Electrical circuit cooling device

• US 5,812,374 A
• Filed: 05/21/1997
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregg Douglas Shuff
• Original Assignee: Gregg Douglas Shuff
• Inventors: Shuff, Gregg Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US08/859,951
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 361/704, 361/699, 361/707, 361/719, 361/715, 361/712, 361/713, 257/706, 257/709, 257/717, 257/718, 257/719, 165/80.1, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/185
• US Class Current: 361/704
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20545 Natural convection of gaseous coolant; Heat transfer by conduction from electronic boards

Abstract

A printed circuit card thermal conducting device provides a flexible, thermally conducting sheet with a cushioning layer on one side and a thermally conductive and resilient layer on the other side. On top of the thermally conductive and resilient layer is placed a number of thermal contact pieces of rigid material. Each of the contact pieces is defined to have a contour for making intimate contact with one electrical component mounted on the printed circuit card. The device is wedged between two of the printed circuit cards with the cushioning layer laying in contact with a backside surface of one of the cards, while the contact pieces of the same device lay in intimate contact with the components of another of the circuit cards. The cushioning material and the conductive and resilient material maintain good thermal contact between the contact pieces and the electrical components. The flexible sheet provides laterally positioned mounting portions for attachment of the flexible sheet to mechanical supports which also act as thermal heat sinks. In an alternate embodiment, the contact pieces may be part of a monolithic structure.

Claims

1. A device for cooling an electrical circuit, the circuit having a plurality of electrical components mounted on one side of a planar rigid card, the device comprising:

a flexible, thermally conductive sheet providing a front planar side, and opposed thereto, a back planar side;

a backside layer of thermally insulating, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the back side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom;

a plurality of spatially separated, rigid, thermally conductive, spacers integrally engaged on the front side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom into contact with the electrical components of the circuit, each one of the thermal spacers providing a contour corresponding with one of the electrical components to establish intimate physical and thermal contact therewith.

2. The device of claim 1 further including a frontside layer of thermally conducting, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the front side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom, the frontside layer being sandwiched between and integrally interconnected with the front side of the conductive sheet and the plurality of spacers.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the conductive sheet provides a mounting portion, the mounting portion extending laterally and contiguously relative to a side edges of the frontside and backside layers.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a slot means.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a means for sheet bend urging.

6. A combination comprising:

an electrical circuit means comprising a first plurality of rigidly positioned electrical circuits, each said circuit comprising a rigid, planar support means with electrical component means mounted fixedly thereon, and extending outwardly therefrom;

the plurality of circuits arranged in parallel spaced-apart alignment, the component means extending away from all of the support means in a common direction;

a heat conducting and cushioning means comprising a second plurality of flexible, thermally conductive sheets, each of the sheets providing a front planar side, and opposed thereto, a back planar side, each of the sheets further providing;

a) a backside layer of thermally insulating, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the back side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom;

b) a plurality of spatially separated thermal spacers integrally engaged on the front side and extending outwardly therefrom into contact with the electrical components of one of the electrical circuits, each one of the thermal spacers providing a physical contour corresponding with one of the electrical components to establish intimate physical and thermal contact therewith for conducting thermal energy from the one of the electrical components to the conductive sheet.

7. The device of claim 6 further including on each of the sheets, a frontside layer of thermally conducting, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the front side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom, the frontside layer being sandwiched between and integrally interconnected with the front side of the conductive sheet and the plurality of spacers.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein each of the conductive sheets provides a mounting portion, the mounting portion extending laterally and contiguously relative to a side edge of the frontside layer and a corresponding side edge of the backside layer.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a slot means.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a means for sheet bend urging.

11. A combination comprising:

an electrical circuit means comprising a first plurality of rigidly positioned electrical circuits, each said circuit comprising a rigid, planar support means with electrical component means mounted fixedly thereon, and extending outwardly therefrom;

the plurality of circuits arranged in parallel spaced-apart alignment, the component means extending away from all of the support means in a common direction;

a heat conducting and cushioning means comprising a second plurality of flexible, thermally conductive sheets, each of the sheets providing a front planar side, and opposed thereto, a back planar side, each of the sheets further providing;

c) a backside layer of thermally insulating, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the back side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom;

d) a monolithic thermal spacer integrally engaged on the front side and extending outwardly therefrom into contact with the electrical components of one of the circuit means, the thermal spacer providing a physical contour corresponding with at least one of the electrical components to establish intimate physical and thermal contact therewith for conducting thermal energy from the at least one of the electrical components to the conductive sheet.

12. The device of claim 11 further including on each of the sheets, a frontside layer of thermally conducting, electrically insulating and physically resilient material integrally engaged on the front side of the conductive sheet and extending outwardly therefrom, the frontside layer being sandwiched between and integrally interconnected with the front side of the conductive sheet and the monolithic spacer.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein each of the conductive sheets provides a mounting portion, the mounting portion extending laterally and contiguously relative to a side edge of the frontside layer and a corresponding side edge of the backside layer.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a slot means.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the mounting portion of the conductive sheet includes a means for sheet bend urging.