Computer processor/heat sink assembly having a dual direction air flow path

A computer processor/heat sink assembly in which a heat sink is provided extending adjacent a processor or electrical component to be cooled. The heat sink has a plurality of spaced fins having openings therein and is positioned in an air flow path so that the air flows through the openings to dissipate heat from the processor to the air. The assembly can also be positioned in a second position in the air flow path so that the air flows between the fins to dissipate heat from the processor to the air.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This disclosure relates generally to the field of computers, and more 
particularly to a computer/heat sink assembly that provides a dual 
direction cooling air flow path. 
BACKGROUND 
As computers shrink in size, the power consumed within the computer chassis 
per unit volume increases dramatically. Thus, it becomes essential to 
dissipate the heat generated by components within the computer during 
operation to ensure that the components remain within their normal 
operating temperature ranges since, otherwise, the components will fail 
immediately or will have too short a lifetime. 
This heat dissipation is especially critical in connection with processors 
used in the computer, especially those that operate at relatively high 
speeds. To increase the heat dissipation from the processor, the processor 
is often provided with a heat sink which provides an increased surface 
area for dissipating the heat. In these designs, an internal fan is 
usually provided on a wall of the chassis of the computer to apply a 
relatively high velocity air across the surface of the processor and its 
heat sink to force cool the processor. This raises the convective heat 
transfer coefficient for the surface of the processor and increases the 
convection cooling. 
Most processor heat sinks are designed so that they must be oriented in a 
specific manner with respect to the air flow from the fan. For example, 
many heat sinks are designed so that the air must flow in a path parallel 
to (or coincidental with) the longitudinal axis of the heat sink. However, 
the mechanical design and layout of computers vary considerably from model 
to model, even with the same manufacturer, often requiring that the heat 
sink be oriented with its longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to the 
direction of air flow. This requires two separate heat sinks, one for use 
when the air flow path extends parallel to its longitudinal axis and one 
for use when the air flow path extends perpendicular to its longitudinal 
axis. This, of course, is expensive and considerably adds to the cost of 
the computer. 
Therefore, what is needed is a processor/heat sink assembly that be located 
in a computer chassis in two orientations relative to the air flow path 
yet provides signficant surface area for dissipating heat. 
SUMMARY 
Accordingly, an embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to 
processor/heat sink assembly which includes a sink extending adjacent a 
processor or electrical component to be cooled. The heat sink has a 
plurality of spaced fins having openings therein, and is positioned in an 
air flow path so that the air flows through the openings to dissipate heat 
from the processor to the air. The assembly can also be positioned in a 
second position in the air flow path so that the air flows between the 
fins to dissipate heat from the processor to the air.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 of the drawings depict a computer 10 according to an embodiment of 
the present disclosure which is in the form of desktop computer. The 
computer 10 includes a chassis 12 (shown in phantom lines) in which a 
motherboard 14 is mounted. A processor/heat sink assembly 16, four memory 
modules 18, and two input/output (I/O) devices 20 are mounted on the 
motherboard 14. Two buses 22a and 22b are also provided on the motherboard 
14 that connect the processor of the processor/heat sink assembly 16 to 
the memory modules 18 and to the input/output devices 20, respectively. 
A power supply 24 is connected to the motherboard 16 and a pair of cable 
assemblies 26a and 26b connect the motherboard 14 to a disk drive unit 28a 
and a hard drive unit 28b, respectively. A fan assembly 30 is mounted to 
the rear wall of the chassis 12, extends over an opening in the latter 
wall, and functions to draw air through the chassis 12, across the 
processor/heat sink assembly 16 and force it out the latter opening, in a 
conventional manner. It is understood that other components, electrical 
traces, electrical circuits and related devices (not shown) are provided 
in the chassis 10. A keyboard 32 is provided adjacent the computer 10 and 
is connected to the computer by a cable 34. Since, with the exception of 
the processor/heat sink assembly 16, all of the above components are 
conventional, they will not be described in any further detail. 
