PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9904334-B2
Application Number: US-201414197144-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Cooling electronic devices using flow sensors

Abstract:
An electronic device can be provided with a housing having at least one wall defining a cavity and a flow sensor at least partially contained within the cavity. The flow sensor may be configured to detect a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a first portion of the cavity. The electronic device may also include a processor configured to alter a performance characteristic of the electronic device based on the detected flow characteristic.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable computer, comprising:
 a housing that defines a cavity, the housing comprising a first port that allows airflow between the cavity and an environment external to the portable computer; 
 a cooling fan disposed within the cavity; and 
 components within the cavity, the components comprising:
 a first airflow sensor that generates a first signal comprising a measurement of airflow through the first port, 
 a second airflow sensor that generates a second signal comprising a measurement of airflow over a component within the cavity, and 
 a processor that provides, responsive to receiving the first and second signals, a control signal that alters an operation of the component associated with the second airflow sensor. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The portable computer as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the processor determines whether the cooling fan is blocked based upon the first and second signals. 
     
     
       3. The portable computer as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine an application characteristic related to a current operation of the portable computer, and wherein the processor is configured to alter the operation of the component based on the first signal, the second signal, and the application characteristic. 
     
     
       4. The portable computer as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor electrically coupled to the processor, 
 wherein the temperature sensor determines an internal temperature of the cavity, and 
 wherein the processor alters the operation of the component based on the first signal, the second signal, and the internal temperature. 
 
     
     
       5. The portable computer as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a component sensor configured to (i) detect an operational characteristic of the component and (ii) generate a third signal comprising component operational characteristic information, wherein the processor receives the third signal and provides the control signal based, in part, on the third signal. 
 
     
     
       6. The portable computer as recited in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a third airflow sensor that generates a fourth signal comprising a measurement of airflow through a second port. 
 
     
     
       7. The portable computer as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the first signal and the fourth signal are used by the processor to determine whether one of the first and second ports is blocked. 
     
     
       8. A portable computing device, comprising:
 a display pivotally coupled to a base, the base comprising: 
 a plurality of walls that define a cavity, wherein a first wall of the plurality of walls comprises a first port that allows airflow between the cavity and an environment external to the portable computer; and 
 components within the cavity, the components comprising:
 a cooling fan, 
 a first airflow sensor that generates a first signal comprising a measurement of airflow through the first port, 
 a second airflow sensor that generates a second signal comprising a measurement of airflow over a first component within the cavity, and 
 a processor that provides, responsive to receiving the first and second signals, a control signal that alters an operation of the first component associated with the second airflow sensor. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the processor determines whether the cooling fan is blocked based on the first and second signals. 
     
     
       10. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor disposed within the cavity and in communication with the processor, wherein the operation of the first component is changed in accordance with the first signal, the second signal, and a signal from the temperature sensor that provides an internal temperature of the cavity. 
 
     
     
       11. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a component sensor configured to (i) detect an operational characteristic of the first component and (ii) generate a third signal comprising component operational characteristic information, wherein the processor receives the third signal and provides the control signal based, in part, on the third signal. 
 
     
     
       12. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the first component is a processor and the operational characteristic is an operating state the processor. 
     
     
       13. The portable computing device a recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a keyboard assembly, wherein the first port is disposed through the keyboard assembly. 
 
     
     
       14. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a third airflow sensor that generates a fourth signal comprising a measurement of airflow through a second port. 
 
     
     
       15. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to provide a user instruction on a display of the portable computing device when the port is determined to be blocked. 
     
     
       16. A portable computer, comprising:
 a housing that defines a cavity, the housing comprising a first port that allows airflow between the cavity and an environment external to the portable computer; 
 a cooling fan disposed within the cavity; and 
 components within the cavity, the components comprising:
 a first airflow sensor that generates a first signal comprising a measurement of airflow through the first port, 
 a component sensor configured to (i) detect an operational characteristic of the component and (ii) generate a second signal comprising component operational characteristic information, and 
 a processor that provides, responsive to receiving the first and second signals, a control signal that alters an operation of the component associated with the component sensor. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The portable computer of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a second airflow sensor that generates a third signal comprising a measurement of airflow over a component within the cavity. 
 
