Patent ID: 6130818
Filing Date: 2000-10-10
Classification: H05K

Abstract:
An electronic assembly including fault tolerant cooling, said assembly comprising:a chassis having an exterior surface and an interior cavity;a plurality of heat generating electrical components mounted in the cavity and in heat exchange relation to the chassis to reject generated heat to the chassis; anda fault tolerant heat exchanger on the exterior surface of the chassis and in heat exchange relation with the chassis, the heat exchanger includinga passive heat sink to reject said generated heat at a first rate from said chassis to an environment surrounding said chassis via radiation and natural convection, andan active heat sink, including at least one coolant passage, to reject said generated heat at a second rate from said chassis to a coolant that is flowed through said at least one active coolant passage, said second rate being greater than said first rate, the active heat sink including a conductive thermal path from said chassis to said passive heat sink to reject said generated heat at said first rate from said chassis to said passive heat sink with no coolant being flowed through the active heat sink.