US 7,031,155 B2 · Electronic thermal management

Abstract

Piezoelectric fan assemblies are provided to provide a conduction path and forced convection for space-limited electronic devices in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The fan blade of a piezoelectric fan is thermally coupled to the heat source, such as, but not limited to, the fins of a heat sink, the condenser of the heat pipe, and to the thermal mass of a heat spreader or block. The high amplitude resonant vibration of the fan blade causes formation of a high velocity unidirectional flow stream. Maximum airflow occurs on axes of the piezoelectric fan's centerline, relative to both width and height dimensions. Air intake is above and below the swept out plane of the fan blade. The air flow provides forced convection for the fan blade and, secondarily, for the heat source.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a heat source to generate heat;
a heat dissipation component thermally coupled to the heat source, the heat dissipation component having a planar shaped component defined by a first and a second surface, the first and the second surfaces being parallel to each other and bordered by at least one end, the first and second surfaces having surface areas greater than the at least one end, the planar shaped heat dissipation component to receive and transfer the generated heat away from the heat source;
and
a piezoelectric fan coupled to the at least one end of the planar shaped heat dissipation component, the piezoelectric fan to facilitate dissipation of the transferred heat from the heat source, the piezoelectric fan having a substantially planar shape with a first and a second end, the first end being coupled to the at least one end of the heat dissipation component and the second end being located away from the at least one end of the heat dissipation component relative to the first end.

1 more element

A method of operation for dissipating heat remotely from a heat source in an electronic device, comprising:

generating heat from the heat source;
transferring the generated heat to a planar shaped heat dissipation component, the planar shaped heat dissipation component having a planar shaped component having a first and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other and bordered by at least one end, the first and second surfaces having surface areas greater than the at least one end;
and
dissipating the transferred heat from the planar shaped heat dissipation component by energizing at least a portion of a piezoelectric fan coupled to the at least one end of the planar shaped heat dissipation component, the piezoelectric fan having a planar shape with a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled to the at least one end of the heat dissipation component and the second end being a free end located away from the at least one end of the heat dissipation component relative to the first end, and the second end of the piezoelectric fan oscillating when the at least a portion of the piezoelectric fan is energized to facilitate the dissipation of the transferred heat from the heat dissipation component.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic thermal management

Life of this patent

Electronic thermal management

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19