     
     
       18. The portable computer of  claim 17 , wherein the processor receives the third signal and provides the control signal based, in part, on the third signal. 
     
     
       19. The portable computer of  claim 18  wherein the processor determines whether the cooling fan is blocked based upon the first and third signals.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/241,010, filed Sep. 29, 2008, entitled “METHODS FOR COOLING ELECTRONIC DEVICES USING FLOW SENSORS”, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This can relate to systems and methods for cooling an electronic device, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for cooling an electronic device using flow sensors. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As electronic components of various electronic devices (e.g., laptop computers) evolve into faster and more dynamic machines, their power requirements often consequently increase. With this increase in power consumption, an increase in power dissipation in the form of heat results. For example, in a laptop computer, chipsets and microprocessors, such as central processing units (“CPUs”) and graphics processing units (“GPUs”), are major sources of heat. Heat dissipation is an important consideration in the design of such electronic devices. If this heat is not adequately dissipated, the electronic components may fail and/or cause damage to the electronic device. 
     Accordingly, what is needed are systems and methods for cooling an electronic device. 
     SUMMARY 
     Systems and methods for cooling an electronic device are provided. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electronic device that may include a housing having at least one wall defining a cavity and a flow sensor at least partially contained within the cavity. The flow sensor may be configured to detect a first flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a first portion of the cavity. The electronic device may also include a processor coupled to the flow sensor. The processor may be configured to alter the performance of the electronic device based on the detected first flow characteristic. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electronic device that may include a housing defining a cavity, a cooling component at least partially contained within the cavity, and a flow sensor. The flow sensor may be configured to detect a first flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through the cooling component. 
     According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for cooling an electronic device that may include a housing having at least one wall defining a cavity. The method may include detecting a first flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a first portion of the cavity, and altering the performance of the electronic device based on the detected first flow characteristic. 
     According to yet still another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electronic device. The method may include providing a housing defining a cavity, and providing a flow sensor that detects a first flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a first portion of the cavity. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a simplified schematic diagram of an electronic device, according to some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a top, front, right perspective view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  in an open position, according to some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a bottom, back, left perspective view of the electronic device of  FIGS. 1 and 2  in a closed position, according to some embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the electronic device of  FIGS. 1-3 , taken from line IV-IV of  FIG. 2 , according to some embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Systems and methods for cooling an electronic device using flow sensors are provided and described with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 . 
       FIG. 1  is a simplified schematic diagram of an electronic device  100  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The term “electronic device” can include, but is not limited to, music players, video players, still image players, game players, other media players, music recorders, video recorders, cameras, other media recorders, radios, medical equipment, domestic appliances, transportation vehicle instruments, musical instruments, calculators, cellular telephones, other wireless communication devices, personal digital assistants, remote controls, pagers, computers (e.g., desktops, laptops, tablets, servers, etc.), monitors, televisions, stereo equipment, set up boxes, set-top boxes, boom boxes, modems, routers, keyboards, mice, speakers, printers, and combinations thereof. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , electronic device  100  may include housing  101 , processor  102 , memory  104 , power supply  106 , communications circuitry  108 , bus  109 , input component  110 , output component  112 , flow sensor  114 , auxiliary sensor  116 , and cooling component  118 . Bus  109  may include one or more wired or wireless links that provide paths for transmitting data and/or power, to, from, or between various components of electronic device  100  including, for example, processor  102 , memory  104 , power supply  106 , communications circuitry  108 , input component  110 , output component  112 , flow sensor  114 , auxiliary sensor  116 , and cooling component  118 . 
     Memory  104  may include one or more storage mediums, including, but not limited to, a hard-drive, flash memory, permanent memory such as read-only memory (“ROM”), semi-permanent memory such as random access memory (“RAM”), any other suitable type of storage component, and any combinations thereof. Memory  104  may include cache memory, which may be one or more different types of memory used for temporarily storing data for electronic device applications. 
