U.S. patent application number 12/635666 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-01 for active vents for cooling of computing device.
Invention is credited to Anandaroop BHATTACHARYA, Bijendra Singh.
Application Number | 20100167636 12/635666 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42285534 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100167636 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BHATTACHARYA; Anandaroop ;
et al. |
July 1, 2010 |
ACTIVE VENTS FOR COOLING OF COMPUTING DEVICE
Abstract
Apparatus and methods of cooling a computing device using active
air vents. Embodiments include active air vents capable of
dynamically changing the pattern of inlet airflow into the housing
of the computing device and selectively directing airflow to cool
heat-generating components on need basis. Embodiments include
active vents coupled to an actuation mechanism to preferentially
open and close the active air vents so that inlet airflow into the
housing can be regulated based on the cooling requirement of
heat-generating components in the housing. Embodiments also include
a control module to determine the cooling requirement of the
components of the device.
Inventors: |
BHATTACHARYA; Anandaroop;
(Bangalore, IN) ; Singh; Bijendra; (Beaverton,
OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
INTEL/BSTZ;BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP
1279 OAKMEAD PARKWAY
SUNNYVALE
CA
94085-4040
US
|
Family ID: |
42285534 |
Appl. No.: |
12/635666 |
Filed: |
December 10, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
454/239 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 5/0213 20130101;
G06F 1/206 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/239 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/053 20060101
F24F011/053 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 26, 2008 |
IN |
2946/DEL/2008 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising: a housing of a computing device having
at least a first and a second vent, said vents each having a
plurality of through openings; a first set of heat-generating
components disposed within the housing and adjacent to the first
vent; a second set of heat-generating components disposed within
the housing and adjacent to the second vent; a plurality of cover
members, each being paired to said vents and being configured to
regulate airflow into the housing via the through openings of said
vents; and an actuation mechanism being configured to engagably
displace the plurality of cover members.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module to
determine a cooling requirement of the first and second sets of
heat-generating components and to control the actuation mechanism
based on the cooling requirement.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control module determines
the cooling requirement based on temperature-state inputs, or
power-state inputs, or a combination of temperature-state and
power-state inputs of the first and second heat-generating
components.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuation mechanism
includes one of a magnetic solenoid or a linear motor, and is being
coupled to the plurality of cover members.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of cover
members includes a plurality of through openings.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cover members
is capable of varying the size of the through openings of said
vents available for inlet airflow to pass.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of cover members
is made of shape memory alloy (SMA).
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of cover members
is a bimetallic strip made of materials with different coefficients
of thermal expansion.
9. An assembly, comprising: a housing of a computing device having
at least a first and a second vent, said vents being capable of
drawing an inlet airflow through a plurality of through openings of
said vents to cool a plurality of heat-generating components
disposed within the housing; a plurality of cover members disposed
adjacent to said vents, the cover members being configured to
regulate the inlet airflow passing through the through openings; an
actuation mechanism operatively coupled to the plurality of cover
members to cause the cover members to fully open, fully shut or
partially open said vents; and a control module operatively
connected to an operating system of the computing device and a
thermal management system, the control module being configured to
determine a cooling requirement for each of the heat-generating
components and to activate the actuation mechanism to selectively
direct the inlet airflow to cool the heat generating
components.
10. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising a fan adapted to
create an evacuative airflow having a negative pressure gradient
within the housing relative to the ambient air.
11. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the control module includes
an embedded controller capable of altering the BIOS of the
computing device.
12. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the actuation mechanism
includes a magnetic solenoid system or a linear motor.
13. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the plurality of cover
members is capable of varying the size of the through openings of
said vents available for inlet airflow to pass.
14. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cover
members is made of one of shape memory alloy (SMA) and bimetallic
material, wherein the bimetallic material includes materials with
different coefficients of thermal expansion.
