JP2004031627A - Box body for electronic equipment and electronic equipment using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose technique using a box body for electronic equipment as a radiator. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU 28 as a main heating element on a wiring board 22 is brought into contact with the box body 24 through a thermal buffer plate 30. According to such a constitution, the CPU 28 and the box body 24 are connected thermally, and heat generated from the CPU 28 can be dissipated to the outside through the box body 24. Grooves 36 are formed outside the exterior-wall plate 24a of the box body 24 at regular intervals, and a device is conducted so as to further improve a heat-dissipating effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic device housing. In particular, the present invention relates to a housing for an electronic device that can efficiently release heat generated by the electronic device to the outside by using an outer wall plate as a heat radiation unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In order to release heat generated by an electronic device, a so-called heat sink is widely used. For example, the CPU of a computer is known to be a component that generates a great deal of heat. For such a CPU, a method of attaching a large radiator in close contact is generally adopted.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when a large amount of heat is generated, the radiator becomes large, and may occupy a considerable volume in the housing of the electronic device.
[0004]
If the amount of generated heat is large, the radiator may be provided with a fan. This fan may cause noise and increase the cost of the equipment.
[0005]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to propose a technique using a housing of an electronic device as a radiator.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an electronic device housing for housing an electronic device, comprising a plate-shaped member that is a surface member of the electronic device housing, wherein the plate-shaped member is the electronic device. An electronic device housing characterized in that it can be used as a radiator for radiating heat generated by an electronic device housed in the electronic device housing.
[0007]
According to such a configuration, since the housing is used as a radiator, the size of the electronic device can be reduced.
[0008]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing for an electronic device that houses an electronic device, wherein the housing includes a plate-shaped member that can be arranged substantially in parallel with a wiring board of the electronic device to be housed. An electronic device housing, wherein a component comes into contact with the plate-shaped member, and heat generated by the heat-generating component is released into the air via the plate-shaped member.
[0009]
According to such a configuration, heat generated by the component can be radiated through the plate-shaped member.
[0010]
According to the present invention, in a housing for an electronic device accommodating an electronic device, a plate-like member that can be arranged substantially in parallel with a wiring board of the electronic device to be accommodated, and the wiring substrate and the plate-like member are thermally connected A heat conducting member that conducts heat generated in the wiring board to the plate-shaped member, wherein the heat generated in the wiring board is released into the air via the plate-shaped member. It is a housing for electronic equipment.
[0011]
According to such a configuration, the heat of the component can be transmitted to the plate-shaped member by the heat conductive member.
[0012]
In particular, it is preferable that the heat conducting member is made of copper. According to copper, heat radiation is small and heat conductivity is high, so that the generated heat can be transmitted to the plate member without being radiated on the way.
[0013]
Further, the present invention is the electronic device housing, wherein the heat conductive member thermally connects the heat generating component on the wiring board and the plate-shaped member. According to such a configuration, heat generated from the component can be efficiently transmitted to the plate-shaped member.
[0014]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the plate-like member is made of iron or aluminum. According to iron and aluminum, the efficiency of heat radiation is high, so that the performance as a radiator is improved.
[0015]
Further, the present invention is the housing for an electronic device, wherein predetermined irregularities are provided on the surface of the plate-shaped member. With such a configuration, the surface area of the plate member increases, and the efficiency of releasing heat is improved.
[0016]
Further, the present invention is the case for an electronic device, wherein the unevenness includes a valley portion which is a concave portion and a peak portion which is a convex portion. With such a configuration, a groove is formed on the surface of the plate member, and the surface area of the plate member can be increased. As a result, heat release efficiency is improved.
[0017]
Further, the present invention is an electronic device characterized in that a wiring board is accommodated in the electronic device housing described above. With such a configuration, the electronic device can be further reduced in size.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a group of node computers managed by a load balancer will be described. In this embodiment, a case suitable for this node computer will be described.
[0019]
Function of node computer A server that provides services such as electronic commerce often requires extremely large processing capacity. Even if a large number of customers conduct electronic commerce at the same time, a mechanism for distributing processing to a plurality of node computer groups is widely used in order to realize apparently sufficient processing capacity. A device for this distribution is generally called a load balancer. A computer on which the processing is distributed is particularly called a node computer. The node computer may be called a “blade computer” or a “blade computer”.
[0020]
A system including a plurality of such node computers is often used as a server such as a web server or a streaming server. Therefore, each node computer may be called a “blade server”.
[0021]
In some cases, about 256 node computers are provided for one load balancer. If 256 units are arranged, it is considered that the apparent processing speed does not decrease even if 256 customers conduct electronic commerce at the same time. This is because one node computer is assigned to one customer request.
[0022]
A conventional example (photograph) of such a node computer is shown in FIG. This photograph is a photograph of Trustguard's product, and is quoted from Trustguard's WEB site (www.trustguard.co.jp/products/server/hiserver.htm).
[0023]
In the example shown in this figure (photograph), a chassis 10 mountable on a 19-inch wide EIA rack is provided with about 18 board-type node computers 12. Of course, by mounting many chassis 10 in a rack, the number of node computers 12 can be increased. Note that the trust guard company calls the node computer 12 a server blade.
[0024]
Configuration of node computer according to the present embodiment FIG. 1 is a plan view of a node computer 20 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the node computer 20 includes a wiring board 22 on which electronic components are mounted, and a housing 24 that accommodates the wiring board 22. The wiring board 22 is attached to the housing 24 with screws, spacers 26 and the like.
[0025]
The feature of the present embodiment is that the CPU 28, which is a main heating element on the wiring board 22, is in contact with the housing 24 via the heat buffer plate 30. With such a configuration, the CPU 28 and the housing 24 are thermally connected, and the heat generated by the CPU 28 can be released to the outside via the housing 24. That is, according to the present embodiment, the housing 24 can be used as a radiator, and there is no need to provide a special radiator for the CPU 28. As a result, the size of the computer can be further reduced. The heat buffer plate 30 corresponds to an example of a heat conductive member in the claims.
[0026]
Desirably, the thermal buffer plate 30 has low thermal radiation while having high thermal conductivity. It is desirable that the heat radiation should be small so as not to release the heat from the CPU 28 to the inside of the housing 24 on the way. On the other hand, in order to efficiently transmit the heat of the CPU 28 to the housing 24, it is desirable that the thermal conductivity is high. An example of a material satisfying these conditions is copper.
[0027]
In addition, it is preferable that the housing 24 itself emits more heat radiation because heat can be more efficiently released into the air. Examples of such a material include iron and aluminum.
[0028]
The housing 24 is roughly composed of an outer wall plate 24a facing the outside and a front panel plate 24b which is a surface exposed to the front when housed in a rack. The outer wall board 24a plays a role as a tie with another node computer arranged adjacently.
[0029]
The portion used as a radiator in the present embodiment is mainly the outer wall plate 24 a, and the outer wall plate 24 a is desirably located at a position substantially parallel to the wiring board 22. This is because the case 24 used as a radiator is considered to have higher heat conduction efficiency if it is located closer to a heat-generating component such as the CPU 28. The outer wall plate 24a corresponds to an example of a “plate member” in the claims. In the present embodiment, the example of the outer wall plate 24a has been described, but any surface member constituting a surface and having a plate shape may be used.
[0030]
The wiring board 22 is often called a printed circuit board, a printed wiring board, or the like.
[0031]
Further, in the case of a thick component such as the hard disks 32a and 32b, it is also preferable that the component is brought into direct contact with the housing 24 without using the heat buffer plate 30. Such a situation is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the hard disks 32 a and 32 b are directly screwed to the housing 24 without the heat buffer plate 30 therebetween, and are in direct contact with the housing 24. As a result, the heat generated by the hard disks 32a and 32b can be efficiently transmitted to the housing 24 (in particular, the outer wall plate 24a).
[0032]
The improvement <br/> Figure 2 heat dissipation efficiency due to the groove, and a front view of a node computer of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 3, a plan view of a node computer of the present embodiment is shown I have. As shown in these figures, grooves 36 are provided at predetermined intervals on the outside of the outer wall plate 24a of the housing 24, and a device for further improving the heat radiation effect is devised.
[0033]
In the present embodiment, a groove, that is, a structure in which a “valley” portion and a “peak” portion are repeated is adopted. But it doesn't matter.
[0034]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the housing 24 is used as a heat radiator of heat of the node computer, the size of the node computer can be further reduced. In addition, since the configuration of the radiator conventionally used becomes unnecessary, it can contribute to cost reduction.
[0035]
In this embodiment, an example of a computer has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to all electronic devices that generate heat.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the casing is used as a heat radiator of the electronic device, it is not necessary to provide a separate radiator. As a result, according to the present invention, the size of the electronic device can be further reduced, and the cost can be reduced.
[0037]
Further, according to the present invention, since the heat conducting member is used, the heat generated by the electronic component can be efficiently transmitted to the housing. Further, if the plate-like member of the housing is provided with irregularities, the surface area of the plate-like member can be increased, and the heat radiation efficiency can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a node computer according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the node computer according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a right side view of the node computer according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a photograph of a conventional node type computer.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 chassis 12 node computer 20 node computer 22 wiring board 24 housing 24a outer wall plate 24b front panel plate 26 spacer 28 CPU
30 heat buffer plates 32a, 32b hard disk

