Cooling module and electronic device

Abstract

A cooling module capable of maintaining cooling performance for a longer period of time and an electronic device equipped with the cooling module are provided. [Solution] The cooling module is a cooling module to be mounted on an electronic device, and comprises a fan having an outlet, and a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them and arranged facing the outlet, the heat sink having a duct portion in which the fin pitch of the fins is larger than in other portions, and the duct portion is located at least toward the end located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan, of both ends in the width direction of the heat sink along the width direction of the outlet.

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 the like, and a heat sink and fan that exhaust the heat transported by the heat pipe to the outside of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-059833 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a strong demand for electronic devices such as those mentioned above to be made smaller and thinner. For this reason, efforts are being made to make the heat sinks mounted on these devices smaller and thinner as well. It is also desirable for the heat sink to have a minimum fin pitch in consideration of heat exchange efficiency. For this reason, if an electronic device is used for many years or in a harsh environment with a lot of dust, the heat sink may gradually become clogged with dust, increasing ventilation resistance. This may result in a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the heat sink in the cooling module, raising concerns that the cooling performance may gradually decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology described above, 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]

[0006] 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 having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them and arranged facing the outlet, wherein the heat sink has a duct portion in which the fin pitch of the fins is larger than in other portions, and the duct portion is provided at a position close to at least the end located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan, of both ends in the width direction of the heat sink along the width direction of the outlet.

[0007] 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, the cooling module comprising a fan having an outlet, and a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them and arranged facing the outlet, the heat sink having a duct portion in which the fin pitch of the fins is larger than in other portions, and the duct portion is provided at least toward the end located downstream in the direction of air flow in the fan, of both ends in the width direction of the heat sink along the width direction of the outlet. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the cooling performance can be maintained for a longer period of time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment viewed from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematic internal structure of the housing. [Diagram 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. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the heat sink and its surroundings. [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 a duct portion of a heat sink and its surroundings. [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 front view of a heat sink having a duct portion according to a first modified example and its surrounding area. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view of a heat sink having a duct portion according to a second modified example and its periphery. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of a heat sink having a duct portion according to a third modified example and its periphery. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view of a heat sink having a duct portion according to a fourth modified example and its periphery. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a front view of a heat sink having a duct portion according to a fifth modified example and its periphery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cooling module and an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment, seen from above. As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic device 10 is a clamshell-type notebook PC in which a display housing 12 and a housing 14 are connected by a hinge 16 so as to be relatively rotatable. The electronic device according to the present invention may be, for example, a desktop PC, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a game machine, or the like, other than a notebook PC.

[0012] The display housing 12 is a thin, flat box. A display 18 is mounted on the display housing 12. The display 18 is configured with, for example, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal.

[0013] In the following, the housing 14 and each element mounted thereon will be described assuming that the housings 12, 14 are in an open state as shown in FIG. 1, and the posture for viewing the display 18 is used as the reference, with the front side being referred to as the front, the back side being referred to as the rear, the width direction being the left and right, and the height direction (thickness direction of the housing 14) being referred to as the top and bottom.

[0014] The housing 14 is a thin, flat box. The housing 14 is composed of a cover member 14A forming the upper surface and the four side surfaces, and a cover member 14B forming the lower surface. The upper cover member 14A has a substantially bathtub shape with an opening at the bottom. The lower cover member 14B has a substantially flat plate shape and serves as a lid that closes the opening at the bottom 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 touch pad 21 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 14. The rear end of the housing 14 is connected to the display housing 12 using a hinge 16.

[0015] 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 cut slightly below the keyboard 20. As shown in FIG.

[0016] 2, a cooling module 22, a motherboard 24, and a battery device 26 are provided inside the housing 14. Various electronic components, mechanical components, and the like are also provided inside the housing 14.

[0017] The motherboard 24 is a 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 a power component, a communication module, a memory, and a connection terminal are mounted in addition to the CPU 30 and the GPU 31. The motherboard 24 is disposed under 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.

[0018] 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 of the CPU 30 on the mounting surface of the motherboard 24. The GPU 31 performs calculations necessary for image depiction such as 3D graphics.

