electronic machinery

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device that increases the airflow of a fan while simultaneously suppressing the surface temperature of the keyboard device. [Solution] The electronic device 10 comprises a housing 12 having ventilation holes, a keyboard device provided facing the surface of the housing and having communication holes for circulating air in the thickness direction, a substrate on which a heat-generating element is mounted and facing the bottom surface of the keyboard device within the housing, and a fan 30 provided on a side of the substrate within the housing, having an intake port 44 and an exhaust port 42 provided on a different side from the intake port and capable of discharging air toward the surface of the substrate. It also comprises an air inflow channel that circulates air introduced into the housing through the communication holes to the intake port, an air exhaust channel 60 that circulates air discharged from the exhaust port through the surface of the substrate to the ventilation holes, and a first airtight material 56a provided so as to stand between the bottom surface of the keyboard device and the surface of the substrate facing the bottom surface, separating the air inflow channel and the air exhaust channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device provided with a keyboard device.

Background Art

[0002] An electronic device such as a notebook PC mounts a heat generating component such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Such an electronic device mounts a fan for cooling the heat generating component. The applicant has proposed a configuration including a communication hole penetrating the keyboard device in the thickness direction with respect to the cooling structure of such an electronic device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, the applicant has proposed a configuration including an outlet on the side surface of the fan facing the substrate and enabling the air discharged from the fan to directly flow on the surface of the substrate with respect to the cooling structure of the electronic device as described above (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, due to space constraints within the enclosure, configurations with only one fan (single fan) or configurations with two fans (dual fan) that use small fans may be adopted. In this case, even if the airflow of the fan is increased through the communication holes of the keyboard device, as in the configuration of Patent Document 1, there is a limit to how much the cooling efficiency of the heat-generating element can be improved. As a result, there is a concern that the heat from the heat-generating element will be transferred to the keyboard device via the circuit board, causing its surface temperature to rise. This rise in surface temperature may cause discomfort to the user. Furthermore, even if air is discharged from the fan to the surface of the circuit board, as in the configuration of Patent Document 2, it has been found that the discharged air may not spread over a wide area on the surface of the circuit board, but may be expelled outside the enclosure through the nearest vent. In this case, there is a concern that the heat from the heat-generating element will be transferred to the keyboard device via the circuit board, causing their surface temperatures to rise.

[0006] This invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide an electronic device that can increase the airflow of a fan while suppressing the surface temperature of a keyboard device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a housing having a ventilation opening, a keyboard device provided facing the surface of the housing and having a communication hole for circulating air in the thickness direction, a substrate on which a heating element is mounted and facing the bottom surface of the keyboard device within the housing, a fan provided on a surface different from the intake opening and capable of discharging air toward the surface of the substrate, and positioned to the side of the substrate within the housing, wherein the communication opening is provided to open at least on the bottom surface of the keyboard device facing the surface of the substrate, and further comprises an air inflow channel for circulating air introduced into the housing through the communication opening to the intake opening, an air exhaust channel for circulating air discharged from the exhaust opening through the surface of the substrate to the ventilation opening, and a first airtight material provided to stand upright between the bottom surface of the keyboard device and the surface of the substrate facing the bottom surface, and partitioning the air inflow channel and the air exhaust channel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to increase the airflow of the fan while suppressing the surface temperature of the keyboard device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to one embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing the internal structure of the enclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic bottom view showing the internal structure of the enclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the enclosure along the line IV-IV in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment, viewed from above. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 10 in this embodiment is a clamshell-type notebook PC. The electronic device 10 has a configuration in which a lid 11 and a housing 12 are connected by a hinge 14 so that they can rotate relative to each other. In this embodiment, a notebook PC electronic device 10 is used as an example, but the electronic device may be something other than a notebook PC, such as a tablet PC, smartphone, or portable game console.

[0012] The lid 11 is a thin, flat, box-shaped enclosure. The lid 11 houses a display 16. The display 16 can be made of, for example, an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display.

