TW202037004A - Fan to be used as a relay node comprising a male connecting port, a female connecting port, a transmission wire set, a power acquisition unit, and a signal processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A fan to be used as a relay node comprises a male connecting port, a female connecting port, a transmission wire set connecting the male and female connecting ports, a power acquisition unit, and a signal processing unit. The male connecting port is connected to a control source for receiving a working power and a control signal. The female connecting port is selectively connectable to the male connecting port of another fan to allow the fan to be electrically connected with another fan. The power acquisition unit is connected in parallel with the transmission wire set for extracting the working power to supply to a driving unit. The signal processing unit is connected to the transmission wire set to obtain the control signal, the signal processing unit outputs the control signal to the driving unit, and acts as a relay node to output the control signal to the female connecting port, so that the other fan connected to the fan can be controlled.

Description

Can be used as a fan of the relay node

The invention relates to a fan, in particular to a fan that can be used as a signal transmission relay node.

With the evolution of technology, the operating efficiency of electronic components such as processors on electronic devices is getting better and better. However, with the improvement of operating capabilities, the electronic components will generate huge energy consumption and waste heat. Once the electronic components fail Instant heat dissipation will cause the electronic component to experience thermal crashes. In order for the electronic device to operate normally, the electronic component needs to be dissipated. The basic solution today is to install a fan system on the electronic device. The conventional fan system is disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. TW I477056B. The fan system includes a master fan unit, at least one signal conversion interface circuit, and at least one slave fan. The master fan unit includes a microcontroller and a The main control fan is electrically connected to the microcontroller, and the microcontroller generates a control signal to the main control fan. Furthermore, the signal conversion interface circuit is electrically connected to the microcontroller, and converts the control signal received by the microcontroller into a complementary control signal, and the slave control fan is electrically connected to the signal conversion interface circuit to receive the complementary control signal The control signal produces the opposite work to the main control fan. In addition, the slave fan can also be directly connected to the master fan.

However, the control of each slave-controlled fan in the aforementioned patent requires the master-controlled fan unit or the signal conversion interface circuit, so that the fan system needs to be added with multiple lines to connect its components. In addition, the structure used in the aforementioned fan system will need to rebuild the entire system when the number of the sub-control fans to which it belongs is to be increased or decreased, which cannot allow users to quickly adjust.

The main purpose of the present invention is to solve the control and wiring problems derived from the conventional fan system still focusing on a single main control source.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to solve the problem that the conventional fan system cannot provide users with rapid increase or decrease of the number of fans.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention first provides a fan that can be used as a relay node. The fan has a frame, a drive assembly provided on the frame, and a fan driven by the drive assembly to rotate relative to the frame. Leaf, the driving assembly includes a circuit board, a driving unit arranged on the circuit board, and a motor electrically connected to the driving unit. Further, the fan includes a male connection port, a transmission line group, a female connection port, a power acquisition unit, and a signal processing unit. The male connection port is connected to a control source, and the transmission line group includes two connection lines respectively. The power line of the male port and a control line connected to the male port. The female port is provided in the frame and is electrically connected to the male port through the transmission line set. The female port can be connected to another The male port of the fan is connected so that the fan is electrically connected with another fan. The power obtaining unit is connected in parallel to the two power lines to obtain a working power output from the control source to the two power lines, the power obtaining unit is further connected to the driving unit to provide the working power, and the signal processing unit is arranged on the control line and connected The power acquisition unit and the drive unit, the signal processing unit receives a control signal provided by the control source via the control line and outputs it to the drive unit, the signal processing unit acts as a relay node and then outputs the control signal to the mother Connection port.

In one embodiment, the control line includes a first control line segment connecting the male port and the signal processing unit and a second control line segment connecting the signal processing unit and the female port.

In one embodiment, the control signal includes a speed control command, and the driving unit has a first mode that receives the control signal and controls the motor to run at a working speed with the speed control command, and a command that does not receive the control signal The second mode in which the motor runs at a preset speed.

