WO2001011446A2

WO2001011446A2 - Computer casing

Info

Publication number: WO2001011446A2
Application number: PCT/DE2000/002588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans Liong The
Original assignee: Hans Liong
Priority date: 1999-08-10
Filing date: 2000-08-03
Publication date: 2001-02-15
Also published as: WO2001011446A3; DE19937615A1

Abstract

The increasing development of flat liquid crystal and TFT monitors underlines the need to reduce the space taken up in offices as well as to reduce the size of computer systems/office workstations which are still rather voluminous. Moreover, with standard PC casings the connections/links of external cables placed at the rear are openly visible, and both optically and technically, often get in the way. The invention, therefore, concerns a universal compact and easily accessible computer casing, comprising one leg serving as a passage both for cables and ventilation, designed to integrate standard components on the market. Said casing consists of two half-casings having an appropriate arrangement/assembly of components (one half comprising the mainframe and the other the appliances), which can be brought closer to or spaced part from each other by tilting, closed, disassembled and, furthermore, enlarged. Such a casing enables to reduce space requirement by 50 % and provides a support surface corresponding to the specified physical quantity specified by DIN A4 or less than that. On said base casing, various enlarging modules can be mounted. The areas of use for said casings is by no means limited to PC's comprising Intel/AMD central units, but also cover all other computer systems (RISC systems among others); in the latter case, only the half casing comprising the mainframe should be modified, whereas the half containing the appliances which are standard appliances on the market found in almost all computer systems can be maintained, thereby reducing costs and complexity.

Description

Computer cases

I. State of the art and task

As mobile computers become smaller, such as notebooks etc. , as well as the increasing spread of the LCD / TFT flat monitors with the usual office computers / work stations, the desire and the demand for less space on the desk becomes more and more clear. However, a new standard such as the so-called micro-ATX standard, which comes about by reducing the number of slots from the standard 7 (seven) to 4 (four) and by reducing the size of the power supply (also its performance), brings with the usual Due to the unchanged, previously common arrangement and construction, computer housings only save a little volume (approx. 15 to 20%). The advantages here are surely the cost savings instead of the volume savings with the same scope of services.

The invention relates to universally applicable, compact computer housing of a different construction and arrangement, with no restrictions or reductions, i.e. Using only commercially available standard components in the basic version, up to 50% volume savings compared to previous standard computer housings is possible and the housing is still very easily accessible despite the compact dimensions. In addition, its contact area is reduced to a space-saving DI1S A4 size for the desk.

One of the main criteria of the invention in the exemplary embodiments described here is primarily that the widespread commercially available standard components and not special ones are to be used for installation in the housing, although special components in principle do not constitute a restriction.

In addition to these properties, various other relevant criteria and objectives - as described below - must be pursued and implemented. a. Extensive universality and flexibility for wide applications / uses b. Compactness and accessibility, ie despite compact dimensions, easy dismantling / opening of the housing and easy accessibility of the component during installation / removal must be possible c. Modular expansion options with additional modules if required d. Sufficient statics / stability of the housing e. Adequate heat dissipation from the inside of the housing f. Good shielding of electromagnetic radiation (EMC / CE conformity) G. Use of the housing base and housing cover as an integral unit, which can also contain various other functions or devices; for example

- As a cable duct for extensive elimination of the disturbing visual impression

- as loudspeaker boxes in the context of multi-media applications for additional increase in EM shielding and noise reduction as well as for accommodating devices for fresh air supply or heat dissipation etc. etc.

On the rear part of the usual PC case, open external cable connections or connections are visible and often bothersome optically and technically, especially when the computer with the many open cable connections is free on the desk. The invention also eliminates this disadvantage.

II. Subject of the Invention

Prolos:

In order to be able to provide a clear assignment of the subject matter of the invention (component, parts, etc.) described in the figures, which are mentioned here in various sub-chapters but are listed together in the figures, they are cataloged and indexed in the following in accordance with the sub-chapter number ; an object x in Chap. II. Y, the supposed object would be identified with the index numbering according to the formula "Yxx" and not simply numbered consecutively in order to make it easier to follow the reference forwards and backwards

II. 1 basic housing

The invention solves the problem of compactness in such a way that - deviating from the previous, conventionally rigid designs and arrangements of the usual computer case - the computer case described here consists of two halves and groupings and arrangements, the components to be installed arranged in such a way that the mainboard (mainboard) including CPUs, RAM memory, all add-ons (additional) cards etc. on one half (so-called mainboard half - more details in Section II.3), while all storage media Devices (so-called drives) and the power supply unit on the other half of the part (so-called part of the device - more details in Chapter II.4) can be accommodated in order to be able to use all available free spaces efficiently. Also deviating from the usual computer cases, all cable connections and I / O connections are no longer on the rear part of the case, but either on the side (in the case of a lying desktop version) or at the bottom in the case foot (in the case of a standing one) Tower version), whereby the housing foot can also serve as a cable duct for optical coverage as well as for other purposes (see Fig. 5 - Details in Chapter II.7).

In the exemplary embodiments shown here, each half of the housing consists - for the sake of simplicity - of three sides, which can be formed from an L-shaped base plate and a front or rear cover, which is located on the vertical end face of the above-mentioned. L-shaped

Base plate is detachably connected, i.e. the half of the housing is, so to speak, a three-sided "half" cuboid which, when assembled with the other "half" cuboid, results in a completely closed cuboid.

