US20030007867A1

US20030007867A1 - CPU cooling structure with a ventilation hood

Info

Publication number: US20030007867A1
Application number: US09/898,052
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsiao Chang
Original assignee: Enlight Corp
Current assignee: Enlight Corp
Priority date: 2001-07-05
Filing date: 2001-07-05
Publication date: 2003-01-09
Also published as: GB2377321B; GB0116462D0; GB2377321A; DE20111953U1

Abstract

A CPU cooling structure includes a ventilation hood mounted in between a heat sink and a cooling fan, the ventilation hood having a conical outer hood shell and a conical inner hood shell concentrically formed integral with a flat mounting base thereof and fitted into a conical top receiving space of the heat sink, and radial partition ribs connected between the conical outer hood shell and the conical inner hood shell and separating the space between the conical outer hood shell and the conical inner hood shell into multiple wind passages adapted to guide currents of air from the cooling fan downwards toward the center of the heat sink.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a CPU cooling structure and, more particularly, to such a CPU cooling structure, which comprises a heat sink, a cooling fan mounted on the heat sink at the top, and a ventilation hood suspended from the bottom side of the cooling fan and fitted into a conical receiving space in the heat sink to guide downward currents of air from the cooling fan toward the center area of the heat sink to quick dissipate heat energy from the heat sink.

Conventional heat sinks for CPU commonly have upright radiation fins disposed at the top for dissipation of heat energy transmitted from the CPU below. The formation of the upright radiation fins is complicated, resulting in high cost. When a heat sink is used, a cooling fan is matched and mounted on the upright radiation fins of the heat sink. When started, the cooling fan causes upward currents of air to carry heat energy from the heat sink. Because cooling currents of air flow from the bottom side toward the top side, heat energy tends to be accumulated at the center area of the CPU. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of conventional heat sinks is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished to provide a CPU cooling structure, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the CPU cooling structure comprises a heat sink, a cooling fan, and a ventilation hood adapted to guide currents of air downwards from the cooling fan toward the center of the heat sink, enabling heat energy to be quickly dissipated carried away from the heat sink. According to another aspect of the present invention, the ventilation hood comprises a flat mounting base, a conical outer hood shell and a conical inner hood shell concentrically formed integral with a bottom surface of the flat mounting base and fitted into a conical top receiving space of the heat sink, and radial partition ribs connected between the conical outer hood shell and the conical inner hood shell and separating the space between the conical outer hood shell and the conical inner hood shell into multiple wind passages adapted to guide currents of air from the cooling fan downwards toward the center of the heat sink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a ventilation hood for a CPU cooling structure according to the present invention. [0004]
FIG. 2 is a bottom plain view of the ventilation hood shown in FIG. 1. [0005]
FIG. 3 is a top plain view of the ventilation hood shown in FIG. 1. [0006]
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the CPU cooling structure according to the present invention. [0007]
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the CPU cooling structure according to the present invention. [0008]
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the flowing direction of currents of air according to the present invention.[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. From [0010] 1 through 6, a CPU cooling structure in accordance with the present invention is generally comprised of a ventilation hood 1, a cooling fan 2, and a heat sink 3. The cooling fan 2 is supported above the heat sink 3. The ventilation hood 1 is fitted into the heat sink 3 and supported between the heat sink 3 and the cooling fan 2.
The [0011] heat sink 3 comprises a plurality of radially extended upright radiation fins 31, and a plurality of top mounting holes 32. The upright radiation fins 31 have a respective curved top edge, defining a conical receiving space at the center of the top side of the heat sink 3. The ventilation hood 1 comprises a flat mounting base 11, a conical outer hood shell 12 and a conical inner hood shell 13 concentrically formed integral with the bottom surface of the flat mounting base 11 and fitted into the conical receiving space defined by the curved top edge of each of the upright radiation fins 31, and radial partition ribs 14 connected between the conical outer hood shell 12 and the conical inner hood shell 13 and separating the holding space between the conical outer hood shell 12 and the conical inner hood shell 13 into separated wind passages 15. The conical inner hood shell 13 has an inner diameter gradually downwardly reduced from the flat mounting base 11. The radial partition ribs 14 also reinforce the structural strength of the ventilation hood 1. The flat mounting base 11 comprises a plurality of mounting holes 111 disposed in the four corners thereof and respectively connected between the respective mounting holes 21 of the cooling fan 2 and the respective mounting holes 32 of the heat sink 3 by fastening elements, for example, screws 4.
During the operation of the [0012] cooling fan 2, currents of air flow downwards through the wind passages 15 toward the center area of the heat sink 3, and then flow out of the heat sink 3 radially through the gaps in between the upright radiation fins 31 of the heat sink 3 to carry heat energy away from the heat sink 3 efficiently. Because the outer hood shell 12 and inner hood shell 13 have a conical shape, the ventilation hood 1 effectively prevents reverse flow of air.
A prototype of CPU cooling structure has been constructed with the features of FIGS. [0013] 1˜6. The CPU cooling structure functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. [0014]

Claims

What the invention claimed is:

1. A CPU cooling structure comprising a heat sink, a cooling fan, and a ventilation hood, wherein said ventilation hood comprises a flat mounting base fixedly connected between said heat sink and said cooling fan by fastening elements, a conical outer hood shell and a conical inner hood shell concentrically formed integral with a bottom surface of said flat mounting base and inserted into said heat sink, and radial partition ribs connected between said conical outer hood shell and said conical inner hood shell, and wind passages defined within said conical outer hood shell outside said conical inner hood shell and separated from one another by said partition rids and adapted to guide currents of air downwards from said cooling fan toward said heat sink, said conical inner hood shell having an inner diameter gradually downwardly reduced from said flat mounting base toward said heat sink.

2. The CPU cooling structure of claim 1 wherein said heat sink comprises a plurality of radially extended upright radiation fins, said upright radiation fins having a respective curved top edge defining a conical receiving space at the center of a top side of said heat sink for receiving the conical outer hood shell and conical inner hood shell of said ventilation hood.