JP2002318084A - Heat pipe connecting device and radiation device of electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat pipe connecting device that has good heat transfer efficiency, can be thinned in the case of being used as the radiation device of an electronic apparatus, facilitates fixing of a heat pipe and permits the cost to be inexpensive. SOLUTION: A plate spring 10 engaging heat pipes 5 and 6 at such a position that they have a direct contact with each other is provided, and this plate spring 10 is provided with a slit 10a allowing the insertion of the lower heat pipe 5 and an engaging pawl 10b fitting the upper heat pipe 6 detachably to energize this heat pipe 6 to the lower heat pipe 5 side. Thereby, the structure of connecting the heat pipes 5 and 6 can be constituted easily without spoiling the maintenance properties and heat transfer efficiency of the electronic apparatus.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pipe connecting device used for heat radiation of personal computers, other electronic devices, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a plurality of heat pipes are used to transfer heat in a plurality of directions in order to radiate heat of an electronic device, a heat pipe connection having a structure as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. Devices have been used.

In the heat pipe connecting apparatus shown in FIG. 3, round heat pipes 1 and 2 for transferring heat are used. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 3 denotes a heating element such as a CPU, to which a heat receiving block 4 made of a material having high heat conductivity such as metal is attached. The heat receiving block 4 is formed with through holes 4a and 4b penetrating in the lateral direction so as to cross each other at intervals in the vertical direction. It is fixed by being inserted in a press-fit state or by being inserted and caulking.

In the heat pipe connecting apparatus shown in FIG. 4, flat heat pipes 5 and 6 for transferring heat are used. As shown in FIG.
A heat receiving block 7 for assembling the heat pipes 5 and 6 is attached. Insertion grooves 7a and 7b are formed in the heat receiving block 7 so as to extend in the horizontal direction so as to intersect with each other in a state of being close to the vertical direction.
Flat heat pipes 5 and 6 are fixed to 7b by being inserted in a press-fit state, or by being inserted and caulked or bonded.

According to these heat pipe connection devices,
The heat of the heating element 3 is transported to other heat radiating parts via the heat receiving blocks 4 and 7 and the heat pipes 1, 2, 5 and 6.

[0006]

However, as shown in FIG. 3, in the conventional heat pipe connecting device using the round heat pipes 1 and 2, since the heat receiving block 4 is thick, this heat pipe connecting device is difficult. When using as a heat dissipation device for electronic equipment, it is not suitable for thinning electronic equipment.
Further, the heat pipes 1 and 2 are not in contact with each other, and the heat pipe 2 arranged on the upper side has a large distance from the heat receiving portion of the heat receiving block 4, so that the heat transfer efficiency is deteriorated.

In the example using the flat heat pipes 5 and 6 shown in FIG. 4, the heat pipes 5 and 6 themselves are flat and can be arranged close to each other. In addition, the number of processing steps of the heat receiving block 4 is large, and the number of steps such as caulking and bonding for fixing the heat pipes 1, 2, 5, and 6 is increased.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, has a good heat transfer efficiency, can be made thinner when used as a heat radiating device for electronic equipment, can easily fix a heat pipe, and has a low cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat pipe connection device that can be completed.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a heat pipe connecting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of heat pipes arranged to intersect each other and a posture in which these heat pipes are in direct contact with each other. Locking means for locking.

According to this configuration, the heat transfer efficiency is good,
When used as a heat dissipation device for electronic equipment, it can be made thinner,
It is possible to obtain a heat pipe connecting device that can easily fix the heat pipe and can reduce the cost.

[0011]

A heat pipe connecting apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of heat pipes arranged to intersect each other and a locking means for locking the heat pipes in a state where they are in direct contact with each other. It is characterized by having.

According to this structure, the heat pipes are arranged in a posture in which they are in direct contact with each other, so that the heat transfer efficiency is good, and the heat pipes can be easily made thinner. Since the structure is such that the pipe is locked, the heat pipe can be easily fixed, and the cost can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the heat pipe connecting device according to the first aspect, the locking means is configured such that one of the heat pipes is inserted into a slit through which the other heat pipe is detachably fitted. The other heat pipe is constituted by a leaf spring provided with an engagement claw for urging the heat pipe toward the one heat pipe, and this heat pipe connection device is favorably used as a heat radiator of an electronic device. Can be.

