Cooling module and electronic device

Abstract

To provide a cooling module capable of maintaining cooling performance for a longer period of time, and to provide an electronic apparatus including the cooling module.SOLUTION: A cooling module to be mounted on an electronic device, the cooling module comprising: a fan having a discharge port; and a heat sink disposed facing the discharge port, in which a plurality of fins are arranged between a first plate-like portion and a second plate-like portion extending along a width direction of the discharge port with a gap therebetween, the first plate-shaped portion includes an opening portion through which a part of the air discharged from the discharge port can be discharged, and an auxiliary opening portion which is provided between one end located at least on a downstream side in a flow direction of the air in the fan in a longitudinal direction of the first plate-shaped portion and the opening portion and through which a part of the air discharged from the discharge port can be discharged, and an opening area of the auxiliary opening portion is smaller than an opening area of the opening portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling module and an electronic device equipped with the cooling module. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic devices such as notebook PCs are equipped with a cooling module for cooling heat-generating elements such as a CPU (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such cooling modules include a heat pipe that absorbs and transports heat generated by the CPU, and a heat sink and fan that expel the heat transported by the heat pipe to the outside of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-117678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a strong demand for smaller and thinner electronic devices such as those mentioned above. Consequently, efforts are being made to make the heat sinks used in these devices smaller and thinner. Furthermore, it is desirable for the fin pitch of the heat sink to be minimized in consideration of heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, if electronic devices are used for many years or in harsh environments with a lot of dust, dust may gradually become clogged in the heat sink, increasing ventilation resistance. This can lead to a decline in the heat exchange performance of the heat sink, and a gradual decline in cooling performance in the cooling module.

[0005] The heat sink in Patent Document 1 has a notched opening formed in the center of one side of the heat sink in the upright direction of the fins, which reduces ventilation resistance and increases the fan's airflow. Furthermore, the opening also contributes to dust removal. However, openings are not formed on either end of the heat sink in the width direction. This is to prevent air from blowing through to either end of the heat sink. Therefore, the ends of a heat sink without openings are more susceptible to dust clogging than the center, raising concerns about reduced cooling performance.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems with the conventional technology, and has an object to provide a cooling module that can maintain cooling performance for a longer period of time, and an electronic device equipped with the cooling module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A cooling module according to a first aspect of the present invention is a cooling module to be mounted on an electronic device, comprising: a fan having an outlet; and a heat sink arranged facing the outlet, with a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along the width direction of the outlet, wherein the first plate-shaped portion has an opening capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the outlet, and an auxiliary opening provided between one end of the first plate-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction located at least downstream in the air flow direction of the fan and the opening, and capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the outlet, wherein the opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening.

[0008] An electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a housing, a heat generating element provided within the housing, and a cooling module provided within the housing for cooling the heat generating element, wherein the cooling module comprises a fan having an outlet, and a heat sink arranged facing the outlet, the heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along the width direction of the outlet, the first plate-shaped portion having an opening capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the outlet, and an auxiliary opening provided between one end of the first plate-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction that is located at least downstream in the air flow direction of the fan and the opening, the auxiliary opening being capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the outlet, the opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening being smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the cooling performance can be maintained for a longer period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the heat sink and the fan. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a heat sink. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the heat sink shown in FIG. 4A, seen from the opposite direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the heat sink. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is an exploded front view of the auxiliary opening and its surrounding area of ​​the heat sink. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a front view showing the state in which the fins shown in FIG. 7A are joined together. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a heat sink having a plate-shaped portion according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cooling module and an electronic device according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment, viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic device 10 is a clamshell notebook PC in which a display housing 12 and a housing 14 are connected by a hinge 16 so that they can rotate relative to each other. The electronic device according to the present invention may be, other than a notebook PC, for example, a desktop PC, a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a game console.

[0013] The display housing 12 is a thin, flat box. A display 18 is mounted on the display housing 12. The display 18 is configured, for example, with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal.

