Skin transition thermal control for convertible information handling systems

• US 10,551,888 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: North, Travis C., Markow, Mitch Anthony, Woo, Joohyun, Granja, Carlos Humberto, Thompson, Richard Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttar, Mandeep S
• Application Number:
  US16/102,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20200050247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 36167947, 36167901, 36167955, 36167906, 36167915, 36167948, 36167949, 361692, 361697, 345659, 345649
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/201 Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20136 Forced ventilation, e.g. by fans H05K7/202 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20209 Thermal management, e.g. fan control
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20327 Accessories for moving fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20381 Thermal management, e.g. evaporation control

Abstract

A convertible information handling system in a clamshell configuration provides a maximum housing surface temperature at a predetermined portion, such as a fan exhaust, that is greater than a maximum temperature in a tablet configuration. Upon detection of transition to the tablet configuration, a burst application by a thermal rejection device reduces the temperature at the predetermined portion to aid in achieving the maximum temperature of the tablet configuration. For example, a burst application may include running a fan at full speed for a defined time or decreasing a pressure within a vapor chamber.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a housing having first and second housing portions rotationally coupled to each other to transition between closed, clamshell and tablet configurations;

processing components disposed in the first housing portion to process information;

a display disposed in the second housing portion and interfaced with the processing components to present the information as visual images;

a thermal rejection device disposed in the housing to transfer thermal energy out of the second housing portion;

a configuration sensor operable to detect movement of the first and second housing portions between the closed, clamshell and tablet configurations; and

a thermal manager interfaced with the thermal rejection device and configuration sensor, the thermal manager selectively applying the thermal rejection device to adjust a skin temperature at a predetermined housing portion position in response to detection of movement between clamshell and tablet configurations, the clamshell configuration having a clamshell maximum skin temperature, the tablet configuration having a tablet maximum skin temperature of less than the clamshell maximum skin temperature, the thermal manager applying the thermal rejection device in a burst at detection of movement from the clamshell configuration to the tablet configuration when the skin temperature exceeds the tablet maximum skin temperature.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein:

the thermal rejection device comprises a cooling fan that generates a cooling airflow within the first housing portion;

the predetermined housing portion position comprises a cooling fan exhaust disposed in the first housing portion and aligned to exhaust the cooling airflow; and

the movement comprises a rotation of the first housing portion relative to the second housing portion past an angular relationship associated with the clamshell configuration towards an angular relationship associated with the tablet configuration.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the thermal manager selectively applies the thermal rejection device by bursting cooling airflow from the cooling fan through the cooling fan exhaust for a predetermined time.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the predetermined time comprises a time determined from thermal rejection that lowers the cooling fan exhaust temperature from the clamshell maximum skin temperature to the tablet maximum skin temperature.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising a temperature sensor interfaced with the cooling fan exhaust and the thermal manager, the thermal manager withholding the bursting cooling airflow if the cooling fan exhaust temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is at or below the tablet maximum skin temperature.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein:

the movement comprises a rotation of the first housing portion relative to second housing portion past an angular relationship associated with the tablet configuration towards an angular relationship associated with a clamshell configuration; and

the thermal manager selectively applies the thermal rejection device to an off condition to increase the skin temperature at the predetermined housing portion position.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the configuration sensor comprises a rotation sensor interfaced with a hinge that rotationally couples the first and second housing portions to each other.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:

a vapor chamber having a fluid that transitions between liquid and gas states to transfer thermal energy; and

a pressure adapter that adjusts pressure within the vapor chamber to adjust a fluid transition temperature of the vapor chamber.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the thermal manager selectively applies a pressure with the pressure adapter upon detection of movement from the clamshell to the tablet configuration, the pressure reduced at the predetermined housing portion position to transition fluid from a liquid state to a gaseous state.

10. A method for managing information handling system housing surface temperatures, the method comprising:

detecting a transition of the information handling system housing from a first rotational orientation configuration having a first surface temperature limit to a second rotational orientation configuration having a second surface temperature limit;

in response to the detecting, bursting thermal transfer of a thermal rejection device for a predetermined time to adjust the housing surface temperature;

managing the thermal rejection device after the bursting to maintain the housing surface temperature below the second surface temperature limit;

detecting a transition of the information handling system housing from the second rotational orientation to the first rotational orientation; and

in response to the detecting, bursting processing speed of a processor disposed in the housing at least until the housing surface temperature increases to the first surface temperature limit.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the information handling system housing comprises lid and main housing portions rotationally coupled to each other;

the first rotational orientation configuration comprises a clamshell configuration;

the second rotational orientation configuration comprises a tablet configuration; and

the housing surface temperature comprises a predetermined portion of the housing associated with an end user grasp in the tablet configuration.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the bursting thermal transfer further comprises:

adjusting a cooling fan to full speed for ten seconds; and

after the ten seconds, running the cooling fan at a speed associated with thermal conditions.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the bursting thermal transfer further comprises:

detecting a temperature at the predetermined portion;

disabling the bursting if the detected temperature is less than the second surface temperature limit; and

setting the predetermined time based upon an amount that the detected temperature exceeds the second surface temperature limit.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein predetermined portions of the housing comprises a cooling fan exhaust.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the bursting thermal transfer further comprises reducing pressure within a vapor chamber to convert liquid proximate to the predetermined portion of the housing to gas, the gas transferring thermal energy from the predetermined portion to a different portion of the housing.

16. A system for managing information handling system surface temperatures, the system comprising:

an embedded controller operable to execute instructions; and

non-transitory memory interfaced with the embedded controller, the non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed on the embedded controller;

detect transition of an information handling system from a clamshell configuration to a tablet configuration;

detect a temperature at a predetermined portion of the information handling system housing that exceeds a tablet configuration maximum temperature; and

in response to the detect of a temperature at a predetermined portion of the information handling system housing that exceeds a tablet configuration maximum temperature, burst a thermal rejection device to reduce the temperature at the predetermined portion.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the thermal rejection device comprises a vapor chamber having a pressure adapter, the burst comprising a decrease of pressure in the vapor chamber.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the thermal rejection device comprises a cooling fan exhausting air from a fan exhaust; and

the predetermined portion comprises the fan exhaust.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the burst comprises running the cooling fan at full speed for a defined time period.