[0019] 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.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the cooling module 22 will be described.

[0021] The CPU 30 and the GPU 31 are heat generating elements that generate the largest amount of heat among the electronic components mounted in the housing 14. Therefore, the cooling module 22 absorbs and diffuses the heat generated by the CPU 30 and the GPU 31, and further discharges it to the outside of the housing 14. The cooling module 22 is stacked so as to cover, for example, a part of the mounting surface of the motherboard 24.

[0022] 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, 41, a pair of left and right fans 42, 43, and a thermally conductive plate 44.

[0023] The vapor chamber 36 is a plate-type heat transport device. The vapor chamber 36 is formed by forming a sealed space between two thin metal plates and sealing the working fluid in the sealed space. The metal plates are made of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, copper, or stainless steel. The sealed space becomes a flow path through which the sealed working fluid flows while undergoing a phase change. Examples of the working fluid include water, alternative fluorocarbons, acetone, and butane. A wick that transports the condensed working fluid by capillary action is disposed in the sealed space. The wick is formed of a porous body such as a mesh made of thin metal wires woven into a cotton-like shape or a fine flow path.

[0024] The vapor chamber 36 absorbs and dissipates heat from the CPU 30 and the GPU 31, and can transfer the heat to a heat pipe 38 connected to the bottom surface. Reference symbols 30a and 31a in Fig. 2 denote heat receiving plates, for example copper plates, that are interposed between the top surface of the vapor chamber 36 and the top surfaces of the CPU 30 and the GPU 31, respectively.

[0025] The heat pipe 38 is a pipe-type heat transport device. The heat pipe 38 is configured by crushing a metal pipe thin and flat to form an elliptical cross section, and sealing a working fluid in a sealed space formed in 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.

[0026] The heat pipe 38 of this embodiment is curved forward near the center, is formed in a substantially 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 lower surface of the vapor chamber 36 at a position where it overlaps with the CPU 30 and the GPU 31 in the vertical direction. One end 38b of the heat pipe 38 is connected to the lower surface of the heat sink 40, and the other end 38b is connected to the lower surface 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 a heat sink and a fan, it is preferable that one end of the heat pipe 28 is connected to the CPU 30 or the GPU 31, and the other end is connected to the heat sink.

[0027] The heat conductive plate 44 is connected to the front edge of the vapor chamber 36 and protrudes forward. The heat conductive plate 44 is a thin plate made of a material having high thermal conductivity, such as a metal such as aluminum or copper, or graphite.

[0028] Next, the configurations of the heat sinks 40 and 41 and the fans 42 and 43 will be described.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, the left and right heat sinks 40, 41 may have a substantially symmetrical structure, although the sizes and heat exchange areas are somewhat different. Similarly, the left and right fans 42, 43 may also have a substantially symmetrical structure. Therefore, hereinafter, the right heat sink 41 and fan 43 will be mainly described, and the left heat sink 40 and fan 42 will be given the same reference numerals as those on the left side, and detailed description will be omitted. Note that the fans 42, 43 and heat sinks 40, 41 may be configured as only one, rather than as a pair on the left and right.

[0030] 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, seen from the opposite direction. Fig. 5 is a front view of the heat sink 41 and its periphery. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 5.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 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, and the outlet port 43a, which opens rearward, faces 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 by a motor. The fan housing 43b can be composed of, for example, a cover plate 43d forming the upper surface and the side surface, and a cover plate 43e forming the lower surface. An inlet port 43f is opened in each of the cover plates 43d, 43e. The inlet port 43f may be provided in only one of the cover plates 43d, 43e.

[0032] An air path 43g is formed inside the fan housing 43b. The air path 43g is a flow path for air that runs from the intake port 43f through the periphery of the impeller 43c to the exhaust port 43a. The dashed arrows in Fig. 3 show the air flow diagrammatically, and the same is true in Fig. 6 and other figures.

