JP2016219476A - Fan and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easily replaceable fan equipped with a vibration isolation function, and an electronic apparatus.SOLUTION: The fan includes: a housing 31 including four columns 29 provided at four corners of a virtual square R, respectively, freely expandable/contractable elastic rings 30 stretched between the respective columns 29, and a corner part 31a, of a square shape, fitted to the ring 30, inscribed to the ring 30 between the neighboring columns 29; and blades 32 accommodated in the housing 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a fan and an electronic device.

  An electronic device such as a server is provided with a fan for cooling the inside of the housing. The housing is provided with a precision component that is vulnerable to vibration, such as a hard disk, and the precision component may be damaged by the vibration of the fan.

  Therefore, various anti-vibration structures have been proposed for preventing the vibration of the fan from being transmitted to the housing.

JP 2011-133553 A

  By the way, since the fan is a component that is often replaced due to a failure, it is preferable that the fan has a structure that allows an operator to easily perform the replacement operation.

  However, when the vibration isolating structure is provided as described above, the structure of the fan is complicated by the vibration isolating structure, and it may be difficult to replace the fan.

  The disclosed technology has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an easily replaceable fan and electronic device having a vibration isolation function.

  According to one aspect of the disclosure below, four struts respectively provided at four corners of a virtual square, a stretchable elastic ring stretched between the struts, and fitted to the ring A fan having a square shape and having a corner portion inscribed in the ring between the adjacent struts and a blade accommodated in the housing is provided.

  According to the following disclosure, it is possible to provide an easily replaceable fan and electronic device having a vibration isolation function.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device used for the study. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a frame that is provided with anti-vibration measures. FIG. 3 is a perspective view in a state where the fan is accommodated in the frame. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the frame. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fan in which vibration-proof measures are taken with a rubber bush. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of the fan according to the first embodiment viewed from the downstream side of the wind. FIGS. 8A to 8C are schematic plan views for explaining the force generated in the elastic ring according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining the action of the pressing force in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing a state in which the wheel according to the first embodiment absorbs vibration. FIG. 11 is a perspective view for explaining a housing mounting method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a front view (No. 1) for explaining the housing mounting method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view (No. 2) for explaining the housing mounting method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of four columns and wheels according to the second embodiment. FIGS. 15A and 15B are enlarged front views for explaining how to stretch a ring in the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a housing and blades according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17A is an enlarged plan view of a ring according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. FIG. 18 is an enlarged front view of a ring and its surroundings according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is an enlarged front view for explaining another example of the recess according to the fourth embodiment.

  Prior to the description of the present embodiment, considerations made by the present inventor will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device used for the examination.

  The electronic device 1 is a server, for example, and includes a housing 2 and an electronic component 6 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) accommodated in the housing 2.

  A fan 3 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 to cool the electronic component 6. The fan 3 is housed in a frame 4 that is detachable from the housing 2, and the frame 4 is pulled out from the housing 2 when the fan 3 is replaced. In this example, since the frame 4 is released upward, the fan 3 can be easily inserted into the frame 4 from above, and the fan 3 can be easily replaced.

  Further, the casing 2 also accommodates precision components 5 that are vulnerable to vibration, such as a hard disk.

  Under actual use, the vibration generated by the rotation of the fan 3 is transmitted to the precision component 5, and the electronic component 5 may break down due to the vibration. For example, if a hard disk is used as the precision component 5 as described above, writing or reading may not be performed on the hard disk.

  Such a problem becomes apparent when the generation of the electronic device 1 advances and the vibration characteristics of the fan 3 such as vibration amplitude and vibration period change from the current state. For example, the vibration characteristics of the fan 3 may change when the number of rotations of the fan 3 is increased from the current level or when a fan 3 of a vendor different from the current level is employed.

  In order to prevent the precision component 5 from being damaged due to the vibration of the fan 3, it is effective to take a vibration-proof measure for the fan 3.

  The inventor of the present application has examined several anti-vibration measures, but there is room for improvement as follows.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the frame 4 with anti-vibration measures taken.

  The frame 4 has a fan guard 4a and a back panel 4b each having air permeability, and a space for accommodating the fan 3 is secured between them.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view in a state where the fan 3 is housed in the frame 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fan guard 4 a is located in front of the fan 3 and prevents an operator from touching the rotating fan 3.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the frame 4 and is a view in which the aforementioned fan guard 4a is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this example, an elastic sheet 11 such as rubber or sponge is attached to the inner surface of the frame 4 as a measure against vibration.

