JP5650148B2 - Electronic equipment cooling system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling technique, and more particularly, to an electronic device cooling system that air-cools electronic devices using a cooling fan.

  With the recent evolution of electronic components, chips with more circuits integrated are mounted on electronic devices with higher density, and thermal design in electronic device design has become increasingly important. Fans are widely used to forcibly cool electronic devices. A fan is a long-life component that will eventually fail if it continues to operate at high speed for a long time, and periodic replacement is required to maintain its function.

Generally, in order to air-cool an electronic device, a fan unit including one or more fan motors is attached to a housing that houses the electronic device. The fan unit is attached to the housing by being inserted into the fan slot of the housing, and is removed by being pulled out of the fan slot.
For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a fan unit that can be inserted and removed while the apparatus main body is in operation, and has a slidable finger guard for preventing injury to the operator when replacing the fan. ing.

JP-A-7-122870 JP-A-8-162790

  When one fan unit includes a plurality of fan motors, cooling by another fan motor is continued even if one of the fan motors fails. However, when replacing a fan unit with a new one, the area where the fan unit is air-cooled until the new fan unit is installed after the used fan unit is removed becomes no- Rises rapidly.

Pulling out a used fan unit from a fan slot and inserting a new fan unit into the slot can be completed in about 10 seconds if done quickly. However, it may take more than 3 minutes due to lack of skill or preparation of the worker. The time required for replacement varies.
When designing electronic equipment, the thermal design is performed assuming that there is no wind in a considerably longer time than the work time normally required for replacing the fan unit, but the degree of freedom of design is restricted. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the electronic device is significantly increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device cooling system capable of efficiently replacing a fan unit.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device cooling system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a housing that houses a fan unit and an electronic device, a wiring substrate that supplies power to the fan unit and the electronic device, and a wiring substrate. A connection unit for connecting the fan unit. An opening through which the fan unit can be inserted and removed is provided in each of the pair of opposing faces of the housing, the connection unit is movable between the openings, the connection unit inserts the fan unit from one opening, A connector for connecting the fan unit to be inserted and a connector for connecting the fan unit to be removed are provided so that another fan unit can be removed from the other opening.

  According to this aspect, for example, a used fan unit can be taken out and a new fan unit can be attached at the same time.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a representation of the present invention converted between a method, an apparatus, a system, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a fan unit can be replaced | exchanged efficiently in an electronic device cooling system.

It is a perspective view which shows the electronic device cooling system concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connection unit of an electronic device cooling system. It is a figure which shows an example of the state which mounted | wore the electronic device cooling system with the fan unit. 4A to 4D are diagrams illustrating a procedure for replacing a fan unit in the electronic device cooling system. FIGS. 5A to 5D are diagrams showing a procedure for replacing the fan unit in the electronic device cooling system. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connection unit of an electronic device cooling system. In an electronic device cooling system, it is a figure which shows the state by which the fan unit was mounted | worn in the fan unit accommodating part, and another fan unit was connected to the connector for fans of the other side. In an electronic device cooling system, it is a figure which shows the state in which the fan unit was connected to the connector for fans, and another fan unit was connected to the connector for fans of the other side.

First, the outline of the present invention will be described.
The present inventor has come up with the idea of forming a slot for a fan unit so as to penetrate the housing in the electronic device cooling system. When a new fan unit is connected to the used fan unit in the slot and the new fan unit is pushed into the slot, the used fan unit is pushed out from the opposite side of the slot. Thereby, a new fan unit can be mounted at the same time as the used fan unit is taken out.

Details will be described below.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electronic device cooling system 10 according to the first embodiment. The electronic device cooling system 10 includes a housing 12 that houses an electronic device to be air-cooled and the fan unit 20, a wiring board 14 that is provided in the housing for supplying power and control signals to the electronic device and the fan unit 20, and A connection unit 30 for connecting the wiring board 14 and the fan unit 20 via the cable 40 is included.
In the present specification, of the surface of the housing 12, the surface on the side where the wiring board 14 is provided is referred to as the rear surface, and the surface on the fan unit 20 side in FIG. .

