Abstract:
An exemplary fan mount for mounting a fan which has a connecting hole includes a frame and a fastener. The frame comprising a sidewall defining a chamber for receiving the fan and a connecting wall extending inwards from the sidewall towards the chamber. A hollow elastic pole extends out from the connecting wall into the chamber, for inserting in the connecting hole of the fan. A through hole extends through the elastic hole and a corresponding part of the connecting wall. The fastener includes a shaft for engaging in the through hole. When the fastener is inserted in the through hole, the fixing pole deforms to make an outer end thereof away from the connecting wall enlarge, thereby fixing the fastener on the frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The disclosure relates to device cooling, and particularly to a fan module with enhanced assembling convenience. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    With the continuing development of electronics technology, electronic packages such as CPUs (central processing units) are generating more and more heat that requires immediate dissipation. Heat dissipation fans are commonly used for cooling the CPUs. 
         [0005]    A conventional fan includes a housing, and a rotor and a stator received in the housing. In general, before the fan is mounted to a system, the fan is firstly mounted to a fan cover via a plurality of screws. Detailedly, the housing defines a plurality of through holes in one side thereof. When the fan and the fan cover are assembled, fasteners extend through the through holes of the housing and threadedly engage in the fan cover, thereby attaching the fan to the fan cover. However, assembly and detachment of the fan require a tool, such as a screwdriver, rendering the processes cumbersome and time-consuming. 
         [0006]    What is desired, therefore, is a fan module which can overcome the above-described shortcomings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic, isometric, assembled view of a fan module in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the fan module of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but showing the exploded fan module inverted. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of a circled portion IV of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of a circled portion V of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of a fastener of the fan module of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present fan module in detail. 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a fan module in accordance with an exemplary embodiment includes a fan  20 , a fan mount  10  to which the fan  20  is mounted, and a plurality of fasteners  30  for securing the fan  20  in the fan mount  10 . In this exemplary embodiment, the fan mount  10  is a fan cover for attaching the fan  20  to a casing of an electronic device. 
         [0015]    Referring also to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fan  20  includes a housing  22 , a stator (not shown) received in the housing  22 , and an impeller received in the housing  22  and rotatably supported by the stator. The impeller includes a plurality of fan blades  24 . The housing  22  is hollow and generally rectangular, and includes a top plate  221 , a bottom plate  222  parallel to and spaced from the top plate  221 , and an annular side plate  223  connected between the top plate  221  and the bottom plate  222 . The top plate  221  defines an air inlet  225  in a central portion thereof. The bottom plate  222  defines an air outlet  226  in a central portion thereof, the air outlet  226  aligned with the air inlet  225 . A plurality of connecting holes  224  is defined in corners of the top and the bottom plates  221 ,  222 , respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, four connecting holes  224  are respectively defined in four corners of the top plate  221 , and four connecting holes  224  are respectively defined in four corners of the bottom plate  222 . 
         [0016]    The fan mount  10  includes a board  11 , and a fixing frame  13  connected to the board  11 . In this embodiment, the fixing frame  13  includes four sidewalls  12  extending upwardly from the board  11 , and four connecting walls  134  extending inwardly from joints of the four sidewalls  12 . A rectangular receiving chamber  138  is cooperatively defined by the four sidewalls  12  for receiving the fan  20  therein. The four sidewalls  12  include two first sidewalls  121  located at two neighboring peripheral sides of the receiving chamber  138 , and two second sidewalls  122  higher than the first sidewalls  121  and located at the other two neighboring peripheral sides of the receiving chamber  138 . The connecting walls  134  are located at four corners of the receiving chamber  138 , respectively. The connecting walls  134  are level with each other, and extend inwardly from top ends of the first sidewalls  121  and inner surfaces of the second sidewalls  122 . The connecting walls  134  cooperatively form a shape similar to that of the top plate  221  of the housing  22 . Thus, the connecting walls  134  cooperatively define an approximately circular hole  130  therebetween, the circular hole  130  corresponding to the air inlet  225  of the housing  22 . 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5  together, each of the connecting walls  134  defines a circular recess  18  at a central portion of a bottom surface thereof, corresponding to one of the connecting holes  224  of the top plate  211  of the housing  22 . A portion of the connecting wall  134  over the circular recess  18  forms a fixing plate  136 . The fixing plate  136  has a thickness less than that of other portions of the connecting wall  134 . The fixing plate  136  defines a fixing hole  15  in a center thereof, and two locating slots  16  located at two opposite sides of the fixing hole  15 , respectively. The fixing hole  16  and the locating slots  16  extend through the fixing plate  136 , and communicate with the recess  19 . 
