Electronic device having a passive heat exchange device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9268377-B2
Application number	US-201114006547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2011
Priority date	Dec 28, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device is provided that includes a base having a first side and a second side, and a lid having a first side and a second side. A hinge device may couple to the base and the lid, and may allow the lid to move relative to the base between the closed state and the opened state. A heat exchange device may be adjacent to the hinge device in an area between the base and the lid. The heat exchange device may receive heat from a component in the base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a base having a first side and a second side;
a lid having a first side and a second side, the first side of the lid to be adjacent to the first side of the base when the electronic device is in a closed state, and the first side of the lid to be separated from the first side of the base when the electronic device is in an opened state;
a hinge device to allow the lid to move relative to the base between the closed state and the opened state, the hinge device including a first hinge and a second hinge; and
a heat exchange device, in an area between the first hinge and the second hinge and in an area between the lid and the base, to receive heat from the base, the heat exchange device to include at least one heat pipe along an axis and a plurality of fins that are individually perpendicular to the axis of the at least one heat pipe, the axis of the at least one heat pipe extends between the first hinge and the second hinge in the area between the lid and the base, the plurality of fins provided in the area between the lid and the base, and
the plurality of fins includes a first fin that surrounds the axis at a first location along the heat pipe, a second fin that surrounds the axis at a second location along the heat pipe, and a third fin that surrounds the axis at a third location along the heat pipe, the second location provided between the first location and the third location,
the second fin is spaced from the first fin along the heat pipe to provide a first opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the first fin and the second fin, the first opening is an opening about the heat pipe in the area between the lid and the base to allow air to flow from a rear of the heat exchange device to a front of the heat exchange device, and the third fin is spaced from the second fin along the heat pipe to provide a second opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the second fin and the third fin, the second opening is an opening about the heat pipe in an area between the lid and the base to allow air to flow from the rear of the heat exchange device to the front of the heat exchange device, and
when the electronic device is in the opened state, the first opening is exposed to a first outside area in front of the first side of the lid and the first side of the base, and the first opening is exposed to a second outside area behind the second side of the lid and the second side of the base.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange device is at a back end of the base.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange device is a passive heat exchange device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins includes fins comprising copper.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins includes fins comprising aluminum.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the base includes a processor and a heat dissipating device coupled to the processor.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the heat exchange device is to receive heat from the heat dissipating device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the base further includes a keyboard on the first side of the base.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the hinge device includes a component to move when the lid moves from the closed state to the opened state, and the heat exchange device is to remain stationary when the lid moves from the closed state to the opened state.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat pipe is coupled to a heat dissipating device to receive heat from components within the base.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a base to support a processor and a keyboard;
a lid to support a display;
a hinge device coupled to the lid and the base, the hinge device including a first hinge and a second hinge; and
a passive heat exchange device at an area between the lid and the base, the passive heat exchange device to receive heat from the base to allow air to pass from a rear of the electronic device to a front of the electronic device and the air to remove a portion of the heat received at the heat exchange device, the passive heat exchange device to include at least one heat pipe to define an axis and a plurality of fins that are transverse to the axis of the at least one heat pipe, the axis of the at least one heat pipe extends between the first hinge and the second hinge in the area between the lid and the base, the plurality of fins provided in the area between the lid and the base, and
the plurality of fins includes a first fin that surrounds the axis at a first location along the heat pipe, a second fin that surrounds the axis at a second location along the heat pipe, and a third fin that surrounds the axis at a third location along the heat pipe, the second location provided between the first location and the third location,
the second fin is spaced apart from the first fin along the axis to define a first opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the first fin and the second fin, the first opening is an opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the lid and the base to allow air to pass from the rear of the electronic device to the front of the electronic device, and the third fin is spaced apart from the second fin along the axis to define a second opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the second fin and the third fin, the second opening is an opening about the axis of the heat pipe between the lid and the base to allow air to flow from the rear of the electronic device to the front of the electronic device,
wherein the hinge device is to be provided in a first position when the electronic device is in a closed state and the hinge device is to be provided in a second position when the electronic device is in an opened state, wherein the first opening is exposed to the front of the electronic device and the first opening is exposed to the rear of the electronic device when the electronic device is in the opened state, and the air to pass through the first opening and the second opening from the rear of the electronic device to the front of the electronic device when the electronic device is in the opened state.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of fins includes fins comprising copper.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of fins includes fins comprising aluminum.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the heat exchange device includes the first and second openings between a rear of the heat exchange device and a front of the heat exchange device.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the base includes a heat dissipating device coupled to the processor.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the heat exchange device is to receive heat from the heat dissipating device.

17. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the base has a first side and a second side, and the lid has a first side and a second side, wherein the electronic device is in the closed state when the first side of the lid is adjacent to the first side of the base, and the electronic device is in the opened state when the first side of the lid is spaced away from the first side of the base.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the hinge device includes a component to move when the electronic device is moved from the closed state to the opened state, and the heat exchange device is to be stationary when the electronic device chan

Assignees

• Macdonald Mark
• Nishi Yoshifumi Yoshi
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Macdonald Mark
• Nishi Yoshifumi Yoshi

Classifications

• G06F1/1681 Primary

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F2200/203

  Heat conductive hinge · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/203 Primary

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