HEAT REMOVAL IN COMPACT COMPUTING SYSTEMS

• US 20130094141A1
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: DEGNER, Brett W., Augenbergs, Peteris K., Liang, Frank, Heresztyn, Amaury J., Mathew, Dinesh, Wilson, Thomas W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.52
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/26 heat exchangers or the like making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements specially adapted for movement F28F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4006 with bolts or screws
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/427 Cooling by change of state, e.g. use of heat pipes by liquefied gas H01L23/445
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2039 characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49353 Heat pipe device making

Abstract

A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by a component operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed.

Claims

1. (canceled)

9. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat pipe has a flattened rectangular cross section having a width dimension at least four times greater than a height dimension.

2. A low profile heat removal assembly, comprising:

a heat pipe configured to transfer heat from a heat source to an external heat sink;

a slug having a bottom surface in direct thermal contact with the heat pipe; and

a stage comprising a fastener opening configured to accept a fastener having a size and shape in accordance with the fastener opening, the fastener configured to mechanically couple the stage to a support structure,

wherein the heat pipe is disposed laterally with respect to the heat source, thereby allowing efficient heat transfer between the heat source and the heat pipe.

3. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the stage further comprises a plurality of openings, each opening configured to accept a fastener that couples the stage to the support structure.

4. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the heat pipe is integrally formed with the slug.

5. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the heat pipe is homogenous with the slug.

6. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein the heat pipe is homogenous with both the slug and the stage.

7. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of fasteners is mechanically coupled to the stage by a spring.

8. The low profile heat removal assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of fasteners is a shoulder screw configured to interact with both a boss disposed on the support structure and the spring to exert a predefined amount of force on the stage.

10. A method for removing heat generated by an electrical component, the electrical component mounted to a substrate, the substrate mounted to a support structure, the method comprising:

providing a bottom surface of a slug in direct thermal contact with the electrical component;

providing a heat pipe in direct thermal contact with the bottom surface of the slug, wherein the heat pipe is laterally disposed with respect to the electrical component; and

securing the slug to the motherboard by a stage, the stage comprising a fastener opening configured to accept a fastener having a size and shape in accordance with the fastener opening, the fastener configured to mechanically couples the stage to the support structure.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

using a heat exchanging medium carried by the heat pipe to transfer heat generated by the electrical component to an external heat sink in thermal contact with the heat pipe.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein providing a bottom surface of a slug in direct thermal contact with the electrical component comprises exerting force directly on at least one winglet portion of the slug such that a predefined amount of pressure is applied to the electrical component by the slug.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the fastener is a spring-loaded shoulder screw that provides the predefined amount of pressure to the electrical component, and wherein the electrical component is an integrated circuit.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB);

an integrated circuit coupled to the PCB;

a slug having a bottom surface in direct thermal contact with a top surface of the integrated circuit;

a heat pipe in direct thermal contact with the bottom surface of the slug, the heat pipe configured to transfer heat generated by the integrated circuit to an external heat sink in thermal contact with the heat pipe, wherein the heat pipe is disposed laterally with respect to the integrated circuit;

a stage comprising a plurality of fastener openings, and a slug attachment feature configured to couple the stage to the slug; and

a plurality of fasteners having a size and shape in accordance with the fastener openings, each of the plurality of fasteners configured to secure the stage to the printed circuit board.

15. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a substrate configured to couple the integrated circuit to the PCB; and

a plurality of bosses disposed proximate to the substrate and configured to provide mounting points for the plurality of fasteners to be secured to the PCB.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein the integrated circuit and the heat pipe are about the same distance away from a surface of the PCB.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the slug attachment feature comprises a window cut out configured to exert force only on a plurality of winglet features homogenously formed with the slug.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein a top surface of the slug is substantially flush with a top surface of the stage.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 18, wherein the heat pipe is homogenously formed with the slug.

20. The electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein the electronic device is a portable computer.

21. The electronic device as recited in claim 20, wherein the heat pipe is configured to remove heat from another integrated circuit coupled to the PCB.