Electronic apparatus

• US 7,903,402 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokote, Satoshi, Tomioka, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffberg; Robert J
• Application Number:
  US12/710,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 36167946-67948, 361/679.52, 36167954-67955, 361/690, 361/692, 361694-695, 361697-700, 361702-704, 361/709, 361/719, 165 803- 805, 165/104.33, 165/185, 174/15.2, 174/16.1, 174/16.3, 454/184
• US Class Current: 361/679.47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a housing of an electronic apparatus includes a first sidewall portion provided with an air vent, a ceiling wall portion extending from an upper end of the first sidewall portion toward the outside of the housing, and a pair of second sidewall portions which extend from respective side end portions of the first sidewall portion toward the outside of the housing and are opposed to each other.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising a sidewall portion and a bottom wall, portion adjacent to the side wall portion, the sidewall portion comprising an air vent, the bottom wall portion comprising a plurality of liquid discharge holes disposed in the direction from the sidewall portion toward an inner portion of the housing, the liquid discharge holes for discharging liquid that enters the housing through the air vent, a direct liquid path existing between the air vent and the liquid discharge holes,

a circuit board in the housing;

a heat-generating component on the circuit board, the heat-generating component being displaced from the direct liquid path;

a heat-transfer member having a first end thermally connected to the heat-generating component;

a heat-radiating member thermally connected to a second end of the heat-transfer member and horizontally displaced from the heat-generating component; and

a cooling fan for cooling the heat-radiating member,

wherein at least a portion of the liquid discharge holes are located directly below at least a portion of the heat-radiating member, and wherein the liquid discharge holes are between the air vent and the cooling fan.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein a direct liquid path exists between the heat-radiating member and the liquid discharge hole.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat-radiating member comprises a plurality of fins having clearances defined therebetween, the clearances opening downwardly.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the horizontal distance between an edge of the liquid discharge hole that is most distant from the sidewall portion and an outer edge of the sidewall portion is √

{square root over (3)} times as large as the vertical distance between an uppermost edge of the air vent and the bottom wall portion.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid discharge holes are located adjacent where air is discharged by the cooling fan to the outside of the housing.

6. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising a sidewall portion and a bottom wall, portion adjacent to the side wall portion, the sidewall portion comprising an air vent, the bottom wall portion comprising a two-dimensional array of liquid discharge holes for discharging liquid that enters the housing through the air vent, a direct liquid path existing between the air vent and the array of liquid discharge holes,

a circuit board in the housing;

a heat-generating component on the circuit board, the heat-generating component being displaced from the direct liquid path;

a heat-transfer member having a first end thermally connected to the heat-generating component;

a heat-radiating member thermally connected to a second end of the heat-transfer member and horizontally displaced from the heat-generating component; and

a cooling fan for cooling the heat-radiating member,

wherein at least a portion of the liquid discharge holes are located directly below at least a portion of the heat-radiating member, and wherein the array of liquid discharge holes is between the air vent and the cooling fan.