  The housing 12 is provided with an electronic device housing portion 16 for housing an electronic device to be air-cooled and a fan unit housing portion 18 for mounting the fan unit 20. An air hole (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 12, and the fan unit 20 is attached to the fan unit housing portion 18 and sucks air from below, that is, outside the housing 12, and exhausts upward, that is, inside the housing 12. Thus, the electronic device accommodated in the electronic device accommodating portion 16 is air-cooled.

In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which two fan unit accommodating portions 18 are provided in the housing 12 and two fan motors are provided in one fan unit 20. The number and the number of fan motors provided in one fan unit 20 are not limited to this, and may be any appropriate number according to the size and number of electronic devices to be air-cooled and the form of the casing.
An opening for inserting the fan unit 20 into the fan unit housing portion 18 and for taking out the fan unit 20 from the fan unit housing portion 18 is provided on the front and back surfaces, which are a pair of surfaces facing each other of the housing 12.

  The connection unit 30 is configured to be movable between the opening on the front surface of the housing and the opening on the back surface of the housing in the fan unit housing portion 18. One end of the cable 40 is connected to the connection unit 30, and the other end is connected to the wiring board 14.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the connection unit 30 of the electronic device cooling system 10.
The connection unit 30 includes a cylindrical frame 36 and a sub board 34, and includes fan connectors 32 that can be fitted to the connectors of the fan unit 20 on both sides of the sub board 34. That is, in the connection unit 30, two fan connectors 32 are arranged back to back. Hereinafter, the fan connector 32 on the front side of the housing 12 when the connection unit 30 is arranged in the electronic device cooling system 10 is also referred to as a fan connector 32a, and the fan connector 32 on the rear side is also referred to as a fan connector 32b.
The connection unit 30 is connected to the cable 40 on the outer surface of the cylindrical frame 36 and is connected to the wiring board 14 via the cable 40. The cable 40 is a flexible cable, for example, and is arranged so as not to hinder the blowing of the fan unit 20 and the movement of the connection unit 30. The cable 40 may be fixed at one place or several places within the housing 12.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a state in which the fan unit 20 is mounted on the electronic device cooling system 10.
In the following drawings, the cable 40 is represented by a line.
In order to limit the movable range of the connection unit 30, a stopper 22 a is provided on the inner surface of the upper portion of the opening on the front side of the housing 12, and a stopper 22 b is provided on the inner surface of the upper portion of the opening on the rear side of the housing 12. . Hereinafter, the stopper 22a and the stopper 22b are collectively referred to as “stopper 22”. The stopper 22 can prevent the connection unit 30 from jumping out from the housing 12.
3 illustrates an example in which one stopper 22 is provided on the front side and the back side of the housing 12, but a plurality of stoppers 22 may be provided on the front side and the back side. Thereby, the connection unit 30 can be supported more stably in the opening.

The operation according to the above configuration is as follows.
4A to 4D show a procedure for replacing the fan unit 20 in the electronic device cooling system 10. 4A to 4D, a used fan unit that is used until the end of its product life and is to be removed is referred to as a fan unit 20a, and a newly installed fan unit is referred to as a fan unit 20b.

FIG. 4A shows a state where the used fan unit 20 a is mounted on the electronic device cooling system 10.
First, as shown in FIG. 4B, the replacement worker connects the connector of the new fan unit 20 b to the fan connector 32 a on the front side of the connection unit 30. The fan unit 20b starts to operate when supplied with power, and the fan of the fan unit 20b starts to rotate.
Next, the replacement operator pushes the fan unit 20 b into the fan unit housing portion 18 of the electronic device cooling system 10. As the fan unit 20b is inserted into the fan unit housing portion 18, the fan unit 20a moves in a direction pushed out from the opening on the back side of the electronic device cooling system 10, and as shown in FIG. Comes into contact with a stopper 22 provided on the back side of the housing 12 and stops.