In one embodiment, the transmission line set includes a communication line connecting the male port, the female port and the signal processing unit, and the fan has a fan provided on the circuit board and provides a fan operation to the signal processing unit A signal sensing unit, and the signal processing unit transmits the fan operating signal provided by the sensing unit or another fan operating signal of another fan received by the female port to the male port via the communication line.

In one embodiment, the communication line includes a first communication line segment connecting the male port and the signal processing unit and a second communication line segment connecting the signal processing unit and the female port.

In one embodiment, the male connection port is provided at one of the four corners of the frame.

In one embodiment, the frame body is formed with a socket for carrying the driving assembly and a plurality of supporting ribs connected to the socket, and the transmission line set is connected to the driving unit provided on the circuit board via one of the supporting ribs .

In one embodiment, the female connection port is provided at one of the four corners of the frame.

In one embodiment, the female connection port is provided on the circuit board.

In one embodiment, the frame is formed into a socket for carrying the driving component, the socket has a notch, and the female connection port is provided on the side of the circuit board facing the socket and is located in the notch .

According to the foregoing disclosure, compared with the conventional technology, the present invention has the following characteristics: when the fans of the present invention are implemented in plural, each fan can be used as a relay node to transmit signals to another connected fan, and also That is to say, when the fan of the present invention constitutes a fan system, it is not necessary to set up a main control fan. Furthermore, the structure of the fan of the present invention allows users to quickly install or disassemble based on their needs.

The detailed description and technical content of the present invention are described as follows with the drawings:

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The present invention provides a fan 10 that can be used as a relay node. The fan 10 can be implemented separately or combined with other fans 20 with the same structure to form a fan system 300, as shown in FIG. 3. Shown. First, the basic structure of the fan 10 is described. The fan 10 has a frame 11, a drive assembly 12, and a fan blade 13. The frame 11 provides the drive assembly 12 to be mounted on, and the drive assembly 12 is It includes a circuit board 121, a driving unit 122, and a motor 123. The driving unit 122 may be composed of a plurality of electronic components arranged on the circuit board 121. The electronic components may be an integrated circuit, a capacitor, A resistor or an inductor, etc. In addition, the motor 123 is connected to the driving unit 122 and is controlled by the driving unit 122 to rotate. Furthermore, the fan blade 13 is arranged corresponding to the frame body 11 and connected to the motor 123, and rotates relative to the frame body 11 when the motor 123 rotates to generate airflow.

In summary, the fan 10 of the present invention further includes a male connection port 14, a female connection port 15, a transmission line set 16, a power acquisition unit 17 and a signal processing unit 18. Wherein, the male connection port 14 and the female connection port 15 are implemented in the same communication standard, and the male connection port 14 and the female connection port 15 are respectively connected to the transmission line set 16. Further, the male port 14 of the present invention can be connected to a control source 400 to obtain a control signal 401 and a working power 402 required for work from the control source 400. The control source 400 referred to in the present invention can be a Fan controller or a computer motherboard. In addition, the transmission line group 16 is disposed on the frame 11, and the transmission line group 16 is not connected to components other than the structure to which the fan 10 belongs. Further, the transmission line set 16 of the present invention includes at least two power lines 161, 162 for transmitting the working power 402 and a control line 163 for transmitting the control signal 401, the power lines 161, 162 and the control line 163 It is electrically connected to the male port 14 and the female port 15 respectively. Among them, one of the two power lines 161, 162 can be a live wire (that is, V+ in this technical field), the other is a ground wire (that is, GND in this technical field), and the control line 163 is used to transmit digital data. Signal. Furthermore, the male connection port 14 of the present invention can be provided on the frame 11 or extend outside the frame 11 through a part of the line segment of the transmission line set 16. On the other hand, the female connection port 15 of the present invention can be arranged on the frame 11 according to implementation requirements. When the female connection port 15 is arranged on the frame 11, the female connection port 15 and the male connection port 14 They are respectively located at one of the four end corners 111 to which the frame 11 belongs, as shown in FIG. 1, that is, the male connection port 14 and the female connection port 15 are respectively located on the different end corners 111.

