Passive thermal solution for hand-held devices
The present invention relates to a thermal solution for hand-held devices. In an embodiment, the present invention implements a thermal gap filler and a system enclosure for effective thermal management of high performance hand-held devices. In an embodiment, a hand-held device of the present invention increases the thermal power dissipation capability by reducing its system thermal resistance.
1 . A device comprising:
a casing;
an electronic package at least partially enclosed in the casing; and
a gap filler adjacent to the electronic package,
wherein:
the device has EMI shielding properties.
2 . The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a heat spreader adjacent to the gap filler.
3 . The device of claim 1 wherein:
the casing is a thermally conductive casing.
4 . The device of claim 3 wherein:
the thermally conductive casing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene sulfide, liquid crystalline polymer, magnesium, polyphenylene sulfide, polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomer, polyamide, and polybutene terephthalate.
5 . The device of claim 3 wherein:
a thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive casing is greater than approximately 2 W/m-K.
6 . The device of claim 5 wherein:
the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive casing is in a range from 2 W/m-K to 20 W/m-K.
7 . The device of claim 5 wherein:
the gap filler provides a heat path from the electronic package to the thermally conductive casing, wherein the heat path is substantially free of air gaps.
8 . The device of claim 1 wherein:
the gap filler comprises a material selected from the group consisting of acrylate resin and silicone.
9 . The device of claim 1 wherein:
a thermal conductivity of the gap filler is greater than about 1 W/m-K.
10 . The device of claim 1 wherein:
the gap filler substantially fills a volume enclosed by the casing not filled by other components within the casing.
11 . The device of claim 1 wherein:
the device is a hand-held, portable device.
12 . The device of claim 1 further comprising:
an EMI shield within the casing,
wherein:
the EMI shielding properties are provided by the EMI shield; and
a thermal conductivity of the EMI shield is greater than 150 W/m-K.
13 . A thermally-enhanced shielding solution comprising:
a casing;
an electronic package at least partially enclosed in the casing;
an EMI shield adjacent to the electronic package; and
a thermal gap filler between the EMI shield and the electronic package,
wherein:
a thermal conductivity of the thermal gap filler is greater than about 1 W/m-K;
the thermal gap filler provides a heat path from the electronic package to the casing; and
the heat path is substantially free of air gaps such that the thermal gap filler substantially fills a volume enclosed by the casing not filled by other components within the casing.
14 . The thermally-enhanced shielding solution of claim 13 further comprising:
a heat spreader adjacent to the thermal gap filler.
15 . The thermally-enhanced shielding solution of claim 13 wherein:
the casing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene sulfide, liquid crystalline polymer, magnesium, polyphenylene sulfide, polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomer, polyamide, and polybutene terephthalate; and
the gap filler comprises a material selected from the group consisting of acrylate resin and silicone.
16 . A device comprising:
a casing;
an electronic package at least partially enclosed in the casing;
a gap filler adjacent to the casing; and
a heat spreader adjacent to the gap filler,
wherein:
a space between the electronic package and the casing has EMI shielding properties.
17 . The device of claim 16 further comprising:
an EMI shield in the space between the electronic package and the casing.
18 . The device of claim 17 wherein:
the EMI shield has a thermal conductivity greater than 150 W/m-K.
19 . The device of claim 18 wherein:
the EMI shield has a thermal conductivity in a range between 150 W/m-K and 400 W/m-K.
20 . The device of claim 17 wherein:
the EMI shield is disposed between a first portion and a second portion of the gap filler.