[0014] Below, the housing 14 and each element mounted thereon will be described assuming that the housings 12 and 14 are in an open state as shown in Figure 1, and the posture for viewing the display 18 is used as the reference, with the front side referred to as the front, the back side referred to as the rear, the width direction referred to as the left and right, and the height direction (thickness direction of the housing 14) referred to as the top and bottom.

[0015] The housing 14 is a thin, flat box. The housing 14 is composed of a cover member 14A that forms the top surface and four side surfaces, and a cover member 14B that forms the bottom surface. The upper cover member 14A has a roughly bathtub shape with an open bottom surface. The lower cover member 14B has a roughly flat plate shape and serves as a lid that closes the bottom opening of the cover member 14A. The cover members 14A and 14B are stacked in the thickness direction and detachably connected to each other. A keyboard 20 and a touchpad 21 are provided on the top surface of the housing 14. The rear end of the housing 14 is connected to the display housing 12 using a hinge 16.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic internal structure of the housing 14, and is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of the housing 14 taken at a point slightly below the keyboard 20. As shown in FIG.

[0017] 2, a cooling module 22, a motherboard 24, and a battery device 26 are provided inside the housing 14. Various electronic components, mechanical components, etc. are also provided inside the housing 14.

[0018] The motherboard 24 is the main board of the electronic device 10. The motherboard 24 is disposed toward the rear of the housing 14 and extends in the left-right direction. The motherboard 24 is a printed circuit board on which various electronic components such as the CPU 30, the GPU 31, power components, a communication module, memory, and connection terminals are mounted. The motherboard 24 is disposed below the keyboard 20 and is screwed to the rear surface of the keyboard 20 and the inner surface of the cover member 14A. The upper surface of the motherboard 24 is the mounting surface for the cover member 14A, and the lower surface is the mounting surface for the CPU 30 and the like.

[0019] The CPU 30 is disposed on the left side of the center of the mounting surface of the motherboard 24. The CPU 30 performs calculations related to the main control and processing of the electronic device 10. The GPU 31 is disposed next to the right side of the CPU 30 on the mounting surface of the motherboard 24. The GPU 31 performs calculations necessary for image rendering such as 3D graphics.

[0020] The battery device 26 is a rechargeable battery that serves as a power source for the electronic device 10. The battery device 26 is disposed in front of the motherboard 24, and extends left and right along the front end of the housing 14.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the cooling module 22 will be described.

[0022] The CPU 30 and GPU 31 are heat-generating elements with the largest heat output among all the electronic components mounted in the housing 14. Therefore, the cooling module 22 absorbs and diffuses the heat generated by the CPU 30 and GPU 31, and then discharges the heat to the outside of the housing 14. The cooling module 22 is stacked so as to cover, for example, a portion of the mounting surface of the motherboard 24.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling module 22 may include a vapor chamber 36, a heat pipe 38, a pair of left and right heat sinks 40 and 41, a pair of left and right fans 42 and 43, and a heat conduction plate 44.

[0024] The vapor chamber 36 is a plate-type heat transport device. The vapor chamber 36 has a sealed space formed between two thin metal plates, and a working fluid sealed in this sealed space. The metal plates are made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, copper, or stainless steel. The sealed space serves as a flow path through which the sealed working fluid flows while undergoing a phase change. Examples of the working fluid include water, alternative chlorofluorocarbons, acetone, and butane. A wick is disposed within the sealed space, which transports the condensed working fluid by capillary action. The wick is formed of a porous material, such as a mesh made of thin metal wires woven into a cotton-like shape or a fine flow path.

[0025] The vapor chamber 36 absorbs and dissipates heat from the CPU 30 and GPU 31, and can transfer this heat to a heat pipe 38 connected to its bottom surface. Reference numerals 30a and 31a in Fig. 2 denote heat receiving plates, such as copper plates, interposed between the top surface of the vapor chamber 36 and the top surfaces of the CPU 30 and GPU 31, respectively.

[0026] The heat pipe 38 is a pipe-type heat transport device. The heat pipe 38 is configured by flattening a metal pipe to form a thin, elliptical cross section, and sealing a working fluid in the sealed space formed inside the metal pipe. The materials and configurations of the metal pipe, sealed space, working fluid, and wick that constitute the heat pipe 38 may be the same as or similar to the materials and configurations of the metal plate, sealed space, working fluid, and wick that constitute the vapor chamber 36 described above.

