Heat sink with heat bus and fin structure

Abstract

A heat sink to remove heat from a processor within a chassis to air moving through a fin structure on the heat sink. An embodiment of the heat sink comprises a heat bus engaging the processor to conduct heat from the processor to a fin structure having interconnected, repeating cellular air channels. A U-shaped heat bus comprises a base and first and second legs extending therefrom connected to opposite sides of the fin structure. An embodiment of the heat bus has a solid conductive core to conductively transfer heat from the processor through the base and the first and second legs to sides of the fin structure. Alternately, an embodiment of the heat bus has a hollow core containing a fluid to evaporatively transfer heat from the processor through the base and the first and second legs to sides of the fin structure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat sink, comprising:
 a fin structure having a plurality of repeating, interconnected fin cells allowing the movement of air through the fin cells, the fin structure further having a bottom, a first side and a second side; and   a heat bus having a base to thermally engage a heat-generating electronic component, wherein the heat bus conductively engages and traverses at least a portion of the bottom of the fin structure, at least a portion of the first side of the fin structure, and at least a portion of the second side of the fin structure;   wherein the heat bus facilitates the transfer of heat from the base to the first and second sides of the fin structure; and   wherein the fin structure has lateral conductive pathways to conduct heat from the sides of the fin structure toward a central region of the fin structure.   
     
     
         2 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the heat bus is a heat spreader with a solid conductive core. 
     
     
         3 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the heat bus is a heat pipe having a conductive outer portion and a sealed hollow core containing a fluid. 
     
     
         4 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the fin structure further comprises a top. 
     
     
         5 . The heat sink of  claim 4 , wherein the heat bus engages and traverses at least a portion of the top of the fin structure. 
     
     
         6 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the heat bus has a U-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         7 . The heat sink of  claim 6 , wherein the heat bus comprises a U-shaped heat pipe. 
     
     
         8 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the heat bus comprises a plurality of branches that conductively engage the first side of the fin structure and a plurality of branches that conductively engage the second side of the fin structure. 
     
     
         9 . The heat sink of  claim 1 , wherein the interconnected repeating cells comprise hexagonal cells through which air may pass to cool the fin structure. 
     
     
         10 . A heat sink, comprising:
 a fin structure having a plurality of interconnected repeating cellular air channels allowing the movement of air there through to remove heat from the fin structure; and   a heat bus having a first portion conductively connected to a bottom of the fin structure, a second portion conductively connected to a first side of the fin structure and a third portion conductively connected to a second side of the fin structure;   wherein the heat bus facilitates the removal of heat from the base to the first side and second side of the fin structure for dissipation to air moving through the air channels of the fin structure.   
     
     
         11 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the heat bus is a heat spreader with a solid conductive core. 
     
     
         12 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the heat bus is a heat pipe having a conductive outer portion and a sealed hollow core containing a fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the heat bus has a fourth portion conductively connected to the top of the fin structure. 
     
     
         14 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the heat bus has a U-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         15 . The heat sink of  claim 14 , wherein the heat bus comprises a U-shaped heat pipe. 
     
     
         16 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the heat bus comprises a plurality of branches that conductively engage the first side of the fin structure and a plurality of branches that conductively engage the second side of the fin structure. 
     
     
         17 . The heat sink of  claim 10 , wherein the interconnected repeating cells comprise hexagonal cells through which air may pass to cool the fin structure.