15. A method, comprising: disposing at least a first and a second
set of heat-generating components in a housing of a computing
device, the housing having at least a first vent adjacent to the
first set of heat-generating components and a second vent adjacent
to the second set of heat-generating components, wherein said vents
each includes a plurality of through openings; determining a
cooling requirement for each of the first and second sets of
heat-generating components; causing a plurality of cover members to
fully open, fully shut or partially open said vents based on the
cooling requirement; and selectively directing airflow passing
through the through openings of said vents to cool the
heat-generating components.
16. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning a plurality
of through openings disposed on the cover members against the
through openings of said vents.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein causing the cover members to
fully open, fully shut or partially open said vents includes
changing the shape, size or configuration of the cover members.
18. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of cover members
is made of shape memory alloy (SMA) or a bimetallic material,
wherein the bimetallic material includes materials with different
coefficients of thermal expansion.
Description
FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to cooling of
computing devices. More particularly, embodiments relate to active
vents for cooling of computing devices.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile computing devices such as laptop computers, nettops,
mobile internet devices (MID), personal digital assistant (PDA) and
smartphones are popular among consumers who demand mobile computing
and internet connectivity. These devices are designed with ever
powerful electronic components within a smaller and slimmer casing
to appeal consumers. On the other hand, electronic components
generate heat and need to be cooled so that the device can operate
at optimum temperature range. Efficient cooling is even more
critical for mobile computing devices to avoid a user from feeling
the uncomfortable heat from the device casing during physical
contact with the devices.
[0003] Computing devices such as laptop computers utilize a cooling
fan and/or a heat sink to cool electronic components within the
casing with air. Cooling fan assists air ventilation by creating a
negative pressure gradient in the casing relative to the ambient.
The casing generally has multiple air vents to allow ambient cool
air being drawn into the casing to cool the electronic components
as well as to allow hot air to leave the casing. Air vents are
designed at strategic locations on the casing where adjacent
electronic components are expected to generate significant heat and
require cooling. Typically, these air vents remain always open to
entrain ambient air regardless whether the adjacent electronic
components require cooling.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example and not limited in the figures of the accompanying
drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.
[0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bottom side of an
embodiment of a computing device;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a cut plane showing the inside of a computing
device according to an embodiment;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of an inlet air vent according to an
embodiment;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a top view of a cover member according to an
embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are side views of a cover member aligned
to an inlet air vent according to an embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 7 is a top view of an inlet air vent according to
another embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 8 is a top view of a cover member according to another
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are top views of a cover member aligned
to an inlet air vent according to another embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are side views of a passive actuation
mechanism to regulate inlet airflow into a housing of a computing
device according to an embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a computing device cooling
system based on active air vents according to an embodiment;
[0015] FIGS. 14-16 are side views of active air vents selectively
directing inlet airflow into a housing of a computing device
according to an embodiment;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an
apparatus and a method of cooling a computing device. Embodiments
include a device housing having active air vents to entrain inlet
air from the ambient into the housing. The air vents are active in
that cover members paired to the air vents preferentially open and
close the air vents to regulate the inlet airflow into the housing
based on the cooling requirement of heat-generating components
within the housing. Embodiments include an actuation mechanism to
position the cover members relative to the air vents. Embodiments
also include a control module to determine the cooling requirement
