JP2013251452A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an electronic apparatus including a heat radiation unit which inhibits a temperature of exhaust air exhausted to the exterior from overheating while having a structure capable of efficiently exhausting heat of a heating member to the exterior.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus includes: a housing 20a where an electronic component including a heating component 24 generating heat during the operation is housed; a radiator 35 including multiple fins 36 to which the heat of the heating component 24 is transmitted; a fan 31 blowing cooling air to the radiator 35; and a duct 37 which is disposed between the radiator 35 and an exhaust port 28 formed in the housing 20a, mixes exhaust air from the radiator 35 with internal air of the housing 20a, and exhausts the mixed air from the exhaust port 28.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device having a heat-generating component that generates heat during operation, for example, an electronic device such as a notebook computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is a heat-generating component, and in particular, heat from the heat-generating component is externally provided. The present invention relates to the structure of the heat radiation unit to be released.

  For example, in the case of a notebook personal computer which is an example of an electronic device, the amount of heat generated from a heat-generating component such as a CPU increases with the performance improvement. In addition, notebook computers are required to be smaller and lighter as portable devices, so various electronic components are packed inside a narrow housing, and the heat from the heat-generating components is effectively housed. There is a need to provide a high-performance heat dissipation unit that can be discharged outside the body.

  In order to meet such demands, conventionally, a heat radiating unit including a heat radiating body including a heat radiating fin to which heat from a heat generating component is transmitted and a fan which is a blowing means for sending cooling air into the heat radiating body is used. ing. In this conventional heat radiating unit, the CPU, which is a heat generating component, is brought into contact with the heat radiating body directly or indirectly by a heat pipe or the like to transmit the heat, and the heat of the transmitted heat generating component is transmitted by cooling air from the fan. Release to the outside of the housing is performed.

  FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of a heat dissipation unit (see Patent Document 1) used in a conventional electronic device.

  A conventional heat dissipation unit 100 is arranged at a corner portion of a main body 110 of a notebook personal computer, and has an upper and lower two-layer structure including a metal substrate 101. In the upper layer of the substrate 101, a duct 103 for sucking outside air 113 from an air inlet 111 provided on one side surface of the main body 110 and sending it to the fan 102 is formed. In the lower layer of the substrate 101, a metal fin 104 for heat dissipation is formed together with the fan 102, and from an exhaust port 112 formed on a side surface different from the side surface on which the intake port 111 of the main body 110 is formed. Then, heat exchange is performed by blowing cooling air generated by the fan 102 onto the fins 104, and the heat is discharged as exhaust 114 to the outside of the main body 110. The substrate 101 is connected to a heat pipe 105 that transfers heat from the CPU (not shown), which is a heat generating component, to the substrate 101.

  In the conventional heat radiating unit 100 shown in FIG. 6, the outside air 113 is directly taken in by the fan 102, the metal substrate 101 to which the heat of the heat generating component is transferred is cooled, and the cooling air generated by the fan 102 is further applied to the substrate 101. Heat exchange is performed by blowing to the fins 104 connected to discharge the heated wind to the outside of the main body 110 as the exhaust 114, so that the heat conversion efficiency is high and the heat of the heat radiating member is a compact configuration. Can be effectively discharged to the outside of the main body 110.

JP 2000-82888 A

  The heat dissipating unit 100 of the conventional electronic device has a compact heat dissipating unit 100 itself using a metal substrate 101 and a high heat conversion efficiency, and takes in external air directly through the duct 103. Therefore, since the cooling air at a low temperature can be blown onto the fins 104, the heat of the heat generating member can be effectively released to the outside.

  In this way, the conventional heat dissipation unit is devised to release the heat of the heat generating member to the outside, but special consideration is given to the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the heat dissipation unit to the outside of the main body. Was not done. However, the higher the heat conversion efficiency in the heat dissipation unit, the higher the temperature of the exhaust discharged to the outside of the main body. Further, as the exhaust temperature rises, the casing temperature near the exhaust port formed in the main body increases.

