Patent Publication Number: US-2007121291-A1

Title: Heat sink module of a notebook computer

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a heat sink module. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat sink module having an increased strength and a reduced weight and capable of efficiently conducting heat generated inside a notebook computer.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      With development of the electronic technology, transistor numbers in a chip, particularly a central processing unit (CPU), in an electronic device, have increased more and more. Although this may increase data processing speed, the dissipated power and generated heat undesirably increase correspondingly. To enable the CUP to work stably in a computer, the heat sinking problem has to be carefully addressed. For those highly compactness and slightness demanded notebooks, such heat sinking issue is particularly challenging.  
      For the currently used heat sink modules used in the notebook computers, heat conducting tubes, heat sink elements and a fan are generally utilized as combinations for the heat sink purpose. In principle, the fan is used to cause an air flow which is thermally exchangeable with the heat accumulated at the fin. Since the heat of the fin is moved by the air flow, the temperature reduction of the CPU may be achieved.  
      However, the required volume of the fans and heat sink elements is placed with an unavoidable demand by the continuously increased transistor numbers in the CPUs, pushed by the rapidly developed CPU technology. Unfortunately, such larger and larger fans and heat sink elements may not be accommodated within the notebook computers of being compactness and slightness demanded.  
      Now, a disadvantage of the prior art heat sink module will be discussed with reference to  FIG. 1 . The heat sink module  1 ″ is composed of a fan and heat sink elements as mentioned above and the fan and heat sink elements are particularly made of copper so as to promote heat sink efficiency. However, another problem is induced since the copper elements are generally accompanied with weight and cost issued. To fix this problem, another prior art heat sink module is set forth, which is schematically shown in  FIG. 2 . The heat sink module  1 ′ includes a heat sink element  10 ′ and a copper piece  20 ′. On the heat sink element  10 ′, there is an upper cover  11 ′ having a hole  12 ′ thereon. The copper piece  20 ′ is welded to the hole  12 ′ on the upper cover  11 ′ of the heat sink element  10 ′. Although aluminum is adopted as the heat sink element  10 ′ in this case and thus the heat sink element  1 ′ has a reduced weight, this configuration where the copper piece  20 ′ is welded on the hole  12 ′, overall strength of the heat sink element  10 ′ is not sufficient and a connection gap existed between the copper piece  20 ′ and the hole  12 ′ may have an adverse effect on the heat sink capability.  
      As a result, there is a need to redesign a heat sink module having an improved strength and enhanced heat sink efficiency in the notebook computer field.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a heat sink module used in a notebook computer so as to overcome the weight and strength problems encountered in the prior art.  
      To achieve the above objects, the heat sink module used in a notebook computer includes a heat sink fin set, a heat conducting tube, a body and a press and fixation member. The body includes a fan case, fan leaves, an upper cover and a thermally conducting piece. The fan case includes a reception space and an opening. A groove is disposed on a first surface of the upper cover of the body. A hole is disposed on a central region of the groove and a side plate is disposed at a side of the hole of the groove so that the heat conducting tube is mated therewith.  
      In assembling the heat sink module, the heat sink fin set is first mated within the opening of the fan case of the body. Next, the fan leaves are disposed in the reception space of the fan case and the upper cover is disposed on the fan case, the upper cover having a first surface having a hole disposed at a region over the fan leaves. One end of the heat conducting tube is disposed on the reception portion of the heat sink fin set and another end of the heat conducting tube is disposed on the groove of the first surface of the upper cover and is fixed by the side plate. Then, the thermally conducting piece is fixed on a second surface of the upper cover. Finally, the press and fixation member is fixed on the side plate of the first surface of the upper cover. In this manner, the heat sink module is completely assembled. In the case of being used for a heat source of a notebook computer, the thermally conducting piece of the second surface of the upper cover is bonded tightly to the heat source, whereby the heat sinking purpose with respect to the heat source may be well achieved.  
      In the above, the thermally conducting piece of the thermal heat module is made of copper and the body of the thermal heat module is made of aluminum. With the design, the heat sink module is provided with an enhanced strength and a reduced weight.  
      In the above, the side plate is shaped approximately like an inverse version of the English letter “L” or the number “1” and disposed at the side of the hole of the groove.  