1 and 2 again, the power acquisition unit 17 of the present invention is connected to the two power lines 161, 162 in parallel, that is, whether the power acquisition unit 17 is normal or not will not affect the two power lines 161, 162 . In one embodiment, the power acquisition unit 17 is composed of two power transmission lines 171 and 172, that is, the power acquisition unit 17 of the present invention does not necessarily have functions such as power conversion or power stabilization. Moreover, the power obtaining unit 17 is electrically connected to the driving unit 122 and the signal processing unit 18 to provide the operating power 402 to the driving unit 122 and the signal processing unit 18. On the other hand, the signal processing unit 18 of the present invention is connected to the control line 163 to receive the control signal 401, and transmits the control signal 401 to the driving unit 122, so that the driving unit 122 controls the motor 123 based on the control signal 401 , And then adjust the rotation speed of the fan blade 13. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 18 of the present invention acts as a relay point, and transmits the received control signal 401 to the female port 15 via the control line 163. More specifically, the control line 163 of the present invention includes a first control line segment 164 connecting the male port 14 and the signal processing unit 18, and a second control line segment connecting the signal processing unit 18 and the female port 15 165.

Please also refer to FIGS. 3 to 5. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the fan 10 of the present invention is implemented in conjunction with another fan 20 having the same structure to form the fan system 300. During implementation, the male port 14 of one fan 10 is connected to the control source 400, and the female port 15 of the same fan 10 is connected to the male port 24 of the other fan 20. At this time, the two fans 10 and 20 will be linearly arranged, and the frames 11 and 21 of the two fans 10 and 20 are closely connected, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Accordingly, when the fan 10 connected to the control source 400 receives the working power 402 and the control signal 401, the working power 402 is input to the driving unit 122 and the signal processing unit 18 through the power obtaining unit 17, It is also transmitted to the other fan 20 through the two power lines 161 and 162, so that the other fan 20 can obtain the working power 402 to operate. On the other hand, the control signal 401 is input to the signal processing unit 18 via the control line 163. In addition to inputting the control signal 401 to the driving unit 122, the signal processing unit 18 also transmits the received control signal 401 through the control signal 401. The control line 163 is output to the female port 15 so that the other fan 20 can operate based on the control signal 401. It can be seen from the above that the control signal 401 and the working power 402 of the aforementioned fan 20 are obtained from the other fan 10 whose connection relationship is the former, and therefore, the fan 10 will be connected to the other fan 20 whose connection relationship is the latter. As the source of signal and power supply.

Please refer to FIGS. 3 to 5 again. In one embodiment, the control signal 401 further includes a rotation speed control command, and the driving unit 122 to which each fan 10 of the present invention belongs has a control signal 401 that receives the control signal 401 and uses the rotation speed control command. The control command controls the motor 123 to operate in a first mode at a working speed and a second mode in which the motor 123 is operated at a predetermined speed without receiving the control signal 401. More specifically, when the fan 10 obtains the control signal 401 from the control source 400, the driving unit 122 enters the first mode and operates based on the speed control command contained in the control signal 401. Conversely, when the fan 10 fails to obtain the control signal 401 from the control source 400 after the fan 10 is started, the driving unit 122 enters the second mode and operates at the preset speed, which is referred to herein as The maximum or minimum rotation speed of the motor 123. Furthermore, when the fan 10 is implemented in plural to form the fan system 300, once one of the fans 20 in the latter connection relationship does not receive the control signal 401 transmitted by the other fan 10, the fan 20 belongs to The driving unit 222 will enter the second mode, and the motor 223 to which the fan 20 belongs will operate at the preset speed. It can be seen from this that the present invention solves the problem that once the master controller of the conventional fan system is abnormal, each fan to which the conventional fan system belongs will not work.

