JPH0887354A - Cooling structure of notebook type personal computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain the cooling structure which is compact by arranging one end part of a heat pipe mechanism on a central arithmetic unit (CPU) as a heat source so that heat can be conducted to and from it, and also arranging the other end part on a noise shield plate so that heat can be conducted. CONSTITUTION: One end part of a 1st heat pipe 17 inserted into a flat plate type aluminum block 16 is arranged at the bottom part of the space on the rear side of a personal computer main body 10, and a CPU 18 is fitted above it. The other end part of the 1st heat pipe 17 is bend almost at right angles to the end part arranged on the side of the aluminum block 16 and extended onto the same axis as the center axis of the rotary shaft 13 on the side of a keyboard part 11. Then the end part of the 1st heat pipe 17 is fitted rotatably onto one end part of a 2nd heat pipe 20 in double pipe structure. Further, the other end part of the 2nd heat pipe 20 is arranged in contact with the reverse surface of an aluminum thin plate 14 internally connected to the keyboard part 11 so that heat can be conducted.

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 notebook personal computer which cools a CPU by releasing heat generated from a central processing unit (CPU) using a heat pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional cooling device for a notebook computer. In FIG. 3A, the personal computer main body 1 is a rectangular container formed of plastic, carbon fiber, or the like and having a relatively thin thickness, and has a size of so-called A4 size in Japanese Industrial Standards.

A keyboard portion 2 and a display portion 3 are provided on the upper surface of the personal computer main body 1, and these are configured to be rotatable by hinges. That is, the keyboard portion 2 and the display portion 3 are configured so as to rise up from the personal computer body 1 side and fall down from the personal computer body 1 side. Also,
Inside the keyboard portion 2 and the display portion 3, aluminum thin plates 4 having substantially the same size are attached as noise shielding plates.

In the front side (keyboard section 2 side in FIG. 3A) of the space divided into two inside the personal computer main body 1, a removable hard disk drive 5, a floppy disk drive, and a battery (each shown in FIG. (Not shown) etc. are installed. A heat pipe 6 is installed at the bottom of the other space, and a central processing unit (hereinafter, CPU) 7 is installed above the heat pipe 6 via a compound that promotes heat transfer. Further, a plurality of printed circuit boards 8 are provided above the CPU 7. The heat pipe 6 is a so-called flat plate type heat pipe in which a container has a thin plate shape, and a plurality of rectangular fins 9 are attached to a part of the container.

Therefore, in the above cooling device, the working fluid inside the heat pipe 6 evaporates due to the heat generated from the CPU 7 with the use of the personal computer, and the vapor is collected in the portion of the container on the side of the fin 9 where the temperature is low. Flow. The working fluid vapor is deprived of heat by the fins 9 and condensed. That is, the heat of the CPU 7 is transported by the working fluid of the heat pipe 6 and released from the fin 9. Therefore, the temperature of the CPU 7 is suppressed within the allowable range. In addition,
The working fluid that has condensed and returned to the liquid phase is returned to the evaporator side by gravity and the wick, and is evaporated again there.

[0006]

By the way, since the notebook type personal computer is mainly intended for portability, it is strongly desired to reduce its size and weight. Therefore, it is naturally preferable that the space occupied by the cooling device in the internal space of the personal computer body 1 is as small as possible. On the other hand, since the power of the CPU 7 is being increased year by year, improvement in cooling capacity is also demanded.

However, C through the heat pipe 6
The cooling capacity of the PU 7 is restricted by the substantial heat radiation area of the heat pipe 6, whereas the conventional cooling device has a configuration in which the fin 9 secures the area of the heat radiation portion of the heat pipe 6, and therefore the CPU 7 The heat radiation area required for the heat pipe 6 increases as the output of
Since the fin 9 needs to be upsized, and the fin 9 is provided in the personal computer body 1, the cooling device inevitably occupies a large space in the internal space of the personal computer body 1. There was an inconvenience leading to an increase in size.

