Display-Side Cooling System for Laptop Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laptop computers face challenges in heat management due to space restrictions, leading to high fan speeds that cause noise and vibration, non-uniform surface temperatures, and reduced cooling efficiency when used on laps, which degrades the user experience.
Innovation Solution
A laptop computer design with heat-generating components and cooling systems integrated into the display portion, featuring a larger vapor chamber and larger cooling fans, aligned cooling fins, and adjustable air inlets and outlets to enhance heat removal capacity and reduce noise and pressure drop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heat sinks and fans are integrated into laptop computers to transport heat away from the palm rest, then heat removal capability is improved, but fan speed must increase to compensate for small size, causing noise and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the cooling system from the traditional base portion to the display portion of the laptop, utilizing the vertical space above the keyboard. This dimensional repositioning allows for larger heat sinks and fans without increasing the laptop's footprint, thereby reducing fan speed requirements and associated noise while maintaining effective heat removal from the palm rest area
2Volume of moving object
If conventional cooling systems are used with small heat sinks, then space restrictions are satisfied, but fans must operate at very high speeds, degrading user experience
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the cooling system in the display portion rather than the base portion, the patent exploits the unused vertical volume above the keyboard. This allows significantly larger heat sinks and fans to be accommodated within the same laptop footprint, enabling lower fan speeds and reduced noise without compromising portability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the laptop into two functional zones: the base portion for input devices and the display portion for thermal management. This segmentation allows the cooling system to be optimized independently from the keyboard area, permitting larger component sizes in the display portion without affecting the compactness of the overall device
3Temperature
If cooling systems are positioned in the base portion, then heat can be removed from the motherboard, but the surface temperature of the base becomes elevated, causing poor ergonomic experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat-generating components (motherboard, CPU, GPU) and the associated cooling system from the base portion and relocates them to the display portion. This extraction eliminates the source of heat from the palm rest area, maintaining ergonomic comfort while still providing effective cooling through the relocated thermal management system
4Ease of operation
If laptop computers are used on laps, then portability is maximized, but fan inlets become blocked, greatly reducing airflow and heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
By relocating the cooling system to the display portion, the patent positions the fan inlets on the front or side surfaces of the display housing rather than on the bottom surface. This spatial repositioning ensures that air inlets remain accessible even when the laptop is rested on a user's lap, maintaining reliable cooling efficiency while preserving portability and ease of use
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 design allows for more efficient heat dissipation at lower fan speeds, reducing noise and maintaining peak performance while maintaining ergonomic comfort regardless of the surface used, with improved airflow alignment and adjustable inlets to prevent overheating.
Implementation Method 1
one or more heat-generating electronic devices that are thermally coupled to the heat sink
Implementation Method 2
at least one cooling fan configured to direct cooling air across the cooling fins
Implementation Method 3
a heat sink that has a plurality of cooling fins and a vapor chamber; one or more heat-generating electronic devices that are thermally coupled to the vapor chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A portable computing device comprises: a base portion that includes a keyboard; and a display portion that is movably coupled to the base portion and includes: a heat sink with cooling fins; one or more heat-generating electronic devices that are thermally coupled to the heat sink; and at least one cooling fan configured to direct cooling air across the cooling fins.