JP3107730B2 - Cooling structure of portable personal computer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling structure for a portable personal computer that cools an arithmetic processing unit provided in the portable personal computer by using a heat pipe that transports heat as latent heat of a working fluid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called portable personal computers of the notebook type and the sub notebook type have been remarkably spread. Since the main purpose of this type of personal computer is portability, a reduction in size and weight is strongly desired. Therefore, naturally, the space occupied by the cooling element in the internal space of the personal computer is extremely limited. On the other hand, the output of the arithmetic processing unit is increasing year by year with the increase in the number of functions and the speed processing. Therefore, conventionally, a heat pipe having an excellent heat transporting power has been attracting attention as a cooling element.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a conventional cooling device for a portable personal computer. In this figure, the personal computer 1
Is formed of a relatively thin hollow rectangular container made of a plastic panel, a metal panel, or the like, and has a size of about A4 size according to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard). A keyboard unit 2 and a display unit 3 are provided on the upper surface of the personal computer 1. The keyboard unit 2 and the display unit 3 are respectively connected to the personal computer 1
It is configured to freely rotate within a predetermined range around a rotation shaft 4 formed on the side, and is a so-called opening / closing member. That is, the keyboard unit 2 and the display unit 3 can be raised upward from the personal computer main body 1, respectively, or can be tilted toward the personal computer main body 1 from that state.

The display unit 3 has a liquid crystal screen 5 on one side.
A hollow aluminum container having a substantially flat plate shape provided with an aluminum plate 5 is mounted on the inner surface thereof as an electromagnetic shield plate. Also, the back side of the keyboard unit 2 (the PC main unit 1)
Side), the same aluminum thin plate 5 as described above is mounted. The thin aluminum plate 5 is usually provided as a standard feature in notebook personal computers. Of the two divided internal spaces of the personal computer body 1, a removable hard disk drive 6, a floppy disk drive, and a battery (both not shown) are provided in the space on the front side (the keyboard unit 2 side in FIG. 4A). ) Etc. are stored. Here, the above-described standing / tilting operation (opening / closing operation) of the keyboard unit 2 with respect to the personal computer body 1 is performed when the hard disk drive 6, the battery, and the like are exchanged.

On the other hand, at the bottom of the space on the rear side of the personal computer main body 1, one end of a first heat pipe 7 is disposed in a state of being inserted into an aluminum block 8. The aluminum block 8 is fixed to the personal computer body 1 by an appropriate means. A CPU 9 is mounted on the upper surface of the aluminum block 8.
Above 9, a plurality of printed circuit boards 10 are provided.

The other end of each of the first heat pipes 7 is bent at a substantially right angle in the vertical direction in FIG. 4B with respect to the end provided on the aluminum block 8 side. Further, it extends on the same axis as the center axis of the rotating shaft 4 on the display unit 3 side. The end of the second heat pipe 12 is rotatably fitted to the end of the double pipe structure. Therefore, the connecting portion 13 between the first heat pipe 7 and the second heat pipe 12 is formed on the same axis as the central axis of the rotating shaft 4. The other end of the second heat pipe 12 is disposed in close contact with the back surface of the aluminum thin plate 5 on the display side 3 so that heat can be transferred. That is,
The end of the second heat pipe 12 is disposed in the internal space of the display unit 3.

Therefore, with the use of a personal computer,
When heat is generated in U9, the heat is transmitted to one end of each first heat pipe 7 via the aluminum block 8, and the heat pipe operation is automatically started. That is, CPU
The heat of 9 evaporates the working fluid into vapor, which flows toward the other end of the container. As described above, since the distal end of each first heat pipe 7 is covered with the outer circumference by the second heat pipe 12, the heat of the CPU 9 is transmitted from the first heat pipe 7 to the second heat pipe 12.
Then, the second heat pipe 12 starts operating. The working fluid in each of the first heat pipes 7 that has been radiated and liquefied returns to the evaporating section due to gravity.

On the other hand, the vapor of the working fluid generated in the second heat pipe 12 flows toward the end disposed on the aluminum thin plate 13 side, where heat is taken away and condensed. As described above, the heat generated inside the personal computer body 1 is released into the display unit 3 via the first heat pipe 7 and the second heat pipe 12, and as a result, the CPU 9 is cooled.

