Electronic device having an active edge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9436240-B2
Application number	US-201213728198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2012
Priority date	Dec 27, 2012
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device is provided that includes a base, a processor, and a tablet having a front surface, a rear surface and a bottom edge surface. A processor may operate at a first operating condition when the tablet is coupled to the base, and the processor may operate at a second operating condition when the tablet is not coupled to the base. The tablet may include a heat conducting device and an active edge. The heat conducting device may conduct heat from the processor to the active edge where the heat may be dissipated using supplemental cooling.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a base;
a processor; and
a tablet having a front surface, a rear surface and a bottom side edge, the processor to be provided in the tablet, the processor to operate at a first operating condition when the tablet is coupled to the base, and the processor to operate at a second operating condition when the tablet is not coupled to the base, the tablet to include a heat conducting device and an active edge, the heat conducting device to conduct heat from the processor to the active edge, the active edge being bar-shaped at the bottom side edge of the tablet, the active edge at the bottom side edge of the tablet being adjacent to the base when the tablet is coupled to the base, and a cooling device is provided at the base, the cooling device to provide an airflow across the active edge of the tablet when the tablet is coupled to the base, and a first connector of the tablet is provided at a first end of the bar-shaped active edge and at the bottom side edge of the tablet, and a second connector of the tablet is provided at a second end of the bar-shaped active edge and at the bottom side edge of the tablet.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first operating condition comprises a first temperature limit of the processor, and the second operating condition comprises a second temperature limit of the processor, and the first temperature limit is greater than the second temperature limit.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first operating condition comprises a first frequency at which the processor operates, and the second operating condition comprises a second frequency at which the processor operates, and the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first operating condition comprises a first current at which the processor operates, and the second operating condition comprises a second current at which the processor operates, and the first current is greater than the second current.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first operating condition comprises a first voltage supplied to the processor, and the second operating condition comprises a second voltage supplied to the processor, and the first voltage is greater than the second voltage.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat conducting device comprises at least one heat pipe between the processor and the active edge to conduct heat from the processor to the active edge.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat conducting device comprises a vapor chamber between the processor and the active edge to conduct heat from the processor to the active edge.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat conducting device comprises a metal or graphite structure between the processor and the active edge to conduct heat from the processor to the active edge.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second connectors of the tablet to connect the tablet to the base.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the first connector of the tablet is a power connector, a data connector or a mechanical connector.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the active edge is made of a heat conducting material.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the heat conducting device to couple to the processor and to the active edge, and the heat conducting device to be thermally isolated from the front surface of the tablet and from the rear surface of the tablet.

13. An electronic device comprising:
a base having a keyboard; and
a detachable tablet having a processor, a display and a bar-shaped active edge, the detachable tablet having a front surface, a rear surface and a bottom side edge, the processor to change a maximum operating frequency of the processor based at least in part on whether the detachable tablet is docked to the base, the tablet to include a passive heat conducting device to allow heat to conduct from the processor to the active edge, the bar-shaped active edge being at the bottom side edge of the detachable tablet, the bar-shaped active edge of the bottom side edge of the detachable tablet being adjacent to the base when the detachable tablet is docked to the base, and
the base includes a cooling device to provide an airflow across the bar-shaped active edge of the detachable tablet when the detachable tablet is docked to the base, and a first connector of the detachable tablet is provided at a first end of the bar-shaped active edge and the bottom side edge of the detachable tablet, and a second connector of the detachable tablet is provided at a second end of the bar-shaped active edge and the bottom side edge of the detachable tablet.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the processor has a first maximum operating frequency when the detachable tablet is docked to the base, and the processor has a second maximum operating frequency when the detachable tablet is detached from the base, the first maximum operating frequency being greater than the second maximum operating frequency.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the passive heat conducting device comprises at least one heat pipe between the processor and the bar-shaped active edge.

16. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the passive heat conducting device comprises a vapor chamber between the processor and the bar-shaped active edge.

17. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the passive heat conducting device is a metal or graphite structure between the processor and the bar-shaped active edge.

18. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second connectors of the detachable tablet to connect the detachable tablet to the base, wherein the first connector of the detachable tablet is a power connector, a data connector or a mechanical connector.

19. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the passive heat conducting device is coupled to the processor and to the bar-shaped active edge, and the passive heat conducting device is thermally isolated from the front surface of the detachable tablet and from the rear surface of the detachable tablet.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Macdonald Mark

Classifications

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/3262 Primary

  Power saving in digitizer or tablet · CPC title

• G06F1/203

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

• G06F1/206 Primary

  comprising thermal management · CPC title