IP Library Granted Patent US 7,518,867
Granted Patent B2
US 7,518,867 · App. 10/587,379 · Granted Apr 14, 2009

Electronic device cooling device and electronic device cooling method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,518,867
App. No.
10/587,379
Granted
Apr 14, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device includes a cooling apparatus having: a primary cooling unit which is disposed in close proximity with an electronic device so as to face a surface thereof; an auxiliary cooling unit which is disposed in close proximity with the electronic device so as to face a surface thereof; and a controller which drives at least one of the primary cooling unit and the auxiliary cooling unit so as to cool the electronic device.

Claims (28)

1. An electronic device cooling apparatus comprising:

a primary cooling unit which is disposed so as to face a surface of an electronic device;

an auxiliary cooling unit which is disposed so as to face another surface of the electronic device different from the surface that the primary cooling unit faces; and

a controller which is operable to drive the primary cooling unit and the auxiliary cooling unit and drives at least one of the primary cooling unit and the auxiliary cooling unit based on how heat is generated from the electronic device so as to cool the electronic device, wherein

the primary cooling unit is based on a cooling mechanism different from that of the auxiliary cooling unit.

2. The electronic device cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling capacity of the auxiliary cooling unit per unit time is higher than that of the primary cooling unit.

3. The electronic device cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary cooling unit is provided with a cooling nozzle, and

the controller controls a coolant introduced in the cooling nozzle and drives the auxiliary cooling unit by delivering a jet of coolant from the cooling nozzle.

4. The electronic device cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature measuring unit which measures the temperature of a surface of the electronic device, wherein

when a rise in the measured temperature per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the controller drives the auxiliary cooling unit to cool the electronic device.

5. An electronic device cooling apparatus comprising:

a primary cooling unit which is disposed so as to face a predetermined surface of an electronic device;

an auxiliary cooling unit which delivers a jet of coolant to the electronic device via a through hole provided in a substrate that faces another surface of the electronic device different from the predetermined surface; and

a controller which is operable to drive the primary cooling unit and the auxiliary cooling unit and drives at least one of the primary cooling unit and the auxiliary cooling unit based on how heat is generated from the electronic device so as to cool the electronic device.

6. An electronic device cooling method comprising:

measuring the temperature of a surface of an electronic device;

determining whether the measured temperature exceeds a first predetermined threshold value;

cooling the surface of the electronic device by a first cooling unit when the measured temperature exceeds the first predetermined threshold value;

determining whether a rise in the temperature of the surface of the electronic device per unit time exceeds a second predetermined threshold value as a result of time variation; and

cooling the surface of the electronic device by a second cooling unit when the rise exceeds the second predetermined threshold value,

wherein the first cooling unit is based on a cooling mechanism different from that of the second cooling unit.

7. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program product for controlling the cooling of an electronic device, the computer program product comprising:

a measuring module which measures the temperature of a surface of the electronic device;

a first determining module which determines whether the measured temperature exceeds a first predetermined threshold value;

a first cooling module which causes a first cooling unit to cool the surface of the electronic device when the measured temperature exceeds the first predetermined threshold value;

a second determining module which determines whether a rise in the temperature of the surface of the electronic device per unit time exceeds a second predetermined threshold value as a result of time variation; and

a second cooling module which causes a second cooling unit to cool the surface of the electronic device when the rise exceeds the second predetermined threshold value,

wherein the first cooling unit is based on a cooling mechanism different from that of the second cooling unit.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 27, 2011
From: SONY NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM INC.
To: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Reel/Frame 027481/0351 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 26, 2011
From: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
To: SONY NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM INC.
Reel/Frame 027445/0657 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2006
From: YAZAWA, KAZUAKI
To: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Reel/Frame 018453/0588 →