Communication device

Abstract

A communication device, comprising optical modules (70), cooling assemblies (50), heat conduction assemblies (30), a circuit board (20), and optical cages (10). The optical cages (10) are fixed on one side of the circuit board (20), and are provided with optical module plugging / unplugging ports (11). The cooling assemblies (50) are located on the side of the circuit board (20) facing away from the optical cages (10). The heat conduction assemblies (30) penetrate through the circuit board (20) in the thickness direction of the circuit board (20), one end of each heat conduction assembly (30) is used for dissipating heat in the corresponding optical module (70) in the corresponding optical module plugging / unplugging port (11) and the other end is connected to the corresponding cooling assembly (50). Heat generated by the optical modules (70) passes through the circuit board (20) to the cooling assemblies (50) by means of the heat conduction assemblies (30), and the cooling assemblies (50) dissipate the heat, thereby avoiding the impact of excessive accumulation of heat in the optical modules (70) on the performance.

Description

Communication device

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410650516.4, filed on May 23, 2024, and entitled "A communication device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0004] An optical module is an important component in fiber-optic communication, and is an optoelectronic device that realizes the functions of photoelectric conversion and electro-optic conversion in the process of optical signal transmission. The optical module is widely used in communication devices such as switches.

[0005] The optical module generates a large amount of heat during operation, and the heat needs to be dissipated in time, otherwise, the performance of the optical module will be reduced due to the accumulation of heat. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application discloses a communication device for relieving the space occupied by a cooling assembly on the side of a circuit board where an optical cage is located, and facilitating heat dissipation.

[0007] The present application provides a communication device, comprising an optical module, a cooling assembly, a heat conduction assembly, a circuit board and an optical cage. The optical cage is fixed to one side of the circuit board, and the optical cage has an optical module plug-in port. The cooling assembly is located on the side of the circuit board away from the optical cage. The heat conduction assembly penetrates through the circuit board along the thickness direction of the circuit board, and one end of the heat conduction assembly is used for dissipating heat for the optical module in the optical module plug-in port, and the other end of the heat conduction assembly is connected with the cooling assembly. The heat generated by the optical module passes through the circuit board to the cooling assembly through the heat conduction assembly, and the cooling assembly dissipates the heat, thereby avoiding the excessive accumulation of heat in the optical module affecting the performance. The cooling assembly is located on the side of the circuit board away from the optical cage, and does not occupy the space on the side where the optical cage is located. Since the cooling assembly is away from the electronic components on the side of the circuit board where the optical cage is located, heat dissipation is more facilitated.

[0008] In an embodiment, the communication device further comprises a case, the circuit board is located in the case and is perpendicular to the bottom plate of the case, and the optical module plug-in port is oriented perpendicular to the circuit board or forms an acute angle with the circuit board.

[0009] In an embodiment, the heat conducting assembly comprises a heat sink and a heat pipe, the heat sink is used for dissipating heat for an optical module in the optical module plug-in port, the heat pipe penetrates through the circuit board along the thickness direction of the circuit board, and one end is connected with the corresponding heat sink, and the other end is connected with the cooling assembly.

[0010] In an embodiment, the cooling assembly is a liquid cooling assembly.

[0011] In an embodiment, the liquid cooling assembly comprises a liquid cooling plate and a pressing plate, and the pressing plate is used for pressing the heat conducting assembly to the corresponding liquid cooling plate.

[0012] In an embodiment, when the heat conducting assembly comprises a heat sink and a heat pipe, the pressing plate is used for pressing one end of the heat pipe away from the heat sink to the corresponding liquid cooling plate.

[0013] In an embodiment, the cooling assembly is arranged one by one with the optical cage.

[0014] In an embodiment, the number of the cooling assembly is multiple, and the adjacent cooling assemblies are connected through a stacking interface.

[0015] In an embodiment, the optical cage has N rows and M columns of optical module plug-in ports, wherein N and M are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0016] In an embodiment, N = 1, 2, 3 or 4, and M = 4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure in a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig. 2 shows an assembly relationship between the structure shown in Fig. 1 and a case 60.

[0020] Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a structure of the pressing plate 52, the liquid cooling plate 51 and the heat pipe in Fig. 2.

[0021] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a cooperation of the optical module 70, the circuit board 20 and the cooling assembly 50 in Fig. 2.

[0022] Fig. 5 shows a modification of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

[0023] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a variant of the structure shown in Fig. 2 for N = 1 and M = 4.

[0024] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a variant of the structure shown in Fig. 2 for N = 2 and M = 4.