P.S. Another version or design variant of the partial housing half is conceivable and is not limited to the "three-sided" corner shape - as a "half" cuboid - such as an asymmetrical variant of "double-sided" and "four-sided" partial housing halves However, in order not to complicate the situation unnecessarily, only the three-sided corner shape of the partial housing halves with removable front-Z back will be mentioned in the following exemplary embodiments.

As in Fig. 1 u. 4 outlined and in Fig. 2 u. 3 shown in more detail, these two halves of the housing, which must be able to be opened and closed, locked and separated for accessibility, can be locked and separated on the diagonally opposite edges (A and C in Fig. 1, 2 or 4) of the L-shaped Base plates connected as a whole by the connection mechanisms attached there (501.502 - Fig. 4), ie to a compact, but accessible, completely closed housing, which is referred to here as the basic housing.

In addition to this compact basic version, which can only accommodate a limited number of devices due to compromise reasons, there are - as required - modular extensions for additional devices, equipment or similar. possible (for details see Chapter II.6).

As can be seen in Fig. 4, the top of the housing, which is covered by the removable housing cover (601), is intended for attaching various expansion modules (600); the housing base (700) also functions as a cable duct for EM shielding and for covering the visible external cable connections and connections. Both the housing cover and the housing base can also accommodate other functions (see Fig. 5). 11.2 Housing halves

In the following examples, the two housing halves are always differentiated and designated as the mainboard half (Section II.3) and the device half (Section II.4).

Important note:

In the exemplary embodiments when converting inch dimensions into metric, the result number is always rounded up in order to avoid incorrect assessments.

11.3 Half of the mainboard

First and foremost, the dimensions of the largest possible standard mainboard determine the universality and flexibility of the basic version of the case to be constructed here. Taking into account extensive universality and broad application possibilities, compromises between compactness and universality must still be made.

In order to enable the greatest possible universality of the inserts - already in the basic version - will be discussed later in Chap. II. 4 determined the optimal dimensions of the basic version to accommodate as many and the most commonly used, commercially available mainboard sizes based on various case examples by weighing up and compromising.

P.S. The width of a standard ATX mainboard is standardized to «/ 12" / 305mm and the only difference is its length or depth, which can vary depending on the presence of the "onboard" integrated component and the manufacturer's layout.

The rigidly shaped L-shaped base plate of the main half of the main board (300) (see Fig. 3 and 2) is used to hold the ATX main board including add-on cards with their mounting panels. The ATX mainboard (310) is fastened on the base side and recesses / openings including indentation fastenings of the I / O-SIot panels (306) are accommodated on the vertical side for the purpose of any connection connections to the outside; these connections are already standardized on the ATX mainboard with the integrated standard I / O ports (304), the dimensions of the ATX opening cover (305) and the openings of the 7 (seven) slot slots are also standardized - / Outputs (306) of the AddOn cards (307).

The highest components on the mainboard - with the exception of the plug-in add-on cards (307) - are the PII / III CPUs (301,302) and the SDRAM memory modules (303), whose heights always increase when determining the housing width are taken into account. The end face perpendicular to the L-shaped base plate can serve either as a front or rear cover of the housing; however, this panel should always be removable as needed for better accessibility.

The design, dimensions and bores of the L-shaped mainboard motherboard must correspond to the usual norm of the so-called standard ATX and -BAT mainboard with 7 (seven) slots and cutouts and are not explained in more detail here.

P.S. Which material and type (whether folded sheets, extruded profiles, etc.) is to be used cannot be discussed here, since this is not part of the subject of the invention.

II.4 Half of the device

The half of the device (400) (see Fig. 2 or 3) is constructed in the same way as the half of the mainboard and also consists of an L-shaped base plate and a vertical side as a front or Flashback.

This part of the device contains all storage media devices (so-called 5.25 "and 3.5" drives) and the standard ATX power supply in PS2 format (standard dimensions approx. 150x150x85mm).

In order to optimize space, the devices to be installed should be grouped in accordance with the arrangements shown in Fig. 2: the widest 5.25 "devices (401.402) are first attached to the locations of the L-corner and the narrower 3.5" devices (403 to 405) are arranged directly below one another and finally the ATX power supply unit (406) is placed transversely, with its lowest dimension height attached to the base plate.

Behind the above Devices are still available on the base plate for the 3.5 "devices (9 in total) that are not accessible from the outside. These 3.5" devices with 1 "height (407 to 415) should be flat on both L-plate sides be attached horizontally.

P.S. The 3.5 "devices (407 to 415) designated here as" not "accessible from the outside can - if necessary - through corresponding openings on the respective adjacent outside, i.e. rear or side, can also be designed as accessible.

The number of storage media devices, especially the 5.25 "devices, is a result of the compromises and trade-offs between the largest possible motherboard sizes to be used in the wide range of applications and the acceptable size of the basic case, ie between universality and compactness; in this regard, the optimal basic dimensions are determined using a few case studies. Since the depth of the case has already been determined by the standard standard width (12 "/ 305mm) of the ATX mainboard, only the calculations for the height and width of the case to be determined are shown in the basic version in the following exemplary embodiments (see Fig. 2 and 3):

In the case of X times 5.25 "devices (1.7" height and 6 "width) and Y times 3.5" devices (1 "height and 4" width) as well as a standard ATX power supply in PS2 -Format (approx. L50mmxl50mmx85mm) the housing height (at first without considering other tolerances and the foot / cable duct height) is at least

H min = X x 1.7 "+ Y x 1" + 150mm

As in the later chap. II.7 is shown, a so-called cable duct is required to cover all disruptive and visible external cable connections, which is also used as a housing foot. The base height of the housing or the cable duct of 50mm must therefore be added to the basic height of the housing specified here.

