Novel laptop blower using AC ion wind principle

Abstract

The present application discloses a novel laptop blower using the AC ion wind principle. In one embodiment, the AC ion blower device includes: a housing defining a hole through the housing; a first electrode formed around the hole; a second electrode formed around the hole; and a dielectric material between the first electrode and the second electrode. The center of the second electrode is offset from the center of the first electrode.

Description

Background Art

[0001] There are limitations on providing high performance processing in thin and light computing devices, such as laptop computing devices having a base thickness of approximately 8 mm-10 mm or less. At the same time, the power density of computing platform components included in these devices continues to increase. Due to these higher power densities, component temperatures (and therefore, the local skin temperature of the components) are also increasing, and in some cases, exceeding a threshold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Figure 1 An example system for inducing airflow using an alternating current (AC) voltage source according to embodiments herein is illustrated.

[0003] Figure 2A-2E An example AC ion blower device according to embodiments herein is shown, wherein Figure 2B The diagram shows Figure 2A A top view of an example AC ion blower device as viewed from a side chamber along the arrow indicated therein, and Figure 2C The diagram shows Figure 2A A cross-sectional view of an example AC ion blower device as viewed along the arrow indicated therein.

[0004] Figure 3 The figures illustrate different electrode shapes that may be implemented within an AC ion blower device according to embodiments herein.

[0005] Figure 4A-4D Other example AC ion blower devices according to embodiments herein are shown.

[0006] Figure 5 A block diagram of example drive circuitry for an AC ion blower according to embodiments herein is shown.

[0007] Figure 6A-6B An example computing device is illustrated in which aspects of the present disclosure may be incorporated.

[0008] Figure 7 An example block diagram of a computing device is shown in which aspects of the present disclosure may be incorporated.

[0009] Figure 8 is a block diagram of computing device components that may be included in a mobile computing device incorporating aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary processor unit that can execute instructions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] In the following description, specific details are set forth, but aspects of the technology described herein may be practiced without these specific details. Well-known circuits, structures, and techniques are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the understanding of this description. An "embodiment," "embodiments," "some embodiments," and the like may include features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes these specific features, structures, or characteristics.

[0012] Some embodiments may have some or all of the features described for other embodiments, or may not have these features at all. "First", "second", "third", etc. describe common objects and indicate different instances of similar objects being referenced. Such adjectives do not imply that the objects described in this way must be in a given order in time or space, in terms of sequencing, or in any other way. "Connected" may indicate that elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, and "coupled" may indicate that elements cooperate or interact with each other, but these elements may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact. Terms modified by the word "substantially" include arrangements, orientations, intervals, or positions that are slightly different from the meaning of the unmodified terms. For example, a description of a cover of a mobile computing device that can be rotated to approximately 360 degrees relative to the base of the mobile computing includes a cover that can be rotated to a few degrees of 360 degrees relative to the base of the device.

[0013] The specification may use the phrases "in an embodiment," "in an embodiment," "in some embodiments," and / or "in various embodiments," each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like as used with respect to various aspects of the present disclosure are synonymous.

[0014] Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein similar or identical numbers may be used to indicate the same or similar parts in different figures. The use of similar or identical numbers in different figures does not mean that all figures including similar or identical numbers constitute a single or identical embodiment. The same numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. In general, the drawings illustrate the various embodiments discussed in this document by way of example and not by way of limitation.

[0015] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the description. However, it will be apparent that novel embodiments may be implemented without these specific details. In other examples, a plurality of well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate the description of these structures and devices. It is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the scope of the claims. Although aspects of the present disclosure may be used in any suitable type of computing device, the following examples describe example mobile computing devices / environments in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0016] Aspects of the present disclosure can provide increased cooling capabilities in computing systems, such as thin and light computing systems (e.g., laptop devices), by inducing airflow without the acoustic effects of fans or other physical air movers. Some fanless systems currently exist; however, such systems present issues such as, for example, reliability and dust accumulation on electrodes, which can negatively affect the operation of the device over time. In embodiments herein, relatively large alternating current (AC) voltages can be used with suitable electrode arrangements to induce airflow while avoiding dust accumulation and reliability issues that occur in current fanless solutions. Thus, some embodiments can operate at sound levels approximately below ambient levels (e.g., less than 12 dBA) while also providing sufficient airflow to cool 15-20 W of computing system power.

[0017] Specifically, embodiments herein may utilize the ionic wind principle, whereby airflow is induced by two offset electrodes separated by a dielectric material and driven by a relatively high AC voltage. In some embodiments, one of the electrodes may be exposed to the air and may receive a high voltage AC signal from a power source, while the other electrode may be embedded within a housing or within a dielectric material and connected to a ground signal of the AC power source. Since only one electrode is exposed to the air in such embodiments (and due to the shape of the electrodes), it may be more reliable in terms of dust accumulation, humidity, and high volume manufacturing (HVM) compared to current fanless systems.

[0018] Compared to current blower-based cooling systems for computing devices, aspects of the present disclosure may provide one or more of the following advantages. As an example, the embodiments herein have no moving components and allow operation at ambient sound levels (e.g., ~12dBA or below) while also providing sufficient PQ to cool ~20W of system base power. In addition, conventional fan systems require circular or square spaces in the motherboard and take up a lot of space within a laptop computing device, while the embodiments herein may require much less space (which in turn may provide space for higher battery capacity or other features). Further, without the need for large fans to cut out space, higher speed input / output (IO) signals may be implemented because routing lengths can be shortened. In addition, since the embodiments herein have no moving parts, they may be more reliable than typical fan-based systems.

[0019] Figure 1 An example system 100 for inducing airflow using an alternating current (AC) voltage source is shown according to embodiments herein. The example system 100 and embodiments herein operate using the ion wind principle, a phenomenon caused by two electrodes held at a high AC voltage difference (e.g., 5kV-10kV), which ionizes the air between the electrodes. The movement of ions from one electrode to the other creates movement of air next to the ions.

[0020] Reference Figure 1 , which is shown by an AC voltage source 110 connected to electrodes 104A, 104B spaced apart by a dielectric material 102. In addition, as shown, the electrodes 104A, 104B are spaced apart in the lateral direction so that their centers are offset from each other. In the example shown, the right side of the top electrode 104A is substantially aligned with the left side of the bottom electrode 104B. When an AC voltage is applied to the electrodes, positive and negative ions are generated in two cycles of the AC signal moving toward the bottom electrode 104B. Due to the dielectric material 102 present between the electrodes 104 and the offset / lateral distance between the electrodes 104, the ions flow in the lateral direction and create an induced airflow 108 of neutral air particles together with them. This may also be referred to as a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma (106 in the example shown).

[0021] Figure 2A-2EAn example AC ion blower device 200 according to embodiments herein is shown. The example blower device 200 includes a housing 202, which may be made of or include a plastic or similar material (e.g., Teflon, Kapton, Pico, etc.), having a similar inner surface along a hole 210 defined by the housing 202. Figure 1 The electrode structure of the electrode structure shown in . The hole 210 in the example shown is rectangular; however, other embodiments may implement holes 210 with different shapes (e.g., elliptical, circular, etc.). The electrode structure of the blower includes a first electrode 204 and a second electrode 206 separated by a dielectric layer 205. In other embodiments, the electrode 204 can be embedded in the housing 202, which can be made of a suitable dielectric material for inducing AC ionic wind, and thereby can act as a dielectric layer 205, wherein the electrode 206 is formed on the surface of the hole 210 in the housing 202. The electrodes 204, 206 can be made by, for example, electroplating / coating copper on a dielectric substrate, or by bonding a copper tape (whose thickness can be between 0-1 mm (e.g., approximately 0.1 mm)) on either side of the dielectric substrate.

[0022] The size of the device 200 can be determined by the use case. For example, in a thin computing device, the internal height of the hole can be 3mm-4mm, with a shell thickness between 0.5mm-1.5mm (e.g., about 0.8mm). The length of the housing 202 can be any suitable length. In some embodiments, the length can be 150mm, which makes the entire electrode length about 300mm (i.e., 150mm top side + 150mm bottom side + a few millimeters of height on each side). Such dimensions can provide sufficient flow for cooling a system-on-chip (SoC) running at about 15W-20W.

[0023] Figure 2D-Figure 2E The diagram shows Figure 2A-2C Specifically, for clarity, Figure 2D The figure shows the entire device 200 with a housing 202, and Figure 2E The electrode structure is shown, but the housing 202 is also not shown. As shown in these examples, the induced airflow can come from the side of the device 200 on which the exposed electrode 206 is formed, and travel through the hole 210 formed by the housing 202.

[0024] Figure 3The figure shows different electrode shapes that can be implemented in an AC ion blower device according to embodiments herein. The example electrode 302 is rectangular in the same manner as the electrode of device 200. The flow rate of device 200 (and other devices described herein) can scale with the size of the electrode length. For example, Figure 2A-2E , the minimum scaled flow rate may be expected to be, for example, between 1.5 CFM-2 CFM (cubic feet per minute), which may be sufficient to cool SoC powers up to 17 W. In some embodiments, other electrode shapes may be implemented to increase airflow beyond these figures. For example, electrode designs 304-310 include a sawtooth shape, which may allow higher flow rates in device 200 than in the above figure, thereby allowing additional cooling capabilities (e.g., higher power SoCs).

[0025] Figure 4A-4D Other example AC ion blower devices 400 , 420 , 440 , 460 are illustrated according to embodiments herein. Figure 4A An example apparatus 400 with Figure 2A-2C The device 200 is substantially similar, but the electrode 404 is embedded in the shell 402, as described above. The material of the shell 402 can thus be used as a dielectric layer between the electrodes 404, 406, the latter of which is on the inner surface of the shell 402 defining the hole 410.

[0026] Figure 4B The example device 420 of includes a housing 422 similar to the housing 202 of the example device 200, and further includes a plurality of dielectric posts 425 formed therein. The device 420 includes an electrode structure formed around the dielectric posts 425, as shown, with electrodes 424, 426 on either side of each post 425. The electrodes 424, 426 are offset in the same manner as described above (i.e., in the example shown, one of the electrodes is closer to the viewer and the other electrode is further into the page), which allows air to flow through a plurality of holes 430 formed within the housing 422. In the example shown, the housing 422 and posts 425 can be the same or different materials.

