FR2895209A1 - Electronic cabinet for housing electronic motherboard, has adaptation kit for permitting heat dissipation through circulation of air inside cabinet, and another adaptation kit for evacuation of heat towards exterior of cabinet by convection - Google Patents

Abstract

The cabinet has a support structure comprising a front side, rear side and a unit for housing an electronic motherboard. An adaptation kit comprises a plate (21), air extractor fan (22), air filter (24) and slides (25, 26) and permits heat dissipation through circulation of air inside the cabinet. Another adaptation kit comprises lateral metallic surfaces and permits the evacuation of the heat towards the exterior of the cabinet by convection.

Description

Generic electronic box that can be ventilated by conduction or by

convection FIELD OF THE INVENTION

  The invention relates to the field of design and production of cabinets, baskets or bins for hosting electronic cards. Elie deals more particularly with the way of solving the problem of the loss of calories dissipated in operation by the electronic cards contained in a box, intended to be placed in a room or in a vehicle and to operate in the most autonomous way possible. , in particular without requiring special ambient conditions.

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION - PRIOR ART

  The invention relates to the problem poses, tors tors of the definition of a box intended to receive electronic cards, by the need to equip this box of means allowing it to evacuate in a satisfactory way the heat released by the electronic cards that it contains. The way used to evacuate the calories produced and to avoid the excessive heating of the different cards contained, depends mainly on the quality of the atmosphere prevailing in the room or in the vehicle enclosing the box.

  Thus, for example, in the case where the accommodation structure of the cabinet, basement of a building or vehicle hold for example, contains an atmosphere charged with impurities it is not possible to use a cabinet whose the cards are cooled by forced convection of ambient air by means of fans. Ambient charging of impurity will prematurely foul the dust filters in the cabinet ventilation system, filters which in any case do not stop all impurities. Similarly an air charge of moisture or salt spray can lead to corrosion deterioration of the cards contained in the box. Such operating conditions necessitate close operations of preventive maintenance and cleaning, operations which have the effect of increasing the time of immobilization of the equipment in an unjustified manner. These conditions can also lead to corroding damage to the equipment.

  That is why, generally, when one defines the mechanical structure of a new electronic box one can be led to define and to develop two forms of realization of the same box, a form in which the cooling is carried out by conduction and a form in which the cooling is done by convection. This double definition has the consequence of increasing the costs of development and management of the definition files and possible modifications.

  PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to overcome this disadvantage by providing a versatile structure for making a cabinet that can be ventilated both by conduction than by convection. For this purpose (invention relates to a generic box comprising a support structure, and two adaptation kits: - an adaptation kit for convection dissipation comprising a side face carrying one or more fans and a side face having a filter and a pair of slider sets - a conduction dissipation adapter kit having two side-to-side faces each having an outer wall forming a radiator and an inner wall forming a set of sliders.

  According to a particular embodiment, the adaptation kit for conductive dissipation can be completed by a cover and a fan placed on the rear face of the cover, ('together to enhance the dissipation capacity of the cabinet by establishing a forced circulation of air against the lateral walls forming radiators.

  According to another particular embodiment, the adaptation kit for conduction dissipation can be constituted by two laterally-facing faces, each face having an inner wall forming a set of slides and an outer wall whose surface is occupied by a tube making a succession of bends and clans which must circulate a cooling fluid, the tube being plate against this wall. The heat dissipated by the cabinet is thus communicated to the cooling fluid.

