Thermal flow assembly including integrated fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10653034-B2
Application number	US-201816040083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

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:
a housing at least partially defining an internal cavity with a shroud extending from the housing, wherein the housing defines a plurality of air vents, and wherein the shroud defines an aperture through the shroud to the internal cavity;
a circuit board positioned across the shroud;
a fan assembly disposed within the internal cavity of the housing;
a fin stack at least partially disposed about the fan assembly, wherein the fin stack couples with the shroud to further define the internal cavity in which the fan assembly is disposed; and
a seal extending about a first subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents and on which the fin stack is seated.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the shroud defines a flow path extending from a second subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents along the shroud to the aperture defined through the shroud about a central axis of the internal cavity.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein fins of the fin stack extend across the first subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a heat pipe extending from the fin stack at a first end, wherein a second end of the heat pipe extends across the aperture defined through the shroud.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second end of the heat pipe is coupled with a heat stage configured to transfer heat from the circuit board to the heat pipe.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the heat stage is positioned between the heat pipe and the circuit board.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising an air cylinder extending between the heat pipe and the heat stage.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the air cylinder comprises a sidewall extending about the plurality of air vents to define a volume within the lid.

9. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing including a first portion of a shroud extending from the housing, wherein the housing defines a plurality of air vents within the housing, and wherein the first portion of the shroud defines an aperture through the shroud accessing an internal volume within the housing;
a circuit board positioned across the shroud;
a fan assembly disposed within the internal volume;
a second portion of the shroud; and
a fin stack coupled with the second portion of the shroud, wherein the internal volume is defined by the housing, the first portion of the shroud, and the second portion of the shroud, wherein a first subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents are disposed external to the internal volume, wherein a second subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents are disposed within the internal volume, and wherein the fin stack extends across the second subset of air vents.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , further comprising a heat pipe extending from the fin stack across the aperture defined through the shroud.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein a portion of the heat pipe extending across the aperture defined through the shroud is coupled with a heat stage configured to transfer heat from the circuit board to the heat pipe.

12. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein an airflow path is defined from the first subset of air vents, through the aperture through the shroud, and to the second subset of air vents.

13. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the air vents extend uniformly about the fan assembly.

14. An electronic device, comprising:
an upper housing;
a lower housing coupled with the upper housing, the lower housing including a first portion of a shroud extending from the lower housing, wherein the lower housing defines a plurality of air vents within the lower housing, and wherein the first portion of the shroud partially encompasses an internal volume within the lower housing;
a circuit board positioned within the electronic device and separating an internal volume of the electronic device into an upper volume within the upper housing and a lower volume including the internal volume within the lower housing;
a power supply disposed within the upper housing;
a fan assembly disposed within the internal volume of the lower housing;
a fin stack at least partially disposed about the fan assembly, wherein the fin stack couples with the first portion of the shroud to further define the internal cavity in which the fan assembly is disposed; and
a seal extending about a subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents and on which the fin stack is seated.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , further comprising a fin stack positioned within the lower volume and including a second portion of the shroud, wherein the internal volume is defined by the lower housing, the first portion of the shroud, and the second portion of the shroud.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising a heat pipe positioned within the lower volume and extending from the fin stack across an access to the internal volume, wherein a portion of the heat pipe extending across the access is coupled with a heat stage configured to transfer heat from the circuit board to the heat pipe.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F28F2250/08

  Fluid driving means, e.g. pumps, fans · CPC title

• H05K7/20154 Primary

  Heat dissipaters coupled to components · 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

• H01L23/467

  Electricity · mapped topic