Cooling system for radio

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10938084-B2
Application number	US-201816213181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Dec 7, 2018
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed to remedy thermal issues associated with antenna systems. These techniques include implementing heat pipes coupled between an external mast having antenna circuitry mounted thereon and an internal heatsink inside an environmentally-controlled location. This configuration thermally regulates heat associated with active antennas mounted to the mast, which is externally mounted onto the roof of a vehicle. The heat pipes carry heat from the mast down through the roof to the internal heatsink. The aspects described herein allow for car manufacturers to integrate mmWave technology into their vehicles while avoiding large and unsightly cooling mechanisms that would otherwise adversely impact aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal cooling system, comprising:
a heatsink disposed within an environmentally-controlled region;
a mast disposed outside of the environmentally-controlled region, the mast being comprised of metal and coupled to antenna circuitry, the mast being distinct from the antenna circuitry and being in thermal contact with at least a portion of the antenna circuitry; and
one or more heat pipes coupled to the heatsink and the mast, the one or more heat pipes configured to provide a heat transfer from the mast to the heatsink to thermally regulate a temperature of one or more portions of the antenna circuitry.

2. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heat pipes are coupled to the heatsink and the mast through a roof of a vehicle.

3. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the mast includes a plurality of faces, and
wherein at least two of faces from among the plurality of faces are perpendicular to one another with respect to a central axis of the mast.

4. The thermal cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the antenna circuitry includes a plurality of antenna chips, and
wherein the mast comprises a same number of the plurality of faces of the mast as a number of the plurality of antenna chips.

5. The thermal cooling system of claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of faces of the mast is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of antenna chips.

6. The thermal cooling system of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of faces associated with the mast forms an about 15 degree angle with respect to the vertical direction relative to the heatsink.

7. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the antenna circuitry includes a number of active antenna chips configured to facilitate communications for frequencies within a range of 24 to 86 GHz.

8. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the antenna circuitry includes a number of active antenna chips having an associated junction temperature, and
wherein the heat transfer between the heatsink and the mast regulates the associated junction temperature of the number of active antenna chips.

9. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the mast is comprised of a solid block of aluminum.

10. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heat pipes include at least two heat pipes.

11. The thermal cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the heatsink includes one or more fans to generate air flow through the heatsink using air from the environmentally-controlled region.

12. The thermal cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the antenna circuitry includes a number of active antenna chips having an associated junction temperature, and
wherein the one or more fans are turned on and off based upon the associated junction temperature associated with one or more of the number of active antenna chips.

13. A thermal cooling system, comprising:
an internal heatsink disposed within a cab of a vehicle;
an external mast disposed outside the cab of the vehicle, the external mast being comprised of metal and having a plurality of faces, with each face from among the plurality of faces being coupled to a respective one of a plurality of active antenna chips, the external mast being distinct from the plurality of active antenna chips and being in thermal contact with each respective one of the plurality of active antenna chips; and
one or more heat pipes coupled to the internal heatsink and to the external mast, the one or more heat pipes configured to provide a heat transfer from the external mast to the internal heatsink to thermally regulate a temperature of one or more portions of the plurality of active antenna chips.

14. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more heat pipes are coupled to the internal heatsink and the external mast through a roof of the vehicle.

15. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of faces associated with the external mast forms an about 15 degree angle with respect to the vertical direction relative to the internal heatsink, and
wherein the external mast comprises a same number of the plurality of faces of the external mast as a number of the plurality of active antenna chips.

16. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of active antenna chips are configured to facilitate communications for frequencies within a range of 24 to 86 GHz.

17. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein the heat transfer between the internal heatsink and the external mast regulates a junction temperature of the plurality of active antenna chips.

18. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein the external mast is comprised of a solid block of aluminum.

19. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more heat pipes include at least two heat pipes.

20. The thermal cooling system of claim 13 , wherein:
the internal heatsink includes one or more fans to generate an air flow through the internal heatsink using air within the cab of the vehicle,
the plurality of active antenna chips have an associated junction temperature, and
the one or more fans are turned on and off based upon the junction temperature associated with one or more of the plurality of active antenna chips.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Bhalla Shallu
• Cox Daniel
• Ganore Bhagyashree S
• Melhorn Jesse
• Perry Richard
• Yerakondappagari Srinath Reddy

Classifications

• H05K7/20336

  Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps · CPC title

• H01Q1/3275

  mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk · CPC title

• H01Q1/02 Primary

  Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out {; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion} · CPC title