JP2001332881A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment wherein, with the use of a hinge fitting, a heat sink is thermally connected to a keyboard unit so that a heat radiation effect of a heating body is assured while a heat radiation path structure is simplified for less cost. SOLUTION: An electronic equipment such as a portable computer 1 comprises a case 4 with an opening of a keyboard attaching opening 10, a keyboard unit 13 provided to the keyboard attaching opening, a heat sink 40 housed inside the case, thermally connected to a semiconductor package 36, and positioned below the keyboard unit, and a display unit 3 supported by the case through a hinge fitting 31 for rotation. The hinge fitting incorporates integrally a heat relay 51 provided between the heat sink and the keyboard unit inside the case. The heat relay is thermally connected to both the heat sink and the keyboard unit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a portable computer or a mobile information device, and more particularly to a structure for promoting heat radiation of a heating element housed in a housing of the electronic device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic device such as a portable computer includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) for processing a variety of multimedia information such as characters, sounds, and images.
Equipped. These types of MPUs are continually increasing in power consumption as information processing speeds increase and multifunctionality increases.
The amount of heat generated during operation also tends to increase rapidly in proportion to this.

Therefore, in order to guarantee the stable operation of the MPU, it is necessary to enhance the heat dissipation of the MPU.
Various heat radiation / cooling means such as a heat sink are indispensable.

In a conventional portable computer,
Install a heat sink on the circuit board on which the MPU is mounted,
While thermally connecting this heat sink to the MPU,
There is known a heat sink that transfers the heat of the MPU transmitted to the heat sink to the outside air via a keyboard unit. In this conventional portable computer, the upper surface of the heat sink faces the reinforcing plate on the rear surface of the keyboard unit, and a relay plate having thermal conductivity is interposed between the heat sink and the reinforcing plate.

Therefore, heat transmitted from the MPU to the heat sink is released to the reinforcing plate of the keyboard unit via the relay plate, and the reinforcing plate functions as a kind of heat radiating plate.

[0006]

However, according to this conventional structure, the relay plate for transmitting the heat of the heat sink to the reinforcing plate is a dedicated part independent of the heat sink, and therefore constitutes a heat radiation path of the MPU. Therefore, the number of necessary parts increases.

In addition, a special structure for holding the relay plate at a predetermined position between the heat sink and the reinforcing plate is required, so that the shape of the heat sink and the relay plate becomes complicated or the heat sink and the relay plate are fixed. The number of screws to be formed may increase. As a result, the MPU
However, there is a problem that the cost of the heat radiation path increases, which is one of the factors that hinder the cost reduction of electronic devices.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a heat sink and a keyboard unit can be thermally connected to each other by using a hinge, so that the heat radiation effect of the heating element can be sufficiently secured. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can reduce the cost by simplifying the structure of the heat radiation path and can form the housing thin and compact.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having a keyboard mounting opening; a keyboard unit installed in the keyboard mounting opening of the housing; Housed inside the housing,
A heat sink thermally connected to the heating element and positioned below the keyboard unit; and a display unit rotatably supported by the housing via a hinge. The hinge fitting integrally has a heat relay portion interposed between the heat sink and the keyboard unit inside the housing, and the heat relay portion is provided on both the heat sink and the keyboard unit. It is characterized by being thermally connected.

According to such a configuration, the heat relay portion of the hinge fitting is interposed between the heat sink and the keyboard unit, and thermally connects both of them. The heat is released to the keyboard unit through the heat relay portion of the hinge fitting, and is released to the outside air therefrom.

In addition, since the heat relay is a part of the hinge, the hinge constitutes a heat radiation path for releasing the heat transmitted to the heat sink to the keyboard unit. For this reason, it is possible to omit a relay plate dedicated to dissipating heat of the heat sink to the keyboard unit, and
A configuration for positioning and fixing the relay plate is not required, and the number of components of the electronic device can be reduced accordingly.

In addition, there is no need to secure a space for fixing the relay plate around the heat sink.
Unnecessary space can be eliminated from the periphery of the heat sink, and the thickness of the housing can be reduced.