Further, since the fins 9 are installed inside the personal computer body 1 as described above, there is also a problem that the heat radiated from the heat pipe 6 tends to be trapped in the internal space.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling structure for a notebook personal computer which is compact and has an excellent cooling capacity.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a central processing unit serving as a heat source in which one end of a heat pipe mechanism is arranged so that heat can be transferred. The other end of the mechanism is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat with a metal noise shielding plate provided in the main body of the personal computer.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a metal noise shielding plate is provided on an opening / closing member attached to the personal computer main body through a rotating mechanism so as to be openable and closable, and the central portion is provided inside the personal computer main body. An arithmetic processing unit is installed, and one end of the first heat pipe is arranged in the central arithmetic processing unit so as to be able to transfer heat, and the other end of the first heat pipe is the center of the rotating mechanism. The second heat pipe is arranged on the same axis as the axis, and one end of the second heat pipe is arranged on the noise shielding plate so that heat can be transferred, and the other end of the second heat pipe is rotated. It is characterized in that it is arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the mechanism and is connected to the first heat pipe so as to be able to exchange heat.

Further, in the present invention, the opening / closing member can be formed by either a keyboard or a display.

[0013]

In this invention as well, heat is generated from the central processing unit with the use of the personal computer.
Since one end of the heat pipe mechanism is arranged so as to be able to transfer heat with the central processing unit, the working fluid enclosed in the heat pipe is heated and evaporated by the heat released from the central processing unit. The working fluid vapor flows toward the other end where both the temperature and the internal pressure are low, that is, the end arranged on the noise shielding plate side. Then, the heat is taken away by the noise shield at the end portion and condensed. That is, the heat radiation from the central processing unit is carried to the noise shielding plate by the working fluid of the heat pipe, and then radiated outside.

As described above, the noise shield plate acts as a heat dissipation surface of the heat pipe mechanism, but since the noise shield plate is already installed, it naturally does not require a new installation space, that is, the entire structure. Becomes compact. The working fluid radiated and liquefied circulates to the end of the heat pipe mechanism on the side of the central processing unit by gravity or wick and is heated again there.

Also in the invention described in claim 2, heat is generated from the central processing unit as the personal computer main body is used, but the heat is transmitted to one end of the first heat pipe and the working fluid therein. Evaporates. The working fluid vapor flows toward the other end where both the temperature and the internal pressure are low, where it is deprived of heat by the one end of the second heat pipe and condensed. The working fluid liquefied by radiating heat circulates to the end on the side of the central processing unit by gravity or wick. On the other hand, the working fluid in the second heat pipe is evaporated by being heated by the heat transferred from the first heat pipe. The vapor flows toward the end portion arranged on the noise shield plate side, where heat is taken away and condensed. That is, the heat emitted from the central processing unit is conveyed from the second heat pipe to the noise shielding plate via the first heat pipe, and is radiated outside from there.

Further, according to the present invention, since one end of each of the first heat pipe and the second heat pipe is arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the rotating mechanism, the noise shield plate is provided with the first heat pipe. Even with two heat pipes installed,
An opening / closing member such as a keyboard or a display can be rotated (opened / closed) without any trouble.

If the opening / closing member for the rotating mechanism is formed of a keyboard or a display, the heat of the central processing unit carried to the noise shielding plate by the heat pipe is radiated from one of the keyboard and the display. .

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are schematic views showing a notebook personal computer according to the cooling structure of the present invention. In these figures, the personal computer main body 10 is composed of a relatively thin rectangular container formed of plastic, carbon fiber or the like, and has a size of about A4 size according to JIS.

