Patent Publication Number: US-2022221917-A1

Title: Chassis components

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     An electronic device, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, and a mobile phone, may heat up during operation due to heating up of components, such as a battery or a motherboard. The heating of the electronic device may become more pronounced in recent electronic devices which have a slim form factor and considerably high-speed performance. High-speed performance of the electronic device, usually, leads to considerably high surface temperatures of the electronic device. Such high temperatures of the electronic device may adversely affect operation of the electronic device and, accordingly, the heat has to be carried away from the electronic device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       The detailed description is provided with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic of an electronic device having a chassis component, according to an example; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic of the chassis component, according to another example; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the chassis component, in accordance with an example; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a method of manufacturing the chassis component  102  for the electronic device, according to another example. 
     
    
    
     It should be noted that the description and the figures are merely examples of the present subject matter and are not meant to represent the subject matter itself. Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not identical, elements. The figures are not to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and/or examples consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or examples provided in the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Generally, various provisions may be made in electronic devices, for example, high performance electronic devices, to enable the electronic devices to dissipate the heat. For instance, high performance electronic devices may involve high power consumption by the processor and also heating up of battery during operation. The provisions to dissipate may include, for example, in one case, providing conductive material, such as graphite sheets, on an inside of a body of the electronic device to spread and remove the heat from the components. For adequate performance, the sheets of conductive material have to be attached on the inner surface of the electronic device without bends or creases. However, given the form and design of the body, the sheets of conductive material may not be accommodated in a manner that there are no bends or creases in the sheets, thereby adversely affecting the performance of the sheets. 
     Examples of chassis components, for example, for electronic devices and provisioned with effective heat dissipation abilities, are described herewith. The chassis component can be, for example, a part of a body or housing of the electronic device which may be in direct contact with a heat-generating component of the electronic device, such as a motherboard, a battery, and the like. According to an aspect, the chassis component is designed to function as a two-phase flow heat plate, such as a vapor chamber, without either affecting the form factor of the electronic device or of the chassis itself. In other words, even with the chassis component designed to operate as the two-phase flow heat plate, the overall size of the electronic device as well as the cross-sectional thickness of the chassis component remains unaffected. 
     In an example, the chassis component can include a flat body and a recess can be formed in a surface of the flat body. The recess can be formed in a way that it has a shoulder formed along an edge or boundary of the recess. In other words, the shoulder can be formed at the edge of the recess where the recess meets the flat body. For the chassis component to function as the two-phase flow heat plate, a working fluid can be disposed in the recess along with a mesh structure for capillary action for the movement of the working fluid within the recess. Further, recess can be sealed with a conductive cover by bonding the conductive cover to the flat body at the shoulder of the recess. Once sealed, the recess can be heated to vaporize the working fluid and form the working fluid therein, to form the two-phase flow heat plate in the chassis component. 
     Since the cross-section thickness of the chassis component has to be maintained unchanged, the effect on strength and durability of the chassis component due to formation of the recess is countered by integrally coupling the conductive cover at the shoulder of the recess, Such a design provides structural strength to the chassis component, for example, even when material has been removed from the chassis component. Therefore, the chassis component itself can facilitate in the removal of heat from the electronic device, thereby preventing use of any additional equipment which can otherwise unnecessarily affect the form factor of the electronic device. 
