Nut for heat dissipation fin and heat dissipation fin assembly comprising the same

Abstract

The present application relates to a nut for heat dissipation fins and a heat dissipation fin assembly comprising the same. The nut comprises a hollow plastic body, wherein an inner thread is arranged on an inner surface of the hollow plastic body, at least one reverse buckle feature is arranged on an outer surface of the hollow plastic body for buckling with the heat dissipation fins, and a head is arranged at another end of the hollow plastic body, wherein an outer diameter of the head is larger than an outer diameter of the hollow plastic body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This case relates generally to a nut, and more particularly to a nut for heat sink fins and a heat sink fin assembly including the nut. Background Technology

[0002] Figure 1A-1C The flowchart shows the assembly of CPU 16 and heat sink 18 onto motherboard 10. Figure 1A The image shows a top view of the motherboard 10 without the CPU 16 and heatsink 18 installed. Figure 1B The image shows a top view of the motherboard with the CPU 16 installed but the heatsink 18 not yet installed. Figure 1C This shows a top view of the motherboard with CPU 16 and heatsink 18 installed. See also Figure 1A The motherboards 10 currently sold on the market have a CPU socket 12 and a backplate 50 on the back side of the motherboard 10 (see...). Figure 7A The backplate 50 is secured to the back of the motherboard 10 by the fastener 14. After purchasing the motherboard 10, if the user wishes to install the CPU 16 into the CPU socket 12, they must first remove the fastener 14 from the motherboard 10 before installing the CPU 16 into the CPU socket (see [link]). Figure 1B See next. Figure 1C The user needs to then install the heat sink fins 18 using screws 20 (see...). Figure 2 Nut 52 passes through the motherboard 10 and backplate 50 (see...) Figure 7A They mesh together, thus completing the assembly.

[0003] Figure 2 A side view of a known heatsink fin assembly is shown. Figure 1C When installing the heat sink 18 onto the motherboard 10, the screws 20 must first pass through the loading spring 22, the upper washer 24, the retainer 26, and the lower washer 24 in sequence before they can pass through the screws 52 on the motherboard 10 and the backplate 50 (see...). Figure 7A The engagement of the heat sink fins 18 is not only cumbersome to assemble, but also requires numerous components to achieve the mounting of the heat sink fins 18. Furthermore, the known screws 20 and nuts 52 (see...) Figure 7A Both components are made of metal. After repeated assembly, due to material fatigue, metal debris may be generated between them during assembly. The falling metal debris will inevitably come into contact with various electronic components and / or metal contacts on the motherboard 10, causing a short circuit and ultimately burning out the entire motherboard.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a nut and heat sink fin assembly that is easy to assemble, saves materials, and avoids damage to the motherboard. Utility Model Content

[0005] According to one aspect of this case, a nut for heat dissipation fins is provided, comprising: a hollow plastic body, the inner surface of which is provided with an internal thread, wherein at an end of the hollow plastic body, at least one reverse-threading feature is provided on the outer surface of the hollow plastic body for engaging with heat dissipation fins; and a head located at the other end of the hollow plastic body, the outer diameter of the head being larger than the outer diameter of the hollow plastic body.

[0006] According to another aspect of this application, a heat sink assembly is provided, comprising: a heat sink fin having at least two symmetrical retainers disposed around its periphery; at least two nuts as described above, each passing through the at least two retainers, wherein at least one reverse-threaded feature of each of the at least two nuts passes through each of the at least two retainers and reverses the lower surface of each of the at least two retainers; at least two loading springs, each disposed between the head of the at least two nuts and the upper surface of the at least two retainers, wherein the two ends of each of the at least two loading springs abut against the head of each of the at least two nuts and the upper surface of each of the at least two retainers; and a back plate having at least two screws disposed on the back plate at positions corresponding to the at least two retainers, wherein each of the at least two screws has an external thread that engages with the internal thread of each of the at least two nuts, and wherein the heat sink fin is connected to the at least two nuts and the back plate by means of the internal threads of the at least two nuts and the external threads of the at least two screws of the back plate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the nut further includes: at least one slot provided at the end of the hollow plastic body, extending from the outer surface of the hollow plastic body to the inner surface of the hollow plastic body.

[0008] In one embodiment, at least one slot is two slots spaced apart from each other by a distance.

[0009] In one embodiment, the spacing does not exceed half a circumference of the hollow body of the plastic.

[0010] In one embodiment, at least one buckle feature is a protrusion.