[0013] Further, since the hinge fitting connects the housing and the display unit, a part of the heat transmitted to the thermal relay is released to the display unit via the hinge fitting. For this reason, the heat radiation range of the heating element can be expanded, and the heat of the heating element can be efficiently released using the keyboard unit and the display unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus comprising: a display unit; a housing having a keyboard mounting opening; a keyboard unit installed in the keyboard mounting opening of the housing; A circuit board housed inside the housing and having an upper surface on which a heating element is mounted; installed on the upper surface of the circuit board and thermally connected to the heating element and located below the keyboard unit. A heat sink, a first bracket fixed to a rear end of the housing, a second bracket fixed to the display unit, and a hinge shaft spanning the first and second brackets. And a hinge fitting for rotatably connecting the housing and the display unit. Then, the first bracket of the hinge fitting has a heat relay portion extending forward of the housing through a space between the keyboard unit and the heat sink, and the heat relay portion is connected to both the keyboard unit and the heat sink. Characterized by being thermally connected to the

In such a configuration, since the first bracket fixed to the housing has a heat relay portion for thermally connecting the heat sink and the keyboard unit, the heat of the heating element transmitted to the heat sink is It escapes to the keyboard unit through the thermal relay section, and is released from here to the outside air.

Further, since the heat relay portion is a part of the first bracket of the hinge fitting, a part of the heat transmitted to the heat relay portion is transmitted from the first bracket, the hinge shaft and the second bracket to the heat relay portion. Escape to the display unit through the bracket. For this reason, the heat radiation range of the heating element can be expanded, and the heat of the heating element can be efficiently released using the display unit as well as the keyboard unit.

At the same time, the heat relay portion of the hinge fitting is
A heat dissipation path that actively dissipates the heat of the heating element transferred to the heat sink to the keyboard unit is configured, so that a conventional relay plate dedicated to heat transfer can be omitted, and a structure for positioning and fixing the relay plate is provided. Becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts of the electronic device can be reduced accordingly.

In addition, there is no need to secure a space for fixing the relay plate around the heat sink.
Unnecessary space can be eliminated from around the heat sink, and the thickness of the housing can be reduced.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in which the embodiments are applied to a portable computer.

FIGS. 1 and 2 disclose a portable computer 1 as an electronic apparatus. The portable computer 1 includes a computer main body 2 and a display unit 3 supported by the computer main body 2.

The computer main body 2 has a box-shaped housing 4. The housing 4 includes a lower housing 5 including a bottom wall 5a.
And an upper housing 6 including an upper wall 6a,
These housings 5, 6 are connected to each other. A battery mounting portion 7 is formed at the front end of the housing 4. The battery mounting portion 7 extends along the width direction of the housing 4, and a battery 8 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 7.

The upper housing 6 has a keyboard mounting opening 10 opened in the upper wall 6a. The keyboard mounting opening 10 is formed in a rectangular shape having a size that covers substantially the entire surface of the upper wall 6a.
A support wall 11 that protrudes inward is formed at the opening edge of the opening 0.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a keyboard unit 13 is provided in the keyboard mounting opening 10. The keyboard unit 13 includes a base plate 14 made of a synthetic resin, a number of key tops 15, and a reinforcing plate 16 for reinforcing the base plate 14.

The base plate 14 has such a size that it fits tightly into the keyboard mounting opening 10, and the key tops 15 are arranged in six rows on the upper surface of the base plate 14. The reinforcing plate 16 is made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy. The reinforcing plate 16 entirely covers the lower surface of the base plate 14, and the outer peripheral edge of the reinforcing plate 16 is hooked on the support wall 11. Therefore, the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13 is exposed to the inside of the housing 4 through the keyboard mounting opening 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper housing 6 of the housing 4 has a pair of hollow cylindrical support portions 18a, 18a.
b. The supporting portions 18a and 18b are arranged at the rear end of the upper housing 6 so as to be separated from each other in the width direction of the upper housing 6, and the CCD camera 19 is detachably supported between the supporting portions 18a and 18b. Have been. The CCD camera 19 is located behind the keyboard unit 13 at a central portion along the width direction of the housing 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, first and second circuit boards 21 and 22 are accommodated in the housing 4. The first circuit board 21 is arranged parallel to the bottom wall 5 a of the lower housing 5. Second circuit board 22
Are electrically connected to the first circuit board 21 via a pair of stacking connectors 23. The second circuit board 22 is located above the first circuit board 21 at a position deviated rightward from the center along the width direction of the housing 4. The second circuit board 22 is arranged in parallel with the first circuit board 21 and has an upper surface facing the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13.

The display unit 3 has a display housing 25 and a liquid crystal display device 26 housed inside the display housing 25. The display housing 25 has a display opening 2 on the front.
7 has a flat box shape. Liquid crystal display device 26
Has a display screen 28 for displaying information such as characters and images, and the display screen 28
5 is exposed to the outside through the opening 27.

