Combination Active/Passive Thermal Control

摘要

A thermal control system that includes a combination of active and passive components is described herein. In one or more implementation, the thermal control system compensates for non-uniformities in a temperature profile for an arrangement of components within a computing device. One or more active components of the thermal control system transfer heat away from heat-generating devices by active means, such as active transfer to a moving fluid that is driven by a blower or fan. Additionally, one or more passive components are positioned to transfer heat to selected areas of the device using passive transfer devices, such as heat-pipes and thermal spreaders made of conductive materials. The active and passive components operate together to compensate for temperature variations across the device surfaces, produce a controlled temperature profile having greater uniformity, reduce overall differences in surface temperatures, and provide greater capability for heat dissipation.

主权项

1. A computing device comprising:
a housing in which one or more heat-generating devices of the computing device are mounted in an arrangement; and a thermal control system for cooling the computing device including:
one or more active components of the thermal control system configured to transfer heat away from the one or more heat-generating device by active heat transfer; andone or more passive components configured to operate in combination with the active one or more active components and positioned to transfer heat to selected areas of the device using passive transfer devices.