of the components of the device. By controlling the degree of
opening of the air vents, the flow pattern of inlet airflow into
the housing is dynamically altered. Inlet airflow can therefore be
selectively directed to cool the heat-generating components on need
basis.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bottom side of an
embodiment of computing device 100. For an embodiment, computing
device 100 is a notebook computer (laptop). However, other
electronic devices such as netbooks, personal digital assistants
(PDA), smart phones as well as other computing systems such as
desktop computers, servers, set-top boxes are not precluded. For an
embodiment, computing device 100 includes housing 110, fan inlet
vent 120 and memory inlet vent 130. For an embodiment, both fan
inlet vent 120 and memory inlet vent 130 are formed at the bottom
skin 140 of housing 110. Inlet vents 120, 130 can also be formed at
locations on housing 110 other than that depicted in FIG. 1, for
example on the sides 150 of housing 110. For another embodiment,
computing device 100 includes additional air vents for drawing
inlet air into housing 110 as well as purging air within housing
110 to the ambient.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of computing device
100. For an embodiment, computing device 100 is a laptop computer
having motherboard 205 disposed within housing 110. For an
embodiment, a plurality of electronic components and semiconductor
chips are connected to motherboard 205. For an embodiment, a first
set of heat-generating components is located adjacent to first
inlet air vent 230. For an embodiment, the first set of
heat-generating components includes central processing unit (CPU)
210 and graphics memory controller hub (GMCH) 220. For an
embodiment, CPU 210 and GMCH 220 are thermally coupled to heat pipe
remote heat exchanger (RHE) 215. For an embodiment, motherboard 205
includes a second set of heat-generating components such as random
access memory (RAM) 225, wireless LAN card 260 and I/O controller
hub (ICH) 235. The second set of heat-generating components is
located adjacent to second inlet air vent 240. For embodiment,
housing 110 also includes third inlet air vent 250 and a third set
of heat-generating components is disposed adjacent to inlet air
vent 250. The third set of heat-generating components may include
heat-generating parts such as hard drive 255 and power supply unit
265. Other heat-generating parts such as optical drives, PC cards,
and electronic components such as diodes, capacitors and
transistors, may be included in either the first, second or third
heat-generating components depending on the layout and design of
motherboard 205. For an embodiment, inlet air vents 230, 240, 250
are formed as part of housing 110.
[0019] The term "adjacent" used in the specification denotes
proximity. When a component is described to be adjacent to an inlet
air vent, it is to be understood that the component is in a
location within housing 110 where the inlet airflow from the
adjacent inlet air vent is capable of removing heat generated by
the component and cooling the component. It is also to be
understood that components do not necessarily need to be on the
same plane with the adjacent inlet air vent. Components can be
disposed above or below the inlet air vent.
[0020] Still referring to FIG. 2, first inlet air vent 230, second
inlet air vent 240 and third inlet air vent 250 are on different
sides of housing 110 according to an embodiment. For another
embodiment, inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 are not precluded to be
formed at other locations of housing 110 such as on bottom skin 140
of housing 110 or having two or more inlet air vents formed on a
particular side or on bottom skin 140 of housing 110. For an
embodiment, housing 110 also includes outlet air vent 270 to allow
hot air within housing 110 to escape to the ambient. For an
embodiment, fan 290 is disposed on CPU 210 to dissipate away heat
generated by CPU 210. Fan 290 also creates a negative pressure
gradient within housing 110 relative to the ambient so that cool
inlet air 275 is drawn into housing 110 via inlet air vents 230,
240, 250 and hot outlet air 280 is purged from housing 110 via
outlet air vent 270 according to an embodiment.
[0021] For an embodiment, inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 each
includes a plurality of through openings and is paired to
respective cover members 285. Inlet air vents 230, 240, 250,
together with respective cover members 285, regulate inlet airflow
275 into housing 110. It is to be understood that pairing of air
vents 230, 240, 250 with respective cover members 285 includes but
is not limited to positioning cover members 285 adjacent to the
respective air vents 230, 240, 250 such that the extent of opening
of air vents 230, 240, 250 not covered by respective cover member
285 regulates the amount of inlet airflow 275 into housing 110. For
an embodiment, cover members 285 are mechanically coupled with
respective air vents 230, 240, 250. For another embodiment, cover
members 285 are not mechanically coupled to respective air vents
230, 240, 250.
