Electronic apparatus

• US 9,756,761 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2012
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Yukito, Ikeda, Kensuke, Kanda, Daisuke, Ootori, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sul, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/111,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 36164946, 361697
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2265/30 for preventing vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/02 Elements or assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with recesses, with corrugations F28F3/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3672 Foil-like cooling fins or heat sinks being part of lead-frames H01L23/49568
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/467 by flowing gases, e.g. air H01L23/473 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20154 Heat dissipaters coupled to components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20172 Fan mounting or fan specifications

Abstract

Provided is an electronic apparatus including a cooling fan and a cover configuring an outer wall of an air flow path and having a heat sink arranged therein, and effectively utilizing a frame as a member for heat radiation.

A cooling fan 40 is arranged on the opposite side of a circuit board across an upper frame 20 and attached to the upper frame 20. The electronic apparatus includes a cover having a shape for covering the air flow path and defining a wall of the air flow path together with the upper frame 20. Heat sinks 61 and 62 are arranged on the inner side of the cover 50.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a circuit board;

a frame formed by a plate having a size corresponding to the circuit board or a size larger than the size corresponding the circuit board and covering the circuit board, the circuit board being fixed to the frame;

a cooling fan located on an opposite side of the circuit board across the frame and attached to the frame, the cooling fan configured to rotate around a column-like stator that is directly attached to the plate of the frame with a rotation axis that overlaps a point at which the cooling fan is attached to the frame;

an air flow path on the frame through which air discharged from the cooling fan passes;

a cover having a shape for covering the air flow path and define a wall of the air flow path together with the frame; and

a heat sink disposed inside the cover,

wherein the rotation axis is perpendicular to the circuit board,

wherein the air flow path is formed in an outer circumference of the cooling fan,

wherein the cooling fan includes a plurality of fins arranged in a circumferential direction around the column-like stator,

wherein the column-like stator includes a disk-like bottom portion having a fixed hole for attaching the column-like stator to the frame, and the

disk-like portion is located on an interior of the plurality of fins near the rotation axis.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed hole is located on the rotation axis.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the frame includes, in a part thereof, a plate portion that configures a bottom surface of the air flow path,

the cooling fan includes a fan plate portion that increases in width in an airflow direction away from an outer circumference of fins of the cooling fan, and

the fan plate portion is located on an outer side of an outer edge of the plate portion of the frame and configures the bottom surface of the air flow path together with the plate portion of the frame.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a heat sink including a plurality of fins located in the air flow path is arranged on the inner side of the cover, and

the frame has a shape that avoids the plurality of fins.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

a hole is formed in the frame, and

the heat sink is located inside the hole.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the frame defines the position of the heat sink.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing which houses the cooling fan; and

a ventilation opening opened toward an outside of the housing, wherein

the air flow path continues from the cooling fan to the ventilation opening,

an electronic part is mounted on the circuit board, and

a vent hole located in the air flow path and opened toward the electronic part is formed in the frame.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vent hole overlaps the electronic part in a direction in which the frame and the circuit board face each other.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vent hole is located right above the electronic part.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vent hole is formed in a position avoiding a region on a downstream of the heat sink.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a position of the vent hole deviates from the heat sink in a direction orthogonal to an air flow direction in the air flow path.

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the cooling fan is arranged such that a rotation axis thereof is perpendicular to the circuit board,

the air flow path includes a first air flow path formed in an outer circumference of the cooling fan and a second air flow path following the first air flow path, where the second air flow path has a flow path cross-sectional area larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of the first air flow path, and

the heat sink and the vent hole are located in the second air flow path.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of vent holes each defined as the vent hole are formed in the frame.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein positions of the plurality of vent holes deviate from one another in a direction orthogonal to an air flow direction in the air flow path.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a circuit board;

a frame formed by a plate and covering the circuit board and attached to the circuit board;

a cooling fan arranged on the frame, the cooling fan including a column-like stator arranged at a center of the cooling fan,

wherein the column-like stator includes a disk-like bottom portion having a fixed hole for attaching the column-like stator directly to the plate of the frame, and

the disk-like portion is located on an interior of the plurality of fins near a rotation axis of the cooling fan,

wherein the rotation axis of the cooling fan is along a thickness direction of the circuit board, the rotation axis overlapping the fixed hole point at which the column-like stator is attached to the frame; and

a projection projecting from the disk-like portion toward a top surface of the frame to secure a clearance between cooling fan and the frame.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the projection on the rotation axis of the cooling fan.

17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the cooling fan includes, in the bottom portion thereof, a center plate portion and an outer plate portion that surrounds an outer circumference of the center plate portion,

the projection is formed in the center plate portion, and

the outer plate portion is in contact with the frame.