  Normally, the exhaust vent from which high-temperature exhaust is exhausted is arranged so that it is exhausted in the direction where the user is not located when using a laptop computer, for example, the back side direction of the liquid crystal panel or the left and right direction of the keyboard , Users are less likely to be directly affected by exhaust heat. However, other members such as recording media and stationery placed on the desks around the laptop are affected by high-temperature exhaust, and in the worst case, data recorded on the recording media may be lost There is a possibility that such a member may be deformed by heat. In addition, when the exhaust temperature is high, it is necessary to design the strength to allow for a temperature rise due to exhaust when designing the housing of the main body, which may lead to high costs.

  The present invention solves the problem in the electronic device having the above-described conventional heat radiating unit, and is configured to be able to efficiently discharge the heat of the heat generating member to the outside, while the temperature of the exhaust discharged to the outside is high. An object of the present invention is to obtain an electronic device provided with a heat dissipation unit that does not become too much.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a housing in which an electronic component including a heat generating component that generates heat during operation is housed, and a heat dissipator including a plurality of fins to which heat generated from the heat generating component is transmitted. A fan that blows cooling air to the radiator and an exhaust port formed in the radiator and the casing, and the exhaust from the radiator and the air inside the casing are mixed. And a duct for discharging from the exhaust port.

  The electronic device of the present invention includes a duct that mixes and exhausts the exhaust from the radiator and the air inside the casing between the radiator and the exhaust port of the casing. For this reason, the exhaust from the radiator whose temperature has been increased by the heat of the heat generating member transmitted to the radiator can be discharged to the outside of the casing by lowering the temperature by the air inside the casing. An electronic device that is prevented from occurring can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the example of schematic structure of the notebook computer concerning this embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main structures of the thermal radiation unit in the notebook computer concerning this embodiment. It is a horizontal sectional view which shows the structure of the thermal radiation unit of the notebook computer concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the duct used for the thermal radiation unit of the notebook computer concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a different shape of the duct used for the thermal radiation unit of the notebook computer concerning this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of the conventional heat radiating unit.

  An electronic device according to the present invention includes a housing that houses an electronic component including a heat-generating component that generates heat during operation, a heat radiator that includes a plurality of fins to which heat generated from the heat-generating component is transmitted, and a cooling to the heat radiator. Arranged between a fan that blows air, the heat radiator and an exhaust port formed in the housing, and mixes exhaust from the heat radiator and air inside the housing and discharges from the exhaust port And a duct.

  The electronic device according to the present invention includes a duct that mixes the exhaust from the radiator and the air inside the casing and discharges it from the exhaust outlet between the radiator and the exhaust outlet of the casing. For this reason, after being introduced into the radiator as cooling air by the fan, the exhaust whose temperature has been increased by heat exchange in the radiator is not discharged directly to the outside of the casing, but the temperature inside the casing is relatively low. Mixing with air, the temperature of the exhaust can be lowered and discharged. As a result, it is possible to effectively avoid the occurrence of problems caused by high-temperature exhaust hitting various members placed near the exhaust port of the housing or the housing itself.

  In the electronic device having the above-described configuration, the duct has an exhaust outlet on the exhaust outlet side larger than the exhaust inlet on the radiator side, and a side surface between the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet, It is preferable that an air inflow port through which air inside the housing can flow is formed. By doing in this way, the exhaust from a heat radiator and the air inside a housing | casing can be mixed and discharged | emitted from an exhaust port in a duct by simple structure.

  In this case, a step portion may be formed on the side surface of the duct, and the air inlet opening to the exhaust inlet side may be formed by the step portion. Further, the side surface of the duct may be configured by an inclined surface formed from the exhaust inlet to the exhaust outlet. By adopting these configurations, the air inside the casing can be caused to flow into the duct by the exhaust gas passing through the duct, and mixed with the exhaust gas from the heating element to be discharged.