[0033] Air A in FIG. 3 indicates the flow of air that is introduced from the inlet 43f, and gradually compressed while flowing through the air path 43g formed around the impeller 43c, and reaches the outlet 43a while increasing in wind speed. The outlet 43a is wider than the air path 43g. For this reason, the wind speed of the air A discharged from the outlet 43a gradually decreases from the wall 43b1 located on the upstream side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the outlet 43a toward the wall 43b2 located on the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 3, the air discharged from the outlet 43a has the highest wind speed in the upstream air A1, followed by the air A2 and the air A3, and the air A4 on the downstream side has the lowest wind speed. Note that the wind speed of the air discharged from the outlet 43a of the actual fan 43 is not digitally categorized like the air A1 to A4, but changes analogically, and it is naturally possible that the wind speed is reversed between the upstream side and the downstream side when viewed in a small range. Taking this into consideration, in this embodiment, the wind speed of the air discharged from the discharge port 43a is illustrated as four stages of air A1 to A4.

[0034] 2 to 6, the heat sink 41 (40) has plate-shaped portions 46, 47, a plurality of fins 48 standing vertically between the plate-shaped portions 46, 47 and aligned horizontally, and a duct portion 50. The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 and the fins 48 can be formed of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as copper, aluminum, or stainless steel.

[0035] The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 are portions that form the upper and lower surfaces of the heat sink 41, and are parallel to each other with a gap between them that is equal to the height of the fins 48. The plate-shaped portions 46, 47 are disposed parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the fan housing 43b, respectively. The upper plate-shaped portion (first plate-shaped portion) 46 is disposed 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 disposed 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.

[0036] 7A and 7B, the heat sink 41 of this embodiment has plate pieces 48a, 48b of each fin 48 arranged in the left-right direction to form plate-shaped portions 46, 47. Each of the plate-shaped portions 46, 47 may be formed from a single metal plate.

[0037] The fins 48 are formed of thin plates that stand up in the vertical direction between the plate-shaped parts 46 and 47 and extend in the front-rear direction. The fins 48 are arranged with gaps G between them along the width direction (left-right direction) of the heat sink 41 along the width direction of the discharge port 43a. As a result, the gaps G between the adjacent fins 48 in the heat sink 41 become air passages through which air from the discharge port 43a passes. The fin pitch (width of the gap G) of each fin 48 can be, for example, 1 mm. As shown in Figures 4A, 4B, and 6, each fin 48 can also be provided with an inclined portion 48c in a portion that protrudes toward the discharge port 43a from the edge portion 46a of the plate-shaped part 46 and the opening 52. The inclined portion 48c is gradually inclined downward from the outlet side (rear side) of the heat sink 41 toward the discharge port 43a side (front side), and is inserted into the fan housing 43b. Each fin 48 may be formed in a rectangular shape in a side view without having such an inclined portion 48c.

[0038] The duct portion 50 is a path for discharging dust D that is sucked into the fan 43 together with air and discharged from the outlet 43a toward the heat sink 41. Examples of the dust D include dust, dirt, fibers, and hair. The duct portion 50 is an air flow path formed in a duct shape by configuring the fin pitch of the fins 48 to be larger than other parts. The duct portion 50 has a width larger than the gap G. As shown in FIG. 5, the dimension in the width direction of the heat sink 41 is referred to as width W, and the dimension in the width direction of the duct portion 50 is referred to as width W1. Then, the width W1 can be set to, for example, about 10 to 20% of the width W. As described above, when the fin pitch is, for example, 1 mm, the width W1 of the duct portion 50 can be set to, for example, about 5 mm to 15 mm.

[0039] The duct section 50 is provided at a position close to the end 41b located downstream (wall section 43b2 side) in the air flow direction in the fan housing 43b, among the ends 41a, 41b on both sides in the width direction of the heat sink 41. The duct section 50 is formed, for example, between the fin 48 at the right end forming the end 41b and the adjacent fin 48 facing it across a width W1. In the duct section 50, the upper and lower openings between the fins 48, 48 arranged at a pitch of width W1 are closed by the plate-shaped sections 46, 47. As a result, the duct section 50 is formed into a square cylindrical air flow path extending in the front-rear direction.

[0040] The duct section 50 can also be provided at a position closer to the end 41a located on the upstream side (wall section 43b1 side) in the air flow direction inside the fan housing 43b, among both ends 41a, 41b in the width direction of the heat sink 41. Note that the heat sink 41 of this embodiment does not have a duct section 50 provided at a position closer to the upstream end 41a.

