US20070256813A1

US20070256813A1 - Direction-adjustable diffusive device

Info

Publication number: US20070256813A1
Application number: US11/730,811
Authority: US
Inventors: Ching Ho
Original assignee: AMA Precision Inc
Current assignee: AMA Precision Inc
Priority date: 2006-04-19
Filing date: 2007-04-04
Publication date: 2007-11-08
Also published as: TWI304531B; TW200741425A

Abstract

A direction-adjustable diffusive device is disclosed to include a heat sink, which has a rotating mechanism positioned on the outside of the heat sink, and a cowling, which has another rotating mechanism correspondingly coupled to the rotating mechanism of the heat sink, and a wind-guiding channel comprising a first wind-guiding hole facing the heat sink. The cowling uses the other rotating mechanism and the rotating mechanism for allowing the cowling to be turned about the heat sink to adjust a heat dissipation direction of the heat sink. Therefore, the cowling can use the other rotating mechanism and the rotating mechanism to rotate relatively to the heat sink, which means that the direction of the cowling can be adjusted through 360° according to the requirements to dissipate heat through the heat sink.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a diffusive device applicable to adjust direction and more particularly, to a direction-adjustable diffusive device, which allows adjustment of the heat dissipation direction through 360° to fit the heat-emitting source.
2. Description of Related Art
The internal electronic devices of regular electronic products emit heat, either in a big or small amount, during their operation. These electronic devices may fail or even be damaged if emitted heat is not effectively dissipated.
In a computer, the main heat source (heat-emitting source) is the central processing unit (CPU) mounted on the motherboard. Therefore, heat dissipation devices are commonly used in a computer to dissipate heat from its CPU. For example, a computer is equipped with a cooling fan and/or a heat-emitting fan for dissipating heat from the CPU. However, when installing a general cooling fan and a heat sink on a computer motherboard, the installation position is fixed subject to the design of the motherboard, i.e., the heat dissipation direction of the cooling fan and the heat sink is determined subject to the location of the CPU on the motherboard. Therefore, when a conventional cooling fan and a heat sink are installed in a computer motherboard, they provide a heat dissipation effect only in one particular direction. This design of fixed heat dissipation direction provides no flexibility in application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, the direction-adjustable diffusive device comprises a heat sink, and a cowling. The heat sink has at least one rotating mechanism positioned outside of the heat sink. The cowling has at least one another rotating mechanism correspondingly coupled to the rotating mechanism of the heat sink, and comprising a wind-guiding channel comprising a first wind-guiding hole facing the heat sink. Further, the cowling adjusts a heat dissipation direction of the heat sink by that the another rotating mechanism and the rotating mechanism relatively rotated to the heat sink.
Therefore, based on the aforesaid design, the cowling can be turned about the heat sink through 360° to adjust the angular position with the other rotating mechanism, enabling the heat sink to dissipate heat.
The aforesaid heat sink may comprise a plurality of radiation fins that are parallel to each other. The wind-guiding channel may have an inner space. The wind-guiding channel may provide an inner space, and part of the radiation fins of the heat sink may locate in the inner space.
Besides, the wind-guiding channel may have a second wind-guiding hole, and the wind-guiding channel connects to the first wind-guiding hole and the second wind-guiding hole. An electric fan may be mounted on the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling. The electric fan may have an air input side and an air output side. The air output side of the electric fan may correspond to the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling.
Further, the radiation fins of the heat sink can be plurality of circular radiation fins, or radiation fins of a variety of polygonal shapes.
The diffusive device may be mounted on a substrate that comprises a heat-emitting electronic device. The heat-emitting electronic device may be mounted with an electric fan, which may have an air input side corresponding to the heat-emitting electronic device and an air output side corresponding to the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling.
Moreover, the cowling may further comprise an extending pipe on the second wind-guiding hole, and the front end of the extending pipe is guided to the electric fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing the basic architecture of a direction-adjustable diffusive device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view showing an application example of the direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing another application example of the direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates the basic architecture of a direction-adjustable diffusive device according to the present invention. As shown, the direction-adjustable diffusive device comprises a heat sink 10, and a cowling 3. The heat sink 10 comprises at least one rotating mechanism 12 positioned on the outside of the heat sink 10. The cowling 3 comprises at least one rotating mechanism 331 pivotally coupled to the at least one rotating mechanism 12 of the heat sink 10 correspondingly. The cowling 3 comprises a wind-guiding channel 33. The wind-guiding channel 33 has a first wind-guiding hole 32 facing the heat sink 10. By means of the rotating mechanism 331, the cowling 3 is turnable about the heat sink 10 to adjust the heat dissipation direction of the heat sink 10.
Therefore, based on the aforesaid basic architecture, the cowling 3 is turnable about the heat sink 10 by means of the rotating mechanism 331, i.e., the cowling 3 can be turned through 360° to adjust the direction of the first wind-guiding hole 32, thereby adjusting the heat dissipation direction of the heat sink 10. Examples described below will illustrate more detail.
Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 at the same time, wherein FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an applied view of the direction-adjustable diffusive device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is based on the aforesaid basic architecture. As shown, the reference sign 5 indicates a substrate. The substrate 5 comprises two fixing devices 51, and a heat-emitting electronic device 52.
