JP4174919B2 - Electric equipment with fan device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric device with a fan device which is particularly effective when applied to various electric devices having a small casing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various electric devices have been provided with a fan device for cooling the inside of a casing.
Further, in an electrical apparatus using such a fan device, when the heat source has to be dispersed in the casing, a cooling effect is obtained by the following method.
(1) A plurality of fan devices are provided corresponding to the heat sources.
(2) While providing one fan device, the other part moves heat to a low temperature part with a heat pipe.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional method shown in (1), since a plurality of fan devices are arranged, a considerable arrangement space is taken. For example, in a device having a small casing such as a portable device, There is a problem that it cannot be adopted.
Further, in the conventional method shown in (2), in order to obtain a cooling effect due to the movement of heat with respect to the heat pipe, it is necessary to increase the heat dissipation capacity on the low temperature side or increase the diameter of the heat pipe. For example, in portable devices that require weight reduction, the cooling effect is limited. Furthermore, it is necessary to attach the part to be cooled to the heat pipe, and only a partial cooling effect can be obtained.
Therefore, in order to cope with such a problem, the direction of the air flow by one fan device is controlled by a plate-like member in accordance with the temperature values of the plurality of heat sources in the casing, and the plurality of heat sources in the casing is cooled. A device that has been proposed is proposed.
[0004]
For example, in the cooling structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-40969, a plurality of opening / closing plates are provided on the side wall of the air duct in the casing, and a plurality of temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of the heat source in the casing are arranged. The cooling air flowing in the air duct is selectively supplied to each part of the casing by controlling the opening and closing of each opening and closing plate according to the detected value.
However, since this cooling structure is a structure in which an air duct is provided in the housing, the structure is complicated, and there is a problem that it is difficult to adopt a device having a small housing such as a portable device.
[0005]
Further, in the cooling device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-126352, the inside of the housing is uniformly cooled by controlling the inclination of the plurality of loopers in response to failure of the plurality of fan devices.
However, since this cooling device also has a structure in which a plurality of loopers are arranged in the housing, the structure is complicated, and it is difficult to employ in a device having a small housing such as a portable device. There's a problem.
Moreover, in this cooling device, since a plurality of loopers are driven by a motor, there is a problem that the size of the electric device is increased from this point.
[0006]
Further, in the air cooling structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-186477, a plate provided with a vent hole for circulating cooling air and a plate that closes the vent hole are arranged and slid to slide. This controls the airflow.
However, this air-cooling structure is a structure in which two plates are overlapped and arranged in a state orthogonal to the direction of the airflow by the fan device, so that a large space is taken in the housing, such as a portable device. Thus, in what has a small housing | casing, there exists a problem that it is difficult to employ | adopt.
[0007]
For example, a cellular phone has an elongated casing that can be grasped by a human hand, and when the entire casing is efficiently cooled by a single fan device, an airflow of cooling air is formed in the longitudinal direction of the casing. It is effective to generate and cool.
In addition, a plurality of substrates are arranged in the casing of the mobile phone, and these are generally along the longitudinal direction of the casing in parallel with the display / operation surface provided on the front side surface of the casing. Often placed.
The same applies to portable audio devices and the like.
Therefore, there is a need for a structure for supplying cooling air for the fan device to each part in the housing without hindering the substrate arrangement structure in the housing and without complicating the structure.
[0008]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to effectively distribute and supply the cooling air of one fan device corresponding to the temperatures of a plurality of heat sources in the housing, and particularly to various wiring boards in an electric apparatus having a small housing. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric device with a fan device that can perform efficient cooling without hindering the arrangement structure and without complicating the structure.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric apparatus having a partition plate that divides a space in a housing, and each having a heat generating member in the space partitioned by the partition plate. A first opening formed at a position facing one end of the plate; a second opening formed on a side wall opposite to the first opening of the housing; Between the first opening and the fan device that generates an air flow along the direction of the plate surface of the partition plate, between the other end of the partition plate and the second opening, A movable fin disposed along a plate surface direction of the partition plate, the end of the second opening side being inclined with respect to an end of the partition plate, and an inclination angle of the movable fin Detects the temperature of the piezoelectric element that controls the temperature of the space partitioned by the partition plate The tilt angle of the movable fin is determined by driving the piezoelectric element based on a difference between detected temperatures of the first and second temperature sensors and the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. And control means for controlling.
[0010]
In the electric apparatus with a fan device of the present invention, the space in the housing is divided by a partition plate, and first and second openings are formed on both sides of the partition plate in the plate surface direction. Since the fan device is provided on the inside, when the fan device is driven, an air flow is basically generated in the direction of the plate surface of the partition plate, and each space partitioned by the partition plate is cooled by the cooling air sucked from the outside. And exhaust to the outside.
