JP2000065489A - Cooler for personal computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce in size and weight in a cooler for a personal computer. SOLUTION: In the cooler for a personal computer comprising an operating member 14 for heating in a personal computer body 12, and a display operable at a rotary shaft 16 of a hinge mechanism to the body 12; the member 14 is mounted to transfer heat, one end of the shaft 16 is held rotatably at its central axis as a center, and a connector 17 is provided one end of a heat pipe 15 rotatably held with its central axis as a center coaxially with the shaft 16, Further, the other end of the pipe 15 is arranged to transfer the heat to a radiating position 26 of the display.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling method for operating members such as a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) or a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) mounted on a personal computer using a heat pipe. The present invention relates to a cooling device having such a configuration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called notebook type or sub-note type personal computer, the output of operating members such as a CPU and an HDD has been increased with increasing functions and processing speed. On the other hand, miniaturization and weight reduction of this type of personal computer are strongly desired. Therefore, the space that can be occupied by the device for cooling the operating member in the internal space of the personal computer case is also limited.

Therefore, conventionally, various cooling devices employing heat pipes having an excellent heat transport capability have been proposed. 4 and 5 show an example of a conventional cooling device for a personal computer. In these figures, the personal computer body 1 is made of a thin rectangular container formed of a plastic panel or a metal panel, and has a size of about A5 to A4 in JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard).
On the upper surface of the personal computer body 1, a display 2 is provided which can be freely opened and closed within a predetermined range around a rotation axis (not shown). Inside the display 2, an electromagnetic shielding plate 3 made of a thin aluminum plate is integrally attached.

[0004] In addition, a C
PU4 is installed. A heat transfer plate 5 is provided on the upper surface of the CPU 4. Further, a connector 6 is provided in the vicinity of the display 2 inside the personal computer body 1, and is attached to the personal computer body 1 by appropriate means.

The connector 6 is composed of two heat pipes and a holding block 7 for holding these heat pipes integrally. More specifically, the holding block 7 is a metal block made of, for example, copper, aluminum, or the like. The holding block 7 has a hole 8 formed by arranging two circular holes having the same diameter in a vertically communicating state. Are formed so as to penetrate to both side surfaces in FIG. The hole 8 has a straight shape.

One end of the first heat pipe 9 is inserted into the space above the hole 8 in FIG. 5 from the right side. Note that this end is disposed on the same axis as the rotation axis.
That is, the first heat pipe 9 can rotate favorably inside the holding block 7 about its central axis. On the other hand, the other end of the first heat pipe 9 is bent at a substantially right angle and is attached in a posture along the electromagnetic shielding plate 3.

On the other hand, a second heat pipe 10 is inserted into the space below the hole 8 in the holding block 7 from the left side, and is fixed by, for example, an adhesive. On the upper surface of a portion of the second heat pipe 10 disposed inside the holding block 7, a recess 11 extending along the axial direction of the container is formed. The recess 11 has an arc shape curved in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the container of the first heat pipe 9. That is, the depression 1
The radius of curvature of 1 is set substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the lower part of the first heat pipe 9.

Accordingly, the lower portion of the container of the first heat pipe 9 is fitted inside the holding block 7 along the recess 11. Further, the first heat pipe 9 is not fixed to the second heat pipe 10 and the hole 8, and the first heat pipe 9 and the holding block 7 can freely move about the center axis of the first heat pipe 9. It is configured to be able to rotate relatively. On the other hand, the other end of the second heat pipe 10 is fixed to the upper surface of the heat transfer plate 5. Therefore, the CPU 4 and the second heat pipe 10 are connected so that heat can be transmitted.

Therefore, when heat is generated from the CPU 4 with use of the notebook type personal computer, the heat is transmitted to one end of the second heat pipe 10 via the heat transfer plate 5,
The heat pipe operation starts automatically. That is, the working fluid vapor is generated inside the container, and the vapor flows toward the end of the container held by the connector 6, where it radiates heat to the first heat pipe 9 and condenses.

