Internal frame optimized for stiffness and heat transfer

• US 8,391,010 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rothkopf, Fletcher R., Hobson, Phillip M., Mittleman, Adam, Shedletsky, Anna-Katrina
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US12/859,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 361/708
• US Class Current: 361/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0274 for an electrical connector module
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20445 the coupling element being an additional piece, e.g. thermal standoff
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20509 Multiple-component heat spreaders; Multi-component heat-conducting support plates; Multi-component non-closed heat-conducting structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A thin portable electronic device with a display is described. The components of the electronic device can be arranged in stacked layers within an external housing where each of the stacked layers is located at a different height relative to the thickness of the device. One of the stacked layers can be internal metal frame. The internal metal frame can be configured to act as a heat spreader for heat generating components located in layers adjacent to the internal frame. Further, the internal metal frame can be configured to add to the overall structural stiffness of the device. In addition, the internal metal frame can be configured to provide attachment points for device components, such as the display, so that the device components can be coupled to the external housing via the internal metal frame.

Claims

1. A thermostructural component for a portable computing device comprising:

an internal metal frame formed from at least two different metals wherein the two different metals are arranged in layers, the internal metal frame comprising;

two outer metal layers formed from a first metal and configured to add structural stiffness to the internal metal frame; and

a middle metal layer, disposed between the two outer metal layers, formed from a second metal with a thermal conductivity greater than the first metal, said middle metal layer configured to conduct heat generated by a heat generating component in the portable computing device such that it is spread out within the middle metal layer of the internal metal frame wherein the two outer metal layers and the middle metal layer are joined via a cladding process;

wherein the two outer metal layers include one or more apertures for allowing a thermal bridge to thermally link the middle layer to a surface of the heat generating component.

2. The thermostructural component of claim 1, wherein the first metal is stainless steel and the second metal is copper.

3. The thermostructural component of claim 1, wherein the one or more apertures are filled in with a thermally conductive material.

4. The thermostructural component of claim 3, wherein the thermally conductive material is the second metal.

5. The thermostructural component of claim 1, wherein the two outer metal layers are formed from stainless steel and the middle layer is formed from copper wherein each of the stainless layers are about 25% of a thickness of the internal frame and the copper layer is about 50% of the thickness of the internal frame.

6. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing with a proximate thickness;

a plurality of device components arranged internally within the housing at different heights relative to the proximate thickness of the housing;

an internal frame primarily disposed primarily at one height relative to the proximate thickness, coupled to the housing, formed from at least two different materials wherein the two different materials are arranged in layers, said internal frame comprising;

two outer layers formed from a first material and configured to add structural stiffness of the device; and

a middle layer, disposed between the two outer layers, formed from a second material with a thermal conductivity greater than the first material, said middle layer configured to conduct heat generated by the plurality of device components such that it is spread out within the middle layer of the internal frame;

wherein the two outer layers include a plurality of apertures that each expose a portion of the middle layer;

a plurality of thermal bridges each configured to thermally link a heat generating surface associated with one of the plurality of device components to the middle layer via one of the plurality of apertures proximate to the heating generating surface.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the two outer layers are formed from a first metal and the middle layer is formed from a second metal.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the two outer layers and the middle layer are joined via a cladding process.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein a portion of the middle layer is extruded into each of the apertures during the cladding process.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of apertures is located in only one of the two outer layers.

11. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing with a proximate thickness;

a plurality of device components arranged internally within the housing at different heights relative to the proximate thickness of the housing;

an internal metal frame, coupled to the housing, primarily disposed at one height relative to the proximate thickness;

a display secured within the housing via attachments to the internal metal frame;

wherein the internal metal frame comprises;

two outer metal layers, formed from a first metal, configured to add structural stiffness to the device; and

a middle metal layer, disposed between the two outer metal layers, formed from a second metal with a thermal conductivity greater than the first metal, said middle metal layer configured to conduct heat generated by at least a heat generating component such that it is spread out within the middle metal layer of the internal metal frame wherein the two outer metal layers and the middle metal layer are joined via a cladding process;

a thermal bridge configured to thermally link the internal metal frame and a surface of the heat generating component.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the surface of the heat generating component is associated with one of the display, a main logic board or a camera.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the internal metal frame is proximately shaped as planar sheet.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the thermal conductivity of second metal is at least 10 times greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein a combined thickness of the two outer metals layers is about a same thickness of the middle metal layer.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the internal metal frame includes one or more apertures.