HEAT SINK WITH ANGLED FINS

• US 20080236791A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Wayman, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/80.3
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/02 Elements or assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with recesses, with corrugations F28F3/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3672 Foil-like cooling fins or heat sinks being part of lead-frames H01L23/49568
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/467 by flowing gases, e.g. air H01L23/473 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4935 Heat exchanger or boiler making

Abstract

A heat sink with angled fins comprising a first set of fins forming air channels, a second set of fins forming air channels and a heat sink base coupled to the first set of fins and the second set of fins. The first set of fins and the second set of fins are separated by a region along a length of the heat sink base. The fins in the first set of fins are at a first angle with respect to the length of the heat sink base and the fins in the second set of fins are at a second angle with respect to the length of the heat sink base.

Claims

1. A heat sink with angled fins comprising:

a first set of fins forming air channels;

a second set of fins forming air channels; and

a heat sink base coupled to the first set of fins and the second set of fins, wherein the first set of fins and the second set of fins are separated by a region along a length of the heat sink base, and wherein fins in the first set of fins are at a first angle with respect to the length of the heat sink base and the fins in the second set of fins are at a second angle with respect to the length of the heat sink base.

2. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 1, further comprising:

a diversion fin centrally positioned along the length of the heat sink base between the first set of fins and the second set of fins, the diversion fin configured to divert the air convected through the air channels in the first set of fins and the second set of fins away from the heat sink base, the diversion fin having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface, wherein air convected through the air channels in the first set of fins is directed away from the heat sink base by the first surface and air convected through the air channels in the second set of fins is directed away from the heat sink base by the second surface.

3. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 2, further comprising:

a solar shield having openings centrally positioned along a length of the solar shield, wherein the solar shield overlays and is offset from the first set of fins and second set of fins overlaying the heat sink base, wherein the directed convected air flows through the openings.

4. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 3, further comprising:

solar shield standoffs operably positioned to hold the solar shield an offset distance from the first set of fins and the second set of fins.

5. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 2, further comprising:

a first thermal interface layer to transfer heat, the first thermal interface layer operably positioned between the first set of fins and the heat sink base on a first side of the diversion fin; and

a second thermal interface layer to transfer heat, the second thermal interface layer operably positioned between the second set of fins and the heat sink base on a second side of the diversion fin.

6. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one fin clamping bar having indents and holes, each indent formed to fit around an end of a respective fin in one of the first set of fins and the second set of fins; and

fin clamping attachments to fit in the holes in the at least one fin clamping bar, wherein the at least one fin clamping bar fixedly attaches the first set of fins and the second set of fins to the heat sink base on the first side and the second side of the diversion fin, respectively, when the fin clamping attachments are fixed to the heat sink base through the holes in the at least one fin clamping bar.

7. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 1, wherein the first set of fins includes a plurality of first interlocking fin-sections and the second set of fins includes a plurality of second interlocking fin-sections, each interlocking fin-section having the shape of a parallelogram, and each interlocking fin-section comprising:

a male edge including a male interlocking feature; and

a female edge opposing and parallel to the male edge, the female edge including a female interlocking feature, the male edge and the female edge parallel to a length of the fins.

8. A method of making a heat sink with angled fins, the method comprising:

extruding a length of a fin panel, the fin panel comprising fins extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge, the fins protruding from a surface of a fin panel base, the fin panel having a male edge including a male interlocking feature and a female edge opposing the male edge, the female edge including a female interlocking feature;

cutting a first portion of the fin panel into first interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections;

cutting a second portion of the fin panel into second interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections; and

interconnecting the first interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections and the second interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections to form the heat sink with angled fins.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

cutting a third portion of the fin panel into first interlocking-triangular fin-sections; and

cutting a fourth portion of the fin panel into second interlocking-triangular fin-sections.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

attaching at least two first interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections to each other to form a first set of fins having the shape of a first parallelogram, wherein the fins have a length parallel to a first end of the first parallelogram;

attaching a first interlocking-triangular fin-section to an exposed female edge of the first set of fins having the shape of the first parallelogram; and

attaching a second interlocking-triangular fin-section to an exposed male edge of the first set of fins having the shape of the first parallelogram, wherein the first set of fins having the shape of a parallelogram, the first interlocking-triangular fin-section, and the second interlocking-triangular fin-section form a first set of fins having the shape of a rectangle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

cutting a fifth portion of the fin panel into third interlocking-triangular fin-sections; and

cutting a sixth portion of the fin panel into fourth interlocking-triangular fin-sections;

attaching at least two second interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections to each other to form a second set of fins having the shape of a second parallelogram, wherein the fins have a length parallel to a first end of the second parallelogram;

attaching the third interlocking-triangular fin-section to an exposed female edge of the second set of fins having the shape of the second parallelogram; and

attaching the fourth interlocking-triangular fin-section to an exposed male edge of the second set of fins having the shape of the second parallelogram, wherein the second set of fins having the shape of the second parallelogram, the third interlocking-triangular fin-section and the fourth interlocking-triangular fin-section form a second set of fins having the shape of a rectangle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with a first thermal interface layer;

overlaying the first thermal interface layer with the first set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning at least one first fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins in indents of the first fin clamping bars;

attaching the at least one first fin clamping bar to the heat sink base;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with a second thermal interface layer;

overlaying the second thermal interface layer with the second set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning at least one second fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the second set of fins in indents of the at least one second fin clamping bar; and

attaching the at least one second fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