  The box according to the invention has the advantage of making it possible to realize a single functional and structural study to design an electronic box, the dissipation function is thus advantageously dissociated from the developed electronic function and the mechanical structure of the box can be developed in a manner The package according to the present invention also has the advantage of limiting the quantity of elements to be stored during a series of production in a series of applications. a type of cabinet whose dissipation mode may for example vary depending on the equipment to receive it, or the general principle of dissipation used by a client for all its equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

  The advantages of the invention will become apparent through the description given with reference to the appended figures which represent: FIG. 1, an illustration of the support structure constituting the box according to the invention, FIG. 2, a schematic presentation of the adaptation kit for convection dissipation, - figure 3, an illustration of the principle of operation of the convection cooling kit, - figure 4, a schematic presentation of the adaptation kit for conductive dissipation, - figure 5 , an enlarged partial view of a side-ale side constituting the conduction fitting kit, - Figure 6, a schematic representation of the operating principle of a particular embodiment of the adaptation kit for conductive dissipation , allowing fresh air to circulate along the outer walls 35 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

  FIG. 1, which represents a support structure of the box according to the invention, is mainly composed of two faces, a front face 11 and a rear face 12, held together by four uprights, two upper uprights 13 and two lower uprights 14. Generally, the support structure also comprises an upper face and a lower face, not shown in the figure and which both play roles of covers for closing the cabinet.This structure also receives usually a motherboard 15 housed at the lower face of the cabinet The motherboard has connectors 16, generally positioned in a standard pitch, to receive the electronic cards mounted in the box Elie has particular role to provide the interconnections between the different cards that equip the cabinet.This motherboard is usually designed to be feriers of the cabinet. The dimensions of the cabinet are generally determined by the number of cards and electronic modules, such as power supply modules, which are housed therein.

  However, it is possible, for reasons of rationalization, to define a certain number of standard size boxes. The front and back faces are the elements of the box designed to be personalized. Depending on the applications, these faces are equipped with various elements, such as LEDs or connectors for example. However, whatever the intended applications, the support structure advantageously remains the same, provided that a standard cabinet size is defined. The motherboard 15 placed inside can then, depending on the application occupy the entire surface of the cabinet or only a part. It is thus advantageously possible to have standard structures whose personalization only affects the truly specific elements of a given application.

  Figure 2 shows in schematic form the association of the support structure with a first adaptation kit to ensure the dissipation by convection of the heat produced by the different elements housed in the cabinet. The adaptation kit comprises a first side-ale formed by a plate 21 pierced with an opening and carrying a series of fans 22 air extractors. It also has a second side face 23, carrying an air filter 24 for circulating clean air inside the cabinet. The adaptation kit is completed by a set of slides 25 and 26 positioned in a standard pitch identical to that according to which are positioned the corinectors of the motherboard, and to maintain the vertical Iogees cards in the box As can be seen The assembly of the lateral faces and the slides forming the kit on the supporting structure makes it possible to easily constitute a cabinet ensuring its convective heat dissipation, Figure 3 schematically illustrates the principle of air circulation at Inside the cabinet, circulation symbolized by the arrows 31 and 32. In this figure again, the upper and lower faces are not represented for reasons of readability.

  We are now interested in Figure 4 which shows schematically the adaptation kit allowing, associated with the support structure, to achieve a cabinet whose heat dissipation is achieved by conduction. As can be seen in the figure, this kit is made of two metal later-ales 41 and 42 which are assembled to the uprights of the support structure. The inner wall of these faces is machined in such a way as to make slides 43 intended to hold the electronic boards mounted in the box vertically. The outer wall is in turn machined so as to constitute a radiator element. As shown in the detail of Figure 5, this machining takes the form of longitudinal grooves 51 or vertical covering a large part of the wall. These grooves advantageously have the effect of increasing the dissipation surface of the lateral surfaces. In the cabinet thus constituted, the heat dissipation is achieved through the later-ales faces which act as radiators, as illustrated by the undulated arrows 44 and 45. In general, this type of cooling by conduction is particularly well suitable for enclosures which may contain modules or electronic cards equipped with heat drains intended to drive the calories released by one or more of their components. These thermal drains formed by metal parts brought into contact with the hot spots of the card or module considered, are brought into contact with the later-ales faces by the retaining slides factory directly in the inner walls of these faces. They thus convey the heat dissipated locally by a card towards the laterally-charged faces of the dissipation towards the outside of the box.

  In order to reinforce, if necessary, the heat dissipation capacity of the radiators constituted by the lateral surfaces 41 and 42, it is possible to advantageously complete the adaptation kit, as shown schematically in FIG. 6, by adding a cover 61. presenting for example as a box open to ('before, a length preferably greater than the casing enveloping the box and whose sides cover the later-ales 41 and 42. This cover is also equips on its rear face d An air extractor fan 62 thus makes it possible to ensure a forced circulation of fresh air which favors the heat dissipation at the level of the radiators constituted by the laterals, The arrows 64 and 64 represented in FIG. principle of this improved heat exchange.

  We are now interested in Figure 7 which illustrates another embodiment of the adaptation kit to ensure the thermal dissipation of the cabinet.

  According to this other embodiment, the kit comprises two metal laterals 71 and 72 whose massive internal walls are machined so as to form the vertical rails 73 which hold the Iogees cards in the box, and whose outer walls constitute boxes 74 open to the outside. Inside each of the boltiers circulates a folded metal tube 75 in thermal contact with the wall and whose ends 76 and 77 open towards the front of the cabinet.These tubes advantageously allow the circulation of a cooling fluid to the surface. With such a device, the heat dissipation is achieved by transmitting heat from the cards to the later-ales sides of the cabinet, by means of thermal drains, for example, the face of the cabinet. or 72, being itself cooled by heat exchange with the fluid circulating in the tubes 75. Depending on the method for producing the lateral faces chosen, the boxes 74 may be made of different known units, for example machining or molding. of the outer wall.

  This embodiment has the advantage of ensuring good cooling of the cabinet. On the other hand, it is more difficult to implement and preferably adapts to the production of enclosures implanted in infrastructures, buildings or vehicles, comprising a cooling system by fluid circulation.

  As can be seen from the foregoing description, the generic package according to the invention has many advantages that have their origin in the modularity of the cabinet. Thus, it is in particular possible to produce in series sets of pieces common to all the embodiments envisaged for a given cabinet, the specific parts of a cooling mode given being realized separately and according to the needs. It is thus no longer necessary to store completely customized complete boxes. For a given type of cabinet, the basic elements such as the front and rear faces, the amounts and the motherboard can also title achieved even if the packaging mode used in the equipment housing the cabinet is not yet 25 permanently retained. This flexibility of realization advantageously makes it possible to anticipate the manufacture of certain elements of the considered product. 30

Claims (5)

  1. Generic box comprising a support structure and two adaptation kits mounted on the support structure, characterized in that: - Ia support structure comprises at least a front face (11), a rear face (12) and means for housing a motherboard (15) in its lower part, - an adaptation kit (21-26) for convection dissipation, allowing heat dissipation by air circulation inside the cabinet. - an adaptation kit (41, 42) for dissipation by conduction, allowing the conduction of calories from the components to the structure of the cabinet, the evacuation of calories to the outside of the cabinet being performed by convection.   2. Box according to claim 1, wherein the adaptation kit for conduction dissipation comprises two laterally-facing faces (41, 42), each face comprising an outer wall forming a radiator (51) and an inner wall forming a set. slides (43) to maintain vertical the cards contained in the box.   3. Box according to claim 2, wherein the adaptation kit for conductive dissipation is completed by a covering cap (61) and a fan (62) placed on the rear face of the hood, ('set to establish a forced air flow against the lateral walls forming radiators (51).   4. The case according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the convective dissipation adaptation kit comprises a side face (21) carrying one or more fans (22) and a laterally-facing face (23) having a air filter (24), the heat dissipation being ensured by the flow of air flowing between the cards.   5. Box according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adaptation kit for conduction dissipation comprises two laterally-aled faces, each face having an inner wall forming a set of slides and an outer wall whose surface is occupied. by a tube (75) making a succession of bends and in which a cooling fluid circulates, the tube being pressed against this wall.