HK1111521B - Heat sink mounting device and mounting method, and server blade using the same - Google Patents

Description

Radiator installation device and installation method, and server blade using same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat sink mounting apparatus and a mounting method, and more particularly to a heat sink mounting apparatus and a mounting method for cooling a CPU and an extended CPU in an electronic device.

Background

An electronic device, such as a blade server, has a plurality of server blades mounted within a server frame. In each server blade, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a memory, a hard disk, and the like as computer components are mounted on one circuit board. Blade servers are equipped with a required number of circuit boards. Blade servers can allow for higher density of circuit boards because the server blades have thin and elongated faces (blades). In addition, by utilizing a large number of circuit boards, the blade server is reliable.

In general, in a server blade, a CPU and a heat sink for cooling the CPU are mounted in the surface of a circuit board. Recently, it is difficult to secure a sufficient installation space of a heat sink because the size of the heat sink for cooling the CPU becomes larger as the heat of the CPU increases.

A technique relating to the mounting of a heat sink is disclosed in the publication of JP 58-105556 a. In this prior art, when an LSI package module having a heat sink fixed to an LSI package is attached to a printed circuit board, an opening through which the heat sink passes is prepared in the printed circuit board, whereby the heat sink can protrude on the rear surface of the printed circuit board.

According to the above arrangement, the thickness of the printed circuit board depending on the height of the heat sink is made small, and a large mounting density can be obtained when the printed circuit boards are mounted in a stacked manner.

In addition, since the heat sink is installed in the rear surface of the printed circuit board, the cooling effect is enhanced by the fresh air uniformly flowing at both sides of the printed circuit board.

However, since the size of a heat sink for cooling the LSI becomes large as the heat value of the LSI increases, it is difficult to secure a sufficient mounting space for the heat sink even in the above-described prior art.

On the other hand, in the server blade, it is necessary to share a circuit board for a single CPU and a circuit board for a dual CPU, and in the case of CPU extension, to easily mount the CPU and a heat sink for cooling the CPU.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above and other exemplary problems, and therefore an exemplary feature of the present invention is to provide a heat sink mounting device capable of mounting a large-capacity heat sink, using respective circuit boards for a single CPU and sharing the circuit boards for dual CPUs, to facilitate mounting of the CPUs and the heat sink for cooling the CPUs in the case of CPU expansion.

To achieve the foregoing and other exemplary features, the present invention provides an exemplary heat sink mounting apparatus. The radiator mounting device includes: a first circuit board including an opening; a first electronic device mounted on a main surface of the first circuit board; a second circuit board attached on the main surface of the first circuit board so that the opening is covered; a second electronic device mounted on the second circuit board through the opening from a rear surface side of the first circuit board; a first heat sink mounted on the main surface side of the first circuit board such that the first electronic device and the opening are covered; and a second heat sink mounted on the rear surface side of the first circuit board such that the second electronic device and the opening are covered.

Further, to achieve the above and other exemplary features, the present invention provides an exemplary heat sink mounting method. The heat sink mounting method includes: forming an opening in the first circuit board; mounting a first electronic device on a major surface of the first circuit board; attaching a second circuit board on the main surface of the first circuit board so as to cover the opening; mounting a first heat sink in the main surface of the first circuit board so as to cover the first electronic device and the opening; mounting a second electronic device on the second circuit board through the opening from the rear surface side of the first circuit board; and mounting a second heat sink on the rear surface side of the first circuit board so as to cover the second electronic device and the opening.

According to the above arrangement, the exemplary heat sink mounting device of the present invention can effectively secure the mounting space of the heat sink, and can mount the heat sink having a large capacity.

Further, even when dual CPUs are configured by expansion of the CPUs, a main circuit board for mounting the CPUs can be shared.

Further, since the extension CPU and the heat sink for cooling the extension CPU can be mounted in the case of CPU extension without removing the CPU and the heat sink mounted in the main circuit board, operability is improved.

Drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of a heat sink mounting apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are exploded perspective views of a major surface and a rear surface, respectively, of the server blade shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main circuit board used in the server blade shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of a major surface and a rear surface, respectively, of a daughter board for use in the server blade of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of the major and rear surfaces, respectively, of a heat sink used in the server blade of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a frame used in the server blade shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 7A and 7B are perspective views illustrating a process of mounting a heat sink on a single CPU;

fig. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the main surface and the rear surface, respectively, after mounting of the single CPU;

fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a process of mounting a heat sink on a CPU extension;

fig. 10A, 10B, and 10C are perspective views showing a blade server mounting a dual CPU, fig. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing an air flow, respectively, and fig. 10C is a front view showing a server blade having a mounting pitch; and is

FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating a blade server including a plurality of dual CPU mounted server blades.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an exemplary heat sink mounting apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of a heat sink mounting device according to the present invention. In fig. 1, the heat sink mounting device is a server blade. Fig. 2A and 2B are exploded perspective views of a main surface and a rear surface of the server blade shown in fig. 1, respectively.

