Electronic component heat sink attachment using a canted coil spring
AssigneeCummins Engine Company, Inc.
InventorsPaul G. Casperson, Michael Durbin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal attachment assembly for heat generating electronic devices which uses a canted coil spring to apply pressure directly against electronic components. The attachment assembly includes a heat sink housing in which the electronic components are pressed against an electrically insulating, thermally conductive film positioned against a surface of a shoulder or side wall of the heat sink housing. The force of the canted coil spring can be counterbalanced by a cover for the housing, or by an abutment that is either fixed in the housing or floats between attachment and an assembly at each of opposite sides of the housing.
Claims18
Electronic component heat sink arrangement comprising a housing formed of a heat sinking material and containing a printed circuit wiring board and a plurality of heat generating electronic components, at least one canted coil spring for pressing the electronic components into a nonelectrically conductive, heat exchange relationship with an inner wall surface of the housing, and means for holding the at least one canted coil spring against the electronic components with a spring deflection that is within a substantially constant spring force range of the at least one canted spring;
- wherein the means for holding the at least one canted coil spring against the electronic components is formed by a cover for said housing, said at least one canted coil spring being compressed between the electronic components and a portion of the cover which faces said inner wall surface of the housing.
Electronic component heat sink arrangement comprising a housing formed of a heat sinking material and containing a printed circuit wiring board and a plurality of heat generating electronic components, at least one canted coil spring for pressing the electronic components into a nonelectrically conductive, heat exchange relationship with an inner wall surface of the housing, and means for holding the at least one canted coil spring against the electronic components with a spring deflection that is within a substantially constant spring force range of the at least one canted spring;
- wherein said printed wiring board is oriented parallel to said inner wall surface, wherein said electronic components are connected to a top side of said printed wiring board via electrically conductive leads, said leads being bent at a right angle to said printed wiring board and the electronic components being pressed against said inner wall surface laterally outwardly of a peripheral edge of the printed wiring board.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.