[0027] Figure 4CThe example device 440 of example apparatus 200 includes a housing 442 similar to the housing 202 of the example apparatus 200, and further includes a plurality of dielectric posts 445 formed therein. The device 450 includes an electrode structure formed around the dielectric posts 445, as shown, with electrodes 444A, 444B on either side of each post 445, and electrodes 446 embedded within the dielectric posts 445. The electrodes 444A, 444B are offset relative to the embedded electrodes 446 in the same manner as described above (i.e., the electrodes 444 are closer to the viewer, while the embedded electrodes 446 are further into the page), which allows air to flow through a plurality of holes 450 formed within the housing 422. In the example shown, the housing 442 and posts 445 can be the same or different materials.

[0028] Figure 4D The example device 460 includes a housing 462 similar to the housing 202 of the example device 200, and further includes a plurality of posts 463 (similar to Figure 4B Device 460 includes electrode structures formed in the same manner as device 200, but each electrode structure is formed within a separate aperture 470 of device 460 and defined by a post. Electrodes 464, 466 are offset in the same manner as described above (i.e., in the example shown, one of the electrodes is closer to the viewer and the other is further into the page), which causes air to flow through the plurality of apertures 470.

[0029] Figure 5 A block diagram of an example drive circuitry for an AC ion blower according to embodiments herein is shown. In most computing platforms where an AC ion blower device may be implemented (e.g., within a laptop computer), a DC-AC converter may be required to convert the typical 5-12V DC signal available within the computing circuitry into the high voltage AC signal (e.g., 5-10kV, 20-50kHz signal) required to drive the blower.

[0030] Figure 5The example driver circuit 500 includes a full-bridge or half-bridge inverter 502, which converts the input DC voltage into a square wave. Then, the square wave from the bridge inverter 502 is fed to a resonant transformer 504, which outputs an AC voltage, which is supplied to an AC ion blower 510 as described herein. The ion wind device acts as a capacitor, which acts as an LCR series resonant circuit together with the transformer secondary. This resonance can provide a higher voltage amplification than that possible with a transformer alone. The resonant circuit also helps to convert the square wave output from the primary side excitation into a sine wave, thereby also reducing the associated harmonics. The circuit 500 also includes a microcontroller 506 connected between the AC output of the transformer 504 and the bridge inverter 502, which can be used to control the speed of the blower 510. The microcontroller 506 can control the speed by frequency and / or pulse width modulation (PWM). The design of circuit 500 may be implemented with known components on a circuit board having an area of ​​40 mm x 17 mm or less, allowing it to be implemented in a thin computing device such as a laptop device.

[0031] Figure 6A-6B An example computing device 600 is shown in which aspects of the present disclosure may be incorporated. The computing device 600 may be a laptop computer (as shown) or another type of mobile computing device with a similar form factor, such as a foldable tablet or a smartphone. In some examples, aspects of the present disclosure may be incorporated into a stand-alone display monitor with a user-facing camera, which may be connected to a computing device that controls the display and camera.

[0032] like Fig. 6AAs shown, computing device 600 includes a housing including a cover 623 having an A cover 624 and a B cover 625, wherein A cover 624 is the "outward-facing" surface of cover 623 when computing device 600 is in a closed configuration, and B cover 625 includes a display 621 facing the user when cover 623 is open (e.g., as shown). Computing device 600 also includes a base 629 having a C cover 626 and a D cover 627, wherein C cover 626 includes a keyboard 622 facing upward when device 600 is in an open configuration (e.g., as shown), and D cover 627 forms the bottom of base 629. In some embodiments, base 629 includes the main computing resources of device 600 (e.g., host processor unit(s), graphics processing unit (GPU)) as well as a battery, memory and storage, and base 629 communicates with cover 623 via wires passing through hinge 628, which connects base 629 and cover 623. In some embodiments, computing device 600 may be a dual display device, where the second display comprises part of C-cover 626. For example, in some embodiments, an "always on" display (AOD) may occupy an area of ​​the C-cover below the keyboard and visible when cover 623 is closed. In other embodiments, the second display covers a majority of the surface of the C-cover, and a removable keyboard may be placed over the second display, or the second display may present a virtual keyboard to allow keyboard input.

[0033] like Figure 6B As shown, an AC ion blower 650 (which can be implemented in any manner described herein) can be mounted in the "forehead" region of the C-cap 626. In the example shown, the device 600 includes a heat exchanger 652 (e.g., a heat pipe device, a vapor chamber device, or other type of cooling device) coupled to a processor 654. The blower 650 is arranged adjacent to the heat exchanger 652 so that the blower 650 can provide an airflow through the heat exchanger 652 and out of the exhaust grille 658 to further assist in cooling the processor 654, similar to a typical fan-based device. As shown, the device 600 further includes a converter circuit system 656 for the blower 650, which can be used in the same manner as described above with respect to Figure 5 Although shown in the forehead region of the C cover, it will be understood that the blower 650 (and other components shown) can be implemented in other areas of the device 600. For example, the blower 650 and the heat exchanger 652 can be implemented at other inlet areas of the device 600 (e.g., the rear or side inlet / outlet grilles of the C cover of the device 600).

