Power semiconductor heatsinking

• US 8,072,761 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Thomsen, Ove Lyck, Andersen, Claus
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US12/466,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20100290195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 257/719
• US Class Current: 361/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4093 Snap-on arrangements, e.g. clips
• 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

A heatsink includes a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat. The body is configured to receive a circuit board containing heat-producing electrical components along a width of the body. The heatsink further includes a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the heat-producing electrical components. The heatsink further includes a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to change from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body. The heatsink is configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body, and the bias device is configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state.

Claims

1. A heatsink comprising:

a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat, the body being configured to receive a circuit board containing a plurality of heat-producing electrical components along a width of the body;

a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of heat-producing electrical components; and

a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to change from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body;

the heatsink being configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body;

the bias device being configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state; and

wherein the bias device comprises a first member pivotally coupled to a second member, the first member pivotally coupled to the body at a first pivot point, the second member pivotally coupled to the pivot arm at a second pivot point, and a combined length of the first and second members is greater than a distance between the first and second pivot points when the bias device is in the first state.

2. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the bias device is connected to a first portion of a pivot arm of the pivot mechanism, the contact portion is in a second portion of the pivot arm, the pivot arm is pivotally coupled to the body between the first portion and the second portion, and the bias device is configured to bias the first portion away from the body when the bias device is in the second state.

3. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the bias device is urged against one of the fins when the bias device is in the second state to lock the bias device in position in the second state.

4. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the pivot mechanism comprises a plurality of springs connected to a pivot arm, the plurality of springs being disposed and configured to contact the heat-producing electrical components and to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state.

5. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the pivot mechanism has a pivot mechanism width substantially equal to a body width of the body, the pivot mechanism width and body width being large enough for the body and the pivot mechanism to contact all of the heat-producing electrical components.

6. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the pivot mechanism is releasably coupled to the body.

7. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein the bias device is releasably coupled to the body.

8. The heatsink of claim 1 wherein proximal ends of the fins are connected to a central portion of the body along a vertical length of the central portion, the fins extend laterally away from the central portion of the body to distal ends, and a portion of the pivot mechanism extends adjacent to the distal ends of at least two of the fins to provide a tunnel between the at least two fins, the central portion of the body, and the portion of the pivot mechanism.

9. A heatsink comprising:

a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat, the body being configured to receive a circuit board containing a plurality of heat-producing electrical components along a width of the body;

a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of heat-producing electrical components; and

a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to change from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body;

the heatsink being configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body;

the bias device being configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state; and

wherein the bias device comprises a first plate member coupled to the body and a second plate member coupled to the pivot mechanism, wherein the first plate member is pivotally coupled to the body, the second plate member is pivotally coupled to the pivot mechanism and the second plate member is pivotally coupled to the first plate member.

10. An uninterruptable power supply comprising:

a housing;

multiple circuit boards disposed in the housing;

a power supply disposed in the housing, coupled to the circuit boards and configured to supply power to the circuit boards; and

heatsinks coupled to the circuit boards and configured to dissipate heat from the circuit boards, the heatsinks being configured to push components of the circuit boards against bodies of the heatsinks,

wherein at least one of the heatsinks is configured to be actuated to be thermally coupled to a plurality of the components substantially simultaneously with a single actuation,

wherein the at least one heatsink comprises;

a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat, the body being configured to receive the plurality of components along a width of the body;

a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of components; and

a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to be actuated from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body;

the at least one heatsink being configured to receive the components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body;

the bias device being configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the components against the body when the bias device is in the second state; and

the bias device comprising a first member pivotally coupled to a second member, the first member pivotally coupled to the body at a first pivot point, the second member pivotally coupled to the pivot arm at a second pivot point, and a combined length of the first and second members is greater than a distance between the first and second pivot points when the bias device is in the first state.

11. The uninterruptable power supply of claim 10 wherein the bias device is connected to a first portion of a pivot arm of the pivot mechanism, the contact portion is in a second portion of the pivot arm, the pivot arm is pivotally coupled to the body between the first portion and the second portion, and the bias device is configured to bias the first portion away from the body when the bias device is in the second state.