[0009]

As described above, in this type of personal computer, the CPU output has been increasing year by year with the increase in the number of functions and the processing speed. Improvement is also strongly demanded.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cooling device,
Although the aluminum thin plate 13 provided inside the display unit 3 is used as a direct heat sink of the second heat pipe 12, the heat released from the aluminum thin plate 13 is radiated to the outside of the display unit 3 by the display. Part 3
Because the case itself and the air inside the case itself are mediated, the thermal resistance must be increased. For this reason, in the cooling device described above, there is a possibility that the CPU 9 cannot be cooled sufficiently, particularly when the personal computer is used continuously for a long time.

By the way, as an example of means for upgrading the functions of a personal computer, replacement of the display unit 3 is known. At that time, the display unit 3 and the personal computer 1 are naturally separated from each other. As mentioned above,
In the cooling device described above, the end of the first heat pipe 7 is fitted to the end of the double pipe structure of the second heat pipe 12, and the connecting portions 13 are coaxial with the center axis of the rotating shaft 4. It is formed on a line. Therefore, for example, when removing the display unit 3 from the personal computer body 1, first remove the aluminum block 8 from the personal computer body 1, then remove the end of the first heat pipe 7 from the aluminum block 8, and then fit each other. The end of the first heat pipe 7 thus separated is removed from the second heat pipe 12 to separate them. As described above, in the cooling device described above, troublesome work is required when attaching and detaching the display unit 3 to and from the personal computer 1, and there is a problem that the detachability is poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a cooling structure for a portable personal computer which has an excellent cooling ability and has good detachability between a personal computer main body and a display unit. It is.

[0013]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, an arithmetic processing unit serving as a heat source is installed inside a personal computer main body, and the personal computer main body is opened and closed via a rotating mechanism. in the cooling structure of a portable personal computer capable display unit is provided configured, an intermediate portion rotatably inserted in the heat pipe to the rotating <br/> Organization
Holding section, and a radial direction from the holding section
Is formed in the personal computer main body.
The slit part is attached to the provided mounting base part.
With the screw member screwed in a penetrated state, the rotation
The mechanism is detachably mounted on the mounting base.
Is, and the processing unit is linked to the heat exchange to the base portion attach the further integrally connected to the member to which one end portion of the heat Topaipu is exposed to the outer surface of the front Kide Isupurei unit It is characterized by the following.

[0014]

[Action] In this invention, the display unit is opened and closed with respect to the personal computer by the rotation mechanism, especially in the present invention, since the rotating mechanism is detachable and PC Body, and PC The display unit can be easily separated. That is, the heat pipe of de Isupurei portion can remain coupled to the rotating mechanism, detachability is not inhibited.

On the other hand, when heat is generated from the arithmetic processing unit with the use of the personal computer, the heat is attached to the mounting base.
Together is transmitted to the scan unit, it is transmitted to one end of the heat pipe via a pivoting mechanism. Therefore, the temperature of the end of the heat pipe provided on the rotating mechanism side becomes higher than that of the end provided on the display unit side, and the heat pipe operation using the arithmetic processing unit as a heat source is started.

That is, the working fluid vapor flows through the inside of the heat pipe container from the end on the rotating mechanism side toward the end on the display unit side, where heat is deprived and condensed. As described above, since the end portion of the heat pipe, which serves as the condensing portion, is integrally attached to the member exposed to the outer surface of the display unit, the heat released from the heat pipe efficiently enters the external atmosphere of the display unit. Released. Therefore, the arithmetic processing unit is efficiently cooled. The liquefied working fluid flows back to the end of the heat pipe on the side of the rotating mechanism that becomes the evaporator, and is heated again by the heat of the arithmetic processing unit.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments. 1 to 3 are schematic views showing a notebook (sub-notebook) type personal computer according to the cooling structure of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the personal computer body 14 is formed of a relatively thin rectangular container formed of, for example, a plastic panel or a metal panel such as a magnesium alloy, and has a size of about A5 to A4 in JIS.

A keyboard 15 is attached to the upper surface of the personal computer 14 by a means such as fitting. The keyboard unit 15 is used for the personal computer 1.
It is also possible to constitute so as to stand up and tilt with respect to the personal computer main body 14 about the rotation shaft provided on the fourth side. An electromagnetic shield plate 16 is attached to the back surface of the keyboard unit 15, that is, the surface on the internal space side of the personal computer body 14, by appropriate means. The electromagnetic shield plate 16 is made of, for example, an aluminum thin plate, and is normally provided as a standard in a notebook-type personal computer. The electromagnetic shield plate 16 also serves as a mounting base 30 described later.

