Apparatus for using an active circuit board as a heat sink
US5390078A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 30, 1993 |
| Grant date | Feb 14, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 30, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05K2203/1572
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for using a circuit board as a heat sink for another circuit board which effectively draws heat away from the other circuit board while the one circuit board is actively producing its own heat. Since the one circuit board is much larger than the other circuit board, the thermal mass of the one circuit board is great enough to absorb and spread the heat generated by both boards in the presence of forced air cooling. The method includes the steps of mounting a thermal conductivity layer on a predetermined area on the one circuit board and mounting the other circuit board over the area on the one circuit board such that components on an underside of the other circuit board firmly contact the thermal conductivity layer so as to conduct heat from the components through the one circuit board. The method may include additional steps, such as etching the predetermined area of the top surface of the one circuit board to provide a copper planar member, drilling holes through the one circuit board, and filling the holes with a conductive material to form conductive vias linking the copper planar member with a ground planar member within the one circuit board.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.