US20240141909A1

US20240141909A1 - Fan frame and fan module

Info

Publication number: US20240141909A1
Application number: US18/104,752
Authority: US
Inventors: Xiao-Guang Ma; Yung-Ping Lin; Yong-Kang Zhang; Peng-Fei Mai; Kun-Che Lee; Yang-Yang Zhu
Original assignee: Champ Tech Optical Foshan Corp; Foxconn Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Champ Tech Optical Foshan Corp; Foxconn Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-10-31
Filing date: 2023-02-01
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Also published as: CN117989154A

Abstract

A fan frame includes a central base, a frame wall, and a plurality of static blades radially extending from the central base to the frame wall, each static blade is connected to the central base at a first end and connected to the frame wall at a second end, the central base is provided with a first wire groove, the frame wall is provided with a second wire groove, the first wire groove and the second wire groove are configured for accommodating wires, and the second wire groove has a shape same as the second end of the static blade connected to the frame wall for gathering the wires to shape similar to the static blade. A fan assembly including the fan frame is also disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to China Application No. 202211351481.1, having a filing date of Oct. 31, 2022, filed in China State Intellectual Property Administration, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporate by reference.

FIELD

The subject matter relates to heat dissipation fan technologies, and more particularly to a fan frame and a fan assembly.

BACKGROUND

A fan is a heat dissipation device widely used in the electronic devices for dissipating heat away from electronic devices. In conventional fans, a fan frame of the fan includes a frame body, a base, and multiple static blades extending from the base to the frame body. A wire is often connected between a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the base and an external power supply for powering and controlling the fan. A portion of the wire extending from the base to the frame body may affect airflows between two adjacent static blades, generating larger vortex and noise, resulting in a performance reduction of the fan.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present disclosure is achieved by providing a fan frame. The fan frame includes a central base, a frame wall, and a plurality of static blade, the static blades radially extend from the central base outwardly and connected to the frame wall, the plurality of static blades are distributed evenly between the central base and the frame wall, each static blade is connected to the central base at a first end and connected to the frame wall at a second end; the central base is provided with a first wire groove, the frame wall is provided with a second wire groove, the first wire groove and the second wire groove are configured for accommodating wires, and the second wire groove has a shape same as a cross section of the second end of the static blade.
According to a further aspect, a fan assembly is provided. The fan assembly includes the fan frame above-mentioned and a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board is disposed in the fan frame and located on the central base of the fan frame; the printed circuit board is provided with multiple solder joints for connecting to wires, each of the multiple solder joints is elongated on the printed circuit board, and a lengthwise direction of each of the multiple solder joints converges, such that wires connected to the multiple solder joints extend along the lengthwise direction of the multiple solder joints and converge as a ribbon cable extending through the first wire groove and the second wire groove, and a portion of the ribbon cable between the first wire groove and the second wire groove is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fan frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an explosive view of the fan assembly shown in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B respectively show a PCB and wires in the fan assembly shown in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fan frame according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fan assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous components. The description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that, the terms “first” and “second” are used to distinguish between elements and are not used to denote a particular order or imply a number of technical features, therefore, unless specifically defined, features described as “first” and “second” may expressly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of the present application, “plurality” means “two or more” unless otherwise expressly and specifically defined.
In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described.
The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and the like.
A description of the hereinafter described embodiments of the disclosure is presented herein with reference to the figures by way of exemplification and not as limitation.
Referring to FIG. 1 , a fan frame 100 is provided.
Specifically, the fan frame 100 includes a central base 110, a frame wall 120, and a plurality of static blades 130 radially extend from the central base 110 outwardly and connected to the frame wall 120, the plurality of static blades 130 are distributed evenly between the central base 110 and the frame wall 120. Each static blade 130 is connected to the central base 110 at a first end 131 and connected to the frame wall 120 at a second end 132. The central base 110 is provided with a first wire groove 111, the frame wall 120 is provided with a second wire groove 121 relative to the first wire groove 111. The first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 are configured for passage of wires. The second wire groove 121 has a shape substantially similar to a cross section of the second end 132 of the static blade 130, and groove wall of the second wire groove 121 extends along a direction of the static blades 130, such that the wires between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 are gathered as a ribbon cable, which ribbon cable curves in a similar way of that of the static blade 130.
According to further embodiments, the first wire groove 111 has a shape substantially similar to a cross section of the first end 131 of the static blade 130, such that the wires between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 are gathered as a ribbon cable, the ribbon cable has a shape curving in a similar way of that of the static blade 130.
According to further embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 , the frame wall 120 includes an external side 122 and an inner side 123, the inner side 123 defines a flow passage 124. The static blades 130 are connected between the central base 110 and the inner side 123 of the frame wall 120. In this embodiment, the inner side 123 forms a cylinder, and the central base 110 and the inner side 123 are concentric.
According to some embodiments, the number of the static blades 130 in the fan frame 100 ranges from 3 to 30. In a preferred embodiment, the number of the static blades 130 can be 8.
