HEAT DISSIPATING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

Abstract

An exemplary heat dissipation apparatus includes a stack of fins, a heat pipe extending through the fins, and a resilient plate fixed between the fins and the heat pipe. The fins are spaced from each other. Each of the fins defines a through hole therein for extending of the heat pipe therethrough. The heat pipe is mounted in the through hole. The resilient plate is fixed in the through hole and located between an edge of the through hole of the fin and the heat pipe, pushing the heat pipe into abutting engagement against the fin.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to heat dissipation in electronics, and particularly to a heat dissipation apparatus for electronic components and a method for manufacturing the heat dissipation apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

With developments in electronics technology, increased performance of electronic components such as CPUs (central processing units) has been achieved. However, such electronic components generate increased levels of heat, which must be dissipated promptly. Conventionally, a heat dissipation apparatus which includes a fin assembly and a heat pipe extending through the fin assembly is used to remove the heat generated by the electronic component.

The fin assembly includes a plurality of fins evenly spaced from each other. Each of the fins defines a through hole therein, for extending of the heat pipe therethrough. The heat pipe includes an evaporation section and a condensing section at two opposite ends thereof. The evaporation section is thermally attached to the electronic component to absorb heat therefrom. The condensing section is received in the through holes of the fins, to transfer the heat from the evaporation section to the fin assembly. In order to ensure a high heat conductive efficiency between the condensing section of the heat pipe and the fins, typically, the condensing section of the heat pipe is soldered in the through holes of the fins.

During the soldering process, the heat pipe is inserted in the through holes of the fins and coated with a proper amount of solder. Then the fin assembly together with the heat pipe is put in a soldering stove. In the soldering stove, the solder melts down to fill in a gap between the heat pipe and an edge of the through hole of each fin. When the solder cools down, the heat pipe is intimately soldered in the through hole of the fin. However, the solder is typically composed of a lot of heavy metals, such as lead, tin or others, which if mishandled can cause permanent damage to humans or the environment.

Therefore, what is needed is a heat dissipation apparatus and a method for manufacturing the heat dissipation apparatus which can overcome the described limitations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric, assembled view of a heat dissipation apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heat dissipation apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, front view of a portion of the heat dissipation apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic, isometric view of one aspect of a method for manufacturing the heat dissipation apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic, front views illustrating sequential steps of the method for manufacturing the heat dissipation apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a portion of a heat dissipation apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat dissipation apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat dissipation apparatus 100 includes a fin assembly 10, two heat pipes 20 extending through the fin assembly 10, and two resilient plates 30 respectively abutting against the two heat pipes 20.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fin assembly 10 includes a plurality of plate-shaped metallic fins 11 stacked together and spaced apart from each other at constant intervals. An air passage channel is defined between every two adjacent fins 11. Each of the fins 11 is rectangular. Two flanges 111 protrude perpendicularly from two opposite lateral sides of the fin 11, respectively. The flanges 111 of each fin 11 abut against an adjacent fin 11. The fin 11 defines two through holes 112 therein, for extending of the two heat pipes 20 therethrough, respectively. The through holes 112 are circular.

Each fin 11 further defines two rectangular recesses 113 therein, adjacent the through holes 112, respectively. Each recess 113 communicates with the corresponding through hole 112. A collar 114 protrudes perpendicularly from the fin 11 at each of the through holes 112. The collar 114 is C-shaped, and surrounds a majority of the corresponding through hole 112. A gap 1141 is defined in the collar 114, corresponding to the recess 113 adjacent to the through hole 112. That is, the gap 1141 is located between the two ends of the C-shape of the collar 114. The gap 1141 is aligned and communicates with the recess 113. Perpendicular projections of the two ends of the collar 114 at two opposite sides of the gap 1141 relative to the fin 11 project into the corresponding recess 113 (see FIG. 3).

