Foldable Chassis Thermal Balancing With Conductive Spine
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Solution Overview
Problem
In foldable electronic devices with separate chassis for a substrate and battery, there is a significant temperature difference due to unequal heat generation, leading to potential performance degradation and hot spots, and installing high-capacity cooling devices is challenging due to size and thickness constraints.
Innovation Solution
A hinge device connects two chassis with a thermally conductive spine component and thermally conductive members on each chassis, allowing heat transfer between them to balance temperature and enhance cooling capacity without additional cooling devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the substrate and battery device are installed in separate chassis, then sufficient installation areas for the substrate and battery device can be secured, but the amount of heat generated in the chassis incorporating the substrate becomes significantly larger than the amount of heat generated in the chassis incorporating the battery device, leading to a temperature difference between the chassis
Solution Approach 1:
A thermally conductive member is introduced as an intermediary between the first chassis (with substrate) and the second chassis (with battery device). This member transfers heat from the high-temperature first chassis to the lower-temperature second chassis, balancing the temperature distribution while preserving the separate-chassis configuration that provides sufficient installation area.
2Reliability
If a cooling device having a high cooling capacity is installed in the chassis incorporating the substrate, then the performance of the CPU can be maintained and local high temperature portions can be prevented, but the size and thickness of the chassis are reduced, making it difficult to install such cooling devices
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged into the second chassis by utilizing its existing structure and the thermally conductive member. Instead of adding a separate high-capacity cooling device to the first chassis, the second chassis is transformed into an active heat dissipation component, thereby maintaining CPU performance without increasing the overall chassis volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The second chassis, which originally served only as a housing for the battery device, is given an additional cooling function. By incorporating the thermally conductive member that transfers heat from the first chassis, the second chassis becomes a multi-functional component that both houses the battery and acts as a heat sink, eliminating the need for dedicated high-capacity cooling hardware.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a cooling device having a high cooling capacity is installed in the chassis incorporating the substrate, then hot spots on the outer surface of the chassis can be prevented, but the reduced size and thickness constrain the installation of such cooling devices
Solution Approach 1:
The thermally conductive member serves as a mediator that distributes heat from hot spots on the first chassis to the second chassis. This intermediary heat transfer path prevents localized high-temperature regions without requiring thick chassis construction or bulky cooling devices, thus eliminating hot spots while maintaining thin-profile design.
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
The solution maintains temperature balance and improves cooling efficiency by transferring heat between chassis, preventing hot spots and maintaining device performance without additional cooling hardware.
Implementation Method 1
a spine component which is made of a thermally conductive material, and which is placed so as to extend along a first edge portion of the first chassis that is adjacent to the second chassis and a second edge portion of the second chassis that is adjacent to the first chassis
Data Source
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AI summary
To adjust the temperature balance between chassis thereby to improve cooling capacity. An electronic apparatus includes: a first chassis equipped with a substrate on which a processing device is mounted; a second chassis equipped with a battery device; and a hinge device that connects the first chassis and the second chassis in a relatively rotatable manner. The electronic apparatus further includes: a spine component made of a thermally conductive material which is placed so as to extend along a first edge portion of the first chassis and a second edge portion of the second chassis, cover a gap formed between the first edge portion and the second edge portion in a first posture, and straddle the first edge portion and the second edge portion in a second posture; a first thermally conductive member which is provided on the inner surface of the first chassis and comes in contact with the spine component in the second posture; and a second thermally conductive member which is provided on the inner surface of the second chassis and comes in contact with the spine component in the second posture.