     Power supply  106  may provide power to the electronic components of electronic device  100 . In some embodiments, power supply  106  can be coupled to a power grid (e.g., when device  100  is not a portable device, such as a desktop computer). In some embodiments, power supply  106  can include one or more batteries for providing power (e.g., when device  100  is a portable device, such as a cellular telephone or a laptop computer). As another example, power supply  106  can be configured to generate power from a natural source (e.g., solar power using solar cells). 
     Communications circuitry  108  may be provided to allow device  100  to communicate with one or more other electronic devices using any suitable communications protocol. For example, communications circuitry  108  may support Wi-Fi™ (e.g., an 802.11 protocol), Ethernet, Bluetooth™, high frequency systems (e.g., 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.6 GHz communication systems), infrared, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (“TCP/IP”) (e.g., any of the protocols used in each of the TCP/IP layers), hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”), BitTorrent™, file transfer protocol (“FTP”), real-time transport protocol (“RTP”), real-time streaming protocol (“RTSP”), secure shell protocol (“SSH”), any other communications protocol, and any combinations thereof. Communications circuitry  108  can also include circuitry that enables device  100  to be electrically coupled to another device (e.g., a computer or an accessory device) and communicate with that other device. 
     One or more input components  110  may be provided to permit a user to interact or interface with device  100 . For example, input component  110  can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, an electronic device pad, dial, click wheel, scroll wheel, touch screen, one or more buttons (e.g., a keyboard), mouse, joy stick, track ball, microphone, camera, video recorder, and any combinations thereof. Each input component  110  may be configured to provide one or more dedicated control functions for making selections or issuing commands associated with operating device  100 . 
     One or more output components  112  can be provided to present information (e.g., textual, graphical, audible, and/or tactile information) to a user of device  100 . Output component  112  can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, audio speakers, headphones, signal line-outs, visual displays, antennas, infrared ports, rumblers, vibrators, and any combinations thereof. 
     It should be noted that one or more input components  110  and/or one or more output components  112  may sometimes be referred to individually or collectively herein as an input/output (“I/O”) component or I/O or user interface. It should also be noted that one or more input components  110  and one or more output components  112  may sometimes be combined to provide a single I/O component or user interface, such as a touch screen that may receive input information through a user&#39;s touch of a display screen and that may also provide visual information to a user via that same display screen. 
     Housing  101  may at least partially enclose one or more of the various electronic components associated with operating electronic device  100  for protecting them from debris and other degrading forces external to device  100 . In some embodiments, housing  101  may include one or more walls  120  that define a cavity  103  within which the various electronic components of device  100  can be disposed. In some embodiments, housing  101  can support various electronic components of device  100 , such as I/O component  110  and/or I/O component  112 , at the surfaces or within one or more housing openings  151  through the surfaces of walls  120  of housing  101 . Housing openings  151  may also allow certain fluids (e.g., air) to be drawn into and discharged from cavity  103  of electronic device  100  for helping to manage the internal temperature of device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more of the electronic components of electronic device  100  may be provided within its own housing component (e.g., input component  110  may be an independent keyboard or mouse within its own housing component that may wirelessly or through a wire communicate with processor  102 , which may similarly be provided within its own housing component). Housing  101  can be formed from a wide variety of materials including, but not limited to, metals (e.g., steel, copper, titanium, aluminum, and various metal alloys), ceramics, plastics, and any combinations thereof. Housing  101  may also help to define the shape or form of electronic device  100 . That is, the contour of housing  101  may embody the outward physical appearance of electronic device  100 . 
     One or more cooling components  118  can be provided to help dissipate heat generated by the various electronic components of electronic device  100 . Cooling components  118  may take various forms, including, but not limited to, fans, heat sinks, heat spreaders, heat pipes, vents or openings in housing  101  of electronic device  100 , and any combinations thereof. 