[0041] The heat sink 41 may have an opening 52 in the plate-shaped portion 46 forming the upper surface. The opening 52 may be formed as a concave opening formed by cutting out a part of the edge portion 46a of the plate-shaped portion 46 facing the discharge port 43a in a direction away from the discharge port 43a. The opening 52 may 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 part of the air discharged from the discharge port 43a to be bypassed in front of the opening and discharged. The opening 52 may be provided in a central position avoiding a predetermined range from the upstream end 41a and a predetermined range from the downstream end 41b. That is, the opening 52 in this embodiment is not provided on both ends 41a, 41b of the heat sink 41. Therefore, the opening 52 is not provided in the duct portion 50 either.

[0042] 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.

[0043] As described above, the cooling module 22 of this embodiment includes a heat sink 41 having a plurality of fins 48 arranged with gaps between them and disposed facing the discharge port 43a of the fan 43. The heat sink 41 has a duct portion 50 in which the fin pitch of the fins 48 is greater than in other portions. The duct portion 50 is provided at a position close to at least the end 41b located downstream in the air flow direction of the fan 43, out of both ends 41a, 41b in the width direction of the heat sink 41 along the width direction of the discharge port 43a.

[0044] The cooling module 22 can smoothly discharge the dust D, which is sucked in by the fan 43 and discharged from the discharge port 43a toward the heat sink 41 together with the air, to the outside of the housing 12 through the duct portion 50. That is, the heat sink 41 has the duct portion 50 with an expanded fin pitch only in a part thereof. Therefore, the heat sink 41 can secure a sufficient heat exchange area with the air from the discharge port 43a by each fin 48 other than the duct portion 50. On the other hand, the fins 48 other than the duct portion 50 have a small fin pitch of, for example, about 1 mm, and there is a risk of being clogged with dust D of, for example, about several mm. If the dust D clogs the heat sink 41, the amount of air passing through it decreases, and there is a concern that the heat exchange performance will decrease. In this regard, the heat sink 41 can smoothly discharge the dust D by the duct portion 50 with an expanded fin pitch.

[0045] In particular, the duct portion 50 is located at least toward the end 41b located downstream in the width direction of the heat sink 41. In other words, the duct portion 50 is located at a position where the air A4 flows at the slowest speed in the width direction of the heat sink 41. Therefore, although the surface area of ​​the fins 48 of the heat sink 41 is reduced by the duct portion 50, the influence on the overall heat exchange performance can be minimized. Moreover, the dust D discharged to the rear surface of the heat sink 41 is pressed against the rear end surfaces of the fins 48, and some of the dust D gradually moves from the upstream side to the downstream side. As a result, the dust D is led to the duct portion 50 located downstream of the heat sink 41 and is more efficiently discharged to the outside.

[0046] Therefore, the cooling module 22 can suppress clogging of the heat sink 41 with dust D even when the electronic device 10 is used for many years or in a harsh environment with a lot of dust, etc. 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.

[0047] As described above, the duct portion 50 can be provided at a position closer to the end 41a located on the upstream side in the width direction of the heat sink 41. However, it is preferable not to provide the duct portion 50 at the end 41a side. That is, when only the discharge efficiency of the dust D is considered, it is preferable to provide the duct portion 50 at the end 41a side as well. However, the air A1 with a high wind speed passes through the gap G between the fins 48A at the end 41a side. For this reason, if the duct portion 50 is provided at the end 41a side as well, there is a concern that the heat exchange performance of the entire heat sink 41 will be significantly reduced. Therefore, in the heat sink 41 of this embodiment, in order to achieve both heat exchange performance and discharge efficiency of the dust D, the duct portion 50 is provided only at the downstream end 41b side.

[0048] Therefore, it is preferable that the fins 48A are longer in the air flow direction than the other fins 48. This allows the heat sink 41 to secure a larger heat exchange area between the fins 48A and the air A1 having a high wind speed among the air discharged from the discharge port 43a, and further improves the heat exchange efficiency.