[0034] Figure 7The figure shows an example block diagram of a computing device into which various aspects of the present disclosure may be incorporated. The computing device 700 includes a base 710 connected to a cover 720 by a hinge 730. The mobile computing device (also referred to herein as a "user device") 700 may be a laptop computer or a mobile computing device with a similar form factor. The base 710 includes a system on a chip (SoC) 740, which includes one or more processor units integrated with one or more additional components, such as a memory controller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a cache, an image processing module, and other components described herein. The base 710 may further include a physical keyboard, a touchpad, a battery, a memory, a storage device, and an external port. The cover 720 includes an embedded display panel 745, a timing controller (TCON) 750, one or more microphones 758, one or more cameras 760, and a touch controller 765. TCON 750 converts the video data 790 received from the SoC 740 into a signal that drives the display panel 745.

[0035] The display panel 745 can be any type of embedded display in which the display element responsible for generating light or allowing emission of light is located in each pixel. Such displays may include TFT LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display), micro LED (micro light emitting diode (LED)), OLED (organic LED) and QLED (quantum dot LED) displays. The display panel 745 may include a touch screen that includes one or more dedicated layers for implementing touch capabilities or includes 'embedded (in-cell)' or 'covered surface type (on-cell)' touch screen technology that does not require a dedicated touch screen layer. The touch controller 765 drives the touch screen technology used in the display panel 745 and collects touch sensor data provided by the touch screen technology used. The microphone 758 may include a microphone located in the frame of the cover or a microphone in the display in the display area (the area in the panel that displays the content). One or more cameras 760 may similarly include a camera located in the frame or a camera in the display in the display area.

[0036] Hinge 730 can be any physical hinge that allows base 710 and cover 720 to be rotatably connected. The wires passing across hinge 730 include wires for transmitting video data from SoC 740 to TCON 750, wires for transmitting audio data between microphone 758 and SoC 740, wires for providing image data from camera 760 to SoC 740, and wires for providing touch data from touch controller 765 to SoC 740. In some embodiments, data shown as being transmitted by different groups of wires between SoC and various components are communicated by the same group of wires. For example, in some embodiments, all different types of data shown can be sent by a single PCIe-based or USB-based data bus. In some embodiments, cover 720 can be removably attached to base 710. In some embodiments, hinges can allow base 710 and cover 720 to rotate to substantially 360 degrees relative to each other.

[0037] Figure 7 The components illustrated as being located in the base of the mobile computing device may be located in a base housing (e.g., base 629 of device 600), and Figure 7 Components illustrated as being located in a cover of a mobile computing device may be located in a cover housing (eg, cover 623 of device 600 ).

[0038] Figure 8 is a block diagram of computing device components that may be included in a mobile computing device in conjunction with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, for example, the components shown may be Figure 7 is implemented within the SoC 740. In general, Figure 8 The components shown in FIG. 800 can communicate with other components shown, including those in the canopy controller hub, but for ease of illustration, not all connections are shown. Component 800 includes a multi-processor system (including a first processor 802 and a second processor 804), and is illustrated as including point-to-point (PP) interconnects. For example, a point-to-point (PP) interface 806 of processor 802 is coupled to a point-to-point interface 807 of processor 804 via a point-to-point interconnect 805. It should be understood that Figure 8 Any or all of the point-to-point interconnects illustrated in the diagram may alternatively be implemented as a multi-drop bus, and Figure 8 Any or all of the buses shown in the figures may be replaced by point-to-point interconnects.

[0039] like Figure 8As shown in FIG. 1 , processors 802 and 804 are multi-core processors. Processor 802 includes processor cores 808 and 809, and processor 804 includes processor cores 810 and 811. Processor cores 808-811 may be combined with the following Fig. 9 Computer executable instructions may be executed in a manner similar to that discussed or in other manners.

[0040] Processors 802 and 804 further include at least one shared cache memory 812 and 814, respectively. Shared caches 812 and 814 can store data (e.g., instructions) utilized by one or more components of the processor (such as processor cores 808-809 and 810-811). Shared caches 812 and 814 can be part of a memory hierarchy of the device. For example, shared cache 812 can locally store data that is also stored in memory 816 to allow faster access to the data by components of processor 802. In some embodiments, shared caches 812 and 814 can include multiple cache layers, such as level 1 (L1), level 2 (L2), level 3 (L3), level 4 (L4), and / or other caches or cache layers, such as last level cache (LLC).

[0041] Although two processors are shown, the device may include any number of processors or other computing resources, including those in the canopy controller hub. Further, the processor may include any number of processor cores. The processor may take various forms, such as a central processing unit, a controller, a graphics processor, an accelerator (such as a graphics accelerator or a digital signal processor (DSP) or an artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator). The processor in the device may be the same or different from other processors in the device. In some embodiments, the device may include one or more processors that are heterogeneous or asymmetric with a first processor, an accelerator, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other processor. There may be various differences between the processing elements in the system in terms of a series of metrics including architecture, microarchitecture, heat, power consumption characteristics, etc. These differences can effectively display themselves as asymmetry and heterogeneity between the processors in the system. In some embodiments, processors 802 and 804 reside in a multi-chip package. As used herein, the terms "processor unit" and "processing unit" may refer to any processor, processor core, component, module, engine, circuit system, or any other processing element described herein. The processor unit or processing unit may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or any possible combination thereof. The canopy controller hub may include one or more processor units.