  When the replacement operator removes the used fan unit 20a from the fan connector 32b on the back side of the connection unit 30, the power supply to the fan unit 20a is cut off, and the fan of the fan unit 20a stops and the replacement work is performed. Ends.

  5A to 5D show the electronic device cooling system 10 in which the fan unit 20 is replaced from the state where the fan unit 20 is mounted in the electronic device cooling system 10 in the opposite direction to that shown in FIG. The procedure to do is shown. 5A to 5D, a used fan unit that has been used until the end of its product life and should be taken out from the fan unit housing portion 18 is referred to as a fan unit 20b, and a newly installed fan unit is referred to as a fan unit 20c.

FIG. 5A shows a state where the used fan unit 20 b is mounted on the electronic device cooling system 10.
First, as shown in FIG. 5B, the replacement worker connects the connector of the new fan unit 20 c to the fan connector 32 b on the back side of the connection unit 30. The fan unit 20c is supplied with power and starts to operate, and the fan of the fan unit 20c starts to rotate.
Next, the replacement operator pushes the fan unit 20 c into the fan unit housing portion 18 of the electronic device cooling system 10. As the fan unit 20c is inserted into the fan unit housing portion 18, the fan unit 20b moves in a direction pushed out from the opening on the front side of the electronic device cooling system 10, and as shown in FIG. Stops in contact with the stopper 22 provided on the front side of the housing 12.

  When the replacement operator removes the used fan unit 20b from the fan connector 32a on the front side of the connection unit 30, the power supply to the fan unit 20b is cut off, and the fan of the fan unit 20b stops, and the replacement work is performed. Ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the fan unit 20 can be replaced without causing time for no wind regardless of the skill of the replacement operator.
Therefore, the degree of freedom in thermal design is improved. Moreover, the manufacturing cost and product price of the electronic device cooling system 10 can be reduced.

Second Embodiment
As described above, it is desirable that the time during which the electronic device cooling system 10 is in a windless state during the replacement of the fan unit 20 is as short as possible. On the other hand, it may not be preferable to operate both the used fan unit 20 and the new fan unit 20 at the time of replacement, for example, when the power capacity for operating the two fan units 20 cannot be secured.
In the present embodiment, while the used fan unit 20 and the new fan unit 20 are both prevented from operating, the time during which the inside of the electronic device cooling system 10 is in a windless state during the replacement of the fan unit 20 is reduced.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration of the connection unit 31 of the electronic device cooling system 60 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a state where the fan unit 20 d is mounted in the fan unit housing portion 18 of the electronic device cooling system 60, and the fan unit 20 e is connected to the fan connector 32 a on the front side of the connection unit 31.
In the second embodiment, the configuration of the connection unit 31 other than the button 24 is the same as the configuration of the connection unit 30 shown in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described.

  The connection unit 31 includes buttons 24 a and 24 b at positions facing the front-side inner surface and the rear-side inner surface of the housing 12, respectively. Hereinafter, the button 24a and the button 24b are collectively referred to as “button 24”. The button 24 a is provided at a position where the connection unit 31 is pressed against the stopper 22 a as a result of the connection unit 31 moving to the front opening side of the housing 12. The button 24 b is provided on the back surface of the housing 12. As a result of moving to the side, it is provided at a position where it is pressed against the stopper 22b. The target with which the button 24 abuts may not be the stopper 22. In this case, the position of the button 24 is not limited to the front side and the back side of the housing 12, and may be any position where the connection unit 31 comes into contact with the contact target and is pressed as a result of the connection unit 31 moving to the opening side.

Each button 24 is associated with one of the fan connectors 32. Specifically, the front-side button 24a is associated with the rear-side fan connector 32b, and the rear-side button 24b is associated with the front-side fan connector 32a.
By pressing or releasing the buttons 24a and 24b, power supply to the fan connectors 32a and 32b is controlled as follows.

(1) The connection unit 31 is configured to supply power to the fan connector 32 associated with the button 24 while one of the buttons 24 is pressed against the stopper 22.
In this case, the operation of the electronic device cooling system 60 is as follows.
When the fan unit 20d is attached to the housing 12, the button 24a is in contact with the stopper 22a and is pressed, so that power is supplied to the fan connector 32b on the rear side associated with the button 24a. The supplied fan unit 20d connected to the fan connector 32b operates.