Please refer to FIG. 7 again. In one embodiment, the driving assembly 12 further has a sensing unit 124 disposed on the circuit board 121. The sensing unit 124 is used to detect the working state of the fan 10, and the working state may be It is the fan speed, fan temperature, fan noise, etc. In this embodiment, the signal processing unit 18 can cooperate with the aforementioned sensing unit 124 to monitor the rotation speed, temperature, noise, etc. of the fan 10 to which it belongs. Specifically, the sensing unit 124 is used to sense the rotating speed of the fan 10 to which it belongs, and the signal processing unit 18 can receive a current rotating speed signal from the sensing unit 124 and control the motor 123 based on the final set operation. Furthermore, when the sensing unit 124 is used to sense the temperature of the fan 10 to which it belongs, the signal processing unit 18 can receive a fan temperature signal from the sensing unit 124 and control the temperature based on the set temperature conditions. Whether the driving unit 122 changes the working state to avoid the excessive temperature of the fan 10. In addition, when the sensing unit 124 is used to sense the operating volume of the fan 10 to which it belongs, the signal processing unit 18 can receive a fan volume signal from the sensing unit 124 and based on a noise set by the signal processing unit 18 The restriction conditions are used to control the motor 123 to reduce the speed of the motor 123 moderately, so as to prevent the fan 10 from working too loudly and being regarded as noise by the user. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the transmission line set 16 further includes a communication line 166 connecting the male port 14, the female port 15 and the signal processing unit 18, and the sensing unit 124 is connected to the signal processing unit. The unit 18 also transmits a fan operating signal 403. After receiving the fan operating signal 403, the signal processing unit 18 transmits the fan operating signal 403 to the control source 400 via the communication line 166, so that the control source 400 can be read The fan operating signal 403 is taken to obtain the status of the fan 10 to which it belongs. Further, the communication line 166 of the present invention includes a first communication line segment 167 connecting the male port 14 and the signal processing unit 18, and a second communication line segment 168 connecting the signal processing unit 18 and the female port 15 .

Further, since the fan 10 of the present invention can be implemented in plurals to form the fan system 300, in order to distinguish the fan operating signal 403 transmitted by each fan 10 (20), in one embodiment, each fan 10 (20) ) To which the signal processing unit 18 (28) belongs respectively defines a device identification code. Each of the signal processing units 18 (28) will identify the device to which it belongs when sending back the fan operating signal 403 to the control source 400 The code is written into the fan operating signal 403, so that the control source 400 can distinguish the status of each fan 10 (20) based on the device identification code contained in each fan operating signal 403. Furthermore, the control source 400 can also display each fan operating signal 403 after interpretation on a display for the user to observe.

Please also refer to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the female port 15 of the present invention may be provided on the circuit board 121 in addition to the foregoing embodiments, and when the female port 15 is provided on the circuit board 121 The frame 11 provides that the circuit board 121 is disposed on a socket 112, and the socket 112 defines a gap 113 so that the female connection port 15 is located in the gap 113 and faces the side of the socket 112.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 again. The frame 11 of the present invention is formed with a plurality of supporting ribs 114 connected to the socket 112. Furthermore, the transmission line set 16 of the present invention is connected to the driving unit 122 provided on the circuit board 121 via one of the supporting ribs 114. In an embodiment, the transmission line set 16 may further be composed of two line segments 169, 160 respectively disposed on one of the supporting ribs 114 and connected to the circuit board 121, and the two line segments 169, 160 further pass through the circuit board 121 An upper printed circuit (not shown in the figure) forms an electrical connection. In addition, the frame body 11 further includes a plurality of threading holes 115 respectively provided at one of the end corners 111 and for one of the two line segments 169 and 160 to pass through.

Furthermore, the fan 10 can also be provided with at least one light emitting element, which can obtain the working power 402 from the power obtaining unit 17, and receive a light emitting signal provided by the control source 400 from the signal processing unit 18, To emit light. Further, in addition to receiving the light-emitting signal, the signal processing unit 18 can directly make the light-emitting elements emit light in accordance with a preset command. The preset command here refers to that the fan 10 is factory-made. The preset lighting settings at the time.