[0025] Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a variant of the structure shown in Fig. 2 for N = 4 and M = 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in the text only describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that there are three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0028] Hereinafter, the terms "first", "second" are only used for description purposes, and cannot be understood as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features, and in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more than two.

[0029] In the case of using "including", "having", and "containing" described in the present application, unless using explicit limiting terms such as "only", "consisting of", etc., another component can also be added. Unless otherwise mentioned, the singular form of the term can include the plural form, and cannot be understood as its number is only one.

[0030] In the present application, the orientation terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right" are used to describe the relative positional relationship of components, usually based on the normal use direction or installation reference system of the device. For example, "upper" means the part at the top of the device or the higher part, "lower" means the part at the lower part of the device or the lower part, "left" means the part on the left side of the device compared to the center line, and "right" means the part on the right side of the device compared to the center line. However, during use, the device may be flipped, rotated, or otherwise changed in position, in which case the orientation terms should be understood as the direct spatial positional relationship relative to other components rather than a fixed direction. Those skilled in the art can appropriately understand these terms according to the use environment.

[0031] "Connection" generally refers to the physical or functional connection between two components, which can be direct contact or indirect connection through one or more intermediate elements. In some embodiments, "connection" can be a movable connection, such as in a hinge structure allowing relative movement between two components; or a fixed connection, such as an inseparable connection between two components achieved by welding, bonding, or threaded combination. It can be understood that "intermediate element" refers to a structure between two components, which can be used to change the connection characteristics, optimize force distribution, or achieve specific functional purposes. The intermediate element can include, but is not limited to, a shaft, a gasket, a support structure, or a transmission element. In some embodiments, the "intermediate element" can be an optional component, so that different components can be directly connected; while in other embodiments, the "intermediate element" is a key component to achieve functional requirements, such as isolation or transmission of electrical signals. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms can be appropriately understood by those skilled in the art according to the use environment without specific explanation.

[0032] The optical module is widely used in communication devices such as switches, but it generates a large amount of heat during operation, which needs to be dissipated in time, otherwise, the performance of the optical module will be reduced as the heat accumulates. In related technical solutions, the direction of the optical module plug-in port of the optical cage is parallel to the circuit board, the cooling assembly is located on the same side of the circuit board as the optical cage, occupying the space on that side of the circuit board, and is not conducive to dissipating heat in time.

[0033] Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application comprises: an optical module 70, a cooling assembly 50, a heat conduction assembly 30, a circuit board 20 and an optical cage 10; the optical cage 10 is fixed on one side of the circuit board 20.

[0034] The fixing method of the optical cage 10 and the circuit board 20 can be crimping, welding or screwing.

[0035] The optical cage 10 has an optical module plug-in port 11. The cooling assembly 50 is located on the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10.

[0036] The heat conduction assembly 30 penetrates the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, and one end is used for dissipating heat for the optical module 70 in the optical module plug-in port 11, and the other end is connected with the cooling assembly 50. Among them, the corresponding end of the heat conduction assembly 30 (the end of the heat pipe 31 close to the heat sink 32) can be located in the optical module plug-in port 11.

[0037] The optical module 70 can be inserted into the optical module plug-in port 11 and in contact with the heat conduction assembly 30. However, it is not limited to this way, as long as the corresponding end of the heat conduction assembly 30 can be in contact with the optical module 70 and dissipate heat for it.

[0038] The heat generated by the optical module 70 passes through the circuit board 20 to the cooling assembly 50 through the heat conduction assembly 30, and the cooling assembly 50 dissipates the heat, thereby avoiding the excessive accumulation of heat in the optical module 70 affecting the performance.

[0039] The cooling assembly 50 is located on the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10, and does not occupy the space on the side of the optical cage 10. Since the cooling assembly 50 is away from the electronic components on the side of the optical cage 10 of the circuit board 20, it is more conducive to heat dissipation.

[0040] In a specific embodiment, the communication device further includes a cabinet 60, the circuit board 20 is located in the cabinet 60, and is perpendicular to the bottom plate 61 of the cabinet 60 and fixed with the cabinet 60.

[0041] The optical module plug-in port 11 is oriented perpendicular to the circuit board 20, forming a vertical line card (VLC) architecture.

[0042] Those skilled in the art can understand that "perpendicular" here can have an engineering-allowed error, and the error range can be between ±5°, for example, the error is -1°, -2°, -3°, -4°, -5°, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4° and 5°, etc. However, it is not limited to this vertical scenario, for example, the optical module plug-in port 11 can also form an acute angle with the circuit board 20, and the specific can be connected through the connector to transverse the optical module plug-in port 11, so that its orientation is not perpendicular to the circuit board 20.