The display housing 25 has a pair of legs 29a and 29b protruding from one end thereof. The legs 29a and 29b are connected to the display housing 2
5 are spaced apart from each other in the width direction, and support portions 18a, 18b are interposed between the legs 29a, 29b.

The display unit 3 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the housing 4 via a hinge fitting 31 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A. The hinge fitting 31 is
A first bracket 32, a second bracket 33, and a hinge shaft 34 are provided. Each of these components 32-34
Is made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity such as an aluminum alloy.

The first bracket 32 is screwed together with the second circuit board 22 to the bottom wall 5a of the lower housing 5. The first bracket 32 is located at the rear end of the housing 4 and is covered by the support 18 b on the right side of the upper housing 6. The second bracket 33 is housed inside the display housing 25. The second bracket 33 is screwed to the inner surface of the display housing 25,
One end is the right leg 2 of the display housing 25.
9b.

The hinge shaft 34 extends between the first bracket 32 and the second bracket 33, and
And the display unit 3 is horizontally arranged along the width direction. One end of the hinge shaft 34 is rotatably connected to the first bracket 32. This hinge shaft 34
A friction type brake mechanism 35 using, for example, a corrugated washer is incorporated in a connection portion between the first bracket 32 and the first bracket 32.
Is restricted. The other end of the hinge shaft 34 is fixed to one end of the second bracket 33.

For this reason, the display unit 3 is pivoted about the hinge shaft 34 as a fulcrum so as to cover the keyboard unit 13, and the display unit 3 is closed.
The display 4 is supported by the housing 4 so as to be rotatable over an open position where the display screen 28 is exposed.

As shown in FIG. 5A, on the upper surface of the second circuit board 22, a semiconductor package 3 as a heating element is provided.
6 and other circuit components 37 that generate heat during operation. These semiconductor package 36 and circuit component 37
Is arranged in the width direction of the housing 4 in front of the first bracket 32 of the hinge fitting 31. The semiconductor package 36 constitutes a central processing unit (MPU) (Micro Processing Unit) serving as the center of the portable computer 1, and the heat generation of the semiconductor package 36 is large enough to require cooling.

A semiconductor package 36 is provided inside the housing 4.
And a heat sink 40 for promoting heat radiation of the circuit components 37 are accommodated. The heat sink 40 is provided on the upper surface of the second circuit board 22. This heat sink 40
Is made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy.

The heat sink 40 is connected to the semiconductor package 3
6 and circuit component 37, and heat receiving portion 41
And a fan case 42 connected to the fan case 42. Heat receiving part 41
Has a flat plate shape interposed between the second circuit board 22 and the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13.
The heat receiving portion 41 is housed inside the housing 4 without contacting the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13 as best shown in FIG.
A gap 43 is formed between 1 and the reinforcing plate 16.

The heat receiving portion 41 has a convex portion 45 projecting downward.
have. A heat transfer sheet 46 is interposed between the tip surface of the projection 45 and the semiconductor package 36.
The heat transfer sheet 46 is made of a rubber-like elastic material having thermal conductivity, and the semiconductor package 36 and the heat receiving section 41 are thermally connected via the heat transfer sheet 46.

The heat receiving section 41 is connected to the second circuit board 22.
Facing the upper surface of the An air guide passage 47 is formed between the heat receiving section 41 and the second circuit board 22, and the semiconductor package 36 and the circuit component 37 are located on the air guide passage 47.

The fan case 42 is located inside the housing 4 in front of the semiconductor package 36. The fan case 42 is connected to the air guide passage 47, and an electric centrifugal fan (not shown) is housed inside the fan case 42. The fan case 42 has an exhaust outlet 48 on a side surface thereof. This exhaust outlet 48
It is connected to an exhaust port 49 opened on the right side of the housing 4. Therefore, when the centrifugal fan is driven, the air guide passage 4
The air inside the casing 4 is sucked into the casing 7, the air becomes cooling air, flows around the semiconductor package 36 and the circuit components 37, and then flows from the exhaust outlet 48 to the outside of the casing 4 through the exhaust port 49. It is to be released.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the first bracket 32 of the hinge fitting 31 has a heat relay portion 51 integrally. The heat relay section 51 has a band shape extending in the depth direction of the housing 4, and is exposed to the keyboard mounting opening 10 at a position corresponding to the heat sink 40. Therefore, the thermal relay part 51 of the hinge fitting 31 is interposed between the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13 and the heat receiving part 41 of the heat sink 40.

The heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40 has a groove 52 on the upper surface facing the keyboard unit 13. The groove 52 is formed between the semiconductor package 36 and the circuit component 3.
7 and extends in the depth direction of the housing 4. The bottom surface 52 a of the groove 52 is located one step lower than the upper surface of the heat receiving portion 41, and the heat relay portion 51 of the hinge fitting 31 is guided to the groove 52.

A heat transfer sheet 53 is interposed between the heat relay portion 51 and the bottom surface 52a of the groove 52. The heat transfer sheet 53 is formed of a rubber-like elastic body having thermal conductivity, and the heat relay section 51 and the heat receiving section 41 of the heat sink 40 are thermally connected via the heat transfer sheet 53. .

As shown in FIG. 5B, the upper surface of the heat relay portion 51 protrudes higher than the upper surface of the heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40. The upper surface of the thermal relay unit 51 is in direct contact with the lower surface of the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13, and the contact portion between the thermal relay unit 51 and the reinforcing plate 16 extends along the depth direction of the housing 4. I have. Therefore, the thermal relay unit 51 is sandwiched between the reinforcing plate 16 and the heat receiving unit 41, and is thermally connected to both the heat receiving unit 41 and the reinforcing plate 16.

According to the portable computer 1 having such a configuration, the hinge fitting 31 for connecting the housing 4 and the display unit 3 is provided with the heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40.
And a heat relay portion 51 extending in the depth direction of the housing 4 through a space between the heat receiving portion 41 and the reinforcing plate 16. Have been.

Therefore, when the semiconductor package 36 generates heat during use of the portable computer 1, the heat of the semiconductor package 36 is transmitted to the heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40 through the heat transfer sheet 46, and the heat relay portion 51 is transmitted therefrom. It escapes to the reinforcing plate 16 of the keyboard unit 13 through the. And portable computer 1
During use, the display unit 3 is rotated to the open position, and the keyboard unit 13 is exposed to the outside of the housing 4, so that the heat of the semiconductor package 36 transmitted to the reinforcing plate 16 is reduced by the base plate. 14 and the key top 15 are released into the outside air.

Further, since the heat relay section 51 is integrated with the first bracket 32 of the hinge fitting 31, a part of the heat transmitted to the heat relay section 51 is transferred to the first bracket 32.
Through the hinge shaft 34 to the second bracket 33, escapes through the second bracket 33 to the display housing 25, and is released from here by natural air cooling due to diffusion into the outside air.

Therefore, the heat radiation range of the semiconductor package 36 can be expanded, and the heat radiation of the semiconductor package 36 can be enhanced by using the keyboard unit 13 and the display housing 25.

Further, according to the above configuration, the heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40 and the reinforcing plate 1 of the keyboard unit 13 are provided.
6 is thermally connected to the hinge fitting 31.
Therefore, the hinge fittings 31 constitute a heat radiation path for actively releasing the heat of the heat receiving portion 41 to the reinforcing plate 16.

Therefore, when there is a gap 43 between the heat receiving portion 41 and the reinforcing plate 16, a relay plate dedicated to transmitting the heat of the heat receiving portion 41 to the reinforcing plate 16 can be omitted, and the position of the relay plate can be reduced. A configuration for defining or fixing to the heat sink 40 or the housing 4 can be eliminated. Therefore, the configuration of the heat dissipation path of the semiconductor package 36 can be simplified, and the number of components can be reduced accordingly, and the cost of the portable computer 1 can be reduced.

At the same time, the need for a dedicated relay plate for heat transfer and its mounting structure is eliminated, so that useless space can be eliminated from around the heat receiving portion 41 of the heat sink 40, and the housing 4 can be made thin. Can be achieved. In particular, in the above configuration, since the groove portion 52 through which the heat relay portion 51 passes is formed on the upper surface of the heat receiving portion 41, the heat relay portion 5
1 does not protrude significantly above the heat receiving portion 41, and this also has the advantage of contributing to the reduction in the thickness of the housing 4.

In the above embodiment, the heat relay section of the hinge fitting and the heat sink are thermally connected via the heat transfer sheet. However, instead of the heat transfer sheet, grease having heat conductivity is used. Is also good.

The heating element is not limited to a semiconductor package, but may be another circuit component.

Further, the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to a portable computer, but can be similarly implemented with other portable information terminal devices.

[0053]

According to the present invention described in detail above, the hinge fitting constitutes a heat radiation path for positively releasing the heat of the heat sink to the keyboard unit. In addition, it is possible to omit the relay plate dedicated to transmitting the heat of the heat sink to the keyboard unit, and it is not necessary to provide a configuration for positioning and fixing the relay plate. Therefore, the configuration of the heat radiation path in the housing can be simplified, and the number of components can be reduced correspondingly, so that the cost of the electronic device can be reduced.