[0013] The enclosure 12 is a thin, flat box. The keyboard device 18 and touchpad 19 face the top surface (surface 12a) of the enclosure 12. Hereinafter, the enclosure 12 and each component mounted thereon will be described using the operator's posture when operating the keyboard device 18 as the reference point, with the width direction (left and right) of the enclosure 12 being referred to as the X1 and X2 directions, the depth direction (front and back) of the enclosure 12 being referred to as the Y1 and Y2 directions, and the thickness direction (up and down) of the enclosure 12 being referred to as the Z1 and Z2 directions. The X1 and X2 directions may also be collectively referred to as the X direction, and similarly, the Y1 and Y2 directions and the Z1 and Z2 directions may be referred to as the Y direction and Z direction. These directions are defined for the convenience of explanation and may naturally change depending on the usage state or installation posture of the electronic device 10.

[0014] The housing 12 may consist of a housing member 20 that forms the top surface and the four circumferential sides, and a lower cover material 21 that forms the bottom surface. The housing member 20 may have vertical walls 20B that form the outer walls on the four circumferential edges of the upper cover material 20A that forms the surface 12a of the housing 12. In this case, the housing member 20 has a roughly bathtub shape with an open bottom. The lower cover material 21 has a roughly flat shape and serves as a lid that closes the bottom opening of the housing member 20. The housing member 20 and the lower cover material 21 are overlapped in the thickness direction and detachably connected to each other. The vertical walls 20B may be formed on the lower cover material 21. In this case, the housing member 20 may consist only of the upper cover material 20A.

[0015] The hinge 14 is installed in a concave hinge arrangement groove 12b formed on the rear edge of the housing 12, connecting the housing 12 and the lid 11. The hinge 14 has a structure in which, for example, a hinge shaft that serves as the axis of rotation is supported at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the hinge housing 14a. In this embodiment, the hinge 14 may be configured in a so-called single-bar shape in which the hinge housing 14a extends along the longitudinal direction of the hinge arrangement groove 12b.

[0016] The keyboard device 18 has a configuration in which, for example, a plurality of keys 18a are supported on the upper surface of a plate-shaped member 18b so as to be able to move up and down. Each key 18a has a configuration in which the keycap is supported so as to be able to move up and down by a guide mechanism, for example, a scissor structure, and a dome-shaped rubber dome made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber. The plate-shaped member 18b is made by laminating a sheet metal member that serves as a base for supporting each key 18a and a membrane sheet that serves as a switch for detecting the pressing operation of each key 18a. The membrane sheet is laminated on the upper surface of the sheet metal member, for example. The plate-shaped member 18b may further have a waterproof sheet or a sheet-shaped light-emitting module laminated on the lower surface of the sheet metal member. The area around each key 18a may be separated by an isolation frame 18c that forms part of the surface 12a of the housing 12. The isolation frame 18c may be formed in a mesh-like manner on part of the upper cover material 20A. The isolation frame 18c may be a separate structure from the upper cover material 20A and supported by the plate-shaped member 18b. The bottom surface 18d of the plate-shaped member 18b faces the surface (first surface 25A) of the substrate 25 inside the housing 12 (see Figure 4).

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing the internal structure of the enclosure 12. Figure 3 is a schematic bottom view showing the internal structure of the enclosure 12. Figure 2 is a view of the inside of the enclosure 12 from above (Z1 side), with the lid 11, hinge 14, keyboard device 18, and upper cover material 20A omitted. Figure 3 is a view of the inside of the enclosure 12 from below (Z2 side), with the lower cover material 21 removed.

[0018] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the housing 12 contains the thermal module 24, the circuit board 25, and the battery device 26. Various other electronic and mechanical components are also provided inside the housing 12.

[0019] The circuit board 25 is a circuit board that serves as the motherboard for the electronic device 10. The circuit board 25 is located near the Y2 side of the enclosure 12 and extends in the X direction. The battery device 26 is a rechargeable battery that powers the electronic device 10. The battery device 26 is located near the Y1 side of the circuit board 25 and extends in the X direction.