According to further embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , a fan assembly 1000 is provided, the fan assembly 1000 includes the fan frame 100 above mentioned. The fan assembly 1000 further includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 140, the PCB 140 is arranged in the fan frame 100 and located on the central base 110. A plurality of wires 141 are connected to the PCB 140 and an external power supply, in the illustrated embodiment, four wires 141 are shown. The four wires 141 are connected to the PCB 140, forming four solder joints 142 on the PCB 140. The four solder joints 142 are spaced apart from each other and elongated on the printed circuit board, and a lengthwise direction of each of the multiple solder joints 142 converges, such that the four wires 141 extending along the lengthwise directions of the four solder joints 142 respectively can converge and form the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable extends through the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, and a portion of the ribbon cable between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades 130.
Referring to FIG. 4A, according to further embodiments, the four solder joints 142 are arranged in a row, each solder joint 142 is substantially elongated oval, and in the direction away from the central base 110, the four solder joints 142 extend towards each other to converge, such that the four wires 141 extending along the four solder joints 142 respectively can converge and form the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable extends through the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, and the portion of ribbon cable between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades 130.
Referring to FIG. 4B, according to further embodiments, the four solder joints 142 are arranged in two rows, each solder joint 142 is substantially elongated oval, and in the direction away from the central base 110, the four solder joints 142 extend towards each other to converge, such that the four wires 141 extending along the four solder joints 142 respectively can converge and form the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable is substantially perpendicular to the PCB 140, the portion of ribbon cable between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades 130.
According to further embodiments, referring to FIG. 3 , the fan assembly 1000 includes a supporting shaft 160, the supporting shaft 160 is arranged in the middle of the frame wall 120, the central base 110 and the PCB 140 are sleeved on the supporting shaft 160.
Specifically, the central base 110 is fixed to the supporting shaft 160. In this embodiment, the supporting shaft 160 has a high strength and the characteristics of thermal conductivity but not electrical conductivity, to achieve the above characteristics, the supporting shaft 160 is made of metal material coated with an insulating layer on the surface, and the metal material has high bending strength. For example, the insulating layer is generally insulating oil, insulating paint, etc., the metal material can be aluminum alloy, copper alloy, iron, etc.
According to some embodiments, each of the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 is a through groove. The wires 141 are connected to the PCB 140 and extend through the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, then the wires 141 extend out from the fan assembly 1000. The portion of the wires 141 between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 are gathered in a row, forming the ribbon cable that curves in a similar way of that of the static blade 130. Such arrangement allows the wires 141 to act as a static blade 130, which improves the performance of the fan assembly 1000, reduces effect of the wires 141 on flow field of the airflow generated by the fan assembly 1000, and reduces noise generated when the airflow passing. For example, the efficiency of the fan assembly is improved by 1%-2% and the noise is reduced by 1 dBA-2 dBA.
According to some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 , the fan frame 100 includes a guiding plate 150 connected between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, the guiding plate 150 has a shape similar to the profile of the static blade 130. The wires 141 connected to the multiple solder joints are attached to the guiding plate 150, the guiding plate 150 reduces deformation of the wires 141 due to the airflow passing by. Further, the guiding plate 150 between the central base 110 and the frame wall 120 improves the structural strength of the fan frame 100.
According to some embodiments, the wires 141 are attached to the guiding plate 150 by an insulated rubber tape.
According to some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 , the guiding plate 150 is provided with guiding channels 151 communicating the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, the wires 141 are received in the guiding channels 151, the number of the guiding channels 151 is equal to that of the wires 141, thus each wire 141 extends through one of the guiding channels 151.
According to some embodiments, the guiding plate 150 takes place of one of the static blades 130, the guiding plate 150 and the static blades 130 are distributed evenly between the central base 110 and the frame wall 120. The wires 141 are mounted on the guiding plate 150 or extend through the guiding plate 150 via the guiding channels 151. Such arrangement allows the wires 141 to extend through the fan frame 100 without affecting the airflow generated by the fan assembly 1000.
According to some embodiments, the guiding plate 150 is made of metal material coated with an insulating layer on the surface, and the metal material has high bending strength. For example, the insulating layer is generally insulating oil, insulating paint, etc., the metal material can be aluminum alloy, copper alloy, iron, etc.
According to some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6 , the fan assembly 1000 further includes a stator 200 (shown in FIG. 3 ), a rotor 300, and a plurality of dynamic blades 400. The stator 200, the rotor 300, and the plurality of dynamic blades 400 are accommodated in the fan frame 100. The fan assembly 1000 may further includes a motor or other elements. For the sake of clarity, the motor is not illustrated in the figures. The stator 200 is mounted on the supporting shaft 160, the rotor 300 is rotatably mounted on the stator 200, and the dynamic blades 400 are mounted on a peripheral of the rotor 300. The PCB 140 is connected to the motor for powering and/or controlling the fan assembly 1000, the rotor 300 and the dynamic blades 400 are driven by the motor to rotate and generate air flows.
In the fan frame 100 and the fan assembly 1000 including the fan frame 100, the dynamic blades 400 rotate to generate air flows, the static blades 130 of the fan frame 100 guides the air flows and reduces vortex created by the air flows. The wires 141 connected to the PCB 140, forming four solder joints 142 on the PCB 140. The four solder joints 142 are elongated on the printed circuit board, and a lengthwise direction of each solder joint converges, such that the four wires 141 extending along the lengthwise directions of the four solder joints 142 converge and form the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable extends through the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121, and the portion of ribbon cable between the first wire groove 111 and the second wire groove 121 is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades 130, which allows the wires 141 to act as a static blade 130, improves the performance of the fan assembly 1000, reduces effect of the wires 141 on flow field of the airflow generated by the fan assembly 1000, and reduces noise generated when the airflow passing.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood for the skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1-4. (canceled)