     One or more flow sensors  114  can be provided to detect one or more characteristics related to the flow of a fluid through a portion of electronic device  100 . For example, each flow sensor  114  may be any component or components suitable to detect one or more flow characteristics related to the flow of a fluid through a particular area or space. For example, each flow sensor  114  may take various forms, including, but not limited to, a velocimeter, an interferometer, a Doppler sensing device, and any combinations thereof. A flow characteristic that may be detected by flow sensor  114  may take various forms, including, but not limited to, the velocity of the flow, a change in the velocity of the flow, a rate of the change in the velocity of the flow, and the like. Moreover, a fluid whose flow may be detected by flow sensor  114  may be any fluid traveling through electronic device  100 , such as air. 
     Moreover, one or more auxiliary sensors  116  can be provided to detect one or more auxiliary characteristics related to a current operation, performance, or environmental condition of one or more electronic components or areas of electronic device  100  that may be useful for controlling the cooling of electronic device  100 . For example, each auxiliary sensor  116  may take various forms, including, but not limited to, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of a portion of electronic device  100 , a performance analyzer for detecting an application characteristic related to the current operation of one or more components of electronic device  100  (e.g., output component  112 ), one or more single-axis or multi-axis accelerometers, angular rate or inertial sensors (e.g., optical gyroscopes, vibrating gyroscopes, gas rate gyroscopes, or ring gyroscopes), magnetometers (e.g., scalar or vector magnetometers), pressure sensors, light sensors (e.g., ambient light sensors (“ALS”), infrared (“IR”) sensors, etc.), linear velocity sensors, thermal sensors, microphones, proximity sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, acoustic sensors, sonic or sonar sensors, radar sensors, image sensors, video sensors, global positioning system (“GPS”) detectors, radio frequency (“RF”) detectors, RF or acoustic Doppler detectors, RF triangulation detectors, electrical charge sensors, peripheral device detectors, event counters, and any combinations thereof. For example, processor  102  may be configured to read data from one or more auxiliary sensors  116  in order to determine the orientation or velocity of electronic device  100 , and/or the amount or type of light, heat, or sound that device  100  is being exposed to, and the like. 
     Processor  102  of device  100  may control the operation of many functions and other circuitry provided by device  100 . For example, processor  102  can receive input signals from input component  110  and/or drive output signals through output component  112 . Processor  102  may load a user interface program (e.g., a program stored in memory  104  or on another device or server) to determine how instructions received via input component  110  may manipulate the way in which information (e.g., information stored in memory  104  or on another device or server) is provided to the user via output component  112 . 
     According to some embodiments of the invention, processor  102  may control the operation of one or more electronic components of electronic device  100  based on a flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114  that is related to the flow of a fluid through a portion of cavity  103  of housing  101 . Processor  102  may alter the operation of cooling component  118  based at least in part on a flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114 . For example, if flow sensor  114  detects that the velocity of air flowing through a portion of cavity  103  has decreased below a certain threshold velocity, processor  102  may consequentially increase the speed of a fan as provided by cooling component  118 . Additionally or alternatively, processor  102  may alter an operational mode of electronic device  100  (e.g., a user interface program may be altered) based at least in part on a flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114 . For example, if flow sensor  114  detects that the velocity of air flowing through a portion of cavity  103  has increased above a certain threshold velocity, processor  102  may consequentially change an operational mode of electronic device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the performance or mode of an electronic component of electronic device  100  may be altered based on a combination of a flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114  and another characteristic of electronic device detected by auxiliary component  116 , such as the temperature of a portion of cavity  103 . Similarly, the performance or mode of an electronic component of electronic device  100  may be altered based on a combination of a flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114  and a cooling characteristic related to the operation of cooling component  118 , such as the speed of a fan. By altering the performance or mode of an electronic component of electronic device  100  based wholly, or at least in part, on a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through cavity  103 , electronic device  100  may better control and/or detect problems related to the manner in which electronic device  100  dissipates heat. 
