Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for removing heat generated by the operation of electronic devices to allow for a more densely packed arrangement of the electronic devices on a parent board. The apparatus comprises a metallic housing that encloses a flexible backplane with a pair of rigid supports mounted on its bottom surface and at least one electrical device connected to the top surface of the backplane that is supported by the rigid supports. The flexible backplane is folded and positioned within the housing such that the rigid supports face inwardly with respect to the housing and the electronic devices face outwardly with respect to the housing. A biasing member is positioned between the rigid supports for biasing the electronic devices against the housing. The flexible backplane is a flexible circuit board that supports a PC card array and the loading device is a cylindrical elastomeric compressor. The metallic housing is an aluminum U-shaped structure, having a pair of parallel walls extending transversely from a shorter wall. An optional cover can be attached to the open end of the U-shaped housing to protect the inner structure. The outer surfaces of the parallel walls of a U-shaped housing are ribbed to provide a plurality of cooling fins for additional transfer of heat from the electronic devices to ambient air. The inner surfaces of the parallel walls comprise vertically extending grooves to guide the PC cards into position within the housing. Elastomeric conductive films are adhered to the inner surface of the housing within the grooves to better facilitate heat transfer to the cooling fins.

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First Claim