According to this embodiment, only one fixing devices 51 is shown on the substrate 5 while another one fixing devices 51 without showing is covered, and the fixing devices 51 are screw holes. At the meantime, the substrate 5 is a motherboard; the heat-emitting electronic device 52 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
The direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the substrate 5, comprising a heat sink 10 and a cowling 3. The heat sink 10 comprises a plurality of radiation fins 2 and a rotating mechanism 12 positioned on the outside of the radiation fins 2. The radiation fins 2 are parallel to each other, and axially fixed on the rotating mechanism 12 respectively, and spaced from one another along the axial direction of the rotating mechanism 12 at a pitch t. The radiation fins 2 each have a center through hole 21. The radiation fin 2 are configured a center through hole 21 respectively, and the rotating mechanism 12 is inserted through the center through hole 21 of each radiation fin 2 and fixedly fastened to each radiation fin 2.
According to the present embodiment, the rotating mechanism 12 is a cylindrical copper pivot shaft. At the same time, the radiation fins 2 of the heat sink 10 are circular radiation fins.
Further, the heat sink 10 has a base frame 1 fixedly provided at the bottom side of the rotating mechanism 12. The base frame 1 comprises two fixing elements 11 corresponding to the fixing elements 51 of the substrate 5 respectively. According to this embodiment, the fixing elements 11 of the heat sink 10 are through holes, and two screws 6 are respectively inserted through the through holes 11 respectively and threaded into the screw holes 51 of the substrate 5 to affix the heat sink 10 to the substrate 5.
Additionally, the cowling 3 comprises a second wind-guiding hole 31, a first wind-guiding hole 32, and a wind-guiding channel 33 connecting to the second wind-guiding hole 31 and the first wind-guiding hole 32. The first wind-guiding hole 32 faces the heat sink 10. At the meantime, the cowling 3 comprises another rotating mechanism 331 and an inner space 332. The rotating mechanism 331 of the cowling 3 is correspondingly coupled to the rotating mechanism 12 of the heat sink 10, and part of the radiation fins 2 located in the inner space 332 of the cowling 3.
According to the present embodiment, the rotating mechanism 331 of the cowling 3 is a pivot bolt; an electric fan 4 is mounted on the second wind-guiding hole 31 of the cowling 3 with screws 61. The electric fan 4 has an air input side 41 and an air output side 42. The air output side 42 corresponds to the second wind-guiding hole 31 of the cowling 3.
Therefore, when the heat sink 10, the cowling 3 and the electric fan 4 are mounted together, the first wind-guiding hole 32 of the cowling 3 faces the radiation fins 2 of the heat sink 10 correspondingly, and the cowling 3 can be rotated relatively to the heat sink 10 with the rotating mechanism 331 and the rotating mechanism 12 to adjust the heat dissipation direction of the heat sink 10 and to have the air input side 41 of the electric fan 4 correspond the heat-emitting electronic device 52 at the substrate 5 for heat dissipation.
FIG. 4 shows another application example of the direction-adjustable diffusive device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. When the location of the heat-emitting electronic device 53 at the substrate 5 is relatively changed due to a different design, the cowling 3 can be turned relatively to the heat sink 10 with the rotating mechanism 12 to have the air input side 41 of the electric fan 4 correspond the heat-emitting electronic device 53 at the substrate 5 similarly.
Therefore, the cowling 3 can be turned about the heat sink 10 according to the requirements, i.e., through 360° to adjust the direction of the cowling 3, and dissipate the heat with the heat sink 10. Therefore, no matter which location of the heat-emitting electronic device 52 or 53 at the substrate 5 is, the desired heat dissipation effect is achieved. Further, because the heat-emitting electronic devices 52 or 53 may be installed at any location, the heat sink 10 and the cowling 3 of the direction-adjustable diffusive device of the present invention can be arranged to fit different requirements.
Please refer to FIG. 5, which is an installed view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. The main structure shown in FIG. 5 is the similar to that of the aforesaid first and second embodiments, but the electric fan 72 is mounted on the heat-emitting electronic device 71. The electric fan 72 has an air input side 721 and an air output side 722.
Besides, an extension pipe 74 is installed on the second wind-guiding hole 731 of the cowling 73 and the front end of the extension pipe 74 is guided to the electric fan 72. Therefore, after adjustment of the angular position of the cowling 73, the air output side 722 of the electric fan 72 corresponds the second wind-guiding hole 731 of the cowling 73, and the air input side 721 of the electric fan 72 corresponds the heat-emitting electronic device 71.
The aforesaid cowling 73 has the function of adjusting the angle about the heat sink of the direction-adjustable diffusive device. Therefore, even the electric fan 72 is mounted on the heat-emitting electronic device 71, the goal of heat dissipation is achieved similarly, i.e., this second embodiment can still achieve the same effects as the aforesaid first embodiment of the present invention.
Please refer to FIG. 6, which is an exploded view of a direction-adjustable diffusive device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially similar to the aforesaid embodiments with the exception of the polygonal shape design of the radiation fins 76. According to this embodiment, the radiation fins 76 have a hexagonal profile. Alternatively, the radiation fins 76 can be made with a rectangular, pentagonal or heptagonal shape, or any of a variety of polygonal shapes.
Further, according to the present embodiment, each radiation fin 76 has two retaining holes 761 correspondingly to each other, and the base frame 752 of the heat sink 75 has two upright retaining rods 751. Therefore, each radiation fin 76 can use the retaining holes 761 to mount on the upright retaining rods 751 of the base frame 752 of the heat sink 75 respectively.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A direction-adjustable diffusive device comprising:

