JP2006324464A - Structure for cooling electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure for cooling electronic apparatus for simply and efficiently cooling a plurality of circuit boards. <P>SOLUTION: The structure for cooling electronic apparatus includes: a circuit board 11 with a heat-generating circuit component 12 mounted; a plurality of approximately boxlike board cases 13 and 13a incorporating the circuit board 11 and including intake ports 14 and 14a and exhaust ports 15 and 15a; a connection duct 16 for connecting the exhaust port 15 of the board case 13 with the intake port 14a of the other board case 13a in communication; and a fan 18 for taking the surrounding air from the intake port 14 of at least one of the board cases 13 for exhausting via the connection duct 16 from the exhaust port 15a of the other case 13a. The wind direction of the fan 18 is specified depending on the quantity of calorific power of the circuit component 12 mounted on the circuit board 11. The cooling structure for cooling electronic apparatus which simply and efficiently cools the plurality of the circuit boards 11 is obtained by forming a single wind path passing through a plurality of circuit boards 11 and changing the wind direction of the fan 18 depending on the calorific power of the board 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device cooling structure in which a circuit component that generates heat on a circuit board mounted in a substrate case in the electronic device is cooled by an air flow by a blower.

  Cooling of circuit components in conventional electronic devices is achieved by arranging multiple circuit boards with circuit components mounted in a board case in parallel and installing cooling fans on the front and back or top and bottom of the circuit board. Then, the wall surface provided with the slit is formed between the duct and the circuit board, and the entire circuit board in the board case is cooled by the cooling fan in a lump (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 5 shows a conventional electronic device cooling structure described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the conventional electronic device cooling structure includes a duct 1, a slit 2, a fan 3, a rib 4, a circuit board 5, a semiconductor element 6, a CPU 7, and fins 8. Yes.

The circuit board 5 is formed by forming a slit 2 serving as an outlet of the fan 3 for generating cooling air on the front wall surface of the duct 1 and arranging the duct 1 on the side of the circuit board 5 arranged in a plurality of layers. In the meantime, the flow of the cooling air can be made smooth, and by controlling the opening size of the slit 2, the semiconductor element 6, the CPU 7 and the fins 8 to be cooled can be intensively cooled.
Japanese Patent No. 2596682

  However, in the conventional electronic device cooling structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of air paths are formed by stacking and arranging the circuit boards 5, and the air volume per circuit board 5 is reduced. In order to increase it, it is necessary to increase the total air volume, and when the circuit board 5 increases, the capacity of the fan 3 must be increased, which increases the installation area and power consumption.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device cooling structure that cools a plurality of circuit boards simply and efficiently.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a circuit board on which a circuit component that generates heat is mounted, a plurality of substantially box-shaped board cases that include the circuit board and include an intake port and an exhaust port, and exhaust of the board case A connection duct that connects the opening to the inlet of another board case, and ambient air from the inlet of at least one board case, and is connected to the outside of the other board case via the connection duct. And the air direction of the air blowing means is set according to the amount of heat generated by the circuit components mounted on the circuit board, and a single wind passing through the plurality of circuit boards. A path is formed and the air direction of the blowing means is set according to the amount of heat generated by the circuit board, and an electronic device cooling structure for cooling a plurality of circuit boards can be provided simply and efficiently.

  The electronic device cooling structure of the present invention can cool a plurality of circuit boards simply and efficiently.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board on which a circuit component that generates heat is mounted; a plurality of substantially box-shaped board cases that include the circuit board and include an air inlet and an air outlet; A connection duct that connects and communicates with the inlet of the board case, and an air that takes in ambient air from the inlet of the at least one board case and exhausts the air from the outlet of another board case to the outside via the connection duct Means for setting the air direction of the blower means according to the amount of heat generated by the circuit components mounted on the circuit board, and forming a single air passage through a plurality of circuit boards. The air direction of the air blowing means is set according to the heat generation amount of the circuit board, and an electronic device cooling structure for cooling a plurality of circuit boards can be provided simply and efficiently.

  In the second invention, in particular, the wind direction of the air blowing means of the first invention is set so that the circuit board with a large amount of heat generation is positioned on the intake side and the circuit board with a small amount of heat generation is positioned on the exhaust side. Since the circuit board having a large amount of heat generation is cooled by the outside air flowing from the air inlet, it is possible to provide an electronic device cooling structure capable of efficiently cooling a plurality of circuit boards.

