Low-Profile Spring Fasteners for Heat Transfer Device Loading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing devices face challenges in achieving both thin and lightweight designs while maintaining high performance, as traditional fasteners used to attach heat transfer devices to mainboards consume valuable space and increase the height of the device, compromising thermal design power and cooling capacity.
Innovation Solution
The use of low-profile fasteners with springs that provide mechanical loading to heat transfer devices, allowing for a more even distribution of load and reducing the number of mounting holes required, thereby minimizing the impact on device height and enhancing thermal interface efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional fasteners are used to attach heat transfer devices, then mechanical loading is provided, but device height increases and valuable space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener system is segmented into multiple functional components: a fastener body, a separate spring element, and a mounting structure. This segmentation allows the spring to be positioned within recesses or cavities of the heat transfer device, eliminating the need for external protruding fastener heads and reducing overall device height while maintaining mechanical loading functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is nested within recesses or cavities of the heat transfer device structure, and the fastener shaft extends through mounting holes into the mainboard. This nesting arrangement accommodates the spring and fastener components within the existing device envelope, minimizing the impact on device height while preserving the mechanical loading function
2Force
If more mounting holes are used to distribute load, then mechanical loading is improved, but device complexity and space consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spring provides localized mechanical loading at each mounting point, concentrating the load distribution function at specific strategic locations rather than requiring numerous mounting holes. The spring's elastic properties enable effective load distribution with fewer mounting points, reducing device complexity while maintaining thermal interface efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The spring serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical loading, compensates for manufacturing tolerances, absorbs thermal expansion differences, and distributes load evenly across the heat transfer device interface. This multi-functionality allows fewer mounting holes to achieve the same or better performance compared to traditional rigid fastener systems
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 a reduction in the number of mounting holes, reduces the height of the device, and increases the thermal design power by allowing for larger air movers and improved heat transfer, while maintaining a low thermal resistance path between heat-generating components and heat transfer devices.
Implementation Method 1
a spring located at a first end of the shaft
Implementation Method 2
provide mechanical loading to heat transfer devices, allowing for a more even distribution of load
Implementation Method 3
maintaining a low thermal resistance path between heat-generating components and heat transfer devices
Data Source
AI summary
Low-profile fasteners with springs that are either integrated with the fastener or are a physically separate component can provide a more evenly distributed load to a heat transfer device, such as a vapor chamber or a heat pipe. The low-profile fasteners do not increase the height of the base of a mobile computing device as the spring and the portion of the fastener that extends past the spring fit within a recess or cavity of the heat transfer device. The spring can be a diaphragm spring, a wave spring, or another suitable spring. The use of low-profile fasteners with springs to fasten a heat transfer device to a mainboard may allow for designs with a smaller mainboard area, which can leave room for a larger thermal management solution (which can increase cooling capacity) and allow for a greater thermal design power for the system.