JPH02135108A - Device for detecting clogging of filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily detect the clogging of a filter by furnishing a means for measuring the electromotive force of a generator, a comparing means, a control means, etc., and detecting the clogging by an alarm. CONSTITUTION:When a measuring means 4 is instructed by a control means 7 to measure the electromotive force in the initial state of the filter 1, the electromotive force is measured by the measuring means 4, and the measured value is sent to the comparing means 6 and stored in the means 6 as the initial measured value. The measuring cycle is set in a timer 5 by the control means 7, the measuring means 4 is instructed by the timer 5 to execute measurement for each set measuring cycle, and the measured value is sent to the comparing means. When the difference between the initial measured value and the measured value for each cycle becomes higher than a specified value, a specified value is set in the comparing means 6 as a detection limit value. When the difference exceeds the detection limit value, an output for an alarm is sent out to the control means 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [1 Already Required] Regarding a filter clogging detection device in a forced air cooling system for electronic devices using a fan, the amount of air passing through a dust removal filter of an electronic device is constantly monitored and the filter clogging is detected. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device that automatically detects blockages, and in a forced air cooling system for electronic devices using a fan, the present invention includes a filter that removes dust, an impeller that is rotated by the air that passes through the filter due to the suction force of the fan, and the like. , a generator that is directly connected to the shaft of the impeller and generates an electromotive force by the rotation of the impeller; a measuring means that measures and outputs the electromotive force of the generator; and a generator that measures the electromotive force at each set measurement period. A timer instructs the measurement means to execute the measurement, and a difference between the initial measurement value outputted from the measurement means and the measurement value for each measurement period is calculated and compared with a set detection limit value, and the difference is determined as the detection limit value. a comparison means that sends an output when the
A filter in a forced air cooling system, comprising control means for instructing the measuring means to perform initial measurement, setting a measurement cycle for the timer, and a detection limit value for the comparing means, and displaying an alarm upon receiving an output from the comparing means. clogging is detected by a decrease in the rotational force of an impeller rotated by air passing through the filter.

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a filter clogging detection device in a fan-based forced air cooling system for electronic devices.

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, electronic devices such as electronic exchanges and computers have been increasingly packaged in high density, and it has become a major issue to prevent temperature increases due to heat generated within the electronic devices. One of the ways to prevent temperature rise is by installing a fan inside the electronic equipment rack to promote airflow and cooling. This method uses a forced air cooling method that cools the electronic equipment by installing a fan inside it. In order to prevent the dust from having a negative effect on electronic devices, it is common to have a filter for removing dust at the air inlet. However, if dust accumulates on the filter, the air flow will be blocked and It is necessary to remove the accumulated dust appropriately as it causes the temperature to rise.
The method of inspecting and cleaning the filter at appropriate intervals is taken, but the degree of dust accumulation varies depending on the device configuration, installation location, surrounding environment, etc., so regular inspection and cleaning is not appropriate. What is needed is a method for automatically detecting filter clogging that provides an efficient maintenance method.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 5 shows an assembly configuration of an embodiment of a conventional forced air cooling system using a fan and filter. In the figure, 21 is a filter, 22 is a fan unit equipped with a cooling fan, and 23 is a rack for electronic devices. As shown in Figure 5, in the conventional system, multiple fan units are installed according to the amount of heat generated to suck up air and cool it, and a filter is installed at the air inlet to remove dust. However, there is no means to automatically detect clogging of the filter, and periodic inspection and cleaning must be performed manually. This method uniformly inspects and cleans the filters, which have varying degrees of dust accumulation depending on the device configuration, installation location, surrounding environment, etc., which is not efficient, and the dust inside the rack has already exceeded the limit at the time of inspection, causing the internal temperature to exceed the appropriate value. This is not an appropriate method, as there is a possibility that an electronic device may be created.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, in the conventional technology, the dust accumulated in the filter was removed by regular manual inspection and cleaning, but the degree of dust accumulation depends on the configuration of the device, the installation location,
It was difficult to say that this was an appropriate and efficient maintenance method because it varied greatly depending on the surrounding environment and other factors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a device that constantly monitors the amount of air passing through a dust removal filter of an electronic device and automatically detects clogging of the filter.

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a filter, 2 is an impeller rotated by the air passing through the filter 1, 3 is a generator directly connected to the shaft of the impeller 2, 4 is a means for measuring the electromotive force of the power generation a3, and 5 6 is a timer for instructing the measuring means 4 to carry out measurement at each measurement period; 6 is a timer for comparing the difference between the initial measurement value outputted from the measurement means 4 and the measurement value at each measurement period with the detection limit value; Comparison means 7 sends out an output when the difference between the two becomes larger than a detection limit value, and 7 is an instruction for the measurement means 4 to perform initial measurement, a measurement period for the timer 5, and a detection limit value setting for the comparison means 6. This control means receives the output from the comparison means 6 and displays an alarm.