Referring to fig. 1, 2A, and 2B, a server blade according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 1, a main circuit board (first circuit board) 2, a heat sink (first heat sink) 3, a heat sink (second heat sink) 4, a CPU (first CPU)5, an extended CPU (second CPU)8, and a sub circuit board (second circuit board) 17.

The frame 1 includes a front panel 1a, two side panels 1b and 1c, and a bottom panel 1 d. Further, the frame 1 (plate 1d) includes an opening 15 and a plurality of studs 14 for mounting the heat sinks 3 and 4.

The main circuit board 2 includes a connector 16, an opening 11 facing the opening 15, and a plurality of through holes through which the studs 14 pass. The main circuit board 2 is attached in the board 1d of the frame 1 by screw clamps (not shown). The CPU5 is mounted on the main surface of the main circuit board 2. The heat sink 3 is mounted on the main surface of the main circuit board 2, and the CPU5 and the opening 11 are covered with the heat sink 3.

Here, other electronic components except the CPU5 and the extension CPU8 in the main circuit board 2 are omitted. Further, the main circuit board 2 is attached in the board 1d of the frame 1, wherein the rear surface or a gap between the rear surface of the main circuit board 2 and the main surface of the board 1d is subjected to heat insulation treatment.

The sub circuit board 17 includes a plurality of through holes through which the stud 14 passes. The sub circuit board 17 is attached to the main surface of the main circuit board 2 by using a connector described later, and the opening 11 is covered by the sub circuit board 17. The extension CPU8 is mounted on the rear surface of the sub circuit board 17 from the rear surface side of the board 1d through the opening 11 and the opening 15. The heat sink 4 is mounted in the rear surface side of the board 1d, and the extended CPU8 and the opening 15 are covered by the heat sink 4.

The main circuit board 2 and the sub circuit board 17 are electrically connected by using a connector attached in the outer periphery of the opening 11. The sub board 17 is electrically connected to the expansion CPU8 by using a socket mounted on the rear surface of the sub board 17.

With the above-described server blade, the CPU5 and the heat sink 3 for cooling the CPU5 are mounted in the main surface side of the main circuit board 2, and the extension CPU8 and the heat sink 4 for cooling the extension CPU8 are mounted in the rear surface side of the board 1d, respectively.

The various components of the server blade according to the present invention will be described below.

First, the components of the main circuit board 2 are described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main circuit board used in the server blade shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in fig. 3, the main circuit board 2 includes an opening 11 and a plurality of through holes 20, and the socket 6, the connector 7, and the connector 16 are attached to a main surface of the main circuit board 2. The opening 11 has the same rectangular shape as the opening 15 of the frame 1, and the connector 7 is attached on the outer periphery of the opening 11. A plurality of through holes 20 are prepared at the same positions as the stud positions of the frame 1. In the socket 6, a CPU5 is mounted to be connected with the main circuit board 2. The connector 7 is used to connect with the daughter circuit board 17. The connector 16 is used to connect to other server blades or peripheral circuits (not shown in fig. 3) such as power supply circuits.

The assembly of the daughter circuit board will be described below. Fig. 4A and 4B are perspective views of a main surface and a rear surface of a sub circuit board used in the server blade shown in fig. 1, respectively.

The sub circuit board 17 includes a plurality of through holes 18, and the socket 9 and the connector 10 are mounted on the rear surface of the sub circuit board 17. The sub circuit board 17 is a rectangular circuit board having a size to cover the opening 11 (fig. 3). A plurality of through holes 18 are prepared for passing studs of the frame 1. The socket 9 is used to connect the expansion CPU 8. The connector 10 is used to connect with the connector 7 of the main circuit board 2 in fig. 3. The receptacle 9 is electrically connected to the connector 10. Therefore, the extension CPU8 is electrically connected to the main circuit board 2 and functions as a part of the circuit of the main circuit board 2.

According to fig. 2A, after the sub circuit board 17 is mounted on the main surface of the main circuit board 2, the extension CPU8 mounted on the rear surface of the sub circuit board 17 can be viewed through the opening 11 of the main circuit board 2 and the opening 15 of the frame 1. This is because the expansion CPU8 is mounted to the socket 9 through the openings 11 and 15.