Example 1:

In the case of only lx 5.25 "+ 2x 3.5" externally accessible devices - as in Fig. 3 - according to the equation above, a minimum housing height of H min = lx 1.7 "+ 2x 1" + 150mm = 3.7 "+ 150mm = 244mm required.

Alternatively, the following cases are taken into account when determining the housing width, namely either the width of the 5.25 "device plus the maximum height of the components on the mainboard or the height of the ATX power supply (85mm) plus the height of the Pentium-II III CPUs standing vertically to the mainboard (approx. 80mm above the mainboard); as a special case, a reduction in the power supply dimensions, e.g. use of a micro-ATX power supply (approx. 70mm height - instead of 85mm with PS2 format) are also considered.

In the first case, larger motherboards can be installed, but at the expense of the housing width and in the second and in special cases, you get a narrower housing width (and thus also a smaller contact area), but only a smaller motherboard depth, as the case examples below show :

Case 1 (see Fig. 2):

The highest components on the mainboard, below / to the side of the 5.25 "device with 6" / 153mm width

(401, 402) are in this case the standing SDRAM memory modules (303). Would the height of the

Memory module at a maximum of 40mm, the housing width would be approx. (6 "+ 40mm + approx. 10mm tolerance) = approx. 203mm.

However, the entire housing height (minus 15mm indentation depth of the slot cover attachment) can be used to install the mainboard. According to the example above (only lx 5.25 "+ 2x 3.5") and below

Taking into account the I / O indentation depth (306) of 15mm, an ATX mainboard with a depth up to

(244mm - 15mm) = 229mm can be used.

In this case, the housing dimensions are at least WxHxD = 203mmx244mmx320mm. Case 2 (see Fig. 3):

The highest components, which are below the ATX power supply (406), are the vertical ones

P-II / III CPUs (301) with their heat sinks and fans; the CPU height is about 80mm above the mainboard.

The housing width to be determined would then be (80mm + 85mm + 10mm tolerance) = approx. 175mm.

This width can easily accommodate the 5.25 "device (402) with a width of 6" / 153mm, but with the rest of only (175mm-153mm) = 12mm there is no more space for the ATX mainboard.

The greatest possible ATX motherboard depth results in this case from the dimensions of the power supply (406) plus the two 2x3.5 "devices (403.404) minus 15mm indentation depth (306) and is therefore to a maximum

(150mm + 2x 1 "- 15mm) = approx. 186mm limited.

Compared to the first case, the housing dimensions are WxHxD = 175nιmx244mmx320mm, which, although it has a volume saving of approx. 13.8%, but at the expense of the maximum possible motherboard depth from previously 229mm to only 186mm.

In order to achieve greater universality, since the commonly used, commercially available ATX motherboard depths are around 200mm, it is certainly more sensible if the housing height is increased by 16mm to (244mm + 16mm) = 260mm so that all ATX- Mainboards to a depth of (186mm + 16mm) = 202mm can be accommodated; this increases the volume by only about 6.5%. A more sensible dimension is WxHxD = 175mmx260mmx320mm (without foot) or 175mmx310mmx320mm (with foot).

Special case:

Using power supplies with smaller dimensions, e.g. Micro-ATX power supply with reduced dimensions of approx. 100mmxl00mmx70mm, the housing width can be reduced to approx. 165mm and you also get the additional advantage that additional 2x 3.5 "devices on the vacated space (between 404 and now reduced Power supply 406 - see Fig. 3) of (150mm-100mm) = 50mm, ie approx. 2x 1 ", can be accommodated, so that a total of 4x 3.5" - instead of only 2x 3.5 "- accessible devices can be installed.

In addition to the inaccessible devices of only one layer (due to the smaller width) with 3x 3.5 "(411, 412, 413), the housing still has enough storage capacity for the devices to be installed totaling lx 5.25" plus 7x 3.5 "; this is certainly completely sufficient for normal applications, such as office applications etc., especially since the dimensions have assumed smaller dimensions of WxHxD = 165mmx260mmx320mm and thus also a reduced contact area, which is smaller than A4 size.

Despite the base of the housing, the dimension increased by 50mm WxHxD = 165mmx310mmx320mm is still small enough for any desk application.

If there is a need to install additional 5.25 "devices, additional expansion modules (see Fig. 4 and Chapter II.6) can still be installed later. Example 2:

In order to be able to provide the greatest possible universality of the case for various uses, it makes more sense if the most commonly used, common dimensions of the commercially available ATX mainboards are used retrospectively to determine the optimal basic case size.

P.S. In order not to unnecessarily enlarge the dimensions of the housing in the basic version, mainboards with so-called full over-size dimensions, which are rarely used and only occupy special market niches, are not taken into account

The majority of the ATX mainboards on the market with a 12 "/ 305mm standard width have different depths, from approx. 6.7" / 170mm to approx. 11.5 "/ 293mm, the most common being approx. 200mm; selected maximum depth of 293mm, various mainboard versions with single / dual CPUs and with / without onboard integrated SCSI, LAN, sound etc. are already taken into account.