[0011] In one embodiment, the protrusion has a gradually increasing surface and a radially extending surface, the gradually increasing surface increasing from one end of the hollow plastic body toward the other end and intersecting with a radially extending surface that extends radially from the outer surface of the hollow plastic body.

[0012] In one embodiment, at least one buckle feature is at least three buckle features.

[0013] In one embodiment, at least one buckle feature is disposed between two slots.

[0014] In one embodiment, at least two retaining members are four retaining members symmetrically arranged around the periphery of the heat sink fins, at least two nuts are four nuts, and at least two screws are four screws.

[0015] In one embodiment, each of the at least two retainers has a C-shaped form. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To gain a detailed understanding of the features described above, reference can be made to the embodiments for a more specific description of the above-briefly summarized specification, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only illustrate exemplary embodiments of the specification and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as other equivalent embodiments are permissible.

[0017] Figure 1A-1C The flowchart shows the assembly of the CPU and heatsink onto the motherboard, in which... Figure 1A The image shows a top view of the motherboard without the CPU and heatsink installed. Figure 1B The image shows a top view of the motherboard with the CPU installed but no heatsink yet. Figure 1C The image shows a top view of the motherboard with the CPU and heatsink installed.

[0018] Figure 2 A side view of a known heat sink assembly is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 A perspective view of a nut according to some embodiments of this case is shown.

[0020] Figure 4 A side view of a nut according to some embodiments of this case is shown.

[0021] Figure 5 A perspective view is shown of a nut being installed on a heat sink fin according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 A side view of a nut with a gasket on its inner surface according to some embodiments of this case is shown.

[0023] Figure 7A A schematic diagram of a known heat sink assembly is shown.

[0024] Figure 7B A schematic diagram of a heat sink assembly according to some embodiments of this case is shown.

[0025] For ease of understanding, the same element symbols are used to represent common elements in the figures where possible. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be advantageously incorporated into other embodiments without further description. Detailed Implementation

[0026] This invention provides a nut for heat dissipation fins, comprising: a hollow plastic body, the inner surface of which is provided with an internal thread, and at the end of the hollow plastic body having: at least one reverse-threading feature disposed on the outer surface of the hollow plastic body for engaging with heat dissipation fins; and a head located at the other end of the hollow plastic body, the head having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the hollow plastic body.

[0027] Figure 3 A perspective view of a nut according to some embodiments of this case is shown. Figure 4 A side view of a nut according to some embodiments of this case is shown. The following will be combined with... Figure 3 and Figure 4 To illustrate the technical features of the nut 100 in this case. The nut 100 in this case can be used with commercially available heat sink fins 18 (see...). Figure 1C This eliminates the need for further modifications to the structure of commercially available heat sink fins 18, thereby increasing its applicability. The nut 100 comprises a hollow plastic body 110 and a head 150. The inner surface 120 of the hollow plastic body 110 may be provided with internal threads 122 for engaging with the external threads of the screw 202 on the backplate 200 of this invention (see...). Figure 7B This allows the heat sink 18 to be attached to the motherboard 10.

[0028] The hollow plastic body 110 has two ends 112 and 114. At least one snap-fit ​​feature 118 may be present at one end 112 of the hollow plastic body 110. The snap-fit ​​feature 118 may be disposed on the outer surface 124 of the hollow plastic body 110 for engaging with the heat dissipation fins 18. The snap-fit ​​feature 118 may be a continuous snap-fit ​​feature 118 surrounding the entire end 112, or it may be a plurality of spaced-apart snap-fit ​​features 118. Therefore, the number of snap-fit ​​features 118 may be one, two, or more than three. When there are multiple snap-fit ​​features 118, the multiple snap-fit ​​features 118 may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically. In some embodiments of this invention, the snap-fit ​​feature 118 is a protrusion. In some embodiments of this invention, the protrusion may have a gradually increasing surface 118a and a radially extending surface 118b. The gradually increasing surface 118a gradually increases from one end 112 of the hollow plastic body 110 toward the other end 114 and intersects with the radially extending surface 118b that extends radially from the outer surface 124 of the hollow plastic body 110, thus forming a protrusion provided on the outer surface 124 of the hollow plastic body 110.

[0029] The head 150 is located at the other end 114 of the hollow plastic body 110. The outer diameter of the head 150 is larger than the outer diameter of the hollow plastic body 110, so that after the hollow plastic body 110 of the nut 100 passes through the loading spring 22, the head 150 can abut against the loading spring 22, thereby holding the loading spring 22 in the proper position (see...). Figure 5 ).

