Heat dissipation structure for an electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9585285-B2
Application number	US-201514705897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A flexible thermal conduit runs from a first housing portion of an electronic device to a second housing portion of the electronic device, to convey heat generated by an electronic component located in the first housing portion to a heat dissipation structure located in the second housing portion, where the second housing portion is flexibly coupled to the first housing portion, for example, by a hinge or other type of joint. The flexible conduit may include a plurality of layers of thin, flat thermally conductive material, which may be arranged to flex independently of each other in the region where the first and second housing portions are coupled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an electronic component that generates heat during operation;
a housing that includes a heat dissipation structure to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component, the heat dissipation structure having a hollow channel, the hollow channel having an interior surface from which heat is to be dissipated into air external to the apparatus, the interior surface of the hollow channel defining at least a portion of an exterior surface of the housing so as to define an air channel through the housing; and
a flexible thermal conduit having a first end coupled to the heat dissipation structure and a second end coupled to the electronic component.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the hollow channel has a plurality of open ends disposed along different exterior surfaces of the housing.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flexible thermal conduit comprises a plurality of layers of thermally conductive material.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3 , wherein at least one of the layers is a layer of flexible graphite.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 3 , wherein at least one of layers is a layer of metal.

6. A head-mounted display device comprising:
a visor assembly containing a component that generates heat during operation, the visor assembly including a display device; and
a head fitting assembly, coupled to the visor assembly, by which the display device can be worn on the head of a user, the head fitting assembly having an exterior surface, the head fitting assembly including a hollow heat dissipation structure that has an exterior surface and an interior surface, wherein the exterior surface of the heat dissipation element is internal to the head fitting assembly and an interior surface of the heat dissipation element defining at least a portion of the exterior surface of the head fitting assembly.

7. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 6 , wherein said portion of the exterior surface of the head fitting assembly forms a hollow channel through the head fitting assembly.

8. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 6 , wherein the interior surface of the heat dissipation structure has a plurality of open ends disposed along different exterior surfaces of the head fitting assembly.

9. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 6 , further comprising a flexible thermal conduit having a first end coupled to the heat dissipation structure and a second end coupled to the component that generates heat during operation.

10. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the flexible thermal conduit comprises a plurality of layers of thermally conductive material.

11. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 10 , wherein at least one of the layers is a layer of flexible graphite.

12. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 10 , wherein at least one of layers is a layer of metal.

13. A head-mounted display device comprising:
a visor assembly containing a plurality of electronic components that generate heat during operation, the visor assembly including a display component a display component to cause an image to be displayed to a user; and
a head fitting assembly, coupled to the visor assembly, by which the display device can be worn on the head of the user, the head fitting assembly including a plurality of curved, elongate side arms, each coupled to a different end of the visor assembly, each side arm including a heat dissipation tunnel, the heat dissipation tunnel having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the exterior surface of the heat dissipation tunnel being internal to the side arm, the interior surface of the heat dissipation tunnel defining a first exterior surface of the side arm such that the first exterior surface of the side arm defines an air channel completely through a body of the side arm.

14. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 13 , wherein the heat dissipation tunnel has a plurality of open ends disposed along different exterior surfaces of the left side arm or the right side arm.

15. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of multi-layered flexible thermal conduits, each coupled to convey heat generated by at least one of the electronic components to the heat dissipation tunnel in the left side arm or the right side arm.

16. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 15 , wherein each of the flexible thermal conduit comprises a plurality of layers of flexible graphite.

17. A head-mounted display device as recited in claim 15 , wherein each of the flexible thermal conduit comprises at least one layer of metal.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Nikkhoo Michael
• Heirich Doug
• Riccomini Roy
• Ye Maosheng
• Beerman Michael
• Hodge Andrew

Classifications

• H05K7/20454

  with a conformable or flexible structure compensating for irregularities, e.g. cushion bags, thermal paste · CPC title

• H05K7/20127 Primary

  Natural convection · CPC title

• G06F1/203

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

• G06F1/1681

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

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title