Assuming this maximum value for the motherboard depth of 293mm, a provisionally determined minimum housing height of initially (293mm + 15mm) = 308mm could be chosen as the starting point.

On the part of the device (see Fig. 2) with this height, the following number of

Devices are placed:

The total height of (2x 5.25 "+ 3x 3.5" + ATX power supply) next to each other would take up a space of approx. (2x 1.7 "+ 3x 1" + 150mm) = 313mm, i.e. it would be higher than the one originally selected; therefore an increase in the minimum housing height by 7mm to 315mm

(instead of 308mm as originally selected) makes more sense.

Accordingly, the limit of the maximum possible motherboard depth increases to (293mm + 7mm) = 300mm, which increases the universality and flexibility of the case.

P.S. The older motherboard standard of the so-called Baby-AT format (abbreviated BA T) with a standard width of 8.6 "/ 219mm and depth up to max. 300mm can also be used here, since both BA T and ATX -Mainboards have the same standard for the I / 0 / slots of the AddOn cards, so the main part of the motherboard should also be equipped with corresponding mounting holes for both A TX and BA T mainboards Using BA T mainboards - additionally increases the universality and flexibility of the housing.

To determine the housing width, the calculation already shown above in case 1 must be consulted; the width determined there is equal to 205mm. This results in a rounded basic dimension of WxHxD = 205mmx315mmx320mm and with housing base / cable duct of 50mm height the total housing height increases to (315mm + 50mm) = 365mm, i.e. to a final basic dimension of WxHxD = 205mmx365mmx320mm. Alternatively Case:

If the housing foot is included, a further alternative option is offered to place the ATX power supply protruding into the housing foot / cable duct. By rotating the power supply unit by 90 ° (clockwise) on the base plate, the fan opening, switch and power connector of the power supply unit are also rotated laterally by 90 °. The part of the power supply unit protruding into the housing base by 50mm contains the switch and the mains connection socket, so that the switch and the mains connection socket of the power supply unit, which is now facing away from the rear, are freely accessible, the power supply cable to be inserted in it is now parallel to the housing floor and the initially necessary bend of this power cable is omitted (cf. the original position of the power supply unit 406 facing away from the floor with the mains connection socket 701 and switch 702 - in FIG. 5).

For the fan opening of the power supply, which is now inside by 90 °, there is still a gap of approx. 20-30mm (to AGP graphics or to 3.5 "devices lying flat) for the air duct, which is either directly to the outside in the housing. Side part or continue to open at the bottom of the housing foot.

Other considerations regarding the power supply and heat dissipation are discussed later in Chap. II.8 dealt with in detail.

Since there are no more components on the underside of the power supply, the effectively gained space of 50mm (approx. 2x 1 ") can be used for additional 2x 3.5" devices, so that a total of 5x 3.5 "accessible devices ( instead of initially only 3x 3.5 ") are possible. According to Fig. 2, there is free space for the two additional 3.5 "devices between the lowest 3.5" device (405) and the power supply unit (406), which is shifted down by 50mm. The maximum recording capacity is now 2x 5.25 "plus (3 + 2 + 9) = 14x 3.5" devices.

Optimized basic version:

Fig. 2 shows a version of the complete basic version (WxHxD = 205mmx365mmx320mm) with standard ATX power supply and ATX mainboard up to 300mm depth, whereby the arrangement and placement of the devices and the mainboard as well as the accessibility of these components due to the expandability / separability of the two halves of the housing can be seen.

Without the alternative case mentioned above, the following is shown in Fig. 2, on the device half (400):

- 2x 5.25 "(401.402) and 3x 3.5" (403.404.405) devices as well as the ATX power supply (406) as well as the three layers of the flat 3x (2x 3.5 ") devices (407 to 412) and

- Additional 3x 3.5 "devices (413 to 415) behind the two 5.25" devices (401.402) and on the motherboard part half (300):

- ATX mainboard (310) with the associated CPUs (301,302), memory modules (303) etc. Location of the onboard integrated I / O ports (304) with the opening panel (305) and location of the (seven) add-ons Cards (307) with the I / O slot outputs (306)

Other variants of a minimal version with only 1 x 5.25 "device (see Fig. 3) can have the following dimensions (incl. Housing foot) and capacities:

a. with standard ATX power supply and standard ATX mainboard (up to 200mm depth)

- WxHxD = 175x310x320mm (max. 6x or 8x 3.5 "in the alternative case) b. With micro ATX power supply and standard ATX mainboard (up to 200mm depth)

WxHxD = 165x310x320mm (max. 8x or lOx 3.5 "in the alternative case) c. With micro ATX power supply and micro ATX mainboard (WxD = 240mmx200mm)

- WxHxD = 165x310x260mm (max. 3x or 5x 3.5 "in the alternative case)

In addition to this capacity for a special system structure, such as CDROM servers, RAID systems, etc., there are also options for installing more devices beyond this basic version using expansion modules (see Fig. 4 - Details in Chapter II .6).

Conclusion:

As shown in the exemplary embodiments, an optimal dimension size in the basic version of WxHxD = 205mmx365mmx320mm (housing base / cable duct included) would already be sufficient to largely meet the requirement for universality and compactness.

The footprint of this basic housing of 205mmx320mm corresponds approximately to a DIN A4 size (210mmx297mm) and a housing height of 365mm is also no higher than the usual display monitors on the desk.

