Patent Publication Number: US-2007111594-A1

Title: Clip assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 94139582, filed on Nov. 11, 2005. All disclosure of the Taiwan application is incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      The present invention relates to a clip assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clip assembly for clipping a heatsink module on a circuit board.  
      2. Description of Related Art  
      The integrated circuit (IC) has been widely applied in chips of electronic products such as personal computers, laptops and servers along with the improvement of the semiconductor technology. However, as the process speed and functions increase continuously, the heat generated from the ICs also raise correspondingly. If the heat can not be effectively dissipated, it is likely that the electronic device will be out of function because of the heat. Therefore, different kinds of heat dissipation methods for immediately dissipating the heat have been proposed so as to avoid the malfunction of electronic devices.  
      For the electronic devices installed on the circuit board such as the central processing unit (CPU), the video chip, or the audio chip, etc., the method of heat dissipation usually uses a clip assembly to clip a heatsink module on the circuit board, so that the heatsink is in contact with the electronic device to provide assistance for dissipating heat out of the electronic device. The clip assembly has the heatsink module attached to the electronic device closely by a suitable downward pressure.  
      Generally, in the market, the specifications of the electronic devices (such as CPU) provided by different companies are usually different, so that the circuit boards (or platforms) used to cooperate with the electronic devices are also different. Therefore, in order to provide a clip assembly suitable for circuit boards of different specifications for customers, the conventional clip assembly must comprise a plurality of accessories with same function but different specifications. For example, the clip assembly may comprise two bases of different specifications, so as to be assembled on two different circuit boards. Accordingly, the conventional clip assembly has a lot of accessories and some of which are superfluous, which does not tally with the consideration of cost saving.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention is directed to provide a clip assembly to resolve the problem of superfluous accessories in the conventional clip assembly. The clip assembly of the present invention is suitable for more than two different circuit boards, so that the quantity of the accessories can be reduces and thus the cost is lowered.  
      The present invention provides a clip assembly for clipping a heatsink module on a first or a second circuit board. A first device is disposed on the first circuit board and a second device is disposed on the second circuit board. Wherein, the first circuit board has a plurality of first mounting holes located around the first device, and the second circuit board has a plurality of second mounting holes located around the second device. The clip assembly includes a base, a plurality of mounting parts and a clipper. The base located on the first or second circuit board has an opening, a plurality of first clipping portions, and a plurality of third and fourth mounting holes. The first or second device is disposed in the opening, and at least one part of the heatsink module is in contact with the first or second device. The locations of the third mounting holes correspond to the locations of the first mounting holes, and the locations of the fourth mounting holes correspond to the locations of the second mounting holes. Moreover, the mounting parts pass through the first and third mounting holes or the second and fourth mounting holes for fixing the base on the first or second circuit board. The clipper has a plurality of second clipping portions to clasp the first clipping portions so as to clip the heatsink module on the base.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the clip assembly is further suitable to clip the heatsink module on a third circuit board, so that the heatsink module is in contact with a third device on the third circuit board. Wherein, the third circuit board has a plurality of fifth mounting holes located around the third device, and the base further has a plurality of sixth mounting holes corresponding to the locations of the fifth mounting holes.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the clip assembly may further include a back board, fixed on the back surface of the first or the second circuit board, and a plurality of seventh mounting holes and a plurality of eighth mounting holes are disposed on the back board. The locations of the seventh mounting holes correspond to the locations of the first mounting holes and the locations of the third mounting holes, and the locations of the eighth mounting holes correspond to the locations of the second mounting holes and the fourth mounting holes.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the clip assembly further includes a plurality of pedestal pillars, disposed between the base and the first or the second circuit board, and the mounting parts pass through the pedestal pillars.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting parts may be screws or bolts.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first distance of the first mounting holes is greater than a second distance of the second mounting holes.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first clipping portions are, for example, a clasp curved inward from at least one edge of the base, and the second clipping portions are, for example, a clipping hole.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first clipping portions are, for example, a clasp curved outward from at least one edge of the base, and the second clipping portions are, for example, a clipping hole.  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, the clipper further includes a clipping pole. And, the clipper is suitable to be released when the clipping pole is disposed at a first position, and the clipper is suitable to be clipped steadily on the base when the clipping pole is switched to a second position.  
      As the clip assembly of the present invention utilizes the base having a plurality of groups of mounting holes, the clip assembly can be used to clip the heatsink on different kinds of circuit boards. Therefore, the quantity of the accessories included in the clip assembly can be reduced; accordingly, the cost can be lowered.  
      In order to the make the aforementioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, a preferred embodiment accompanied with figures is described in detail below.  
