Aslant Circuit Board Triangular Airflow Heat Dissipation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing heat generation in image pickup apparatuses due to higher pixel counts and frame rates leads to performance deterioration and user discomfort from heat-induced temperature rises, necessitating an efficient heat dissipation method.

Innovation Solution

The image pickup apparatus features a main circuit board arranged aslant to the optical axis, creating a triangular space between it and the sensor substrate, with a cross-sectional airflow design that enhances heat dissipation through a forced air cooling system, utilizing metal ducts and heat dissipation members to efficiently transfer heat away from heat-generating elements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the pixel number and frame rate are increased to enhance image quality and video capturing performance, then image quality and video performance are improved, but heat generation amount increases causing performance deterioration and user discomfort

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidheat generation

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a three-dimensional airflow channel structure with specific spatial configuration (triangular cross-section, aslant arrangement) to enable efficient heat dissipation in the vertical and diagonal dimensions, allowing high pixel count and frame rate operation without excessive heat accumulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If a forced air cooling method is used to discharge heat from the image pickup apparatus, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but the apparatus size increases due to additional cooling components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidapparatus size

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the heat dissipation function with the existing apparatus structure by forming airflow channels between functional components (sensor substrate, main circuit board, housing) rather than adding separate cooling components, thereby achieving effective heat discharge without significant size increase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing and internal components serve dual functions: structural support and heat dissipation pathways. The same structural elements that provide mechanical support also form the airflow channels necessary for cooling, eliminating the need for dedicated cooling structures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If heat generating elements are mounted on substrates inside the image pickup apparatus, then imaging functionality is achieved, but heat transmission to other components causes performance deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimaging functionalityVSAvoidheat transmission to components

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts heat from the system by creating dedicated airflow channels that guide cooling air directly past heat-generating components (sensor substrate, main circuit board), removing thermal energy from the vicinity of sensitive components before it can cause performance deterioration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces air as an intermediary cooling medium that flows through specifically designed channels between heat-generating elements and sensitive components, acting as a thermal buffer that prevents direct heat transmission while maintaining imaging functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration effectively reduces heat transmission to other components, maintains image quality, and prevents user discomfort by efficiently dissipating heat, thus addressing thermal issues and enhancing the apparatus's performance and usability.

Implementation Method 1

a forced air cooling method that takes in air from the outside of the image pickup apparatus using a fan into the apparatus, cools the inside of the apparatus with the taken air, and discharges the warmed air to the outside of the apparatus

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectForced convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

utilizing metal ducts and heat dissipation members to efficiently transfer heat away from heat-generating elements

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11647268B2Image pickup apparatus equipped with heat dissipation mechanism

Publication Date: 2023.05.09 CANON KK

AI summary

An image pickup apparatus that can efficiently solve problems caused by heat generated by a heat generating element. The image pickup apparatus including a sensor substrate configured to implement an image sensor, and a main circuit board configured to implement a heat generating element. A length of the main circuit board is longer than a length of the sensor substrate in a width direction of the image pickup apparatus. The main circuit board is aslant arranged to an optical axis of the image pickup apparatus so that a first space part will be provided between the sensor substrate and the main circuit board. A cross section of the first space part in a plane that is parallel to both the optical axis and the width direction is approximately triangle.