External Cable Cooling for Fanless Mobile Device Thermal Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passively cooled mobile computing devices face thermal constraints that limit their performance and prevent the use of adaptive performance technologies, as they cannot increase power consumption without exceeding thermal limits.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an external air mover integrated into a cable that provides forced air to the mobile computing device, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the air flow based on the device's performance or operational state, thereby enhancing cooling and enabling increased power consumption within thermal limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If passive cooling elements (heat pipes, heat sinks, vapor chambers) are used to achieve a sleek profile and quiet operation, then device portability and user comfort are improved, but thermal dissipation capability is insufficient, limiting device performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external cooling device as an intermediary component that connects to the mobile computing device via a cable. This external cooling device includes a fan and heat sink that actively remove heat from the device, serving as a mediator between the device's thermal management needs and the environment, thereby enabling better thermal dissipation without adding weight to the device itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the cooling function from an internal constraint to an external solution by placing the active cooling components outside the device boundaries. The cooling device connects through a cable interface, effectively adding thermal management capability in a different spatial dimension without compromising the device's sleek profile
2Temperature
If active cooling approaches are used to increase thermal dissipation capability, then device performance is improved, but device complexity and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the active cooling components (fan, heat sink, control circuitry) from the device interior and places them in an external unit. This separation allows the device to maintain its simple, sleek design while the external cooling device handles all active cooling functions, effectively removing the complexity burden from the device itself
Solution Approach 2:
The cable connection serves as an intermediary interface that transfers both power and thermal management functions to the external device. This mediator enables the device to access active cooling capabilities without integrating the complex cooling system internally
3Object-generated harmful factors
If passive cooling is used to maintain quiet operation, then user comfort is improved, but adaptive performance technologies cannot be utilized due to thermal constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The external cooling device acts as a mediator that enables adaptive performance technologies by providing sufficient thermal dissipation capacity. The device can dynamically adjust performance levels while the external cooling system actively manages heat, allowing adaptability without compromising noise levels since the fan operates externally
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 solution creates a power budget margin that allows the device to operate at a higher power level while staying within thermal limits, enabling more comfortable usage and potentially incorporating adaptive performance technologies.
Implementation Method 1
an air mover to generate forced air and provide the forced air to the one or more cooling channels
Data Source
AI summary
An air mover external to a mobile computing device provides enhanced cooling to the device by generating forced air delivered to the device via cooling channels connected to openings in the device chassis. If the mobile computing device is passively cooled (is a fanless device), the enhanced cooling can enable the device or device components to operate at a higher power consumption level without exceeding device/component thermal limits or for features that consume high amounts of power (e.g., fast charging) to be incorporated into the device. The air mover can be integrated into or attached to a cable that provides power to the mobile computing device. The air mover can be powered by the cable. The air mover can dynamically adjust the flow rate of the forced air based on device/component performance information (temperature, power consumption, current consumption) or operational state information of the device.