Thermal dissipation and EMI shielding structure for notebook computers

• US 5,953,206 A
• Filed: 10/15/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Jondrow, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, JAGDISH C
• Application Number:
  US08/951,191
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 361/687, 361/688, 361/689, 361/706, 361/704, 361/692, 361/705, 361/709, 361/818, 361/711, 361/708
• US Class Current: 361/679.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops

Abstract

A notebook computer has a lower housing with a keyboard and an upper housing with a display, a central processing unit (CPU), and a conductive plate. The CPU is attached directly to the conductive plate to achieve maximum heat transfer. The conductive plate is exposed to the air outside the notebook computer through air vents in the upper housing. Other heat generating elements in the upper housing are directly attached to thermally isolated islands within the conductive plate to allow each element to maintain a separate operating temperature while still conducting heat out of the notebook computer to the outside air. Additionally, the conductive plate is used as part of an electromagnetic interference enclosure to reduce unwanted radiation from leaving the notebook.

Claims

1. A notebook computer, comprising:

a lower housing comprising a keyboard; and

an upper housing having a front side and a back side, said upper housing further comprising;

a display attached to said front side;

a central processing unit (CPU) comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;

a conductive plate attached through a thermal conduit to said top surface of said CPU, said conductive plate including a plurality of thermally isolated sections; and

a bus for connecting said keyboard in said lower housing with said display and said CPU in said upper housing;

a plurality of heat producing components connected to said bus for communicating with said CPU, said plurality of heat producing components attached individually to said thermally isolated sections of said conductive plate through a thermal conduit.

2. The notebook computer of claim 1, further comprising:

an enclosure for sealing said CPU and said heat producing components to reduce electromagnetic radiation (EMI) radiation.

3. The notebook computer of claim 1, wherein said bus is Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) signaling on a tuned and shielded interconnect cable.

4. The notebook computer of claim 1, wherein said bus is Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) signaling on a wide-bus low-reflection transmission cable.

5. The notebook computer of claim 1, wherein said thermal conduit further comprises:

a compressible heat transferring material to attach said top surface of said CPU to said conductive plate.

6. The notebook computer of claim 5, wherein said compressible heat transferring material is a fluid pillow.

7. The notebook computer of claim 1 wherein:

said upper housing further comprises a printed circuit board having an outer trace;

said bottom surface of the CPU is thermal coupled to said outer trace; and

said outer trace is thermal coupled to said conductive plate.

8. A notebook computer, comprising:

a lower housing comprising a keyboard;

an upper housing having a front side and a back side, said upper housing further comprising;

a display attached to said front side;

a conductive plate having a main section and an island,

a thermal insulation reef separating said island from said main section;

an integrated circuit comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;

said top surface of said integrated circuit attached to said island of said conductive plate through a thermal conduit; and

a bus for connecting said keyboard in said lower housing with said display and said integrated circuit in said upper housing.

9. A notebook computer, comprising:

a lower housing comprising a keyboard;

an upper housing having a front side and a back side, said back side having a plurality of air vents, said upper housing further comprising;

a display having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface exposed to said front side of said upper housing;

a display shield surrounding said back surface of said display;

a graphics controller;

a graphics interface for connecting said graphics controller to said display;

a central processing unit(CPU);

a first bus for connecting said graphics controller to said CPU;

a conductive plate comprising a main section and an island, said conductive plate exposed to air through said air vents of said back side, said CPU attached to said main section through a first thermal conduit;

said graphics controller attached to said island through a second thermal conduit;

a thermal insulation reef separating said island from said main section; and

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) seal connecting said display shield and said conductive plate to enclose said CPU and said graphics controller; and

a second bus for connecting said keyboard in said lower housing with said display and said CPU in said upper housing.

10. The notebook computer of claim 9, wherein said first bus comprises advanced graphic port (AGP) signaling.

11. The notebook computer of claim 9, wherein said second bus comprises Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) signaling.

12. The notebook computer of claim 9, wherein said graphics interface comprises reduced-swing differentially driven signals.

13. A notebook computer, comprising:

a lower housing comprising a keyboard;

an upper housing having a front side and a back side, said upper housing further comprising;

a display having a front surface and a back surface;

said front surface exposed to said front side of said upper housing;

a display shield surrounding said back surface of said display;

a logic board assembly between said display shield and said back side of said upper housing;

a conductive plate between said back side of upper housing and said logic board assembly, said conductive plate having a main section and at least one island;

a thermal insulation reef separating said at least one island from said main section;

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) seal connecting said display shield and said conductive plate to enclose said logic board assembly; and

a bus for connecting said keyboard in said lower housing with said display and said logic board assembly in said upper housing.