Method of combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of combining heat pipes and fins and the assembly thereof. The fins are stacked, each of which has holes, extending walls around the holes, lateral plates beside the extending walls to form a receiving portion therein communicated with a first opening of the extending wall respectively. The fins are placed with the receiving portions under the holes first. A solder material is injected into the receiving portions by a needle. The heat pipes are inserted into the holes of the fins, and then the fins are tipped over to have the receiving portions above the holes. Now the fins are heated to melt the solder material, and the molten solder material will flow to spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins to fix the heat pipes to the fins.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a thermal dissipating device, and more particularly to a method of combining at least one heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional thermal dissipating device, for example heat sink, has a substrate with a plurality of upright fins thereon. The fins provide a large surface area to get a greater thermal dissipating performance.

Another conventional thermal dissipating device includes a heat pipe mounted on a substrate and a plurality of fins fitted to the heat pipe. The heat pipe, which has a high isothermal property, transfers the heat to the fins fast, and the fins dissipate the heat out by the large surface area.

However, the combination of the heat pipe and the fins is not only the heat pipe passing through the fins. The contact area of the heat pipe and the fins is an important issue. Taiwan patent no. M271,361, which discloses a combination of a heat pipe and fins, provides each of the fins with a protrusion and a receiving portion of tin beside the protrusion. The receiving portion of tin may be a slot or a bend portion. However, the patent, referring to FIG. 3 of the patent, has to put tin in the receiving portion of each fin, and then stack the fins and pass the heat pipe through the fins. After that, the fins are heated to melt the tin, and the molten tins will flow to a portion between the heat pipe and the protrusions respectively.

The tin is put in the receiving portion of each fin before stacking the fins in aforesaid patent. In fact, it is the molten tin put in the receiving portions, referring to FIG. 3b of the patent. To prevent the tin from escaping when stacking the fins, the fins are stacked when the tin has solidified that will prolong the manufacture time. In addition, it is possible that the tin escapes from the receiving portions before the fins are staked and the heat pipe is inserted through. As shown in FIG. 3d of the patent, in the process of inserting the heat pipe, the tin is above the heat pipe, which means the receiving portions are downward, that may drop the tin. The escape of the tin will affect the defective ratio of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method of combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof, which provides a faster and easier way of combination of the heat pipe and fins.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a method of combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof, which provides a stable condition of tin put on the fin and less defective ration of manufacture.

According to the objectives of the present invention, a method of combining at least one heat pipe and a plurality of fins includes the steps of: a) Preparing the heat pipe and the fins, wherein the fins are stacked, each of which has at least one hole for the heat pipe passing therethrough, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening, around the hole, at least one lateral plate beside the extending wall to form a receiving portion therein and a second opening communicated with the first opening of the extending wall. b) Adjusting angles of the fins to have the receiving portions above the first openings, and inserting a needle into the holes of the fins to inject a solder material into the receiving portions via the second openings respectively. c) Inserting the heat pipe into the holes of the fins. d) Tipping the fins and over to have the receiving portion above the first openings. e) Heating the fins and the heat pipe to melt the solder material, so that the molten solder material will flow to spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins through the second openings and the first openings respectively; and f) cooling the solder material to fix the heat pipe to the extending walls of the fins and increase contacting areas of the heat pipe and the extending walls.

An assembly made by the method of the present invention includes a plurality of fins stacking, each of which has at least one hole aligned with each other, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening, around the hole, and at least one lateral plate with a receiving portion and a second opening aligned with the first opening respectively. At least a heat pipe is inserted through the holes of the fins; and a solder material filled in spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fins of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a needle injecting tin;

FIG. 4 is a right view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the heat pipe passing through the fins;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the fins turning over;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the combination of the fin and the heat pipe after the tin had solidified;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fins of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention only provides one heat pipe 21 inserted into through hole 12.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, a method of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

a) Preparation of a plurality of fins 11 and heat pipes 21: The fins 11 are stacked, each of which has a plurality of holes 12. The heat pipes 21 may pass through the holes 12 of the fins 11 respectively. Each of the fins 11 has an extending wall 14 around each of the holes 12 respectively. Each of the extending walls 14 has a first opening 141. Each of the fins 11 has a lateral plate 16 in front of each of the first opening 141 of the extending wall 14. Each of the lateral plate 16 has a receiving portion 17 with a second opening 171 aligned with the first opening 141. The fins 11 are against distal ends of the extending walls 14 and lateral plates 16 of the neighboring fins 11. The extending walls 14 and the lateral plates 16 on each of the fins 11 have the same widths. In the present embodiment, the lateral plates 16 are made by punching to form U-shaped bent portions on the fins 11, in each of which the receiving portion 17 is formed, and at open end of which the second opening 171 is formed.

b) Injection of a solder material 31: Angles of the fins 11 are adjusted to have the receiving portions 17 under the first openings 141. A needle 32 is moved into the holes 12 of the fins 11, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, to inject the solder material 31 into the receiving portions 17 of the fins 11 via the second opening 171, as shown in FIG. 2. In the present embodiment, the solder material 31 is tin.

