Thermal Gap Pad with Resilient Core for Variable Heat Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Portable computing devices face inefficiencies in heat distribution due to trapped heat in isolated areas, especially when components are separated by gaps, limiting their operational time and performance, as conventional thermally conductive materials are not well-suited for bridging variable gaps and ensuring effective heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A thermal gap pad is created by wrapping a thermally conductive layer, such as synthetic graphite, around a resilient core, forming a composite structure that can accommodate varying distances and provide efficient heat conduction between separated components, while the flexible wrapper and adhesive ensure secure attachment and prevent graphite dust contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If components are separated by gaps to improve device assembly and layout flexibility, then device design flexibility is improved, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates because heat transfer is limited to convection and radiation which are substantially less efficient than thermal conduction
Solution Approach 1:
A thermal gap pad is introduced as an intermediary component between separated heat-generating components and other device portions. The gap pad includes a compressible core that bridges the physical gap and a thermally conductive layer that provides a thermally conductive pathway, enabling efficient heat transfer through the gap without requiring direct component contact or active cooling devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal gap pad employs a composite structure combining a compressible core material with a thermally conductive layer. This composite design allows the gap pad to simultaneously provide mechanical compliance for gap bridging and high thermal conductivity for efficient heat transfer, resolving the contradiction between maintaining design flexibility and ensuring heat transfer efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If conventional thermally conductive sheets are used to spread heat across surfaces, then in-plane heat distribution is improved, but effectiveness deteriorates when bridging gaps between separated subassemblies because these sheets are not well suited for vertical or gap-spanning heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal gap pad is segmented into two functional components: a compressible core for gap bridging and a thermally conductive layer for heat transfer. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function while working together to solve both in-plane heat distribution and gap-bridging requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional two-dimensional planar heat spreaders to a three-dimensional structure with vertical height. The compressible core provides the necessary height to span gaps between subassemblies, while the thermally conductive layer maintains effective heat transfer pathways in the vertical dimension, enabling the gap pad to function where conventional sheets fail.
3Loss of energy
If a rigid thermally conductive material is used to bridge gaps, then thermal conduction efficiency is improved, but adaptability deteriorates because rigid materials cannot accommodate variable gap distances or conform to different component geometries
Solution Approach 1:
The compressible core of the thermal gap pad is designed to be dynamically adaptable, allowing it to compress and expand to accommodate variable gap distances. This dynamic property enables the same gap pad to effectively bridge different gap sizes while maintaining consistent thermal contact and conduction efficiency through the thermally conductive layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The gap pad utilizes parameter changes in the compressible core's physical state (compression ratio, density) to adapt to different installation conditions. As the core is compressed to different degrees, it changes its physical parameters to conform to varying gap distances and component geometries while the thermally conductive layer maintains optimal thermal pathways throughout the compression range.
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 enables robust and flexible heat transfer pathways, effectively distributing heat across components, even when they are not in direct contact, thereby maintaining efficient operation and extending the device's peak performance time.
Implementation Method 1
The thermally conductive layer conducts heat between the first and second components
Implementation Method 2
a resilient core
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to efficiently distributing heat within a portable computing device. More specifically an apparatus for conducting heat between internal components of the portable computing device is disclosed. The apparatus, referred to as a thermal gap pad, is configured to bridge a variably sized gap between internal components. This is accomplished by wrapping a resilient core in a layer of highly thermally conductive material. The resilient core allows a shape of the thermal gap pad to vary in accordance with a size of the gap. A resilience of the thermal gap pad can be adjusted to account for an amount of variance in the gap. In some embodiments, an electrically conductive layer can be added to facilitate the passage of electrical current through the thermal gap pad.