In addition to eliminating the visible, optically disruptive external cable connections, this compact and quasi universal basic version with WxHxD = 205mmx365mmx320mm can be used for all standard ATX / BAT mainboards to a depth of 300mm as well as a total of 2x 5.25 "plus a maximum of 14x 3 , 5 "devices.

Such recording capacity corresponds to the capacity of a conventional big tower housing (with WxHxD = approx. 190mmx630mmx430mm). Compared to this, not only a volume saving of more than 50% is achieved, but also a supporting surface of approx. DIN A4 size that is acceptable for desk inserts. A compact computer workstation with a small footprint - as shown here - and - combined with modern space-saving TFT flat monitors - is an ideal prerequisite for any desk use.

The variety of previous housing shapes with a predefined size (mini, midi, big tower, etc.) is therefore obsolete, since the basic housing can be expanded and enlarged flexibly and modularly as required (see Fig. 4); diversity reduction also saves costs in many ways.

II.5 Link mechanism

In order to meet the criteria for easy accessibility with this compact housing, the two above-mentioned Housing halves - device and motherboard halves - can be easily opened and closed against each other (see Fig. 1, 2 and 4).

There are various ways of realizing this requirement: a simple hinge mechanism in the form of hooked sheet metal hooks in a sheet metal slot and closing by directly screwing the two halves of the housing together would, for example, do the above. Also serve the purpose, but you can only open it in one direction.

A more flexible solution is to use e.g. commercially available hinge strips that are already available on the market for various purposes. Such hinge connection mechanisms can e.g. can also be designed and integrated as part of the base plates during the manufacture of the housing.

P.S. Which type, shape and construction of these connection mechanisms fulfills the properties required above is left to each individual housing manufacturer and is not the subject of this invention; only one of the many feasible solutions is shown here as an exemplary embodiment

Each housing part half (300, 400) is equipped with these hinge strips (501, 502) at the edges to be connected diagonally (A and C in Fig. 4), whereby either both wing sides of the movable hinged hinge strips must be screwed to the housing part halves , or be designed so that only one of the two wing sides is attached by screwing, while the other is firmly connected to the respective half of the housing (eg by welding); the two halves of the housing can hereby be opened, closed and also separated. The housing base (700), which can be opened for accessibility, as shown in Fig. 4, can be attached to the edge B (the main part of the board) with the hinge strip (503) and accordingly to the edge D (the part of the device) with the hinge strip (504) the intended expansion module (600) is attached.

However, the edge B is only suitable if the housing foot can be opened laterally; however, if the opening / closing direction is desired, another edge perpendicular to edge B must be selected on the underside of the housing.

Accordingly, it also applies to the attachment and folding direction of the expansion modules mentioned in the following chapter on the top of the housing.

II.6 Extension modules

For even more universality - such as To be able to set up CDROM servers or RAID systems with exchangeable hard drive removable frames in 5.25 "dimensions etc. - additional expansion options beyond the basic version must be provided.

So that the expansion modules - flexibly as required - can be attached directly to the top of the basic housing (see Fig. 4), the upper housing cover (601) must be designed to be removable; Because the intended devices are to be hidden under the removable housing cover: suitable attachment / fastening mechanism (e.g. 504) for the expansion modules existing openings for flat cable connections and power supplies for the devices.

Without expansion, the existing openings and the fastening mechanism are always invisibly covered by the removable cover (601); in the case of extensions, this cover is removed and, after the desired extension modules (600) have been attached, it can be used again as the cover of the top module (see Fig. 4 - right).

Due to the uniformity, the dimensions of the expansion modules should assume the width and depth of the housing, while the height can be varied as required.

PS Which design and unit height the respective expansion module has, whether only intended for one or several 5.25 "devices, is left to each manufacturer and is not the subject of the invention; this also applies to the design and construction of the required here Attachment Zmounting mechanisms (504). II.7 Covering the external cable connections and connections

In contrast to the conventional computer housings, all cable connections and connections that lead to the outside are no longer at the back as usual, but either

- on the side in the case of DeskTop (horizontal version) or

- below in the case of tower (standing version).

H.7.a cable duct

In order to be able to largely eliminate the disturbing visual impression due to the open and visible external cable connections - as with the usual PC housings - these must be covered.

In addition, since covering the external connections can also improve the (electromagnetic) EM shielding, the covering device should have EM conductivity where possible; this cover can therefore either be made entirely of metal or of another material with a conductive coating which has electrical contact with the rest of the housing.

With the cable duct cover, you pursue various objectives at the same time

- Better optical design thanks to invisible cable connections

- Improved EM shielding as well as reduced fan noise, since the cover is also an air duct etc. etc. The construction present in this invention enables many functions to be combined to form an integral unit.

II.7.b housing foot

In the case of a standing tower version, in which all external cable connections and connections are on the underside of the housing, the cable duct can be the housing base (700) as well as for the integration of e.g. Loudspeaker box can be used and designed accordingly (see Fig. 4 and 5).

As can be seen from Fig. 2, 3 or 5, almost all I / O connections (305, 306) to be covered belong to the mainboard part half; the only exception is the mains connection (701) of the power supply unit (416) located on the half of the device. However, all cable connections - in the closed housing state - are without exception on the underside of the housing, namely in the housing base, which is both a cable duct and an air duct. Taking into account the indentation depth of the I / O port location of 15mm, a selected height for a housing foot of 50mm - ie effectively 65mm - should be sufficient to be able to accommodate all the cables leading out with their bends.

