Heat pipe thermal component for cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10416735-B2
Application number	US-201715729365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2017
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A head-mounted display (HMD) device includes a printed circuit board having one or more processors. A heat transfer plate having a heat-generating component facing surface is thermally coupled to the printed circuit board. The HMD exterior-facing surface of the heat transfer plate opposite from the heat-generating component facing surface is thermally coupled to a heat pipe. The heat pipe is thermally coupled to a heat transfer shell, which is configured as a heat sink to receive heat from the heat pipe. In operation, heat flows from the heat-generating components of the HMD (e.g., the HMD's processor and other electronic components) to the heat transfer plate. Thermal energy removed from the heat-generating components is transferred to the heat transfer shell via the heat pipe, which in turn transfers the heat to the external surface of the HMD to be dissipated into ambient room temperature of the surrounding environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a head-mounted display (HMD) device including a printed circuit board having one or more processors;
a heat transfer plate having a heat-generating component facing surface thermally coupled to the printed circuit board and a HMD exterior-facing surface opposite from the heat-generating component facing surface that is thermally coupled to a heat pipe; and
a heat transfer shell thermally coupled to the heat pipe, wherein the heat transfer shell comprises a mass of thermally conductive material configured as a heat sink to receive heat from the heat pipe and transfer heat to an exterior-facing surface of the HMD, wherein the exterior-facing surface of the HMD is substantially parallel to the printed circuit board and the heat pipe.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe includes one or more heat pipe legs extending axially from the heat transfer plate.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a HMD exterior-facing surface of the one or more heat pipe legs is thermally coupled to the heat transfer shell and a HMD interior-facing surface of the one or more heat pipe legs opposite from the HMD exterior-facing surface is thermally coupled to the heat transfer plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the heat transfer shell includes an indented portion along a HMD interior-facing surface of the heat transfer shell configured to accommodate coupling with the HMD exterior-facing surface of the heat pipe legs.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board includes one or more thermal vias that provide a heat flow path from a top surface of the printed circuit board to a back surface of the printed circuit board.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer shell comprises a magnesium shell.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a thermal interface material layer sandwiched between the heat transfer plate and the printed circuit board.

8. A head-mounted display system, comprising:
a heat pipe thermal component including a heat pipe and a heat transfer plate, wherein the heat transfer plate has a heat-generating component facing surface and a HMD exterior-facing surface opposite from the heat-generating component facing surface that is thermally coupled to a heat pipe;
a printed circuit board thermally coupled to the heat-generating component facing surface of the heat transfer plate; and
a heat transfer shell thermally coupled to the heat pipe, wherein the heat transfer shell comprises a mass of thermally conductive material configured as a heat sink to receive heat from the heat pipe and transfer heat to an exterior-facing surface of the HMD, wherein the exterior-facing surface of the HMD is substantially parallel to the printed circuit board and the heat pipe.

9. The head-mounted display system of claim 8 , wherein the heat pipe includes one or more heat pipe legs extending axially away from the heat transfer plate.

10. The head-mounted display system of claim 9 , wherein a HMD exterior-facing surface of the one or more heat pipe legs is thermally coupled to the heat transfer shell and a HMD interior-facing surface of the one or more heat pipe legs opposite from the HMD exterior-facing surface is thermally coupled to the heat transfer plate.

11. The head-mounted display system of claim 8 , wherein the heat transfer shell includes an indented portion along an interior facing surface configured to accommodate coupling with the heat pipe.

12. The head-mounted display system of claim 8 , wherein the printed circuit board includes one or more thermal vias that provide a heat flow path from a top surface of the printed circuit board to a back surface of the printed circuit board.

13. The head-mounted display system of claim 8 , wherein the heat transfer shell comprises a magnesium shell.

14. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a thermal interface material layer sandwiched between the heat transfer plate and the printed circuit board.

15. A method, comprising:
providing a head-mounted display (HMD) device including a printed circuit board (PCB) having one or more processors;
transferring thermal energy generated by the PCB to a heat-generating component facing surface of a heat transfer plate;
transferring thermal energy from a HMD exterior-facing surface of the heat transfer plate to a HMD interior-facing surface of a heat pipe;
transferring thermal energy from a HMD exterior-facing surface of the heat pipe to a HMD-interior facing surface of a heat transfer shell, wherein the HMD-interior facing surface is substantially parallel to the printed circuit board and the heat pipe; and
dissipating thermal energy from the heat transfer shell to an environment external to the HMD device.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
coupling the heat pipe to an indented portion along the HMD interior-facing surface of the heat transfer shell.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
coupling one or more heat pipe legs of the heat pipe extending axially away from the heat transfer plate to an indented portion along the HMD interior-facing surface of the heat transfer shell.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
providing one of more thermal vias through the printed circuit board to provide a heat flow path from a top surface of the printed circuit board to a back surface of the printed circuit board.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising coupling the heat transfer plate to the printed circuit board by filling a macroscopic gap between the heat transfer plate and the printed circuit board with a thermal interface material.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising coupling the heat transfer plate to the printed circuit board by coupling the heat transfer plate to the printed circuit board via a set of one or more mounts.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ali Ihab

Classifications

• G02B27/017 Primary

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G06F1/184

  Mounting of motherboards · CPC title

• G06F1/203 Primary

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title

• H05K1/0206

  by printed thermal vias · CPC title

• H05K1/181

  associated with surface mounted components · CPC title