Combination Heatsink and Battery Heater for Electronic Devices

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a novel method for harnessing the heat generated by one or more components (e.g., a set of IR LEDs) of an A/V recording and communication device in order to manage the temperature of one or more batteries of the A/V recording and communication device. Some aspects of the present embodiments raise the temperature of the battery in a cold weather without requiring any additional electrical power (e.g., without consuming any additional power for heating up the battery). In one aspect of the present embodiments, a thermally conductive sheet is coupled to a printed circuit board to which one or more IR LEDs are coupled. The thermally conductive sheet transfers the waste heat generated by the IR LEDs of the A/V recording and communication device to a rechargeable battery of the device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for managing a temperature of a rechargeable battery of an electronic device, the method comprising:
 thermally coupling a heat-generating component of the electronic device to the rechargeable battery using a thermally conductive sheet that transfers waste heat generated by the heat-generating component to the rechargeable battery to raise the temperature of the rechargeable battery.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the rechargeable battery is raised from a first temperature below, or equal to, a threshold temperature to a second temperature above the threshold temperature. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating component comprises at least one infrared (IR) illuminator coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one IR illuminator comprises an IR light-emitting diode (LED). 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one IR illuminator is coupled to a first surface of the PCB, and wherein a first portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to a second surface of the PCB. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a second portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first portion of the thermally conductive sheet is also coupled to a heatsink that is also coupled to the second surface of the PCB. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first portion of the thermally conductive sheet is disposed between the second surface of the PCB and the heatsink. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive sheet comprises one of copper and a copper alloy. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises an audio/video recording and communication device (A/V device). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the A/V device comprises one of a doorbell and a security camera. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to the heat-generating component by proximity through convection through air. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to the heat-generating component by direct contact. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a second portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to the rechargeable battery by proximity through convection through air. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a second portion of the thermally conductive sheet is thermally coupled to the rechargeable battery by direct contact. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive sheet is coupled to a first surface of the rechargeable battery, and wherein a resistive battery heater is coupled to a second surface of the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the resistive battery heater and the thermally conductive sheet both provide heat to the rechargeable battery when the temperature of the rechargeable battery is below a threshold temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating component comprises at least one illuminator coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB), the method further comprising:
 receiving, at a processor of the electronic device, a signal indicative of the temperature of the rechargeable battery;   determining, by the processor, that the temperature of the rechargeable battery is below a threshold temperature even when the heat is being transferred from the at least one illuminator to the rechargeable battery; and   increasing an amount of electrical power provided to the at least one illuminator so that more heat is transferred from the at least one illuminator to the rechargeable battery.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising increasing a time duration of the electrical power delivered to the at least one illuminator to produce more heat to be transferred to the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the electrical power is provided to the at least one illuminator by an alternating current (AC) power supply.