot of each second fin has a top edge terminated at the second section of the upper flange of the second fin, and a bottom edge terminated at the lower flange of the second fin.

13. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the upper flange of each first fin further comprises a third section extending inclinedly from the second section thereof.

14. The heat dissipation device of claim 13, wherein the third section has a width twice than that of the second section and the first section.

15. The heat dissipation device of claim 1 further comprising a housing, wherein the housing comprises a panel supporting the fan and a sidewall extending upwardly from a periphery of the panel.

16. The heat dissipation device of claim 15, wherein the fan is surrounded by the sidewall.

17. The heat dissipation device of claim 16, wherein the sidewall has two ends spaced from each other, the fin assembly being sandwiched between the two ends of the sidewall.

18. The heat dissipation device of claim 9 further comprising a heat pipe, wherein the second sections of the upper flanges of the first fins and the second fins cooperatively form a groove to receive the heat pipe.

19. The heat dissipation device of claim 1, wherein the slot defined in each of the second fins is exposed to the fan.