Thermal tube assembly structures

• US 9,485,851 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ellis, Robert W., Dean, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sinclair, David M
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, ROBERT D
• Application Number:
  US14/244,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0203 Cooling of mounted components H05K1/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1418 Card guides, e.g. grooves H05K7/1425 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20136 Forced ventilation, e.g. by fans H05K7/202 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20145 Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides

Abstract

Various embodiments described herein disclose systems, methods and/or devices used to dissipate heat generated by electronic components of an electronic assembly that further includes a first assembly rail, a top circuit board and a bottom circuit board. The first assembly rail includes a first card guide structure and a second card guide structure that are arranged on a first side of the first assembly rail near two opposite ends of the assembly rail. The top and the bottom circuit boards are mechanically coupled to the first and second card guide structures of the first assembly rail, respectively. The top circuit board is parallel to the bottom circuit board, and separated from the bottom circuit board by a predefined distance. The first assembly rail, the top circuit board and the bottom circuit board together form a channel there between for receiving a heat dissipating airflow.

Claims

1. An electronic assembly, comprising:

a first assembly rail comprising a first card guide structure, a second card guide structure and a first vent opening between the first guide structure and the second guide structure, the first card guide structure and the second card guide structure being arranged on a first side of the first assembly rail near two opposite ends of the first assembly rail;

a second assembly rail facing the first side of the first assembly rail, the second assembly rail comprising a third card guide structure, a fourth card guide structure, a fifth card guide structure, a sixth card guide structure and a second vent opening between the third guide structure and the fourth guide structure and between the fifth guide structure and the sixth guide structure, the third card guide structure and the fourth card guide structure being arranged on a first side of the second assembly rail near two opposite ends of the second assembly rail, the fifth card guide structure and the sixth card guide structure being arranged on a second side of the second assembly rail near the two opposite ends of the second assembly rail;

a first top circuit board having a first end and an opposing second end, the first end and the second end of the first top circuit board are mechanically coupled to the first card guide structure of the first assembly rail and the third card guide structure of the second assembly rail, respectively;

a first bottom circuit board having a first end and an opposing second end, the first end and the second end of the first bottom circuit board are mechanically coupled to the second card guide structure of the first assembly rail and the fourth card guide structure of the second assembly rail, respectively such that the first top circuit board is substantially parallel to the first bottom circuit board and the first top circuit board is separated from the first bottom circuit board by a predefined distance;

a second top circuit board having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second top circuit board is mechanically coupled to the fifth card guide structure of the second assembly rail such that the first top circuit board and the second top circuit board are substantially coplanar; and

a second bottom circuit board having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second bottom circuit board is mechanically coupled to the sixth card guide structure of the second assembly rail such that the first bottom circuit board and the second bottom circuit board are substantially coplanar,

wherein the first assembly rail, the first top circuit board, and the first bottom circuit board together form a first channel there between for receiving a heat dissipating airflow,

wherein the second assembly rail, the second top circuit board, and the second bottom circuit board together form a second channel there between for receiving the heat dissipating airflow, and

wherein the first channel is coupled to the second channel via the second vent opening such that the heat dissipating airflow is directed through the first vent opening, the space between the first top and bottom circuit boards, the second vent opening, and the space between the second top and bottom circuit boards.

2. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second card guide structures includes a respective card guide slot, and a respective first end of each of the first top and bottom circuit boards is configured to be inserted and locked into a corresponding card guide slot.

3. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic assembly is mechanically coupled to an external electronic system at an end of the second channel via the second assembly rail.

4. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic assembly is mechanically coupled to an external electronic system using one or more mounting fasteners located at an edge of the first assembly rail.

5. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first channel further comprises an airflow tab that is coupled to a side of the first channel and includes at least one of a rigid material or a flexible cable.

6. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit board are electronically coupled to each other via a flexible cable that itself contributes to the first channel to further direct the airflow.

7. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit board are electronically coupled to each other via one or more rigid electronic interconnects, where the one or more rigid electronic interconnects act as an airflow tab to direct the airflow.

8. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit board are electronically coupled to each other via one or more rigid electronic interconnects, where the one or more rigid electronic interconnects are located within the first channel and are configured to disturb the airflow.

9. The electronic assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first set of heat-sensitive electronic components mechanically coupled to one of the first top or bottom circuit boards, and a second set of heat-generating electronic components mechanically coupled to the other one of the first top or bottom circuit boards.