[0020] The substrate 25 mounts the CPU 25a. The CPU 25a is a processing device that performs operations related to the main control and processing of the electronic device 10. Around the CPU 25a, a DC-DC converter 25b and a memory or the like may be mounted. The DC-DC converter 25b is a power supply device that converts the DC voltage from the battery device 26 into a predetermined DC voltage. Various electronic components such as a communication module can be mounted on the substrate 25.

[0021] The substrate 25 can use the upper surface on the Z1 side (the first surface 25A) as the mounting surface for the housing member 20. The first surface 25A may be screwed, for example, to the inner surface (the surface on the Z2 side) of the upper cover member 20A or the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18 via a cylindrical member (boss). The substrate 25 can use the lower surface on the Z2 side (the second surface 25B) as the mounting surface for the CPU 25a, the DC-DC converter 25b, the memory, etc. Electronic components such as the CPU 25a may be mounted on the first surface 25A. The substrate 25 may use the second surface 25B as the mounting surface for the housing member 20.

[0022] The CPU 25a is a heat-generating body with the largest heat generation amount among the electronic components mounted in the housing 12. The thermal module 24 can absorb and diffuse the heat generated by the CPU 25a and discharge it outside the housing 12. The thermal module 24 can also cool other mounted components, such as the DC-DC converter 25b, which is the second-largest heat-generating body after the CPU 25a, and the memory.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the thermal module 24 of this embodiment may include a heat pipe 28, a heat sink 29, and a fan 30.

[0024] The heat pipe 28 is a pipe-shaped heat transport member. The heat pipe 28 is formed by flattening a metal pipe to create an elliptical cross-section, and sealing a working fluid in the sealed space inside. Examples of working fluids include water, alternative refrigerants, acetone, or butane. One end (heat receiving part) of the heat pipe 28 is connected to the CPU 25a, and the other end (heat dissipation part) is connected to the heat sink 29. The heat receiving part of the heat pipe 28 may be connected to the CPU 25a via, for example, a copper heat receiving plate 32. The heat receiving plate 32 may be pressed against the top surface of the CPU 25a using a leaf spring member 33. The heat pipe 28 can efficiently transport the heat generated by the CPU 25a to the heat sink 29. The heat transport member may be other than the heat pipe 28. For example, a plate-type vapor chamber may be used as the heat transport member.

[0025] The heatsink 29 is provided facing the inner wall surface of a vertical wall 20B that extends in the X direction on the Y2 side of the housing 12, and extends in the X direction. Hereafter, this vertical wall 20B on the Y2 side may also be referred to as the "rear wall 20B". The heatsink 29 is positioned facing the discharge port 42 of the fan 30. The heatsink 29 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or copper. The heatsink 29 has a structure in which multiple fins made of thin metal plates are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. Each fin stands upright in the Z direction and extends in the Y direction. A gap is formed between adjacent fins through which air discharged from the fan 30 passes.

[0026] The fan 30 is positioned, for example, close to the Y1 side of the heatsink 29 and close to the side (X2 side) of the substrate 25. The placement of the fan 30 may be changed as appropriate. The positional relationship between the fan 30, the heatsink 29 and the substrate 25 may also be changed as appropriate. Note that when we say that the fan 30 is positioned on the side of the substrate 25, we mean that the side of the fan 30 is positioned opposite the end face of the substrate 25. For example, a cutout hole may be formed in a part of the substrate 25 and the fan 30 may be inserted therein.

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the housing 12 along the line IV-IV in Figure 2.

[0028] The fan 30 comprises a fan housing 36, fan blades 38 housed within the fan housing 36, and a rotating shaft 39. The rotating shaft 39 is located at the axis of the fan blades 38 and rotates the fan blades 38. The rotating shaft 39 can be composed of an electric motor having a rotation axis along the Z direction. The fan blades 38 are composed of multiple blades. Each blade is arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the rotating shaft 39. The fan 30 is, for example, a centrifugal fan that rotates the fan blades 38 by the rotating shaft 39.

