Patent Publication Number: US-2011048680-A1

Title: Heat dissipation module

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to heat dissipation modules, and particularly to a heat dissipation module suitable for use in a device such as a notebook computer for dissipating heat of heat-generating electronic components of the notebook computer. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With continuing development of notebook computer technology, heat-generating electronic components such as CPUs (central processing units) are generating more and more heat which requires immediate dissipation. Generally, heat dissipation modules are attached to the electronic components to provide such heat dissipation. A conventional heat dissipation module includes a fin assembly, a heat pipe and a centrifugal fan. The heat pipe thermally connects the electronic component with the fin assembly to transfer heat from the electronic component to the fin assembly. The centrifugal fan defines an air outlet where the fin assembly is located and provides a forced airflow to cool the fin assembly. However, many modern notebook computers generate a great deal of heat. A conventional heat dissipation module may not be able to efficiently dissipate very large amounts of heat. 
     Therefore, a heat dissipation module is desired to overcome the above described shortcoming 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, isometric view of a heat dissipation module in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the heat dissipation module of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a fin assembly of the heat dissipation module of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the fin assembly of  FIG. 3 , viewed from another aspect. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1-2  show a heat dissipation module  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The heat dissipation module  10  includes a centrifugal fan  11 , a heat pipe  12 , and a fin assembly  13 . The heat dissipation module  10  is particularly suitable for use in a notebook computer for dissipating heat of heat-generating electronic components of the notebook computer. 
     The centrifugal fan  11  includes a top plate  110 , a bottom plate  111  and a sidewall  113  interconnecting the top plate  110  with the bottom plate  111 . The centrifugal fan  11  defines an air inlet  112  at the top plate  110  and an air outlet  114  at the sidewall  113 , wherein the air outlet  114  is perpendicular to the air inlet  112 . The bottom plate  111  of the centrifugal fan  11  defines a cutout  115  at the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The heat pipe  12  is flat, including a planar top surface  121  and a planar bottom surface  122 . The heat pipe  12  includes an evaporating section for absorbing heat from an electronic component of the notebook computer, and a condensing section  123  located at a bottom side of the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . 
     Referring also to  FIGS. 3-4 , the fin assembly  13  is located at the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11  and includes a plurality of parallel fins  14  arranged closely together along the condensing section  123  of the heat pipe  12 . An air passage  17  is defined between every two neighboring fins  14  of the fin assembly  13 . The air passages  17  cooperatively define an air channel  18  for the fin assembly  13 . 
     The fin assembly  13  includes a first horizontal portion  150  at a top side of the fin assembly  13 , a second horizontal portion  152  at a bottom side of the fin assembly  13 , a connecting portion  151  at a rear side of the fin assembly  13 , and a protruding portion  153  extending from a front side of the second horizontal portion  152  to the cutout  115  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The connecting portion  151  is outwardly curved and connects between the first horizontal portion  150  and the second horizontal portion  152 . The first horizontal portion  150 , the connecting portion  151  and the second horizontal portion  152  are arranged in a C-shaped profile and accordingly provide for a receiving slot  154 . The receiving slot  154  generally separates the fin assembly  13  into an upper part  130  and a lower part  131 . The upper part  130  includes the first horizontal portion  150 . The upper part  130  faces the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The lower part  131  includes the second horizontal portion  152  and the protruding portion  153 . The lower part  131  of the fin assembly  13  is located below the bottom plate  111  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The protruding portion  153  is located at the cutout  115  of the centrifugal fan  11 . A bottom of the protruding portion  153  is inclined upwardly toward the centrifugal fan  11 . Thereby, a height of the protruding portion  153  decreases from a rear end thereof to a front end thereof. 
     The fin assembly  13  has a connecting surface  160 , a guiding surface  161  and a contacting surface  162 . The connecting surface  160  is at the top side of the fin assembly  13 , the guiding surface  161  is at the bottom side of the fin assembly  13 , and the contacting surface  162  is at the receiving slot  154  of the fin assembly  13 . The connecting surface  160  is a planar sheet and seals the top side of the fin assembly  13 . The guiding surface  161  is a curved sheet and seals the bottom side of the fin assembly  13 . The contacting surface  162  is C-shaped in profile and defines the receiving slot  154 . The contacting surface  162  generally separates the air channel  18  into a first air channel  181  at the upper part  130  of the fin assembly  13  and a second air channel  182  at the lower part  131  of the fin assembly  13 . 
     The connecting surface  160  is spaced from the contacting surface  162 , thereby defining a first air inlet  163  at a front side of the upper part  130  of the fin assembly  13 . The first air inlet  163  faces the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The connecting surface  160  is spaced from the guiding surface  161 , thereby defining an air outlet  165  at the top rear side of the fin assembly  13 . The guiding surface  161  is spaced from the contacting surface  162 , thereby defining a second air inlet  164  at a top side of the protruding portion  153 , wherein the second air inlet  164  is perpendicular to the first air inlet  163  of the fin assembly  13 . The first air inlet  163  and the second air inlet  164  of the fin assembly  13  are located at the front side of the fin assembly  13  and communicate with the air outlet  165  of the fin assembly  13 . The first air channel  181  is defined between the first air inlet  163  and the air outlet  165  of the fin assembly  13 . The second air channel  182  is defined between the second air inlet  164  and the air outlet  165  of the fin assembly  13 . The first air channel  181  is generally separated from the second air channel  182  by the contacting surface  162 . 
     The condensing section  123  of the heat pipe  12  is received in the receiving slot  154  of the fin assembly  13 . The top surface  121  of the heat pipe  12  is attached to a top portion of the contacting surface  162 , and the bottom surface  122  of the heat pipe  12  is attached to a bottom portion of the contacting surface  162 . The first air inlet  163  of the fin assembly  13  faces the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The first air inlet  163  of the fin assembly  13  thus communicates with the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The protruding portion  153  of the fin assembly  13  is located at the cutout  115  of the centrifugal fan  11 . The second air inlet  164  of the fin assembly  13  communicates with the air outlet  114  of the centrifugal fan  11  via the cutout  115 . 
     An airflow generated by the centrifugal fan  11  flows toward the fin assembly  13 . A part of the airflow enters the first air inlet  163  of the fin assembly  13 , then flows through the first air channel  181 , and finally flows out of the fin assembly  13  via the air outlet  165 . Another part of the airflow enters the second air inlet  164  via the cutout  115  of the centrifugal fan  11 , then flows through the second air channel  182 , and finally flows out of the fin assembly  13  via the air outlet  165  of the fin assembly  13 . 
     Heat of the condensing section  123  is transferred to the upper part  130  and the lower part  131  of the fin assembly  13 . The airflow flows through the upper part  130  and the lower part  131  of the fin assembly  13  at the same time whereby the heat of the upper part  130  and the lower part  131  is dissipated simultaneously. Furthermore, the lower part  131  (including the second horizontal portion  152  and the protruding portion  153 ) of the fin assembly  13  is located below the bottom plate  111  of the centrifugal fan  11  whereby a total heat exchange surface area for the fin assembly  13  is greatly increased, while the airflow of the centrifugal fan  11  still can flow smoothly into the lower part  131  of the fin assembly  13  via the second air inlet  164  provided at the protruding portion  153 . Thus, a heat dissipating efficiency of the heat dissipation module  10  is greatly improved. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiment(s), the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.