Layered Thermal Pad for Electronic Hotspot Heat Spreading

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-power chips in electronic devices face heat dissipation challenges due to partial hotspots during packaging, as existing thermal pads have high thermal conductivity only in the thickness direction, leading to inadequate heat dissipation and potential device damage.

Innovation Solution

A thermal pad with a first heat conducting layer that can be compressed to enhance heat dissipation in the thickness direction and a second heat conducting layer with higher plane-direction conductivity, along with an optional third layer to reduce contact thermal resistance, ensuring effective heat dissipation in both directions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If a cooling fan is used to cool the battery, then the battery temperature can be reduced, but the device complexity and moving parts increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery temperatureVSAvoidcooling system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical cooling fan system with a thermal conduction-based cooling sheet system. The cooling sheet uses high thermal conductivity materials to conduct heat away from the battery through direct thermal contact, eliminating the need for mechanical moving parts while achieving effective battery temperature control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling sheet acts as an intermediary thermal management component between the battery and the heat dissipation path. It provides a dedicated thermal conduction interface that efficiently transfers heat from the battery surface without requiring direct integration of complex cooling systems into the battery structure itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If the battery capacity is increased to meet energy density requirements, then the energy storage is improved, but the battery generates more heat that is difficult to dissipate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery capacityVSAvoidheat generation
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the thermal management function into a separate cooling sheet component rather than integrating it directly into the battery structure. This allows the battery to maintain high capacity while the dedicated cooling sheet handles the increased heat dissipation requirements independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling sheet utilizes composite material structures with high thermal conductivity materials to effectively manage the increased heat generation from high-capacity batteries. The composite material design optimizes thermal transfer pathways to handle the higher thermal loads generated by increased battery capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Strength

If adhesive layers are used to bond the cooling sheet to the battery, then the bonding strength is improved, but the heat conduction efficiency decreases due to air gaps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding strengthVSAvoidheat conduction efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts or eliminates the adhesive layer from the thermal management system design. By removing the adhesive layer that creates thermal resistance, the cooling sheet achieves direct thermal contact with the battery surface, significantly improving heat conduction efficiency while maintaining adequate bonding through alternative attachment methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a pressing member with a pressing surface that can deform to conform to the battery surface irregularities. This pressing member structure creates intimate thermal contact between the cooling sheet and battery without requiring adhesive layers, eliminating air gaps while maintaining bonding strength through mechanical pressure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

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 thermal pad effectively prevents device damage by ensuring timely heat dissipation from partial hotspots, combining high heat conduction capabilities in both thickness and plane directions, thereby extending the service life of high-power chips.

Implementation Method 1

a heat-conducting sheet that has a pressing member capable of pressing the heat-conducting sheet onto a surface of the battery

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP3255969B1Heat-conducting sheet and electronic device
Publication Date: 2024.07.31 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3255969B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3255969B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP3255969B1 patent drawingFigure 7

AI summary

The present invention provides a thermal pad and an electronic device. The thermal pad is configured to perform heat dissipation for a heat emitting component, and includes a first heat conducting layer and a second heat conducting layer. A first surface of the second heat conducting layer is in contact with a surface of the heat emitting component, and a second surface of the second heat conducting layer is in contact with a first surface of the first heat conducting layer. The first heat conducting layer is a heat conducting layer that can be compressed to deform, and a heat conduction capability of the first heat conducting layer in a thickness direction of the first heat conducting layer is higher than a heat conduction capability of the first heat conducting layer in a plane direction of the first heat conducting layer. The second heat conducting layer is a heat conducting layer that cannot be compressed to deform, a heat conduction capability of the second heat conducting layer in a plane direction of the second heat conducting layer is higher than or equal to a heat conduction capability of the second heat conducting layer in a thickness direction of the second heat conducting layer, and the heat conduction capability of the second heat conducting layer in the plane direction is higher than or equal to the heat conduction capability of the first heat conducting layer in the thickness direction. In this way, the thermal pad has a very high heat conduction capability in a plane direction, and can evenly dissipate heat of the heat emitting component, thereby effectively relieving a heat dissipation difficulty caused by a problem of a partial hotspot of the heat emitting component.