Elastic Heat Sink Contact Surface for Fastener-Free Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat sinks for electrical components are complex to assemble and require additional fastening means, such as screws or clamps, which complicates the manufacturing process and thermal conductivity.
Innovation Solution
A heat sink with an elastically deformable contact surface that can be convexly curved and flattened to ensure intimate contact with the electrical component, eliminating the need for additional fastening means and enhancing thermal conductivity by using fiber-reinforced plastic materials with added ceramics or metal oxides, and incorporating a heat radiating surface with elevations for improved cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional fastening means (screws, clamps) are used to attach the heat sink to the electrical component, then the thermal conductivity and contact pressure are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink's contact surface is designed with elastically deformable sections that automatically generate contact pressure when pressed against the electrical component during assembly. This self-generating contact pressure eliminates the need for additional fastening means like screws or clamps, while still ensuring reliable thermal conduction between the heat sink and the electrical component.
2Reliability
If additional fastening means (screws, clamps) are used to attach the heat sink to the electrical component, then the contact pressure is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The elastically deformable contact surface sections automatically generate the required contact pressure through their own elastic recovery force when compressed during assembly. This eliminates the need for separate fastening operations, simplifying the manufacturing process while ensuring adequate contact pressure for effective heat transfer.
3Manufacturing precision
If the contact surface is made rigid and flat, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving intimate contact
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surface incorporates elastically deformable sections that can dynamically adapt their shape during assembly. When the heat sink is pressed against the electrical component, these sections deform elastically to conform to the component's surface irregularities, ensuring intimate contact across the entire contact area while maintaining simple manufacturing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact surface sections are designed with specific elastic properties that allow them to change their physical state from undeformed to deformed during assembly. This parameter change enables the contact surface to adapt to surface variations and achieve intimate contact without requiring high manufacturing precision for perfect flatness.
4Reliability
If the contact surface area is increased to reduce thermal resistance, then the thermal conductivity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than increasing the overall heat sink size, the invention enhances thermal conductivity by improving the local quality of the contact surface. The elastically deformable sections ensure maximum contact area and intimate contact with the electrical component's surface, minimizing thermal resistance at the contact interface without requiring a larger device.
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
Simplifies the assembly process, minimizes thermal resistance, and enhances the cooling effect by ensuring a secure, thermally conductive connection without additional fasteners and increasing the thermal conductivity through the use of advanced materials.
Implementation Method 1
elastic deformation of the elastic section provides a contact pressure that ensures that the contact surface and the counter-contact surface remain in contact and thus form a heat-conducting connection
Implementation Method 2
a contact surface which is brought into thermally conductive contact with a counter-contact surface of the electrical component
Implementation Method 3
enhancing thermal conductivity by using fiber-reinforced plastic materials with added ceramics or metal oxides
Implementation Method 4
incorporating a heat radiating surface with elevations for improved cooling
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a heat sink (400) for cooling an electric component, comprising a contact surface (404) which can be placed in heat-conductive contact with a mating contact surface of the electric component, said contact surface (404) comprising at least one elastically deformable section (406).