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EP-4740081-A1 - DIFFERENTIAL PORTS FOR INDUCED PARASITIC FLUID CIRCULATION

EP4740081A1EP 4740081 A1EP4740081 A1EP 4740081A1EP-4740081-A1

Abstract

An example device includes an electronic component and an enclosure that covers at least a portion of the electronic component and that forms a volume between the enclosure and the electronic component. The enclosure includes an inlet port having inner walls that meet an outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer comers of the inlet port that taper away from the inlet port and that meet an inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner corners of the inlet port that are sharp corners. The enclosure also includes an outlet port having inner walls that meet the outer surface to form one or more outer corners of the outlet port that are sharp corners and that meet the inner surface to form one or more inner corners of the outlet port that taper away from the outlet port.

Inventors

  • Gladwin, Timothy Arthur
  • LIPPERT, Jesse

Assignees

  • Google LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240927

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A device comprising: an electronic component; and an enclosure that covers at least a portion of the electronic component and that forms a volume between the enclosure and the electronic component, the enclosure including: an inlet port having inner walls that meet an outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer corners of the inlet port that taper away from the inlet port and that meet an inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner corners of the inlet port that are sharp corners; and an outlet port having inner walls that meet the outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer comers of the outlet port that are sharp corners and that meet the inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner corners of the outlet port that taper away from the outlet port.
  2. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the inlet port is operable to induce a net inflow of air into the volume in the device between the enclosure and the electronic component, and wherein the outlet port is operable to induce a net outflow of air out of the volume.
  3. 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are operable to set in motion a parasitic circulation of air into the inlet port, through the volume, and out of the outlet port.
  4. 4. The device of any of claims 1-3, wherein the one or more outer corners of the inlet port that taper away from the inlet port and the one or more inner corners of the outlet port that taper away from the outlet port are rounded comers.
  5. 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the rounded comers comprise convex curves.
  6. 6. The device of any of claims 4 and 5, wherein the rounded corners each have a radius of at least two to one.
  7. 7. The device of any of claims 1-6, wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are positioned co-planarly in the enclosure.
  8. 8. The device of any of claims 1-7, wherein a cross-sectional area of the inlet port is equal to a cross-sectional area of the outlet port.
  9. 9. The device of any of claims 1-8, wherein the inlet port is a first inlet port, and wherein the enclosure further includes a second inlet port having inner walls that meet the outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer comers of the second inlet port that taper away from the second inlet port and that meet the inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner comers of the second inlet port that are sharp comers.
  10. 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the outlet port is positioned in the enclosure between the first inlet port and the second inlet port.
  11. 11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first inlet port, the second inlet port, and the outlet port are positioned co-planarly in the enclosure.
  12. 12. The device of any of claims 9-11, wherein a sum of cross-sectional areas of the first inlet port and the second inlet port is equal to a cross-sectional area of the outlet port.
  13. 13. The device of any of claims 9-12, wherein the second inlet port is operable to induce a net inflow of air into the volume in the device between the enclosure and the electronic component and to set in motion a parasitic circulation of air into the second inlet port, through the volume, and out of the outlet port.
  14. 14. The device of any of claims 9-13, wherein the one or more outer comers of the second inlet port that taper away from the inlet port are one or more rounded corners.
  15. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the one or more rounded comers comprise one or more convex curves.
  16. 16. The device of any of claims 14 and 15, wherein the one or more rounded corners each have a radius of at least two to one.
  17. 17. The device of any of claims 1-16, wherein the device comprises a diaphragm, and the electronic component and the diaphragm forms a speaker, further comprising: processing circuitry configured to drive the speaker such that the diaphragm vibrates to move within the volume in the device to output a tone and to eject liquids out of the outlet port.
  18. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are operable to allow sound output by the speaker to travel outside of the enclosure.
  19. 19. The device of any of claims 1-16, wherein the electronic component is a microphone, and wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are operable to allow sound to enter the enclosure and to the microphone.
  20. 20. The device of any of claims 1-16, wherein the electronic component is a barometer, and wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are operable to allow air to enter the enclosure and to the barometer.

Description

DIFFERENTIAL PORTS FOR INDUCED PARASITIC FLUID CIRCULATION [0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/586,900, filed 29 September 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] A device may include an enclosure that contains various electronic components. Some electronic components, such as speakers, microphones, barometric pressure sensors, and the like may require openings in the enclosure to allow sound to pass through the enclosure. SUMMARY [0003] In general, aspects of this disclosure are directed to an enclosure for a device. The enclosure may cover at least a portion of an electronic component of the device that may require an opening in the enclosure, such as a speaker that receives sound, a microphone that produces sound, or a barometer that receives air from the external environment of the device. As such, the enclosure may include one or more ports that allow air and sound to pass through the enclosure. [0004] Because the ports in the enclosure may allow liquids to enter the device, the ports in the enclosure may have geometric features that induce a parasitic circulation of air to facilitate convective removal of heat and liquid from the device. The enclosure may include an inlet port having geometric features that cause a net inflow of air from the external environment of the device into a volume between the enclosure and the electronic component and an outlet port having geometric features that cause a net outflow of air from the volume into the external environment. [0005] The combination of the inlet port and the outlet port may set in motion a parasitic circulation of air into the inlet port, through the volume, and out the outlet port. The parasitic circulation may provide a constant flow of fresh cool air into the volume and may exhaust air heated by the electronic component out of the outlet port. Such a parasitic circulation may facilitate convective removal of heat from the electronic component and may also promote the expulsion of unwanted liquids from the volume, which may lower power requirements of the electronic component to eject liquid out of the device. [0006] An example device includes: an electronic component; an enclosure that covers at least a portion of the electronic component and that forms a volume between the enclosure and the electronic component, the enclosure including: an inlet port having inner walls that meet an outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer comers of the inlet port that taper away from the inlet port and that meet an inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner corners of the inlet port that are sharp comers; and an outlet port having inner walls that meet the outer surface of the enclosure to form one or more outer comers of the outlet port that are sharp corners and that meet the inner surface of the enclosure to form one or more inner comers of the outlet port that taper away from the outlet port. [0007] The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 A is a schematic diagram illustrating components of an example device, in accordance with one or more aspects of this disclosure. [0009] FIG. IB illustrates a plan view of the example enclosure of FIG. 1 A. [0010] FIG. 1C illustrates another plan view of the example enclosure of FIG. 1 A. [0011] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating components of an example device, in accordance with one or more aspects of this disclosure. [0012] FIG. 2B illustrates a plan view of the example enclosure of FIG. 2 A. [0013] FIG. 2C illustrates another plan view of the example enclosure of FIG. 2 A. [0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating further details of an example device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0015] FIG. 1 A is a schematic diagram illustrating components of an example device 100, in accordance with one or more aspects of this disclosure. Examples of device 100 include a computing device such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a gaming system, a media player, an e-book reader, a television platform, an automobile navigation system, a wearable computing device (e.g., a computerized watch, computerized eyewear, a computerized glove), or any other type of mobile or non-mobile computing device. [0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, device 100 includes enclosure 102, which may be a physical enclosure such as an outer case of device 100, that at least partially encloses electronic component 150. Enclosure 102 may be made of any suitable material, such as steel, plastic, glass, or other rigid materials. Electronic component 150 may be an electronic component such as components of a mi