  In the third invention, in particular, the air direction of the blowing means of the first invention is set so that the circuit board with a large amount of heat generation is located on the exhaust side and the circuit board with a small amount of heat generation is located on the intake side, It is possible to provide an electronic device cooling structure that efficiently cools a plurality of circuit boards without the circuit boards having a small amount of heat being heated by the cooling air heated by the circuit boards having a large amount of heat generation.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the air blowing means according to any one of the first to third aspects is arranged in the connection duct, and an electronic device cooling structure that does not take up space can be provided.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, the air blowing means according to any one of the first to third aspects is arranged at the exhaust port, and an intake port can be appropriately added at a necessary place. Therefore, an efficient electronic device cooling structure is provided. Can be provided.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, the air blowing means according to any one of the first to third aspects is arranged in the intake port, and an exhaust port can be added as necessary, so that an efficient electronic device cooling structure is provided. Can be provided.

  In the seventh aspect of the invention, in particular, the second intake port is provided in the vicinity of the windward side of the circuit component with a large amount of heat generation according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. Therefore, it is possible to provide an efficient electronic device cooling structure that can be directly cooled by the outside air flowing in from the air inlet.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, the second exhaust port is provided in the vicinity of the leeward side of the circuit component with a large amount of heat generation according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the invention. Since air can be exhausted from the second exhaust port, an efficient electronic device electronic device cooling structure can be provided.

  In the ninth aspect of the invention, in particular, there is provided a wind direction switching means for switching the blowing direction of the blowing means of any one of the first to eighth aspects, and the direction of the cooling wind according to the arrangement of circuit components having different heat generation amounts. By changing the above, it is possible to provide an efficient electronic device cooling structure.

  In the tenth aspect of the invention, in particular, when power is turned on to the electronic device having the electronic device cooling structure according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the operation of the blowing means is started and the power supply is stopped. The operation of the air blowing means is stopped, and the air blowing means can be operated without waste to provide an efficient electronic device cooling structure.

  In the eleventh aspect of the invention, in particular, the blower is operated when the amount of heat generated by the circuit component of any one of the first to tenth inventions exceeds a predetermined amount, and the blower is operated without waste. Thus, an efficient electronic device cooling structure can be provided.

  The twelfth invention includes, in particular, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature in the substrate case of any one of the first to eleventh inventions and / or the temperature of the circuit component, and the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is predetermined. When the temperature exceeds this temperature, the air blowing means is operated, and an efficient electronic device cooling structure can be provided.

  In the thirteenth aspect of the invention, the air direction switching means switches the direction of air flow by the blower means in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detection means of the twelfth aspect of the invention. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an electronic device cooling structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a circuit board 11 has circuit components 12 mounted thereon, and the circuit components 12 generate heat when energized. The substrate case 13 includes the circuit board 11 and includes an intake port 14 and an exhaust port 15.

  The connection duct 16 connects the exhaust port 15 of the substrate case 13 and the intake port 14a of another substrate case 13a, takes in ambient air from the intake port 14 of the substrate case 13, and the substrate case 13, the connection duct 16, the substrate case An air passage 17 is formed to be discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 15a of the substrate case 13a via 13a. Reference numeral 18 denotes a fan that is provided at the air inlet 14 of the substrate case 13 and forms air blowing means, and performs intake and exhaust with respect to the air passage 17. The wind direction of the fan 18 is switched by the wind direction switching means 19 and is set in the direction of the arrow in this embodiment.

  The structure of the intake port 14, the intake port 14 a, the exhaust port 15, and the exhaust port 15 a is the same, and the intake side and the exhaust side are set by the wind direction of the fan 18 set by the wind direction switching means 19. Exhaust may be performed. Metal radiating fins 21 and 21a are attached to the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20 and 20a in order to promote heat dissipation. Arrow A indicates the flow of cooling air.

  At this time, when the electronic device having the electronic device cooling structure is operated, the circuit component 12 and the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20 and 20a are energized to generate heat. Here, the fan 18 starts operation simultaneously with the start of the operation of the electronic device, sucks cooling air from the air inlet 14, and heats the circuit component 12, the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20, 20a, and the radiating fins 21, 21a. The air is exhausted from the exhaust port 15a through the air passage 17 while taking the air, and the plurality of circuit boards 11 can be cooled by a single air blowing means, that is, one fan 18, so that the electronic device is simple and efficient. An equipment cooling structure can be realized. The fan 18 stops at the same time as the operation of the electronic device stops. Reference numeral 22 denotes a temperature detection means that is attached to the heat radiation fin 22 and detects its temperature. The temperature detecting means 22 may be attached to the circuit component 12 in addition to the radiation fins 22 or may detect the temperature inside the substrate cases 13 and 13a.