Claims (9)

In an electronic device housing for housing the electronic device,
A plate-shaped member that is a surface member of the electronic device housing,
The housing for an electronic device, wherein the plate-shaped member can be used as a radiator for radiating heat generated by the electronic device housed in the housing for the electronic device. In an electronic device housing for housing the electronic device,
A plate-like member that can be arranged substantially in parallel with the wiring board of the electronic device to be housed,
Wherein the heat-generating component that generates heat on the wiring board contacts the plate-like member, and the heat generated by the heat-generating component is released into the air via the plate-like member. Equipment housing. In an electronic device housing for housing the electronic device,
A plate-like member that can be arranged substantially in parallel with the wiring board of the electronic device to be housed,
A heat conductive member that thermally connects the wiring board and the plate-shaped member, and conducts heat generated in the wiring board to the plate-shaped member;
Wherein the heat generated in the wiring board is released into the air via the plate-like member. The electronic device housing according to claim 3,
The housing for an electronic device, wherein the heat conducting member is made of copper. The electronic device housing according to claim 3,
The heat conduction member thermally connects a heat-generating component on the wiring board and the plate-shaped member to each other. The electronic device housing according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5,
The housing for an electronic device, wherein the plate-like member is made of iron or aluminum. The electronic device casing according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6,
A housing for an electronic device, wherein predetermined irregularities are provided on a surface of the plate-shaped member. The electronic device housing according to claim 7,
The housing for an electronic device, wherein the unevenness includes a valley portion that is a concave portion and a peak portion that is a convex portion. An electronic device, comprising: a wiring board accommodated in the electronic device housing according to claim 1.

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