The assembly of the heat sinks 3 and 4 will be described below. Fig. 5A and 5B are perspective views of the main surface and the rear surface, respectively, of a heat sink used in the server blade shown in fig. 1. Here, the heat sink 3 mounted in the main surface side of the frame 1 will be explained as an example.

The heat sink 3 has a plurality of fins (not shown), a thermal interface 13 and a plurality of screws 12. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the fins are shown as a whole. The thermal interface 13 is, for example, a silicon wafer, i.e., silicon is processed into a sheet shape and is used to efficiently conduct heat generated by the CPU 5. A plurality of screws 12 are in mating connection with studs 14 of the frame 1 in fig. 2A. The material of the heat sink 3 or the common heat sink comprises aluminum, copper or steel.

The heat sink 3 has substantially the same size as the size in the height direction of the main circuit board 2 in fig. 3 to improve the effect of cooling the CPU 5.

Further, the heat sink 4 is used by adjusting the position of the thermal interface 13 and the plurality of screws 12.

The components of the frame will be described below. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a frame used in the server blade shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in fig. 6, the frame 1 comprises an opening 15 and a plurality of studs 14. The opening 15 has the same rectangular shape as the opening 11 of the main circuit board 2 in fig. 3. The heat sink 3 and the heat sink 4 are mounted on the main surface side and the rear surface side of the board 1d using a plurality of studs 14. The stud 14 is a through female screw as shown in a partially enlarged view.

The assembly process of the server blade will be described below.

First, an assembly process in the case of mounting a single CPU is explained. Fig. 7A and 7B are perspective views illustrating a process of mounting a heat sink on a single CPU.

As shown in fig. 7A, the sub circuit board 17 is attached in the main surface of the main circuit board 2 by connecting the connector 7 of the main circuit board 2 with the connector 10 of the sub circuit board 17 in fig. 4B. In the case of mounting a single CPU, no CPU exists in the sub board 17.

Further, as shown in fig. 7B, the main circuit board 2 in which the sub circuit board 17 is mounted in the frame 1.

Then, the heat sink 3 for cooling the CPU5 is arranged on the main surface of the main circuit board 2, and the heat sink 3 is fixed to the main surface of the main circuit board 2 by fitting the screws 12 of the heat sink 3 and the studs 14 of the frame 1.

Fig. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the main surface and the rear surface, respectively, after the single CPU is mounted. As shown in fig. 8A, the heat sink 3 is mounted on the main surface side of the main circuit board 2. As shown in fig. 8B, the receptacle 9 prepared in the rear surface of the sub circuit board 17 can be clearly seen from the opening 15 of the rear surface of the board 1 d. The extension CPU8 is not installed in the case of a single CPU. Further, the air flow for cooling the CPU5 is blown in the direction of the arrow of fig. 8A and cools the heat sink 3.

The assembly process in the case of CPU expansion is explained below. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a process of mounting the heat sink on the CPU extension.

As shown in fig. 9, the expansion CPU8 is mounted to a socket 9 attached in the rear surface of the sub-circuit board 17. Then, the heat sink 4 is mounted in the rear surface of the frame 1, covering the extension CPU8 and the opening 15. Therefore, in the case of the extension CPU, since the extension CPU8 and the heat sink 4 for cooling the extension CPU8 are mounted from the rear surface of the board 1d through the opening 15 without removing the heat sink 3 for cooling the CPU5 mounted in the main surface of the main circuit board 2, the extension work becomes convenient.

The assembly process in the case of a dual CPU installation will be explained below. Fig. 10A, 10B, and 10C are perspective views showing a blade server in which dual CPUs are installed, fig. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing air flows, respectively, and fig. 10C is a front view showing a server blade having an installation pitch.

As shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the heat sink 3 and the heat sink 4 are mounted on the main surface side and the rear surface side of the frame 1, respectively, and are cooled by air flows flowing through the respective side surfaces of the frame 1. In addition, as shown in fig. 10C, in the case of a single CPU, the mounting pitch of the blade server is set by the width of the blade of one slot width. On the other hand, in the case of a dual CPU, since the heat sink 4 for cooling the extended CPU is mounted, a mounting pitch of two slots is required. However, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, since a large-capacity heat sink can be mounted, a CPU having a high heat value can be mounted in the apparatus.

An example of a blade server comprising a plurality of dual CPU mounted server blades will be described below. FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating a blade server including a plurality of dual CPU mounted server blades.

As shown in fig. 11, the blade server 200 is equipped with a required number of server blades 100 at a pitch of two slots in a server frame. On the other hand, in a single CPU, the blade server 200 is equipped with a required number of server blades 100 at a pitch of one slot in the server frame.

