Cooling electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9727102-B2
Application number	US-201313937501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2013
Priority date	Jul 9, 2013
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for providing airflow through an electronic device are described herein. An example of an electronic device includes an integrated display and a circuit board comprising a processor, a memory, and a driver circuit coupled to the integrated display. A housing encloses the integrated display and the circuit board, wherein the housing is comprised of at least two panels wherein at least one of the panels is formed from a porous material configured to allow air flow through the panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an integrated display;
a circuit board of heat generating parts comprising a processor, a memory, and a driver circuit coupled to the integrated display; and
a housing enclosing the integrated display and the circuit board, wherein the housing comprises a first layer of porous material, a fiber mesh, and a second layer of porous material, where the first layer of porous material comprises larger pores relative to the pores of the material of the second layer of porous material, and where the fiber mesh separates the first layer of porous material from the second layer of porous material.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a rear housing panel formed from the first layer of porous material, the fiber mesh, and the second layer of porous material.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a front housing panel formed from the first layer of porous material, the fiber mesh, and the second layer of porous material.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a sub-panel formed from the first layer of porous material, the fiber mesh, and the second layer of porous material and configured to engage fasteners to hold the sub-panel to a front housing panel or a rear housing panel.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising an all-in-one (AIO) computer system.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a laptop computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of porous material and the second layer of porous material comprise partially sintered metal particles.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of porous material and the second layer of porous material comprises partially sintered plastic pellets.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the plastic pellets comprise a fire resistant material.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the plastic pellets comprise a poly(phenylenesulfide), a polyimide, a polyetherether ketone, or any combinations thereof.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising at least one panel formed from the first layer of porous material, the fiber mesh, and the second layer of porous material, the at least one panel is made by: injecting a binder comprising metal particles into a mold to form a green panel; heating the green panel to burn off at least a portion of the binder, forming a brown panel; and heating the brown panel to sinter the metal particles, forming a porous panel first layer of porous material, the fiber mesh, and the second layer of porous material.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the the first layer of porous material has a low impedance to air flow relative to the second layer of porous material, and wherein the first layer of porous material is located on an interior of the housing and the second layer of porous material comprises pores less than 250 micrometers in size.

13. A housing for a target electronic device, comprising a first layer of omni-directional porous material, a fiber mesh, and a second layer of omni-directional porous material, where the first layer of omni-directional porous material comprises larger omni-directional pores relative to the omni-directional pores of the omni-directional porous material of the second layer of omni-directional porous material, and where the fiber mesh separates the first layer of omni-directional porous material from the second layer of omni-directional porous material,
wherein the second layer of the omni-directional porous material is externally facing and the first layer of the omni-directional porous material is internally facing relative to components of the target electronic device.

14. The housing of claim 13 , wherein the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material are configured to be substantially self-extinguishing when set on fire.

15. The housing of claim 13 , wherein the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material comprise a polymer and a fire inhibitor.

16. The housing of claim 13 , wherein the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material comprise a poly(phenylenesulfide), a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyetherether ketone, or any combinations thereof.

17. The housing of claim 13 , wherein the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material are formed by: placing particles in a mold of the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material; heating the particles until they are partially sintered together forming the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material, wherein a pore size of the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material is determined, at least in part, by lowering airflow impedance of a first layer of omni-directional porous material relative to the second layer of the omni-direction porous material; finishing the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material; and attaching mounting hardware to the first layer of omni-directional porous material to allow the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material to be assembled with a display and a circuit board to form the heat generating electronic device.

18. The housing of claim 17 , wherein finishing the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material comprises:
cooling the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material; and
polishing the first layer of omni-directional porous material and the second layer of omni-directional porous material.

19. The housing of claim 17 , wherein placing particles in the mold comprises flowing plastic pellets into the mold.

20. The housing of claim 19 , comprising forming the plastic pellets by blending a flame retardant material with a plastic.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Gwin Paul
• Jagadish Harish
• Shastri Narasimha
• Patil Madhukar

Classifications

• G06F1/203

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

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K5/00

  Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus · CPC title

• H05K1/09

  Use of materials for the {conductive, e.g. } metallic pattern · CPC title

• H05K5/03

  Covers · CPC title