[0029] The fan housing 36 may be made of metal cover plates 40 and 41. The cover plate on the Z2 side (lower cover plate) 40 may have a plate portion 40a and a side wall portion 40b that rises from the edge of the plate portion 40a. This gives the cover plate 40 a roughly bathtub shape with an open top. The cover plate on the Z1 side (upper cover plate) 41 acts as a lid to close the top opening of the cover plate 40.

[0030] A support plate portion 40c is provided in the center of the plate portion 40a in an island-like manner. The support plate portion 40c is the part that supports the rotating shaft portion 39 to the fan housing 36. The support plate portion 40c is connected to the surrounding area by, for example, three bridges 40d. An air intake port 45 is formed around each bridge 40d.

[0031] The fan housing 36 may have discharge ports 42, 43 for expelling air and intake ports 44, 45 for drawing in air.

[0032] The discharge port (second discharge port) 42 is formed as an opening over almost the entire surface of the side wall portion 40b extending in the X direction on the Y2 side of the fan housing 36. The discharge port 42 can discharge air in the Y2 direction. The discharge port 42 faces the heat sink 29. The air discharged from the discharge port 42 passes through the heat sink 29. The air that has passed through the heat sink 29 is discharged to the outside of the housing 12 through a vent 46 formed in the rear wall 20B, which is one of the outer walls of the housing 12.

[0033] The discharge port 43 is formed as an opening in the side wall portion 40b extending in the Y direction on the X1 side of the fan housing 36. The discharge port 43 can discharge air in the X1 direction. The discharge port 43 faces the end face 25C of the substrate 25 and faces each surface 25A and 25B of the substrate 25. A portion of the air discharged from the discharge port 43 flows along the first surface 25A of the substrate 25 and passes through the space S1 between the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18 and the first surface 25A. The other portion of the air discharged from the discharge port 43 flows along the second surface 25B of the substrate 25 and passes through the space S2 between the second surface 25B and the lower cover material 21. The air that has passed through spaces S1 and S2 is discharged to the outside of the housing 12 through a vent 47 formed in the rear wall 20B.

[0034] The intake port (first intake port) 44 is open on the upper surface of the fan 30. The intake port 44 is formed as an opening in the cover plate 41 on the Z1 side of the fan housing 36. The intake port 44 can be made up of a circular opening, for example, by cutting out a large portion near the center of the cover plate 41. The inner diameter of the intake port 44 is larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft portion 39. The inner diameter of the intake port 44 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the fan blade 38, for example. As a result, in the plan view shown in Figure 2, the intake port 44 exposes the rotating shaft portion 39 and most (or all) of the fan blade 38.

[0035] The intake port (second intake port) 45 opens on the underside of the fan 30. The intake port 45 is formed as an opening in the cover plate 40 (plate portion 40a) on the Z2 side of the fan housing 36. The intake port 45 is formed in a ring shape around, for example, the support plate portion 40c and is divided into three sections by each bridge 40d. In other words, the intake port 45 is composed of three openings formed in a roughly fan shape. For this reason, the opening area of ​​the intake port 45 is significantly smaller than the opening area of ​​the intake port 44.

[0036] It is preferable that the fan 30 has a structure in which the intake volume of the upper intake port 44 is greater than the intake volume of the lower intake port 45. In order to have a structure in which the intake volume of intake port 44 is greater than the intake volume of intake port 45, it is preferable, for example, to make the opening area of ​​intake port 44 larger than the opening area of ​​intake port 44. Also, it is preferable that intake port 44 be formed on the surface (upper surface) opposite to the surface (lower surface) where the support plate portion 40c that supports the rotating shaft portion 39 is located. This is because the opening area of ​​intake port 44 can be secured to the maximum extent. Note that whether or not the intake volume of intake port 44 is greater than the intake volume of intake port 45 can be confirmed, for example, by closing intake ports 44 and 45 one at a time and measuring the magnitude of the intake volume of each.