  Next, the blowing direction by the fan 18 will be described.

  The usable temperature range is set for each of the circuit component 12 and the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20 and 20a, and cooling is necessary so that the temperature of the component that generates heat during operation is close to the upper limit of the usable temperature range. The nature will be high.

  Here, when looking at the cooling air, the air sucked from the air inlet 14 is at room temperature, and while the air travels along the air path 17, the circuit component 12, the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20, The heat generated from 20a is absorbed and exhausted from the exhaust port 15a in a state in which the temperature has risen. For this reason, considering the temperature distribution of the cooling air in the air passage 17, the temperature immediately after being sucked from the intake port 14 is the lowest and the value immediately before being discharged from the exhaust port 15 a is the highest.

  At this time, when the degree of temperature rise of the high-temperature heating circuit component 20 installed near the fan 18 is higher than other components and is close to the upper limit of the usable temperature range, the temperature taken in from the intake port 14 is increased. When the air direction in the air passage 17 is set so that low air immediately hits the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20, the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20 is efficiently cooled, and the electronic device can be stably operated.

  If the temperature rise of the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20 installed near the fan 18 is higher than other components, but the temperature is not close to the upper limit of the usable temperature range, the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20 is connected to the exhaust side. When the air direction of the air passage 17 is set so that the air temperature becomes such that the cooling air can maintain a relatively low temperature up to the front of the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20, the temperature passes through the vicinity of the high-temperature heat generating circuit component 20 and the temperature is increased. As soon as it rises, the air is exhausted, the components in the air passage 17 can be cooled efficiently, and the electronic device can be operated stably.

  In the present embodiment, the wind direction by the fan 18 is set by the wind direction switching means 19, but the wind direction is not set by the wind direction switching means 19 but is set by the mounting direction of the fan 18 at the time of assembly, for example. May be.

  Further, in a configuration in which the heat generation state of the circuit component 12 changes in time series, the wind direction may be switched at any time by the wind direction switching means 19 depending on the state. Further, the wind direction may be switched at any time by the wind direction switching unit 19 according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 22.

  Moreover, although the example which connected the two board | substrate cases 13 and 13a was shown in the said embodiment, you may connect three or more board | substrate cases. In the present embodiment, one board case contains one circuit board 11, but if not hindering the air path, a plurality of circuit boards 11 are placed in one board case 13. It may be included.

  In this embodiment, the operation of the fan 18 is started at the same time as the operation of the electronic device is started, and is stopped at the same time as the operation of the electronic device is stopped. The fan 18 may be operated only when the amount of heat generated by the component 12 exceeds a predetermined amount, or the operation and stop of the fan 18 may be controlled according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection means 22.

  In the present embodiment, only one temperature detecting means 22 is provided, but a plurality of temperature detecting means 22 are installed to detect the temperature more finely, and the fan 18 is efficiently operated according to the detected temperature. You may make it do.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the electronic device cooling structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the same part as the electronic device cooling structure in the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the fan 18 is arranged inside the connection duct 16, so that it is not necessary to process the fan cases 18 on the board cases 13 and 13a. It can be manufactured in a standard shape, and the manufacturing cost and labor can be reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to secure a space for mounting the fan 18 in the board cases 13 and 13a, the degree of freedom in designing the intake ports 14 and 14a and the exhaust ports 15 and 15a is increased, and the circuit component 12 can be efficiently cooled. The substrate cases 13 and 13a can be designed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the electronic device cooling structure according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the same part as the electronic device cooling structure in the said embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a second intake port 14b is provided in the vicinity of the circuit component 12a that particularly requires cooling, and a fan 18 is provided in the exhaust port 15a. The flow of the cooling air suck | inhaled from the 2nd inlet 14b is shown.

  In the present embodiment, it is particularly necessary to cool the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20 and 20a and the circuit component 12a. However, when only a single air passage is formed, for example, when only the intake port 14 is provided, the circuit components The air path passing through 12a is not formed, and the circuit component 12a is hardly cooled. Therefore, when the fan 18 is installed in the exhaust port 15a, an air passage B passing through the circuit component 12a is formed. Thereby, the circuit component 12a can be efficiently cooled.