That is, heat is transmitted from the second heat pipe 10 to the first heat pipe 9. Then, the first heat pipe 9 starts operating. Specifically, the steam of the working fluid W is generated on the inner surface of the end of the container held by the holding block 7, and the steam flows toward the end disposed on the electromagnetic shielding plate 3. Then, heat is released to the electromagnetic shielding plate 3 and condensed. The heat is transmitted from the electromagnetic shielding plate 3 to the display 2 and is dissipated from there to the outside. As a result, the CPU 4 is cooled and overheating is prevented.

[0011]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cooling device, in addition to the usual mechanical hinge mechanism for opening and closing the display 2 and the personal computer 1 in an openable and closable manner, two heat transport members are provided. Since a so-called thermal hinge mechanism for holding the heat pipes so as to be able to transfer heat to each other and to be rotatable is provided, the number of parts is large. In addition, in the above-mentioned conventional cooling device, the ends of the two heat pipes are overlapped with each other in order to make the heat transfer area between the first heat pipe 9 and the second heat pipe 10 as large as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the connector 6 in the radial direction of both heat pipes.

Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional cooling device is small in size and size.
There has been a problem that is not suitable for the recent personal computers for which weight reduction is desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a personal computer cooling device that can be made compact.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operating member which generates heat by operating inside a personal computer main body and hinges to the personal computer main body. In a cooling device for a personal computer provided with a display that can be opened and closed about a rotation axis of a mechanism, the operating member is attached so as to be able to exchange heat, and one end of the rotation axis is rotated about its central axis. And a connector that holds one end of the heat pipe rotatably about its central axis on the same axis as the axis of rotation, and the other end can exchange heat with the heat radiating point of the display. And the heat pipe disposed in the heat pipe.

Therefore, in the present invention, the connector serves both as a mechanical hinge mechanism for opening and closing the display to the personal computer body and a thermal hinge mechanism for holding the heat pipe in a state where the opening and closing operation of the display is not hindered. The heat pipe required is 1
In addition to being a book, an independent thermal hinge mechanism for connecting a plurality of heat pipes is not required, so that the cooling device as a whole can be reduced in size and weight.

Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to actively exchange heat between the heat pipe and the rotating shaft.
It is possible to hold the two ends simply by arranging them on the same axis with the connector. In other words,
It is not necessary to increase the heat transfer area by, for example, overlapping the ends, and accordingly, the heat pipe or the connector in the radial direction of the rotating shaft can be downsized.

Further, according to the present invention, when the operating member generates heat, the heat is transmitted to the connector and further transmitted to one end of the heat pipe. As a result, the liquid-phase working fluid evaporates inside the end of the heat pipe held by the connector, and the working fluid vapor flows toward the end of the container that is arranged on the display side,
Radiates and condenses to heat radiating points. Further, the heat is radiated from the heat radiation portion to the outside of the display. As a result, the operating member is cooled and overheating is prevented.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The personal computer case 12 corresponding to the personal computer body of the present invention is a relatively thin rectangular hollow container formed of a plastic panel or a metal panel similarly to a conventionally known one, and has a size of A5 to A4 according to JIS. It is of the order of magnitude.

A keyboard (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of the personal computer case 12 by fitting or the like. On the bottom inside the PC case 12,
As an example, a heat transfer member 13 made of a rectangular parallelepiped aluminum block is provided. On the upper surface of the heat transfer member 13, a CPU 14 corresponding to an operation member of the present invention is installed.

On the other hand, on the side surface of the heat transfer member 13,
A connector 17 as a holding means for the heat pipe 15 and the rotating shaft 16 is detachably attached by means such as screwing. Specifically, the connector 17 is a metal block made of Cu, Al, or the like, and is provided along a flat plate portion 18 that is in surface contact with and closely contacts the side surface portion of the heat transfer member 13 and along the upper edge of the flat plate portion 18. Almost cylindrical part 19
And

The cylindrical portion 19 is provided with a circular hole 20 which penetrates linearly to the opposite end face and has a constant inner diameter. Although not particularly shown, a thermal joint is applied to the inner wall surface of the circular hole 20. In addition, the cylindrical portion 19 is formed with a linear slit 21 which is opened above the circular hole 20 in FIG. Furthermore, three covers 22 that cover the outer peripheral surface and the slit 21 are attached to the cylindrical portion 19.