  As a result, the elastic sheet 11 is interposed between the fan 3 (see FIG. 3) and the frame 4, so that vibration generated by the fan 3 is absorbed by the elastic sheet 11 and hardly transmitted to the frame 4. be able to.

  However, sticking the elastic sheet 11 to the frame 4 is troublesome for the operator.

  In this example, three elastic sheets 11 are used. However, it is assumed that more elastic sheets 11 must be used in order to prevent the vibration of the fan 3 from being directly transmitted to the frame 4. In this case, the operator is further burdened.

  In addition, if there is an error in the external shape of the fan 3, the fan 3 and the elastic sheet 11 do not adhere well. As a result, backlash occurs between the fan 3 and the elastic sheet 11, making it difficult for the elastic sheet 11 to absorb vibration.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fan 3 in which vibration-proof measures are taken with two rubber bushes 9 instead of the elastic sheet 11.

  A screw thread (not shown) is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the bush 9, and the fan 3 is fixed to the housing 2 by an operator screwing the bush 9 into the housing 2.

  Since the rubber bush 9 has a property of absorbing vibration, vibration transmitted from the fan 3 to the housing 2 can be reduced by this structure.

  However, it is troublesome for the operator to screw the bush 9 into the housing 2, and it takes time to replace the fan 3. Further, if the bush 9 falls during the replacement, the bush 9 may be lost.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The electronic device 21 is a server, for example, and includes a housing 22, a precision component 25 and an electronic component 26 housed therein.

  Among these, the precision component 25 is a component that is vulnerable to vibration, such as a hard disk. The electronic component 26 is a component that can perform arithmetic processing, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), and generates heat during use.

  In order to generate the wind A that cools the electronic component 26, a plurality of fans 23 are provided on the front surface of the housing 22.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of the fan 23 viewed from the downstream side of the wind A. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the fan 23 includes a mesh-like resin back panel 28 through which the wind A passes and four struts 29 erected on the back panel 28.

  Each column 29 is formed integrally with a resin back panel 28 and is arranged at four corners of a virtual square R set on the back panel 28. Each strut 29 may be a separate component from the back panel 28.

  An elastic elastic ring 30 is stretched between adjacent struts 29. The ring 30 is a rubber band manufactured by, for example, injection molding rubber, and a tube 30a into which each support column 29 is inserted is formed at the time of molding.

  Further, the ring 30 is hung on the support column 29 in an extended state from its natural length, and the ring 30 has a contracting force to return to the natural length.

  A square-shaped housing 31 is fitted on the ring 30. The housing 31 has a square shape that accommodates the blades 32 and includes four corner portions 31a.

  The housing 31 provided with the blades 32 is preferably a commercially available product from the viewpoint of cost reduction. In the case of a commercially available product, the length of one side of the housing 31 is, for example, about 30 mm to 150 mm, and one side of the virtual rectangle R is set to the same length as this.

  Then, as the blade 32 rotates around the rotation axis C in the housing 31, a wind A (see FIG. 6) for cooling the electronic component 26 is generated.

  Further, the corner 31 a is inscribed in the ring 30 between the two adjacent columns 29, so that the housing 31 is supported by the ring 30.

  According to this, the housing 31 can be supported by the wheel 30 while being separated from each column 29. As a result, the vibration when the blade 32 rotates can be absorbed by the elasticity of the wheel 30, and the vibration can be prevented from being transmitted to the precision component 25 (see FIG. 6) via the support column 29.

  FIGS. 8A to 8C are schematic plan views for explaining the force generated in the elastic ring 30.

Among these, FIG. 8A is a schematic plan view of the wheel 30. In the state of FIG. 8A, the ring 30 does not extend from the natural length, and its inner diameter is Φ _d .

FIG. 8B is a schematic plan view of a circular object 33 into which the wheel 30 is fitted. It is assumed that the inner diameter Φ _{D of the} object 33 is larger than the inner diameter Φ _{d of the} ring 30.

  FIG. 8C is a schematic plan view when the wheel 30 is fitted to the object 33.

As described above, since the inner diameter Φ _D of the object 33 is larger than the inner diameter Φ _{d of} the ring 30, a force for contracting is generated in the ring 30, thereby applying a pressing force F from the ring 30 to the object 33.

