Stacked cage optical module heat relay system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9910231-B2
Application number	US-201614987142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a cage for pluggable optical modules including a bay having a first port stacked with a second port, the bay having an opening between the first and second port; a heat collector module in the opening comprising a first contact plate adjacent to the first port bottom and provided in the first port and configured to contact a first optical module in the first port, a second contact plate adjacent to the second port top and provided in the second port and configured to contact a second optical module insertable in the second port, a cold plate between the first and second contact plates, compressible thermal material layers between the contact plates and the cold plate; and a heat pipe having a first portion in thermal contact with the cold plate and a second portion extending beyond the stacked cage and in thermal contact with a radiator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a cage having a front and a back, and a bay comprising a first port stacked with a second port, the bay having an opening between the first port and the second port, the first port having a first port bottom and the second port having a second port top;
a heat collector module positioned in the opening, the heat collector module comprising:
a first contact plate adjacent to the first port bottom and provided in the first port, the first contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a first optical module pluggable in the first port;
a second contact plate adjacent to the second port top and provided in the second port, the second contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a second optical module insertable in the second port;
a cold plate in between the first contact plate and the second contact plate, the cold plate comprising thermally conductive material, the first and second contact plates being formed of a single piece of material that is shaped to wrap around a front edge of the cold plate;
a first compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the first contact plate and the cold plate; and
a second compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the cold plate and the second contact plate;
a heat pipe having a rectangular cross section, a first portion of the heat pipe being in thermal contact with the cold plate, and a second portion of the heat pipe extending beyond the cage; and
a radiator in thermal contact with the second portion of the heat pipe.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the heat pipe extends beyond the back of the cage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a pluggable optical module matingly engaged in the first port such that the exterior of the pluggable optical module is in thermal contact with the first contact plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pluggable optical module is one of a SFP module, a SFP+ module, a QSFP module, and a QSFP+ module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a pluggable optical module matingly engaged in the second port such that the exterior of the pluggable optical module is in thermal contact with the second contact plate.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the pluggable optical module is one of a SFP module, a SFP+ module, a QSFP module, and a QSFP+ module.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe is approximately 2 mm wide.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe is a closed system containing fluid with an outer wall made at least partially of copper.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radiator has heat dispersal fins orientated in vertical parallel rows.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radiator has heat dispersal fins orientated in horizontal parallel rows.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radiator is offset from the cage.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bay of the cage is a first bay, the opening is a first opening, and the cold plate of the heat collector module is a first cold plate;
wherein the cage further comprises a second bay adjacent to the first bay, the second bay comprising a third port stacked with a fourth port, the second bay having a second opening between the third port and the fourth port, the third port having a third port bottom and the fourth port having a fourth port top;
wherein the heat collector module is positioned in the first opening and the second opening and further comprises:
a third contact plate adjacent to the third port bottom and provided in the third port, the third contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a third optical module pluggable in the third port;
a fourth contact plate adjacent to the fourth port top and provided in the fourth port, the fourth contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a fourth optical module insertable in the fourth port;
a second cold plate in between the third contact plate and the fourth contact plate, the second cold plate comprising thermally conductive material;
a third compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the third contact plate and the second cold plate; and
a fourth compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the second cold plate and the fourth contact plate; and
wherein the first portion of the heat pipe is in contact with the second cold plate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first cold plate and the second cold plate are connected.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the heat pipe is a first heat pipe, and further comprising:
a second heat pipe having a rectangular cross section, a first portion in thermal contact with the second cold plate, and a second portion extending beyond the cage and in thermal contact with the radiator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the cage further comprises a third bay adjacent to the second bay, the third bay comprising a fifth port stacked with a sixth port, the third bay having a third opening between the fifth port and the sixth port, the fifth port having a fifth port bottom and the sixth port having a sixth port top, wherein the heat collector module is positioned in the first opening, the second opening, and the third opening;
wherein the heat collector module further comprises:
a fifth contact plate adjacent to the fifth port bottom and provided in the fifth port, the fifth contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a fifth optical module pluggable in the fifth port;
a sixth contact plate adjacent to the sixth port top and provided in the sixth port, the sixth contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a sixth optical module insertable in the sixth port;
a third cold plate in between the fifth contact plate and the sixth contact plate, the third cold plate comprising thermally conductive material;
a fifth compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the fifth contact plate and the third cold plate; and
a sixth compressible thermal material layer in between and in contact with the third cold plate and the sixth contact plate; and
wherein the first portion of the second heat pipe is in contact with the third cold plate.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first cold plate, the second cold plate, and the third cold plate are connected, and wherein the first opening, the second opening, and the third opening are contiguous.

17. An apparatus, comprising:
a cage having a front and a back, and a plurality of bays, each bay comprising a first port stacked with a second port, each bay having an opening between the first port and the second port, the first port having a first port bottom and the second port having a second port top;
a heat collector module positioned in each opening, each heat collector module comprising:
a first contact plate adjacent to the first port bottom and provided in the first port, the first contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a first optical module pluggable in the first port;
a second contact plate adjacent to the second port top and provided in the second port, the second contact plate being configured to contact an exterior of a second optical module insertable in the second port;
a cold plate in between the first contact plate and the second contact plate, the cold plate comprising thermally conductive material, the first and second contact plates being formed of a single piece of material that is shaped to wrap around a front edge of

Assignees

• Infinera Corp
• Infinera Corp

Inventors

• Kelty Matthew James
• Macall Thomas George

Classifications

• H04B10/801

  using optical interconnects, e.g. light coupled isolators, circuit board interconnections · CPC title

• G02B6/4269 Primary

  with heat sinks or radiation fins · CPC title

• G02B6/4278

  related to pluggable or demountable opto-electronic or electronic elements · CPC title