     Electronic device  100  is illustrated in  FIGS. 2-4  to be a laptop computer, although it is to be understood that electronic device  100  may be any type of electronic device as described herein in accordance with the invention. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , for example, housing  101  of electronic device  100  may be configured to provide two housing components coupled together by a hinge or clutch assembly. Particularly, housing  101  may include a base housing component  101   a  and a display housing component  101   b  coupled to one another by a hinge assembly  101   c , also known as clutch assembly  101   c . Housing components  101   a ,  101   b , and  101   c  may be configured such that electronic device  100  may be “opened” for use (see, e.g.,  FIG. 2 ) by rotating display housing component  101   b  away from base housing component  101   a  in the direction of arrow O about hinge axis H of hinge assembly  101   c , and such that electronic device  100  may be “closed” (see, e.g.,  FIG. 3 ) by rotating display housing component  101   b  towards base housing component  101   a  in the direction of arrow C about hinge axis H. However, it should be noted that housing  101  of device  100  is only exemplary and need not include two substantially hexahedral portions coupled by a hinge. For example, in certain embodiments, the housing of device  100  could generally be formed in any other suitable shape, including, but not limited to, one or more housing components or portions that are substantially spherical, ellipsoidal, conoidal, octahedral, and any combinations thereof. 
     Base housing component  101   a  may include a top wall  121 , various side walls, such as front wall  122 , back wall  123 , right wall  124 , and left wall  125 , and a bottom wall  126  opposite top wall  121 . In some embodiments, one or more openings may be provided through one or more of the walls of housing component  101   a  to at least partially expose one or more components of electronic device  100 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , an opening  131  may be provided through top wall  121  of base housing component  101   a  to at least partially expose an input component  110   a  of electronic device  100 . In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , for example, openings  141   a  and  141   b  may be provided through top wall  121  of base housing component  101   a  to at least partially expose respective output components  112   a  and  112   b  of electronic device  100 . Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 2 , openings  151   a  and  151   b  may be respectively provided through right wall  124  and front wall  122  of base housing component  101   a  of electronic device  100 . 
     Likewise, display housing component  101   b  may include a top wall  161 , various side walls, such as front wall  162 , back wall  163 , right wall  164 , and left wall  165 , and a bottom wall (not shown) opposite top wall  161 . In some embodiments, one or more openings may be provided through one or more of the walls of housing component  101   b  to at least partially expose one or more components of electronic device  100 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , an opening  171  may be provided through top wall  161  of display housing component  101   b  to at least partially expose an output component  112   c  of electronic device  100 . 
     Input component  110   a  is illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4  to be a keyboard assembly, although it is to be understood that input component  110   a  exposed by opening  131  through top wall  121  of housing component  101   a  may be any type of input component as described herein in accordance with the invention. Moreover, although output components  112   a  and  112   b  are illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4  to be audio speakers, it is to be understood that each one of output components  112   a  and  112   b  exposed by a respective opening  141  through top wall  121  of housing component  101   a  may be any type of output component as described herein in accordance with the invention. Similarly, although output component  112   c  is illustrated in  FIG. 2  to be a visual display, it is to be understood that output component  112   c  exposed by opening  171  through top wall  161  of housing component  101   b  also may be any type of output component as described herein in accordance with the invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , one or more flow sensors  114  may be at least partially contained within cavity  103  of housing  101 . By altering the performance or mode of an electronic component of electronic device  100  based wholly or in part on a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through cavity  103  as detected by one or more flow sensors  114 , electronic device  100  may better control and/or detect problems related to the manner in which electronic device  100  dissipates heat. 
     For example, a flow sensor  114   a  may be provided at least partially within or proximate to housing opening  151   a  through right wall  124  of housing  101 . Flow sensor  114   a  may be configured to detect a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through at least a portion of housing opening  151   a . The detected flow of the fluid may be through opening  151   a  into cavity  103 , out of cavity  103  through opening  151   a , and/or in any other suitable direction with respect to flow sensor  114   a . In some embodiments, the flow characteristic detected by flow sensor  114   a  may be the velocity of the flow, a change in the velocity of the flow, or a rate of the change in the velocity of the flow, for example. 