At the same time, the need for a dedicated relay plate for heat transfer and its mounting structure is eliminated, so that a useless space can be eliminated from around the heat sink, which is advantageous in reducing the thickness of the housing. Become.

Further, a part of the heat transmitted to the heat sink is released to the display unit through the hinge fitting, and is released from the display unit by natural air cooling due to diffusion into the outside air. it can.
Therefore, there is an advantage that the heat of the heating element can be released from both the keyboard unit and the display unit, and the heat dissipation of the heating element can be sufficiently ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view of a portable computer showing a positional relationship between a keyboard unit and a heat sink housed in a housing;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper housing showing a positional relationship between a heat relay portion of a hinge fitting and a keyboard mounting port.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a heat sink fixed on a circuit board and a thermal relay section of a hinge fitting.
(B) is a perspective view of a heat sink.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a portable computer showing a positional relationship between a heat sink fixed on a circuit board, a keyboard unit, and a thermal relay section of a hinge fitting.
FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a contact portion between a heat relay portion of the hinge fitting and a reinforcing plate of the keyboard unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Display unit 4 ... Housing 10 ... Keyboard mounting opening 13 ... Keyboard unit 22 ... Circuit board (2nd circuit board) 31 ... Hinge metal fitting 32 ... 1st bracket 33 ... 2nd bracket 34 ... Hinge axis 36 ... Heating element (semiconductor package) 40 heat sink 51 thermal junction

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takumi Komura 1-3-3 Shinmachi, Ome-shi, Tokyo Toshiba Digital Media Engineering Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Sou Otegawa 1-3-3 Shinmachi, Ome-shi, Tokyo Toshiba Digital Media Engineering Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Motoki Tomita 1-3-3 Shinmachi, Ome-shi, Tokyo Toshiba Digital Media Engineering Co., Ltd. In-house F-term (reference) 4E360 AA02 AB04 AB05 AB12 AB17 AB20 AB42 BB02 EA13 EA14 EC14 ED04 ED16 ED23 ED27 GA02 GA24 GA52 GA53 GB46 GC02 5E322 AA11 AB06 AB11 BA01 BA05 BB03 FA04 FA05 FA06

Claims (6)

[Claims] A housing having an opening for mounting a keyboard;
A keyboard unit installed in a keyboard mounting opening of the housing; a heat sink housed inside the housing and thermally connected to a heating element and positioned below the keyboard unit; And a display unit rotatably supported via a hinge fitting. The hinge fitting integrally includes a heat relay section interposed between the heat sink and the keyboard unit inside the housing. Wherein the thermal relay unit is thermally connected to both the heat sink and the keyboard unit. 2. The keyboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard unit has a metal reinforcing plate exposed inside the housing, and the heat relay portion of the hinge fitting is thermally connected to the reinforcing plate. An electronic device which is connected. 3. The heat sink according to claim 2, wherein the heating element is mounted on a circuit board, and the heat sink is fixed on the circuit board so as to cover the heating element. An electronic device, wherein a gap exists between the keyboard unit and the reinforcing plate of the keyboard unit. 4. The heat relay unit according to claim 3, wherein the heat relay unit of the hinge fitting has a band shape extending in a depth direction of the keyboard unit, and the heat sink has a groove on an upper surface thereof through which the heat relay unit passes. Electronic equipment characterized by the following. 5. A display unit; a housing having a keyboard mounting opening; a keyboard unit installed in the keyboard mounting opening of the housing; and a heating element housed inside the housing and mounted thereon. A circuit board having an upper surface; a heat sink installed on the upper surface of the circuit board and thermally connected to the heating element and positioned below the keyboard unit; fixed to a rear end of the housing A first bracket, a second bracket fixed to the display unit, and a hinge shaft straddling the first and second brackets, and the housing and the display unit are rotatably connected. And a first bracket of the hinge fitting passes between the keyboard unit and the heat sink. It has a thermal relay portion extending towards the electronic device the heat relay unit, characterized in that it is thermally connected to both of the keyboard unit and the heat sink. 6. The heat sink according to claim 5, wherein the heat sink has a groove on an upper surface facing the keyboard unit, and the heat relay portion of the first bracket is guided to the groove portion, and the heat relay is provided. An electronic device, wherein a heat transfer sheet or grease having thermal conductivity is filled between a portion and a groove.