Each cover 22 has a deformed cylindrical shape which is equally divided into three in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 19. The cover 22 is formed by tightening the cylindrical portion 19 from the outside and adjusting the width of the slit 21 so that the circular hole 2 is formed.
0 and a heat pipe 15 and a rotating shaft 16 to be described later.
This is a member for preventing the loosening from occurring between the outer peripheral surface of the member.

The connector 17 is attached to the personal computer case with the column portion 19 oriented parallel to the bottom surface and the edge of the personal computer case.
More specifically, the connector 17 is formed by screwing or fitting in such a manner that the surface of the flat plate portion 18 opposite to the surface on which the heat transfer member 13 is attached is brought into close contact with the inner surface of one side wall surface of the personal computer case. Is fixed to the aforementioned side wall surface. If necessary, a heat insulating material may be provided between the connector 17 and the heat transfer member 13 and the wall of the personal computer case.

The circular hole 20 provided in the connector 17 has
A rotating shaft 16 made of a solid metal having a circular cross section is inserted from the right side in FIG. The rotating shaft 16 is not fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the circular hole 20 and is thus held rotatably about its central axis. The insertion length of the rotating shaft 16 is set to about 1/3 of the entire length of the circular hole 20.

On the other hand, the other end of the rotating shaft 16 is locked by a sleeve member 23 attached to the lower edge of the display unit 29 in FIG. More specifically,
The sleeve member 23 has a configuration in which a circular mounting hole 25 is provided at one edge portion of the flat plate portion 24, and the display portion 29 has a posture in which the mounting hole 25 is aligned with the circular hole 20 of the connector 17 on the same axis. Are fixed to the lower edge portion on the right side in FIG. As the fixing means, for example, screwing the plate portion 24 and the display portion 29 can be mentioned.

As described above, inside the mounting hole 25,
One end of the rotating shaft 16 is inserted and held so as to be rotatable about its central axis. The display unit 29
Is a rectangular plate-shaped hollow container having a screen (not shown) on one side, and an electromagnetic shielding plate 26 made of a thin aluminum plate inside. Further, a hinge 27 is provided on the left side of the lower edge of the display unit 29 in FIG.

The hinge 27 has two sleeve members 23.
And one shaft member 28. That is, the sleeve members 23 are attached to the display unit 29 and the personal computer, respectively, such that the attachment holes 25 are aligned with the circular holes 20 of the connector 17 on the same axis. The shaft member 28 is provided inside the mounting holes 25 in series.
Are inserted and held, and the sleeve members 23 are integrally connected.

Therefore, the hinge 27 and the pivot 16
Sleeve member 2 attached to connector 17 through
3 connects the display unit 29 to the personal computer case. That is, the shaft member 28 and the rotating shaft 16
The display unit 29 which is opened and closed with respect to the personal computer case 12 by rotating about
Two edges are provided on one edge on the upper end side. Therefore, the right side of the cylindrical portion 19 of the connector 17 in FIG.
The range 3, the rotation shaft 16 and the sleeve member 23 correspond to the hinge mechanism of the present invention.

On the other hand, one end of the heat pipe 15 is inserted into the circular hole 20 of the connector 17 from the left side in FIG. The insertion length of the heat pipe 15 is set to, for example, ／ of the entire length of the circular hole 20. That is, the tip of the heat pipe 15 and the tip of the rotating shaft 16 abut inside the circular hole 20. Both are arranged on the same axis. Heat pipe 15
Is formed in a circular cross section having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the circular hole 20, and is not fixed to the circular hole 20. Therefore, the heat pipe 15 is configured to be freely rotatable inside the circular hole 20 about the center axis thereof.