     The above aspects are further described in conjunction with the figures, and in associated description below. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate principles of the present subject matter. Therefore, various arrangements that encompass the principles of the present subject matter, although not explicitly described or shown herein, may be devised from the description and are included within its scope. Additionally, the word “coupled” is used throughout for clarity of the description and can include either a direct connection or an indirect connection. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic of an electronic device  100  having a chassis component  102 , in accordance with an example of the present subject matter. The electronic device  100  can include, for example, a laptop personal computer (PC), a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a mobile phone, a tablet PC, or a personal digital assistant (PDA). The chassis component  102  of the electronic device  100  may be designed to effectively cool the electronic device  100  during operation thereof. Accordingly, in said example, the chassis component  102  can include a flat body  104  and a conductive cover  106 . The flat body  104  can have a recess  108  formed in a surface of the flat body  104  and the conductive cover  106  can cover the recess  108  to close the recess  108 . In said example, the recess  108  can include a shoulder  110  formed along an edge of the recess  108  and the conductive cover  106  can be melded to the shoulder  110  to seal the recess  108 . Further, the recess  108  can contain a mesh structure  112  and a working fluid  114  therein to form a two-phase flow heat plate in the chassis component. In addition, the recess  108  can be coated with a first protective film  116  and a recess-facing surface  118  of the conductive cover  106  is coated with a second protective film  120 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic of the chassis component  102 , according to another example of the present subject matter. In the present example, the chassis component  102  can include the flat body  104  having the recess  108 . The chassis component  102  can further include the conductive cover  106  which is bonded to the flat body  104  to cover and seal the recess  108  with the mesh structure  112  and the working fluid  114  container therein, such that the two-phase flow heat plate is formed in the chassis component. In other words, with such a construction of the chassis component  102 , a portion of the chassis component  102 , for instance, in which the recess  108  is formed, functions as the two-phase heat plate. The chassis component is discussed in further detail with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the chassis component  102  of the electronic device  100 , according to an example of the present subject matter. As has been discussed above, the chassis component  102  can include the flat body  104  and the conductive cover  106  bonded to the flat body  104 . As mentioned previously, the chassis component  102  can be designed for achieving effective cooling thereof and of surrounding components. For example, when deployed in the electronic device  100 , various heat-generating components, such as a motherboard or a battery, may be positioned adjacent to or abutting to the chassis component  102  for dissipating the heat form the heat-generating components. Accordingly, the conductive cover  106  may be formed of a thermally conductive material to assist the dissipation of heat from the heat-generating components of the electronic device  100 . In addition, in an example, the flat body  104  can also be formed of a thermally conductive material to allow effective heat dissipation. For instance, the flat body  104  can be made of aluminum and the conductive cover  106  can be made of copper. 
     The flat body  104  has a surface  302  in which the recess  108  is formed. In an example, the recess  108  can be etched into the surface  302 . In another example, the surface  302  of the flat body  104  can be machined to form the recess  108 . For example, an outline which substantially matches the conductive cover  106  is formed on the surface  302  and along the outline the surface is processed, for instance, etched or machined, to form the recess  108 . In one case, the recess  108  can have a depth, measured from the surface  302 , of about one-third of a cross-sectional thickness of the flat body  104 . For instance, the cross-sectional thickness of the flat body  104  of the chassis component  102  can be about 0.7 millimeter (mm) and the depth of the recess  108  can be about 0.2 mm. 
     To enable the chassis component  102  to effectively dissipate heat, as mentioned previously, the chassis component  102  can be designed to function as a two-phase flow heat plate. Accordingly, the mesh structure  112  and the working fluid  114  can be positioned in the sealed recess  108 . In an example, the working fluid can be water. During operation of the chassis component  102 , for example, when deployed in the electronic device  100  along with the heat-generating components of the electronic device  100 , the working fluid  114  can absorb heat from the heat-generating components and can change phase from liquid to vapor phase. For instance, the heat-generating components can abut the conductive cover  106  to absorb heat from such components, and the working fluid  114  can, in turn, absorb that heat from the conductive cover  106 . The vaporized working fluid can then flow to a relatively cooler portion of the recess  108  where it can be cooled by dissipating heat, for instance, to a portion of the flat body  104  away from the heat-generating components. Accordingly, in that process, the working fluid  114  can change phase again to liquid phase, while the heat is radiated away from the chassis component  102 . The working fluid  114  can then be directed back towards the part, of the recess  108  which is in the vicinity of the heat-generating components via the mesh structure  112 . In said example, the mesh structure  112  can act as a capillary structure to direct the working fluid. Therefore, the working fluid  114 , inside the sealed recess  108  and assisted by the mesh structure  112 , can continuously undergo phase change between vapor and liquid, thereby undergoing the cycle of heat absorption and heat dissipation, to effectively cool the electronic device  100 . 
     Further, the chassis component  102  of the present subject matter can have provisions for enhancing strength thereof, for example, to counter the effects of removal of material for forming the recess  108 . Accordingly, in one example as discussed above, while forming the recess  108 , the recess can be formed as having the shoulder  110 . The shoulder  110  can be formed along a boundary of the recess  108 . The conductive cover  106  can be bonded to the flat body  104  at the shoulder  110  of the recess  108 . 
     In one case, the conductive cover  106  can be bonded to the flat body  104  using bonding glue to prevent direct contact between the conductive cover  106  and the flat body  104 , for instance, the shoulder  110  of the flat body  104 . For instance, such a mode of bonding the conductive cover  106  and the flat body  104  can be used where a material of the flat body  104  and that of the conductive cover  106  may not be compatible with each other and may, for example, react with each other causing damage to the chassis component  102 . In another example, for instance, where the materials of the flat body  104  and the conductive cover  106  are compatible, the conductive cover  106  may be bonded to the flat body  104  by other modes of bonding, such as welding. In both the above examples, for instance, the bonding is so done that the bonding does not adversely affect the heat dissipation capability of the chassis component  102 . Therefore, in the former example where the conductive cover  106  is bonded to the flat body  104  using a bonding glue, the bonding glue may be thermally conductive in nature, and can be, for instance, a metal-based glue or can include fragments of a thermally conductive material. 