When the fan unit 20d is used and replaced until the end of its product life, when the replacement operator connects the fan unit 20e to the fan connector 32a of the connection unit 31 and pushes the fan unit 20e into the fan unit housing portion 18, the button 24a The pressed state is released, the power supply to the fan unit 20d is stopped, and the fan of the fan unit 20d is eventually stopped.
As the fan unit 20e is pushed in, the fan unit 20d is pushed out of the housing 12 through the opening on the back side, the button 24b of the connection unit 31 is pressed against the stopper 22b, and the movement of the connection unit 31 stops. As a result, power is supplied to the front fan connector 32a associated with the button 24b, and the fan unit 20e connected to the front fan connector 32a operates.

  In other words, both the used fan unit 20d and the new fan unit 20e are stopped during the period from the start of insertion of the new fan unit 20e to the completion thereof, and when the installation of the new fan unit 20e is completed, the new fan unit 20e is completed. The unit 20e starts operation.

The time required for the fan unit 20e to be accommodated in the fan unit housing 18 after the replacement worker starts inserting the fan unit 20e and the insertion is completed is within a few seconds regardless of the skill of the replacement operator and the preparation status. It is assumed that
Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the time during which no wind is generated during replacement of the fan unit 20 while suppressing the power capacity to one unit. Moreover, the operation of the fan unit 20 outside the electronic device cooling system 60 can be stopped, for example, when an object that is not desirable when receiving wind is placed outside the electronic device cooling system 60.

(2) When one of the buttons 24 comes into contact with the stopper 22 and is pressed, the connection unit 31 starts supplying power to the fan connector 32 associated with the button, and supplies power until then. Alternatively, the power supply to the fan connector 32 on the opposite side may be stopped.

In this case, the operation of the electronic device cooling system 60 is as follows.
When the fan unit 20d is mounted in the fan unit housing portion 18, the button 24a is once pressed against the stopper 22a and then the other button 24b is not pressed. Therefore, power is supplied to the rear fan connector 32b associated with the button 24a, and the fan unit 20d connected to the fan connector 32b operates.

  When the fan unit 20d is used and replaced until the end of its product life, when the replacement operator connects the fan unit 20e to the fan connector 32a of the connection unit 31 and pushes the fan unit 20e into the fan unit housing portion 18, the button 24a The pressed state is released. However, since the button 24b is not pressed, power is continuously supplied to the fan connector 32b, and the fan of the fan unit 20d continues to operate.

  As the replacement operator inserts the fan unit 20e into the fan unit housing portion 18, the fan unit 20d is pushed out of the housing 12 through the opening on the back side, and the button 24b of the connection unit 31 is pressed against the stopper 22b. In addition, the movement of the connection unit 31 stops. As a result, power supply to the front fan connector 32a associated with the button 24b is started, the fan unit 20e connected to the fan connector 32a operates, and the rear fan connector 32b is connected to the fan connector 32b. The power supply is stopped and the operation of the fan unit 20d connected to the rear fan connector 32b is stopped.

That is, the used fan unit 20d continues to operate even after the replacement worker starts to push the fan unit 20e, and when the new fan unit 20e is completely installed, the used fan unit 20d is stopped. Then, the new fan unit 20e starts operation.
Therefore, while the power capacity is limited to one fan unit 20, there is almost no time for the entire cooling target to be in a windless state during replacement of the fan unit 20, and the time for a part of the air to be in a windless state is greatly reduced. it can. In addition, when an object that is not desired to receive wind is placed on the side where the new fan unit 20 outside the electronic device cooling system 60 is inserted, the operation of the fan unit 20 outside the electronic device cooling system 60 on that side is performed. Can be stopped.

(3) When the pressing of one button 24 that has been in contact with the stopper 22 is released, the connection unit 31 stops power supply to the fan connector 32 associated with the button, and the other button The power supply to the associated fan connector 32 may be started.