[0030] Figure 5 A perspective view is shown of a nut being installed on a heat sink fin according to some embodiments of this invention. The heat sink fin 18 typically has symmetrical retaining members 26 around its periphery for mounting the heat sink fin 18 to the motherboard 10. Figure 5 Although the embodiment shown depicts four retaining members 26, the number of retaining members 26 is not limited to this; it is only necessary to properly install and secure the heat dissipation fins 18. To install the nut 100 to the heat dissipation fins 18, first pass the nut 100 through the loading spring 22, and then through the retaining members 26. The loading spring 22 is located between the head 150 of the nut 100 and the upper surface 28 of the retaining member 26, with its two ends abutting against the head 150 of the nut 100 and the upper surface 28 of the retaining member 26, respectively. The nut 100 on the left shows the first position where the nut 100 passes through the retaining member 26. In this first position, because the hollow plastic body 110 is elastic, the buckle feature 118 on its end 112 can be compressed inward, thereby passing through the aperture of the retaining member 26. The nut 100 on the right shows the second position where the nut 100 passes through the retainer 26. In the second position, after the end 112 of the nut 100 passes through the hole of the retainer 26, the end 112 returns to its original radius due to the elastic restoring force. The elastic force of the loading spring 22 causes the reverse snap feature 118 of the nut 100 to snap onto the lower surface 30 of the retainer 26, thereby fixing the nut 100 in the retainer 26, thus completing the assembly of the nut 100 and the heat sink fin 18.

[0031] See you later Figure 3 In some embodiments of this invention, at least one slot 116 may be further included at the end 112 of the nut 100. The slot 116 extends from the outer surface 124 of the hollow plastic body 110 to the inner surface 120 of the hollow plastic body 110. The slot 116 allows the hollow plastic body 110 to be more easily compressed inwards so that, when the nut 100 is installed through the retainer 26 passing through the heat sink fins 18, the snap-fit ​​feature 118 at the end 112 can more easily pass through the aperture of the retainer 26. Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments of this invention, the slot 116 may be two slots 116 spaced apart from each other. In some embodiments of this invention, the spacing does not exceed half the circumference of the hollow plastic body 110. In some embodiments of this invention, the snap-fit ​​feature 118 may be provided between the two slots 116.

[0032] In some embodiments of this invention, in addition to the hollow plastic body 110, the head 150 may also be made of plastic. When both the hollow body 110 and the head 150 are made of plastic, the nut 100 may be integrally formed.

[0033] Figure 6 A side view of a nut with a gasket on its inner surface according to some embodiments of this invention is shown. In some embodiments of this invention, the nut 100 is only used with a metal screw 202 (see [link]). Figure 7B The engaging portion is made of plastic. Therefore, in some embodiments of this invention, the nut 100 may be made of metal, while a plastic gasket 126 is laid inside the hollow body 110. The gasket 126 may have internal threads 122 for engaging with the screw 202 of the back plate 200. In this embodiment, after repeated assembly, because the gasket 126 on the inner surface 120 of the nut 100 is made of plastic, when the screw 202 is screwed into the nut 100 (see... Figure 7B Only plastic debris is generated, without causing short circuits in electronic components and / or metal contacts on the motherboard 10.

[0034] Figure 7A A schematic diagram of a known heat sink assembly is shown. After screws 20 are installed in the retainers of the heat sink 18, nuts 52 riveted to the backplate 50 are further engaged with screws 20 to complete the assembly of the heat sink assembly with the motherboard 10. As mentioned above, metal shavings may be generated when the metal screws 20 are screwed into the metal nuts 52, which may cause short circuits in electronic components and / or metal contacts on the motherboard 10.

[0035] Figure 7B A schematic diagram of a heat sink assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the heat sink assembly may include heat sink fins 18, a nut 100, and a loading spring 22 (see [reference]). Figure 5 ) and back plate 200. Back plate 200 has screws 202 riveted to it, the screws 202 being positioned on the back plate 200 corresponding to the retainer 26. Screws 202 have external threads that mate with the internal threads 122 of the nut 100. After passing through as... Figure 5After the nut 100 and the heat sink fin 18 are assembled, the heat sink fin 18 is connected together by the internal thread 122 of the nut 100 and the external thread of the screw 202 of the backplate 200, thereby completing the assembly of the heat sink fin assembly. Figure 7B In the embodiment shown, the retainer 26, nut 100 and screw 202 of the heat dissipation fin 18 are shown as four, but it is not limited to this, as long as the number corresponds to each other.