c) Insertion of the heat pipes 21: As shown in FIG. 5, the heat pipes 21 are inserted through the holes 12 of the fins 11.

d) Tipping over: The fins 11 are tipped over, as shown in FIG. 6, to have the receiving portions 17 above the fist openings 141 respectively.

e) Heating: The solder material 31 will be solidified in step c because of no heat source. In the present step, we heat the fins 11 and the heat pipes 21 to melt the solder material 31 that the molten solder material 31 will flow to the holes 12 via the second opening 171 and the first opening 141 and fill a space between the heat pipes 21 and extending walls 14 of the fins 11 respectively, as shown in FIG. 7.

f) Chilling: The fins 11 and the heat pipes 21 are chilled to solidify the solder material 31 that the heat pipes 21 will be fixed to the extending walls 14 of the fins 11 respectively. This will increase contacting areas of the heat pipes 21 and the extending walls 14.

With the steps above, an assembly 10 of the fins 11 and the heat pipe 21 is completed.

The assembly 10 made by the above steps includes:

The fins 11, each of which has the holes 12, the extending walls 14 with the first openings 14 around the holes 12 respectively and the lateral plates 16 at the first openings 141 of the extending walls 14 respectively, are stacked to have the holes 12 aligned with each other respectively. Each of the lateral plates 16 has the receiving portion 17 therein and the second opening 171 to communicate the receiving portion 17 with the corresponding hole 12. The fins 11 are against the distal ends of the extending walls 14 and lateral plates 16 of the neighboring fins 11. The extending walls 14 and the lateral plates 16 on each of the fins 11 have the same widths. The lateral plates 16, which are made by punching, are bent portions of the fin 11 to form U-shaped members, in each of which the receiving portion 17 is formed, and at open end of which the second opening 171 is formed.

The heat pipes 21 are inserted through the holes 12 of the fins 11 respectively.

The solder material 31, which is tin, is filled in the spaces between the extending walls 14 and the heat pipes 21.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a method of combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly 40 thereof of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, except that:

Each of fins 41 has receiving portions 47, which are formed by two lateral plates 46. The lateral plates 46, which are formed by punching the fin 41, have a V shape, and an open end of the V shape faces a hole of the fin 41 to form a second opening 471 and a close end of the V shape is distal to the hole of the fin 41.

In the present embodiment, there is a gap at the close end of the V shape that still may contain the semi-molten solder material without leakage problem.

The functions of the present invention are injecting the solder material into the receiving portions of each of the fins by the needle to make sure all of the receiving portions contain a constant solder material. The solder material will flow to the spaces between the extending walls and the heat pipes when the fins are tipped over and heated that provides a convenient, fast way of combination of the heat pipe and the fins, and the assemblies will have a lower rate of defective in manufacture.

The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present invention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope of the claim of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of combining at least one heat pipe and a plurality of fins, comprising the steps of:

a) preparing the heat pipe and the fins, wherein the fins are stacked, each of which has at least one hole for the heat pipe passing therethrough, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening, around the hole, at least one lateral plate beside the extending wall to form a receiving portion therein and a second opening aligned with the first opening of the extending wall;

b) adjusting angles of the fins to have the receiving portions under the first openings, and inserting a needle into the holes of the fins to inject a solder material into the receiving portions via the second openings respectively;

c) inserting the heat pipe into the holes of the fins;

d) tipping the fins and over to have the receiving portion above the first openings;

e) heating the fins and the heat pipe to melt the solder material, so that the molten solder material will flow to spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins through the second openings and the first openings respectively; and

f) cooling the solder material to fix the heat pipe to the extending walls of the fins and increase contacting areas of the heat pipe and the extending walls.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the solder material in the step b is tin.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the fins are against distal ends of the extending wall and the lateral plate of the neighboring fins, and the extending walls and the lateral plate have the same widths in the step a.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the receiving portion is formed by bending the fin to have the lateral plate with a U shape in step a, and the second opening is formed at an open end of the U shape.

5. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the receiving portion is formed on the fin in such a way that two lateral plates are formed from the fin by stamping with ends thereof proximal to each other and opposite ends thereof distal to each other in the step a, and the opposite ends thereof distal to each other forms the second opening.

6. An assembly of the at least one heat pipe and the fins made by the method as defined in claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of fins stacking, each of which has at least one hole aligned with each other, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening, around the hole, and at least one lateral plate with a receiving portion and a second opening aligned with the first opening respectively;

at least a heat pipe inserted through the holes of the fins;

a solder material filled in spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins.

7. The assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the solder material is tin.

8. The assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein the fins are against distal ends of the extending wall and the lateral plate of the neighboring fins, and the extending walls and the lateral plate have the same widths.

9. The assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein the receiving portion is formed by bending the fin to have the lateral plate with a U shape, and the second opening is formed at an open end of the U shape.

10. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the receiving portion is formed on the fin in such a way that two lateral plates are formed from the fin by stamping with ends thereof proximal to each other and opposite ends thereof distal to each other in the step a, and the opposite ends thereof distal to each other forms the second opening.