     In some embodiments, a cooling component may be positioned within cavity  103  for dissipating heat generated by one or more electronic components of device  100  (e.g., by directing a fluid to flow to and/or from housing opening  151   a ). For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a cooling component  118   a  may be positioned within cavity  103  such that there may be an at least partially unobstructed path between housing opening  151   a  and cooling component  118   a  for helping dissipate heat generated by the various electronic components of electronic device  100  (e.g., processor  102 ). In some embodiments, cooling component  118   a  may be configured to direct fluid from within cavity  103  through housing opening  151   a . For example, cooling component  118   a  may be a fan configured to draw fluid from within cavity  103  and to blow the drawn fluid through opening  151   a  (e.g., to draw air from cavity  103  that may be warm due to heat generated by processor  102  and to blow that warm air through opening  151   a  for removing the warm air from electronic device  100 ). Alternatively, in some embodiments, cooling component  118   a  may be configured to direct fluid from housing opening  151   a  into cavity  103 . For example, cooling component  118   a  may be a fan configured to draw fluid from opening  151   a  and to blow the drawn fluid into cavity  103  (e.g., to draw cool air external to device  100  through opening  151   a  and to blow that cool air over portions of processor  102  that may be hot and in need of cooling). The positioning and geometry of flow sensor  114   a , cooling component  118   a , and housing opening  151   a  with respect to one another may be chosen based on thermal management considerations, such as how much heat is to be dissipated. 
     As another example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a flow sensor  114   b  may be provided within cavity  103  without consideration of a housing opening. Flow sensor  114   b  may be configured to detect a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a passageway  105  defined between a portion of processor  102  and a portion of power supply  106 . The detected flow of the fluid may be through passageway  105  away from sensor  114   b  and towards a cooling component  118   b  positioned at an end of passageway  105 , through passageway  105  away from cooling component  118   b  and towards sensor  114   b , and/or in any other suitable direction with respect to flow sensor  114   b . The positioning and geometry of flow sensor  114   b , cooling component  118   b , and passageway  105  with respect to one another may be chosen based on thermal management considerations, such as how much heat is to be dissipated. 
     As described in co-pending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/241,009, titled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING ELECTRONIC DEVICES THROUGH USER INTERFACES,” filed Sep. 29, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, one or more holes or ports may be provided through one or more portions of an I/O component or any other electronic component of an electronic device for providing at least a portion of a passageway between an opening in a housing and a cooling component or any other component contained in a cavity of the electronic device. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , one or more ports may be provided through keyboard assembly  110   a  for providing one or more portions of a cooling passageway  303  extending between housing opening  131  and a cooling component  118   c  positioned within cavity  103  of electronic device  100 . 
     Keyboard assembly  110   a  may be positioned with respect to housing  101  of electronic device  100  such that at least a portion of one or more keys  205  of keyboard assembly  110   a  may extend through or may be at least partially exposed by housing opening  131  to be accessible to a user of device  100 . The remaining portions of keyboard assembly  110   a  (i.e., one or more keyboard assembly layers  210  coupled to keys  205 ) may be contained within cavity  103  of housing  101 . In some embodiments, keyboard assembly  110   a  may be positioned with respect to housing opening  131  such that housing opening  131  may not be exposed to other components of device  100  (e.g., cooling component  118   c ). However, as there may be limited openings provided through housing  101 , utilizing the available housing openings for drawing cool air into cavity  103  of device  100  and/or for discharging hot air from cavity  103  of device  100 , for example, may be helpful for managing the internal temperature of device  100 . 
     Therefore, one or more ports may be provided through a portion of keyboard assembly  110   a  positioned between housing opening  131  and other electronic components of device  100  (e.g., cooling component  118   c ) for providing at least a portion of a passageway between housing opening  131  and an electronic component for cooling electronic device  100 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , one or more cooling ports  213  may be provided through keyboard assembly layer  210  of keyboard assembly  110   a . Moreover, one or more spacings  263  may be provided between two or more keys  205  of keyboard assembly  110   a , such that a passageway  303  is provided through spacing  263  and cooling port  213 , and between housing opening  131  and cavity  103 . 
     A flow sensor  114   c  may be provided anywhere along passageway  303 . Flow sensor  114   c  may be configured to detect a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through at least a portion of passageway  303 . The detected flow of the fluid may be through opening  131  and cooling port  213  into cavity  103  (e.g., towards cooling component  118   c ), out of cavity  103  (e.g., from cooling component  118   c ) through cooling port  213  and opening  131 , and/or in any other suitable direction with respect to flow sensor  114   c . The positioning and geometry of flow sensor  114   c , cooling component  118   c , and cooling port  213  with respect to one another may be chosen based on thermal management considerations, such as how much heat is to be dissipated. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , one or more auxiliary sensors  116  may be provided at least partially within cavity  103  for detecting one or more auxiliary characteristics related to a current operation, performance, or environmental condition of one or more electronic components or areas of electronic device  100  that may be useful for controlling the cooling of electronic device  100 . In some embodiments, an auxiliary sensor  116   a  may be provided proximate to or as a portion of cooling component  118   a  within cavity  103 . Auxiliary sensor  116   a  may be configured to detect an auxiliary characteristic related to a current operation, performance, or environmental condition of cooling component  118   a . For example, auxiliary sensor  116   a  may be a temperature sensor configured to detect an auxiliary characteristic related to the temperature at a portion of cooling component  118   a.    