[0043] The VLC architecture realizes high-density optical module plug-in ports 11 at a lower cost, and the cooling assembly 50 is located on the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10, reserving space for high-density arrangement of the optical module plug-in port 11, further improving the arrangement density of the optical module plug-in port 11. While the architecture of the optical module plug-in port 11 parallel to the circuit board 20 can generally only stack optical module plug-in ports 11 within 3 layers, the area of the circuit board 20 occupied is fixed, and the cooling assembly 50 is located on the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10, and cannot improve the arrangement density of the optical module plug-in port 11.

[0044] The chassis 60 can further include a panel 62, which is connected perpendicularly to the bottom plate 61, and the optical module plug-in port 11 of the optical cage 10 is connected to a corresponding hole on the panel 62 in a one-to-one manner, so as to facilitate plugging the optical module 70 into the hole of the panel 62.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, the heat conduction assembly 30 includes a heat sink 32 and a heat pipe 31. The heat sink 32 is used to dissipate heat from the optical module 70 in the optical module plug-in port 11. For example, when the heat sink 32 is located in the corresponding optical module plug-in port 11, the heat sink 32 can be pressed to tightly contact the optical module 70 through the spring (not shown in the figure) on the inner wall of the optical module plug-in port 11, so as to ensure good contact and timely transfer heat from the optical module 70 to the heat pipe 31. The heat pipe 31 penetrates the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, and one end is connected (such as welded) to the corresponding heat sink 32, and the other end is connected to the cooling assembly 50.

[0046] The heat pipe 31 has good heat conduction performance and can conduct heat from the heat sink 32 to the cooling assembly 50. The heat pipe 31 can be made of materials with high thermal conductivity such as copper. The heat pipe 31 directly penetrates the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, without having to bypass from the side of the circuit board 20, which can simplify the layout of the heat pipe 31 and reduce the length of the heat pipe 31, thereby improving the heat transfer efficiency.

[0047] Specifically, a through slot 21 can be formed in the circuit board 20, and the heat pipe 31 penetrates the through slot 21. The through slot 21 can be arranged one-to-one with the heat pipe 31, so as to avoid the through slot 21 being too large and affecting the structural strength of the circuit board 20.

[0048] In a specific embodiment, the cooling assembly 50 is a liquid cooling assembly. In the above-mentioned VLC architecture, the circuit board 20 blocks the airflow in the horizontal direction, which is not conducive to air cooling. However, the liquid cooling assembly does not need air as a cooling medium, but uses cooling liquid as a cooling medium. Therefore, even if the airflow is blocked by the circuit board 20, the liquid cooling assembly can still normally provide heat dissipation for the optical module 70.

[0049] In a specific embodiment, the liquid cooling assembly includes a first bracket a, a liquid cooling plate 51, and a pressing plate 52. The pressing plate 52 presses the heat conduction assembly 30 to the corresponding liquid cooling plate 51, and specifically, the heat pipe 31 of the heat conduction assembly 30 is pressed to the corresponding liquid cooling plate 51.

[0050] The multi-layer liquid cooling plate 51 is arranged in sequence and at intervals along a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate 61, and is supported on the bottom plate 61 by the first support a. For example, the first support a is connected to the bottom plate 61 by the angle steel 54. A support beam 57 can also be arranged between the angle steel 54 and the bottom plate 61 to improve the support strength.

[0051] A pressing plate 52 is arranged below each liquid cooling plate 51, and the pressing plate 52 is supported on the bottom plate 61 by the second support b. A buffer pad 53 is filled between the pressing plate 52 and the heat pipe 31 to ensure that there is no gap between the pressing plate 52 and the heat pipe 31, and the heat pipe 31 can be fully compacted in the liquid cooling plate 51 to achieve full heat dissipation.

[0052] The first support a can be hollow inside and has a cooling liquid inlet and outlet 56, and each liquid cooling plate 51 is in communication with the cooling liquid inlet and outlet 56 through the hollow structure of the first support a. The cooling liquid inlet and outlet 56 is used to supply and recover the cooling liquid, realize the circulation of the cooling liquid, so that the liquid cooling plate 51 can timely dissipate the heat conducted by the heat conduction assembly 30.

[0053] In a specific embodiment, when the heat conduction assembly 30 includes the heat sink 32 and the heat pipe 31, the pressing plate presses the end (tail end 311) of the heat pipe 31 away from the heat sink 32 to the corresponding liquid cooling plate 51, so that the length of the heat pipe 31 between the heat sink 32 and the liquid cooling plate 51 is as long as possible, the influence of the bridging force of the heat pipe 31 on the contact between the heat sink 32 and the optical module 70 is reduced, and the heat sink 32 can be in contact with the optical module 70 in an up-down floating manner, and the thermal contact is more reliable.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 5, the cooling assembly 50 and the optical cage 10 can be multiple groups. In a specific embodiment, the cooling assembly 50 and the optical cage 10 are arranged one-to-one, so that each cooling assembly 50 and each optical cage 10 are independent. When disassembly and maintenance are required, another cooling assembly 50 does not need to be disassembled when one cooling assembly 50 is disassembled, and the maintenance efficiency is high.

[0055] Continuing to refer to FIG. 5, in a specific embodiment, the number of cooling assemblies 50 is multiple, and these cooling assemblies 50 are arranged on the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10. Therefore, they are arranged in a direction parallel to the circuit board 20.

[0056] The adjacent cooling assemblies 50 are connected through the stacking interface 55, and each cooling assembly 50 does not need to be connected to a part of the case 60, so that the expansion of the optical cage 10 and the cooling assembly 50 is facilitated.

[0057] Specifically, an angle steel 54 with a first bolt hole can be arranged at the bottom of the cooling assembly 50, and a second bolt hole corresponding to the first bolt hole can be arranged at the top of the cooling assembly 50. By connecting the corresponding first bolt hole and the second bolt hole through a bolt, the stacking expansion of the cooling assembly 50 can be realized, the component reuse rate is high, and the cost benefit is great. The first bolt hole and the second bolt hole can be used as a specific embodiment of the stacking interface 55.

[0058] In one specific embodiment, the optical cage 10 has N rows and M columns of optical module plug ports 11, where N and M are both positive integers ≥1. When N and M are both 1, the optical cage 10 is a single cage, and when N or M is greater than or equal to 2, the optical cage 10 is a connected cage. Regardless of which one, the cooling assembly 50 can be fixed to the side of the circuit board 20 away from the optical cage 10.

[0059] In one specific embodiment, N = 1, 2, 3, or 4, and M = 4. As shown in FIG. 6, N = 1 and M = 4; as shown in FIG. 7, N = 2 and M = 4. As shown in FIG. 8, N = 4 and M = 4. For different values of N, only the liquid cooling assembly of the liquid cooling plate 51 with different numbers of layers needs to be replaced, which is convenient and flexible.

[0060] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: a circuit board; a cage of optical modules fixed to one side of the circuit board, and the cage of optical modules having one or more optical module plug-in ports; a cooling assembly located at a side of the circuit board away from the cage of optical modules; and one or more heat conduction assemblies penetrating through the circuit board along a thickness direction of the circuit board, wherein one end of the one or more heat conduction assemblies is configured to dissipate heat from an optical module in the one or more optical module plug-in ports, and the other end of the one or more heat conduction assemblies is in contact with the cooling assembly. The one end of the heat conduction assembly configured to dissipate heat from the optical module in the optical module plug-in port is located in the optical module plug-in port.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The optical module plug-in port is oriented perpendicular to the circuit board, or forms an acute angle with the circuit board.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The heat conduction assembly comprises a heat sink configured to dissipate heat from the optical module in the optical module plug-in port, and a heat pipe penetrating through the circuit board along the thickness direction of the circuit board, wherein one end of the heat pipe is connected to the heat sink, and the other end of the heat pipe is in contact with the cooling assembly.

4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, One or more through-slots are formed in the circuit board, and the one or more through-slots correspond to the heat pipes of the one or more heat conduction assemblies one by one.

5. The communication device of claim 4, wherein, The cooling assembly is a liquid cooling assembly.

6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The liquid cooling assembly comprises a liquid cooling plate and a pressing plate, and the pressing plate is configured to press the heat conduction assembly against the corresponding liquid cooling plate.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein, When the heat conduction assembly comprises the heat sink and the heat pipe, the pressing plate is configured to press the other end of the heat pipe against the liquid cooling plate.

8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein, A buffer pad is filled between the pressing plate and the heat pipe.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein, The number of the cooling assemblies is plural, the number of the cages of optical modules is plural, and the plural cooling assemblies and the plural cages of optical modules are arranged one by one.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, Adjacent cooling assemblies in the plural cooling assemblies are connected through a stacking interface.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein, The cage of optical modules has N rows and M columns of optical module plug-in ports, wherein N and M are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1.

12. The communication device of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, N is 1, 2, 3 or 4, and M is 4.

13. The communication device of claim 12, wherein, The communication device further comprises a cabinet, and the circuit board is located in the cabinet and is perpendicular to a bottom plate of the cabinet.

14. The communication device of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, ​

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