Further, the temperature of each space partitioned by the partition plate is detected by the first and second temperature sensors, and the inclination angle of the movable fin is controlled via the piezoelectric element based on the difference between the detected temperatures.
[0011]
Since the movable fin is disposed along the plate surface direction of the partition plate between the other end of the partition plate and the second opening, the partition plate is in a normal non-inclined state (neutral state). Are arranged in an unobstructed state in the elongated space of the housing. In this neutral state, the flow of cooling air by the fan device cools, for example, each space partitioned by the partition plate evenly.
When the tilt angle of the movable fin is controlled from this neutral state, the end portion of the movable fin facing the second opening is displaced and tilted to one of the spaces partitioned by the partition plate. Thereby, the ratio of the cooling air by the fan device to each space partitioned by the partition plate is changed, and a large amount of cooling air is supplied to the space with the larger temperature rise, so that the cooling balance can be controlled appropriately.
[0012]
Since the region where such a movable fin is inclined is a region close to the second opening in the housing, only the space close to the second opening can be obtained without obstructing the overall space. It can be used to control the flow of cooling air and can be easily adapted to electrical equipment having a small casing.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively distribute and supply the cooling air of one fan device corresponding to the temperatures of a plurality of heat sources in the housing, and particularly disturb the arrangement structure of various wiring boards and the like in an electric apparatus having a small housing. In addition, efficient cooling can be performed without causing a complicated structure.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an electric device with a fan device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an electric device with a fan device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG.
The electric apparatus with a fan device of the present example includes an elongated or flat rectangular parallelepiped casing 10 configured to be portable, for example. The casing 10 is made of, for example, plastic, and has a cooling air outlet (first opening) 12 formed on one outer wall in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction in the figure), and the other outer portion. In addition, a cooling air inlet (second opening) 14 is formed. In addition, the outflow port 12 and the inflow port 14 collect many through-holes, for example in a grid | lattice form, and may arrange | position an air filter etc. as needed.
[0014]
And the fan apparatus 20 is arrange | positioned inside the outflow port 12 of the housing | casing 10. FIG. The fan device 20 generates an air flow in a direction from the inlet 14 toward the outlet 12 in the casing 10, and exhausts cooling air from outside air sucked from the inlet 14 to the outside through the outlet 12. 10 is cooled. The driving amount (rotational speed) of the fan device 20 is controlled by an MPU (control means) 100 described later to adjust the cooling power.
Further, a partition plate 40 that is arranged in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) and divides the space in the housing 10 into two is provided in the housing 10. That is, the internal space of the housing 10 is divided into two in the vertical direction in the drawing (the plate thickness direction of the dividing plate 40) by the partition plate 40, and each of the divided spaces is a narrow space in the vertical direction in the drawing.
The partition plate 40 is provided, for example, for supporting various circuit boards and electrical components in the housing 10 and for reinforcing the housing 20.
One end of the partition plate 40 is disposed at a position facing the fan device 20 and the outlet 12, and the other end is disposed at a position having a certain distance from the inlet 14.
[0015]
The movable fin 30 is connected to the other end of the partition plate 40 via a hinge portion 42.
The movable fins 30 are disposed along the plate surface of the partition plate 40 and are formed in a plate shape having the same width as the partition plate 40.
The movable fin 30 has a size corresponding to the space between the partition plate 40 and the inflow port 14, and one end thereof is rotatably connected to the hinge portion 42 of the partition plate 40, and the other end. The part is disposed at a position facing the inflow port 14.
And this movable fin 30 rotates centering on the hinge part 42, and the edge part by the side of the inflow port 14 is displaced to the orthogonal | vertical direction in a figure.
The hinge portion 42 is formed by integrally molding the movable fin 30 and the partition plate 40 using, for example, a synthetic resin, and the boundary portion between the movable fin 30 and the partition plate 40 is formed with a thin plate thickness. The movable fin 30 can be tilted and displaced by the flexibility of the synthetic resin. With such a configuration of the movable fin 30, the partition plate 40, and the hinge portion 42, it is possible to easily cope with a more compact configuration.
[0016]
In addition, the hinge portion 42 is provided with a piezoelectric element 44, and the tilt angle of the movable fin 30 is controlled stepwise by causing the piezoelectric element 44 to expand and contract by applying a control voltage. . The form of the piezoelectric element may be, for example, a form in which the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element is simply transmitted to the movable fin 30 in the vertical direction to change the tilt angle, or a bimorph type piezoelectric element is used. It is also possible.
By using such a piezoelectric element, the inclination of the movable fin 30 is controlled by a minute actuator in the housing 10 as compared with, for example, a drive motor or the like. FIG. 2 shows the maximum inclination range of the movable fin 30.