(Embodiment of the Invention)
Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, a case where an electronic device is a notebook computer will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 shows a notebook computer 1 as an electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In the notebook personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the lid 10 having a display device 12 such as a liquid crystal panel disposed on the inner surface is opposed to the main body 20 having an input device such as a keyboard 21 and a pointing device 22 disposed on the surface. The hinge mechanism 11 is rotatably attached.

  Inside the main unit 20, a secondary battery (not shown) that is an operating power source of the notebook computer 1, a hard disk drive (HDD) that is not shown that is a main recording device, and other electrical components are arranged. Note that the notebook computer 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, an antenna module for wireless LAN communication, a disk drive corresponding to a Blu-ray disc or a DVD disc, a web camera element, an audio microphone, a speaker, and other various input / output terminals. Although these functions and shapes are the same as those of a conventionally known notebook computer, illustration and detailed description are omitted.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the main body 20 of the notebook computer 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, among various electronic components arranged inside the main body 20, the central processing element (CPU) 24, which is a representative heat-generating component having the highest temperature during operation, and the heat of the CPU 24 are transmitted to the main body 20. Only the vicinity of the heat radiating unit 30 discharged to the outside of the casing 20a constituting the outer shell is shown in an enlarged manner.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a CPU 24 is mounted on a circuit board 23 inside the main body 20 of the notebook computer 1 of the present embodiment, and below the keyboard 21 disposed on the surface of the main body 20. ing. On the upper surface of the CPU 24, a heat receiving portion 25 for transmitting heat generated when the CPU 24 operates to the heat radiating unit 30 is disposed. The heat receiving portion 25 is fixed by a fixing member 26 having spring-like legs so as to be pressed against the CPU 24 which is a heat source.

  A heat pipe 27 made of, for example, copper is connected to the heat receiving portion 25 to transmit the received heat to the heat radiating body 35 of the heat radiating unit 30. In the heat pipe 27, for example, a heat conductive medium such as alternative chlorofluorocarbon having high thermal conductivity is enclosed, and the heat of the CPU 24 transmitted to the heat receiving unit 25 is efficiently transmitted to the heat radiating body 35.

  The notebook personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a fan 31, a heat radiating body 35, and a duct 37 as a heat radiating unit 30 for effectively releasing the heat of the CPU 24 to the outside of the housing 20 a of the main body 20. . Cooling air that is sucked and blown from a suction port 32 a formed on the upper surface of the fan case 32 by the fan 31 disposed adjacent to the heat radiator 35 is introduced into the heat radiator 35. The cooling air introduced into the heat radiating body 35 passes through the gaps between the fins 36 provided inside the heat radiating body 35, so that the temperature rises due to the heat of the heat generating member transmitted to the heat radiating body 35. The duct 37 includes an air inlet 39, and the exhaust discharged from the radiator 35 and the air inside the housing 20 a taken into the duct by the air inlet are mixed in the duct 37, and the main body 20 from the exhaust port. Is discharged outside.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the heat dissipation unit in the notebook computer of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, each detailed structure of the fan 31 which comprises the thermal radiation unit 30, the thermal radiation body 35, and the duct 37 arrange | positioned between the thermal radiation body 35 and the exhaust port 28 provided in the housing | casing 20a. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which each member is cut along a horizontal plane parallel to the main surface on which the keyboard 21 of the main body 20 of the notebook computer 1 is disposed.

  The fan 31 takes in ambient air from a suction port 32a shown in FIG. 2 formed on the upper surface of the fan case 32, as the blades 33 accommodated in the fan case 32 rotate about the rotation shaft 34. Then, the air is blown out as cooling air from the discharge port 32b on the radiator 35 side. In FIG. 3, a sirocco fan in which the blades 33 are configured with a large number of forward blades is illustrated as the fan 31 of the present embodiment. However, the overall shape of the fan 31, the shape of the suction port 32 a, and the rotation shaft 34 are illustrated. The shape of the blades 33 or the like that circulate around is merely an example, and the fan 31 can be any of various forms that have been used in the past as long as the surrounding air can be sucked from the suction port and blown from the discharge port. The cooling fan (heat radiating fan) can be used.