      Other and the above objects of the present invention will become more apparent to a person of the skilled art when the following description is read, where implementations of the present invention are discussed in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:  
       FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of a prior art heat sink module;  
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of another prior art heat sink module;  
       FIG. 3A  shows a schematic diagram of a heat sink module thereof according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3B  an enlarged view of the side plate in  FIG. 3A ;  
       FIG. 3C  shows a schematic diagram of the heat sink module after assembly and a heat source for which the heat sink module works according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3D  shows a schematic diagram illustrating the heat sink module is stacked on the heat source according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4A  shows a schematic diagram of another aspect of the heat sink module according to the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4B  shows an enlarged view of the side plate in  FIG. 4A . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The heat sink module of the present invention will be described in the following in assembly and implementations, with reference to the annexed drawings, and will be particularly described with respect to use in a notebook computer.  
      Referring first to  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3C , an exploded view and a perspective view of the heat sink module according to the present invention are respectively shown therein. The heat sink module  1  is used to reduce temperature of the notebook when operating. The heat sink module  1  includes a heat sink fin set  10 , a heat conducting tube  20 , a body  30  and a press and fixation member  40 . In the heat sink fin set  10 , there is a reception portion  11 , which is a bump composed of a plurality of heat sink fins. In the heat conducting tube  20  as shown in  FIG. 3A , there is a thermally conducting material contained, which is apparent to those skilled in the art and thus omitted in this specification.  
      The body  30  includes a fan case  31 , fan leaves  32 , an upper cover  33  and a thermally conducting piece  34 . The fan case  31  is approximately shaped like the English letter “U” and has a reception space  311  and an opening portion  312 . The upper cover  33  is approximately shaped like the English letter “d” and has a first surface  331  and second surface  332 . On the first surface  331  of the upper cover  33 , a groove  333  is disposed. Also, the upper surface of thermally conducting piece  34  and the upper surface of the groove  333  stand at the same level height. On a central region of the groove  333 , a hole  3331  is disposed. At a side of the hole  3331 , a side plate  334  is disposed so that another end  22  of the heat conducting tube  20  may be mated and fixed and the heat conducting tube  20  may be exempted from being damaged by the press and fixation member  40  when the heat sink module is under an assembly operation as will be described below. The side plate  334  is shaped like an inverse version of the number “1” or the English letter “L” as shown in  FIG. 3B  and  FIG. 4B  and disposed at a side of the hole  3331  of the groove  333 .  
      Refer also to  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3C . Assembly of the heat sink module of the invention will be described below. First, the heat sink fin set  10  is first mated within the opening portion  312  of the fan case  31  of the body  30 . Next, the fan leaves  32  are disposed in the reception space  311  of the fan case  31  and the upper cover  33  is disposed on the fan case  31 , the upper cover  33  having a first surface  331  having a hole  335  disposed at a region over the fan leaves  32 . One end  21  of the heat conducting tube  20  is disposed on the reception portion  11  of the heat sink fin set  10  and another end  22  is supported on the groove  333  of the first surface  331  of the upper cover  33 , respectively. Specifically, the another end  22  is fixed by a side plate  334  at a side of the hole  3331  of the groove  333  and then the thermally conducting piece  34  is fixed on a second surface  332  of the upper cover  33 . Finally, the press and fixation member  40  is fixed on the first surface  331  of the upper cover  33  and the side plate  334  of the groove  333  on the first surface  331  of the upper cover  33 . In this manner, the heat sink module is completely assembled. In the case of being used for a heat source of a notebook computer, the thermally conducting piece of the second surface of the upper cover is bonded tightly to the heat source, whereby the heat sinking purpose with respect to the heat source may be well achieved.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3A ,  FIG. 3C  and  FIG. 3D , an application in which the heat sink module of the invention is bonded on a heat source (particularly a central processing unit (CPU))  2  of a notebook computer will be illustrated with reference thereto. The heat sink module  1  is bonded tightly onto the heat source  2  at the upper cover  33  of the body  30 . Specifically, the heat source  2  is bonded tightly with the thermally conducting piece  34  on the second surface  332  of the upper cover  33 . In this case, heat generated from the heat source  2  is absorbed by the thermally conducting piece  34  conducted to the upper cover  33  of the body  30  and the another end  22  of the heat conducting tube  20 . Then, the heat is conducted through the upper cover  33  and the heat conducting tube  20  to the end  21  of the heat conducting tube  20  and the heat sink fin set  10 . Finally, the fan leaves  32  are operated to move efficiently the heat of the heat sink fin set  10  and heat conducting tube  20  outside the notebook computer. Since the heat may be thermally exchanged with the air outside the notebook computer, the heat generated inside the notebook computer may be efficiently moved with the aid of the operating fan leaves.  
      In the above, the thermally conducting piece of the thermal heat module is made of copper and the body  30  thereof is made of aluminum. With the design, the heat sink module  1  is provided with an enhanced strength and a reduced weight. Further, the cost required for the heat sink module is reduced, compared with that for the prior art heat sink modules.  
      While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents.