HEATSINKS AND A SPRING IN A BAFFLE SLOT BETWEEN ADJACENT COMPONENTS
A baffle has a slot, with the slot positioned between first and second adjacent components when the baffle is installed above the components. A pair of heatsinks are inserted into the slot, with at least one heatsink having a heat dissipating portion that remains above the slot after insertion into the slot. A spring is inserted into the slot between the pair of heatsinks.
In the art of computing, component densities continue to increase. Furthermore, in data centers there is a desire to provide as much computing power as possible per unit of data center floor space, leading to high density packaging at the component level, the system level, and the rack level. At the component and system levels, it is desirable to position memory modules as close as possible, while maintaining adequate cooling. As memory density increases, thermal management of memory modules becomes increasingly more important.
The Figures depict embodiments, implementations, and configurations of the invention, and not the invention itself.
In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to pairs of heatsinks that are inserted between corresponding pairs of memory modules. A memory baffle is installed above the memory modules, with the memory baffle having slots aligned with gaps between pairs of memory modules. A pair of heatsinks are inserted into each slot, and a spring is inserted between each pair of heatsinks to urge the heatsinks into thermal contact with components or heat spreaders on the memory module.
Computer system 10 is housed in enclosure 12 and includes motherboard 14. As is known in the art, motherboard 14 is a circuit board. Located on motherboard 14 are memory modules, such as memory modules 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24. Note that pairs of memory modules are adjacent and parallel to each other. Also located on motherboard 14 are processors 26 and 28. As shown in
Vents 30 and 32 are provided on the front of enclosure 12. In the embodiment shown in
Also shown in
Thermal interface material 56 may be any appropriate thermal interface material known in the art. One suitable thermal interface material is Thermally Conductive Interface Pad 5591S manufactured by 3M™, which comprises an outer polyester film and an inner silicone elastomer. In one embodiment, the thermal interface material has an uncompressed thickness of 0.5 millimeters.
In one embodiment, spring 62 has an uncompressed thickness of 0.948 millimeters, and is compressible to approximately 0.4-0.5 millimeters. The leading (bottom) edge of spring 62 is 0.4 millimeters, the separation between memory modules is 3.54 millimeters, the heatsinks are 1.0 millimeters thick, and the thermal interface material is 0.5 millimeters thick (uncompressed). Accordingly, the uncompressed thickness of two heatsinks having thermal interface material is 3.0 millimeters. After the heatsinks having thermal interface material are installed in a slot and manually urged in opposite directions, a gap of 0.54 millimeters remains between the heatsinks, which is wide enough to accommodate insertion of the 0.4 millimeter thick leading edge of spring 62. After spring 62 is fully inserted, the thermal interface material and the spring are collectively compressed by 0.408 millimeters. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that other dimensions may be used. For example, a wider gap between memory modules can be accommodated by thicker heatsinks or a thicker spring.
To install the heatsinks, each pair of heatsinks is pushed downward into a slot, and therefore into a gap between a pair of memory modules. The beveled edges of the heatsinks help guide the heatsinks into the slots and assist in positioning the heatsinks between the memory modules. Also note that baffle 36 prevents the heatsinks from being inserted too far and making contact with the motherboard.
In the embodiments described above, a pair of heatsinks and a spring are provided between each pair of closely adjacent memory modules. However, a heatsink is not provided on a side of a memory module that does not have a closely adjacent memory module. For example, in
Embodiments of the present invention facilitate increased component density. By using embodiments of the present invention, adjacent memory modules may be positioned more closely, with heat generated by the memory modules removed by heatsinks and dissipated by heatsink fins in an air channel.
In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a circuit board;
- first and second memory modules coupled to the circuit board, wherein the first and second memory modules are adjacent and parallel to each other;
- a baffle positioned above the first and second memory modules, the baffle having an air channel, with a slot in the air channel parallel to a gap between the first and second memory modules;
- a first heatsink in thermal contact with the first memory module and extending through the slot into the air channel;
- a second heatsink in thermal contact with the second memory module and extending through the slot into the air channel; and
- a spring between the first and second heatsinks, the spring urging the first heatsink toward the first memory module and the second heatsink toward the second memory module.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the first and second heatsinks each comprise a vapor chamber having liquid provided therein.
3. The electronic device of claim 1 where the first and second heatsinks each have fins in the air channel.
4. The electronic device of claim 1 and further comprising thermal interface material between the first heatsink and the first memory module, and between the second heatsink and the second memory module.
5. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is housed in an enclosure, and airflow in the enclosure flows substantially parallel to, and through the air channel.
6. The electronic device of claim 5 and further comprising a cover attached to the enclosure, with the cover providing an upper surface for the air channel.
7. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the spring includes a plurality of “S” shaped fingers.
8. A computer system comprising:
- an enclosure, wherein air flows through the enclosure along an airflow direction;
- a motherboard in the enclosure:
- one or more processors coupled to the motherboard;
- a plurality of pairs of adjacent and parallel memory modules coupled to the motherboard, wherein any memory module may be a member of more than one pair;
- a baffle positioned above the plurality of pairs of adjacent and parallel memory modules, the baffle including a plurality of air channels substantially parallel to the airflow direction, with each air channel having one or more slots over a gap between a pair of adjacent and parallel memory modules of the plurality of pairs of adjacent and parallel memory modules;
- a pair of heatsinks in each slot, with each heatsink having a memory side and a spring side, and a heat dissipating portion that remains above the slot; and
- a spring in each slot, with the spring making contact with the spring side of each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks to urge the memory side of each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks into thermal contact with a memory module of the plurality of pairs of adjacent and parallel memory modules.
9. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the heat dissipating portion of at least one heatsink comprises fins.
10. The computer system of claim 8 wherein at least one heatsink comprises a vapor chamber having liquid provided therein.
11. The computer system of claim 8 wherein at least one heatsink includes thermal interface material provided on the memory side.
12. The computer system of claim 8 and further comprising a cover attached to the enclosure, with the cover cooperating with the baffle to provide an upper surface for at least one of the air channel of the plurality of air channels.
13. The computer system of claim 8 wherein at least one spring includes a plurality of “S” shaped fingers.
14. An apparatus for cooling first and second adjacent components comprising:
- a baffle having a slot, wherein the slot is positioned between the first and second components when the baffle is installed above the components;
- a pair of heatsinks adapted to be inserted into the slot, with each heatsink having a heat dissipating portion that remains above the slot after insertion into the slot, and a component side and a spring side below the slot after insertion into the slot; and
- a spring adapted to be inserted into the slot between the pair of heatsinks.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the baffle includes an air channel, and the slot is positioned in the air channel.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the heat dissipating portion of each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks comprises fins positioned in the air channel.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks comprise a vapor chamber having liquid provided therein.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks has a lower beveled edge.
19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each heatsink of the pair of heatsinks includes thermal interface material provided on the component side.
20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the spring includes a plurality of “S” shaped fingers.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 20, 2009
Publication Date: Oct 21, 2010
Inventor: Matthew D. Neumann (Roseville, CA)
Application Number: 12/426,863
International Classification: H05K 7/20 (20060101);