[0027] The heat pipe 38 of this embodiment is curved forward near the center, is formed into a roughly U-shape in a plan view, and extends in the left-right direction. The center portion 38a of the heat pipe 38 is connected to the underside of the vapor chamber 36 at a position that overlaps the CPU 30 and GPU 31 in the vertical direction. One end 38b of the heat pipe 38 is connected to the underside of the heat sink 40, and the other end 38b is connected to the underside of the heat sink 41. Two or more heat pipes 38 may be used in parallel. When the cooling module 22 is equipped with only one set of heat sink and fan, it is preferable that one end of the heat pipe 28 is connected to the CPU 30 or GPU 31, and the other end is connected to the heat sink.

[0028] The heat conduction plate 44 is connected to the front edge of the vapor chamber 36 and protrudes forward. The heat conduction plate 44 is a thin plate made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as metal, such as aluminum or copper, or graphite.

[0029] Next, the configurations of the heat sinks 40 and 41 and the fans 42 and 43 will be described.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the left and right heat sinks 40, 41 may have a substantially symmetrical structure, although they may differ slightly in size, heat exchange area, etc. Similarly, the left and right fans 42, 43 may also have a substantially symmetrical structure. Therefore, the following mainly describes the right-side heat sink 41 and fan 43, and the left-side heat sink 40 and fan 42 are given the same reference numerals as those on the left side, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that the fans 42, 43 and heat sinks 40, 41 may be configured as a single unit rather than as a pair.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the heat sink 41 and the fan 43. Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the heat sink 41. Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the heat sink 41 shown in Fig. 4A when viewed from the opposite direction. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the heat sink 41. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 5.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 6, the fan 43 has a fan housing 43b with an outlet port 43a formed on one side. The fan 43 is disposed immediately in front of the heat sink 41, with the outlet port 43a, which opens rearward, facing the front surface of the heat sink 41. The fan 43 is a centrifugal fan that rotates an impeller 43c housed inside the fan housing 43b using a motor. The fan housing 43b can be composed of, for example, a cover plate 43d that forms the top and side surfaces, and a cover plate 43e that forms the bottom surface. Each of the cover plates 43d, 43e has an inlet port 43f. The inlet port 43f may be provided on only one of the cover plates 43d, 43e.

[0033] An air path 43g is formed inside fan housing 43b. Air path 43g is a flow path for air that runs from intake port 43f, around impeller 43c, to exhaust port 43a. The dashed-dotted arrows in Fig. 3 schematically indicate the flow of air, and this is also true in Fig. 6 and other figures.

[0034] In FIG. 3, air A is introduced through intake port 43f, flows through air path 43g formed around impeller 43c, and gradually compresses, increasing its wind speed, before reaching discharge port 43a. Discharge port 43a is wider than air path 43g. Therefore, the wind speed of air A discharged from discharge port 43a gradually decreases from wall portion 43b1 located upstream in the width direction (left-right direction) of discharge port 43a toward wall portion 43b2 located downstream. As shown schematically in FIG. 3, the air discharged from discharge port 43a has the highest wind speed for air A1 on the upstream side, followed by air A2 and air A3, and the lowest wind speed for air A4 on the downstream side. Note that the wind speed of air discharged from discharge port 43a of actual fan 43 cannot be digitally classified like air A1 to A4, but changes analogously. Therefore, it is possible that the wind speeds are reversed between the upstream and downstream sides within a small range. Taking this into consideration, in this embodiment, the wind speed of the air discharged from the discharge port 43a is exemplified as four stages of air A1 to A4.

[0035] 2 to 6, the heat sink 41 (40) has plate-shaped portions 46, 47, a plurality of fins 48 standing upright and aligned laterally between the plate-shaped portions 46, 47, an opening 52, and auxiliary openings 54. The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 and the fins 48 can be made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as copper, aluminum, or stainless steel.