[0042] Processors 802 and 804 further include memory controller logic (MC) 820 and 822. Figure 8 As shown in , MCs 820 and 822 control memory 816 coupled to processor 802 and memory 818 coupled to processor 804, respectively. Memories 816 and 818 may include various types of memory, such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM)) or non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, solid-state drive, chalcogenide-based phase change non-volatile memory). Although MCs 820 and 822 are illustrated as being integrated into processors 802 and 804, in alternative embodiments, the MCs may be logic external to the processor and may include one or more layers of a memory hierarchy.

[0043] Processors 802 and 804 are coupled to an input / output (I / O) subsystem 830 via PP interconnects 832 and 834. Point-to-point interconnect 832 connects a point-to-point interface 836 of processor 802 with a point-to-point interface 838 of I / O subsystem 830, and point-to-point interconnect 834 connects a point-to-point interface 840 of processor 804 with a point-to-point interface 842 of I / O subsystem 830. Input / output subsystem 830 further includes an interface 850 for coupling I / O subsystem 830 to a graphics module 852, which may be a high-performance graphics module. I / O subsystem 830 and graphics module 852 are coupled together via bus 854. Alternatively, bus 854 may be a point-to-point interconnect.

[0044] The input / output subsystem 830 is further coupled to the first bus 860 via an interface 862. The first bus 860 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI Express (PCIe) bus, another third generation I / O (input / output) interconnect bus, or any other type of bus.

[0045] Various I / O devices 864 may be coupled to the first bus 860. A bus bridge 870 may couple the first bus 860 to a second bus 880. In some embodiments, the second bus 880 may be a low pin count (LPC) bus. Various devices may be coupled to the second bus 880, including, for example, a keyboard / mouse 882, an audio I / O device 888, and a storage device 890 (such as a hard drive, a solid-state drive, or other storage device) for storing computer executable instructions (code) 892. The code 892 may include computer executable instructions for performing the techniques described herein. Additional components that may be coupled to the second bus 880 include (one or more) communication devices or components 884 that may provide communication between the device and one or more wired or wireless networks 886 (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, or satellite networks) using one or more communication standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11 standards and their supplements) via one or more wired or wireless communication links (e.g., wires, cables, Ethernet connections, radio-frequency (RF) channels, infrared channels, Wi-Fi channels).

[0046] The device may include removable memory, such as a flash memory card (e.g., an SD (Secure Digital) card), a memory stick, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. The memory in the computing device (including caches 812 and 814, memories 816 and 818, and storage devices 890, and memory in the canopy controller hub) may store data and / or computer executable instructions for executing an operating system 894 or an application 896. Example data includes web pages, text messages, images, sound files, video data, sensor data, or any other data received from the canopy controller hub, or other data sets sent by the device to one or more network servers or other devices and / or received from one or more network servers or other devices via one or more wired or wireless networks, or for use by the device. The device may also have access to external memory (not shown) such as an external hard drive or cloud-based storage.

[0047] Operating system 894 can control Figure 8 896 and supports one or more applications 896. Applications 896 may include common mobile computing device applications (e.g., email applications, calendars, contact managers, web browsers, messaging applications) and other computing applications.

[0048] The device can support various input devices, such as touch screen, microphone, camera (monoscopic or stereoscopic), trackball, touchpad, trackpad, mouse, keyboard, proximity sensor, light sensor, pressure sensor, infrared sensor, electrocardiogram (electrocardiogram, ECG) sensor, PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor, galvanic skin response sensor, and the device can support one or more output devices, such as one or more speakers or displays. Any of these input devices or output devices can be inside the device, outside the device, or can be removably attached to the device. External input devices and output devices can communicate with the device via wired or wireless connections.

[0049] In addition, the computing device may provide one or more natural user interfaces (NUIs). For example, the operating system 894, the application 896, or the canopy controller hub may include speech recognition as part of a voice user interface that allows the user to operate the device through voice commands. Further, the device may include input devices and components that allow the user to interact with the device via body, hand, or facial gestures.

[0050] The device may further include one or more communication components 884. Component 884 may include a wireless communication component coupled to one or more antennas to support communication between the device and an external device. The antenna may be located at a base, a cover, or other portion of the device. The wireless communication component may support various wireless communication protocols and technologies, such as Near Field Communication (NFC), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) variants, WiMax, Bluetooth, Zigbee, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and Global System for Mobile Telecommunication (GSM). In addition, the wireless modem may support communication with one or more cellular networks for data and voice communication within a single cellular network, between cellular networks, or between a mobile computing device and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

[0051] The device may further include: at least one input / output port including a physical connector (which may be, for example, a USB, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), Ethernet, and / or RS-232 port); a power source (such as a rechargeable battery); a satellite navigation system receiver, such as a GPS receiver; a gyroscope; an accelerometer; and a compass. The GPS receiver may be coupled to a GPS antenna. The device may further include one or more additional antennas coupled to one or more additional receivers, transmitters, and / or transceivers to enable additional functionality.

