Apple Inc.

Google Inc.

Richard Lidio Blanco

Michael D Hillman

Gregory L Tice

Douglas Lea Heirich

Phillip Lee Mort

Jay S Nigen

Ronald Jack Smith

Philippe Hart Gow

Sean A Bailey

Chad C Schmidt

Roger R Schmidt

Theodore Gerard Van Kessel

Supratik Guha

Yves Corfield Martin

Prabjit Singh

David L Edwards

Amir Salehi

Jonathan Neal Urquhart

Jeffrey Scott Spaulding

Jonathan Beck

Jean Ling Lee

Anwyl M McDonald

Mark Ramon Imbertson

Oscar Woo

Debosmita Das

Jeffrey J Van Norden

James M Crowder

Clayton R Anderson

Dave Alexander

A battery module includes a housing that defines an inner volume and includes an airflow path from an aperture formed in a first end member of the housing, through the inner volume, to an aperture formed in a second end member of the housing; power cells mounted in the inner volume of the housing, where each of the power cells includes a vent member; and a barrier that at least partially interrupts a fluid pathway that extends between the vent members and at least one of the aperture formed in the first end member or the aperture formed in the second end member of the housing. The power cells are directionally mounted in the volume such that the vent members face an offset direction relative to at least one of the aperture formed in the first end member or the aperture formed in the second end member of the housing.

Battery module

The present disclosure provides various bus bar connectors configured to draw power from a bus bar at non-discrete locations. In one aspect, a bus bar connector may include a connector housing having a slot. The slot may be configured to allow the connector housing to grip a bus bar at different locations. First and second electrical contacts may be disposed on opposite sides of the slot. The bus bar connector includes mounting members for securing the connector housing against an enclosure for the bus bar and a spring clip that can be to attach to upper and lower outer surfaces of the connector housing to provide an amount of contact force onto the outer surface of the connector housing. The amount of contact force enables the first and second electrical contacts to securely grip the bus bar.

Pitch agnostic bus-bar with pitch agnostic blind mate connector

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for distributing a thermal interface material. The system includes: an integrated circuit chip; a heat sink; and a compliant thermal interface material (TIM) between the integrated circuit chip and the heat sink. During assembly of the system, a mating surface of the heat sink and a mating surface of the integrated circuit chip are shaped to distribute the TIM in the predetermined pattern as the TIM is pressed between the mating surface of heat sink and a corresponding mating surface of the integrated circuit chip.

Coupling heat sink to integrated circuit chip with thermal interface material

Embodiments provide various apparatus and techniques for deflecting or redirecting a flow of ionized air generated from an ionic wind generator. In general, a deflection field generator can be located proximate to the path of the flow of ionized air. The deflection field generator is configured to generate an electromagnetic field, which deflects a least a portion of the flow of ionized air to a different path and may possibly increase local heat transfer.

Methods and apparatus for cooling electronic devices

A method of manufacturing a thermal contact arrangement. The method including the operations of providing a thermal conductor and forming a first zone having a first roughness on a first portion of a first exterior surface of the thermal conductor. The method further including the operation of forming a second zone having a second roughness on a second portion of the first exterior surface of the thermal conductor. The second portion is unique from the first portion and formed from a part of the thermal contact arrangement other than the first portion and the second roughness is rougher than the first roughness.

Thermal contact arrangement

Method and apparatus for distributing a thermal interface material

Embodiments of a method for applying a thermal-interface material are described. During this method, a first surface of a heat-removal device and a second surface of a semiconductor die are prepared. Next, a region on a given surface, which is at least one of the first surface and the second surface, is defined. Then, the thermal-interface material is applied to at least the region, where the thermal-interface material includes a material that is a liquid metal over a range of operating temperatures of the semiconductor die.

Spray dispensing method for applying liquid metal

Embodiments of a heat-transfer mechanism are described. This heat-transfer mechanism includes a first heatpipe having a first end and a second end, and a second heatpipe having a third end and a fourth end. Moreover, a heatpipe coupler is thermally coupled to the second end of the first heatpipe and the third end of the second heatpipe. This heatpipe coupler includes a housing surrounding a cavity and a liquid metal contained within the cavity, thereby providing a thermal path from the first end of the first heatpipe, which is configured to couple to a condenser, to the fourth end of the second heatpipe, which is configured to couple to an evaporator.

Heat-transfer mechanism including a liquid-metal thermal coupling

An apparatus for conducting heat from a computer component to a heat sink. The invention may include a thermal interface material (TIM). The invention may further include a seal or gasket that at least partially encloses the TIM. The gasket may facilitate retaining the TIM within its sidewall, and thus in place on or near a computer component. Generally, the gasket may be placed between the computer component (or a silicon board or other material upon which the computer component is located) and a heat sink. An insert may be placed within the gasket and define an aperture. The chip seats in the aperture and thus is spatially located with respect to the insert. The TIM abuts both the computer component and a heat sink. A desiccant may be located within the gasket and absorb any moisture diffusing or migrating through the gasket.

Thermal interface apparatus

A thermal contact arrangement. The thermal contact arrangement may mitigate or reduce migration over time of a thermal interface material positioned between a chip and a heat sink. The thermal contact arrangement may include a first zone formed on a first area of the heat sink and a second zone formed on a second area of the heat sink. The processor may overlap or overlie the first zone, with the second zone generally outside the footprint of the processor and optionally surrounding the processor's footprint. The first zone may have a generally smooth surface, while the second zone may have a surface rougher than the first zone. The first zone may be finished to a specific smoothness while the second zone may be finished to second particular smoothness that is generally less than the first zone.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Richard Lidio Blanco