Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Henry E Mecredy, Iii

Daniel N Donahoe

Kevin D Page

Craig A Bartling

Mary T Vu

Egons K Dunens

Nguyen T Vu

Heat generating components in the base housing of a portable computer are thermally communicated with a longitudinal evaporator portion of a thermosyphoning heat pipe. A longitudinal condenser portion of the heat pipe is flattened, bent to a circular shape, and secured in thermal communication to the periphery of a metal housing base plate of an axial fan to form the shroud portion of the fan housing. With its axis vertically disposed, the fan is placed in a plenum area within the base housing beneath a cooling air inlet depression in the top base housing side which permits ambient air to flow into the fan even when the display housing portion of the computer is closed. Component operating heat is sequentially transferred into the heat pipe evaporating portion, along the heat pipe into its shroud-defining condenser portion and the metal housing base plate, into the air being flowed through the fan and along surfaces of the shroud and base plate, and is then discharged with the outlet air flowing through the plenum and outwardly through exterior wall openings in the base housing. Alternate centrifugal embodiments of the fan have housing air inlet and outlet air flow passage portions, and a scroll housing section, formed by a longitudinal condenser portion of a thermosyphoning heat pipe.

Cooling fan with heat pipe-defined fan housing portion

An apparatus, such as a computer, comprises a housing having an interior portion into which a printed circuit board may be inserted. The printed circuit board, when inserted, is supported by a support structure. A spring mechanism resiliently supports a heat sink structure in contact with a major side portion of the inserted printed circuit board. During operation, fluid flows in thermal transfer relationship with the heat sink structure. In this manner, heat is transferred from the heat sink structure to the fluid.

Apparatus including heat sink structure for removing heat from a printed

Operating heat generated by a PCMCIA card inserted into the base housing portion of a computer, representatively a notebook computer, is dissipated by a heat sink system disposed within the base housing. In response to insertion of the card into its associated support structure within the base housing, a metal heat sink plate member is resiliently pressed into firm engagement with a side of the inserted card by a spring member interconnected between the plate member and the card support structure. Card operating heat is efficiently transferred to the metal plate member by conduction. To dissipate the heat received by the plate member, a heat removing fluid is flowed against the plate member and caused to receive heat therefrom. Heat received by the fluid is then transferred to ambient air external to the computer to substantially lower the operating temperature of the inserted PCMCIA card. In one embodiment of the heat sink system the fluid is air flowed externally across the plate member, by a small fan disposed within the base housing, and then discharged outwardly through the base housing. In another embodiment of the heat sink system the fluid is a liquid sequentially pumped through a flow passage within the plate member, flowed through a radiator structure externally mounted on the computer, and then returned to the internal plate member flow passage.

PCMCIA card heat removal apparatus and methods

A notebook computer display housing is pivotally connected to its associated CPU housing by a heat dissipating hinge structure having telescoped, relatively rotatable first and second sections respectively anchored to the CPU and display housings. The heat absorbing evaporation end of a first thermosyphoning heat pipe is conductively connected to a heat generating electronic component within the CPU housing, with the heat rejecting condensing end of the heat pipe defining the first hinge structure section. During computer operation, heat from the electronic component is sequentially transferred through the heat pipe and the second hinge structure section, in which the first hinge section is journaled, to the display housing for dissipation therefrom to ambient. Heat transfer from the second hinge structure section to the display housing is representatively facilitated by a second thermosyphoning heat pipe having an evaporator end received in an opening in the second hinge structure section, and laterally offset from the condensing end of the first heat pipe, and a condensing end thermally communicated with the display housing.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Henry E Mecredy, Iii