Heat sink assembly

Claim 1

A heat sink mounting plate assembly for alternators, comprising: (a) a mounting plate having good conductive characteristics which has a relatively large surface area and is adapted for mounting on an alternator and has a plurality of widely spaced flat surfaced positioning areas, (b) a rectifying diode disposed in each of the positioning areas and having a bottom surface integrally connected to the positioning area surface in direct heat conductive contact, (c) the periphery of the positioning areas being defined by at least two spaced relatively wide upright cooling fins which position and support the diode within the positioning area with at least one cooling fin of each positioning area being in direct supporting and heat conducting contact with the diode, (d) the cooling fins being disposed along the outer periphery of the positioning area in contact with the side surface of the diode so as to dissipate a large proportion of the heat produced by the diode, (e) the cooling fins being approximately one half the heighth of the diode, and being arcuately spaced from one another, (f) a large convection opening disposed immediately adjacent each cooling fin and extending radially outward and in radial alignment therewith so as to provide a relatively large opening through which cool air may pass, (g) sections of the mounting plate between adjacent fins and convection openings constituting a plurality of radially outwardly extending heat conducting convection paths, and (h) the convection openings permitting cooling air to pass through the plate flowing over and thereby removing heat from the adjacent sections of the plate, the cooling fins, and the diode.