[0022] There are different mechanisms through which cover members
285 paired to respective air vents 230, 240, 250 can regulate the
inlet airflow 275 into housing 110. For an embodiment, cover
members 285 can slide against and relative to the respective air
vents 230, 240, 250. FIG. 3 is a top view of an air vent 230, 240,
250 according to an embodiment. For an embodiment, air vents 230,
240, 250 each includes a plurality of through openings 310. For an
embodiment, air vents 230, 240, 250 have common design and
dimensions. However, for other embodiments, air vents 230, 240, 250
are not precluded from having different designs or dimensions. For
an embodiment, air vents 230, 240, 250 are fabricated as part of
housing 110. For another embodiment, air vents 230, 240, 250 are
assembled with housing 110 and are detachable from housing 110. For
other embodiments, through openings 310 can have different
geometrical shapes and configurations. FIG. 4 is a top view of
cover member 285 according to an embodiment. For an embodiment,
cover member 285 includes a plurality of through openings 320
defined by a plurality of partition members 330. For an embodiment,
the shape, dimension and number of partition members 330 of cover
members 285 match through openings 310 of respective air vents 230,
240, 250 of which cover members 285 are paired to.
[0023] Turning now to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a side view of cover member
285 paired to an air vent 230, 240, 250 according to an embodiment.
For an embodiment, cover member 285 is positioned relative to
respective air vent 230, 240, 250 such that through openings 320 of
cover member 285 are aligned with through openings 310 of
respective air vents 230, 240, 250 to form a plurality of through
passages. Such alignment allows maximum inlet airflow 275 through
air vents 230, 240, 250 into housing 110. FIG. 6 is a side view of
another position of cover member 285 relative to air vent 230, 240,
250 according to an embodiment of the invention. For an embodiment,
partition members 330 of cover members 285 are aligned against
through openings 310 of air vents 230, 240, 250 such that partition
members 330 completely shut through openings 310. Such
configuration completely obstructs inlet airflow from passing
through air vents 230, 240, 250 and entering housing 110. Partial
inlet airflow into housing 110 can be obtained by aligning
partition members 330 against through openings 310 such that air
vents 230, 240, 250 are partially open. For another embodiment,
cover member 285 can be any structure capable of shutting through
openings 310 of air vents 230, 240, 250. For an embodiment, cover
member 285 does not have through openings 320 and is a structure
with a planar surface. For various embodiments, cover members 285
can be positioned relative to respective air vents 230, 240, 250 to
vary the size of through openings 310 of air vents 230, 240, 250
through which inlet airflow 275 can pass. As such, the amount of
inlet airflow 275 passing through air vents 230, 240, 250 can be
regulated.
[0024] Various embodiments of cover member 285 and inlet air vents
230, 240, 250 may exist without departing from the spirit and
intent of the invention. Embodiments may include different design,
configuration and orientation of cover member 285 with respect to
inlet air vents 230, 240, 250. FIG. 7 is a top view of inlet air
vent 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. For an
embodiment, inlet air vent 500 includes a plurality of through
openings 510 arranged in a radial configuration. FIG. 8 is a top
view of cover member 520 according to an embodiment and is capable
of pairing with inlet air vent 500. Cover member 520 includes a
plurality of through openings 530 defined by planar surface 540.
For an embodiment, the shape, orientation, dimensions and the
number of through openings 530 are identical with through openings
510 of inlet air vent 500. However, through openings 510 of inlet
air vent 500 are not precluded from having different shape,
orientation, dimensions or count from through openings 530 of cover
member 520 for other embodiments. FIG. 9 is a top view of an
embodiment of cover member 520 aligned with an embodiment of inlet
air vent 500. Through openings 530 of cover member 520 can be
aligned with through openings 510 of inlet air vent 500 to form a
through passage between cover member 520 and air vent 500. The
through passage allows inlet airflow 275 from the ambient to enter
housing 110. For an embodiment, cover member 520 can be engagably
displaced relative to air vent 500 such that planar surface 540 is
either fully or partially covering through openings 510 of air vent
500. FIG. 10 is a top view of an embodiment of cover member 520
aligned with air vent 500 and completely covering through openings
510 of air vent 500. For an embodiment, cover member 520 can be
engagably displaced relative to air vent 500 by way of rotating
cover member 520. Other embodiments capable of varying the size of
through openings 510 of air vent 500 are also possible.
[0025] Embodiments of the invention include an actuation mechanism
configured to engagably displace cover members 285. For an
embodiment, cover members 285 are coupled to an actuation mechanism
to regulate the amount of inlet airflow 275 entering housing 110.
