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DE-112015007238-B4 - Adjustable gap structure for mobile devices

DE112015007238B4DE 112015007238 B4DE112015007238 B4DE 112015007238B4DE-112015007238-B4

Abstract

Mobile device (100, 300), comprehensive: a cover (350); a printed circuit board (110, 310) comprising a processing component (120, 320), wherein the printed circuit board (110, 310) is movable along a first axis towards or away from the cover to provide an adjustable air gap (380); one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) coupled to the circuit board (110, 310); one or more magnets (130, 330); and an internal thermal solution (325); wherein in the first mode the one or more magnets (130, 330) attract the one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) and the air gap (380) of a first distance between the internal thermal solution (325) and the cover (350) is maintained, and wherein in a second mode an external magnetic force pulls the ferromagnetic elements (335) away from the one or more magnets (130, 330) and reduces the air gap (380) between the internal thermal solution (325) and the cover (350).

Inventors

  • Moss Weng
  • Alesi Hung
  • Chang-Wu Yen
  • Ching-Shan Cheng

Assignees

  • INTEL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20151226

Claims (20)

  1. Mobile device (100, 300) comprising: a cover (350); a printed circuit board (110, 310) having a processing component (120, 320), wherein the printed circuit board (110, 310) is movable along a first axis towards or away from the cover to provide an adjustable air gap (380); one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) coupled to the printed circuit board (110, 310); one or more magnets (130, 330); and an internal thermal solution (325); wherein in the first mode the one or more magnets (130, 330) attract the one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) and the air gap (380) of a first distance between the internal thermal solution (325) and the cover (350) is maintained, and wherein in a second mode an external magnetic force pulls the ferromagnetic elements (335) away from the one or more magnets (130, 330) and reduces the air gap (380) between the internal thermal solution (325) and the cover (350).
  2. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , wherein one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) have metal clips (335).
  3. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , further comprising one or more guide pins (355) for limiting the movement of the printed circuit board (110, 310) to a movement along the first axis.
  4. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , where the first mode is a handheld mode and the second mode is a docking mode.
  5. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , wherein the mobile device (100, 300) is operated in the first mode at a first power level and in the second mode at a second power level, the second power level being higher than the first power level.
  6. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , whereby the air gap (380) is eliminated in the second mode.
  7. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , where the mobile device (100, 300) is a smartphone (100, 300).
  8. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 1 , wherein the mobile device (100, 300) switches to the second mode when the mobile device (100, 300) is in contact with a docking mechanism (200).
  9. Mobile device (100, 300) after Claim 8 , wherein the docking mechanism (200) comprises: an external thermal solution (225) for the mobile device (100, 300); and one or more magnets (230) to provide the external magnetic force to overcome a magnetic force provided by the one or more magnets (230) of the mobile device (100, 300).
  10. A method comprising: Operating a mobile device (100, 300) in a first mode, wherein the mobile device (100, 300) has one or more magnets (130, 330) to maintain an air gap (380) of a first distance in the mobile device; and Transferring the mobile device (100, 300) into a second mode in response to an external magnetic field that overcomes a magnetic force of the one or more magnets (130, 330) and reduces the air gap (380) to a second distance.
  11. Procedure according to Claim 10 , further comprising: operating the mobile device (100, 300) at a first power level in the first mode; and operating the mobile device (100, 300) at a second power level in the second mode, wherein the second power level is higher than the first power level.
  12. Procedure according to Claim 10 , whereby the air gap (380) is eliminated in the second mode.
  13. Procedure according to Claim 10 , whereby reducing the air gap (380) to the second distance enables improved cooling of the mobile device (100, 300) by an external thermal solution (225).
  14. Procedure according to Claim 10 , wherein: the mobile device (100, 300) further comprises a printed circuit board (110, 310) and one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) coupled to the printed circuit board (110, 310), the printed circuit board (110, 310) being movable along a first axis towards or away from a cover (350) to provide the adjustable air gap (380); and maintaining the air gap (380) of the first distance in the mobile device (100, 300) involves exerting a magnetic force on the one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) by the one or more magnets (130, 330).
  15. Procedure according to Claim 10 , where the first mode is a handheld mode and the second mode is a docking mode.
  16. Smartphone (100, 300), comprising: a cover with a rear cover (350) on a first side; a display screen (370) with touch operation on a second side, the second side being opposite the first side; a printed circuit board (110, 310) having a processing component (120, 320), wherein the printed circuit board (110, 310) is movable along a first axis towards or away from the rear cover (350) to provide an adjustable air gap (380); one or more ferromagnetic elements (335) coupled to the printed circuit board (110, 310); a force element (130, 330) for exerting a force on the printed circuit board (110, 310) to pull the printed circuit board (110, 310) away from the rear cover; and an internal thermal solution (325); wherein in the first mode the force element (130, 330) maintains an air gap of a first distance between the internal thermal solution (325) and the rear cover (350) and wherein in a second mode an external magnetic force pulls the ferromagnetic elements (335) away from the force element (130, 330) and reduces the air gap (380) between the internal thermal solution (325) and the rear cover (350).