Such a piezoelectric element 44 is driven by a driver circuit 46. The driver circuit 46 is controlled by the MPU 100 based on temperature detection in the housing 10 described later. The driver circuit 46 can control the tilt direction of the movable fin 30 in the reverse direction by reversing the polarity of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 44, for example.
[0017]
A printed wiring board 50 is disposed in the upper divided space partitioned by the partition plate 40 in the housing 10, and a first heat generating member (heat source) 52 is provided.
The printed wiring board 54 is also arranged in the lower divided space partitioned by the partition plate 40 in the housing 10, and a second heat generating member (heat source) 56 is provided.
Each heating member 52, 56 is provided with first and second temperature sensors 60, 62, and the temperature of each heating member 52, 56 is detected.
A third temperature sensor 64 is provided inside the outflow port 12 at substantially the center of the fan device 20. The temperature sensor 64 detects the temperature when the cooling air is exhausted.
The temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 60, 62, and 64 are read by the MPU 100, and the MPU 100 controls the rotational speed of the fan device 20 and the movable fin 30 by the driver circuit 46 based on these detected temperatures. Inclination angle control is performed.
[0018]
In addition, this electric device is provided with a data table 110 used for controlling the MPU 100. The data table 110 includes a first table and a second table. The first table stores relational data between the temperature difference detected by the first and second temperature sensors 60 and 62 and the flow rate of each space partitioned by the partition plate 40. Further, the second table stores relationship data between the temperature detected by the third temperature sensor 64 and the rotational speed of the fan device 20.
The MPU 100 controls the rotational speed of the fan device 20 based on the relationship data stored in the data table 110 and the detected temperature data from the temperature sensors 60, 62, 64, and is movable by the driver circuit 46. The inclination angle of the fin 30 is controlled stepwise.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control operation of the fan device 20 and the movable fin 30 in the electrical apparatus in this example. Hereinafter, the control operation of this example will be described based on this flowchart.
First, in step S1, the temperature of each divided space is detected by the temperature sensors 60 and 62. These detected temperatures t1 and t2 are read by the MPU 100, and a temperature difference between the detected temperature t1 of the upper divided space and the ideal temperature, and a temperature difference between the detected temperature t2 of the lower divided space and the ideal temperature are obtained (step S2). ).
[0020]
Next, based on such temperature difference data, the first table of the data table 110 is referred to (steps S3 and S4), and the inclination angle of the movable fin 30 is determined based on the reference result (step S5). In the first table described above, the ratio of the inflow amount of the cooling air is defined from the temperature difference between the detected temperatures t1 and t2 of each divided space and the respective ideal temperatures, and the inclination of the movable fin 30 is determined from this definition. The angle shall be determined.
When the tilt angle of the movable fin 30 is determined in this way, a control signal is output to the driver circuit 46 according to the tilt angle, and the driver circuit 46 applies a drive voltage corresponding to the control signal to the piezoelectric element 44. The movable fin 30 is controlled to the inclination angle determined in step S5 (step S6).
[0021]
Next, the temperature sensor 64 detects the temperature of the outlet 12 (step S7). The detected temperature t is read by the MPU 100, the second table of the data table 110 is referred to based on the data of the detected temperature t, and the rotation speed of the fan device 20 is determined based on the reference result (step S8, S9). The rotational speed of the fan device 20 is divided into multiple stages, and the rotational speed of the fan device 20 is determined using the data table 110 from the temperature t detected by the temperature sensor 64.
And a control signal is supplied to the fan apparatus 20 according to the rotational speed determined in this way, and the fan apparatus 20 is drive-controlled at a required rotational speed.
Note that the control operation of the fan device 20 and the movable fin 30 as described above is executed when the electric device is started or by a periodic interrupt operation.
As described above, the amount of cooling air supplied by the fan device 20 is appropriately controlled by the control operation of the fan device 20 and the movable fin 30 for the two spaces of the casing 10 that are partitioned vertically by the partition plate 40. And each space can be maintained at an optimum temperature.
[0022]
According to the electrical device of the present embodiment as described above, in a small (elongated or flat) device in which the space in the housing is divided into upper and lower layers, the electrical device is configured such that each layer has a heat source. A particularly effective cooling structure can be provided.
In addition, by attaching a temperature sensor to each layer in the housing divided into two layers, the outside air can be preferentially flowed into the higher temperature according to the temperature difference, and the cooling effect of the entire device can be enhanced.
Further, since the cooling air that flows in is distributed by displacing the movable fins 30 that constitute a part of the partition plate 40 that divides the layers, the cooling air is utilized using a structure that partitions the space in the housing. It is not necessary to add a dedicated part only for controlling the cooling air as in the configuration in which the looper and the opening / closing plate are provided as separate parts listed as the above-described prior invention, and the structure is simple. Can be achieved.