     The provision of the bonding the conductive cover  106  at the shoulder  110  of the recess  108  provides a degree of integrity to the chassis component  102  and enhances the strength and durability of the chassis component  102 . In another example, alternately or additionally to the previous example, the recess  108  can have a support structure  304  formed therein which further enhance the strength of the chassis component  102 . For instance, the support structure  304  can be formed as a plurality of support pillars or as a plurality of ribs. 
     Further, in an example, the recess  108  can be coated with protective film, such as the first protective film  116  to prevent the working fluid  114  from coming into contact with the recess  108 . Similarly, the recess-facing surface  118  of the conductive cover  106  can also be coated with a protective film, such as the second protective film  120 , so that the working fluid  114  does not come in contact with the conductive cover  106 , For example, the working fluid  114 , in certain cases, may be such that it may have a corrosive effect on the recess  108  as well as the conductive cover  106 , in the absence of the protective films  116  and  120 . Further, to ensure that the protective films  116  and  120  do not hinder the heat-dissipation ability of the chassis component  102 , either of the first protective film  116  and the second protective film  120 , or both may be thermally conductive. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a method  400  of manufacturing the chassis component  102  for the electronic device  100 . The order in which the blocks in the method  400  is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combined in any order to employ the method  400 , or an alternative flow diagram. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method  400  without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. 
     Referring to method  400 , at block  402 , the recess  108  is formed in a flat surface, such as the surface  302 , of an unfinished chassis component. In an example, the unfinished chassis component can be an unfinished flat body  104  which can be, for instance, a part of the chassis of the electronic device  100 . For example, the unfinished chassis component, or the unfinished flat body  104 , can be a bottom chassis of a laptop PC or a notebook PC, or a rear cover of a tablet PC, without the two-phase flow heat plate formed therein. In an example, the recess  108  can be formed by etching on the surface  302 . In another example, the surface  302  of the flat body  104  can be machined to form the recess  108 . 
     Further, at block  404 , the mesh structure  112  is positioned in the in the recess  108 . In an example, the mesh structure  112  can be formed by micro-trench machining or copper-powder sintering. 
     At block  406 , the working fluid  114  can be injected in the recess  108 . For instance, the working fluid  114  can be water. 
     At block  408 , the conductive cover  106  can be bonded with the unfinished chassis component, for instance, the unfinished flat body  104 , to seal the recess  108 . In one example, where a material of the unfinished chassis component and that of the conductive cover  106  may not be compatible with each other, the conductive cover  106  can be glued to the unfinished chassis component using bonding glue. The bonding glue can prevent direct contact between the conductive cover  106  and the unfinished chassis component. In another example, for instance, where the materials of the flat body  104  and the conductive cover  106  are compatible, the conductive cover  106  may be bonded to the flat body  104  by other modes of bonding, such as welding. 
     For instance, a top fixture and a bottom fixture may be used for setting the conductive cover  106  on top of the recess  108  to close the recess  108 . In said example, the unfinished chassis component, such as the flat body  104 , can be coupled to the bottom fixture and the conductive cover  106  can be coupled to the top fixture, and the top and bottom fixtures can be moved relative to each other to couple bond the conductive cover  106  to the unfinished chassis component. 
     At block  410 , the working fluid  114  enclosed in the sealed recess  108  can be heated. For instance, the enclosed working fluid  114  can be heated to achieve a predetermined level of vacuum inside the sealed recess  108 , such that the chassis component  102  so formed can function as the two-phase flow heat plate. In the above example where the flat body  104  is coupled to the bottom fixture, the bottom fixture can be provided with a heating mechanism, such as a heating element, which can heat the working fluid  114  enclosed in the sealed recess  108 , for example, to vaporize the working fluid  114 . A portion of the chassis component  102  so formed, for example, in which the recess  108  with the mesh structure  112  and the working fluid  114  sealed therein, can function as the two-phase heat plate and can enable the chassis component  102  to effectively dissipate heat. 
     Although aspects of the chassis component  102  for the electronic device  100  have been described in a language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the subject matter is not limited to the features or methods described. Rather, the features and methods are disclosed as examples of the chassis component  102  for the electronic device  100 .