Electronics housing with improved heat rejection

A housing for a unit including a heat sensitive element and at least one heat-liberating element, comprising:

• a first housing section and a second housing section each made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and thermally-insulating means for interconnecting said housing sections to form an enclosure for said elements, each respective housing section having a side surface extending generally vertically, said side surfaces being substantially co-planar,
• a respective plurality of substantially parallel heat-dissipating fins protruding from each of said side surfaces, each of said fins being inclined between approximately 30.degree. and approximately 60.degree. from vertical, respective fins on said first housing section having ends spaced from corresponding ends of the fins on said second housing section,
• said fins defining cooling air pathways extending obliquely upwardly along said side surfaces parallel to said fins, in a direction from said first section toward said second section,
• whereby upon mounting said heat sensitive element within said enclosure, providing means for enhancing heat transfer between said heat sensitive element and said first housing section, mounting said at least one heat-liberating element within said enclosure, and providing means for enhancing heat transfer between said at least one heat-liberating element and said second housing section, said heat sensitive element will be maintained at a temperature less than that of said second housing section when heat is being liberated by said heat-liberating element.

A telecommunications unit including a heat sensitive element and at least one heat-liberating element, comprising:

• a first housing section and a second housing section each made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and thermally-insulating means for interconnecting said housing sections to form an enclosure for said elements, each respective housing section having a side surface extending generally vertically, said side surfaces being substantially co-planar,
• means for mounting said heat sensitive element within said enclosure, and means for enhancing heat transfer between said heat sensitive element and said first housing section,
• means for mounting said at least one heat-liberating element within said enclosure, and means for enhancing heat transfer between said at least one heat-liberating element and said second housing section, and
• a respective plurality of substantially parallel heat-dissipating fins protruding from each of said side surfaces, each of said fins being inclined between approximately 30.degree. and approximately 60.degree. from vertical, respective fins on said first housing section having ends spaced from corresponding ends of the fins on said second housing section,
• said fins defining cooling air pathways extending obliquely upwardly along said side surfaces parallel to said fins, in a direction from said first section toward said second section.

A telecommunications equipment, comprising:

• a rack including means for mounting telecommunications units as a vertical stack in the rack, and means for at least partially enclosing said rack, and
• a plurality of said telecommunications units, mounted in said rack,
• wherein each said telecommunications unit includes a heat sensitive element and at least one heat-liberating element,
• characterized in that each telecommunications unit comprises:
• a first housing section and a second housing section each made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and thermally-insulating means for interconnecting said housing sections to form an enclosure for said elements, each respective housing section having a side surface extending generally vertically, said side surfaces being substantially co-planar,
• means for mounting said heat sensitive element within said enclosure, and means for enhancing heat transfer between said heat sensitive element and said first housing section,
• means for mounting said at least one heat-liberating element within said enclosure, and means for enhancing heat transfer between said at least one heat-liberating element and said second housing section, and
• a respective plurality of substantially parallel heat-dissipating fins protruding from each of said side surfaces, each of said fins being inclined between approximately 30.degree. and approximately 60.degree. from vertical, respective fins on said first housing section having ends spaced from corresponding ends of the fins on said second housing section, each of said fins on the respective first housing sections having a lower end, and each of said fins on the respective second housing sections having an upper end,
• said fins defining cooling air paths extending obliquely upwardly along said side surfaces parallel to said fins, in a direction from said first section toward said second section,
• said telecommunications units being arranged such that said side surfaces are aligned vertically above each other with the respective fins being inclined in the same direction,
• said rack being arranged to define a first pathway for flow of surrounding air to at least said lower ends of said fins on said first housing sections, and a second pathway producing a chimney effect for upward flow of heated air from at least said upper ends of said fins on said second housing sections, and
• the lower end of each of said fins being disposed remote from said second pathway, at a distance from the second pathway greater than the distance of the respective upper end from the second pathway.