[0036] Refer back Figure 5 In some embodiments of this invention, the retaining member 26 may be C-shaped, but is not limited to this. The C-shaped retaining member 26 is particularly suitable for embodiments of the nut 100 in this invention that do not have a slot 116 in the hollow body 110. When the hollow body 110 without the slot 116 passes through the retaining member 26, the C-shaped retaining member 26 can expand outwards to facilitate the passage of the snap-fit ​​feature 118 of the nut 100. After the snap-fit ​​feature 118 passes through the retaining member 26, the retaining member 26 returns to its original aperture, and the snap-fit ​​feature 118 of the nut 100 snaps onto the lower surface 30 of the retaining member 26 by the elastic force of the loading spring 22, thereby fixing the nut 100 in the retaining member 26, thus completing the assembly of the nut 100 and the heat sink fin 18.

[0037] The nuts and fin assemblies for the heat sink in this case are easier to assemble because they are secured using a snap-fit ​​feature instead of washers. Furthermore, no additional washers are needed at the ends of the heat sink holders, thus reducing material costs. Even more importantly, the debris generated by the hollow plastic body will not cause short circuits to electronic components and / or metal contacts on the motherboard, preventing damage to the motherboard.

[0038] The embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the scope of this application. The scope of this application is determined by the following claims.

[0039] [Symbol Explanation] 10: Motherboard 12: CPU socket 14: Fasteners 16: CPU 18: Heat dissipation fins 20: Screws 22: Loading Spring 24: Gasket 26: Holding components 28: Top surface 30: Lower surface 50: Back panel 52: Nut 100: Nuts 110: Hollow body 112: end 114: end 116: Grooving 118: Reverse buckle feature 118a: Gradually increasing surface 118b: Radially Extending Surface 120: Inner surface 122: Internal thread 124: Outer surface 126: Padding 150: Head 200: Back panel 202: Screw

Claims

1. A nut for heat dissipation fins, characterized in that, Include: A hollow plastic body, wherein an internal thread is provided on an inner surface of the hollow plastic body, and wherein at one end of the hollow plastic body is: At least one snap-fit ​​feature is provided on an outer surface of the hollow plastic body for engaging with the heat dissipation fins; and A head located at the other end of the hollow plastic body, the outer diameter of the head being larger than the outer diameter of the hollow plastic body.

2. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one slot disposed at the end of the hollow plastic body, extending from the outer surface of the hollow plastic body to the inner surface of the hollow plastic body.

3. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 2, wherein the at least one slot is two slots spaced apart from each other by a distance.

4. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 3, wherein the spacing does not exceed half a circumference of the hollow body of the plastic.

5. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reverse-fastening feature is a protrusion.

6. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion has a gradually increasing surface and a radially extending surface, the gradually increasing surface increasing from one end of the hollow plastic body toward the other end and intersecting the radially extending surface extending radially from the outer surface of the hollow plastic body.

7. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reverse-threaded feature is at least three reverse-threaded features.

8. The nut for the heat dissipation fins according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the at least one reverse-threaded feature is disposed between the two slots.

9. A heat sink assembly, characterized in that, Include: A heat dissipation fin has at least two symmetrical retaining members arranged around its perimeter; At least two nuts according to any one of claims 1 to 8 pass through the at least two retainers, wherein the at least one buckling feature of each of the at least two nuts passes through each of the at least two retainers and buckles against a lower surface of each of the at least two retainers; At least two loading springs are respectively disposed between the heads of the at least two nuts and an upper surface of the at least two retaining members, wherein each of the at least two loading springs has its two ends abutting against the head of each of the at least two nuts and the upper surface of each of the at least two retaining members; and A backplate having at least two screws disposed on the backplate at positions corresponding to the at least two retainers, wherein each of the at least two screws has an external thread that engages with the internal thread of each of the at least two nuts, and wherein the heat dissipation fins are connected to the at least two nuts and the backplate by means of the internal threads of the at least two nuts and the external threads of the at least two screws on the backplate.

10. The heat sink assembly according to claim 9, wherein the at least two retaining members are four retaining members symmetrically arranged around the periphery of the heat sink fin, the at least two nuts are four nuts, and the at least two screws are four screws.

11. The heat sink assembly of claim 9, wherein each of the at least two retainers has a C-shaped form.

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