[0036] The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 form the upper and lower surfaces of the heat sink 41 and are parallel to each other with a gap between them equal to the upright height of the fins 48. The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 are arranged parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the fan housing 43b, respectively. The upper plate-shaped portion (first plate-shaped portion) 46 is arranged substantially flush with the upper surface of the fan housing 43b and closes the upper openings of the gaps G between the fins 48. The lower plate-shaped portion (second plate-shaped portion) 47 is arranged substantially flush with the lower surface of the fan housing 43b and closes the lower openings of the gaps G between the fins 48. The end portion 38b of the heat pipe 38 is joined to the outer surface (lower surface) of the plate-shaped portion 47 by welding or the like.

[0037] 7A and 7B, the heat sink 41 of this embodiment has plate pieces 48a, 48b of each fin 48 aligned in the left-right direction to form plate-like portions 46, 47. Each of the plate-like portions 46, 47 may be formed from a single metal plate (see FIG. 8).

[0038] The fins 48 are formed of thin plates that extend vertically between the plate-shaped portions 46 and 47 and vertically. The fins 48 are arranged with gaps G between them along the width (left-right) of the heat sink 41, which corresponds to the width of the outlet 43a. As a result, the gaps G between adjacent fins 48 in the heat sink 41 form airflow paths through which air from the outlet 43a passes. The fin pitch (width of the gaps G) of the fins 48 may be, for example, 1 mm. As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 6, each fin 48 may have an inclined portion 48c in a portion that extends toward the outlet 43a beyond the edge 46a of the plate-shaped portion 46, the opening 52, and the auxiliary opening 54. The inclined portion 48c gradually slopes downward from the outlet side (rear side) of the heat sink 41 toward the outlet 43a (front side) and is inserted into the fan housing 43b.

[0039] 2 to 6, the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54 can be formed as concave openings formed by cutting out a part of the edge 46a facing the outlet 43a of the upper plate-like portion 46 in a direction away from the outlet 43a. In Fig. 5, the shape of the plate-like portion 46 is clearly indicated by a dot pattern.

[0040] First, the opening 52 can be formed in a range including the center in the width direction of the heat sink 41. The opening 52 forms a bypass path that allows a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port 43a to bypass and be discharged before it. The opening 52 can be provided in a central portion that avoids a predetermined range from the upstream end 41a and a predetermined range from the downstream end 41b, based on the width direction of the heat sink 41. In other words, the opening 52 in this embodiment is not provided on either end 41a, 41b of the heat sink 41.

[0041] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, each fin 48 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fin 48A") located near the upstream end 41a where no opening 52 is provided can be made longer in the air flow direction (front-to-back direction) than the fins 48 in other parts.

[0042] Next, the auxiliary opening 54 can be provided between the opening 52 and the end (one end) 41b located on the downstream side in the air flow direction of the fan 43. The opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening 54 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening 52.

[0043] First, the fact that the opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening 54 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening 52 simply means that the auxiliary opening 54 is smaller than the opening 52 in terms of the area ratio of the opening portions in a plan view. Here, the opening portions of the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54 in a plan view refer to the cutout area from the edge 46a located closest to the discharge port 43a to the edge 46a that forms the front edge of the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54. As shown in FIG. 5, the width dimension of the opening 52 in the width direction (left-right direction) of the heat sink 41 is referred to as width W1, and the width dimension of the auxiliary opening 54 is referred to as width W2. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, the fins 48 located at positions that vertically overlap the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54 have the same length in the front-rear direction. In this case, width W2 can be set to, for example, 10 to 30% of width W1. As described above, when the fin pitch is, for example, 1 mm, the width W1 of the opening 52 can be set to, for example, about 30 to 60 mm, and the width W2 of the auxiliary opening 54 can be set to, for example, about 3 mm to 20 mm.

[0044] Second, the fact that the opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening 54 is smaller than that of the opening 52 can also be interpreted as meaning that the opening area per unit width along the width direction of the heat sink 41 is smaller. In other words, the distance L (see FIG. 6 ) in the front-to-rear direction from the edge 46 a to the discharge port 43 a of the auxiliary opening 54 is shorter than that of the opening 52. In this embodiment, the width W2 of the auxiliary opening 54 is smaller than the width W1 of the opening 52, and the distance L is also smaller than that of the opening 52. This prevents excessive air from blowing through the auxiliary opening 54, as will be described later, and allows for smoother discharge of dust D.