Each of the heat pipes 20 includes an evaporation section 21 and a condensing section 22 at two opposite ends thereof. The evaporation section 21 is adapted to be thermally attached to an electronic component (not shown) to absorb heat therefrom. The condensing section 22 is mounted in the through hole 112 and the corresponding collar 114 of each fin 11 through interference fit (see below). The condensing section 22 has a generally D-shaped cross section, and includes a plane surface 221 and a curved surface 222 adjoining each other. The plane surface 221 of the condensing section 22 is oriented towards the recess 113 and the gap 1141 of the collar 114 of each fin 11. The curved surface 222 of the condensing section 22 is oriented towards a majority of a periphery of the through hole 112 other than at the recess 113, and abuts against an inner wall of the collar 114.

Each resilient plate 30 is strip-shaped, and extends through the corresponding through hole 112 of each fin 11. The resilient plate 30 has a generally saddle-shaped cross section (see FIG. 3). Two opposite long lateral edges of the resilient plate 30 abut against the inner wall of the corresponding collar 114 of each fin 11. A middle portion of the resilient plate 30 between the two long lateral edges abuts against the condensing section 22 of the corresponding heat pipe 20, pushing the condensing section 22 to intimately contact the inner wall of the collar 114. More particularly, the resilient plate 30 includes a plane abutting portion 31 at the middle thereof, and two abutting flanges 32 formed at two longitudinal lateral sides of the abutting portion 31. The abutting portion 31 of the resilient plate 30 abuts against the plane surface 221 of the condensing section 22. The abutting flanges 32 of the resilient plate 30 abut against the inner wall of the collar 114, so as to cause the curved surface 222 of the condensing section 22 to push against and intimately contact the inner wall of the collar 114.

Referring also to FIG. 4, during manufacturing of the heat dissipation apparatus 100, a pair of punching tools 40 and a punching process are applied. Each of the pair of punching tools 40 includes a handle portion 41, and a plurality of punching units 42 extending downwardly from the handle portion 41. The handle portion 41 is strip-shaped. The punching units 42 are formed on a bottom surface of the handle portion 41, and are evenly spaced from each other along a longitudinal direction of the handle portion 41. A distance between every two adjacent punching units 42 exceeds a thickness of each fin 11. Each of the punching units 42 is rectangular, and has a thickness less than a distance between every two adjacent fins 11.

Referring to FIG. 5A, before the punching process, for each punching tool 40, the condensing section 22 of the corresponding heat pipe 20 has a circular cross section, and a diameter of the condensing section 22 is less than a diameter of the through hole 112 of each fin 11. The condensing section 22 is loosely received in the through hole 112 of the fin 11. The resilient plate 30 is received in the recess 113 of the fin 11 and located on the condensing section 22 of the heat pipe 20. By this arrangement, the resilient plate 30 is located between the punching units 42 of the punching tool 40 and the condensing section 22.

Referring to FIGS. 5B to 5C, during the punching process, each punching tool 40 is driven by a punch (not shown) to move down toward the corresponding resilient plate 30. The punching units 42 of the punching tool 40 enter the air passage channels between the fins 11 of the fin assembly 10. The resilient plate 30 moves toward the condensing section 22 of the corresponding heat pipe 20 and presses the condensing section 22 due to the impact of the punching units 42. The condensing section 22 deforms due to the pressing of the resilient plate 30. When the abutting flanges 32 of the resilient plate 30 respectively run into the two opposite ends of the collar 114 of each fin 11, the resilient plate 30 deforms resiliently to pass through the gap 1141 of the collar 114 until the resilient plate 30 enters the through hole 112 of the fin 11. After passing through the gap 1141, the resilient plate 30 rebounds to its original state, and the plane surface 221 and the curved surface 222 of the condensing section 22 are formed. The abutting portion 31 of the resilient plate 30 abuts against the plane surface 221 of the condensing section 22, and the two abutting flanges 32 of the resilient plate 30 abut against the inner wall of the collar 114. When the downward punching process is completed, the punching tool 40 is moved back up away from the heat dissipation apparatus 100.