[0037] Next, we will describe an intake and exhaust structure in which air is introduced into the enclosure 12 by the fan 30 and the air discharged from the fan 30 is expelled outside the enclosure 12.

[0038] First, let me explain the intake structure.

[0039] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the intake structure of the housing 12 may have a communication hole 50 opening on the surface 12a of the housing 12 and a bottom ventilation opening 52 opening on the bottom surface 12c of the housing 12.

[0040] The communication hole 50 is a vent (keyboard vent) for circulating air in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the keyboard device 18. The communication hole 50 introduces air from outside the housing 12 into the housing 12 from the surface 12a side of the housing 12. The air introduced through the communication hole 50 is drawn into the intake port 44 of the fan 30.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the communication hole 50 penetrates the plate-shaped member 18b in the thickness direction (Z direction) and opens to the bottom surface 18d. The communication hole 50 allows air that has passed through the gap between each key 18a and the isolation frame 18c from above the keyboard device 18 to flow to the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18. The dashed arrows in Figures 2 to 4 schematically show the airflow. The isolation frame 18c is not shown in Figure 4.

[0042] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the communication hole 50 opens into the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18, which is located opposite the surface (first surface 25A) of the substrate 25. In other words, the communication hole 50 is located offset from directly above the fan 30 and opposite the first surface 25A of the substrate 25. In a plan view of the housing 12, it is preferable that the CPU 25a is located between the communication hole 50 and the fan 30. In other words, it is preferable that the air inflow passage 54 from the communication hole 50 to the intake port 44 is located in a position that overlaps with the CPU 25a in a plan view of the housing 12. That is, although Figures 2 and 4 illustrate a configuration in which the CPU 25a is directly below the communication hole 50, the CPU 25a may also be located between the communication hole 50 and the fan 30 in a plan view of the housing 12, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2. As a result, the heat released from the CPU 25a towards the first surface 25A, as shown by the dashed waveform arrow in Figure 4, can be cooled by the air flowing through the air inlet channel 54. This suppresses the transfer of heat from the CPU 25a to the keyboard device 18 via the substrate 25.

[0043] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, it is even more preferable that the communication holes 50 are located in a position that overlaps the CPU 25a vertically in a plan view of the housing 12. This allows the cool air flowing in from the communication holes 50 to be directly blown onto the heat emitted from the CPU 25a towards the first surface 25A. In other words, the keyboard device 18 is prone to localized high-temperature areas, or so-called hot spots, directly above or around the CPU 25a. Also, the intake efficiency decreases as the communication holes 50 move further away from the intake port 44. For this reason, it is preferable that the communication holes 50 be formed in a location that allows cool air to pass through the hot spot and is closest to the fan 30, specifically in the area directly above the hot spot (for example, directly above or around the CPU 25a). This allows the temperature rise of the keyboard device 18 to be suppressed more efficiently.

[0044] The air inflow passage 54 is formed in a part of the space S1 formed between the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18 and the first surface 25A of the substrate 25. It is preferable that the air inflow passage 54 is surrounded by an airtight material 56. The airtight material 56 is provided, for example, to stand upright between the bottom surface 18d and the first surface 25A. The airtight material 56 is, for example, adhesively fixed to the first surface 25A. This makes the airflow from the communication hole 50 toward the air intake port 44 even smoother.

[0045] The airtight material 56 is, for example, a member formed from sponge or rubber into a rod shape. The airtight material 56 does not need to be able to completely block the passage of air, but it needs to have a certain degree of airflow resistance to restrict the direction of airflow. As shown in Figure 2, it is preferable that the airtight material 56 is composed of a first airtight material 56a and a second airtight material 56b. The first airtight material 56a is a partition member that separates the air inlet passage 54 from the air outlet passage 60, which will be described later. The first airtight material 56a may extend, for example, from the Y2 side edge of the first surface 25A to the Y1 side edge of the outlet 43. The second airtight material 56b is a partition member that separates the air inlet passage 54 from other areas within the space S1. The second airtight material 56b may extend in the Y direction from the Y2 side edge to the Y1 side edge of the first surface 25A, and also extend in the X direction to the fan 30 side. The Y2-side end of the second airtight material 56b may extend in the X direction along the Y2-side edge of the first surface 25A and be connected to the first airtight material 56a. In this way, the airtight material 56 is provided, for example, so as to surround the communication hole 50 and extends to the X1-side side of the fan 30 where the discharge port 43 is provided. This allows the airtight material 56 to form an air inflow passage 54 inside it. Preferably, the air inflow passage 54 is formed so as to surround the heat-generating CPU 25a in the plan view shown in Figure 2.