[0045] The auxiliary opening 54 of this embodiment can be formed so that its opening area gradually decreases from the opening 52 toward the end 41b. That is, the distance L from the edge 46a of the auxiliary opening 54 to the discharge outlet 43a gradually decreases from the boundary with the opening 52 toward the end 41b. As a result, the edge 46a forming the front edge of the auxiliary opening 54 can be formed in a stepped or linear shape inclined with respect to the width direction. Therefore, the portion 46b of the plate-shaped portion 46 adjacent to the auxiliary opening 54 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view.

[0046] In the plate-shaped portion 46, a portion 46c located closer to the end 41a on the opposite side of the opening 52 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. An edge portion 46a adjacent to the end 41b of the portion 46b and an edge portion 46a of the portion 46c are aligned or generally aligned in the air flow direction (front-to-back direction) of the heat sink 41, and are adjacent to the discharge port 43a (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0047] As described above, the cooling module 22 of this embodiment includes a heat sink 41 arranged facing the outlet 43a of the fan 43, with multiple fins 48 arranged with gaps G between them between plate-like portions 46, 47 extending along the width direction of the outlet 43a of the fan 43. The plate-like portion 46 has an opening 52 through which a portion of the air discharged from the outlet 43a can be discharged. Furthermore, the plate-like portion 46 has an auxiliary opening 54 located between the opening 52 and at least the end 41b located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan 43 in its longitudinal direction (left-right direction). The auxiliary opening 54 can also discharge a portion of the air discharged from the outlet 43a. The opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening 54 of the heat sink 41 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening 52.

[0048] The cooling module 22 allows a portion of the air from the outlet 43a to bypass the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54. This allows the heat sink 41 to reduce the ventilation resistance of the air passing through the narrow gap G, and increases the air volume of the fan 43, thereby improving heat exchange performance.

[0049] The opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54 also function as outlets for discharging dust D that is sucked into the fan 43 together with the air and discharged from the discharge port 43a toward the heat sink 41 (see FIG. 6). Examples of the dust D include dust, dirt, fibers, and hair. As described above, the heat sink 41 has a small fin pitch of the fins 48, e.g., about 1 mm, which may cause clogging with dust D of a few millimeters. If the heat sink 41 becomes clogged with dust D, the amount of air passing through the heat sink 41 may decrease, leading to concerns about a decline in heat exchange performance. In this regard, the cooling module 22 can smoothly discharge the dust D discharged together with the air toward the heat sink 41 to the outside of the housing 12 through the opening 52 and the auxiliary opening 54, thereby maintaining heat exchange performance for a long period of time.

[0050] The auxiliary openings 54 are located at least between the end 41b of the heat sink 41 located downstream in the width direction and the openings 52. In other words, the auxiliary openings 54 are located in a position where the air A4 flows at the slowest speed in the width direction of the heat sink 41. Therefore, although the heat sink 41 has the auxiliary openings 54, the amount of air passing through the auxiliary openings 54 can be kept to a minimum. This prevents excessive air from escaping through the auxiliary openings 54, which could reduce overall heat exchange performance, while ensuring smooth discharge of dust D. In particular, the auxiliary openings 54 are located at least closer to the end 41b of the heat sink 41 located downstream in the width direction. Therefore, the dust D discharged to the rear surface of the heat sink 41 is pressed against the rear end surfaces of the fins 48, with some of the dust D gradually moving from upstream to downstream. As a result, the dust D is guided to the auxiliary openings 54 located downstream of the heat sink 41 and more efficiently discharged to the outside.

[0051] In particular, the heat sink 41 has the opening 52 in the central range in the width direction. Therefore, it is relatively difficult for dust D to escape from both ends 41a and 41b where the opening 52 is not provided. In this regard, the heat sink 41 of this embodiment has an auxiliary opening 54 at least on the end 41b side, which allows the dust D that collects on the end 41b side to be smoothly discharged.