  The heat radiating body 35 is made of metal such as copper having high thermal conductivity, and a plurality of thin plate-like fins 36 are blown out from the fan 31 toward the outside of the housing 20a, the main surface being the widest surface. The cooling air is arranged along the flow direction and in parallel with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fan 31 used in the heat dissipation unit 30 of the notebook computer 1 according to the present embodiment has a discharge port 32 b that discharges cooling air accommodated inside the main body 20 of the notebook computer. In the state where it is made, it becomes a horizontally long substantially rectangular shape. In order that the cooling air from the fan 31 can be introduced into the heat radiating body 35 without being released into the housing, the heat radiating body 35 of the cooling unit 30 of the present embodiment has an end surface 35 a that contacts the fan 31. The included outer shape is a horizontally long, substantially rectangular shape having the same width and height as the outer shape of the discharge port 32 b of the fan 31.

  Between the heat radiating body 35 and the discharge port 28 formed in the housing 20a that discharges the exhaust gas that has passed through the heat radiating body 35 and is subjected to heat exchange to rise in temperature, the heat radiating body 35 A hollow cylindrical duct 37 as a whole is disposed in contact with the end surface 35b opposite to the end surface 35a in contact with the fan 31 and formed of metal or resin.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a duct used in the cooling unit of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the exhaust inlet 37 a that is an opening on the side of the radiator 35 of the duct 37 has a horizontally long and substantially rectangular shape having the same width and height as the end surface 35 b of the radiator 35. ing. On the other hand, the height of the exhaust outlet 37b on the exhaust outlet 28 side of the duct 37 is the same as the height of the exhaust inlet 37a, but has a horizontally long substantially rectangular shape whose width is larger than the width of the exhaust inlet 37a. Thus, the exhaust outlet 37b is formed larger than the exhaust inlet 37a. Further, in the duct 37 shown in the present embodiment, a stepped portion 38 is formed at an intermediate portion in the exhaust passage direction on the side surface connecting the exhaust inlet 37a and the exhaust outlet 37b. That is, the height of the duct 37 of the present embodiment is constant in the state of being accommodated in the main body 20 of the notebook computer 1, and the width of the radiator 35 side is narrow from the intermediate portion in the exhaust passage direction. In addition, the width of the exhaust port 28 is widened from the intermediate portion in the direction in which the exhaust passes. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, two horizontally long tubes having the same height but different widths are connected.

  At the stepped portion 38 formed in the intermediate portion of the duct 37 in the exhaust passage direction, the exhaust flow on the radiator 35 side is utilized by utilizing the step difference due to the difference in lateral width between the radiator 35 side and the exhaust port 28 side. Two air inlets 29 are formed on the inlet side. Thus, by forming the air inlet 29 which is an opening on the exhaust inlet 37a side of the duct 37, when the exhaust gas indicated by the white arrow 41 in FIG. The air inside the 20 cases 20a is drawn into the duct 37 from the air inlet 39 as indicated by white arrows 42 in FIG. As a result, at the exhaust outlet 37b of the duct 37, the heat is exchanged by the heat radiating body 35 and the temperature is increased, and the exhaust flowing in from the exhaust inlet 37a and the cooling unit 30 having a relatively low temperature are present. The air flowing in from the air inlet 39 is mixed and discharged from the exhaust outlet 37b. In this way, the exhaust gas discharged from the duct 37 has a temperature lower than that of the exhaust gas released from the radiator 35 by mixing the exhaust gas and the air inside the housing 20a.

  As described above, in the cooling unit 30 of the present embodiment, the duct in which the exhaust outlet 37b is larger than the exhaust inlet 37a between the radiator 35 and the exhaust outlet 28, and the air inlet 39 is formed on the side surface in the middle. 37 is provided, the exhaust gas and the air inside the housing 20a can be mixed, and the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the housing 20a can be lowered.

  In the duct 37 of the cooling unit 30 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a stepped portion 38 is formed at a substantially intermediate portion between the exhaust inlet 37 a and the exhaust outlet 37 b, and the air inlet 39 is disposed in the stepped portion 38. doing. However, it is not essential to form the stepped portion 38 in the duct 37 and the air inlet 39 formed by using the stepped portion 38 in the intermediate portion in the exhaust passage direction. For example, a step portion may be provided in the exhaust inlet 37a of the duct 37 or in the vicinity thereof, or in the vicinity of the exhaust outlet 37b, and the air inlet may be formed using the step portion. However, it is effective in reducing the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the exhaust outlet 37b of the duct 37 that the air in the housing 20a flowing in from the air inlet is sufficiently mixed with the exhaust from the radiator 35. Therefore, it is more preferable that the air inlet is located near the exhaust inlet 37a of the duct 37.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing examples of different shapes of ducts used in the cooling unit 30 of the present embodiment.

  A duct 47 having a different shape shown in FIG. 5 has an exhaust inflow port 47a, which is an opening on the side of the heat radiating body 35, having a horizontally long, substantially rectangular shape having the same width and height as the end face 35b of the heat radiating body 35. 4 is the same as the duct 37 shown in FIG. 4 in that the exhaust outlet 47b on the side of the exhaust outlet 28 has the same height and a substantially rectangular shape with a width larger than the width of the exhaust inlet 47a. There is a difference in that a side surface 48 connecting the exhaust inlet 47a and the exhaust outlet 47b is an inclined surface formed from the exhaust inlet 47a to the exhaust outlet 47b.

  In the duct 47 having a different shape shown in FIG. 5, an air inlet 49 is formed on a side surface 48 formed as an inclined surface. Thus, even when the side surface 48 is an inclined surface and the air inlet 49 is formed on the side surface 48, the so-called Bernoulli effect that is generated when the exhaust gas passes through the duct 47 causes the body portion 20 to move from the air inlet 49. The air inside the casing 20 a is drawn into the duct 47, and the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the exhaust outlet 47 b of the duct 47 can be made lower than the exhaust temperature in a state where the air is discharged from the radiator 35.

  As described above, the notebook computer according to the present embodiment includes a duct between the heat radiating body of the heat radiating unit and the housing, and the exhaust from the heat radiating body and the air inside the housing are mixed and exhausted in the duct. Can be discharged from the mouth. For this reason, it is possible to maintain high heat dissipation efficiency by using air blown from the fan, so that it is possible to sufficiently cope with an increase in the amount of heat generated from the heat generating components due to the improvement of the CPU capacity and the exhaust temperature becomes high. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the adverse effect of the heat of the exhaust on the members placed around the exhaust port.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the duct used in the cooling unit 30 of the present embodiment has a larger exhaust outlet than the radiator inlet and has air on the side. By providing the inflow port, the air inside the housing can be effectively drawn into the duct using the so-called Bernoulli effect, so it can be mixed with the exhaust discharged from the radiator in the duct. The exhaust temperature can be lowered. In the present embodiment, the duct illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 has a horizontally long cross section in accordance with the shape of the fan and the heat radiating body. However, the cross section of the duct is limited to a horizontally long rectangle. Needless to say, you can't. That is, the exhaust inlet has the same shape as the exhaust outlet of the radiator to allow the exhaust from the radiator to flow in, or the shape that allows the air inside the casing to flow simultaneously. It can be made into the shape corresponding to the exhaust port formed in the body.

  In addition, in the case where there is a restriction on the shape of the duct due to the arrangement of other members inside the housing or the shape of the space where the cooling unit can be arranged, the duct has a bent portion in the middle, and the exhaust inlet and It can also be set as the shape which does not oppose an exhaust outlet.

