Electrical Connector Heat Pipe Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical connector assemblies, such as QSFP-DD modules, face challenges in achieving effective heat transfer despite the presence of heat sinks, as they do not adequately dissipate the heat generated by high-speed electrical lanes.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector assembly incorporates a metallic cage with a receptacle connector unit, a middle heat transfer unit featuring heat pipes connected to a thermally conductive heat base and a rear heat sink unit, enhancing heat dissipation by utilizing heat pipes that change phase to efficiently transfer heat from the heat base to the rear heat sink.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heat sink is equipped in the electrical connector assembly, then heat dissipation capability is improved, but heat transfer performance is insufficient for high-speed electrical lanes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs heat pipes that utilize phase transition (evaporation and condensation of working fluid) to transfer heat from the heat base to the rear heat sink unit. The heat pipes convert thermal energy efficiently through phase change, resolving the contradiction between having a heat sink and achieving sufficient heat transfer performance for high-speed electrical lanes.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipes serve as an intermediary medium between the heat base and the rear heat sink unit. This intermediary component facilitates efficient heat transfer by using phase transition mechanisms, thereby improving overall heat transfer performance while maintaining the heat sink structure.
2Reliability
If heat pipes are added to the heat transfer unit, then heat transfer performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipes are integrated with the heat base and rear heat sink unit to form a unified heat transfer system. The heat transfer unit combines the heat base, heat pipes, and rear heat sink unit into a single functional assembly, improving heat transfer performance while minimizing the increase in device complexity through functional integration.
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 configuration significantly improves heat transfer performance, effectively dissipating heat generated by high-speed electrical lanes, thereby enhancing the thermal management of the electrical connector assembly.
Implementation Method 1
enhancing heat dissipation by utilizing heat pipes that change phase to efficiently transfer heat from the heat base to the rear heat sink
Implementation Method 2
a middle heat transfer unit featuring heat pipes connected to a thermally conductive heat base and a rear heat sink unit, enhancing heat dissipation by utilizing heat pipes that change phase
Implementation Method 3
a middle heat transfer unit featuring heat pipes connected to a thermally conductive heat base
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly includes a metallic cage defining a receiving space therein, a receptacle connector unit received in the receiving space and including a pair of mating ports, and a number of terminal wafers stacked with one another with corresponding contacting sections exposed upon the mating ports and tail sections to be mounted on a printed circuit board on which the receptacle connector unit is mounted, and a middle heat transfer unit located between the two mating ports in a vertical direction and including a heat base linked with a pair of heat pipes on two sides, the pair of heat pipes extending through a rear of the cage and connected to a rear heat sink unit located behind the rear of the cage. Each of the pair of heat pipes is directly contacted with at least two different surfaces of the heat base.