A CPU 18 mounted on an upper surface of a main board (printed circuit board) 17 is in close contact with the back surface of the electromagnetic shield plate 16 so as to be able to exchange heat. The other space in the internal space of the personal computer body 14 is provided with a removable hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a battery, an additional memory, etc. (each not shown).

One side edge of the electromagnetic shield plate 16 is bent substantially at a right angle downward so as to be flush with the wall plate of the personal computer body 14 on the right side in FIG. 2, and a mounting base portion 30 is formed here. I have. In addition, the wall plate of the personal computer body 14 in that part has a shape in which a part is cut out in advance.
A plurality of through holes are formed in the mounting base portion 30 of the electromagnetic shield plate 16 at predetermined intervals in the width direction thereof. Correspondingly, a metal nut 20 is attached by means such as welding.

Further, the surface of the mounting base 30 facing the outside of the personal computer body 14 is provided with a pipe holder 2.
2 are installed. The pipe holder 22 is formed of, for example, a substantially rectangular flat aluminum block, and includes a substantially circular holding portion that follows the cross-sectional shape of the container of the heat pipe 21 and a conductive slit portion connected to the lower side thereof. It is formed over the width direction. The intermediate portion of the heat pipe 21 is inserted into the holding portion and is held rotatably. The holding portion of the pipe holder 22 where the heat pipe 21 slides is subjected to wet alumite processing. Alternatively, a suitable thermal joint may be applied.

Then, a bolt 24 is passed through the pipe holder 22 from the right side in FIG. 3 and fastened to the nut 20 so that the pipe holder 22 and the electromagnetic shield plate 16 are fastened.
Are firmly attached, and the outer periphery of the straight tubular portion of the heat pipe 21 is rotatably held. The heat pipe 21 has, for example, an outer diameter of 4 mm.
A liquid container in which pure water is sealed as a working fluid in a copper container having a thickness of about mm and hard chromium plating can be employed.

The display section 19 is of a substantially flat plate shape having a screen 23 made of a liquid crystal panel on one side, and in particular, has a shape in which the outer wall surface is depressed along the edge of the screen 23. Then, the distal end (upper end) side of the heat pipe 21 is fitted and disposed so as to follow the concave portion,
Further, it is integrally fixed to the display unit 19 by appropriate means. That is, both are unitized in a state where the heat pipe 21 is exposed on the outer surface side of the display unit 19. Note that the heat pipe 21 may be mounted directly along the inner wall surface of the display unit 19. The end of the heat pipe 21 on the side of the pipe holder 22 penetrates two locking portions provided at the lower edge of the display unit 19.

Therefore, the display section 19 can be tilted so as to cover the keyboard section 15 over the keyboard section 15 with the portion of the heat pipe 21 held between the pipe holders 22 as a rotation axis, or can be raised from that state. Has become. As described above, the electromagnetic shield plate 16 and the pipe holder 22 are formed of aluminum, and the bolt 2
4 and nut 20 are also made of metal.
And the CPU 18 can exchange heat, and the pipe holder 22 and the heat pipe 21 can exchange heat.

Here, the heat pipe 21 is obtained by sealing a condensable fluid such as water or alcohol as a working fluid in a vacuum degassed state inside a vessel such as a metal pipe having both ends closed. The operation is performed by generating a temperature difference, and the working fluid evaporated in the high-temperature portion flows to the low-temperature portion to radiate and condense, thereby performing heat transport as latent heat of the working fluid. The apparent thermal conductivity is about several tens to several hundred times better than metals such as copper and aluminum.

Therefore, when removing the display section 20 from the personal computer body 14 in the notebook personal computer constructed as described above, it is necessary to loosen each bolt 24 using a tool such as a screwdriver and pull out the pipe holder 22. Good. That is, the display section 19, the heat pipe 21, and the pipe holder 22 are so-called unitized units. On the other hand, since the electromagnetic shield plate 16 is integrated with the personal computer 14, the pipe holder 2
2 and the electromagnetic shield plate 16 are separated,
The display unit 19 is detached from the personal computer body 14. Of course, each bolt 24
And the nuts 20, the display unit 19 can be attached to the personal computer body 14.