     In some embodiments, an auxiliary sensor  116   b  may be provided proximate to or as a portion of processor  102 . Auxiliary sensor  116   b  may be configured to detect an auxiliary characteristic related to a state of operation, performance, or environmental condition of processor  102 . For example, auxiliary sensor  116   b  may be a performance analyzer for detecting an application characteristic of processor  102  (e.g., for detecting the type of user interface program that processor  102  is currently running or for detecting the amount of power that processor  102  is currently requiring). 
     As another example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , an auxiliary sensor  116   c  may be provided within cavity  103  without consideration of a specific electronic component or housing opening. Auxiliary sensor  116   c  may be positioned in a middle portion of cavity  103  for detecting an auxiliary characteristic related to an environmental condition at that area. For example, auxiliary sensor  116   c  may be an accelerometer for determining the orientation of device  100 . 
     By altering the performance or mode of an electronic component of electronic device  100  based on a flow characteristic as detected by one or more flow sensors  114  in combination with a cooling characteristic related to the operation of one or more cooling components  118  and/or an auxiliary characteristic as detected by one or more auxiliary sensors  116 , electronic device  100  may better control and/or detect problems related to the manner in which electronic device  100  dissipates heat. For example, if flow sensor  114   a  detects that the velocity of the flow of a fluid through opening  151   a  is steadily decreasing, while auxiliary sensor  116   b  detects that processor  102  is running the same application and cooling component  118   a  is performing consistently, then it may be determined (e.g., through look-up tables or other determination software and/or hardware) that housing opening  151   a  is somehow blocked and unable to allow a proper amount of fluid to flow out of or into device  100 . Based on this determination, electronic device  100  may alter, or may signal a user to alter, the operation of one or more components to help alleviate this detected problem. For example, in an exemplary implementation, processor  102  may provide a user instruction (e.g., via output component  112 ) that asks a user to check if opening  151   a  is somehow blocked and, if so, to unblock opening  151   a  in order to improve the efficiency with which device  100  may cool itself. Alternatively or additionally, processor  102  may instruct cooling component  118   a  to increase its performance (e.g., to increase its speed if cooling component  118   a  is a fan) in order to potentially unblock opening  151   a  without the aid of a user. 
     While there have been described systems and methods for cooling an electronic device using flow sensors, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that various directional and orientational terms such as “front” and “back” and “rear,” “left” and “right,” “top” and “bottom,” and the like are used herein only for convenience, and that no fixed or absolute directional or orientational limitations are intended by the use of these words. For example, the devices of this invention can have any desired orientation. If reoriented, different directional or orientational terms may need to be used in their description, but that will not alter their fundamental nature as within the scope and spirit of this invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation, and the invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20140304
Publication Date: 20180227
Grant Date: 20180227
Priority Date: 20080829
Inventors: ALI IHAB A.
LIANG FRANK F.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "Y02B60/1275", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/0002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/203", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/467", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/206", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1613", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/34", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/467", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02D10/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/0002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1613", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02D10/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/203", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/34", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/203", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/467", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/0002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/34", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/206", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/206", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41723601