Information handling system dynamic cooling fan articulation to manage thermal parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262822-B1
Application number	US-202017113528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 7, 2020
Priority date	Dec 7, 2020
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A portable information handling system rejects excess thermal energy from within a housing by blowing a cooling airflow with a cooling fan across first and second sets of cooling fins and out an exhaust. The cooling fan has an upper and lower intake and moves vertically within the housing to adjust spacing at the upper intake. The cooling fan exhaust couples to one of the sets of cooling fins to exhaust across both sets of cooling fins when interleaved and the one set of cooling fins when spacing at the upper cooling fan intake increases.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a portable housing having first and second housing portions rotationally coupled to rotate between open and closed positions;
a central processor unit disposed in the housing and operable to execute instructions that process information;
a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the instructions and information;
a display integrated in the portable housing and operable to present the information as visual images;
a graphics processor unit interfaced with the central processor unit and the display, the graphics processor operable to process the information to generate pixel values that define visual images for presentation at the display; and
a cooling fan disposed in the housing, the cooling fan having an upper air intake, a lower air intake and a side exhaust, the cooling fan lower air intake coupled to a vent at a lower surface of the housing, the cooling fan side exhaust aligned to force air out an exhaust at a side of the housing, the cooling fan articulating relative to the housing between first and second positions, the first position having a first space for access of the upper air intake to accept air from within the housing, the second position having a second space for access of the upper air intake to accept air from within the housing, the second space greater than the first space.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:
a fan bay included in the first housing portion to support the cooling fan when moved between the first and second positions, the fan bay having the vent; and
an actuator coupling the fan bay and second housing portion to extend the fan bay out of the first housing portion when the second housing portion rotates to the open position.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 further comprising:
a first circuit board coupled to the first housing portion; and
a second circuit board coupled to the fan bay;
wherein the first and second circuit boards move relative to each other in response to the actuator.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the first and second circuit boards move to vertically separate from each other when the first and second housing portions rotate from the closed to the open position.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising a controller interfaced with the cooling fan, the controller applying a first control logic when the cooling fan has the first spacing and a second control logic when the cooling fan has the second spacing.

6. The information handling system of claim 3 further comprising:
a first set of cooling fins coupled to the first circuit board and operable to transfer thermal energy from components of the first circuit board to the housing exhaust; and
a second set of cooling fins coupled to the second circuit board and the cooling fan exhaust, the second set of cooling fins operable to transfer thermal energy from components of the second circuit board to the cooling fan exhaust.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the second set of cooling fins moves with the cooling fan, the second set of cooling fins interleaving with the first set cooling fins when the cooling fan has the first spacing.

8. The information handling system of claim 7 further comprising a loop heat pipe coupled to the first set of cooling fins and extending into a carrying handle of the housing to reject thermal energy from the carrying handle.

9. The information handling system of claim 7 further comprising a sliding gasket coupling the second set of cooling fins with the cooling fan exhaust to slide when the spacing of the cooling fan changes.

10. A method for managing thermal energy generated at an information handling system, the method comprising:
coupling a cooling fan in a first housing portion of the information handling system, the cooling fan having an upper intake and a lower intake, the cooling fan lower intake aligned to accept air at a vent of the bottom surface of the first housing portion, the cooling fan having an exhaust aligned to exhaust air at a vent of a side surface of the first housing portion; and
selectively moving the cooling fan vertically within the first housing portion to adjust spacing to accept air from within the first housing portion at the upper intake.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
coupling the cooling fan to a fan bay included in the first housing portion and configured to move vertically relative to the first housing portion; and
actuating the cooling fan bay vertically down to increase the spacing in response to opening of a second housing portion relative to the first housing portion.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
coupling a first circuit board to the first housing portion in a vertically fixed position;
coupling a second circuit board to the fan bay; and
moving the first and second circuit boards apart in response to the actuating.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
coupling a first set of cooling fins to the cooling fan exhaust and the second circuit board; and
sliding the cooling fan exhaust relative to the first set of cooling fins during the actuating.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
coupling a second set of cooling fins to the first circuit board;
interleaving the first and second sets of cooling fins when the cooling fan actuates vertically up; and
separating the first and second sets of cooling fins when the cooling fan actuates vertically down.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
rotating a housing of the information handling system between open and closed positions;
translating the rotating of the housing to actuate the vertically up and down of the cooling fan.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
coupling a speaker assembly to the first and second circuit boards;
adjusting a volume of an audio chamber of the speaker assembly by moving the first and second circuit boards vertically relative to each other.

17. A thermal management system comprising:
a cooling fan disposed in a housing, the cooling fan having first and second intakes and an exhaust; and
an actuator disposed in the housing to move the cooling fan between a first position having a first spacing at the first intake and a second position having a second spacing at the first intake, the second spacing greater than the first spacing.

18. The thermal management system of claim 17 further comprising a fan bay to support the cooling fan when moved between the first and second positions, the fan bay having a vent fixedly coupled to the second intake to accept external air inflow.

19. The thermal management system of claim 17 further comprising:
a first circuit board coupled to a first processing component; and
a second circuit board coupled to a second processing component;
a first set of cooling fins coupled to the first processing component; and
a second set of cooling fins coupled to the second processing component;
wherein the second circuit board and second set of cooling fins move synchronously with the cooling fan.

20. The thermal management system of claim 19 wherein the first and second set of cooling fins interleave in the first position and separate in the second position.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• North Travis C
• Files Jace W
• Morrison John Trevor

Classifications

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/203 Primary

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

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• H05K7/20336

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

• H05K5/023

  Handles; Grips · CPC title