[0052] Figure 8 An example computing device architecture is shown. The techniques described herein may be implemented using computing devices based on alternative architectures. For example, instead of processors 802 and 804 and graphics module 852 being located on separate integrated circuits, a computing device may include a processor that includes a processor 802 and a graphics module 852. Figure 8 SoC (system on chip) integrated circuit of one or more components of the components illustrated in the figure. In one example, the SoC may include multiple processor cores, cache memory, display driver, GPU, multiple I / O controllers, AI accelerator, image processing unit driver, I / O controller, AI accelerator, image processor unit. Further, the computing device may be connected via a bus or with Figure 8The point-to-point configuration shown in the figure is different from the point-to-point configuration to connect the components. Figure 8 The illustrated components in are not required or all inclusive, as in alternative embodiments, illustrated components may be removed and other components added.

[0053] Fig. 9 900 is a block diagram of an example processor unit 900 for executing computer-executable instructions. Processor unit 900 may be any type of processor or processor core, such as a microprocessor, an embedded processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, or an accelerator. Processor unit 900 may be a single-threaded core, or may be a multi-threaded core, embodying that each core may include more than one hardware thread context (or "logical processor").

[0054] Fig. 9 Also shown is a memory 910 coupled to the processor 900. The memory 910 may be any memory described herein or any other memory known to those skilled in the art. The memory 910 may store computer executable instructions 915 (code) executable by the processor unit 900.

[0055] The processor core includes front-end logic 920 that receives instructions from memory 910. Instructions may be processed by one or more decoders 930. Decoders 930 may generate micro-operations (such as fixed-width micro-operations in a predefined format) as their output, or may generate other instructions, micro-instructions, or control signals that reflect the original code instructions. Front-end logic 920 further includes register renaming logic 935 and scheduling logic 940, which generally allocate resources and queue operations corresponding to converting instructions for execution.

[0056] The processor unit 900 further includes an execution logic 950, which includes one or more execution units (EU) 965-1 to 965-N. Some processor core embodiments may include several execution units dedicated to a specific function or a set of functions. Other embodiments may include only one execution unit or an execution unit that can perform a specific function. The execution logic 950 performs the operation specified by the code instruction. After completing the execution of the operation specified by the code instruction, the back-end logic 970 retires the instruction using the retirement logic 975. In some embodiments, the processor unit 900 allows out-of-order execution but requires orderly retirement of instructions. The retirement logic 975 can take various forms as known to those skilled in the art (e.g., reorder buffers, etc.).

[0057] Processor unit 900 is converted during execution of instructions, at least with respect to the output generated by decoder 930, the hardware registers and tables utilized by register renaming logic 935, and any registers (not shown) modified by execution logic 950. Fig. 9 900, but the processor may include other elements on an integrated chip with the processor unit 900. For example, the processor may include additional elements such as memory control logic, one or more graphics modules, I / O control logic modules, and / or one or more caches.

[0058] As used in any embodiment herein, the term "module" refers to a logic for performing one or more operations in accordance with the present disclosure that can be implemented using hardware components or devices, software or firmware running on a processor, or a combination thereof. Software can be embodied as a software package, code, instruction, instruction set, and / or data recorded on a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Firmware can be embodied as hard-coded (e.g., non-volatile) code, instruction or instruction set, and / or data in a memory device. As used in any embodiment herein, the term "circuitry" can include, for example, hard-wired circuitry, programmable circuitry (such as a computer processor including one or more separate instruction processing cores), state machine circuitry, and / or firmware storing instructions executed by programmable circuitry, either alone or in any combination. The modules described herein can be embodied together or individually as circuitry forming part of one or more devices. Thus, any one of the modules can be implemented as a circuitry, such as a continuous item set generation circuitry, an entropy-based discretization circuitry, etc. A computer device referred to as being programmed to perform a method can be programmed to perform the method via software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0059] The use of reference signs in the claims and the description is intended to assist the understanding of the claims and the description and is not intended to be limiting.

[0060] Any disclosed method may be implemented as computer-executable instructions or computer program products. Such instructions may enable a computer or one or more processors to execute computer-executable instructions to perform any of the methods disclosed herein. In general, as used herein, the term "computer" refers to any computing device or system described or mentioned herein, or any other computing device. Thus, the term "computer-executable instructions" refers to instructions that can be executed by any computing device or any other computing device described or mentioned herein.

[0061] Computer executable instructions or computer program products and any data created and used during the implementation of the disclosed technology may be stored on one or more tangible or non-transitory computer readable storage media, such as optical media disks (e.g., DVDs, CDs), volatile memory components (e.g., DRAM, SRAM), or non-volatile memory components (e.g., flash memory, solid-state drives, chalcogenide-based phase change non-volatile memory). Computer readable storage media may be contained in computer readable storage devices such as solid-state drives, USB flash drives, and memory modules. Alternatively, computer executable instructions may be executed by specific hardware components containing hard-wired logic for performing all or part of the disclosed methods, or by any combination of computer readable storage media and hardware components.