  In particular, since the object 33 has an axisymmetric shape with respect to the center G thereof, the magnitude of the pressing force F is constant regardless of the location of the wheel 30.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining the action of the pressing force F. FIG. In this example, the case where the center 34 of the housing 31 is displaced from the center 35 of the virtual rectangle R by vibration is illustrated.

  Similar to the circular object 33 (see FIG. 8B), the virtual square R has an axisymmetric shape. Therefore, even if the centers 34 and 35 of the housing 31 and the virtual rectangle R are displaced in this way, the housing 31 is in the direction of the arrow E so that the magnitude of the pressing force F is constant regardless of the location of the wheel 30. It moves to. As a result, even if the housing 31 vibrates, the center 34 can always be positioned in the vicinity of the center 35 of the virtual rectangle R.

  FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing how the wheel 30 absorbs vibration.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a gap S exists between the support column 29 and the housing 31. Due to the presence of the gap S, the housing 31 can vibrate without touching the support column 29, and the vibration is attenuated by the wheel 30.

  Next, a method for attaching the housing 31 to the wheel 30 will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view for explaining a mounting method of the housing 31. 12 to 13 are front views for explaining a mounting method of the housing 31. FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11, the operator pushes the tube 30 a into each of the four columns 29 while expanding the ring 30.

  At this time, the ring 30 has a square shape in which the support columns 29 are arranged at the four corners.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the operator fits the housing 31 on the wheel 30. As described above, the housing 31 has substantially the same square shape as the wheel 30, and at this time, the corner portion 31 a of the housing 31 is close to each column 29.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the worker rotates the housing 31 by 45 ° around the rotation axis C. Thereby, the ring | wheel 30 is expanded by the corner | angular part 31a of the housing 31, and the pressing force F is added to the corner | angular part 31a from the ring | wheel 30. FIG. The housing 31 is supported by the pressing force F, and the mounting of the housing 31 to the wheel 30 is completed.

  According to this mounting method, the housing 31 can be easily mounted on the wheel 30 by simply rotating the housing 31 after fitting the housing 31 to the wheel 30 as shown in FIGS. Can be significantly reduced.

  Further, when the housing 31 is removed from the wheel 30 such as when the blade 32 is out of order, the housing 31 may be rotated in the opposite direction to the above. Thereby, since the housing 31 is released from the contraction force of the wheel 30, the housing 31 can be easily removed from the wheel 30, and the burden on the operator can be further reduced.

  In addition, since the wheel 30 expands and contracts in accordance with the outer shape of the housing 31, even if there is an error in the outer shape of the housing 31, the error can be absorbed by the wheel 30, and the housing 31 can be supported by the wheel 30.

  Further, even if the generation of the electronic device 1 advances and the vibration characteristics of the housing 31 change from the current state, the change in the vibration characteristics is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the wheel 30. Therefore, it is not necessary to redesign the wheel 30 every time the generation of the electronic device 1 changes, and the cost of the electronic device 1 can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the tube 30 a is pushed into the support column 29. In this embodiment, the ring | wheel 30 is stretched between each support | pillar 29, without pushing in in this way.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the four struts 29 and the wheel 30 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 14, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted below.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, each support column 29 is provided with a fitting recess 29 a that opens toward the outside of the wheel 30. Although the shape of each support | pillar 29 is not specifically limited, In this example, each support | pillar 29 is made into V shape by front view.

  Further, the ring 30 is provided with a fitting convex portion 30b protruding inward. The fitting convex portion 30b has a substantially triangular shape in cross-sectional view, and fits with the fitting concave portion 29a.

  FIG. 14 exemplifies a state in which the ring 30 is extended in a circular shape. In actual use, the fitting recess 29a and the fitting projection 30b are brought into close contact with each other by the contraction force of the ring 30, and the ring 30 30 has a square shape with the four columns 29 as the four corners.

  FIGS. 15A and 15B are enlarged front views for explaining how the ring 30 is stretched.

  In order to stretch the ring 30, first, as shown in 15 (a), the operator aligns the fitting concave portion 29 a and the fitting convex portion 30 b.

  And as shown in FIG.15 (b), the ring | wheel 30 is hung on the support | pillar 29 so that the fitting convex part 30b may fit in the fitting recessed part 29a.

  By performing such an operation on each of the four columns 29, the ring 30 can be stretched on each column 29a.