  In the case where an air inlet for sucking air inside the housing is provided to mix the exhaust and air, it is more preferable to make the exhaust outlet larger than the exhaust inlet, but the housing due to the effect of Bernoulli If the internal air can flow into the duct and reduce the temperature of the exhaust, it is not an essential requirement for the duct of the present embodiment that the air outlet is larger than the air inlet.

  In addition, the duct used in the cooling unit of the present embodiment is provided with an air inlet if the exhaust gas from the radiator and the air inside the housing can be mixed to lower the temperature of the exhaust gas. That is not an essential requirement. For example, it is also possible to provide a bypass path that blows air from a fan that sends cooling air to the radiator to bypass the radiator and blow it to the duct.

  In the cooling unit 30 shown in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the fan 31, the heat radiating body 35, and the duct 37 are all in contact with each other has been described. In order to efficiently use the cooling air from the fan 31 to exchange heat with the radiator 35 and to lower the exhaust temperature from the exhaust port 28 of the housing 20a, the fan 31, the radiator 35, and the duct 37 are used. Are preferably brought into contact with each other, for example, by screwing to reduce leakage of air from the respective connection surfaces. Moreover, forming several members integrally with one member is also highly effective in suppressing air leakage.

  On the other hand, it is not an essential requirement of the present invention that the fan 31, the radiator 35, and the duct 37 are in contact with each other. If air leakage does not become a problem, it may be considered that the members need not be in contact with each other only by arranging the members in the vicinity. Further, for example, in order to prevent air leakage, the opening area of the member located on the side of the exhaust port, which is the air outlet, is increased, and the members are arranged so as to cover the periphery of the opening of the adjacent member. The cooling unit can be realized in various forms.

  In addition, as the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment, a laptop computer in which a lid having a display device disposed on the inner surface is fixed to the main body so as to be rotatable is described as an example. The electronic device of the invention is not limited to such a notebook personal computer, but includes various portable electronic devices such as a tablet personal computer, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, a small television receiver, a Blu-ray displayer, and a navigation system. It can also be used for various electronic devices such as desktop computers and liquid crystal projectors.

  In the above embodiment, the CPU is illustrated as a heat generating component that generates heat during operation. However, the heat generating component is not limited to the CPU, and a semiconductor chip for image processing such as a video board or a secondary battery, Various heat-generating components that should release the heat to the outside of the housing can be targeted.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the example which used the heat pipe was shown as a means to transmit the heat | fever from CPU to a heat radiator, a heat radiator is directly attached to CPU which is a heat-emitting component via a heat conductive adhesive. By fixing, the heat from the heat-generating component can be directly transmitted to the heat radiating body.

  The electronic device according to the present invention includes a duct between the radiator and the exhaust port as a heat radiating unit that discharges heat from the heat-generating components in the housing to the outside, and mixes with the air inside the housing from the exhaust port. It can be applied to various applications as an electronic device that can reduce the temperature of the exhaust gas and secure high heat dissipation efficiency and also consider safety.

1 Notebook PC (electronic equipment)
20 Main Body 20a Housing 24 CPU (Heat Generation Component)
28 Exhaust Port 30 Heat Dissipation Unit 31 Fan 35 Radiator 36 Fin 37 Duct

Claims (4)

A housing containing electronic components including heat-generating components that generate heat during operation;
A radiator having a plurality of fins to which heat generated from the heat-generating component is transmitted;
A fan for blowing cooling air to the radiator;
A duct that is disposed between the heat radiating body and an exhaust port formed in the housing, and that mixes exhaust from the heat radiating body and air inside the housing and discharges the air from the exhaust port; Electronic equipment characterized by   In the duct, an exhaust outlet on the exhaust outlet side is formed larger than an exhaust inlet on the radiator side, and air inside the housing flows into a side surface between the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a possible air inlet is formed.   The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a step portion is formed on the side surface of the duct, and the air inlet opening to the exhaust inlet side is formed by the step portion.   The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the side surface of the duct is configured by an inclined surface formed from the exhaust inlet to the exhaust outlet.

Images