Information handling system with articulated cooling fins between interleaved and separated positions
A portable information handling system rejects excess thermal energy from within a housing by blowing a cooling airflow with a cooling fan across first and second sets of cooling fins and out an exhaust. The cooling fins have an interleaved position with higher impedance and a separated position with a lower impedance that can increase cooling airflow. In one example embodiment, a central processing unit couples to a first circuit board and the first set of cooling fins and a graphics processor couples to a second circuit board and the second set of cooling fins so that movement of the circuit boards moves the cooling fins between the interleaved and separated positions.
1. An information handling system comprising: a portable housing having first and second housing portions rotationally coupled to rotate between open and closed positions; a central processor unit disposed in the housing and operable to execute instructions that process information; a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the instructions and information; a display integrated in the portable housing and operable to present the information as visual images; a graphics processor unit interfaced with the central processor unit and the display, the graphics processor operable to process the information to generate pixel values that define visual images for presentation at the display; a cooling fan disposed in the housing and aligned to force air out an exhaust of the housing; a first set of cooling fins interfaced with the central processor unit and disposed at the exhaust to transfer thermal energy from the central processor unit to the air at the exhaust; and a second set of cooling fins interfaced with the graphics processor and disposed at the exhaust to transfer thermal energy from the graphics processor to the air at the exhaust; wherein the first and second sets of cooling fins selectively move relative to each other between an interleaved position and a separated position.
2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of cooling fins physically contact each other in the interleaved position.
3. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:
a first circuit board coupled to the first set of cooling fins; and
a second circuit board coupled to a second set of cooling fins;
wherein the first and second circuit boards move relative to each other to place the first and second sets of cooling fins in the interleaved and separated positions.
4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the first and second circuit boards move to vertically separate from each other when the first and second housing portions rotate from the closed to the open position.
5. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a controller interfaced with the cooling fan, the controller applying a first control logic when the first and second sets of cooling fins have the interleaved position and a second control logic when the first and second sets of cooling fins have the separated position.
6. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a loop heat pipe coupled to the first set of cooling fins and passing through a carrying handle of the housing to transfer thermal energy of the first set of cooling fins to the carrying handle.
7. The information handling system of claim 6 further comprising a heat sink disposed in the carrying handle to store thermal energy.
8. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the heat sink comprises a dual phase material that changes from a solid to a liquid state to store the thermal energy.
9. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the carrying handle integrates a visual temperature indicator.
10. A method for managing thermal energy generated at an information handling system, the method comprising:
thermally interfacing a first processing component of the information handling system with a first set of cooling fins;
thermally interfacing a second processing component of the information handling system with a second set of cooling fins;
aligning a cooling fan to direct a cooling airflow at the first and second set of cooling fins; and
selectively moving the first and second set of cooling fins relative to each other between an interleaved position and a separated position.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein:
the first processing component comprises a central processing unit; and
the second processing component comprises a graphics processor.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
coupling the central processing unit to a first circuit board;
coupling the graphics processor to a second circuit board; and
moving the first and second circuit boards apart to move the first and second set of cooling fins apart.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
when in the interleaved position, maintaining contact between the first and second set of cooling fins; and
when in the separated position, maintaining separation without contact between the first and second set of cooling fins.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising: controlling a cooling fan speed with a first logic when in the interleaved position; and controlling the cooling fan speed with a second logic when in the separated position.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
rotating a housing of the information handling system between open and closed positions;
translating the rotating to move the first and second sets of cooling fins between the interleaved and separated positions.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
coupling at least one of the first and second set of cooling fins to a heat pipe loop;
integrating the heat pipe loop into a carrying handle of the housing; and
rejecting thermal energy from the carrying handle.
17. A thermal management system comprising: a first set of cooling fins thermally interfaced with a first processing component; a second set of cooling fins thermally interfaced with a second processing component; an actuator to move the first and second set of cooling fins between interleaved and separated positions; and a first circuit board coupled to the first processing component; and a second circuit board coupled to the second processing component; wherein the first and second circuit boards move relative to each other to move the first and second set of cooling fins between the interleaved and separated positions.
18. The thermal management system of claim 17 wherein the first processing component is a central processing unit and the second processing component is a graphics processor.
19. The thermal management system of claim 17 wherein the first and second set of cooling fins maintain contact in the interleaved position and separate without contact in the separated position.