5. A fan assembly comprising:

a fan frame comprising:

a central base;

a frame wall, and

a plurality of static blades radially extending from the central base outwardly and connected to the frame wall, the plurality of static blades being distributed evenly between the central base and the frame wall, each of the static blades being connected to the central base at a first end and connected to the frame wall at a second end; wherein

the central base is provided with a first wire groove, the frame wall is provided with a second wire groove, the first wire groove and the second wire groove are configured for accommodating wires, and the second wire groove has a shape same as a cross section of the second end of the static blade;

a printed circuit board, disposed in the fan frame and located on the central base of the fan frame; wherein

the printed circuit board is provided with multiple solder joints for connecting to wires, the multiple solder joints are spaced apart from each other, each of the multiple solder joints is elongated on the printed circuit board, and a lengthwise direction of each of the multiple solder joints converges, each of the first wire groove and the second wire groove is a through groove, such that wires connected to the multiple solder joints extend along the lengthwise directions of the multiple solder joints and converge as a ribbon cable extending through the first wire groove and the second wire groove, and a portion of the ribbon cable between the first wire groove and the second wire groove is shaped into a curve having a similar shape as a profile of the static blades.

6. The fan assembly of claim 5, wherein the solder joints are arranged in a row.

7. The fan assembly of claim 5, wherein the solder joints are arranged in two rows.

8. The fan assembly of claim 5, further comprising:

a guiding plate connected between the first wire groove and the second wire groove, the guiding plate has a shape similar to the profile of the plurality of static blades, the wires connected to the multiple solder joints are attached to the guiding plate.

9. The fan assembly of claim 8, wherein

the guiding plate is provided with multiple guiding channels communicating the first wire groove and the second wire groove, the wires are received in the multiple guiding channels, each of the multiple guiding channels is configured for accommodating one of the wires.

10. The fan assembly of claim 8, wherein

the wires are attached to the guiding plate by an insulated rubber tape.

11. The fan assembly of claim 8, wherein

the guiding plate is made of aluminum alloy, copper alloy, or iron.

12. The fan assembly of claim 5, further comprising:

a supporting shaft arranged in a middle of the frame wall, the central base and the printed circuit board are sleeved on the supporting shaft.

13. The fan assembly of claim 12, further comprising:

a stator mounted on the supporting shaft,

a rotor rotatably mounted on the stator, and

a plurality of dynamic blades mounted on a peripheral of the rotor; wherein

the rotor and the dynamic blades are configured for rotating and generating air flows.

14. The fan assembly of claim 5, wherein

the first wire groove has a shape same as a cross section of the first end of the static blade.

15. The fan assembly of claim 5, wherein

the frame wall comprises an external side and an inner side, the static blades are connected between the central base and the inner side of the frame wall, the inner side forms a cylinder which is concentric with the central base.

16. The fan assembly of claim 5, wherein

a number of the plurality of static blades ranges from 3 to 30.

17. The fan assembly of claim 6, wherein

a number of the multiple solder joints is four, each of the multiple solder joints is an elongated oval, and in a direction away from the central base, the multiple solder joints extend towards each other to converge, such that the wires extending along the respective solder joints converge and form the ribbon cable.

18. The fan assembly of claim 7, wherein

A number of the multiple solder joints is four, each of the multiple solder joints is an elongated oval, and in the direction away from the central base, the multiple solder joints extend towards each other to converge, such that the wires extending along the respective solder joints converge and form the ribbon cable.

19. The fan assembly of claim 18, wherein the ribbon cable is perpendicular to the printed circuit board.