In order to provide easy access due to the fact that it can be opened and closed (see Fig. 4), the housing foot - at least at one of the edges - should be provided with a hinge mechanism (503) or other opening mechanisms, so that access to those inside is possible at all times Cable connections can be guaranteed. It is free and is left to everyone to decide which direction of folding the housing foot should take, whether it can be folded sideways or forwards / backwards.

An exemplary embodiment of the housing base is shown in Fig. 5, whereby the integration of the loudspeaker (see Chapter II.7.C below) and an inclination of the entire computer housing (as a result of the considerations made in Chapter II.8) are already increasing see is. In this exemplary embodiment, the housing base has the shape of an oblique cut of a semi-hollow cylinder, so that the contact surface forms a "triangle", so to speak; smaller mid / high-range loudspeakers can be attached to the lateral cylinder surfaces and the "triangle" -The shape of the foot should allow the direction of its stereo radiation to be directed separately, sideways and somewhat forward. As in Chap. II.7. c justified, only one woofer is used here.

A (triangular) plane formed by 3 (instead of 4) points as a support surface has certain advantages, such as the easy adjustability of the angle of inclination over only one point, e.g. using a single adjusting screw at the front support point (705 - Fig. 5). The relevant meaning of the angle of inclination will be described later in Chap. II.8 shown.

P.S. Which construction and shape is chosen for the housing base is left to each individual and is not the subject of the invention; only the available options are shown here.

II.7.C speaker box

In the recently widespread multi-media and Internet applications - whereby not only image but also sound is an important aspect - a loudspeaker (sound reproduction device) is part of the computer system; most of the loudspeaker boxes are unfortunately still separated from the computer system as a separate extra part, with the exception of the so-called multi-media monitors, which contain integrated loudspeakers. Each extra part - separate speaker boxes standing next to the computer system - requires additional space on the desk; the reduction in the contact surface of the new computer case achieved would be severely impaired by separate extra boxes.

It is therefore obvious to use the existing base (WxHxD = 205x50x320mm), whose volume size is sufficiently large at approx. 3 liters, as integrated loudspeaker boxes, as with multi-media monitors.

P.S. An acceptable sound - especially with low tones - requires a sufficient minimum

Volume size as a soundboard and compared to the high frequencies, the low-frequency source is difficult to locate by the human ear.

For most applications - with the exception of high-quality music playback - it is sufficient if only one bass speaker is integrated in the housing base (see note above). As Fig. 5 shows, e.g. a flat / oval loudspeaker version (711) with a diameter of less than 200mm foot width, which is attached at an angle, and two or more small loudspeakers (whose diameter is less than 50mm foot height) integrated as a mid-tone / tweeter for the two stereo channels become.

An alternative option is to attach the loudspeakers (as well as other devices, such as an Internet camera, microphone, etc. for video conferences) in the housing cover (601 - Fig. 4) as an expansion special module (see Chapter II. 6). An advantage could be used in this case, since the larger content of the entire computer housing - connected to the interior of the housing due to the existing cable openings - can be used as a resonance volume.

P.S. How this is to be designed is not the subject of the invention; only the existing construction options are indicated.

II.7.d air duct

The additional function of the housing foot (see Fig. 5) as a channel for fresh air supply and also for heat dissipation from the immediate power supply unit is described at the end of the following chap. II.8 treated. The top of the housing (see Fig. 4), which is intended for expansion modules (Section II.6), also offers numerous design options for various heat dissipation devices.

In addition, the shielding effect of the housing foot / air duct enables reduced fan noise development. II.8 heat dissipation process

Although the standard components with the greatest heat developments, such as power supplies and CPUs, already have their own fan blowers and, in addition, monitoring sensors for the temperatures of the CPUs and mainboard as well as for the speed of the fans are already integrated and included in the current mainboard appropriate electronic control and monitor software (value / alarm display, etc.), the important physical aspect of good heat dissipation should not be neglected, especially with the compact computer case. Therefore, this aspect is examined and analyzed in more detail here; The goal is an improved solution finding.

Computer components with the greatest heat development are generally the CPU, the power supply and the mainboard as well as the built-in add-on cards; compared to these, components such as floppies, hard drives, CDROMs etc. are negligible.

There are two versions of the standard ATX power supplies available, namely the version with internal suction and which can be blown out or the version with external suction and which can be blown inwards.

As already mentioned in Chap. II.4 mentioned, the CPUs (single / dual) and the ATX power supply are arranged one above the other in such a way that the power supply fan either leads the warm indoor air to the outside via the power supply, i.e. the power supply is cooled with warmer CPU air or blown inwards onto the heat sink of the CPU, i.e. the CPUs are cooled with warmer PSU air.

Both versions - although not optimal - seem to be suitable to solve this heat development problem, although in both cases warmer air (with a lower temperature gradient) is used for cooling, because due to the individual configuration of the CPU and the power supply unit with its own fan Blower a much larger convection current or a higher exchange rate of air matter takes place.

Nevertheless, further analyzes and considerations for optimizing the heat dissipation inside the housing are made in the following: CPU cooler

In more detail, the usual standard version of a free-standing CPU cooler does not have the most effective function, since its fan has only partly circulated the hot air generated in the interior, and due to the short distance between the inlet and outlet, the hot air deflected by the heat sink immediately returns is sucked in.