Next, the operation of the cooling of the CPU 18 will be described. Heat is generated from the CPU 18 with use of the above-mentioned notebook personal computer. In addition,
At that time, the display unit 19 is usually in a state of standing upright from the personal computer body 14. The heat released from the CPU 18 is transmitted to the electromagnetic shield plate 16 and further transmitted to the pipe holder 22 together with the nut 20 and the bolt 24. And the heat is further transferred to the pipe holder 2
2 to one end of the heat pipe 21. At this point, a temperature difference occurs at both ends of the heat pipe 21,
The operation starts automatically.

That is, the working fluid in the liquid phase is heated and evaporated at the portion of the inside of the container which is sandwiched between the pipe holders 22, and the vapor is transferred to the end of the heat pipe 21 which is disposed on the display unit 19. Flow toward. As described above, since the display unit 19 is in the upright state,
The heat pipe 21 operates in a bottom heat mode in which the evaporator is located below the condenser. The working fluid vapor is condensed by being deprived of heat by the outside air at the end of the heat pipe 21 provided on the display unit 19.

As described above, since this end is along the outer wall surface of the display unit 19, the heat pipe 21
Most of the heat released from is dissipated into the outside air,
Other heat is transmitted to the outer wall surface of the display unit 19. Since the outer wall surface acting as a heat sink has a relatively large area and is in direct contact with the outside air, heat does not accumulate inside the display unit 19,
Therefore, the CPU 18 is efficiently cooled. In addition,
The working fluid that has been radiated and liquefied quickly returns to the end of the heat pipe 21 that is disposed on the pipe holder 22 side by gravity, and is transmitted to the CPU 18 via the electromagnetic shield plate 16 and the holder. Again.

As described above, since the condensing portion side of the heat pipe 21 is exposed to the outside of the display unit 19, not only the circulation of the working fluid is actively performed, but also the released heat is less likely to be trapped in the display unit 19, As a result, CPU1
8 can be efficiently cooled. In addition, since a part of the permanent electromagnetic shield plate 16 is processed as the mounting base 30, a configuration that is compatible with miniaturization and weight reduction can be achieved.

The attachment and detachment of the pipe holder 22 and the mounting base 30 can be performed by fastening the bolt 24 and the nut 20. In particular, the head side of the bolt 24 is directed to the outside of the personal computer body 14. Therefore, attachment / detachment between the display unit 19 and the personal computer 14 can be easily performed. This also makes it easier to upgrade personal computer functions.

In the above embodiment, the electromagnetic shield plate 16 and the mounting base 30 are used in combination, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
The point is that the PC can be used normally and the pipe holder 2
2 and the CPU 18 only need to be capable of exchanging heat. Therefore, for example, the mounting base 30 may be configured differently from the electromagnetic shield plate 16 made of an aluminum block or the like .
No. Et al is, although the heat pipe 21 itself and the rotation axis,
It is not limited to this.

[0033]

As apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present invention, the rotating mechanism is detachably attached to the computer the body, and taking the pivoting mechanism in PC
An arithmetic processing unit is connected to an attachment base portion serving as an attachment portion so as to be able to exchange heat. In addition, since one end of the heat pipe is arranged in the rotating mechanism so as to be able to exchange heat, and the other end is integrally attached to a member exposed to the outer surface of the display unit, compared to a conventional cooling structure. The cooling capacity for the arithmetic processing unit can be improved. In addition, the detachability between the personal computer main body and the display unit is improved, so that the functional upgrade of the personal computer itself can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a notebook personal computer according to the present invention with a part cut away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship among a personal computer main body, an electromagnetic shield plate, and a pipe holder.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

14: PC body, 18: CPU, 19: Display unit, 21: Heat pipe, 22: Pipe holder.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Mashiko 1-5-1 Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside Fujikura Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Jin Hasegawa 1-1-5-1 Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo Fujikura Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-7-153880 (JP, A) JP-A-7-64671 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 1/20 H05K 7 / 20 G06F 1/16 F28D 15/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cooling structure for a portable personal computer having a configuration in which an arithmetic processing device serving as a heat source is installed inside a personal computer main body, and the personal computer main body is provided with a display unit that can be opened and closed via a rotating mechanism. in, rotatable intermediate part of the heat pipe to the rotary motive structure
And a substantially circular holding part that is inserted into the
A slit portion that is connected in the radial direction is formed,
With respect to the mounting base provided on the
By a screw member screwed in a state penetrating the socket part,
The rotating mechanism is detachably attached to the mounting base.
Lighted, and the processing unit is linked to the heat exchange to the base portion attach the further integrally attached to the member one end portion of the heat Topaipu is exposed to the outer surface of the front Kide Isupurei unit A portable personal computer cooling structure.