In summary, it is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. When the scope of implementation of the present invention cannot be limited by this, that is, all equal changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall still belong to the present invention. The scope of patent coverage.

10, 20: fan 11, 21: frame 111: End Angle 112: seat 113: Gap 114: Support rib 115: Threading hole 12: Drive components 121: circuit board 122, 222: drive unit 123, 223: Motor 124: Perception Unit 13: fan blade 14, 24: male port 15: Female port 16: transfer line group 160, 169: line segment 161, 162: power line 163: Control Line 164: The first control line segment 165: second control line segment 166: Communication line 167: The first communication line 168: second communication line 17: Power acquisition unit 171, 172: Power Transmission Line 18, 28: signal processing unit 300: Fan system 400: control source 401: control signal 402: working power 403: Fan working signal

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fan structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a fan unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a plurality of fans connected in series according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure in another direction after a plurality of fans are connected in series according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a unit after a plurality of fans are connected in series according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a plurality of fans connected in series according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a unit after a plurality of fans are connected in series according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10: Fan

11: Frame

111: End Angle

112: seat

114: Support rib

115: Threading hole

121: circuit board

13: fan blade

14: Male port

15: Female port

16: transfer line group

160, 169: line segment

Claims (11)

A fan that can be used as a relay node. The fan has a frame, a drive assembly provided on the frame, and a fan blade driven by the drive assembly to rotate relative to the frame. The drive assembly includes a circuit board , A driving unit disposed on the circuit board and a motor electrically connected to the driving unit, the fan includes: A male port, connected to a control source; A transmission line set, including two power lines respectively connected to the male port and a control line connected to the male port; A female connection port is provided in the frame and is electrically connected to the male connection port through the transmission line set. The female connection port can be connected to the male connection port of another fan so that the fan and the other Electrical connection of the fan; A power obtaining unit connected in parallel to the two power lines to obtain a working power output from the control source to the two power lines, the power obtaining unit is further connected to the driving unit to provide the working power; and A signal processing unit is arranged on the control line and connected to the power acquisition unit and the drive unit. The signal processing unit receives a control signal provided by the control source via the control line and outputs it to the drive unit. The signal processing unit acts as The relay node then outputs the control signal to the female port. The fan that can be used as a relay node as described in claim 1, wherein the control line includes a first control line segment connecting the male port and the signal processing unit and a first control line segment connecting the signal processing unit and the female port 2. Control line segment. The fan that can be used as a relay node as described in claim 1, wherein the control signal includes a speed control command, and the drive unit has a first that receives the control signal and controls the motor to run at a working speed with the speed control command A mode and a second mode in which the motor is operated at a predetermined speed without receiving the control signal. The fan that can be used as a relay node as described in claim 1, wherein the transmission line set includes a communication line connecting the male port, the female port and the signal processing unit, and the fan has a circuit board A sensing unit that provides a fan working signal to the signal processing unit. The signal processing unit provides the fan working signal provided by the sensing unit or another fan working signal of another fan received by the female port. The communication line is transmitted to the male port. The fan that can be used as a relay node as described in claim 4, wherein the communication line includes a first communication line segment connecting the male port and the signal processing unit and a second communication line connecting the signal processing unit and the female port 2. Communication line segment. As described in claim 1, the fan can be used as a relay node, wherein the male port is provided at one of the four corners of the frame. According to claim 1, a fan that can be used as a relay node, wherein the frame is formed with a bearing for carrying the driving assembly and a plurality of supporting ribs connected to the bearing, and the transmission line group passes through one of the supporting ribs Connect to the driving unit provided on the circuit board. The fan that can be used as a relay node according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the female connection port is provided at one of the four corners of the frame. The fan that can be used as a relay node according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the female connection port is provided on the circuit board. As described in claim 7, the fan can be used as a relay node, wherein the female port is provided on the circuit board. According to claim 10, a fan that can be used as a relay node, wherein the frame is formed with a socket for carrying the driving component, the socket is provided with a gap, and the female connection port is arranged facing the circuit board One side of the bearing seat is located in the gap.

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