This has the consequence that the higher temperature difference necessary for good cooling is always reduced; i.e., with this free-standing, open type of construction, a constant "heat short circuit" arises, so to speak.

A simple solution to the problem of reducing this "heat short circuit" is to extend the distance between the inlet and outlet of the fan, and in order to avoid it entirely, there must be a complete separation, which is more expensive.

A possible reduction could e.g. through an additional, extended air duct, which is attached tightly to the inlet opening of the CPU fan and screwed directly to the CPU heat sink; The following cases should be considered for the suction point of this air duct.

With ATX power supply unit that exhausts inside:

The suction point of this extra CPU air duct should open on the nearest outer wall if possible; in this case the front panel. The fan noise development could be disadvantageous here, since the front panel is directly in front of the user.

A strong noise is usually caused by strong air turbulence and is often amplified by resonances; therefore, this aspect should always be considered when designing.

Also to be considered is the location between the CPU mounting bracket and the immediate AGP graphics card, which is about 15-20mm apart. In this case, the fresh air coming in and drawn in from the housing foot can simultaneously cool the AGP graphics card, if the duct wall is designed as an open U-shape and is attached to the graphics card with the U opening.

Any noise can be largely reduced by the shielding effect of the housing foot. With ATX power supply that can be blown inside:

In this case, the suction point of the extra CPU duct can be attached directly in front of the inflatable power supply unit blower, so that an increase in the air duct flow for the CPU cooling arises, since the two fan blowers (the CPU and the power supply unit) have their effects Mutually reinforcing the transport of air matter; there is also a certain amount of redundancy if one of the two fans fails.

P.S. What type and shape of fresh air ducts and fastening mechanisms on the

CPU fans / coolers are to be used is left to the manufacturer and is not the subject of the invention.

Position of the electronics boards inside the housing

The different positions of the electronic boards inside the housing are considered and analyzed below:

In the case of a desktop version, the situation is exactly the same as in the standard PC housings - mainboard board horizontal and all add-on cards perpendicular to it; As the analysis of hot air convection at the end of this chapter shows, this constellation is disadvantageous.

In the case of the tower version of the computer housing described here, however, all electronic boards are located - i.e. all add-on cards and mainboard - without exception in their position (see Fig. 2 or 3); This constellation is very advantageous due to the so-called "chimney effect".

P.S. The so-called "heat accumulation" is nothing other than the formation of locally static heat gradient layers without the possibility of dynamic exchange of the air material (eg by blocked supply or discharge); on the other hand, the so-called "chimney effect" is - viewed locally - still a thermal gradient layer formation, however, there is a constant, dynamic exchange of the air matter. Every horizontal surface lying parallel to the thermal gradient layer therefore always favors heat build-up if, for any reason, the dynamic exchange of the air matter is impeded.

Although in this case all important electronic boards are already in a vertical position, both the fresh air supply and the heat dissipation must be ensured: At the lowest point (see Fig. 5 and 3) of the housing, i.e. on the main half of the mainboard, where all I / O connections are led out and covered by the housing base / cable duct, additional air supply openings (such as perforations , Slots or the like). The places in question are the various places between the I / O slot covers (801), above the AddOn cards (802), above the ATX I / O cover (803) and below the mainboard (804).

In the usual computer housings, the gaps (801) between the add-on cards to be installed must always be sealed with the I / O blinds leading to the outside due to EM shielding; However, due to the sealing, these gaps form a so-called "dead water" point for air flow, i.e. a potential heat accumulation point.

In the case shown in this invention, however, the EM shielding is already ensured by the case foot / cable duct, so that these otherwise sealed points between the I / O slot covers (801-Fig.5, in the form of parallel, elongated slots ) can be left open for the fresh air supply coming from the housing base; This means that the vertical AddOn cards can be evenly supplied with fresh air in this case, because all the spaces delimited by the AddOn cards, mainboard and devices above them now form vertical air channels with air supply openings at the bottom, such as a fireplace.

At the highest point of the housing, which is covered by the housing cover (601 - Fig. 4), appropriate air discharge devices should be provided.

As in Chap. II.6 mentioned, the detachable housing cover (601) at the highest point of the housing serves not only for the purpose of optically covering the connection mechanisms located there, but also at the same time for EM shielding of the recessed openings for cable feedthroughs of the expansion modules. These existing opening connections allow and facilitate the implementation and attachment of various air discharge devices in the housing cover, since warm air can rise up through this opening.

The warm air with the highest temperature will collect in this highest-lying lid space, ie collecting containers for the rising warm air, and can be removed directly to the outside via air discharge devices, such as perforations with passive or active cooling units, etc. A special cooling unit such as a large-volume heat exchanger or the like, if necessary, can also be attached as an expansion module. Location of the entire computer case including contents

Another consideration as to how the heat dissipation can be improved is the suitable position of the computer case with all the contents contained therein.

A rotation or inclined inclination of the entire housing including the contents, which are e.g. is easy to implement with a sloping housing foot (see Fig. 5), provides - viewed from various aspects - additional advantages in heat dissipation, as will be analyzed and justified below.

A dynamic warm air movement (so-called convection), which has arisen automatically, is only due to the differences in air density, i.e. caused by the temperature / density gradient.