The operation of the server blade according to the present invention will be described below. As shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the CPU5 mounted on the main surface side of the board 1d (frame 1) is covered by the heat sink 3, and the extended CPU8 is covered by the heat sink 4 mounted on the rear surface side of the frame 1. Although the CPU5 and the expansion CPU8 generate heat during operation, the heat from the two CPUs is diffused throughout the heat sinks 3 and 4. Further, although the surface temperatures of the heat sinks 3 and 4 are raised by the heat from the respective CPUs, the heat sinks 3 and 4 are cooled by the air flows flowing through the main surface side and the rear surface side of the frame 1.

As described above, the exemplary heat sink mounting device and the server blade using the same according to the present invention can effectively secure the mounting space of the CPUs 5 and 8 required to cool the dual CPUs mounted in the server blade. Further, since the CPU5 and the expansion CPU8 are respectively installed on the front and rear sides of the frame 1, for example, the expansion CPU8 installed in the rear surface side of the frame 1 does not directly receive the wind heated by the CPU5 installed on the main surface side of the frame 1. Thus, each of the radiators 3 and 4 can adopt a larger cross-sectional area to receive fresh air flow. Further, since the mounting positions of the respective CPUs and the heat sinks for cooling the CPUs are close, the cooling efficiency of the respective heat sinks can be improved.

Further, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the main circuit board may be commonly used for a single CPU or a dual CPU.

Further, it is not necessary to remove a heat sink for cooling the single CPU in the case of CPU expansion. The above effects are also effective for the latter. Once power is supplied to the CPU, a thermal interface is affixed to both the CPU and the heat sink to cool the heat generated by the CPU. That is, it becomes difficult to remove the heat sink. If the heat sink has been removed, the thermal interface that is attached to both the CPU and the heat sink needs to be removed. And thus, the operability is deteriorated. In the present invention, it is possible to expand a CPU and a heat sink for cooling the CPU without removing the heat sink for cooling a single CPU.

Further, although the above-described embodiments relate to a heat sink mounting apparatus and a mounting method for cooling a CPU, the present invention is not limited to cooling of a CPU. The invention is applicable to other heat-generating electronic devices, such as high-speed or large-scale integrated circuits and power amplifiers, among others.

The previous description of the embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention.

Moreover, various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles and specific examples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but covers the broadest scope defined by the limitations of the claims and equivalents.

Further, it is noted that, although the claims may be amended during prosecution, the claims are intended to include all equivalents of the claimed invention. The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. JP 2006-070015 (including description, claims, drawings and abstract) applied at 3/14/2006. The contents of the above-mentioned japanese patent application documents are incorporated in the present specification by reference in their entirety.

Claims (9)

1. A heat sink mounting apparatus comprising:

a first circuit board including an opening;

a first electronic device mounted on a main surface of the first circuit board;

a second circuit board attached on the main surface of the first circuit board so that the opening is covered;

a second electronic device mounted on the second circuit board through the opening from a rear surface side of the first circuit board;

a first heat sink mounted on the main surface side of the first circuit board such that the first electronic device and the opening are covered; and

a second heat sink mounted on the rear surface side of the first circuit board such that the second electronic device and the opening are covered.

2. The heat sink mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically connected by using a connector attached to a periphery of the opening.

3. The heat sink mounting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second circuit board and second electronic device are electrically connected using a socket attached to the second circuit board.

4. The heat sink mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second heat sinks have a size identical to a size in a width direction of a main surface of the first circuit board mounted to an electronic apparatus.

5. A server blade comprising the heat sink mounting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server blade is housed in a blade server at a predetermined slot pitch.

6. A server blade comprising the heat sink mounting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the server blade is housed in a blade server at a predetermined slot pitch.

7. A server blade comprising the heat sink mounting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the server blade is housed in a blade server at a predetermined slot pitch.

8. A server blade comprising the heat sink mounting apparatus of claim 4, wherein the server blade is housed in a blade server at a predetermined slot pitch.

9. A heat sink mounting method comprising:

forming an opening in the first circuit board;

mounting a first electronic device on a major surface of the first circuit board;

attaching a second circuit board on the main surface of the first circuit board so as to cover the opening;

mounting a first heat sink in the main surface of the first circuit board so as to cover the first electronic device and the opening;

mounting a second electronic device on the second circuit board through the opening from the rear surface side of the first circuit board; and is

A second heat sink is mounted on the rear surface side of the first circuit board so as to cover the second electronic device and the opening.