Thermal flow assembly including integrated fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10034411-B2
Application number	US-201615199460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device includes an outer housing having an upper enclosure and a foot coupled thereto, a heat generating component, and a fan assembly integrated into the foot and situated proximate a bottom surface of the heat generating component. The foot can include inlet and outlet vents. The fan assembly can include an inlet, outlet, impeller with blades, shroud and fin stack. The electronic device can also include a heat pipe, a heat transfer stage, a PCB, and a bottom shield. Airflow through the electronic device can be directed across the fin stack, heat pipe, heat transfer stage, and bottom shield. Airflow can occur over a substantially level path through the electronic device from the inlet to outlet vents.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an outer housing arranged to enclose and support a plurality of internal components, the outer housing including an upper enclosure and a foot coupled thereto, wherein the foot includes a plurality of inlet vents and outlet vents formed therein;
a heat generating component located within the outer housing on a printed circuit board, the heat generating component including a bottom surface;
a fan assembly integrated within the foot of the outer housing;
a heat pipe in thermal contact with the fan assembly;
a heat transfer stage disposed between the heat pipe and the bottom surface of the heat generating component; and
a bottom shield disposed between and separating the fan assembly and the printed circuit board, wherein the bottom shield is configured to direct heat away from the heat generating component.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly includes a shroud, and wherein the shroud is coupled to the foot and operates therewith to define the fan assembly inlet.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the shroud directs airflow from one or more of the plurality of inlet vents to an inlet of the fan assembly.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly includes a fin stack, an outlet, and an impeller, and wherein the fin stack directs airflow from the impeller to the fan assembly outlet.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the fin stack is configured to direct heat away from the heat generating component.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the foot, the impeller, and a shroud of the fan assembly are concentrically arranged with respect to each other.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe is configured to direct heat away from the heat generating component.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the heat transfer stage is characterized by a length and width that corresponds to a length and width of the heat generating component, wherein the heat transfer stage is configured to direct heat away from the heat generating component.

9. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein airflow through the electronic device due to operation of the fan assembly is directed across each of the fin stack, heat pipe, heat transfer stage, and bottom shield.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein airflow through the electronic device due to operation of the fan assembly occurs over a substantially level path from the inlet vents to the outlet vents.

11. A thermal flow assembly configured for use in an electronic device, the thermal flow assembly comprising:
a fan assembly including an inlet, an outlet, an impeller having a plurality of blades, and a shroud configured to direct airflow into the impeller, wherein the fan assembly is integrated within an outer housing component for the electronic device;
a printed circuit board;
a heat pipe in thermal contact with the fan assembly;
a heat transfer stage disposed between the heat pipe the printed circuit board; and
a bottom shield in thermal contact with the fan assembly and configured to separate the fan assembly from the printed circuit board.

12. The thermal flow assembly of claim 11 , wherein a footprint for the fan assembly is the same as a footprint for the outer housing component.

13. The thermal flow assembly of claim 11 , wherein the fan assembly further includes a fin stack.

14. The thermal flow assembly of claim 11 , wherein the shroud is configured to direct incoming airflow over the shroud into the impeller and to direct outgoing airflow from the impeller under the shroud.

15. A method of cooling an electronic device, the method comprising:
drawing ambient air into the electronic device through one or more inlet vents disposed in an outer housing of the electronic device;
directing the ambient air over a shroud and into an impeller within the electronic device;
rotating the impeller to force the ambient air outward therefrom;
passing the ambient air through a fin stack, wherein heat is exchanged from one or more heated electronic device components to the ambient air via the fin stack, wherein the one or more heated electronic device components includes a component disposed on a printed circuit board, wherein the fan assembly is in thermal contact with a heat pipe, wherein a heat transfer stage is positioned between the heat pipe and the component disposed on the printed circuit board, and wherein a bottom shield separates the fan assembly from the printed circuit board; and
forcing the heated ambient air out of the electronic device through one or more outlet vents disposed in the outer housing.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the ambient air travels over a substantially level path from the one or more inlet vents to the one or more outlet vents.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the shroud directs incoming airflow over the shroud into the impeller and directs outgoing airflow from the impeller under the shroud.

18. The thermal flow assembly of claim 11 , wherein the outer housing component includes a foot positioned below the fan assembly, and wherein the foot defines inlet and outlet vents for the electronic device.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Prather Eric R
• Waterfall Clark E
• Williams Reuben J
• Diep Vinh H

Classifications

• H10W40/43

  by flowing gases, e.g. forced air cooling · CPC title

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• F28F1/12

  the means being only outside the tubular element · CPC title

• F28D15/0233

  the conduits having a particular shape, e.g. non-circular cross-section, annular (F28D15/0241, F28D15/0266 take precedence) · CPC title

• H05K7/20154 Primary

  Heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title