Electronic apparatus with air cooling unit

• US 20050068732A1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode

Abstract

An electronic apparatus comprises a display that is used both in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and a housing connected to the display. The housing includes a heating element therein and includes an exhaust port formed thereon. The electronic apparatus also has a fan arranged inside the housing. The fan is adapted to exhaust air heated by the heating element. The position of the exhaust port is located at an elevated end portion of the housing in any posture of both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a display adapted for use in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction;

a housing coupled to the display, the housing containing a heating element therein and including an exhaust port formed thereon; and

a fan arranged inside the housing and adapted to exhaust air heated by the heating element;

wherein the position of the exhaust port is located at an elevated end portion of the housing in any posture of both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

2. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a suction port formed thereon so that the heating element is positioned between the suction port and the exhaust port.

3. An electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction port of the housing is positioned at a lower end portion of the housing when the housing is held in a posture in which the display is used in the vertical direction so that the heating element is positioned between the suction port and the exhaust port.

4. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan has an inlet port and an outlet port that is oriented to the exhaust port of the housing.

5. An electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the heat element is positioned in an air flow path caused by the fan, between the outlet port of the fan and the exhaust port of the housing.

6. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a plurality of peripheral walls, and at least two of the peripheral walls have the exhaust port.

7. An electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the two peripheral walls includes a corner portion defined by both of them, the exhaust port is provided at the corner portion, and the outlet port of the fan is oriented to the corner portion.

8. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan has a metallic fan casing that is thermally connected to the heating element.

9. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing holds a circuit board that divides the inside of the housing into two regions in a thickness direction and supports the heating element thereon, and air from the suction port to the exhaust port flows both the two regions.

10. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a housing coupled to the display and maintaining a heating element therein, the housing comprising a first peripheral wall including an exhaust port and a second peripheral wall including a suction port;

a grip provided to the housing; and

a fan arranged inside the housing and adapted to suction air through the suction port and to exhaust air heated by the heating element through the exhaust port;

wherein the position of the exhaust port is at a higher elevation than the suction port while the grip is grasped.

11. An electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display is able to be used both in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

12. An electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display is in the vertical position when the grip is grasped.

13. An electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the housing includes a third peripheral wall including a second exhaust port, the second exhaust is positioned at a higher elevation than the first peripheral wall when the display is used in the horizontal position.

14. An electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the exhaust port of the first peripheral wall is positioned higher than the grip when the display is used in the vertical direction.

15. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a first housing that comprises a heating element, the first housing including a first peripheral wall including a first exhaust port and a second peripheral wall including a second exhausted port;

a second housing including a display screen, the second housing being pivoted along a horizontal axis relevant to the first housing so that the electronic apparatus is in a first posture when the display screen is used in the horizontal direction, and being reversibly pivoted along a vertical axis so that the electronic apparatus is in a second posture when the display screen is used in the vertical position; and

a fan arranged in the first housing to exhaust air heated by the heating element through at least higher one of the first exhaust port and the second exhaust port;

wherein the first exhaust port is positioned at a higher elevation than the second exhaust port when the electronic apparatus is in the first posture, and the second exhaust port is positioned at a higher elevation than the first exhaust port when the electronic apparatus is in the second posture.

16. An electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall are adjacent to each other so as to intersect each other.

17. An electronic apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a tablet superimposed on the display screen.