Housing for diverse cooling configuration printed circuit cards
First Claim
1. A sealed housing enclosure for securely retaining therein and cooling both convectively cooled printed circuit cards and conductively cooled printed circuit cards comprising:
- a chassis having a sealed card-insertion cavity between parallel sidewalls thereof containing a plurality of card-guide slots, that receive and guide said convectively cooled printed circuit cards and said conductively cooled printed circuit cards for insertion into an arrangement of electrical connectors at a first portion of said chassis, so that said convectively cooled printed circuit cards and said conductively cooled printed circuit cards are retained in mutually adjacent, spatially parallel relationship with one another;
a cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum at a second portion of said chassis spaced apart from said first portion of said chassis and sealing said card-insertion cavity therebetween, and includinga cooling fluid supply chamber, to which cooling fluid for cooling circuit components of said convectively cooled printed circuit cards is supplied, said cooling fluid supply chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures overlying card slots of only said convectively cooled printed circuit cards, anda cooling fluid exhaust chamber adjacent to said cooling fluid supply chamber and from which said cooling fluid having cooled circuit components of said convectively cooled printed circuit cards is removed, said cooling fluid exhaust chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures adjacent to said plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures; and
a plurality of thermally conductive heat exchangers, a respective thermally conductive heat exchanger of said plurality of thermally conductive heat exchangers being attached to and in thermally conductive engagement with a first side of a respective convectively cooled printed circuit card, so as to draw heat away from and thereby cool said circuit components mounted to a second side of said respective convectively cooled printed circuit card, and wherein said respective thermally conductive heat exchanger includesa cooling fluid inlet port joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid supply aperture of said plurality of cooling supply apertures of said cooling fluid supply chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is introduced from said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, anda cooling fluid outlet port adjacent to said cooling fluid inlet port and joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid removal aperture of said plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures of said cooling fluid exhaust chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is exhausted from said heat exchanger into said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum; and
thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers mounted at sidewalls of said chassis and over which cooling fluid passes, said thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers being in thermally conductively coupled to said conductively cooled printed circuit cards through sidewalls of said chassis so as to thermally remove heat therefrom through said chassis sidewalls.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A printed circuit card housing provides separate cooling fluid travel paths for convectively cooling on-board heat exchangers of non mil. spec. component-retaining printed circuit cards, and for thermal conductive cooling of conventional (VME) circuit cards, while keeping both types of circuit cards sealed from contaminants that may be present in the cooling fluid. The housing includes a chassis having a card slot cavity, into which both types of printed circuit cards are retained. A cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum provides a first cooling fluid travel path that is ported to only convectively cooled circuit cards. In order to cool the remaining circuit cards, the cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum ports cooling fluid entering the plenum along a second cooling fluid travel path through heat exchangers installed along sidewalls of the chassis.
48 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A sealed housing enclosure for securely retaining therein and cooling both convectively cooled printed circuit cards and conductively cooled printed circuit cards comprising:
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a chassis having a sealed card-insertion cavity between parallel sidewalls thereof containing a plurality of card-guide slots, that receive and guide said convectively cooled printed circuit cards and said conductively cooled printed circuit cards for insertion into an arrangement of electrical connectors at a first portion of said chassis, so that said convectively cooled printed circuit cards and said conductively cooled printed circuit cards are retained in mutually adjacent, spatially parallel relationship with one another; a cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum at a second portion of said chassis spaced apart from said first portion of said chassis and sealing said card-insertion cavity therebetween, and including a cooling fluid supply chamber, to which cooling fluid for cooling circuit components of said convectively cooled printed circuit cards is supplied, said cooling fluid supply chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures overlying card slots of only said convectively cooled printed circuit cards, and a cooling fluid exhaust chamber adjacent to said cooling fluid supply chamber and from which said cooling fluid having cooled circuit components of said convectively cooled printed circuit cards is removed, said cooling fluid exhaust chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures adjacent to said plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures; and a plurality of thermally conductive heat exchangers, a respective thermally conductive heat exchanger of said plurality of thermally conductive heat exchangers being attached to and in thermally conductive engagement with a first side of a respective convectively cooled printed circuit card, so as to draw heat away from and thereby cool said circuit components mounted to a second side of said respective convectively cooled printed circuit card, and wherein said respective thermally conductive heat exchanger includes a cooling fluid inlet port joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid supply aperture of said plurality of cooling supply apertures of said cooling fluid supply chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is introduced from said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and a cooling fluid outlet port adjacent to said cooling fluid inlet port and joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid removal aperture of said plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures of said cooling fluid exhaust chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is exhausted from said heat exchanger into said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum; and thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers mounted at sidewalls of said chassis and over which cooling fluid passes, said thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers being in thermally conductively coupled to said conductively cooled printed circuit cards through sidewalls of said chassis so as to thermally remove heat therefrom through said chassis sidewalls. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A housing enclosure for securely retaining therein and cooling first and second, respectively diverse types of printed circuit cards, comprising:
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a chassis having a card-insertion cavity between sidewalls thereof, and containing a plurality of card slots having electrical connectors at a first portion of said chassis that retain said first and second, respectively diverse types of printed circuit cards in mutually adjacent, spatially parallel relationship with one another; a cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum for said first type of printed circuit boards at a second portion of said chassis spaced apart from said first portion of said chassis and sealing said card-insertion cavity therebetween, said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum including a cooling fluid supply chamber, to which cooling fluid for convectively cooling circuit components of said first type of printed circuit cards is supplied, said cooling fluid supply chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures overlying card slots of only said first type of printed circuit cards, and a cooling fluid exhaust chamber adjacent to said cooling fluid supply chamber and from which said cooling fluid having cooled circuit components of said first type of printed circuit cards is removed, said cooling fluid exhaust chamber having a plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures adjacent to said plurality of cooling fluid supply apertures; a plurality of thermally conductive heat exchangers for said first type of printed circuit cards, a respective thermally conductive heat exchanger being attached to and in thermally conductive engagement with a first side of a respective first type of printed circuit card, so as to draw heat away from and thereby cool said circuit components mounted to a second side of said respective first type of printed circuit card, and wherein said respective thermally conductive heat exchanger includes a cooling fluid inlet port joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid supply aperture of said plurality of cooling supply apertures of said cooling fluid supply chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is introduced from said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and a cooling fluid outlet port adjacent to said cooling fluid inlet port and joined in sealing engagement with a respective cooling fluid removal aperture of said plurality of cooling fluid removal apertures of said cooling fluid exhaust chamber of said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum, and through which said cooling fluid is exhausted from said heat exchanger into said cooling fluid supply/exhaust plenum; and thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers for cooling said second type of printed circuit cards and being mounted at sidewalls of said chassis and over which cooling fluid passes, said thermally conductive sidewall heat exchangers being thermally conductively coupled to said second type of printed circuit cards through sidewalls of said chassis so as to thermally conductively remove heat therefrom through said chassis sidewalls. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification