Clamshell Platform Heat Distribution for Telecommunications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Outdoor telecommunications equipment faces challenges in thermal management, particularly in uncontrolled environments where pluggable optical modules must operate within a wide temperature range without airflow, leading to uneven heat dissipation and increased size, weight, and cost due to single or multiple PCBs dissipating heat unevenly within sealed housings.

Innovation Solution

A hardened telecommunications clamshell platform with a heat distributing mechanism, such as a heat pipe, is used to distribute heat evenly between the base and top cover halves, ensuring efficient thermal management by routing the heat pipe in a loop between the cooling plates to facilitate even heat dissipation across both halves of the enclosure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single PCB dissipates heat through one half of the enclosure, then the heat dissipation path is simple, but the enclosure size and weight increase and the other half of the enclosure does not contribute to heat dissipation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation path complexityVSAvoidenclosure weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the heat dissipation function of both enclosure halves by introducing a heat transport mechanism that transfers heat from the single PCB to both halves of the enclosure, allowing both halves to participate in heat dissipation and reducing overall enclosure size and weight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a heat transport mechanism as an intermediary component that transfers heat from the PCB to both halves of the enclosure, enabling efficient heat distribution without requiring separate heat dissipation paths for each half

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Temperature

If multiple PCBs are mounted on both halves of the enclosure, then heat dissipation is distributed, but the thermal load is not equal and one half bears more thermal load than the other

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal load distributionVSAvoidheat dissipation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by positioning the heat transport mechanism to specifically address the thermal load imbalance, transferring excess heat from the heavily loaded half to the lightly loaded half, creating localized heat redistribution where needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If pluggable optical modules operate in uncontrolled environments without airflow, then the equipment is sealed and protected, but heat must be conducted to the housing and temperature control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment protectionVSAvoidtemperature control

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical airflow-based cooling system with a thermal conduction-based heat transport mechanism, using heat pipes or other thermal conduction methods to transfer heat from the optical modules to the enclosure housing without requiring airflow

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The enclosure housing serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical protection for the sealed equipment and simultaneously acts as a heat dissipation structure, with both halves of the enclosure participating in heat conduction to the environment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enables effective thermal management across a wide temperature range, reducing the size and weight of the equipment while maintaining reliable operation, and improves thermal performance and reliability by ensuring even heat distribution between both halves of the enclosure.

Implementation Method 1

The heat distributing mechanism (58) can be selected from the group consisting of a heat pipe, pumped fluid, a vapour chamber, a thermosyphone, and a loop heat pipe. The heat distributing mechanism (58) can be a heat pipe.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat pipe: Heat Pipe

Implementation Method 2

Heat distributing mechanism (58) surrounding the PCB (52) configured to distribute heat substantially evenly between the base half (32) and the top cover half (34)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11617285B2Hardened, telecommunications clamshell platform with heat load sharing between both halves of the platform

Publication Date: 2023.03.28 CIENA CORP

AI summary

An outdoor, hardened telecommunications clamshell platform includes a base half and a top cover half. The platform also includes a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) disposed between two cooling plates within the platform, and a heat distributing mechanism surrounding the PCB within the platform and configured to distribute heat substantially evenly between the base half and the top cover half.