A keyboard portion 11 and a display portion 12 are provided on the upper surface of the personal computer body 10. The keyboard portion 11 and the display portion 12 are each provided with a rotary shaft 13 formed on the personal computer main body 10 side.
It is configured to freely rotate about a center within a predetermined range, and is a so-called opening / closing member. That is, the keyboard unit 11 and the display unit 12 are connected to the PC main body 1
The configuration is such that each of them can be raised upward from 0, or can be tilted to the personal computer main body 10 side from that state. The keyboard portion 11 and the display portion 12 have an aluminum thin plate 14 of approximately the same size.
Is installed inside. The thin aluminum plate 14 is for shielding noise, and is normally provided as a standard on a notebook type personal computer.

A detachable hard disk drive 1 is installed in the front space (the keyboard portion 11 side in FIG. 2A) of the space divided into two in the personal computer body 10.
5, a floppy disk drive, a battery (both not shown), etc. are stored. Here, the above-mentioned standing / tilting operation (opening / closing operation) of the keyboard portion 11 with respect to the personal computer body 10 is performed when the hard disk drive 15, the battery, etc. shown here are replaced or removed.

On the other hand, at the bottom of the space on the rear side of the personal computer main body 10, one end of a first heat pipe 17 inserted into a flat plate-shaped aluminum block 16 is provided, and a CPU 18 is provided above it. It is installed. The aluminum block 16 is provided to improve the contact between the CPU 18 and the first heat pipe 17, and is provided as necessary. Further, a plurality of printed circuit boards 19 are installed above the CPU 18.

The other end of the first heat pipe 17 is bent substantially at a right angle to the end arranged on the aluminum block 16 side and is the same as the central axis of the rotating shaft 13 on the keyboard 11 side. It is extended along the axis.
The end of the first heat pipe 17 is rotatably fitted to the end of the second heat pipe 20 having the double pipe structure. That is, the connecting portion 21 between the first heat pipe 17 and the second heat pipe 20 is formed on the same axis as the central axis of the rotating shaft 13. The connecting portion 21 is coated with a suitable thermal joint for reducing the contact resistance of the two heat pipes and promoting heat transfer. The other end of the second heat pipe 20 is the back surface of the aluminum thin plate 14 inscribed in the keyboard portion 11 (see FIG. 1).
The lower side) is closely attached so that heat can be transferred. Further, here, both the first heat pipe 17 and the second heat pipe 20 are small-diameter pipes having a circular cross section and are used as containers. Further, although not shown, those heat pipes may be covered with a heat insulating coating on those portions which are not in contact with other members.

Here, the heat pipe is a container, such as a metal pipe whose both ends are closed, in which a condensable fluid such as water or alcohol is sealed as a working fluid in a vacuum deaerated state. The operation is performed due to the 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 several tens to several hundreds times better than that of metals such as copper and aluminum. In addition,
A wick is optionally provided inside the container to facilitate the reflux of the working fluid.

Next, the operation of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Also in the notebook type personal computer according to the present invention, heat is generated from the CPU 18 when used. The heat is transmitted to one end of the first heat pipe 17 via the aluminum block 16. At this time point, a temperature difference occurs between both ends of the first heat pipe 17, so that the operation of the first heat pipe 17 is automatically started. That is, the working fluid sealed inside the container is evaporated by the heat released from the CPU 18, and the steam flows toward the other end where both the temperature and the internal pressure are low. Since the other end is covered with the one end of the second heat pipe 20 on the outer periphery as described above, the heat held by the working fluid is taken by the second heat pipe 20.
In that case, since a thermal joint is applied to the connecting portion 21, heat is efficiently transferred from the first heat pipe 17 to the second heat pipe 20. The working fluid of the first heat pipe 17 that radiates heat and is liquefied is returned to the evaporator side by gravity and wick.

On the other hand, the working fluid vapor in the second heat pipe 20 flows toward the other end of low temperature and low pressure, that is, the end portion provided on the aluminum thin plate 14, and heat is applied to the aluminum thin plate 14 there. Deprived and condensed. As described above, the heat of the CPU 18 installed inside the personal computer body 10 is generated by the first heat pipe 17 and the second heat pipe 20.
It is transported to an aluminum thin plate 14 located outside the personal computer body 10. Then, the heat is dissipated to the outside from the aluminum thin plate 14.