         [0018]    Each of the locating slots  16  includes a first locating hole  161 , a second locating hole  162 , and a guiding groove  163  between and intercommunicating the first locating hole  161  and the second locating hole  162 . The first locating hole  161  has a diameter larger than that of the second locating hole  162 . The guiding groove  163  has a width gradually decreasing from the first locating hole  161  to the second locating hole  162 . The locating slots  16  are located on a same imaginary circle which is concentric with the fixing hole  15 . In alternative embodiments, the number of locating slots  16  can vary according to particular requirements. 
         [0019]    An elastic pole  17  extends perpendicularly downwardly from the fixing plate  136  at a periphery of the fixing hole  15  into an interior of the receiving chamber  138 . An outer diameter of the elastic pole  17  is substantially equal to a diameter of the connecting hole  224  of the top plate  221 . The elastic pole  17  of each connecting wall  134  includes an annular connecting end  171  connected to the fixing plate  136 , and a plurality of elastic arms  172  extending downwardly from the connecting end  171 . The elastic arms  172  are equally spaced from each other along a circumference direction of the connecting end  171 . The elastic pole  17  defines an axial hole  173  in a central portion thereof, the axial hole  173  communicated with the fixing hole  15  of the fixing plate  136 . Each of the elastic arms  172  has an enlarged bottom end  170  that is far away from the connecting end  171 . Compared to a main portion of the elastic arm  172 , the enlargement of the bottom end  170  is radially inwardly toward a central axis of the axial hole  173 . Thereby, the axial hole  173  has a diameter at the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  17  less than other portions. The diameter of the axial hole  173  at the connecting end  171  is substantially equal to that of the fixing hole  15 , while the diameter of the axial hole  173  at the bottom end  170  is less than that of the fixing hole  15 . 
         [0020]    Referring also to  FIG. 6 , each of the fasteners  30  includes a cylindrical base body  31 , an elongated, flattened handle  32  extending from a top side of the base body  31 , a shaft  33  extending from a bottom side of the base body  31 , and two limiting posts  34  formed on the bottom side and at two opposite sides of the shaft  33 , respectively. The shaft  33  is located at a center of the bottom side of the base body  31 . A diameter of the shaft  33  is slightly less than the diameter of a corresponding fixing hole  15 , but larger than the diameter of the axial hole  173  at the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  172  of the corresponding elastic pole  17 . 
         [0021]    When the fastener  30  is oriented vertically with the shaft  33  coaxial with the fixing hole  15 , the shaft  33  can pass through the fixing hole  15  easily to extend into the axial hole  173 . When the shaft  33  reaches the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  172  and is further pushed downward, the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  172  are extruded outwardly by an outer surface of the shaft  33  and elastically deform. Thereby, the elastic arms  172  can tightly abut against the outer surface of the shaft  33  when the shaft  33  is wholly received in the axial hole  173  due to elastic urging of the elastic arms  172 . Thus, the shaft  33  of the fastener  30  is engagingly received in the axial hole  173  of the elastic pole  17 . 
         [0022]    The limiting posts  34  are arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the shaft  33 . A distance between each of the limiting posts  34  and the shaft  33  is substantially equal to a radius of the imaginary circle on which the locating slots  16  are located. Each of the limiting posts  34  forms a head  341  at a distal end that is far away from the bottom side of the base body  31 . The head  341  is generally ellipsoidal, and has a size smaller than the first locating hole  161 , but larger than the second locating hole  162 . When the fastener  30  is oriented vertically with the limiting posts  34  coaxial with the first locating holes  161  of the locating slots  16 , the heads  341  of the limiting posts  34  can pass through the first locating holes  161  easily. However, the heads  341  of the limiting posts  34  cannot pass through the second locating holes  162 . 