[0023]
In addition, since the movable fin 30 is driven by the piezoelectric element 44, the movable device can be reduced in size compared to a configuration using a mechanism such as a motor. For example, a small form in which a fin driving motor cannot be arranged. It is advantageous for equipment.
In addition, since the rotation speed of the fan device 20 is automatically adjusted in multiple stages when the outflow temperature is high, the rotation speed is high, and when the outflow temperature is low, power can be saved.
In addition, since the inclination angle of the fin is determined from the relationship data of the temperature difference of each layer and the flow rate of cooling air, changing this relationship data allows the cooling air to be changed for each layer without changing the hardware. It can be done easily.
Moreover, since it is the structure which attached the movable fin to the partition plate 40 which partitioned off the inside of a housing | casing, it is possible to increase a movable fin by the part which wants to increase a layer. Therefore, even when the housing is divided into multiple layers, the cooling of each layer can be realized by the same structure.
[0024]
As a modification of the present invention, it is also possible to realize an apparatus for mixing two gases having different properties in accordance with the purpose by changing data in a data table that determines the angle of the fin.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the electric device with a fan device of the present invention, in the electric device having the partition plate that divides the space in the housing and having the heating members in the spaces partitioned by the partition plate, the side wall portion of the housing A first opening formed at a position facing one end of the partition plate, a second opening formed on a side wall portion opposite to the first opening of the housing, A plate of the partition plate disposed between the first opening and the fan device that generates an air flow along the plate surface direction of the partition plate and the other end of the partition plate and the second opening. A movable fin that is arranged along the surface direction and has an end on the second opening side that can be tilted around an end on the partition plate side; a piezoelectric element that controls the tilt angle of the movable fin; and a partition First and second temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of the space partitioned by the plates, respectively; Temperature sensors and on the basis of the difference between the detected temperature of the second temperature sensor, by driving the piezoelectric element, provided with a control means for controlling the inclination angle of the movable fins.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively distribute and supply the cooling air of one fan device corresponding to the temperatures of a plurality of heat sources in the housing, and particularly disturb the arrangement structure of various wiring boards and the like in an electric apparatus having a small housing. In addition, efficient cooling can be performed without causing a complicated structure.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an electric device with a fan device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when a movable fin provided in the electric apparatus with a fan device shown in FIG. 1 is tilted.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of control operation in the electric device shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing, 12 ... Outlet, 14 ... Inlet, 20 ... Fan device, 30 ... Movable fin, 40 ... Partition plate, 42 ... Hinge part, 44 ... Piezoelectric element, 46 ... ... driver circuit, 50, 54 ... printed wiring board, 52, 56 ... heat source, 60, 62, 64 ... temperature sensor, 100 ... MPU, 110 ... data table.

Claims (8)

In an electrical device having a partition plate that divides the space in the housing, and each having a heating member in the space partitioned by the partition plate,
A first opening formed at a position facing one end of the partition plate of the side wall of the housing;
A second opening formed in a side wall portion opposite to the first opening portion of the housing;
A fan device that is arranged inside the first opening of the housing and generates an air flow along a plate surface direction of the partition plate;
Between the other end of the partition plate and the second opening, it is disposed along the plate surface direction of the partition plate, and the second opening side with respect to the end on the partition plate side. A movable fin provided with an end of which can be inclined;
A piezoelectric element for controlling an inclination angle of the movable fin;
First and second temperature sensors for detecting temperatures of spaces partitioned by the partition plates,
Control means for controlling an inclination angle of the movable fin by driving the piezoelectric element based on a difference in detected temperature between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor;
An electric device with a fan device, comprising: 2. The electric device with a fan device according to claim 1, wherein the fan device sucks outside air from the second opening and generates an air flow in a direction of discharging from the first opening. . 2. The electric device with a fan device according to claim 1, wherein the casing is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a longitudinal shape along a direction from the first opening to the second opening. . The control means includes a first table storing relational data between a temperature difference detected by the first and second temperature sensors and a flow rate of each space partitioned by the partition plate, and the first table The electric device with a fan device according to claim 1, wherein an inclination angle of the movable fin is determined based on the equation (1). The electric device with a fan device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a rotation speed of the fan device based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. The control means has a second table storing relational data between the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the rotational speed of the fan device, and determines the rotational speed of the fan device based on the second table. The electric device with a fan device according to claim 5. A third temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the first opening, and the control means is based on a difference between detected temperatures of the first and second temperature sensors and the third temperature sensor; The electric device with a fan device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation speed of the fan device is controlled. 8. The electric device with a fan device according to claim 7, wherein the rotational speed of the fan device is automatically adjusted in a multistage manner when the temperature detected by the third temperature sensor is high and when the temperature is low.

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