In this way, since the existing aluminum thin plate 14 is used as the heat radiation surface of the second heat pipe 20, the installation space required inside the personal computer body 10 as a cooling structure is small, and the weight is almost zero. There is also the advantage of not increasing. Further, the aluminum thin plate 14 is located outside the personal computer main body 10, and the surface area thereof is usually several times larger than the heat radiating portion area secured by fins or the like in the conventional general cooling structure. The working fluid in the first heat pipe 17 and the second heat pipe 20 is actively circulated, heat is less likely to be trapped in the personal computer body 10, and the cooling capacity can be improved. That is, it is possible to obtain a compact notebook PC cooling structure having excellent cooling capacity.

Also in the notebook type personal computer according to the present invention, when the hard disk drive 15 and the battery are attached to and detached from the personal computer body 10, the keyboard portion 11 is raised from the personal computer body 10. In that case, since the connecting portion 21 between the first heat pipe 17 and the second heat pipe 20 is formed on the same axis as the central axis of the rotary shaft 13 on the keyboard portion 11 side as described above, there is no problem. It is possible to raise the keyboard unit 11. In this embodiment, the display unit 1 without the second heat pipe 20 is provided.
Needless to say, 2 can be freely raised from the personal computer body 10 and can be tilted to the personal computer body 10 side.

When the thin aluminum plate 14 is provided on the rotatable member, the heat pipe mechanism is a flexible heat pipe such as a corrugated pipe instead of the pair of heat pipes shown in the above embodiment. You may comprise.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, one end of the heat pipe mechanism is arranged in the central processing unit serving as a heat source so that heat can be transferred, and the other end is shielded from noise. Since the plate is arranged so that heat can be transferred, the noise shielding plate serves as a heat radiation surface of the heat pipe mechanism. Since this noise shield plate is already installed, the installation space required for the entire cooling structure can be made small. In other words, a compact cooling structure can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the other end of the first heat pipe whose one end is arranged to be able to transfer heat to the central processing unit and the one end is arranged to the noise shielding plate. Since the other end of the second heat pipe is disposed on the same axis as the central axis of the rotating mechanism in a heat transferable state, even in the state where the second heat pipe is disposed. The opening / closing member, particularly the keyboard or the display, can be opened and closed by the rotating mechanism without any trouble. Further, since the noise shielding plate is provided outside the personal computer body, the heat emitted from the noise shielding plate is not trapped in the internal space of the personal computer body, and therefore the cooling capacity is excellent.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a notebook computer according to the present invention with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... PC main body, 11 ... Keyboard part, 12 ...
Display unit, 13 ... Rotating shaft, 14 ... Aluminum thin plate, 17 ... First heat pipe, 18 ... CPU, 2
0 ... Second heat pipe, 21 ... Connection part.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mikiyuki Ono 1-5-1, Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside Fujikura Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A central processing unit serving as a heat source, wherein one end of a heat pipe mechanism is arranged to be able to transfer heat, and the other end of the heat pipe mechanism is made of a metal provided on a personal computer body. Cooling structure for notebook type personal computers, characterized in that it is arranged on the noise shielding plate for heat transfer. 2. A noise shielding plate made of metal is provided on an opening / closing member which is attached to the personal computer body via a rotating mechanism so as to be freely opened and closed, and a central processing unit is provided inside the personal computer body. Further, one end of the first heat pipe is arranged in the central processing unit so that heat can be transferred, and the other end of the first heat pipe is arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the rotating mechanism. And the one end of the second heat pipe is arranged on the noise shielding plate so that heat can be transferred, and the other end of the second heat pipe is coaxial with the central axis of the rotating mechanism. A cooling structure for a notebook computer, which is arranged on a line and is connected to the first heat pipe so as to be able to exchange heat. 3. The cooling structure for a notebook computer according to claim 2, wherein the opening / closing member is one of a keyboard and a display.