HEAT DISSIPATION UNIT FOR A WIRELESS NETWORK DEVICE

• US 20120155015A1
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Govindasamy, Gururaj, Nguyen, Thomas, Lew, Hogan, Fraticelli, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus comprises a heat dissipation unit, such as a heat sink, that encases wireless logic in order to completely surround such logic. When adapted as a wireless network device, a casing further encases the heat dissipation unit. The casing includes a plurality of slots that are aligned with heat-radiating elements positioned around the periphery of the heat dissipation unit to allow for cooling by convection.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

wireless logic; and

a heat dissipation unit encasing the wireless logic thereby completely surrounding the wireless logic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless logic comprises a circuit board including a processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation unit comprises a first section and a second section that is in physical contact with the first section, the first section including a first body and a first plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the first body, the second section including a second body having an aperture to provide access to a connector for the wireless logic and a second plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the second body and aligned with the first plurality of heat-radiating elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a casing that encases the heat dissipation unit, the casing including a plurality of slots aligned with both spacing areas between the first plurality of radiating elements and spacing areas between the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the casing comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover includes a second plurality of slots aligned with the spacing areas of the first plurality of heat-radiating elements and the lower cover includes a third plurality of slots aligned with the spacing areas of the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat dissipation unit is a heat sink with an inner surface of the first section is coupled to a component of the wireless logic to provide a thermal path from the wireless logic to both the first plurality of heat-radiating elements and the second plurality of at-radiating elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first body of the first section includes a plurality of recesses and the second body of the second section includes a plurality of recesses aligned with the plurality of recesses for the first section, wherein

each of the plurality of recesses for the first body and each of the plurality of recesses for the second body includes an aperture adapted in size to receive a fastening element for securing the first section to the second section.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the upper cover includes a plurality of bosses corresponding in size and location to the plurality of recesses of the first body for insertion therein, and the lower cover includes a plurality of bosses corresponding in size and location to the plurality of recesses of the second body for insertion therein.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of antennae positioned on a top surface of the first section of the heat dissipation unit, the top surface facing in a direction opposite from a bottom surface of the first section that faces the wireless logic.

10. A wireless network device comprising:

wireless logic including a circuit board and a connector;

a heat sink encasing the wireless logic thereby completely surrounding the wireless logic, the heat sink comprises a first section including a first plurality of elements and a second section including a second plurality of heat-radiating elements, the second section having at least one aperture that provides access for coupling a wired interconnect to the connector in order to provide electrical communications with the wireless logic over the wired interconnect; and

a casing encasing the heat sink with slots in the casing being aligned with spacing areas between both the first plurality of heat-radiating elements and the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

11. The wireless network device of claim 10, wherein the heat sink comprises the first section being in physical contact with the second section, the first section including a first body and the first plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the first body, the second section including a second body including the at least one aperture to provide access to the connector and the second plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the second body, the second plurality of heat-radiating elements being aligned with the first plurality of heat-radiating elements.

12. The wireless network device of claim 11, wherein the casing comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover includes a first plurality of slots aligned with the spacing areas of the first plurality of elements and the lower cover includes a second plurality of slots aligned with the spacing areas of the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

13. The wireless network device of claim 12, wherein first section of the heat sink comprises an inner surface that is coupled to a component that receives heat from the wireless logic in order to provide a thermal path from the wireless logic to both the first plurality of heat-radiating elements and the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

14. The wireless network device of claim 12, wherein the first body of the first section includes a plurality of recesses and the second body of the second section includes a plurality of recesses aligned with the plurality of recesses for the first section, wherein

each of the plurality of recesses for the first body and each of the plurality of recesses for the second body includes an aperture adapted in size to receive a fastening element for securing the first section to the second section.

15. The wireless network device of claim 14, wherein the upper cover includes a plurality of bosses corresponding in size and location to the plurality of recesses of the first body for insertion therein, and the lower cover includes a plurality of bosses corresponding in size and location to the plurality of recesses of the second body for insertion therein.

16. The wireless network device of claim 15 further comprising a plurality of antennae positioned on a top surface of the first section of the heat sink, the top surface facing in a direction opposite from a bottom surface of the first section that faces the circuit board of the wireless logic.

17. A wireless network device comprising:

a circuit board including circuitry that is adapted to receive messages over a wireless network and a connector that is adapted to received messages from a wired network;

a heat sink encasing the circuit board, the heat sink comprises (i) a first section including a first body and a first plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the first body, a top surface of the first body including a plurality of antenna in electrical communication with circuitry of the circuit board, and (ii) a second section in contact with and supporting the first section, the second section including a second body and a second plurality of heat-radiating elements positioned around a periphery of the second body, the second body having an aperture that provides access for coupling a wired interconnect to the connector; and

a casing encasing the heat sink with slots in the casing being aligned with spacing areas between both the first plurality of heat-radiating elements and the second plurality of heat-radiating elements.

18. The wireless network device of claim 17, wherein the first section includes a flange proximate to an edge of the first section, the flange being adapted for placement within a recessed groove of the second section.

19. The wireless network device of claim 18, wherein the circuit board is positioned within the second section below the recessed groove.

20. The wireless network device of claim 17 being in communication with a network switch via the wired interconnect.