Patent ID: 6254343
Filing Date: 2001-07-03
Classification: F04D,H05K

Abstract:
A fan for cooling an electronic component, the fan comprising:a rotor having a plurality of fan blades and being rotatably mounted within a housing, the housing including a first end, a second end, and a passage interconnecting the first end and the second end to define an air flow path therebetween; andan entry port defined by a portion of the housing generally adjacent the housing first end, the entry port having a cross-sectional area greater than a cross-sectional area of the passage, the entry port and the passage being separated by a transition zone, the entry port and the transition zone cooperating to define an abrupt step, the abrupt step being adapted to at least partially affect the flow of air flowing along the flow path, thereby reducing the ambient noise level of the fan, wherein the cross-sectional area of the entry port is sized to be between about 5% to about 10% greater than the cross-sectional area of the passage.