         [0023]    A thickness of the head  341  of each limiting post  34  is less than a depth of the corresponding circular recess  18 , such that the head  341  can be received in the circular recess  18 . Alternatively, the number of limiting posts  34  can vary according to the number of locating slots  16 . Furthermore, the limiting posts  34  can be of any other suitable size and/or shape, as long as the limiting posts  34  can pass through the first locating holes  161  and cannot pass through the second locating holes  162 . 
         [0024]    When assembling the fan  20  to the fan mount  10 , the fan  20  is firstly put into the receiving chamber  138  of the fan mount  10 , with the elastic poles  17  of the connecting walls  134  extended downwardly through the connecting holes  224  of the top plate  221  of housing  22 , respectively. Then the shafts  33  and the limiting posts  34  of the fasteners  30  are inserted into the axial holes  173  and the locating slots  16 , respectively, of the connecting walls  134  for connecting the fan mount  10  and the fan  20  together. To insert each fastener  30  into the corresponding connecting wall  134 , the following steps are performed. 
         [0025]    Firstly, each fastener  30  is located above the corresponding connecting wall  134 , with the shaft  33  aligned with the fixing hole  15  of the connecting wall  134  and the heads  341  of the limiting posts  34  aligned with the first locating holes  161  of the locating slots  16 , respectively. Due to the diameter of the shaft  33  being smaller than the diameter of the fixing hole  15  and the diameter of the heads  341  being smaller than the diameters of the first locating holes  161 , the shaft  33  of the fastener  30  can pass through the fixing hole  15  easily to extend into the axial hole  173  of the elastic pole  17 , and the limiting posts  34  can pass through the first locating holes  161  easily to protrude into the circular recess  18 . The fastener  30  is further pushed downward until the shaft  33  is wholly received in the axial hole  173  of the elastic pole  17 . In this state, the fastener  30  is maintained in position via the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  172  tightly abutting against the outer surface of the shaft  33 . At the same time, the bottom ends  170  of the elastic arms  172  are splayed away from each other, thereby enlarging the outer diameter of the elastic pole  17  at the bottom ends  170 . In such a state, the outer diameter of the elastic pole  17  at the bottom ends  170  exceeds the diameter corresponding of the connecting hole  224  of the top plate  221  of the fan  20 , and thus the splayed elastic arms  172  of the four fasteners  30  hold the top plate  221  of the fan  20  in position, such that the fan  20  is prevented from sliding down. In this way, the fan  20  and the fan mount  10  are stably held together. 
         [0026]    Then the fasteners  30  are rotated by operating the handles  32 , to force the limiting posts  34  to move from the first locating holes  161  along the guiding grooves  163  to the second locating holes  162 . Due to the diameter of the heads  341  being larger than the diameter of the second locating holes  162 , when the limiting posts  34  are moved into the second located holes  162 , the heads  341  of the limiting posts  34  prevent the limiting posts  34  from disengaging from the locating slots  16 . In particular, the heads  341  of the limiting posts  34  abut against a bottom of the fixing plate  136  around the second locating holes  162 , respectively. The fastener  30  is thereby securely held in position, and does not easily work loose, even during transportation. Accordingly, the fan  20  and the fan mount  10  are fixedly connected together. 
         [0027]    When the fan  20  needs to be detached from the fan mount  10 , the fasteners  30  are firstly rotated reversely to force the limiting posts  34  to moved from the second locating holes  162  along the guiding grooves  162  to the first locating holes  161 . Then the fasteners  30  can be pulled out of the axial holes  173  of the elastic poles  17  and the locating slots  16  directly. Without the fasteners  30 , the elastic poles  17  resume to natural state, and thus can be easily drawn out from the connecting hole  224  of the top plate  221  of the fan  20 . 
         [0028]    Thus, assembly and detachment of the fan  20  is easily achieved without a tool. 
         [0029]    In alternative embodiments, the fan mount  10  can instead be any other kind of piece or equipment on which the fan  20  is to be mounted. Such other kind of piece or equipment can, for example, be a casing of an electronic device, a fixing frame for interconnecting the fan  20  and an electronic device, and so on. The other kind of piece or equipment includes the connecting walls  134  each defining the fixing hole  15  and the locating slots  16  therein, and comprising the elastic pole  17  thereof. 
         [0030]    It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of embodiments, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only; and that changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.