Electronic device cooling systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9247676-B2
Application number	US-201313967011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2013
Priority date	Aug 14, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a housing having one or more interior surfaces; an electronic circuit that is disposed within the housing, that does not directly contact any of the one or more interior surfaces of the housing, and that includes at least one electrical component that consumes electrical power; and a thermally conductive material that surrounds the electronic circuit within the housing, that directly contacts both the at least one electrical component and the one or more interior surfaces of the housing, that absorbs heat from the at least one electrical component, and that transfers heat to the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing having one or more interior surfaces;
an electronic circuit that is disposed within the housing, that does not directly contact any of the one or more interior surfaces of the housing, and that includes at least one electrical component that consumes electrical power, wherein the electronic circuit includes a receiver device that receives audio/visual (A/V) signals from a satellite via a satellite antenna and that outputs A/V signals to a display; and
a thermally conductive material that surrounds the electronic circuit within the housing, that directly contacts both the at least one electrical component and the one or more interior surfaces of the housing, that absorbs heat from the at least one electrical component, and that transfers heat to the housing.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of heat transfer fins that project outwardly from the housing and that transfer heat to air passing the heat transfer fins.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of heat transfer fins are formed on an exterior surface of the housing.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of heat transfer fins are fixed to and directly contact an exterior surface of the housing.

5. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of heat transfer fins include aluminum.

6. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein characteristics of the thermally conductive material, the housing, and the heat transfer fins are selected based on power consumption of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 wherein the characteristics of the thermally conductive material, the housing, and the heat transfer fins are selected further based on a size of the housing.

8. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein shape and size of the heat transfer fins is selected based on power consumption of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive material is a thermally conductive gel.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the thermally conductive material is one of a thermally conductive paste, a thermally conductive semisolid, and a thermally conductive colloid.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive material electrically isolates the electronic circuit from the housing.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive material includes carbon.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the housing includes at least one metal.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the housing includes aluminum.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the receiver device outputs the A/V signals to the display via a wired connection between the receiver device and the display.

16. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a computer readable medium; and
the electronic circuit further comprises a digital video recorder that stores A/V data in the computer readable medium.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 wherein the electronic circuit further comprises a network gateway that is connected to a computer network by wire and that communicates over the computer network using an Internet Protocol (IP) communication standard.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 wherein the electronic circuit further comprises:
a wireless transmitter that outputs wireless signals via a transmit antenna; and
a wireless receiver that receives wireless signals via a receive antenna.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 wherein the wireless transmitter generates the wireless signals according to an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard.

Assignees

• Directv Group Inc

Inventors

• Derovanessian Henry
• Mathews Robin M

Classifications

• H10W40/00

  Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) · CPC title

• H05K5/00

  Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus · CPC title

• H05K9/00

  Screening of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic fields (devices for absorbing radiation from an antenna H01Q17/00) · CPC title

• H05K7/20418 Primary

  the radiating structures being additional and fastened onto the housing · CPC title

• F28F7/00

  Elements not covered by group F28F1/00, F28F3/00 or F28F5/00 · CPC title