In the heat dissipation apparatus 100, the condensing section 22 of each heat pipe 20 is punched to deform and thus be fittingly mounted in the collar 114 of each fin 11 through an interference fit instead of through, e.g., soldering. This avoids the use of solder comprised of heavy metals. In addition, each resilient plate 30 of the heat dissipation apparatus 100 is resiliently fixed between each fin 11 and the condensing section 22 of the corresponding heat pipe 20, to push the condensing section 22 to abut against the inner wall of the collar 114 and further ensure an intimate contact between the heat pipe 20 and the fin assembly 10. Furthermore, unlike with conventional heat dissipation apparatuses, soldering stoves are not needed during manufacturing of the heat dissipation apparatus 100. This not only simplifies the manufacturing process of the heat dissipation apparatus 100, but also can reduce a manufacturing cost of the heat dissipation apparatus 100.

Referring to FIG. 6, a heat dissipation apparatus 100a according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat dissipation apparatus 100a is similar to that of the previous embodiment. Differently, in the heat dissipation apparatus 100a, a bottom portion of a recess 113a of each fin 11a is tapered toward the corresponding through hole 112 of the fin 11a. With this configuration, two protruding tongues 1131 of the fin 11a bound two sides of the tapered bottom portion of the recess 113a. The two protruding tongues 1131 are located between the corresponding through hole 112 and a main portion of the recess 113a above the tapered bottom portion, and the two protruding tongues 1131 face each other. Perpendicular projections of two ends of a collar 114a at two opposite sides of a gap 1141a relative to the fin 11a are located farther away from the recess 113a than the two protruding tongues 1131. Two abutting flanges 32 of the corresponding resilient plate 30 respectively abut against the two protruding tongues 1131.

During a punching process for manufacturing the heat dissipation apparatus 110a, the resilient plate 30 deforms resiliently when the abutting flanges 32 thereof respectively run into the two protruding tongues 1131, until the resilient plate 30 enters the through hole 112 of the fin 11. After passing through the gap 1141a, the resilient plate 30 rebounds to its original state. The abutting portion 31 of the resilient plate 30 abuts against the plane surface 221 of the condensing surface 22, and the two abutting flanges 32 respectively abut against the two protruding tongues 1131.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the exemplary 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 that changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fins stacked together and spaced from each other, each of the fins defining a through hole therein;

a heat pipe mounted in the through holes of the fins; and

a resilient plate fixed in the through hole of each fin and located between an edge of the through hole of the fin and the heat pipe, the resilient plate pushing the heat pipe into abutting engagement against the fin.

2. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resilient plate is strip-shaped, two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate abut against each of the fins, and a middle of the resilient plate between the two lateral edges abuts against the heat pipe.

3. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 2, wherein a collar protrudes from the edge of the through hole of each of the fins, and the heat pipe is interferingly mounted in the collars of the fins with the two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate abutting against inner walls of the collars.

4. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 3, wherein each fin further defines a recess therein adjacent to the through hole, the recess communicates with the through hole, the collar is C-shaped such that a gap is defined in the collar, the gap communicates with the recess, and perpendicular projections of two ends of the collar at two opposite sides of the gap relative to the fin project into the recess.

5. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the fins further defines a recess therein adjacent to the through hole, the recess communicates with the through hole, two protruding tongues of the fin bound two opposite sides of the recess, the two protruding tongues face each other, and the two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate respectively abut against the two protruding tongues.

6. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 5, wherein a collar protrudes from the edge of the through hole of each fin, the collar is C-shaped such that a gap is defined in the collar, the gap communicates with the recess, the heat pipe is interferingly mounted in collar, and perpendicular projections of two ends of the collar at two opposite sides of the gap relative to the fin are located farther away from the recess than the two protruding tongues.

7. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resilient plate comprises an abutting portion at the middle thereof and two abutting flanges at two opposite lateral sides of the abutting portion, the abutting portion abuts against the heat pipe, and the abutting flanges abut against each of the fins.

8. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat pipe comprises a plane surface and a curved surface adjacent to the plane surface, the curved surface abuts against each fin, and the resilient plate abuts against the plane surface.

9. A method for manufacturing a heat dissipation apparatus, comprising:

providing a plurality of fins each of which defines a through hole and a recess therein, the recess being adjacent to and communicating with the through hole, the fins spaced from each other;

providing a heat pipe and inserting the heat pipe in the through holes of the fins;

providing a resilient plate and inserting the resilient plate in the recesses of the fins;

providing a punching tool, and driving the punching tool to punch the resilient plate to cause the resilient plate to enter the through holes and press the heat pipe to abut against the fins, the heat pipe thereby deforming and becoming interferingly fixed in the through holes, with the resilient plate fixed in the through holes and located between edges of the through holes of the fins and the heat pipe.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resilient plate is strip-shaped, two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate abut against the fin, and a middle of the resilient plate between the two opposite lateral edges abuts against the heat pipe.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a collar protrudes from the edge of the through hole of each of the fins, the collar is C-shaped such that a gap is defined in the collar, the gap communicates with the recess, perpendicular projections of two ends of the collar at two opposite sides of the gap relative to the fin project in the recess, when the heat pipe is pressed to deform, the heat pipe is interferingly fixed in collar, and the two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate abutting against inner walls of the collars.

12. The method of claim 10, two protruding tongues of the fin bound two opposite sides of the recess, the two protruding tongues face each other, and when the heat pipe is pressed to deform, and the two opposite lateral edges of the resilient plate respectively abut against the two protruding tongues.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a collar protrudes from the edge of the through hole of each fin, the collar surrounds a majority the through hole, the collar is C-shaped such that a gap is defined in the collar, the gap communicates with the recess, perpendicular projections of two ends of the collar at two opposite sides of the gap relative to the fin are located farther away from the recess than the two protruding tongues, and when the punching process is over, the heat pipe is mounted in collar through interference fit.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the resilient plate comprises an abutting portion at the middle thereof and two abutting flanges formed at two longitudinal lateral sides of the abutting portion, the abutting portion abuts against the heat pipe, and the abutting flanges abut against each of the fins.

15. The method of claim 9, when the heat pipe is pressed to deform, a plane surface and a curved surface are formed on the heat pipe, the plane surface and the curved surface adjoins each other, the curved surface abuts against the fin, and the resilient plate abuts against the plane surface of the heat pipe.

16. A heat dissipation apparatus comprising:

a plurality of parallel fins stacked together and spaced from each other, each of the fins defining a through hole therein;

a heat pipe mounted in the through holes of the fins; and

a resilient plate fixed in the through hole of each fin and located between an edge of the through hole of the fin and the heat pipe, the resilient plate elastically urging the heat pipe and a portion of the fin at the through hole such that the heat pipe abuts against another portion of the fin at the through hole and is in intimate thermal contact with the other portion of the fin.

17. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 16, wherein the resilient plate is strip-shaped and has a saddle-shaped cross section, the resilient plate comprises an abutting portion at a middle thereof and two abutting flanges formed at two longitudinal lateral sides of the abutting portion, the abutting portion abuts against the heat pipe, and the abutting flange abuts against each of the fins.

18. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 17, wherein a collar protrudes from each of the fins from the edge the through hole of the fin, the heat pipe is interferingly mounted in the collars of the fins, and the two abutting flanges of the resilient plate abut against an inner wall of the collar.

19. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 18, wherein each fin further defines a recess therein adjacent to the through hole, the recess communicates with the through hole, the collar is C-shaped such that a gap is defined in the collar, the gap communicates with the recess, and perpendicular projections of two ends of the collar at two opposite sides of the gap relative to the fin project into the recess.

20. The heat dissipation apparatus of claim 17, wherein the fin further defines a recess therein adjacent to the through hole, the recess communicate with the through hole, two protruding tongues of the fin bound two opposite sides of the recess, the two protruding tongues face each other, and the two abutting flanges of the resilient plate respectively abut against the two protruding tongues.