Notebook metal hinge as heat sink element

• US 9,182,794 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rivera, Felix Jose Alvarez, Tanner, James, Yu, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Haughton, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gafur, Razmeen
• Application Number:
  US13/684,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,080 Days
• Field of Search: 36167946-67954, 361688-727, 36167926-6793, 36167955-67956, 36167901-67961, 36167908-6792, 36167926-67927, 361676-678, 165 801- 805, 165/104.33, 165/185, 174 151- 152, 174 161- 163, 174/521, 174/526, 174547-548, 248919-923, 248/176.1, 248/225, 248/21, 454/185, 345/905, 349/58, 257712-722, 257/E23.088, 244/53, 24458-459, 312/236
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/202 Air convective hinge

Abstract

A computing device can include a base portion housing a central processing unit, a heat exhaust element disposed within the base portion and operable to move air past the central processing unit, a display portion configured to display information to a user, and a metal hinge portion operably coupling the base portion to the display portion and being operable to couple the base portion to the display portion between an open and a closed configuration. The hinge portion can include a hollow cavity extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the metal hinge and a longitudinal slot in a wall of the metal hinge and parallel to the longitudinal axis, where the longitudinal slot is positioned relative to the heat exhaust element so as to receive air moved by the heat exhaust element through the slot and into the hollow cavity.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a base portion;

a heat generating element disposed within the base portion;

a metal hinge portion operably coupling the base portion to the display portion and operable to couple the base portion to the display portion between an open and a closed configuration;

a heat exhaust element disposed within the base portion and operable to generate airflow over the heat generating element and toward the metal hinge portion to transfer heat away from the heat generating element and toward the metal hinge portion; and

a display portion configured to display information to a user,

wherein the hinge portion is disposed relative to the heat exhaust element such that when the heat exhaust element is operated to generate the airflow at least some of the heat transferred by the airflow over the heat generating device is exhausted away from the heat generating element to the hinge portion to heat the hinge portion as a result of the airflow being directed from the heat generating element toward the hinge portion and impinging on the hinge portion after flowing over the heat generating portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat generating element includes a processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat exhaust element includes a fan.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the metal hinge portion includes a hollow cavity and includes a first opening in an outer wall of the hinge portion, the opening being configured to receive the airflow, such that the airflow passes through the first opening and into the hollow cavity of the metal hinge portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one electrically conductive wire electrically coupling the base portion to the display portion;

a second opening in an outer wall of the hinge portion configured for receiving the at least one electrically conductive wire from the base portion into the hollow cavity; and

a third opening in the outer wall of the hinge portion, wherein the at least one electrically conductive wire exits the hollow cavity and passes into the display portion through the third opening.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a first gasket disposed within the third opening and fitting snugly against the at least one electrically conductive wire, such that airflow is substantially prevented from passing through the third opening into the display portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the metal hinge portion includes a plurality of metal fins extending substantially perpendicular from an inner wall of the hollow cavity into the hollow cavity.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the metal hinge portion includes a plurality of metal fins extending substantially perpendicular from an outer wall of the hinge portion and outward from the outer wall.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the metal hinge portion includes a roughly textured outer wall surface external to the hollow cavity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal hinge portion comprises aluminum.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a base portion housing a central processing unit;

a metal hinge portion operably coupling the base portion to the display portion and being operable to couple the base portion to the display portion between an open and a closed configuration;

a heat exhaust element disposed within the base portion and operable to move air past the central processing unit and toward the metal hinge portion;

a display portion configured to display information to a user; and

wherein the hinge portion includes a hollow cavity extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the metal hinge and a longitudinal slot in a wall of the metal hinge and parallel to the longitudinal axis, the longitudinal slot being positioned relative to the heat exhaust element so as to receive air moved by the heat exhaust element past the central processing unit and through the slot for passage through the slot into the hollow cavity;

to heat the hinge portion as a result of the airflow being directed from the heat generating element toward the hinge portion and impinging on the hinge portion after flowing over the heat generating portion.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the heat exhaust element includes a fan.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein an airflow of the received air is received through the longitudinal slot substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the metal hinge portion includes a plurality of metal fins extending substantially perpendicular to an inner wall of the hollow cavity.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the metal hinge portion includes an opening at an end of the metal hinge portion through which received air exits the hollow cavity into an environment surrounding the computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein an airflow of the received air is received through the longitudinal slot substantially in a direction that includes a component parallel to the longitudinal axis.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein an airflow of the received air is received through the longitudinal slot, and wherein the airflow through the longitudinal slot has a velocity of at least two meters per second.

18. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the heat exhaust element includes a piezo-electric diaphragm pump.

19. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the base portion includes no cooling vents visible from outside the base computing device.

20. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the metal hinge portion obscures an outlet of the heat exhaust element, which exhausts air heated by passage of the air past the central processing unit, from view from outside the computing device.