[0049] The heat sink 41 has a configuration in which a plurality of fins 48 are arranged and stand between plate-shaped portions 46, 47 extending along the width direction of the heat sink 41. The plate-shaped portion 46 can have an opening 52 formed by cutting out a part of the edge portion 46a facing the discharge port 43a. The opening 52 can bypass and discharge a part of the air discharged from the discharge port 43a. This allows a part of the air to pass through the opening 52 (see air A5 in FIG. 6), thereby reducing the ventilation resistance of the heat sink 41 and improving the heat exchange performance. The opening 52 can also discharge a part of the dust D from the discharge port 43a (see FIG. 6).

[0050] The openings 52 are not provided on both ends 41a, 41b of the heat sink 41. This makes it possible to prevent the air A5 passing through the openings 52 from being discharged left and right from both ends 41a, 41b in the width direction of the heat sink 41. As a result, the heat sink 41 can avoid a situation in which the amount of air flowing through the gaps G between the fins 48 is excessively reduced by the openings 52, which would in turn reduce the heat exchange performance.

[0051] Incidentally, the heat sink 41 has such an opening 52 in the central range in the width direction. On the other hand, there is a problem that dust D is difficult to remove from both ends 41a, 41b where the opening 52 is not provided. In addition, since both ends 41a, 41b are located along the wall portions 43b1, 43b2 of the fan housing 43b, dust D is more likely to accumulate there. In this regard, the heat sink 41 has a duct portion 50 at least at the end 41b. Therefore, the heat sink 41 can achieve a high dust D discharge effect even on the sides of the opening 52.

[0052] Here, an example of a manufacturing method of the heat sink 41 (40) of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7A is an exploded front view of the duct portion 50 and its surroundings of the heat sink 41. Fig. 7B is a front view showing a state in which the fins 48 shown in Fig. 7A are joined together.

[0053] As shown in Figures 4A, 4B, 7A and 7B, the heat sink 41 (40) can be constructed by stacking a plurality of fins 48, each having plate pieces 48a, 48b bent at the upper and lower ends in the standing direction, and joining them together. The plate piece 48a is a fin-shaped portion formed by bending one end (upper end) of the fin 48 in the standing direction. The plate piece 48b is a fin-shaped portion formed by bending the other end (lower end) of the fin 48 in the standing direction. Each of the plate pieces 48a, 48b protrudes toward the adjacent fin 48. Each of the plate pieces 48a, 48b protrudes in the same direction.

[0054] In the present embodiment, each fin 48 has its plate pieces 48a arranged in succession to one another to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the plate-like portion 46. Each fin 48 has its plate pieces 48b arranged in succession to one another to form a plate shape, thereby constituting the plate-like portion 47.

[0055] The fin 48 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fin 48B") constituting the duct portion 50 is configured so that the protruding length of the plate pieces 48a, 48b is greater than those of the other fins 48. This allows the heat sink 41 to easily form the duct portion 50 simply by arranging and joining the fin 48 and the fin 48B. It is only necessary that the length of the fin 48A in the front-rear direction is longer than those of the other fins 48.

[0056] The configuration of the duct portion is not limited to the above. Fig. 8 is a front view of heat sink 41 having duct portion 50A according to a first modified example and its surrounding area.

[0057] The duct portion 50 described above is formed between two fins 48, 48. In contrast, the heat sink 41 (40) shown in FIG. 8 has two or more fins 48 (hereinafter, also referred to as "fins 48C") arranged with a larger fin pitch than other portions, and the gaps between the fins 48C are each configured as a duct portion 50A. The fin pitch of the fin 48C is, for example, twice or more the fin pitch of the other fins 48. This allows the duct portion 50A to have a larger heat exchange area than the duct portion 50 while facilitating the discharge of dust D of a certain size.

[0058] FIG. 9 is a front view of a heat sink 41 having a duct portion 50B according to a second modification and its surrounding area.