[0046] Reference numeral 58 in Figure 2 indicates an airtight seal that prevents high-temperature air (exhaust) discharged from the discharge port 42 of the fan 30 from flowing back into the intake ports 44 and 45. The airtight seal 58 is provided, for example, on the surface of the cover plate 41 and the surface of the heat sink 29. The airtight seal 58 may be made of the same material as the airtight seal 56.

[0047] Note that the communication hole 50 shown in Figure 2 is schematically illustrated as a rectangular shape surrounding the CPU 25a. The communication hole 50 may be formed directly below the isolation frame 18c, as shown in Figure 1, and may consist of multiple slits extending along the isolation frame 18c.

[0048] As shown in Figure 4, the bottom vent 52 is an opening for introducing air from outside the housing 12 from the bottom surface 12c of the housing 12 to the intake port 45 of the fan 30. The bottom vent 52 can be formed, for example, by a plurality of slit-shaped holes formed in the lower cover material 21.

[0049] Next, I will explain the exhaust structure.

[0050] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the exhaust structure of the housing 12 can have vents 46, 47 and air discharge passages 60, 61.

[0051] The vents 46 and 47 are formed in the rear wall 20B and penetrate the rear wall 20B in the thickness direction (Y direction). The vent 46 is provided at least in a position facing the heat sink 29. The vent 47 is provided facing the Y2 side end face 25C of the substrate 25 and at least in a position facing the air exhaust channels 60 and 61 (spaces S1 and S2). The vents 46 and 47 can be configured, for example, by arranging a plurality of small window-like openings along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the rear wall 20B. The vent 46 is discharged from the outlet 42 of the fan 30 and can discharge hot air that has passed through the heat sink 29 to the outside of the housing 12. The vent 47 is discharged from the outlet 43 of the fan 30 and can discharge hot air that has passed over the surfaces 25A and 25B of the substrate 25 to the outside of the housing 12.

[0052] The air discharge channels 60 and 61 are air passages that allow air discharged from the discharge port 43 to pass through the surface (surfaces 25A and 25B) of the substrate 25 and flow to the vent port 47.

[0053] The air discharge channel 60 is formed in a part of the space S1 formed between the bottom surface 18d of the keyboard device 18 and the first surface 25A of the substrate 25. The air discharge channel 60 is adjacent to the air inlet channel 54, and it is preferable that the two are separated by a first airtight material 56a. This prevents the air flowing through the air discharge channel 60 from mixing with the air flowing through the air inlet channel 54. Furthermore, the air discharge channel 60 allows for a smoother flow of air from the discharge port 43 along the first surface 25A toward the vent port 47. Therefore, it is preferable that the first airtight material 56a extends from the Y2 side edge of the first surface 25A facing the vent port 47 to the Y1 side edge of the discharge port 43.

[0054] The air exhaust channel 60 is preferably formed in a position that overlaps with, for example, part or all of the heat-generating DC-DC converter 25b in the plan view shown in Figure 2 (see also Figure 4). This suppresses the transfer of heat from the DC-DC converter 25b, etc., to the keyboard device 18 via the substrate 25.

[0055] The air discharge channel 61 is formed in a part of the space S2 formed between the second surface 25B of the substrate 25 and the lower cover material 21. It is preferable that the air discharge channel 61 is surrounded by an airtight material 62. The airtight material 62 may be made of the same material as the airtight material 56. The airtight material 62 is provided, for example, to stand upright between the second surface 25B and the inner surface of the lower cover material 21. The airtight material 62 is, for example, adhesively fixed to the second surface 25B. As a result, the air discharge channel 61 allows for a smoother flow of air from the discharge port 43 along the second surface 25B towards the vent 47.

