INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEM THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE HINGE

• US 20190317574A1
• Filed: 04/13/2018
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: North, Travis C., Schwager, Mark A., Shelnutt, Austin M., Morrison, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,802,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/1681 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 2200/203 Heat conductive hinge
• 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: H05K 7/20336 Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20381 Thermal management, e.g. evaporation control

Abstract

A portable information handling system transfers thermal energy associated with operation of a CPU from a main housing portion to a lid housing portion with thermal conduction through a hinge assembly that rotationally couples the main and lid housing portions to each other. For example, thermal conduits insert into a hinge body and transfer thermal energy across the hinge body through a thermally conductive interface, such as the hinge body itself, thermal grease disposed in the hinge body, a liquid that fills a cavity of the hinge body shared by the thermal conduits, and a vapor chamber integrated in the hinge body.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a first housing portion configured to hold a display;

a display integrated in the first housing portion and operable to present visual images;

a thermal energy sink disposed in the first housing portion;

a second housing portion configured to hold processing components;

plural processing components disposed in the second housing portion and operable to process information to define visual images for presentation at the display;

a vapor chamber thermally coupled to one or more of the plural processing components, the vapor chamber configured to draw fluid towards the one or more processing components, vaporize the fluid with thermal energy of the one or more processing components, and distribute the vaporized fluid away from the one or more processing components;

a hinge assembly having first and second hinges, the hinge assembly rotationally coupling the first and second housing portions to each other;

a first thermal conduit coupled to the vapor chamber and the first hinge to transfer thermal energy from the vapor chamber to the first hinge;

a second thermal conduit coupled to the thermal energy sink and the first hinge to transfer thermal energy from the first hinge to the thermal energy sink; and

a thermally conductive interface integrated in the first hinge and thermally coupled to the first and second thermal conduits to transfer thermal energy from the first thermal conduit to the second thermal conduit.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive interface further comprises:

a thermally conductive hinge body having first and second cavities, the first thermal conduit engaged in the first cavity, the second thermal conduit engaged in the second cavity; and

thermally conductive grease captured in the first and second cavities to transfer thermal energy from the first conduit through the hinge body to the second conduit.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the first and second thermal conduits extend fins into the thermally conductive grease within the hinge body, the fins interacting with the thermally conductive grease during rotation of the housing portions relative to each other.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive interface further comprises:

a hinge body having a cavity, the first and second thermal conduits engaged in the cavity; and

liquid disposed in the cavity, the liquid transferring thermal energy from the first to the second cavity.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising a vapor chamber integrated in the cavity and containing the liquid, the vapor chamber transferring thermal energy from the first to the second thermal conduit.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the first and second thermal conduits comprise vapor chambers, the first thermal conduit transitioning liquid to vapor at the one or more processing components, the second thermal conduit transitioning liquid to vapor at the first hinge.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 further comprising an actuator interfaced with the second thermal conduit and operable to adjust the saturation point within the second thermal conduit.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermal energy sink comprises a battery interfaced with the second thermal conduit.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermal energy sink comprises a vapor chamber interfaced with the second thermal conduit.

10. A method for thermal management of an information handling system, the method comprising:

capturing thermal energy released by a processor at a first housing portion of the information handling system;

translating the thermal energy through a first thermal conduit to a hinge coupling the first housing portion to a second housing portion;

translating the thermal energy through a thermally-conductive interface integrated in the hinge; and

translating the thermal energy from the hinge through a second thermal conduit to a thermal energy sink disposed in a second housing portion coupled by the hinge to the first housing portion.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein translating the thermal energy through a thermally-conductive interface integrated in the hinge further comprises:

routing the first thermal conduit into a first cavity of a hinge body the hinge;

routing the second thermal conduit into a second cavity of the hinge body; and

translating the thermal energy from the first thermal conduit to the second thermal conduit through the hinge body.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

filling the first and second cavities with thermally-conductive grease;

rotating the first and second thermal conduits relative to the hinge body during rotation of the first and second housing portions about the hinge.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

routing the first and second thermal conduits into a cavity of a hinge body of the hinge; and

translating the thermal energy from the first thermal conduit to the second thermal conduit through a fluid disposed in the cavity.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the fluid disposed in the cavity comprises a vapor chamber.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:

capturing thermal energy comprises interfacing a first vapor chamber with the processor, the first vapor chamber having a first saturation point and configured to convert vapor to liquid proximate the hinge; and

translating the thermal energy from the hinge through a second thermal conduit to a thermal energy sink further comprises translating the thermal energy from the second thermal conduit to a second vapor chamber having a second saturation point of less than the first saturation point.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second thermal conduits comprise vapor chambers, the second thermal conduit having a lower saturation point than the first thermal conduit.

17. A system for thermal management of a portable information handling system, the system comprising:

a hinge assembly having first and second hinges;

first and second main housing portion thermal conduits, the first main housing portion thermal conduit coupled to the first hinge, the second main housing portion thermal conduit coupled to the second hinge;

first and second lid housing portion thermal conduits, the first lid housing portion thermal conduit coupled to the first hinge, the second lid housing portion thermal conduit coupled to the second hinge; and

a thermally conductive interface integrated in the first and second hinges to thermally couple the main housing portion thermal conduit and lid housing portion thermal conduit at the first and second hinges to transfer thermal energy from the main housing portion to the lid housing portion.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the thermally conductive interface comprises a hinge body having first and second cavities, the main housing portion thermal conduit inserted in the first cavity, the lid housing portion thermal conduit inserted in the second cavity, thermal energy transferring from the first to the second cavity, hinge body rotating relative to the main housing portion thermal conduit and the lid housing portion thermal conduit.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a vapor chamber integrated in the hinge body to thermally interface the main housing portion thermal conduit and the lid housing portion thermal conduit.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the thermally conductive interface comprises a hinge body having a cavity, the main housing portion thermal conduit and the lid housing portion thermal conduit inserted in the cavity, the cavity filled with liquid to transfer thermal energy from the main housing portion thermal conduit to the lid housing portion thermal conduit.