12. The uninterruptable power supply of claim 10 wherein one of the members is urged against one of the fins when the bias device is in the second state to lock the bias device in position in the second state.

13. The uninterruptable power supply of claim 10, wherein the at least one heatsink is configured to be thermally decoupled from the plurality of components substantially simultaneously with another single actuation.

14. The uninterruptible power supply of claim 10 wherein proximal ends of the fins are connected to a central portion of the body along a vertical length of the central portion, the fins extend laterally away from the central portion of the body to distal ends, and a portion of the pivot mechanism extends adjacent to the distal ends of at least two of the fins to provide a tunnel between the at least two fins, the central portion of the body, and the portion of the pivot mechanism.

15. A heatsink comprising:

means for conducting and dissipating heat from a plurality of heat-producing electrical components on a circuit board, the conducting and dissipating means being configured to receive the circuit board;

means for urging the heat-producing electrical components against the conducting and dissipating means, the conducting and dissipating means and the urging means being configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the conducting and dissipating means and the urging means; and

means for actuating the urging means from a first state to a second state, the urging means being separated from the heat-producing electrical components in the first state and being urged against the heat-producing electrical components in the second state, the actuating means being configured to actuate the urging means into the second state with a single actuation and de-actuate the urging means from the second state into the first state in a single de-actuation;

wherein the actuating means comprises a first plate member pivotally coupled to the conducting and dissipating means and a second plate member pivotally coupled to the urging means, the first plate member being pivotally coupled to the second plate member.

16. The heatsink of claim 15 wherein the actuating means is configured to lock the urging means in the second state.

17. The heatsink of claim 15 wherein the conducting and dissipating means comprises a thermally conductive heatsink body including a plurality of fins.

18. The heatsink of claim 15 wherein the urging means comprises a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the conducting and dissipating means and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of heat-producing electrical components in the second state.

19. A heatsink comprising:

a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat, the body being configured to receive a circuit board containing a plurality of heat-producing electrical components along a width of the body;

a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of heat-producing electrical components; and

a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to change from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body;

the heatsink being configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body;

the bias device being configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state; and

wherein proximal ends of the fins are connected to a central portion of the body along a vertical length of the central portion, the fins extend laterally away from the central portion of the body to distal ends, and a first, upper portion of the pivot mechanism extends adjacent to the distal ends of at least two of the fins to provide a tunnel between the at least two fins, the central portion of the body, and the first portion of the pivot mechanism.

20. The heatsink of claim 19 wherein the bias device is connected to the first portion of the pivot mechanism, the contact portion is in a second, lower portion of the pivot mechanism, the pivot mechanism is pivotally coupled to the body between the first portion and the second portion, and the bias device is configured to bias the first portion away from the body when the bias device is in the second state.

21. An uninterruptable power supply comprising:

a housing;

multiple circuit boards disposed in the housing;

a power supply disposed in the housing, coupled to the circuit boards and configured to supply power to the circuit boards; and

heatsinks coupled to the circuit boards and configured to dissipate heat from the circuit boards, the heatsinks being configured to push components of the circuit boards against bodies of the heatsinks,

wherein at least one of the heatsinks is configured to be actuated to be thermally coupled to a plurality of the components substantially simultaneously with a single actuation,

wherein the at least one heatsink comprises;

a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat, the body being configured to receive the plurality of components along a width of the body;

a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the plurality of components; and

a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to be actuated from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body;

the at least one heatsink being configured to receive the components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body;

the bias device being configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the components against the body when the bias device is in the second state; and

wherein proximal ends of the fins are connected to a central portion of the body along a vertical length of the central portion, the fins extend laterally away from the central portion of the body to distal ends, and a first, upper portion of the pivot mechanism extends adjacent to the distal ends of at least two of the fins to provide a tunnel between the at least two fins, the central portion of the body, and the first portion of the pivot mechanism.

22. The uninterruptible power supply of claim 21 wherein the bias device is connected to the first portion of the pivot mechanism, the contact portion is in a second, lower portion of the pivot mechanism, the pivot mechanism is pivotally coupled to the body between the first portion and the second portion, and the bias device is configured to bias the first portion away from the body when the bias device is in the second state.