Device cover for thermal management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736964-B2
Application number	US-201314778740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device includes a cover for one or more heat generating components, with the cover providing at least a combined conductive, convective, and radiant cooling for the heat generating components while maintaining the device within a prescribed temperature range. Conductive cooling is realized by providing thermal coupling between each of two or more depression regions in the cover and one or more heat generating components. Appropriate placement of air inlets and outlets through the cover provides convective cooling of the heat generating components and the thermally coupled depression regions. Heat from the heat generating components thermally coupled to one depression region is effectively isolated from heat generated by other heat generating components thermally coupled to another adjacent depression region at least in part via the air outlets through an interior region between the two adjacent depression regions. Radiant cooling can also be improved by increasing the emissivity of the device cover material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cover for an electronic device comprising:
a plurality of heat generating electronic components, wherein said cover comprises:
at least two depression regions, wherein each depression region is adapted to be thermally coupled to at least a respective one of said heat generating electronic components, at least one of said depression regions being realized as a solid continuous surface devoid of any opening therein;
a peripheral region surrounding at least partially a first and a second of said depression regions;
an interior region positioned between the first and second depression regions;
at least one airflow aperture formed on one or more sidewall regions that extend along an outer edge of the peripheral region; and
at least one airflow aperture formed through the interior region.

2. The cover of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the peripheral region and the interior region is planar.

3. The cover of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein said cover comprises at least one airflow aperture formed through at least one portion of the peripheral region.

4. The cover of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein said cover comprises at least two airflow apertures formed on at least two sidewall regions such that two of the at least two sidewall regions are positioned on opposite edges of the peripheral region.

5. The cover of claim 4 , wherein the peripheral region and the interior region are planar, and said cover comprises at least one airflow aperture formed through at least one portion of the planar peripheral region and wherein the at least one portion of the planar peripheral region is substantially parallel to the planar interior region.

6. The cover of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second depression regions is thermally coupled to the one or more heat generating electronic components via a thermal pad.

7. The cover of claim 1 , wherein one or more surfaces of the cover exhibits a dark coloration.

8. An electronic device comprising:
a plurality of heat generating electronic components,
a cover, wherein said cover comprises:
at least two depression regions, wherein each depression region is adapted to be thermally coupled to at least a respective one of said heat generating electronic components, at least one of said depression regions being realized as a solid continuous surface devoid of any opening therein;
a peripheral region surrounding at least partially a first and a second of said depression regions;
an interior region positioned between the first and second depression regions;
at least one first airflow aperture formed on one or more sidewall regions that extend along an outer edge of the peripheral region; and
at least one second airflow aperture formed through the interior region.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein said cover comprises at least one airflow aperture formed through at least one portion of the peripheral region.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein said cover comprises at least two airflow apertures formed on at least two sidewall regions such that two of the at least two sidewall regions are positioned on opposite edges of the peripheral region.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the peripheral region and the interior region are planar, and said cover comprises at least one airflow aperture formed through at least one portion of the planar peripheral region and wherein the at least one portion of the planar peripheral region is substantially parallel to the planar interior region.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein one or more surfaces of the cover exhibits a dark coloration in order to improve radiant cooling of the electronic device.

13. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein said cover is a top cover of said electronic device and wherein said airflow aperture formed on one or more sidewall regions that extend along an outer edge of the peripheral region is an air inlet and said airflow aperture formed through the interior region is an air outlet.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13 wherein:
at least one of said peripheral region and at least one of said interior region are planar;
said sidewall portions comprises at least two sidewall portions;
said cover includes an upper planar portion that includes said peripheral region in a vicinity of an outer periphery of the upper planar portion and one or more planar interior regions;
said first and second depression regions extend down from the upper planar portion;
said at least one air inlet comprising air inlets formed through each of the sidewall portions;
the air inlets and the air outlet cooperate to provide a convective air flow for cooling the heat generating components thermally coupled to the depression regions by transferring generated heat away from the electronic device; and
heat generated by any heat generating devices thermally coupled to one depression region is effectively isolated from heat generated by any of said heat generating devices thermally coupled to another depression region adjacent to the one depression region at least in part via the air outlet through the planar interior region between the one and the another depression regions.

15. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the peripheral region and the interior region is planar.

16. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and second depression regions is thermally coupled to the one or more heat generating electronic components via a thermal pad.

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Proctor Christopher Michael William
• Cheah Sin Hui
• Naganathan Girish

Classifications

• H05K7/20127 Primary

  Natural convection · CPC title

• H05K7/20436

  Inner thermal coupling elements in heat dissipating housings, e.g. protrusions or depressions integrally formed in the housing · CPC title

• H05K1/0203

  Cooling of mounted components (H05K1/0272 takes precedence) · CPC title