      It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
       FIG. 1  is an explode view of a clip assembly for clipping heatsink on the first circuit board according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an assemble perspective view of the clip assembly, the heatsink module, and the first circuit board in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3A  is the second circuit board and the second device disposed on the second circuit board.  
       FIG. 3B  is the perspective view showing that the clip assembly and the heatsink module in  FIG. 1  are assembled onto the second circuit board.  
       FIG. 4A  is the third circuit board and the third device disposed on the third circuit board.  
       FIG. 4B  is the perspective view showing that the clip assembly and the heatsink module of the present embodiment are assembled onto the third circuit board.  
       FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  demonstrate the operation of the clipper in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 6  is the bottom view showing that the back board of the present embodiment is mounted on the back side of the back board of the first circuit board. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
       FIG. 1  is an explode view of a clip assembly for clipping heatsink on the first circuit board according to one embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is an assemble perspective view of the clip assembly, the heatsink module, and the first circuit board in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3A  is the second circuit board and the second device disposed on the second circuit board, and  FIG. 3B  is the perspective view showing that the clip assembly and the heatsink module in  FIG. 1  are assembled onto the second circuit board in  FIG. 3A .  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3A , and  FIG. 3B , the clip assembly  200  of the embodiment is suitable to clip a heatsink module  10  on a first circuit board  30  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) or a second circuit board  50  (as shown in  FIG. 3B ). The heatsink module  10  includes a bottom block  12 , a plurality of heat pipes  14  and a plurality of radiation fins  16 . The heat pipes  14  are connected between the bottom block  12  and the radiation fins  16 , and the heat pipes  14  are connected with the radiation fins  16  in series. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a first device  40  is disposed on the first circuit board  30 , and the first circuit board  30  has a plurality of first mounting holes  32  located around the first device  40 . As shown in  FIG. 3A , a second device  60  is disposed on the second circuit board  50 , and the second circuit board  50  has a plurality of second mounting holes  52  located around the second device  60 . Wherein, the distance between the first mounting holes  32  is, for example, greater than the distance between the second mounting holes  52 . For example, the first device  40  and the second device  60 , for example, are respectively the central processing unit (CPU) made by Intel Corporation and the CPU made by AMD, Inc., and the first circuit board  30  and the second circuit board  50  are the motherboards (or called platforms) respectively suitable for mounting the first device  40  and the second device  60 .  
      The clip assembly  200  includes a base  210 , a plurality of mounting parts  220  and a clipper  230 . The base  210  has an opening  212 , a plurality of first clipping portions  214 , a plurality of third mounting holes  216  and a plurality of fourth mounting holes  218 . The base  210  is suitable to be installed on the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50 . When the base  210  is installed on the first circuit board  30 , the first device  40  is disposed in the opening  212  of the base  210 . When the base  210  is installed on the second circuit board  50 , the second device  60  is disposed in the opening  212  of the base  210 . In addition, at least one part of the heatsink module  10  is in contact with the first device  40  or the second device  60 . Moreover, the locations of the third mounting holes  216  of the base  210  correspond to the locations of the first mounting holes  32 , and the locations of the fourth mounting holes  218  of the base  210  correspond to the locations of the second mounting holes  52 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B , the mounting parts  220  of the clip assembly  200  fixes the base  210  on the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50  by passing through the first mounting holes  32  and the third mounting holes  216 , or passing through the second mounting holes  52  and the fourth mounting holes  218 . The mounting parts  220  may be screws or bolts. In addition, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3B , the clip assembly  200  may further include a plurality of pedestal pillars  240 , disposed between the base  210  and the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50 , and the mounting parts  220  pass through the pedestal pillars  240 . The pedestal pillars  240  can keep a predefined height between the base  210  and the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50 , so that other electronic parts such as capacitors, inductances can be mounted on the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50  under the side of the base  210 .  