positioning solar shield standoffs on the heat sink base adjacent to the first set of fins and the second set of fins;

attaching the solar shield to the solar shield standoffs, wherein the solar shield overlays and is offset from the first set of fins and the second set of fins.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with the first set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning at least one first fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins in indents of the first fin clamping bars;

attaching the first fin clamping bars to the heat sink base;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with the second set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning at least one second fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the second set of fins in indents of the second fin clamping bars; and

attaching the at least one second fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with a first thermal interface layer;

overlaying the first thermal interface layer with the first set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with a second thermal interface layer;

overlaying the second thermal interface layer with the second set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning a fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins and the second set of fins in indents of the fin clamping bar; and

attaching the fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with the first set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with the second set of fins having the shape of a rectangle;

positioning a fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins and the second set of fins in indents of the fin clamping bar; and

attaching the fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein cutting a first portion of the fin panel into first interlocking fin-sections comprises cutting the first portion of the fin panel from the female edge to the male edge, wherein the cut intersects the female edge further from a leading edge than the cut intersects the male edge, wherein the cut is at an angle of θ

°

from the female edge.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein cutting a second portion of the fin panel into first interlocking fin-sections comprises cutting the second portion of the fin panel from the female edge to the male edge, wherein the cut intersects the female edge closer to the leading edge than the cut intersects the male edge, wherein the cut is at an angle of (180-θ

)°

from the female edge.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

attaching at least two first interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections to each other to form a first set of fins having the shape of a parallelogram;

attaching at least two second interlocking-parallelogram fin-sections to each other to form a second set of fins having the shape of a parallelogram.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with a first thermal interface layer;

overlaying the first thermal interface layer with the first set of fins having the shape of a parallelogram;

positioning at least one first fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins in indents of the first fin clamping bars;

attaching the at least one first fin clamping bar to the heat sink base;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with a second thermal interface layer;

overlaying the second thermal interface layer with the second set of fins having the shape of a parallelogram;

positioning at least one second fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the second set of fins in indents of the second fin clamping bars; and

attaching the at least one second fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

overlaying a first side of a heat sink base with the first set of fins having the shape of the parallelogram;

positioning at least one first fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the first set of fins in indents of the first fin clamping bars;

attaching the at least one first fin clamping bar to the heat sink base;

overlaying a second side of a heat sink base with the second set of fins having the shape of the parallelogram;

positioning at least one second fin clamping bar to secure the ends of the fins in the second set of fins in indents of the second fin clamping bars; and

attaching the at least one second fin clamping bar to the heat sink base.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

operably positioning a solar shield opposing the heat sink base to be offset from the first set of fins and the second set of fins.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

positioning solar shield standoffs on the heat sink base adjacent to the first set of fins and the second set of fins, wherein when the solar shield is attached to the solar shield standoffs, the solar shield is operably positioned.

24. A heat sink with angled fins comprising:

interlocking fin-sections comprising thermally conductive fins protruding from a thermally conductive fin base,

wherein a first set of interlocking fin-sections are operably attached to each other to form a first set of fins in which the fin base has the shape of a first parallelogram, the fins of the first set of fins extending a length that is parallel to a shorter edge of the first parallelogram, and

wherein a second set of interlocking fin-sections are operably attached to each other to form a second set of fins in which the fin base has the shape of a second parallelogram, the fins of the first set of fins extending a length that is parallel to a shorter edge of the second parallelogram;

a heat sink base coupled to the first set of fins and the second set of fins;

a diversion fin centrally positioned along a length of the heat sink base to segment the heat sink base into a first side and a second side, the first side operable to support the first set of fins and the second side operable to support the second set of fins, the diversion fin configured to divert air convected between the fins away from the heat sink base.

25. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 24, the diversion fin further comprising:

a first surface; and

a second surface opposing the first surface, wherein air convected by the first set of fins is directed away from the heat sink base by the first surface and air convected by the second set of fins is directed away from the heat sink base by the second surface.

26. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 25, further comprising:

a solar shield having openings centrally positioned along a length of the solar shield, wherein the solar shield overlays and is offset from the first and second set of fins overlaying the heat sink base, wherein the convected air directed away from the heat sink base by the diversion fin flows through the openings; and

solar shield standoffs operably positioned to hold the solar shield an offset distance from the first set of fins and the second set of fins.

27. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 26, further comprising:

a first thermal interface layer operably positioned between the first set of fins and the first side of the heat sink base; and

a second thermal interface layer operably positioned between the second set of fins and the second side of the heat sink base.

28. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 27, further comprising:

fin clamping bars having indents and holes, each indent formed to fit around an end of a respective fin in one of the first set of fins and the second set of fins; and

fin clamping attachments to fit in the holes in the fin clamping bars, wherein the fin clamping bars fixedly attach the first set of fins and the second set of fins to the first side and the second side, respectively, of the diversion fin in the heat sink base when the fin clamping attachments are fixed to the heat sink base through the holes in the fin clamping bars.

29. The heat sink with angled fins of claim 24, wherein the interlocking fin-sections comprise a set of first interlocking fin-sections and a set of second interlocking fin-sections, each interlocking fin-section having the shape of a parallelogram, and each interlocking fin-section comprising:

a male edge including a male interlocking feature;

a female edge opposing and parallel to the male edge, the female edge including a female interlocking feature, the male edge and the female edge parallel to a length of the fins;

a first edge to receive input air in the air channels formed by neighboring fins; and

a second edge opposing and parallel to the first edge wherein output air emitted from the air channels is warmer than the input air.