  Thus, by installing the fan 18 in the exhaust port 15a, a plurality of intake ports can be provided, and the board cases 13 and 13a that can cool the circuit components 12 and 12a efficiently can be designed.

  In this case, since the second air inlet 14b is provided in the vicinity of the windward side of the circuit component 12a that particularly requires cooling, it becomes possible to directly apply outside air to the circuit component 12a that particularly requires cooling, so that the circuit component 12a can be efficiently used. Can be cooled.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an electronic device cooling structure according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the same part as the electronic device cooling structure in the said embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a fan 18 is provided at the intake port 14, and a second exhaust port 15b is provided near the leeward side of the circuit component 12a that particularly requires cooling. The flow of the cooling air exhausted to the second exhaust port 15b is shown.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, it is particularly necessary to cool the high-temperature heat generating circuit components 20 and 20a and the circuit component 12a. However, when the heat generation amount of the circuit component 12a is extremely large, the inside of the air passage 17 after the circuit component 12a. In some cases, the components installed in the are heated by the cooling air heated by the heat deprived from the circuit components 12a. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, when the fan 18 is installed in the intake port 14, the air path C exhausted from the second exhaust port 15b through the circuit component 12a is formed. As a result, the cooling air heated by removing heat from the circuit component 12a can be exhausted out of the substrate case 13a before hitting the other circuit components 12.

  In this manner, by installing the fan 18 at the intake port 14, a plurality of exhaust ports can be provided, and the board cases 13 and 13a that can efficiently cool the circuit components 12 and 12a can be designed.

  Further, in this case, by providing the second exhaust port 15b in the vicinity of the leeward side of the circuit component 12a that particularly requires cooling, it is possible to exhaust the cooling air to the outside of the substrate case 13a immediately after hitting the circuit component 12a. Thus, the circuit component 12a can be efficiently cooled.

  As described above, the electronic device cooling structure according to the present invention can easily and efficiently cool a plurality of circuit boards, and thus can be applied to all devices having a plurality of circuit boards.

Side sectional view of electronic device cooling structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional side view of the electronic device cooling structure in Embodiment 2 of this invention Side sectional view of electronic device cooling structure in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Sectional side view of the electronic device cooling structure in Embodiment 4 of this invention Cross-sectional side view of conventional electronic equipment cooling structure

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Circuit board 12 Circuit components 13, 13a Board case 14, 14a Air inlet 14b 2nd air inlet 15, 15a Air outlet 15b 2nd air outlet 16 Connection duct 17 Air path 18 Fan (blower means)
19 Wind direction switching means 22 Temperature detection means

Claims (13)

A circuit board on which a circuit component that generates heat is mounted; a plurality of substantially box-shaped board cases including the circuit board and provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; an air outlet of the board case and an air inlet of another board case; A connection duct that communicates with each other, and an air blower that takes in ambient air from an air inlet of at least one board case and exhausts the air from an air outlet of another board case through the connection duct, An electronic device cooling structure in which the air direction of the blowing means is set according to the amount of heat generated by the circuit components mounted on the circuit board. 2. The electronic device cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the air direction of the air blowing means is set such that a circuit board with a large amount of heat generation is positioned on the intake side and a circuit board with a small amount of heat generation is positioned on the exhaust side. 2. The electronic device cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the air direction of the blowing means is set such that a circuit board having a large amount of heat generation is positioned on the exhaust side and a circuit board having a small amount of heat generation is positioned on the intake side. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blowing means is disposed in the connection duct. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air blowing means is disposed in the exhaust port. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air blowing means is disposed in the air inlet. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a second air inlet is provided in the vicinity of the windward side of the circuit component that generates a large amount of heat. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a second exhaust port is provided in the vicinity of the leeward side of the circuit component that generates a large amount of heat. The electronic device cooling structure according to claim 1, further comprising a wind direction switching unit that switches a blowing direction of the blowing unit. The operation of the blowing means is started when power is turned on to an electronic device having an electronic device cooling structure, and the operation of the blowing means is stopped when the power is stopped. The electronic device cooling structure according to claim 1. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the air blowing means is operated when the amount of heat generated by the circuit component exceeds a predetermined amount. A temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the substrate case or / and the temperature of the circuit component is provided, and the air blowing means is operated when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means exceeds a predetermined temperature. 11. The electronic device cooling structure according to any one of 11 above. The electronic device cooling structure according to claim 12, wherein the air flow direction of the air blowing means is switched by the airflow direction switching means in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means.