For an embodiment, the actuation mechanism actuates cover members
285 relative to respective inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 to vary
the size of through openings 310, 510 of inlet air vents 230, 240,
250 available for inlet airflow to pass through. For an embodiment,
cover members 285 are coupled to a magnetic solenoid system adapted
to drive cover members 285 to fully open, fully shut and partially
open through openings 310, 510. For an embodiment, the magnetic
solenoid system includes two sets of magnetic solenoids. For an
embodiment, each set of magnetic solenoids includes one or more
solenoids. For an embodiment, when a first set of solenoids is
actuated, for example when current flows through the windings of
the solenoid, cover members 285 are pulled to one side. For an
embodiment, through openings 320 of cover members 285 are lined up
with through openings 310 of inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 (see
FIG. 5). Actuation of a second set of solenoids pulls cover members
285 in an opposite direction such that through openings 310 are
closed or partially open. For another embodiment, cover members 285
are coupled to a linear motor to vary the size of through openings
310, 510.
[0026] Embodiments of the actuation mechanism to drive the opening
and shutting of inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 described above
include active actuation mechanism. However, embodiments of the
invention do not preclude passive actuation mechanism from being
adopted to regulate the amount of inlet airflow 275 into housing
110. For an embodiment, the actuation mechanism to drive cover
member 285 to fully shut, fully open and partially open through
openings 310 of inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 is inherent in cover
member 285. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are side views of an embodiment of
passive actuation mechanism to regulate inlet airflow 275 into
housing 110. Referring to FIG. 11, cover members 285 can be aligned
to fully shut through openings 310 of inlet air vents 230, 240,
250. For an embodiment, cover members 285 are capable of changing
the size and/or shape of cover members 285 as a function of
temperature. For example and according to an embodiment, cover
members 285 may bend to yield a concave or convex structure when
heated. Referring to FIG. 12 and according to an embodiment, cover
members 285 bend upwards (away from inlet air vents 230, 240, 250)
and cause through openings 310 available for inlet airflow 275 to
enter housing 110 via inlet air vents 230, 240, 250. For an
embodiment, the degree of curvature of cover member 285 is
dependant on the temperature within housing 110. The higher the
temperature within housing 110, cover members 285 bend to a greater
extent and thus allow greater amount of inlet airflow 275 to enter
housing 110. When the temperature within housing 110 drops, cover
members 285 bend less and reduce the size of through openings 310
available for inlet airflow 275 to pass through. For an embodiment,
cover members 285 is made of shape memory alloy (SMA) materials.
Shape memory alloy materials can deform under the excitation of
temperature or an electric field but will return to the original
shape once the means of excitation is withdrawn. For an embodiment,
cover members 285 is a bimetallic strip. Examples of bimetallic
strip material may include copper on one part of the strip and
aluminum on the other part of the strip or any combination of two
metallic materials with different coefficients of thermal
expansion.
[0027] Embodiments of the invention include a control module to
determine the respective cooling requirement of heat generating
components within housing 110. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of
control module 920 to regulate the amount of inlet airflow 275
passing through inlet air vents 230, 240, 250. For an embodiment,
control module 920 includes an operating system of computing device
100. For an embodiment, control module 920 includes a thermal
management system. For an embodiment, control module 920 determines
cooling requirement 910 of heat-generating components in computing
device 100. For an embodiment, cooling requirement 910 of
heat-generating components includes temperature-state inputs, or
power-state inputs, or both temperature-state and power-state
inputs obtained from heat-generating components. For an embodiment,
the temperature or power-state inputs are gathered by way of
thermal sensors or thermal diodes sensing the gate or junction
temperatures of heat-generating components. For an embodiment,
control module 920 also includes an embedded controller having an
algorithm executable to alter the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
of the operating system. For an embodiment, the embedded controller
is capable of determining whether cooling of heat-generating
components in computing device 100 is required. According to an
embodiment, control module 920 controls actuation mechanism 930
based on cooling requirement 910 of heat-generating components. For
an embodiment, control module 920 sends signals to actuation
mechanism 930 to regulate the amount of inlet airflow 275 via
active vents 940. For an embodiment, actuation mechanism 930
selectively directs inlet airflow 275 into housing 110 via each of
active vents based on cooling requirement 910 of heat-generating
components.
