Heatsink and stiffener mount with integrated alignment

{
  "publication_number": "US11071195B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Heatsink and stiffener mount with integrated alignment",
  "abstract": "A mount for connecting a heat sink to a PCB may include a threaded post extending along an axis, a first barrel adjacent to the post along an axis and having a larger axial cross-section than the post, and a threaded second barrel defining an opposite end of the mount from the post and having a larger axial cross-section than the first barrel.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An electronic assembly, comprising; a printed circuit board (PCB) including a chip and PCB holes; a bolster plate including bolster plate holes, each bolster plate hole being concentrically aligned with one of the PCB holes; a heat sink including notches and a boss configured to contact the chip at an opposite side of the PCB from the bolster plate; load cells extending within the notches and each being concentrically aligned with one of the PCB holes and one of the bolster plate holes; and one or more mounts, each including: a post extending along an axis and engaged with one of the bolster plate holes; a first barrel axially adjacent to the post and having a larger axial cross-section than the post; a second barrel defining an axially opposite end of the mount from the post and engaged with one of the load cells; and a grip located axially between the first barrel and the second barrel, wherein the second barrel is configured to be received within a corresponding notch of the heat sink, and wherein a combined height of the boss and the chip exceeds a height of the grip.",
    "2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each load cell includes a coil spring and a screw extending within the coil spring.",
    "3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the coil spring is confined between a first point at a fixed location relative to the screw and a second point at a fixed location relative to the heat sink.",
    "4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the screws includes an externally threaded portion engaged with an internally threaded bore within the second barrel of one of the mounts.",
    "5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second barrel of each mount has a larger axial cross-section than the respective post.",
    "6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the PCB holes have an approximately equal diameter to the second barrels.",
    "7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein each grip includes a flat surface abutting the PCB.",
    "8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat sink includes a tab defining an end of each notch, each tab including a channel extending therethrough, and each of the second barrels is disposed within one of the channels.",
    "9. A method of assembling electronic components, the method comprising: inserting a post of a mount through a printed circuit board (PCB) hole in a PCB and into a bolster plate hole in a bolster plate such that the post is threadingly engaged within the bolster plate hole, a portion of a first barrel axially extends from the post passes through the bolster hole and remaining portion of the first barrel extends through the PCB hole, and a grip extending axially from the first barrel bears against the PCB, wherein the PCB includes a chip; engaging a load cell of a heat sink with an opposite end of the mount from the post, wherein the heat sink includes a boss such that a combined height of the boss and the chip exceeds a height of the grip; and tightening the load cell to bring the chip on the PCB into abutment with the boss of the heat sink.",
    "10. The method of claim 9, comprising engaging the post with the bolster plate hole and tightening the mount to the bolster plate until the PCB contacts the bolster plate and a grip of the mount abuts an opposite side of the PCB from the bolster plate."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Electronic components such as circuit boards generate heat during operation. Elevated temperatures decrease the efficiency and longevity of such components. Various solutions for heat dissipation have therefore been developed. Some solutions include the use of a heat sink attached to the board. One example of a typical heat sink is a block of metal fins, but a wide variety of heat sinks exist.\n\nThermal contact conductance between the board and the heat sink is an important factor for effective heat dissipation. Thermal contact conductance can be improved by increasing pressure between abutting surfaces of the heat sink and board. Known solutions for tightening the heat sink to the board include elements that extend through the board that can be pulled from the opposite side of the heat sink, such as screws. Typically, the point of contact between the board and the heat sink is a chip that projects outward from an approximately central location of the board. Because only the chip contacts the heat sink directly, tightening the screws or other tightening elements at peripheral locations around the board may cause the board to bend, which reduces the contact area between the chip and the heat sink and may damage the board.\n\nAn aspect of the present disclosure is an electronic assembly, which may include a printed circuit board, or PCB, a heat sink, a bolster plate, and mounts. The PCB and bolster plate may include holes near their respective corners. The mounts may serve to align the bolster plate to the printed circuit board by passing through the holes in the PCB and threadingly engaging the holes in the bolster plate.",
  "cpc": [
    "H05K 1/0203",
    "F28F 2280/04",
    "F28F 9/266",
    "H05K 2201/066",
    "H05K 2201/10598",
    "H05K 7/2039",
    "H05K 7/205",
    "H10W 40/235",
    "H10W 40/60",
    "H10W 40/611",
    "H10W 40/625"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F28F 9/26",
    "H05K 1/02",
    "H05K 7/20",
    "H10W 40/60"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Google LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Ryan Tong"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2020-08-27",
  "publication_date": "2021-07-20",
  "grant_date": "2021-07-20",
  "priority_date": "2020-06-05",
  "application_number": "US-202017004769-A",
  "family_id": "76861691",
  "cited_by_count": 12,
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}