Heat Transfer Device Management

Abstract

Techniques involving management of a heat transfer device are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes a housing, a heat-generating device disposed within the housing, and a heat transfer device disposed within the housing. The heat transfer device has a powered active cooling device. The device also includes one or more modules that are configured to adjust operation of the powered active cooling device based on a likely orientation of the heat transfer device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a housing;   a heat-generating device disposed within the housing;   a heat transfer device disposed within the housing, the heat transfer device having a powered active cooling device; and   one or more modules that are configured to adjust operation of the powered active cooling device based on a likely orientation of the heat transfer device.   
     
     
         2 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the operation is adjusted by adjusting a speed of a fan of the heat transfer device based on the likely orientation of the heat transfer device. 
     
     
         3 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the operation is adjusted by adjusting an amount of cooling provided by the powered active cooling device of the heat transfer device based on the likely orientation. 
     
     
         4 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules are configured to determine the likely orientation of the heat transfer device in two or more dimensions based on one or more sensors of the device. 
     
     
         5 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer device includes plurality of heat pipes, at least two of which are arranged in generally opposing directions. 
     
     
         6 . A device as described in  claim 5 , further comprising a display device and wherein the housing is configured to assume at least one orientation in which the display device is viewable by a user in a landscape orientation and at least two of the plurality of heat pipes are arranged generally horizontally when in the landscape orientation. 
     
     
         7 . A device as described in  claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of heat pipes is thermally coupled to the heat-generating device through use of a single spreading plate. 
     
     
         8 . A device as described in  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of heat pipes are arranged such that an effect of gravity on one of the heat pipes to perform heat transfer is counteracted by another one of the heat pipes. 
     
     
         9 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the heat transfer device includes first and second heat pipes;   each of the first and second heat pipes have an evaporator portion and a condenser portion; and   the condenser portions of the first and second heat pipes are positioned further from each other than the evaporator portions of the first and second heat pipes.   
     
     
         10 . A device as described in  claim 9 , wherein each said condenser portion is disposed proximal to a respective said fan to be cooled by the respective said fan. 
     
     
         11 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to be held by one or more hands of a user and moved through the at least two dimensions during usage. 
     
     
         12 . A device as described in  claim 11 , wherein the housing is configured for use as a mobile communications device. 
     
     
         13 . A device as described in  claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating device is a processing system and the device is a computing device. 
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 determining a likely orientation of a computing device by the computing device; and   managing a speed of at least one fan of the computing device based on the likely orientation of the computing device.   
     
     
         15 . A method as described in  claim 14 , wherein the determining is performed by one or more modules of the computing device using inputs received from one or more sensors of the computing device. 
     
     
         16 . A method as described in  claim 14 , wherein the computing device includes a plurality of said fans and the managing includes adjusting the speed of respective said fans individually based on the orientation. 
     
     
         17 . A method as described in  claim 14 , wherein the likely orientation results in a portrait view of a display device of the computing device and the managing includes adjusting a speed of one of the plurality of said fans to be greater than a speed of another one of the plurality of said fans. 
     
     
         18 . A computing device comprising:
 a housing configured in a handheld form factor that is sized to be held by one or more hands of a user;   a heat transfer device disposed within the housing and configured to transfer heat in generally opposing directions, the heat transfer device including a plurality of fans, at least two of which positioned at the opposing directions, respectively;   one or more sensors configured to detect a likely orientation of the housing; and   one or more modules that are configured to adjust a speed of each of the plurality of fans of the heat transfer device individually based on the detected likely orientation.   
     
     
         19 . A computing device as described in  claim 18 , wherein the one or more modules are configured to performed the adjustment of the speed of each of the plurality of fans using pulse width modulation. 
     
     
         20 . A computing device as described in  claim 18 , wherein the detected likely orientation of the housing describes roll or pitch in three dimensional space.