[0062] Computer executable instructions can be, for example, a dedicated software application or part of a software application accessed via a web browser or other software application (such as a remote computing application). Such software can be read and executed by, for example, a single computing device or in a network environment using one or more networked computers. Further, it should be understood that the disclosed technology is not limited to any particular computer language or program. For example, the disclosed technology can be implemented by software written in C++, Java, Perl, Python, JavaScript, Adobe Flash, or any other suitable programming language. Likewise, the disclosed technology is not limited to any particular computer or any particular type of hardware.

[0063] In addition, any software-based embodiment (including, for example, computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform any of the disclosed methods) can be uploaded, downloaded, or remotely accessed via suitable communication means. Such suitable communication means include, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web, an intranet, cables (including fiber optic cables), magnetic communications, electromagnetic communications (including RF, microwave, and infrared communications), electronic communications, or other such communication means.

[0064] As used in the present application and in the claims, a list of items connected by the term "and / or" may mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" may mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B, and C. Further, as used in the present application and in the claims, a list of items connected by the term "at least one of..." may mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" may mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B, and C. Also, as used in the present application and in the claims, a list of items connected by the term "one or more of..." may mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase "one or more of A, B, and C" may mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B, and C.

[0065] The disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems should not be construed as limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed to all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of each disclosed embodiment, both individually and in various combinations and sub-combinations with each other. The disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems are not limited to any particular aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require the presence of any one or more specific advantages or the resolution of any one or more specific problems.

[0066] Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for ease of presentation, it should be understood that such a description encompasses rearrangements unless specific language set forth herein requires a particular ordering. For example, in some cases, operations described sequentially may be rearranged or performed simultaneously. Furthermore, for simplicity, the accompanying drawings may not show the various ways in which the disclosed methods may be used in conjunction with other methods.

[0067] Some non-limiting examples of the presently described technology are provided below. Each of the following non-limiting examples may stand alone or may be combined with any one or more of the other examples provided below or throughout the present disclosure in any permutation or combination.

[0068] Example 1 is a device comprising: a shell defining a hole through the shell; a first electrode formed around the hole; a second electrode formed around the hole, the center of the second electrode offset from the center of the first electrode; and a dielectric material located between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0069] Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the first electrode is on one or more surfaces defining an aperture through the housing.

[0070] Example 3 includes the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the first electrode is embedded in the housing, and the dielectric material is integral to the housing.

[0071] Example 3 includes the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the hole is a first hole, the dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the shell further defines a second hole that passes through the shell in the same direction as the first hole, and the device further includes: a third electrode formed around the second hole; a fourth electrode formed around the second hole, the center of the fourth electrode offset from the center of the third electrode; and a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material is between the third electrode and the fourth electrode.

[0072] Example 5 includes the subject matter of Example 4, wherein the third electrode is on one or more surfaces defining the second aperture.

[0073] Example 6 includes the subject matter of Example 4, wherein the third electrode is embedded in the housing and the second dielectric material is integral to the housing.

[0074] Example 7 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-6, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a rectangular shape.

[0075] Example 8 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-7, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a sawtooth shape.

[0076] Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-8, wherein the second electrode is exposed within the hole.

[0077] Example 10 is a device comprising: a shell; a dielectric material defining a first hole and a second hole in the shell; a first electrode formed on a first side of the dielectric material; and a second electrode formed on a second side of the dielectric material opposite to the first side, the center of the second electrode offset from the center of the first electrode.

[0078] Example 11 includes the subject matter of Example 10, wherein the first electrode is in the first hole and the second electrode is in the second hole.

[0079] Example 12 includes the subject matter of Example 10 or Example 11, wherein the housing is rectangular and the dielectric material is between a first side defining a length of the housing of the rectangle and a second side defining the length of the housing of the rectangle.

[0080] Example 13 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 10-12, wherein the shell defines a third hole, the dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the device further includes: a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material defines a second hole and a third hole in the shell, the second dielectric material is parallel to the first dielectric material; a third electrode, the third electrode is formed on a first side of the second dielectric material; and a fourth electrode, the fourth electrode is formed on a second side of the second dielectric material opposite to the first side, the center of the third electrode is offset from the center of the fourth electrode.

[0081] Example 14 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 10-13, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a rectangular shape.

[0082] Example 15 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 10-14, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a sawtooth shape.

[0083] Example 16 is a computing device comprising: a processor; a heat exchanger coupled to the processor; a blower device arranged to induce airflow over the heat exchanger, the blower device according to any one of Examples 1-15.

[0084] Example 17 includes the subject matter of Example 16, further comprising power circuitry for providing an alternating current (AC) signal to the blower device.

[0085] Example 18 includes the subject matter of Example 17, wherein the power supply circuit system includes a direct current (DC) to AC conversion circuit system, which includes a full-bridge or half-bridge inverter for converting a DC signal into a square wave, and a transformer for outputting (e.g., amplifying) an AC signal (e.g., a higher voltage than the input) based on the square wave output by the inverter.