10. The electronic assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of temperature-sensitive electronic components coupled to a region of the first top circuit board that is thermally isolated from other regions of the first top circuit board.

11. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first vent opening is arranged at one side of the first channel.

12. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the first assembly rail widens along a direction of the airflow such that the first vent opening forms a ducted vent opening.

13. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first top circuit board and first bottom circuit boards comprises one or more solid state drives (SSDs) or one or more three-dimensional (3D) memory devices.

14. A method for dissipating heat of an electronic assembly, comprising:

providing a first assembly rail comprising a first card guide structure, a second card guide structure and a first vent opening, the first and second card guide structures being arranged on a first side of the first assembly rail near two opposite ends of the first assembly rail;

providing a second assembly rail facing the first side of the first assembly rail, the second assembly rail comprising a third card guide structure, a fourth card guide structure, a fifth card guide structure, a sixth card guide structure and a second vent opening, the third and fourth card guide structures being arranged on a first side of the second assembly rail near two opposite ends of the second assembly rail, the fifth and sixth card guide structures being arranged on a second side of the second assembly rail near the two opposite ends of the second assembly rail;

providing a first top circuit board, a first bottom circuit board, a second top circuit board, and a second bottom circuit board, each circuit board having a first end and a second end;

mechanically coupling the first end and the second end of the first top circuit board to the first card guide structure of the first assembly rail and the third card guide structure of the second assembly rail, respectively;

mechanically coupling the first end and the second end of the first bottom circuit board to the second card guide structure of the first assembly rail and the fourth card guide structure of the second assembly rail, respectively such that the first top circuit board is substantially parallel to the first bottom circuit board and the first top circuit board is separated from the first bottom circuit board by a predefined distance;

mechanically coupling the first end of the second top circuit board to the fifth card guide structure of the second assembly rail such that the first top circuit board and the second top circuit board are substantially coplanar;

mechanically coupling the first end of the second bottom circuit board to the sixth card guide structure of the second assembly rail such that the first bottom circuit board and the second bottom circuit board are substantially coplanar;

configuring the first assembly rail, the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit board to form a first channel that is configured to receive a heat dissipating airflow; and

configuring the second assembly rail, the second top circuit board, and the second bottom circuit board to form a second channel that is configured to receive the heat dissipating airflow,

wherein the first channel is coupled to the second channel via the second vent opening such that the heat dissipating airflow is directed through the first vent opening, the space between the first top and bottom circuit boards, the second vent opening, and the space between the second top and bottom circuit boards.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of temperature-sensitive electronic components are coupled to a region of the first top circuit board, the region of the first top circuit board is thermally isolated from other regions of the first top circuit board.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first assembly rail is extended and widened along a direction of the airflow on at least one side of the first assembly rail such that the first vent opening forms a ducted vent opening.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising directing airflow through a space formed between the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit board to dissipate heat.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first top circuit board and the first bottom circuit boards comprises one or more solid state drives (SSDs) or one or more three-dimensional (3D) memory devices.

19. An electronic assembly, comprising:

a plurality of assembly rails that are arranged substantially in parallel, each assembly rail comprising a respective vent opening, a respective front side and a respective back side, each side of the respective assembly rail further comprising a respective first card guide structure and a respective second card guide structure that are arranged near two opposite ends of the assembly rail; and

a plurality of circuit board sets each comprising a top circuit board and a bottom circuit board, each top circuit board and bottom circuit having a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end of the top circuit board and the first end and the second end of the bottom circuit board being mechanically coupled between the first card guide structures and between the second card guide structures on two respective sides of two adjacent assembly rails, respectively, wherein the two respective sides face each other, the top and bottom circuit boards being substantially parallel to each other and separated by a predefined distance, the top circuit boards in the plurality of circuit board sets being substantially coplanar, the bottom circuit boards in the plurality of circuit board sets being substantially coplanar;

wherein the plurality of assembly rails alternate with the plurality of circuit board sets and each assembly rail and each circuit board set adjacent thereto together form a channel there between for receiving a heat dissipating airflow,

wherein each channel is coupled to each other via the respective vent opening such that the heat dissipating airflow is directed alternately through each vent opening and the space between the top and bottom circuits of each circuit board set.

20. The electronic assembly of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of assembly rails is extended and widened along a direction of the airflow on at least one side of the at least one assembly rail to form a ducted vent opening.