  According to this method, the operation of pushing the tube 30a of the wheel 30 into the support column 29a as in the first embodiment is unnecessary, and the support column 29a can be prevented from being broken due to the pushing operation.

  Moreover, since fitting the fitting convex portion 30b into the fitting concave portion 29a is completed in a very short time, the wheels 30 can be hung on all the columns 29 almost simultaneously, and the working time can be further shortened. it can.

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, a rubber band is used as the elastic ring 30. In this embodiment, an elastic body other than the rubber band is used as the ring 30 as follows.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the housing 31 and the blade 32.

  In FIG. 16, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted below. This also applies to FIGS. 17A and 17B described later.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a joint pipe 37 extending along the rotation axis C of the blade 32 is provided at the corner 31 a of the housing 31. In this example, the length of the joint pipe 37 is Z.

  FIG. 17A is an enlarged plan view of the wheel 30 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, in this embodiment, a flat rubber band is used as the ring 30 in plan view. By making the wheel 30 flat, the contact area between the wheel 30 and the joint pipe 37 is increased, and the housing 31 is stably supported by the wheel 30.

  The width W of the ring 30 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the ring 30 does not protrude from the end of the joint pipe 37 by making the width W narrower than the length Z of the joint pipe 37.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the housing 31 is prevented from being detached from the wheel 30 as follows.

  FIG. 18 is an enlarged front view of the wheel 30 and its surroundings according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 18, the same elements as those described in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in these embodiments, and the description thereof is omitted below.

  As shown in FIG. 18, in the present embodiment, a recess 30 c that fits into the joint pipe 37 of the corner portion 31 a is provided inside the ring 30.

  Thereby, it can prevent that the housing 31 rotates unintentionally and remove | deviates from the wheel | wheel 30 by the impact at the time of the conveyance of the electronic device 21 (refer FIG. 6) or an earthquake.

  Moreover, when the housing 31 is rotated as shown in FIGS. 12 to 13, a click feeling is transmitted to the operator when the joint pipe 37 is fitted into the recess 30 c, and a sense of security that the housing 31 is securely attached to the wheel 30. Can be given to workers.

In order to securely fit the joint pipe 37 into the recess 30c, the width Φ _R of the recess 30c is made larger than the diameter Φ _E of the joint pipe 37, and the shape of the recess 30c is curved following the surface of the joint pipe 37. Is preferred.

  The shape of the recess 30c is not limited to this.

  FIG. 19 is an enlarged front view for explaining another example of the recess 30c.

In this example, two protrusions 30d are provided on the inner side of the ring 30, and a recess 30c is formed by these protrusions 30d. In this case, by setting the interval L between the protrusions 30d to be larger than the diameter Φ _E of the joint pipe 37, the joint pipe 37 can be reliably fitted into the recess 30c.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,21 ... Electronic equipment, 2,22 ... Case, 3,23 ... Fan, 4 ... Frame, 4a ... Fan guard, 4b, 28 ... Back panel, 5,25 ... Precision parts, 6,26 ... Electronic parts DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Bush, 11 ... Elastic body sheet, 29 ... Support | pillar, 29a ... Joint recessed part, 30 ... Ring, 30a ... Tube, 30b ... Joint convex part, 30c ... Concave part, 30d ... Convex part, 31 ... Housing, 31a ... Corner part, 32 ... vane, 33 ... object, 37 ... joint pipe.

Claims (5)

Four struts respectively provided at the four corners of the virtual square,
A stretchable elastic ring stretched between each of the columns;
A housing having a square shape fitted to the ring and having a corner inscribed in the ring between the adjacent struts;
A blade housed in the housing;
A fan characterized by having. A fitting recess provided in the support so as to open toward the outside of the ring;
2. The fan according to claim 1, further comprising a fitting protrusion provided on the ring so as to protrude toward the inside of the ring and fitting with the fitting recess.   The fan according to claim 1, wherein the ring is a flat band. A joint pipe provided at the corner so as to extend along the rotation axis of the blade;
The fan according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a recess into which the joint pipe is fitted is formed inside the ring. A housing,
Electronic components housed in the housing;
Four struts respectively provided at the four corners of the virtual square in the housing;
A stretchable elastic ring stretched between each of the columns;
A housing having a square shape fitted to the ring and having a corner inscribed in the ring between the adjacent struts;
A blade that is housed in the housing and generates air to cool the electronic component;
An electronic device comprising: