Heat sink for edge connectors

• US 6,545,872 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Information Technologies Group LP (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tusler, Ralph M., Lonergan, Kevin J., Gaudet, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US09/977,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20030072135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 174/252, 361/704, 361/707, 361/709-710, 361/719-721, 439/485, 439/487
• US Class Current: 361/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits

Abstract

A heat sink assembly for use with edge connectors, e.g., card edge connectors, of cards or printed circuit boards. The heat sink assembly provides a relatively large heat transfer capacity to control temperatures in contacts of the edge connectors which increases the current rating of the connector by allowing more current to pass through the connector. The heat sink assembly includes fins attached to the edge connector power and ground leads by direct thermal connection, such as soldering, to traces in the board. The fins are connected to the power and ground leads in an alternating or interweaved fashion. The fins are fabricated from thermal conducting material and heat is conducted to the fins where it is removed by the relatively large surface area of the fins. Adjacent fins are electrically isolated such that power and ground fins do not contact.

Claims

1. A heat sink for use with a printed circuit board having power and ground traces for transferring current, comprising:

means for conducting heat from power traces of a printed circuit board, the power traces heat conducting means being connected to the power traces to create a heat transfer pathway away from the power traces;

means for conducting heat from ground traces of the printed circuit board, the ground traces heat conducting means being connected to the ground traces to create a heat transfer pathway away from the ground traces; and

means for dissipating heat in thermal communication with the heat transfer pathways from the power and ground traces, wherein the heat dissipation means comprises a number of heat transfer elements and wherein the heat transfer elements in communication with the heat transfer pathway away from the power traces are electrically isolated from the heat transfer elements in communication with the heat transfer pathway away from the ground traces;

wherein the heat dissipation means comprises a number of heat transfer elements and wherein the heat transfer elements in communication with the heat transfer pathway away from the power traces are electrically isolated from the heat transfer elements in communication with the heat transfer pathway away from the ground traces;

wherein the heat transfer elements comprise fins arranged side by side and further wherein adjacent ones of the fins are in thermal communication with differing ones of the heat transfer pathways; and

wherein the heat dissipation means includes isolation members adapted for providing the electrical isolation at each end of the fins.

2. An apparatus for dissipating heat generated by ground and power leads of an edge connector, comprising:

a first heat dissipation assembly adapted for dissipating heat and including contacts for thermal connection to the power leads; and

a second heat dissipation assembly adapted for dissipating heat and including contacts for thermal connection to the ground leads;

wherein the first and second heat dissipation assemblies comprise a plurality of fins each having a heat transfer portion, the fins including the contacts for bonding with an electrical trace connected to one of the leads, and wherein adjacent ones of the fins are connected to the power and the ground leads, and the first and second heat dissipation assemblies further including a plurality of isolation members positioned between the adjacent ones of the fins to electrically isolate each pair of adjacent fins.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bonding comprises soldering.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fins comprise copper with tin electroplating.

5. An apparatus for dissipating heat generated by ground and power leads of an edge connector, comprising:

a first heat dissipation assembly adapted for dissipating heat and including contacts for thermal connection to the power leads; and

a second heat dissipation assembly adapted for dissipating heat and including contacts for thermal connection to the ground leads;

wherein the first and second heat dissipation assemblies comprise a plurality of fins each having a heat transfer portion and further include a lower fin holder having a base with slots configured to receive first ends of the fins and an upper fin holder having a base with slots configured to receive second ends of the fins.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the bases include isolation members between the slots comprising an electrical insulator material.

7. A printed circuit board with enhanced heat dissipation, comprising:

a board;

an edge connector on the board comprising a plurality of power leads and a plurality of ground leads;

electrically conducting traces on the board connected to the leads for passing current to or from the power and ground leads; and

a heat sink assembly mounted on the board configured to dissipate heat, wherein the heat sink assembly is thermally and electrically connected to at least a portion of the traces to create a path for conducting heat from the power and ground leads to the heat sink assembly and wherein the heat sink assembly includes contacts for bonding to the traces and wherein the board includes slots for receiving the contacts, the traces being arranged on the board to contact an edge of the slots.

8. The printed circuit board of claim 7, wherein the board includes a first layer containing the power leads and corresponding ones of the traces and a second layer containing the ground leads and corresponding ones of the traces, the slots extending through the first and second layers.

9. A printed circuit board with enhanced heat dissipation, comprising:

a board;

an edge connector on the board comprising a plurality of power leads and a plurality of ground leads;

electrically conducting traces on the board connected to the leads for passing current to or from the power and ground leads; and

a heat sink assembly mounted on the board configured to dissipate heat, wherein the heat sink assembly is thermally and electrically connected to at least a portion of the traces to create a path for conducting heat from the power and ground leads to the heat sink assembly and wherein the heat sink assembly further includes a plurality of fins alternately connected to the power and ground leads and includes isolation members between the fins comprising an electrical insulator material.

10. The printed circuit board of claim 9, wherein each of the fins is connected to two of the power leads or to two of the ground leads.

11. The printed circuit board of claim 9, wherein the heat sink assembly further includes a lower fin holder with a base for supporting the isolation members and with slots for allowing a contact tip of each of the fins to pass through the base to provide a connection point to the traces.

12. The printed circuit board of claim 11, wherein the heat sink assembly further includes an upper fin holder with a base for supporting additional ones of the isolation members and with slots for allowing an end of the fins opposite the contact tip to pass through the base to structurally support the fins.

13. The printed circuit board of claim 11, wherein the fins are fabricated from copper and plated with tin and wherein each of the contact tips is soldered to at least one of the traces.