In the above configuration, since the impeller 2 is rotated by the air passing through the filter 1, when dust is accumulated on the filter 1, the amount of air passing through the impeller 2 decreases, and the rotational force of the impeller 2 decreases. A generator 3 is directly connected to the shaft of the impeller 2.
Since an electromotive force is generated at zero rotation, the degree of dust accumulated in the filter 1 can be estimated by monitoring the electromotive force of the generator 3. Specifically, the electromotive force of the generator 3 in the initial state where the filter 1 is not clogged is measured and stored, and thereafter the electromotive force is measured at appropriate intervals, and each time the measurement is performed, the electromotive force is measured in the initial state. When the difference exceeds a preset detection limit value, it is determined that the filter 1 is clogged. By the above means, clogging of the filter is automatically detected, and the above-mentioned problems in the prior art are solved.

[For production]

In FIG. 1, first, in the control means 7, the measuring means 4
On the other hand, in the initial state of filter 1, this is stored as an initial measured value. Also, in the control means 7, the timer 5
When a measurement period is set for , the timer 5 instructs the measuring means 4 to perform measurement every set measurement period thereafter, and the measured value is sent to the comparison means each time. Further, in the control means 7, in order to cause the comparison means 6 to detect when the difference between the initial measured value and the measured value for each cycle becomes a specific value or more, the specific value is set in the comparison means 6 as a detection limit value. do. In the comparing means 6, the measuring means 4 is
The difference between the measured value sent from the controller and the stored initial measured value is calculated, and when the difference exceeds the detection limit value, an alarm output is sent to the control means 7. In response to this, the control means 7 displays an alarm to warn the maintenance person that dust has accumulated in the dust removal filter. After cleaning the dust removal filter, the maintenance person returns it to the initial state and restarts monitoring for clogging.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an assembly configuration diagram of an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 2, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are indicated by the same symbols. 4a to 4d are the main functional parts of the measuring means 4; 4a is an amplifier that amplifies the electromotive force of the generator 3; 4b is a measuring section that measures the amplified electromotive force; and 4c encodes the measurement result and outputs it to the comparison means. The encoding section 4d is a measurement control section which receives an instruction to start measurement from the timer 3 and control means 7 and causes the measurement section to start measurement. 5a to 5C are the main functional parts of the timer 5; 5a is a measurement period storage section that stores the measurement period set by the control means 7; 5b is a time measurement section; This is a measurement execution instruction section that instructs the start.

Further, 6a to 6d are the main functional parts of the comparison means 6, 6a is a measurement value storage section that stores the initial measurement value and cycle measurement value sent from the measurement means 4, and 6b is the main functional part of the comparison means 6. A detection limit value storage unit 6C receives and stores the detection limit value of the difference between the initial measurement value and the measured value for each cycle, and receives the values from the measurement value storage unit 6a and the detection limit value storage unit 6b and stores the detection limit value as the initial measurement value. A comparison section 6d is a section that compares and calculates the difference in the measured value for each cycle with the detection limit value, and 6d is a section that outputs the comparison result to the control means. When the value exceeds the value, an alarm output is sent to the control means 7. 7a to 7d are the main functional parts of the control means 7, 7a is a measurement cycle setting section that instructs the timer to measure the measurement cycle, and 7b is a section that executes initial measurement for the measurement means 4 in an initial state where no dust is accumulated in the filter. Initial measurement execution instruction section, 7C
Reference numeral 7d indicates a detection limit value setting section for setting a detection limit value for the comparison means 6, and an alarm display section 7d receives the alarm output from the comparison means 6 and displays an alarm. Although not shown, the control means is also provided with lamps and the like for displaying information related to the various settings and instructions described above in addition to the above.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4, which shows a flowchart of the embodiment.

When a clogging-free filter is attached to an electronic device,
The maintenance person operates the initial measurement execution instruction section 7b to measure the electromotive force of the generator 3 in the initial state by controlling the control section 4d and the measurement section 4b.
, is measured by the encoding unit 4c, and the measurement result is stored in the measurement value storage unit 6a as an initial measurement value. At the same time, the measurement cycle setting unit 7a sets the measurement cycle storage unit 5a of the timer 5.
The detection limit setting section 7c causes the detection limit storage section 6b of the comparison means 6 to store a limit value at which an alarm should be displayed when the measured value falls below the initial measured value. The timer 5 measures time using the time measurement section 5b, and each time the set measurement period is reached, the measurement execution instruction section 5c instructs the measurement control section 4d to execute the measurement. The electromotive force is measured in the same manner as described above, and the measured value is sent to the measured value storage section 6a as a periodic measured value.

In the comparator 6c, when the cycle measurement value is stored in the measurement value storage unit 6a, the difference between the initial measurement value already stored in the measurement value storage unit 6a and the cycle measurement value is calculated to determine the detection limit value. A comparison is made with the detection limit value stored in the storage section 6b, and if the difference is greater than the detection limit value, information to that effect is sent to the comparison result output section 6d. Comparison result output section 6d
outputs this information to the alarm display section 7d of the control means 7, and the alarm display section 7d notifies the maintenance person that the filter has become clogged by means of an alarm display lamp. Note that it is also possible to use an audible display such as a buzzer, if necessary. The maintenance person cleans the filter or replaces it with a cleaned filter and resets the alarm, thereby returning to the initial state.

FIG. 3 shows an assembled configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, figure A shows a state in which the device according to the present invention is mounted on an electronic device, and 11 to 13 are devices constituting the present invention.
1 is a filter, 12 is a power generation unit equipped with an impeller and a generator, and 13 is a control unit equipped with measurement, comparison, and control means and a timer. Further, 14 is a fan unit that constitutes a part of the forced air cooling system, and 15 is an electronic device rack.

Diagram B in FIG. 3 shows an external view of the filter 11 and the power generation unit 12, where 12a is an impeller and 12b is a generator. Although not shown in the figure, is the output of the generator 12b restricted? In
It is terminated at a terminal so that it can be connected to the unit. Although the impeller 12a is supported only on the generator 12b side, it is also possible to support the impeller 12a on both sides, in which the opposite side is also supported by the outer frame.

Figure 0 in Figure 3 shows an external view of the control unit 13;
3a is switches for making various settings and instructions in the control means; 13b is a display section that displays information related to the operation of the switches; 13c is an alarm display lamp; and 13d is a reset switch that returns to the initial state after displaying the alarm. be.

In addition, measurement.

The circuit parts constituting the comparison and control means and the timer are mounted within the unit and are not shown in this figure.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, if the dust removal filter in the forced cooling method of electronic equipment becomes clogged, it can be detected by an alarm, so that the electronic equipment can be properly cooled without causing a temperature rise. In addition, maintenance operations are more efficient than cleaning and inspecting filters uniformly depending on the actual working hours.
This greatly contributes to preventing failures and increasing the efficiency of maintenance of such electronic devices.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is an assembly configuration diagram of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an assembly configuration diagram of an embodiment of the prior art. The symbols in the figure indicate the following. 1, IL 21 --- Filter 2, 12
a ---...-- Impeller 3, 12b ---
−−1・−・・・Generator 4−・−・−1−−−・
−・−・−11−−−−Measurement means 5−−〜−−−−
−−・・−1−−−−・−1−−−−−−Timer 6−
・−・−・−−−−−１１−−−−−〜−１・−・Comparison means 7 ・−・−・・−１１１−−−−−−−−−
−−−−・−・−Control means 12−・−・−・・−・−・
−1−−−−−−−Power generation unit 13−−
1---------------------1- Control unit 14, 22...--------Fan unit 15, 23--1- −−−・−−−−−−−・
・・Electronic equipment rack Diagram External view of power generation unit assembly Diagram Flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention Diagram Flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a fan-based forced air cooling system for electronic devices, there is a filter (1) that removes dust, an impeller (2) that is rotated by the air that passes through the filter (1) due to the suction force of the fan, and the impeller (2). The impeller (2
); and a measuring means (4) that measures and outputs the electromotive force of the generator (3).
Then, the measuring means (
4), the difference between the initial measurement value outputted from the measurement means (4) and the measurement value for each measurement period is calculated and compared with the set detection limit value, and the difference is determined. a comparison means (6) that sends out an output when the output exceeds a detection limit value, an instruction to perform initial measurement to the measurement means (4), a measurement period to the timer (5), and a measurement period to the comparison means (6). The impeller is equipped with a control means (7) for setting a detection limit value and displaying an alarm upon receiving the output from the comparison means (6), and is rotated by air passing through the filter to eliminate clogging of a filter in a forced air cooling system. A filter clogging detection device characterized by detecting by a decrease in the rotational force of the filter.