During operation, the various electronic components / components always generate energy / heat with higher temperatures than the ambient air and the existing temperature gradients only enable heat conduction / release to the ambient air. Since air density depends on temperature and warmer air (with lower density and higher temperature) always moves vertically upwards, the vertically emerging warm air convection current should be able to pass as freely as possible.

A horizontal surface that is parallel to the gradient layers and therefore perpendicular to the direction of flow creates the greatest flow resistance and favors a static density gradient without material exchange (so-called heat build-up) rather than an inclined one that is not parallel to the gradient layers Area.

For this reason, an inclined position of all the contents inside the housing, both electronic boards and devices, is always more advantageous than the usual position of a vertical computer case, with many of the devices and components - predominantly or only partially - horizontally lie.

Although all add-on cards and mainboards are already vertical in the case shown here, some components and devices are still horizontal. An oblique inclination or rotation of the entire housing to the rear - for example by means of an inclined housing foot - enables a position that all the devices and components contained therein always form an angle to the horizontal plane, ie also to the layers of the heat / density gradient. In addition, when operating the devices, a slight inclination of the computer backwards - as with monitors - is more ergonomic and always more pleasant for the user.

An oblique inclination of the entire housing is the best compromise and the solution to enable ergonomics and optimal heat convection inside the housing.

Suggestions and comments:

It certainly makes sense and is desirable if computer power supplies are also manufactured in the standard standard width of the 5.25 "devices; 5.25" UPS would also make sense. Today's technology already enables even smaller 3.5 "standard widths ,

Such commercially available, standardized 5, 25 "power supplies - instead of in PS2 format - would be an ideal prerequisite for many of the problem solutions to be pursued here, such as great uniformity in the attachment and arrangement of all devices, direct installation of the power supply on the top, any 5 , 25 "device slots, also in the expansion modules

Ease of service in the event of defects the free space of the PS2 power supply unit would be freely available for additional devices etc. etc.

III. Others

The use of this housing is by no means limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described here with Intel / AMD / IBM CPUs etc., but also for all other computer mainboards with RISC, PowerPC, Alpha CPUs and many more. used; in this case, only the half of the mainboard of the housing needs to be modified, whereas the half of the device can be retained, since it only contains standard, standard storage media devices that are used in almost all computer systems. This can save effort and costs.

Claims

IV.l main claim

1.Universal, compact, but easily accessible computer case, which in the basic structure consists of two housing halves in the form of two L-shaped base plates and two plates perpendicular to it as a front rear panel, which, when assembled, result in a completely closed cuboid housing, characterized that a. All storage media devices and the power supply are arranged in one half of the housing (so-called half of the device), while the computer mainboard including CPU / s, RAM memory and all associated add-on cards are located in the other half of the housing (so-called half of the mainboard ) housed and grouped accordingly; b. the two halves of the housing can be opened, closed and dismantled against each other by the connection mechanisms of any type attached to their diagonally opposite edges and, in addition, in the case of a tower version, on the underside of the housing with housing base, at the same time cable duct, air duct, etc. and can be expanded on the top with various expansion modules.

IV.2 Subclaim

2. Executions of a computer housing and arrangement method for the integration of commercially available standard computer components according to claim 1, characterized in that a. all required, commercially available standard components in the two

Housing halves are distributed and arranged in such a way that an optimized basic version with the dimensions WxHxD = approx. 205mmx365mmx320mm (incl. Cable duct / housing foot) enables the following mounting capacities on the mainboard part half (300):

- All standard ATX - (/ BAT-) mainboards (310) up to a depth of 300mm, with the associated CPU / s (301,302), memory modules (303) and integrated I / O ports (304) with their opening panel (305 ), whereby all 7 (seven) standard add-on cards (307) with I / O slot outputs (306) are fully available on the device half (400):

- 2x 5.25 "(401.402) and 3x 3.5" devices (403.404.405) as well as the power supply (406) in PS2 format as well as the three layers of the 3x (2x 3.5 ") devices lying across or next to each other (407 to 412) and another 3x 3.5 "devices (413 to 415) behind the two 5.25"devices; when the power supply unit (406) is placed, it protrudes into the housing foot / cable duct for 2 (two) additional 3 , 5 "devices becomes free, so that a total of 2x 5.25" plus 14x 3.5 "devices are possible b. according to the arrangement procedure, the housing dimension size (with feet) in the minimal versions with only a 5.25 "device and use of

- Standard ATX power supply and standard ATX mainboard (up to 200mm depth) on WxHxD = approx. 175x310x320mm and max. 8x 3.5 "devices

- Micro ATX power supply and standard ATX mainboard (up to 200mm depth) on WxHxD = approx. 165x310x320mm and max. lOx 3.5 "devices

- Micro ATX power supply and micro ATX mainboard (WxD = 240mmx200mm) on WxHxD = approx. 165x310x260mm and max. 5x 3.5 "devices downsized and at the same time space-saving contact area smaller than A4 size is made possible; without a 5.25" device, a width of approx. 140mm (or 28TE) or even narrower is possible c. Housing foot (700) and housing cover (601) can also be used to integrate various other functions and devices d. In addition to the basic version of the housing, which for reasons of compromise can only contain a limited size and number of standard components, various expansion modules (600) can be attached as required.

IV.3 Subsidiary claim

3. A slanted computer case, characterized in that all the electronic boards and devices located therein have an angle-forming, non-parallel position to the heat / density gradient layers in the interior of the housing for the purpose of better heat dissipation.