Patent ID: 7450381

Claim:
A thermal management system comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface on which electronic components are mounted; a plurality of contour control actuators fixedly disposed in a substantially planar array in z-axis opposition to the first surface of said PCB, each of said plurality of contour control actuators having an extensible end that is electromechanically extendable in parallel with the z-axis normal to the first surface of said PCB; a substantially flexible sheet member disposed between the extensible ends of said plurality of contour control actuators and the first surface of said PCB, the extensible ends contacting said flexible sheet member such that the z-axis contour of said flexible sheet member is determined by the z-axis positions of the extensible ends; and a contour controller that adjusts the z-axis contour of said flexible sheet member by adjusting the relative positions of the extensible ends of one or more of said contour control actuators, wherein said contour controller adjusts the relative positions of the extensible ends in accordance with thermal conditions proximate to said PCB.