Thermal flow assembly including integrated fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11297732-B2
Application number	US-202016867405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

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 including a first subset of air vents and a second subset of air vents, wherein the shroud is formed extending from the housing radially inward of the first subset of air vents, and wherein the shroud defines an aperture through the shroud to the internal cavity;
a fan assembly disposed within the internal cavity of the housing; and
a fin stack at least partially disposed about the fan assembly along the second subset of air vents.

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

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a seal extending about the second subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents and on which the fin stack is seated.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein fins of the fin stack defines an arcuate shape.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a circuit board positioned across the shroud.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , 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.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , 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.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the heat stage is positioned between the heat pipe and the circuit board.

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

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the air cylinder comprises a sidewall extending about the plurality of air vents to at least partially define a volume within the electronic device.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing including a shroud at least partially extending from a base of the housing, wherein the housing defines a plurality of air vents within the housing including a first subset of air vents and a second subset of air vents, and wherein the shroud defines an aperture through the shroud accessing an internal volume within the housing; and
a fin stack coupled with the shroud, wherein the internal volume is defined by the shroud, and the fin stack, wherein the first subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents are disposed external to the internal volume, wherein the 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.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a circuit board positioned across the shroud.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising a heat pipe extending from the fin stack across the aperture defined through the shroud.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , 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.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a fan assembly disposed within the internal volume.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the air vents extend uniformly about the fan assembly.

17. The electronic device of claim 11 , 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.

18. An electronic device, comprising:
an upper housing;
a lower housing coupled with the upper housing, the lower housing including a shroud integrally formed with the lower housing, wherein the lower housing defines a plurality of air vents through the lower housing, and wherein 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 fan assembly disposed within the internal volume of the lower housing; and
a fin stack at least partially disposed about the fan assembly, wherein the fin stack at least partially defines the internal volume in which the fan assembly is disposed.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , further comprising a seal extending about a subset of air vents of the plurality of air vents and on which the fin stack is seated.

20. The electronic device of claim 18 , 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

• H10W40/43

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

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• H05K7/20154 Primary

  Heat dissipaters coupled to components · 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

• F28F2250/08

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