[0052] The heat sink 41 is configured so that the opening area of ​​the auxiliary openings 54 is smaller than that of the openings 52. This prevents some of the air passing through the auxiliary openings 54 from blowing sideways in the width direction (toward the ends 41b) and returning to the intake port 43f. In particular, the opening portion of the auxiliary openings 54 closest to the ends 41b is blocked up to the vicinity of the discharge port 43a by the part of the portion 46b of the plate-shaped portion 46 closest to the ends 41b. This allows the auxiliary openings 54 to more reliably prevent the above-mentioned sideways air blowing.

[0053] In this way, the cooling module 22 can prevent the heat sink 41 from becoming clogged with dust D even when the electronic device 10 is used for many years or in a harsh environment with a lot of dust and dirt. As a result, the cooling module 22 can maintain the heat exchange performance of the heat sink 41 for a long period of time, and can maintain the cooling performance for an even longer period of time.

[0054] The auxiliary openings 54 can also be provided between the upstream end 41a and the opening 52. However, it is preferable not to provide the auxiliary openings 54 on the end 41a side. That is, considering only the efficiency of dust D removal, it is preferable to provide the auxiliary openings 54 on the end 41a side as well. However, air A1 with a high wind speed passes through the gaps G between the fins 48A on the end 41a side. Therefore, providing the auxiliary openings 54 on the end 41a side as well could significantly reduce the heat exchange performance of the entire heat sink 41. Therefore, in the heat sink 41 of this embodiment, to achieve both heat exchange performance and dust D removal efficiency, the auxiliary openings 54 are provided only on the downstream end 41b side. In this case, the upper surface of the heat sink 41 on the end 41a side is blocked by the portion 46c of the plate-shaped portion 46 up to the vicinity of the discharge port 43a. Therefore, the heat sink 41 can also prevent a part of the air A1 from blowing out to the side (toward the end 41a) in the width direction of the heat sink 41, further improving the heat exchange performance.

[0055] The auxiliary opening 54 can be configured so that the opening area gradually decreases from the opening 52 toward the end 41b. This allows the auxiliary opening 54 to more reliably prevent air from blowing sideways (toward the end 41b) as described above, while ensuring smooth discharge of the dust D. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, the auxiliary opening 54 is configured to widen the sides of the opening 52 in a skirt-like shape, thereby ensuring even smoother discharge of the dust D from the opening 52.

[0056] The fins 48 may have inclined portions 48c at least in the portions that vertically overlap the openings 52 and auxiliary openings 54. The inclined portions 48c are gradually inclined in the direction from the plate-like portions 46 to 47 in the longitudinal direction of the fins 48 from the air outlet side toward the air inlet side (discharge port 43a side). This ensures that the openings 52 and auxiliary openings 54 have an expanded space between them and the upper end surfaces of the fins 48 for the dust D to pass through, making the discharge of the dust D even smoother.

[0057] Here, an example of a method for manufacturing the heat sink 41 (40) of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7A is an exploded front view of the subopening 54 and its surrounding area of ​​the heat sink 41. Fig. 7B is a front view showing the fins 48 shown in Fig. 7A joined together.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 7A, and 7B, the heat sink 41 (40) can be configured by stacking and joining multiple fins 48, each having plate pieces 48a, 48b bent at the upper and lower ends in the rising direction. The plate piece 48a is a fin-shaped portion formed by bending one end (upper end) of the fin 48 in the rising direction. The plate piece 48b is a fin-shaped portion formed by bending the other end (lower end) of the fin 48 in the rising direction. Each plate piece 48a, 48b protrudes toward the adjacent fin 48. Each plate piece 48a, 48b protrudes in the same direction.

[0059] In this embodiment, each fin 48 has its plate pieces 48a arranged continuously to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the plate-like portion 46. Each fin 48 has its plate pieces 48b arranged continuously to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the plate-like portion 47.

