Thermal gap pad

摘要

This application relates to efficiently distributing heat within a portable computing device. More specifically an apparatus for conducting heat between internal components of the portable computing device is disclosed. The apparatus, referred to as a thermal gap pad, is configured to bridge a variably sized gap between internal components. This is accomplished by wrapping a resilient core in a layer of highly thermally conductive material. The resilient core allows a shape of the thermal gap pad to vary in accordance with a size of the gap. A resilience of the thermal gap pad can be adjusted to account for an amount of variance in the gap. In some embodiments, an electrically conductive layer can be added to facilitate the passage of electrical current through the thermal gap pad.

主权项

1. An electronic device comprising:
an electronic component; a heat generating component comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region emits a greater amount of heat than the second region; and multiple heat transfer composite structures compressed between the electronic component and the heat generating component with the heat transfer composite structures being distributed more densely in the first region than in the second region, the heat transfer composite structures providing thermal paths for transfer of heat in the electronic device, each heat transfer composite structure comprising:
a resilient bulk portion comprising a substrate formed of a material that is thermally insulating; anda laminate structure that promotes efficient heat transfer along the thermal path, the laminate structure comprising a thermally conductive layer sealed within a flexible wrapper, wherein the laminate structure is wrapped around and adhered to the resilient bulk portion in a manner that defines the thermal path.