Heat sink system and assembly

Abstract

A heat sink system with reduced airborne debris clogging, for cooling power electronics, the heat sink system including a heat sink having a plurality of fins, a housing configured to direct air flow around the side, top, and/or bottom of the heat sink and then through the fins of the heat sink at a back of the heat sink, and an inlet airway passage formed between a wall of the housing and said side, top, and/or bottom of the finned heat sink to allow air to pass within the housing, wherein said side, top, and/or bottom of the heat sink comprises at least one of said plurality of fins disposed directly in contact with the inlet airway passage.

1 . A system comprising:
 a housing configured to receive airflow into an inlet airflow passageway; and   a heat sink having plural fins spaced apart from each other and configured to receive the airflow between the fins from the inlet airflow passageway after the airflow has flowed through the inlet airflow passageway to reduce a temperature of the airflow,   wherein at least one of the fins of the heat sink defines at least a portion of the inlet airflow passageway.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein an outside fin of the fins in the heat sink is configured to define a portion of the inlet airflow passageway along a length of the inlet airflow passageway. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the fins in the heat sink are separated from each other by a larger separation distance than other fins in the heat sink to define a bypass channel of the heat sink. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the bypass channel in the heat sink is positioned in the heat sink to allow a debris-laden portion of the airflow to flow through the bypass channel. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a transition seal configured to engage the at least one of the fins of the heat sink that defines the portion of the inlet airflow passageway to prevent the airflow from flowing between an interface between the at least one of the fins and the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the transition seal includes a curved portion and the at least one of the fins includes a complimentary shape to the curved portion. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the fins that defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway is thicker than one or more others of the fins in the heat sink. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the fins that defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway is in direct thermal contact with the airflow prior to the airflow flowing through the heat sink. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the fins defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway by extending along a side of the inlet airflow passageway. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plural fins include inlet fins and outlet fins, and the inlet fins are disposed within the inlet airflow passageway such that the airflow flows between the inlet fins before flowing between the outlet fins. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins includes fins of varying lengths that are arranged to turn the airflow from the inlet fins to the outlet fins. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins includes curved fins that define vanes arranged to turn the airflow from the inlet fins to the outlet fins. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a restriction element configured to reduce a size of an opening through which the airflow is received into the inlet airflow passageway, the restriction element configured to increase a pressure drop of the airflow as the airflow flows into the inlet airflow passageway, through the heat sink, and out of the heat sink. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fins of the heat sink is divided into a plurality of discrete segments that are spaced apart from each other along a length of the at least one of the fins. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fins of the heat sink has an undulating body. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heat sink includes a support system having grooves configured to receive ends of the fins, with a first fin of the fins being bent in a first direction and a second fin of the fins being bent in an opposite, second direction such that the first fin and the second fin are coupled together in the heat sink. 
     
     
         17 . A system comprising:
 a heat sink having plural fins spaced apart from each other, the fins including inlet fins and outlet fins, with the inlet fins are disposed within an inlet airflow passageway that receives airflow to be cooled by the heat sink such that the airflow flows between the inlet fins before flowing between the outlet fins;   wherein at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins are arranged to turn the airflow from the inlet fins to the outlet fins after the airflow has at least one of flowed through the inlet fins or before the airflow has flowed through the outlet fins.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins are arranged to turn the airflow toward the outlet fins without the airflow being turned by a housing disposed outside of or around the inlet fins or the outlet fins. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins include fins of varying lengths. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the inlet fins include the fins of varying lengths with the fins having longer lengths located along an outside of the heat sink and the fins having decreasing lengths for the fins that are closer to a center of the heat sink. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the outlet fins include the fins of varying lengths with the fins having longer lengths located along a center of the heat sink and the fins having decreasing lengths for the fins that are closer to the inlet fins. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins includes curved fins that define vanes arranged to turn the airflow from the inlet fins to the outlet fins. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the at least one of the inlet fins or the outlet fins that includes the curved fins also include one or more straight fins disposed between two or more of the curved fins. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein at least two of the fins in the heat sink are separated from each other by a larger separation distance than other fins in the heat sink to define a bypass channel of the heat sink. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the bypass channel in the heat sink is positioned in the heat sink to allow a debris-laden portion of the airflow to flow through the bypass channel. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the fins is divided into a plurality of discrete segments that are spaced apart from each other along a length of the at least one of the fins. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the fins of the heat sink has an undulating body. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the heat sink includes a support system having grooves configured to receive ends of the fins, with a first fin of the fins being bent in a first direction and a second fin of the fins being bent in an opposite, second direction such that the first fin and the second fin are coupled together in the heat sink. 
     
     
         29 . A system comprising:
 a heat sink configured to be disposed in a housing having an inlet airflow passageway that receives airflow to flow through and be cooled by the heat sink, the heat sink having plural fins spaced apart from each other and configured to receive the airflow between the fins from the inlet airflow passageway of the housing,   wherein at least one of the fins of the heat sink defines at least a portion of the inlet airflow passageway in the housing when the heat sink is disposed within the housing.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein an outside fin of the fins in the heat sink is configured to define a portion of the inlet airflow passageway in the housing along a length of the inlet airflow passageway. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein at least two of the fins in the heat sink are separated from each other by a larger separation distance than other fins in the heat sink to define a bypass channel of the heat sink. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one of the fins that defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway in the housing is thicker than one or more others of the fins in the heat sink. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one of the fins that defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway in the housing is in direct thermal contact with the airflow prior to the airflow flowing through the heat sink when the heat sink is disposed within the housing. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one of the fins defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway of the housing by extending along a side of the inlet airflow passageway when the heat sink is disposed within the housing. 
     
     
         35 . A system comprising:
 a housing including an inlet airflow passageway that is configured to receive airflow from outside of the housing, the housing configured to receive a heat sink having plural fins spaced apart from each other,   wherein the housing is shaped to receive the airflow, direct the airflow through the inlet airflow passageway, and between the fins of the heat sink, and   wherein the housing is configured to receive the heat sink into the housing such that at least one of the fins of the heat sink defines at least a portion of the inlet airflow passageway.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the housing is configured to receive the heat sink such that an outside fin of the fins in the heat sink is configured to define a portion of the inlet airflow passageway of the housing along a length of the inlet airflow passageway. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the housing includes a transition seal configured to engage the at least one of the fins of the heat sink that defines the portion of the inlet airflow passageway to prevent the airflow from flowing between an interface between the at least one of the fins and the housing. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the transition seal includes a curved portion and the at least one of the fins includes a complimentary shape to the curved portion. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the housing is configured to receive the heat sink such that the at least one of the fins that defines the at least the portion of the inlet airflow passageway is in direct thermal contact with the airflow prior to the airflow flowing through the heat sink. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the housing includes a restriction element configured to reduce a size of an opening through which the airflow is received into the inlet airflow passageway, the restriction element configured to increase a pressure drop of the airflow as the airflow flows into the inlet airflow passageway, through the heat sink, and out of the heat sink.