[0060] A predetermined number of fins 48 that form the auxiliary openings 54 are prepared, each having a plate piece 48a that forms the plate-shaped portion 46 with a different length in the front-to-rear direction than the other fins 48. A predetermined number of fins 48 that form the openings 52 are prepared, each having a plate piece 48a that is shorter in the front-to-rear direction than the fins 48 that form the auxiliary openings 54. This allows the auxiliary openings 54 to be easily formed in the heat sink 41 simply by arranging and joining the fins 48. In other words, the auxiliary openings 54 can be efficiently manufactured by stacking fins 48 in which the lengths of adjacent plate pieces 48a in the air flow direction are different. The fin 48A only needs to be configured to have a longer length in the front-to-rear direction than the fins 48 that form the openings 52.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a heat sink 41 having a plate-shaped portion 46A according to a modified example. As shown in FIG. 8, the plate-shaped portion forming the upper surface of the heat sink 41 can be configured as the plate-shaped portion 46A formed from a single metal plate. The plate-shaped portion 46A formed from a single metal plate can have openings 52 and auxiliary openings 54 formed by cutting out predetermined notches in its edge 46a. In this case, the auxiliary opening 54 can be formed as an inclined end surface 46d that gradually slopes from the opening 52 toward the end 41b toward the discharge port 43a (front side). The plate-shaped portion 47 forming the lower surface can also be formed from a single metal plate similar to the plate-shaped portion 46A.

[0062] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10 Electronic equipment 14. Case 22 Cooling Module 30 CPU 31 GPU 38 Heat Pipe 40,41 Heat sink 41a,41b edge 42,43 Fan 43a Discharge port 43g air path 46, 46A, 47 Plate-shaped part 48,48A Fin 48c Inclined section 52 Opening 54 Auxiliary opening

Claims

1. A cooling module to be mounted on an electronic device, a fan having an outlet; a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along a width direction of the discharge port, the heat sink being disposed facing the discharge port; Equipped with The first plate-shaped portion is an opening capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port; an auxiliary opening provided between the opening and at least one end of the first plate-shaped portion located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan in the longitudinal direction of the first plate-shaped portion, the auxiliary opening being capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port; and The opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening. A cooling module characterized by:

2. 10. The cooling module of claim 1, The subopening has an opening area that gradually decreases from the opening toward the one end. A cooling module characterized by:

3. 3. The cooling module of claim 2, The fins are a first plate piece whose first end in the rising direction is bent and protrudes toward the adjacent fin; a second plate piece whose second end in the upright direction is bent and protrudes toward the adjacent fin; and The plurality of fins are configured such that the first plate pieces are arranged continuously with one another to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the first plate-like portion, and the second plate pieces are arranged continuously with one another to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the second plate-like portion, The auxiliary openings are configured such that the lengths of the first plate piece in the direction of air flow in the heat sink are different between adjacent fins. A cooling module characterized by:

4. The cooling module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The fin has an inclined portion that gradually inclines in a direction from the first plate-shaped portion toward the second plate-shaped portion toward the discharge port, at least in a portion that vertically overlaps the opening and the auxiliary opening. A cooling module characterized by:

5. The cooling module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Of both ends of the heat sink, the fins located closer to the other end located upstream in the air flow direction of the fan are longer in the air flow direction than the fins in other portions. A cooling module characterized by:

6. An electronic device, The housing and a heating element provided within the housing; a cooling module provided in the housing and configured to cool the heat generating element; Equipped with The cooling module comprises: a fan having an outlet; a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along a width direction of the discharge port, the heat sink being disposed facing the discharge port; and The first plate-shaped portion is an opening capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port; an auxiliary opening provided between the opening and at least one end of the first plate-shaped portion located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan in the longitudinal direction of the first plate-shaped portion, the auxiliary opening being capable of discharging a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port; and The opening area of ​​the auxiliary opening is smaller than the opening area of ​​the opening. An electronic device characterized by:

7. 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, The subopening has an opening area that gradually decreases from the opening toward the one end. An electronic device characterized by:

8. 8. The electronic device according to claim 6 or 7, Further, a heat pipe is provided to thermally connect the heat generating element and the heat sink, The heat pipe is connected to the second plate-shaped portion. An electronic device characterized by:

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