On the other hand, the other end of the heat pipe 15 is bent at a substantially right angle and the electromagnetic shielding plate 26
1 is inserted into a holding portion 30 formed integrally with the lower edge portion in FIG. As described above, the condensing part of the heat pipe 15 is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with the electromagnetic shielding plate 26 corresponding to the heat radiation part of the present invention. That is, the evaporating section of the heat pipe 15 rotates along the central axis while being in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the circular hole 20 in accordance with the standing / tilting operation of the display section 29. That is, the range of the connector 17 on the left-hand side in FIG. 2 is a thermal hinge mechanism.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the mechanical hinge mechanism for connecting the display unit 29 to the personal computer case so as to be openable and closable and the thermal hinge mechanism for rotatably holding the heat pipe 15 are connected to the connector 17. Since the heat pipe 15 and the rotating shaft 16 are held rotatably and in a non-overlapping state, the number of heat pipes can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. Thus, the heat pipe 15 and the rotating shaft 16 in the connector 17 can be made compact in the radial direction. Therefore, the size and weight of the entire cooling device can be reduced.

Next, the cooling operation in the above specific example will be described. Also in the above notebook personal computer, heat is generated from the CPU 14 with use. When the personal computer is used, the display unit 29 is usually in an upright state. The heat is transmitted to the connector 17 via the heat transfer member 13 and further transmitted to one end of the heat pipe 15. This causes a temperature difference at both ends of the heat pipe 15, so that the heat pipe 15 automatically starts operating.

Specifically, the working fluid vapor is generated inside the area of the container inserted into the circular hole 20, and the vapor flows toward the end disposed on the display unit 29, and the electromagnetic shielding is performed. The heat is released to the plate 26 and condensed.
Further, the heat is transmitted from the electromagnetic shielding plate 26 to the display unit 29 and is radiated from the surface to the outside. as a result,
The CPU 14 is cooled. The working fluid that has returned to the liquid phase is recirculated by gravity or the like toward the end of the container disposed inside the circular hole 20 of the connector 17, where it is heated by the heat of the CPU 14 and evaporates again.

In the above-mentioned specific example, the electromagnetic shielding plate is exemplified as the heat radiating portion. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific example. For example, the condenser of the heat pipe is exposed to the outer wall surface of the display unit. It is good also as a structure along. Further, in the above specific example, the CPU mounted on the notebook type personal computer was used as the operating member to be cooled. However, the present invention is not limited to the above specific example. For example, an HDD or SVGA (super Video graphic array). Alternatively, the connector and the heat transfer member may be integrally formed of the same material.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the operating member is mounted so as to be able to exchange heat, and the one end of the rotating shaft is held rotatably about its central axis. And a connector holding one end of the heat pipe rotatably about its central axis on the same axis as the rotation axis, and the other end is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with a heat radiating portion of the display. It has a heat pipe, and in addition to reducing the number of heat pipes compared to the past,
Since the connector in the radial direction of the heat pipe can be made compact, the size and weight of the entire cooling device can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an assembled state of a connector, a heat pipe, and a rotating shaft.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement relationship between a personal computer case and a connector.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional cooling device for a personal computer.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a connector in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

12: PC case, 13: Heat transfer member, 14: C
PU, 15: Heat pipe, 16: Rotating shaft, 17
... Connector, 23 ... Sleeve member, 26 ... Electromagnetic shielding plate, 27 ... Hinge, 28 ... Shaft member, 29 ... Display part.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tan Nuen 1-5-1, Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo F-term in Fujikura Co., Ltd. (reference) 5E322 AA11 AB11 CA05 DB10 EA11 FA01 FA04 5F036 AA01 BB08 BB21 BB60

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cooling device for a personal computer, comprising: an operating member that generates heat by operating inside the personal computer; and a display that can be opened and closed about the rotation axis of a hinge mechanism with respect to the personal computer. In the above, while the operating member is attached so as to be able to exchange heat,
One end of the rotating shaft is rotatably held about its central axis, and one end of the heat pipe is held on the same axis as the rotating shaft so as to be rotatable about its central axis. A cooling device for a personal computer, comprising: a connector; and the heat pipe, the other end of which is provided so as to be able to exchange heat with a heat radiating portion of the display.