In this case, the operation of the electronic device cooling system 60 is as follows.
When the fan unit 20d is mounted in the fan unit housing portion 18, after the pressing of the button 24b is once released, the pressing of the other button 24a is not released. Therefore, power is not supplied to the front fan connector 32a associated with the button 24b, but power is supplied to the rear fan connector 32b associated with the button 24a, and the rear fan connector. The fan unit 20d connected to 32b is operating.

  When the fan unit 20d is used and replaced until the end of its product life, when the replacement operator connects the fan unit 20e to the fan connector 32a of the connection unit 31 and pushes the fan unit 20e into the fan unit housing portion 18, the button 24a The pressed state is released. As a result, power supply to the rear fan connector 32b associated with the button 24a is stopped, and power supply to the front fan connector 32a associated with the button 24b is started. Then, the new fan unit 20e connected to the front fan connector 32a starts operating, and the used fan unit 20d stops operating.

  As the replacement operator inserts the fan unit 20e into the fan unit housing portion 18, the fan unit 20d is pushed out of the housing 12 through the opening on the back side, and the button 24b of the connection unit 31 is pressed against the stopper 22b. In addition, the movement of the connection unit 31 stops. However, since there is no button to be released at this time, the fan connector 32 to which power is supplied is not switched, and the new fan unit 20e continues to operate.

That is, when the replacement worker starts the operation of pushing in the fan unit 20e, the old fan unit 20d is stopped and the new fan unit 20e is started.
Therefore, while the power capacity is limited to one fan unit 20, there is almost no time for the entire cooling target to be in a windless state during replacement of the fan unit 20, and the time for a part of the air to be in a windless state is greatly reduced. it can. In addition, when an object that is not desirable to receive wind is placed on the side where the used fan unit 20 outside the electronic device cooling system 60 is taken out, the fan unit 20 outside the electronic device cooling system 60 on that side is placed. Can be stopped.

  Instead of switching the fan connector 32 that supplies power when the button 24 is pressed or released, a control signal that instructs the fan unit 20 to operate or stop from the connection unit 31 when the button 24 is pressed or released. It is good also as a structure which transmits. In this case, similarly to the cases (1) to (3), a control signal for instructing operation or stop of the fan motor may be sent based on the pressed or released state of the buttons 24a and 24b.

<Third Embodiment>
As described above, the fan is prone to failure due to its structure, and is a long-life component that requires periodic replacement in order to maintain its function and performance. In today's advanced information society, electronic devices are used in various places, and fan units that cool a considerable number of electronic devices are used. Will be enormous.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the replacement operation of the used fan unit 20 and the new fan unit 20 is automated.

  FIG. 8 shows an electronic device cooling system 70 according to the third embodiment, in which the connector of the fan unit 20g is attached to the fan connector 32a on the front side of the connection unit 31, and the connector of the fan unit 20f is the back of the connection unit 31. The state where it is attached to the side fan connector 32b is shown. In the electronic device cooling system 70, the configuration other than the rotary belt 50 and the control unit is the same as the configuration of the electronic device cooling system 60 shown in the second embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described.

The electronic device cooling system 70 is provided with a rotary belt 50 for moving the fan unit 20 below the fan unit housing portion 18, and the connection unit 31 is disposed on the rotary belt 50.
The electronic device cooling system 70 also includes a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the rotary belt 50. When the control unit detects that the fan unit 20 has failed, or when the predetermined periodic replacement timing of the fan unit 20 is reached, the control unit inquires of the connection unit 31 about the pressed state of the button 24, and the connection unit 31 The pressed state of the button 24 is acquired and sent to the control unit.