The processor/heat sink assembly 16 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 and 
includes a processor 40 mounted to a heat sink 42. The processor 40 is of 
a conventional design and, as such, includes a casing that has a height 
less than its width as viewed in FIG. 3, and a thickness, or depth, as 
viewed in FIG. 2, less than its height. The lower end of the processor 40 
is provided with an electrical connector 40a (FIG. 4) that plugs into a 
connector 43 on the motherboard 14 (FIG. 1) in a conventional manner. 
The heat sink 42 is formed by a mounting plate 44 to which the processor 40 
is mounted in any conventional manner, such as by thermal welding. The 
heat sink 42 also includes a plurality of spaced fins 46 extending from 
the mounting plate 44. Each fin 46 is rectangular in cross section and 
formed integrally with the plate along one longitudinal edge. 
As better shown in FIG. 4, each fin 46 is formed by a rectangular frame 50 
having a plurality of spaced cross bars 52 extending transversely to the 
longitudinal axis of the frame. One longitudinally extending leg of the 
frame is formed integrally with the mounting plate 44 and, preferably, the 
frame 50 and the cross bars 52 are also formed integrally. The upper end 
portions of the fins 46 extend above the mounting plate 44, and therefore 
the processor 40. 
FIGS. 1 and 2 depict the assembly 16 mounted on the motherboard 14 with the 
respective longitudinal axes of the processor 40 and the heat sink 42 
extending parallel to the direction of air flow from the interior of the 
chassis 12 and through the fan 30 and the opening in the chassis wall as 
shown by the flow arrows. The fan 30 therefore draws air from the interior 
of the chassis 12 and through the fins 46 of the heat sink 42 and, more 
particularly, through the spaces between the frame 50 and the bars 52 of 
each fin. Heat from the processor 40 is dissipated by the heat sink 42 and 
is transferred to the air before the air exits the chassis through the fan 
30 and the opening in the chassis wall. 
Alternately, when the design of the computer 10 and the layout of the 
interior of the chassis 12 so dictate, the assembly 16 can be mounted on 
the motherboard 14 with the longitudinal axis of the processor 40 
extending perpendicular to the direction of air flow through the fan 30, 
as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this position of the assembly 16, the fan 30 
draws air through the spaces between the portions of the fins 46 of the 
heat sink 42 that extend above the upper surface of the processor 40 to 
transfer heat from the processor 40 to the air before it exits the chassis 
12 in the manner described above. 
In both of the positions of the processor/heat sink assembly 16 shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 2 and in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively, the added surface area 
provided by the fins 46 of the heat sink 42 effectively dissipates a 
significant amount of heat from the processor 40 during operation of the 
computer 10 which heat is transferred to the air exiting the chassis 12 
through the fan 30. 
The processor/heat sink assembly 16 of the present disclosure thus can be 
located in the chassis 12 in two orientations relative to the air flow 
path through the chassis, yet provide significant dissipation of heat from 
the processor 40. Therefore, the processor 40 is kept at a temperature 
within its normal operating temperature range and the possibility of 
premature failure is minimized. 
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without 
departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the embodiment 
described above is not limited to use with a desktop computer as described 
above by means of example, but is equally applicable to any type of 
selfcontained computer, such as laptop computers, notebook computers, 
tower computers, servers, and the like. Moreover, the heat sink 42 can be 
used in connection with other heat generating components in a computer or 
in any electrical device. Also, the fan assembly 30 can be designed to 
reverse the air flow, that is, it can pull ambient air through the opening 
in the wall of the chassis 12, and force the air over the processor/heat 
sink assembly. Further, the heat sink 42 can be formed integrally with the 
processor 40 and/or the fins 46 of the heat sink can be formed separately 
from the mounting plate 44 and connected thereto in any known manner. 
It is also understood that the disclosure described above is intended to 
illustrate rather than limit, and that the mounting assembly can take many 
other forms and embodiments within the scope of the invention.