      It can be learned from the above that, the base  210  of the clip assembly  200  of the present invention has a plurality of third mounting holes  216  and as well as a plurality of fourth mounting holes  218 , and the locations of the third and fourth mounting holes  216 ,  218  respectively correspond to the locations of the first and the second mounting holes  32 ,  52 . Accordingly, the clip assembly  200  can be installed on the first circuit board  30  or the second circuit board  50 . That is, as the base  210  of the clip assembly  200  of the present invention has the mounting holes suitable for different circuit boards, the fewer accessories can cover the specification requirements of different circuit boards compared to the conventional technology, so that no superfluous parts are needed, and further, the cost is reduced.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the base  210  has a plurality of first clipping portions  214 , and the clipper  230  has a plurality of second clipping portions  232 . Wherein, the second clipping portions  232  is used to clasp the first clipping portions  214  so as to clip the heatsink module  10  on the base  210 . In the embodiment, the first clipping portions  214 , for example, are a clasp curved inward from at least one edge of the base  210 , and the second clipping portions  232  are, for example, a clipping hole. Accordingly, the first clipping portion  214  can clasp the second clipping portion  232  so as to clip the heatsink module  10  on the base  210 . According to the present invention, the first clipping portions  214  are a clasp curved outward from at least one edge of the base  210 , and the second clipping portions  232  may be a clipping hole.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B ,  FIG. 4A  is the third circuit board and the third device disposed on the third circuit board, and  FIG. 4B  is the perspective view showing that the clip assembly and the heatsink module of  FIG. 1  are assembled onto the third circuit board in  FIG. 4A . Referring to  FIG. 4A , a third device  80  is disposed on the third circuit board  70 . The third circuit board  70  has a plurality of fifth mounting holes  72  located around the third device  80 , and the base  210  further includes a plurality of sixth mounting holes  219 . Moreover, the location of the sixth mounting holes  219  of the base  210  correspond to the location of the fifth mounting holes  72 . Therefore, the clip assembly  200  of the present invention is more suitable to clip the heatsink module  10  on the third circuit board  70  (as shown in  FIG. 4B ). When the base  210  is mounted on the third circuit board  70 , the third device  80  is disposed in the opening  212  of the base  210 . Moreover, at least one part of the heatsink module  10  is in contact with the third device  80 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 4B , the mounting parts  220  of the clip assembly  200  fix the base  210  on the third circuit board  70  by passing through the fifth mounting holes  72  and the sixth mounting holes  219 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 4B , the pedestal pillars  240  of the clip assembly  200  can be disposed between the base  210  and the third circuit board  70 , and the mounting parts  200  pass through the pedestal pillars  240 . As described above, the pedestal pillars  240  can keep a predefined height between the base  210  and the third circuit board  70 , so that other electronic parts such as capacitors, inductances can be disposed on the third circuit board  70  under the side of the base  210 .  
       FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  demonstrate the operation of the clipper in  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , the clipper  230 , for example, has a clipping pole  234 . The clipping pole  234  clips the first clipping portion  214  into the second clipping portion  232  of the clipper  230  steadily by a downward pressure, and clips the heatsink module  10  steadily on the first circuit board  30  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), the second circuit board  50  (as shown in  FIG. 3B ), or the third circuit board  70  (as shown in  FIG. 4B ). In  FIG. 5A , the clipping pole  234  is disposed at the first position and the clipper  230  can be released from the base  210 . In  FIG. 5B , the clipping pole  234  is rotated (as shown by the arrow) and pressed downward to a second position by force, and the clipper  230  can be clipped steadily on the base  210 .  
      It needs to be noted that a thin board  236  extending downward at the center of the clipper  230  is provided for supporting the heatsink module  10 . The thin board  236  helps the bottom block  12  of the heatsink module  10  to be in contact with the first, the second, or the third electronic device  40 ,  60 ,  80  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3B  and  FIG. 4B , respectively).  
      In addition, the clip assembly  200  further includes a back board  250 . The back board  250  can enhance the clipping strength (i.e., the clipping pressure provided by the clip assembly  200 ) between the heatsink module  10  and the first or second circuit board  30 ,  50 ; and the bending moment on the first or second circuit board  30 ,  50  (or the third circuit board  70 ) resulting from the side pressure due to the weight can be avoided. Referring to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 6  is the bottom view showing that the back board of the present embodiment is mounted on the back side of the back surface of the first circuit board. The back board  250  can be mounted on the back surface of the first circuit board  30  or mounted on the back surface of the second circuit board  50 , and has a plurality of seventh mounting holes  252  and a plurality of eighth mounting holes  254 . The seventh mounting holes  252  correspond to the first mounting hole  32  and the third mounting holes  216 , and the eighth mounting holes  254  correspond to the second mounting holes  52  and the fourth mounting holes  218 . Therefore, the back board  250  can be fixed on the back surface of the first circuit board  30  by the mounting parts  220  passing through the first mounting holes  32 , the third mounting holes  216  and the seventh mounting holes  252 . Also, the back board  250  can be fixed on the back surface of the second circuit board  50  by the mounting parts  220  passing through the second mounting holes  52 , the fourth mounting holes  218  and the eighth mounting holes  254 . Of course, the back board  250  can have a plurality of ninth mounting holes  256 , and the back board  250  can be fixed on the back surface of the third circuit board  70  by the mounting parts  220  passing through the fifth mounting holes  72 , the sixth mounting holes  219  and the ninth mounting holes  256 .  
      In summary, as the clip assembly of the present invention applies the base having a plurality of groups of mounting holes of different specifications, the clip assembly is suitable to clip the heatsink module on different circuit boards. Therefore, the quantity of the accessories included in the clip assembly can be reduced and the cost is saved.  
      It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.