US 9,408,327 B2 · Thermal management system and method

Abstract

A thermal management system/method allowing efficient electrical/thermal attachment of heat sourcing PCBs to heat sinking PCBs using reflow/wave/hand soldering is disclosed. The disclosed system/method may incorporate a combination of support pins, spacer pads, and/or contact paste that mechanically attaches a heat sourcing PCB (and its associated components) to a heat sinking PCB such that thermal conductivity between the two PCBs can be optimized while simultaneously allowing controlled electrical conductivity between the two PCBs. Controlled electrical isolation between the two PCBs is provided for using spacer pads that may also be thermally conductive. Contact paste incorporated in some embodiments permits enhanced conductivity paths between the heat sourcing PCB, a thermally conductive plate mounted over the heat sourcing PCB, and the heat sinking PCB. The use of self-centering support pins incorporating out-gassing vents in some embodiments allows reflow/wave/hand soldering as desired.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A thermal management system comprising:

(a) heat source PCB;
(b) thermal enhancement plate;
and
(c) contact paste;
wherein:
said thermal enhancement plate comprises a thermally conductive solid material;
said contact paste is placed between and contacts said heat source PCB and said thermal enhancement plate;
said contact paste creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said thermal enhancement plate;
and
said thermal enhancement plate, when making contact with said thermal paste and the surface of a heat sink PCB, creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB.

7 more elements

A thermal management system comprising:

(a) heat source PCB;
(b) thermal enhancement plate;
and
(c) contact paste;
wherein:
said thermal enhancement plate comprises a thermally conductive solid material;
said contact paste is placed between and contacts said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB and said thermal enhancement plate;
said contact paste creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB to said thermal enhancement plate;
and
said thermal enhancement plate, when making contact with said thermal paste and the surface of a heat sink PCB, creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB;
said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB are attached via one or more support pins wherein:
said one or more support pins comprises metal;
said one or more support pins each comprises a unitary solid cylindrical shaft further comprising:
(a) solid top heat source PCB insertion shaft further comprising a top registration chamfer;
(b) solid bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft further comprising a bottom registration chamfer;
and
(c) solid center support shaft section further comprising:
top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges;
and
one or more longitudinal gassing vents formed only on the outer surface of said solid center support shaft;
said top heat source PCB insertion shaft and said bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft have cylindrical diameters less than the diameter of said center support shaft section;
said top heat source PCB insertion shaft, said bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft, and said center support shaft section form a single solid unitary structure having no voids along their common cylindrical axis;
said top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges of each of said one or more support pins, when making soldered contact with the surface of said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB, create a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB through each of said one or more support pins and soldered connections on said top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges of each of said one or more support pins;
and
said one or more support pins are configured to float within plated-through holes present on said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB during a soldering process used to form said soldered contact.

22 more elements

A thermal management system comprising:

(a) heat source PCB;
(b) thermal enhancement plate;
(c) contact paste;
and
(d) phase change material;
wherein:
said thermal enhancement plate comprises a thermally conductive solid material;
said contact paste is placed between and contacts said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB and said thermal enhancement plate;
said contact paste creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB to said thermal enhancement plate;
and
said thermal enhancement plate, when making contact with said thermal paste and the surface of a heat sink PCB, creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB;
said phase change material makes contact with the surface of said heat sink PCB;
said phase change material makes contact with the surface of said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB;
and
said phase change material creates a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB or components on the surface of said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB;
said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB are attached via one or more support pins wherein:
said one or more support pins comprises metal;
said one or more support pins each comprises a unitary solid cylindrical shaft further comprising:
(a) solid top heat source PCB insertion shaft further comprising a top registration chamfer;
(b) solid bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft further comprising a bottom registration chamfer;
and
(c) solid center support shaft section further comprising:
top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges;
and
one or more longitudinal gassing vents formed only on the outer surface of said solid center support shaft;
said top heat source PCB insertion shaft and said bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft have cylindrical diameters less than the diameter of said center support shaft section;
said top heat source PCB insertion shaft, said bottom heat sink PCB insertion shaft, and said center support shaft section form a single solid unitary structure having no voids along their common cylindrical axis;
said top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges of each of said one or more support pins, when making soldered contact with the surface of said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB, create a low thermal impedance conduction path from said heat source PCB to said heat sink PCB through each of said one or more support pins and soldered connections on said top and bottom self-centering inclined peripheral edges of each of said one or more support pins;
and
said one or more support pins are configured to float within plated-through holes present on said heat source PCB and said heat sink PCB during a soldering process used to form said soldered contact.

27 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

14/800,374Filed 15 Jul 2015 · division

Priority

26 Oct 2010

Published

US 2015/0319886 A15 Nov 2015

Granted

2 Aug 2016

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H05K 7/20463
The coupling element being an additional piece, e.g. thermal standoff: filling compound, e.g. potted resin
H05K 1/0203
Thermal arrangements, e.g. for cooling, heating or preventing overheating: cooling of mounted components
H05K 1/144
Structural association of two or more printed circuits: stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
H05K 7/20454
The coupling element being an additional piece, e.g. thermal standoff: with a conformable or flexible structure compensating for irregularities,…

Family

Application12/912,476Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Oct 2010

Application61/664,940Us provisional application · filed 27 Jun 2012

Application13/659,066Parent of this division · filed 24 Oct 2012

US 8,531,841 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 10 Sep 2013

US 2015/0319886 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Nov 2015

US 9,119,327 B2Parent of this division

Application13/659,066Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2012/0099280 A1Published application

US 2013/0050954 A1Published application

US 9,408,327 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Thermal management system and method

Life of this patent

Thermal management system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21