Electronic devices, such as integrated circuit devices, are increasingly being used in modern applications. One prevalent example is the computer. The central processing unit or units of most computers, including personal computers, is constructed from an integrated circuit device.
During normal operation, electronic devices generate significant amounts of heat. If this heat is not continuously removed, the electronic device may overheat, resulting in damage to the device and/,or a reduction in operating performance. In order to avoid such overheating, cooling devices are often used in conjunction with electronic devices.
One such cooling device is a fan assisted heat sink cooling device. In such a device, a heat sink is formed of a material, such as aluminum, which readily conducts heat. The heat sink is usually placed on top of and in contact with the electronic device. Due to this contact, heat generated by the electronic device is conducted into the heat sink and away from the electronic device.
The heat sink may include a plurality of cooling fins in order to increase the surface area of the heat sink and, thus, maximize the transfer of heat from the heat sink into the surrounding air. In this manner, the heat sink draws heat away from the electronic device and transfers the heat into the surrounding air. An example of a heat sink is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,685 of Dean for HEAT SINK DEVICE HAVING RADIAL HEAT AND AIRFLOW PATHS, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein.
In order to enhance the cooling capacity of a heat sink device, an electrically powered fan is often mounted within or on top of the heat sink. In operation, the fan causes air to move over and around the fins of the heat sink device, thus cooling the fins by enhancing the transfer of heat from the fins into the ambient air. An example of a heat sink device including a fan is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,116 of Wagner for FAN ASSISTED HEAT SINK DEVICE, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein.
Over the years, as the power of electronic devices has increased, so has the amount of heat generated by these devices. In order to adequately cool these higher powered electronic devices, cooling devices with greater cooling capacities are required. There is also an increasing trend to package electronic devices in multi-electronic device packages. This multi-electronic device arrangement presents an additional challenge with respect to cooling since it results in several heat sources being located within one package. Since each of the electronic devices in the package represents a heat emission source, each must be cooled. In order to adequately cool these multiple electronic device packages, a cooling device must be large enough to contact, or be in close proximity to, all of the electronic devices within the package. Accordingly, cooling devices for cooling such multiple electronic device packages typically are relatively large. Such large cooling devices are problematic in that they are relatively expensive, heavy, and often inefficient.
Another problem with fan assisted heat sink cooling devices is the noise generated by the fans, particularly in situations where larger and/or multiple fans are used to achieve increased cooling capacity. This is particularly a problem in desktop computers where a user is commonly in close proximity to the machine. The problem is further aggravated in situations where multiple electronic devices, and, thus, multiple cooling devices, are mounted in the same computer case, as occurs in many high power computers.
Thus, it would be generally desirable to provide an apparatus and method which overcome these problems associated with cooling devices.