According to this structure, these heat pipes can be easily fixed only by inserting one heat pipe into the slit of the leaf spring and fitting the other heat pipe into the engaging claw of the leaf spring. And less man-hours for assembly. In addition, since the locking means is formed of a leaf spring, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described based on. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes two flat heat pipes 5, which are arranged one above the other and cross each other.
6 is a leaf spring as a locking means for locking the flat surfaces 6 in a posture in which the uneven planes are in direct contact with each other. This leaf spring 10 has a rectangular slit 10 a through which the lower heat pipe 5 is inserted.
And a plurality of substantially semi-circular convex engaging claws 10b for detachably fitting the upper heat pipe 6 and urging the upper heat pipe 6 toward the lower heat pipe 5 side. I have.

In the above configuration, when assembling the heat pipes 5 and 6, the lower heat pipe 5 is
a, and the upper heat pipe 6 is mounted thereon.
At this time, when the upper heat pipe 6 is fitted between the engagement claws 10b, the upper heat pipe 6 is urged downward by the elastic force of the engagement claws 10b of the leaf spring 10, so that the lower heat pipe 6 5 is pressed. At this time, the heat pipes 5 and 6 are brought into close contact with each other by surface contact, so that the heat transfer efficiency between the heat pipes 5 and 6 is improved. The upper heat pipe 6
Is simply held down by the engaging claw 10b of the leaf spring 10 so that it can be easily attached and detached.
, The position of the upper heat pipe 6 can be set arbitrarily, and the versatility is high.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the heat pipe connecting device having the above-described structure according to the present invention is applied to a heat radiation structure of a notebook personal computer. In recent notebook personal computers, the amount of heat generated has increased with the speeding up of CPUs.
There is a need for a more efficient heat dissipation structure. In the present embodiment, a heat dissipation structure is shown in which a chassis of an openable / closable keyboard often used in a notebook personal computer is used as a heat sink.

As shown in FIG. 2, a heat radiating block 14 having the lower heat pipe 5 and the FAN 13 is attached to a CPU 12 as a heating element 3 mounted on a printed circuit board 11. One end of the heat pipe 5 is passed through the slit 10 a of the leaf spring 10. An aluminum chassis 16 is provided on the back of the keyboard 15, and an upper heat pipe 6 having a convex bending portion 6a is attached to the back of the aluminum chassis 16.

In this configuration, when the keyboard 15 is closed, the convex bent portion 6a of the upper heat pipe 6 fits between the engaging claws 10b of the leaf spring 10 attached to one end of the lower heat pipe 5. And heat pipes 5 and 6
The two members are brought into close contact with each other by the urging force of the engagement claws 10b, so that heat is efficiently conducted, and the heat of the CPU 12 is radiated to the aluminum chassis 16 via the heat radiation block 14 and the heat pipes 5, 6.

Further, since the heat pipes 5 and 6 are arranged in close contact with each other, it is easy to reduce the thickness. For example, even when the keyboard 15 needs to be opened, the keyboard 15 can be opened without any trouble, and the reproducibility of the close contact between the heat pipes 5 and 6 when the keyboard 15 is closed is high.

In addition, as described above, the leaf spring 10 is assembled by merely inserting one heat pipe 5 and engaging the other heat pipe 6, thereby reducing the number of assembling steps. In addition, since the locking means between the heat pipes 5 and 6 is constituted by the leaf spring 10, the cost of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the case where the heat pipes 5 and 6 are arranged vertically has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to the heat pipes arranged left and right and other heat pipes. Nor. In addition, a case where flat heat pipes 5 and 6 are used will be described. In this case, the heat pipes 5 and 6 are particularly suitable for thinning, but can also be applied to other round pipes.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a locking means for locking the heat pipes in a posture in which the heat pipes are in direct contact with each other. A heat pipe is detachably fitted, and the other heat pipe is constituted by a leaf spring provided with an engagement claw for urging the heat pipe toward the one heat pipe, whereby a connection structure between the heat pipes is formed. In addition, the electronic device can be easily configured without deteriorating the maintainability and heat transfer efficiency of the electronic device, and the cost of parts can be reduced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat pipe connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view showing an electronic apparatus using the heat pipe connection device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional heat pipe connection device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another conventional heat pipe connection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5, 6 heat pipe 10 leaf spring (locking means) 10a slit 10b engaging claw 12 CPU (heating element) 14 heat radiation block 15 keyboard 16 aluminum chassis

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A heat pipe connection device comprising: a plurality of heat pipes arranged to intersect with each other; and locking means for locking the heat pipes in a state of being in direct contact with each other. 2. An engagement for engaging a locking means with a slit through which one of the heat pipes is inserted and a detachably fitting the other heat pipe so as to urge the other heat pipe toward the one heat pipe. 2. The heat pipe connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the heat pipe connecting device comprises a leaf spring provided with a claw. 3. A heat radiating device for electronic equipment having the heat pipe connecting device according to claim 2.