a heat sink comprising at least one rotating mechanism, the rotating mechanism positioned outside of the heat sink; and

a cowling comprising at least one another rotating mechanism, the another rotating mechanism correspondingly coupled to the rotating mechanism of the heat sink, and the cowling comprising a wind-guiding channel, the wind-guiding channel comprising a first wind-guiding hole, the first wind-guiding hold facing the heat sink;

wherein, the cowling adjusts a heat dissipation direction of the heat sink by that the another rotating mechanism and the rotating mechanism relatively rotated to the heat sink.

2. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat sink comprises a plurality of radiation fins, and the radiation fins are parallel to each other.

3. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wind-guiding channel provides an inner space, part of the radiation fins located in the inner space.

4. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the radiation fins of the heat sink are plurality of circular radiation fins.

5. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wind-guiding channel provides a second wind-guiding hole, and the wind-guiding channel connects to the first wind-guiding hole and the second wind-guiding hole.

6. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an electric fan mounted on the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling.

7. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 5, which is mounted on a substrate that comprises a heat-emitting electronic device.

8. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electric fan comprises an air input side and an air output side, and the air output side corresponds to the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling.

9. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cowling further comprises an extending pipe mounted on the second wind-guiding hole, and the front end of the extending pipe is guided to the electric fan.

10. The diffusive device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an electric fan mounted on the heat-emitting electronic device, the electric fan comprises an air input side and an air output side, the air output side corresponds to the second wind-guiding hole of the cowling, and the air input side corresponds to the heat-emitting electronic device.