  17. Smartphone (100, 300) after Claim 16 , wherein the force element (130, 330) has one or more magnets (130, 330) for exerting a magnetic force on the one or more ferromagnetic elements (335).
  18. Smartphone (100, 300) after Claim 16 , wherein the force element comprises a spring or an elastic element for exerting a physical force on the circuit board (110, 310).
  19. Smartphone (100, 300) after Claim 16 , wherein the smartphone (100, 300) is operated in the first mode at a first power level and in the second mode at a second power level, the second power level being higher than the first power level.
  20. Smartphone (100, 300) after Claim 16 , where the first mode is a handheld mode and the second mode is a docking mode.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The embodiments described herein relate generally to the field of electronic devices and in particular to an adjustable gap structure for mobile devices. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART The processing power of mobile devices, such as phones and tablet computers, has increased dramatically, while their form factor has generally decreased in size. As a result, the processing elements (such as a processor or system-on-a-chip (SoC)) of these devices can generate a considerable amount of heat. Since such devices typically come into contact with a user's skin, excessive heat generation can significantly impact user comfort. Consequently, the power consumed by such devices may need to be limited when used in handheld mode, which in turn limits the performance of the mobile devices themselves. Users of mobile devices can experience some improvements in user experience and performance when operating a mobile device in a docked mode, where the device is generally not in contact with the user, without requiring any modifications to the device's form factor. While it is possible to adjust a mobile device's power and heat generation depending on its use, the extent of the performance increase is limited, and adaptive performance does not address the core problem of excessive heat generation by the processing elements. US 2012 / 0 326 819 A1 Describes a shielded magnetic fastening device having engagement and non-engagement configurations, comprising: at least one magnet; a first housing comprising ferromagnetic material attached to one side of the at least one magnet; a second housing comprising ferromagnetic material that can be functionally magnetically attached to the at least one magnet; and a release mechanism attached to either the first or the second housing to transfer the shielded magnetic fastening device from the retracted to the disengaged configuration; wherein the shielded magnetic fastening device is in the retracted configuration when the at least one magnet provides a magnetic force acting to hold the shielded magnetic fastening device in the retracted configuration, and the shielded magnetic fastening device is in the disengaged configuration when it is not in the retracted position. US 2016 / 0 239 056 A1 This document describes an electronic device with a multilayer heat reduction component. The device contains a number of integrated circuits and a first layer that is in contact with at least one of the integrated circuits to dissipate heat from at least one of them. The device also contains a second layer separated from the first layer by an air gap to reduce heat transfer between the two layers. The second layer is retractable to expose the first layer when the device is docked to a station. The electronic device operates in a first mode when docked to a station and in a second mode when not docked. DE 20 2014 101 726 U1 describes a cover device comprising: a first cover which includes a transparent window in a certain part of the first cover; and a connecting part which is attached to a lateral end of the first cover and connects the first cover to an electronic device or a second cover of the electronic device; wherein an object which is to be detected by a sensor of the electronic device is attached to a certain part of the first cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The embodiments described herein are shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings as examples and are not limited, with similar reference numerals denoting similar elements. 1 is a representation of a mobile device with an adaptable slit structure according to one embodiment; 2 is a representation of a docking mechanism with an external thermal solution for a docked device according to one embodiment; 3 is a representation of a mobile device with an adjustable air gap mechanism according to one embodiment; 4 is a representation of a cross-sectional view of a mobile device according to one embodiment; 5 is a representation of a cross-sectional view of a mobile device and a mobile device docking station according to one embodiment; 6 is a representation of an embodiment of a mobile device according to an embodiment; 7 is a representation of a cross-sectional view of a mobile device according to one embodiment; and 8 is a representation of a cross-sectional view of a mobile device and a mobile device docking station according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The problem underlying the invention is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims. The embodiments described herein generally relate to an adjustable gap structure for mobile devices. For the purposes of this description, the following terms mean the following: “Mobile electronic device” or “mobile device” means a smartphone, smartwatch, tablet computer, notebook or laptop, portable computer, mobile internet device, portable technology or other mobile electronic device that h