[0059] The duct portion 50 described above is formed over the entire height of the fins 48 in the rising direction. In contrast, the duct portion 50B of the heat sink 41 (40) shown in FIG. 9 is formed in approximately half of the lower side of the entire height of the fins 48 in the rising direction. For this reason, fins 48 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fins 48D") that are configured to be lower than the other parts are arranged in parallel on the duct portion 50B in the same manner as the other parts. The lower openings of the gaps G between the fins 48D are closed by plate-shaped portions 54 that have a step with the plate-shaped portions 47 of the other parts. As a result, the duct portion 50B can increase the heat exchange area compared to the duct portion 50 while allowing the discharge of dust D that is large in the width direction.

[0060] As shown in a duct portion 50C according to a third modified example shown in Fig. 10, the duct portion 50B may be configured to omit the plate-shaped portion 54 that forms the upper surface thereof. In the duct portion 50C shown in Fig. 10, the lower openings of the gaps G between the fins 48D are open. This improves the discharge efficiency of dust D in the duct portion 50C compared to the duct portion 50B.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a front view of a heat sink 41 having a duct portion 50D according to a fourth modification and its periphery.

[0062] The duct section 50D shown in FIG. 11 has a configuration that is upside down from the duct section 50B shown in FIG. 9. That is, the duct section 50D of the heat sink 41 (40) shown in FIG. 11 is formed in approximately half of the lower side of the total height in the rising direction of the fins 48. For this reason, fins 48 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fins 48E") that are configured to be lower than the other parts are arranged in parallel on the duct section 50D like the other parts. The upper opening of the gap G between each fin 48E is closed by a plate-shaped portion 55 that has a step with the plate-shaped portion 46 of the other parts. This allows the duct section 50D to also allow the discharge of dust D that is large in the width direction, while increasing the heat exchange area compared to the duct section 50.

[0063] As shown in a duct portion 50E according to a fifth modified example shown in Fig. 12, the duct portion 50D may be configured to omit the plate-shaped portion 55 that forms the lower surface thereof. In the duct portion 50E shown in Fig. 12, the upper openings of the gaps G between the fins 48E are open. This allows the duct portion 50E to have a higher efficiency in discharging dust D than the duct portion 50D.

[0064] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can of course be freely modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 Electronic equipment 14. Chassis 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, 47, 54, 55 Plate-shaped part 48(48A~48E) Fins 50,50A~50E Duct section, 52 Opening

Claims

1. A cooling module mounted on an electronic device, A fan having an outlet; a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them and disposed facing the discharge port; Equipped with the heat sink has a duct portion in which the fin pitch of the fins is larger than that of other portions, the duct portion is provided at a position close to at least one end located downstream in a direction of air flow in the fan, among both ends in a width direction of the heat sink along a width direction of the outlet port, The heat sink has a configuration in which the plurality of fins are arranged and stand between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along a width direction of the heat sink, the first plate-shaped portion has an opening through which a portion of the air discharged from the discharge port can be discharged, The openings are not provided on either end of the heat sink. A cooling module comprising:

2. 2. The cooling module of claim 1, The duct portion is not provided at one end of the heat sink that is located upstream in the air flow direction of the fan. A cooling module comprising:

3. 3. The cooling module of claim 2, The fins located near the upstream end where the duct portion is not provided are longer in the air flow direction than the fins in other portions. A cooling module comprising:

4. 2. The cooling module of claim 1, The duct portion is provided at a position close to one end side or the other end side in the standing direction of the fin. A cooling module comprising:

5. An electronic device, A 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 includes: A fan having an outlet; a heat sink having a plurality of fins arranged with gaps between them and disposed facing the discharge port; Equipped with the heat sink has a duct portion in which the fin pitch of the fins is larger than that of other portions, the duct portion is provided at a position close to at least one end located downstream in a direction of air flow in the fan, among both ends in a width direction of the heat sink along a width direction of the outlet port, The heat sink has a configuration in which the plurality of fins are arranged and stand between a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion extending along a width direction of the heat sink, the first plate-shaped portion has an opening formed by cutting out a part of an edge portion facing the discharge port, thereby having an opening through which a part of the air discharged from the discharge port can be discharged; The openings are not provided on either end of the heat sink.

1. An electronic device comprising:

6. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5, The duct portion is not provided at one end of the heat sink that is located upstream in the air flow direction of the fan.

1. An electronic device comprising:

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