[0056] The airtight material 62 is preferably provided such that, for example, it extends in the X1 direction from the Y1 side edge of the discharge port 43, bending appropriately in the Y1 direction, and then extends in the Y2 direction to a position facing the vent 47 (see Figure 3). The airtight material 62 is preferably formed to surround the CPU 25a, the DC-DC converter 25b, and other heat-generating elements. This allows the air flowing through the air discharge channel 61 to directly cool the heat-generating elements such as the CPU 25a and the DC-DC converter 25b. The air discharge channel 61 may be omitted, in which case the discharge port 43 may be formed to face only the space S1.

[0057] Reference numeral 64 in Figure 3 indicates an airtight seal that prevents high-temperature air (exhaust) discharged from the discharge port 43 of the fan 30 from flowing back into the intake ports 44 and 45. The airtight seal 64 is provided, for example, on the surface of the cover plate 40 and the surface of the heat sink 29. The airtight seal 64 may be made of the same material as the airtight seal 56. The Z2 side surface of the fan 30 and heat sink 29 shown in Figure 3 may also be provided with an airtight seal 58 similar to the airtight seal 58 shown in Figure 2, to prevent backflow from the discharge port 42 to the intake ports 44 and 45.

[0058] Next, the cooling operation and effects of the electronic device 10 will be described.

[0059] In the electronic device 10, heat generated by heat-generating elements such as the CPU 25a is efficiently transported to the heatsink 29 via the heat pipe 28. The fan 30 draws in outside air (cold air) from the communication holes 50 and the bottom vents 52 into the intake ports 44 and 45, and discharges it from the outlet ports 42 and 43. The air discharged from outlet port 42 passes through the heatsink 29 and cools it. This air (warm air) is discharged outside the enclosure 12 through the vent port 46. The air discharged from outlet port 43 passes through the air discharge channels 60 and 61 and cools the CPU 25a, etc. This air (warm air) is discharged outside the enclosure 12 through the vent port 47.

[0060] Here, the communication hole 50 opens at a position facing the surface (first surface 25A) of the substrate 25. The CPU 25a is positioned so as to overlap vertically with the air inflow channel 54 that leads from the communication hole 50 to the air intake port 44. As a result, the air that passes through the communication hole 50 flows through the air inflow channel 54, while preventing heat from the CPU 25a and other mounted components from being transferred from the first surface 25A of the substrate 25 to the keyboard device 18.

[0061] The air inlet passage 54 is separated from the air outlet passage 60 by a first airtight material 56a. This prevents the mixing of cold air flowing from the communication hole 50 towards the intake port 44 and warm air flowing from the discharge port 43 towards the vent port 47 inside the housing 12.

[0062] As described above, the electronic device 10 can draw in outside air through the communication holes 50 provided in the keyboard unit 18. Therefore, the electronic device 10 can increase the air intake volume of the fan 30 and increase the airflow. This improves the cooling efficiency of the CPU 25a and heat sink 29, and improves the overall cooling performance of the system. The electronic device 10 can also suppress the rise in surface temperature of the keyboard unit 18 by the air flowing from the communication holes 50 to the air inlet passage 54. Furthermore, the electronic device 10 can further suppress heat transfer from the CPU 25a and DC-DC converter 25b to the keyboard unit 18 by the air discharged from the outlet 43. In this case, the electronic device 10 is equipped with a first airtight material 56a. Therefore, the electronic device 10 is prevented from mixing the cold air introduced from the communication holes 50 with the hot air discharged from the outlet 43, further improving the overall cooling efficiency of the system.