[0028] When computing device 100 is in operating mode,
heat-generating components in housing 110 may require different
cooling requirement 910. For an embodiment, an optimal pattern of
inlet airflow 275 entering housing 110 is desired by selectively
directing inlet airflow 275 to heat-generating components requiring
cooling. FIG. 14 to FIG. 16 are side views of an embodiment
selectively directing inlet airflow 275 into housing 110.
Embodiments include motherboard 205 disposed within housing 110. A
plurality of heat-generating components such as CPU 210, RAM 225
and hard drive 255 are disposed within housing 110. For an
embodiment, CPU 210, RAM 225 and hard drive 255 are respectively
disposed adjacent to first vent 230, second vent 240 and third air
vent 250. For an embodiment, inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 each has
a plurality of through openings 310 and is paired with cover member
285. For an embodiment, cover members 285 are configured to
regulate inlet airflow 275 into housing 110 by varying the size of
through openings 310 of inlet air vents 230, 240, 250. For an
embodiment, cover members 285 are operatively coupled to actuation
mechanism 930 configured to cause cover members 285 to fully open,
fully shut or partially open through openings 310 of inlet air
vents 230, 240, 250. For an embodiment, fan 290 is included in
housing 110 to create a negative pressure gradient in housing 110
relative to the ambient. The negative pressure gradient within
housing 110 enables an evacuative airflow to flow from the ambient
into housing 110. The evacuative airflow allows cool air from the
ambient to replace hot air inside housing 110 and thus cools
heat-generating components.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 14, FIG. 14 is an embodiment having all
inlet air vents 230, 240, 250 open for inlet airflow 275 to pass
through and enter housing 110 to cool heat-generating components.
There are scenarios when major components such as CPU 210, RAM 225
and hard drive 255 are equally stressed and require simultaneous
cooling. An example of such scenario is when computing device 100
is running a multi-tasking of applications such as backing up
contents of a compact disc (CD) media, 3D gaming and heavy
computing load on CPU 210 and RAM 225. For an embodiment, cooling
requirement 910 of each heat-generating component is determined and
fed to control module 920. For an embodiment, control module 920
sends signal to actuation mechanism 930 and causes cover members
285 to fully open through openings 310. As such, inlet airflows 275
are channeled to cool components requiring cooling.
[0030] Turning now to FIG. 15, FIG. 15 is an embodiment capable of
dynamically changing the pattern of inlet airflow 275 entering
housing 110. There are instances when CPU 210 is running at low
power but other components such as RAM 225 and GMCH 220 are running
with relatively higher load and thus generate more heat, for
example downloading from media-rich contents from the internet. For
an embodiment, cooling of CPU 210 and hard drive 255 is not
required as much as other components such as RAM 225 and GMCH 220.
As such, higher entrainment of inlet airflow 275 to cool RAM 225
and GMCH 220 is desired. For an embodiment, member covers 285 for
first vent 230 and third vent 250 are positioned to fully close
through openings 310 and inlet airflow 275 being selectively
directed to enter housing 110 via second vent 240 to cool GMCH 225.
In other instances, cover members 285 can be positioned to
partially open through openings 310 of air vents based on cooling
requirement 910 of particular components. FIG. 16 is an embodiment
where cover members 285 of second vent 240 and third vent are kept
partially open. Various scenarios concerning different computing
load on components of computing device 100 other than those
described above may be contemplated. For each scenario, flow
pattern of inlet airflow 275 into housing 110 can be dynamically
changed to match different cooling requirement of heat-generating
components.
[0031] In the foregoing specification, reference has been made to
specific embodiments of the invention. It will, however be evident
that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without
departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
* * * * *