[0086] Example 19 includes the subject matter of Example 18, wherein the DC to AC conversion circuitry further comprises a microcontroller for controlling the full-bridge or half-bridge inverter using frequency or pulse width modulation.

[0087] Example 20 includes the subject matter of Example 18, wherein the AC signal is between 5 kV-10 kV and between 20 kHz-50 kHz.

[0088] Example 21 includes a device comprising: a shell; a dielectric material defining a first hole and a second hole in the shell; a first electrode formed on a first side of the dielectric material; and a second electrode formed on a second side of the dielectric material opposite to the first side; and a third electrode, the third electrode being within the dielectric material, the center of the third electrode being offset from the center of the first electrode and the center of the second electrode.

[0089] Example 22 includes the subject matter of Example 21, wherein the first electrode is in the first hole and the second electrode is in the second hole.

[0090] Example 23 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21 or 22, wherein the dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the device further includes: a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material defining a second hole and a third hole in the shell, the second dielectric material being parallel to the first dielectric material; a fourth electrode, the fourth electrode formed on a first side of the second dielectric material; and a fifth electrode, the fifth electrode formed on a second side of the second dielectric material opposite to the first side; and a sixth electrode, the sixth electrode being within the second dielectric material, the center of the sixth electrode being offset from the center of the fourth electrode and the center of the fifth electrode.

[0091] Example 24 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21-23, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a rectangular shape.

[0092] Example 25 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21-23, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode has a sawtooth shape.

Claims

1. A device comprising: a housing defining a hole therethrough; a first electrode formed around the hole; a second electrode, the second electrode being formed around the hole, the center of the second electrode being offset from the center of the first electrode; as well as A dielectric material is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first electrode is on one or more surfaces defining the aperture through the housing.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first electrode is embedded in the housing, and the dielectric material is integral with the housing.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The aperture is a first aperture, the dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the housing further defines a second aperture extending through the housing in the same direction as the first aperture, the apparatus further comprising: a third electrode formed around the second hole; a fourth electrode, the fourth electrode being formed around the second hole, the center of the fourth electrode being offset from the center of the third electrode; and A second dielectric material is disposed between the third electrode and the fourth electrode.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The third electrode is on one or more surfaces defining the second aperture.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The third electrode is embedded in the housing, and the second dielectric material is integral with the housing.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first electrode or the second electrode has a rectangular shape.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first electrode or the second electrode has a sawtooth shape.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The second electrode is exposed within the hole.

10. An apparatus comprising: case; a dielectric material defining a first aperture and a second aperture in the housing; a first electrode formed on a first side of the dielectric material; as well as A second electrode is formed on a second side of the dielectric material opposite to the first side, and a center of the second electrode is offset from a center of the first electrode.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein: The first electrode is in the first hole, and the second electrode is in the second hole.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein: The housing is rectangular and the dielectric material is between a first side defining a length of the housing of the rectangle and a second side defining the length of the housing of the rectangle.

13. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the apparatus further comprises: a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material defining the second aperture and the third aperture in the housing, the second dielectric material being parallel to the first dielectric material; a third electrode formed on the first side of the second dielectric material; and A fourth electrode is formed on a second side of the second dielectric material opposite to the first side, wherein a center of the third electrode is offset from a center of the fourth electrode.

14. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The first electrode or the second electrode has a rectangular shape.

15. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The first electrode or the second electrode has a sawtooth shape.

16. A computing device comprising: processor; a heat exchanger coupled to the processor; a blower device arranged to induce an air flow over the heat exchanger, the blower device comprising: a first electrode surrounding an aperture in the blower assembly; a second electrode, the second electrode surrounding the hole, the center of the second electrode offset from the center of the first electrode, the second electrode exposed in the hole; and A dielectric material is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein: The first electrode is on one or more surfaces defining the aperture.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein: The first electrode is embedded in a housing of the blower device, and the dielectric material is integral with the housing of the blower device.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein: The aperture is a first aperture, the dielectric material is a first dielectric material, and the blower device further defines a second aperture in the same direction as the first aperture, the blower device further comprising: a third electrode formed around the second hole; a fourth electrode, the fourth electrode being formed around the second hole, the center of the fourth electrode being offset from the center of the third electrode; and A second dielectric material is disposed between the third electrode and the fourth electrode.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein: The third electrode is on one or more surfaces defining the second aperture.

21. The computing device of claim 19, wherein: The third electrode is embedded in a housing of the blower device, and the second dielectric material is integral with the housing of the blower device.

22. The computing device of any of claims 16-21, further comprising power circuitry for providing an alternating current (AC) signal to the blower assembly.

23. The computing device of claim 22, wherein: The power supply circuit system includes a direct current (DC) to AC conversion circuit system, which includes a full-bridge or half-bridge inverter for converting a DC signal into a square wave, and a transformer for outputting an AC signal based on the square wave output by the inverter.

24. The computing device of claim 23, wherein: The DC to AC conversion circuitry further includes a microcontroller for controlling the full-bridge or half-bridge inverter using frequency or pulse width modulation.

25. The computing device of claim 23, wherein: The AC signal is between 5 kV-10 kV and between 20 kHz-50 kHz.

Images