[0063] In this way, the electronic device 10 can cool a wide area of ​​the keyboard device 18 with the air flowing through the air inlet channel 54 and the air outlet channel 60, thereby suppressing the rise in its surface temperature. Furthermore, the electronic device 10 can also suppress the surface temperature of the lower cover material 21 with the air flowing through the air outlet channel 61.

[0064] The fan 30 is located on the side of the substrate 25. Therefore, the upper intake port 44 can more easily draw in air from the air inflow passage 54 than the lower intake port 45 (see Figure 4). For this reason, it is preferable that the amount of air drawn in by the upper intake port 44 of the fan 30 is greater than the amount of air drawn in by the lower intake port 45.

[0065] In other words, conventional electronic devices such as typical notebook PCs focused primarily on maximizing the amount of air intake from the bottom vent 52 of the chassis 12 to the fan 30. Therefore, conventional designs had a configuration where the air intake 45 on the bottom side, facing the bottom vent 52, had a larger air intake than the air intake 44 on the top side. In other words, the conventional fan 30 had its support plate 40c positioned at the top, with the larger opening of the air intake 44 at the bottom, facing the bottom vent 52.

[0066] In contrast, the fan 30 of this embodiment has the support plate portion 40c positioned below and facing the bottom vent 52. This allows the fan 30 to draw in air flowing through the air inflow channel 54 from the communication hole 50 with a large intake port 44 positioned above. As a result, the electronic device 10 can increase the airflow rate through the air inflow channel 54. Consequently, the electronic device 10 can effectively suppress the heat transferred from heat-generating elements such as the CPU 25a to the keyboard device 18 via the substrate 25. As a result, the electronic device 10 can more efficiently reduce the surface temperature of the keyboard device 18.

[0067] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0068] The above example illustrates a configuration in which the communication hole 50 is not formed directly above the fan 30, but is positioned directly above the CPU 25a, thereby maximizing the airflow rate of the air inlet passage 54 that cools the CPU 25a. However, this configuration does not prevent the communication hole 50 from being provided at a location other than directly above the fan 30 or directly above the CPU 25a. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 10 Electronic equipment 11 Lid 12 cabinets 14 Hinge 16 displays 18 Keyboard device 24 Thermal Modules 25 circuit boards 25a CPU 29 Heatsink 30 Fans 38 Fan Blades 39 Rotating shaft section 40, 41 Cover Plate 40c Support plate section 42,43 Discharge port 44,45 Air intake 50 Communication hole 52 Bottom vents 54 Air inflow channel 56, 58, 62, 64 Airtight material 56a First airtight material 56b Second airtight material 60, 61 Air exhaust channel

Claims

1. It is an electronic device, A housing having ventilation holes, A keyboard device provided facing the surface of the aforementioned housing and having communication holes for circulating air in the thickness direction, A heating element is mounted, and a circuit board facing the bottom surface of the keyboard device is located within the housing. A fan is provided within the housing and positioned to the side of the substrate, having an air intake port and an air outlet provided on a different surface from the air intake port, capable of discharging air toward the surface of the substrate, Equipped with, The communication hole is provided so as to open on the bottom surface of the keyboard device, at least in a position facing the surface of the substrate. moreover, An air inflow channel that allows air introduced into the housing through the communication hole to flow to the air intake port, An air discharge channel that allows air discharged from the discharge port to pass through the surface of the substrate and flow to the vent, A first airtight material is provided so as to stand upright between the bottom surface of the keyboard device and the surface of the substrate facing the bottom surface, and separates the air inflow channel and the air exhaust channel. Equipped with, In a plan view of the housing, the air inflow channel is located in a position that overlaps with the heating element. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, The aforementioned communication hole is located in a position that overlaps the heating element vertically. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, Furthermore, the keyboard device is provided with a second airtight material that is positioned to stand upright between the bottom surface and the surface of the substrate and forms the air inflow channel between itself and the first airtight material, In a plan view of the substrate, the first airtight material and the second airtight material are arranged to surround the heating element. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, moreover, heatsink and A heat transport member connecting the heating element and the heat sink, Equipped with, The fan further has a second discharge port located facing the heatsink. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

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