The control unit determines the rotation direction of the rotary belt 50 according to the pressed state of the button 24.
For example, when the button 24a on the front side is pressed against the stopper 22a, the control unit moves the fan unit 20 in the rotational direction of the rotary belt 50 from the front to the back of the electronic device cooling system 10. To decide. On the other hand, when the button 24b on the back side is pressed in contact with the stopper 22b, the rotation direction of the rotary belt 50 is determined as the direction in which the fan unit 20 is moved from the back side to the front side of the electronic device cooling system 10.
The control unit sends a command to the rotary belt 50 to drive the rotary belt 50 in the determined direction. The connection unit 31 moves to the opening on the back side with the movement of the belt of the rotary belt 50. When the button 24b is pressed against the stopper 22b there, the connection unit 31 notifies the controller. When the control unit receives a notification from the connection unit 31 and stops the motor of the rotary belt 50, the rotation of the rotary belt 50 stops and the connection unit 31 stops moving.

  Thus, according to the electronic device cooling system 70, the fan unit 20 can be automatically replaced when the fan unit 20 fails. Further, when the next periodic replacement time comes without failure, the fan unit 20 can be automatically replaced.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and an appropriate combination of the elements of the embodiment is also effective as an embodiment of the present invention. Various modifications such as design changes can be added to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and embodiments to which such modifications are added can be included in the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment, the two fan connectors 32 are arranged back to back in the connection unit 30, but the position of the fan connector 32 is not limited to this. In the connection unit 30, any position may be used as long as the two fan units 20 can be fixed so that the fan unit 20 can be inserted from one opening and another fan unit 20 can be removed from the other opening.

Further, the two fan units 20 are connected to the connection unit 30 so that the fan unit 20 can be inserted from one opening and another fan unit 20 can be removed from the other opening by a detachable fixing means other than the fan connector 32. It may be fixed.
In this case, the fan connector 32 that supplies power and signals to the fan unit 20 is a position where it can be connected to the connector of the fan unit 20 fixed as described above, and the connection unit 30 is moved and the fan is blown. It may be installed at any position as long as it does not interfere.

  In the embodiment, the button 24 is provided on the connection unit 31. However, instead of this, the button 24 is provided on the inner surface of the opening peripheral portion of the housing 12 at a position where it abuts on the connection unit 31. Also good. For example, the button 24a is provided on the inner surface of the opening peripheral portion on the front side of the housing 12, and the button 24b is provided on the inner surface of the opening peripheral portion on the rear side, thereby switching the fan connector 32 that supplies power as in the embodiment. be able to.

  As described above, the present invention relates to a cooling technique, and in particular, can be used for an electronic device cooling system that air-cools an electronic device using a cooling fan.

  10 electronic device cooling system, 12 housing, 14 wiring board, 20 fan unit, 22, 22a, 22b stopper, 24, 24a, 24b button, 30, 31 connection unit, 50 rotating belt, 60, 70 electronic device cooling system .

Claims (6)

A housing for housing the fan unit and the electronic device;
A wiring board for supplying power to the fan unit and the electronic device;
A connection unit for connecting the wiring board and the fan unit;
With
An opening through which the fan unit can be inserted and removed is provided in each of the pair of opposing surfaces of the housing,
The connection unit is movable between the openings;
The connection unit includes a connector for connecting the fan unit to be inserted and a connector for connecting the fan unit to be removed so that the fan unit can be inserted from one opening and another fan unit can be removed from the other opening. An electronic device cooling system comprising:   The electronic device cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the casing is provided with a stopper that restricts a movable range of the connection unit on an inner surface of the opening periphery. The connection unit further includes a button that comes into contact with the contact object as a result of the connection unit moving to one opening side, and a contact object that is pressed as a result of the connection unit moving to the other opening side. A button that is pressed in contact with
The electronic device cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit switches a fan unit connector for supplying electric power when one of the buttons is pressed. Each of the buttons is associated with one of the fan unit connectors,
The electronic device cooling system according to claim 3, wherein, when one of the buttons is pressed, the connection unit supplies power to a fan unit connector associated with the button. Each of the buttons is associated with one of the fan unit connectors,
When one of the buttons is pressed, the connection unit stops supplying power to the fan unit connector to which power has been supplied until then, and then connects to the fan unit connector associated with the pressed button. The electronic device cooling system according to claim 3, wherein the power supply is started.   The electronic device cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising a rotary belt for moving the fan unit.

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