Abstract:
A method for cooling electronic components comprising drawing air into a chassis; causing the air to come in contact with a corrugated deflector; and cooling electronic components with the air before the air exits the chassis. A fail safe system for cooling electronic components comprising a corrugated deflector; a plurality of fans, positioned such that they cause air to come in contact with the corrugated deflector; and an electronic component; wherein the electronic component is cooled by the air.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the operation of a cooling system, and more particularly to the operation of a cooling system to cool electronic components. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to the cooling of electronic components with a cooling system that incorporates, a plurality of fans, a corrugated deflector and an exhaust blower. 
     It is well known in the art that electronic components can overheat if not provided with a working cooling system. It is also well known in the art that passing air over the electronic components by the use of a fan or blower can be sufficient to keep the components from overheating. 
     There is a continuing need for a cooling system that will continue to cool many electronic components even upon the failure of one or more fans. The present invention advantageously addresses the above and other needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention advantageously addresses the needs above as well as other needs by providing a cooling system including a plurality of fans, blowers, a corrugated deflector, and directional air deflectors. 
     In one embodiment, the invention can be characterized as method for cooling electronic components comprising drawing air into a chassis; causing the air to come in contact with a corrugated deflector; and cooling electronic components with the air before the air exits the chassis. 
     In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a fail safe system for cooling electronic components comprising a corrugated deflector; a plurality of fans, positioned such that they cause air to come in contact with the corrugated deflector; and an electronic component; wherein the electronic component is cooled by the air. 
     In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a fail safe system for cooling electronic components comprising a corrugated deflector coupled to a chassis; a directional air deflector coupled to the chassis; a plurality of fans, positioned such that they cause air to come in contact with the corrugated deflector and the directional air deflector; and an electronic component; wherein the electronic component is cooled by the air. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1 with electronic boards attached to the chassis; 
     FIG. 5 is the front-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1, showing the air flow through the chassis; 
     FIG. 6 is a front-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1 showing the air flow through the chassis; 
     FIG. 7 is a front-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1 showing the air flow through the chassis when one of the fans has malfunctioned; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a corrugated deflector with directional air deflectors attached; 
     FIG. 9 is a side-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1, showing an attached directional air deflector; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a corrugated deflector with pointed grooves; and 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a corrugated deflector with square grooves. 
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of the presently contemplated best mode of practicing the invention is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, shown is a perspective view of a cooling system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Shown is the cooling system  10 , three exhaust blowers  12 , a corrugated deflector  14 , nine fans  16 , a chassis  18 , a bottom  20  of the chassis  18 , and a backplane  22 . Not shown are electronic components on electronic boards  24  the cooling system  10  is designed to cool. 
     The nine fans  16  are coupled to the bottom  20  of the chassis  18  and are mounted vertically inside the chassis  18 . The corrugated deflector  14  is also coupled to the bottom  20  of the chassis  18 . A front edge of the corrugated deflector  14  is also coupled to a front edge of the chassis  18  at the bottom  20  of the chassis  18 . The corrugated deflector  14  curves from the bottom  20  of the chassis  18  upward toward the backplane  22  and a back edge of the corrugated deflector  14  is coupled to the backplane  22 . The backplane  22  is also coupled to the chassis  18  about midway through the depth of the chassis. Above the backplane  22  and coupled to the chassis  18  are the three exhaust blowers  12 . 
     A front edge of the corrugated deflector  14  is flat, i.e., it is not corrugated, while a rear edge of the corrugated deflector  14  is corrugated. Portions of the corrugated deflector  14  between the front edge and the rear edge transition from flat to corrugated. The corrugated deflector  14  also curves up from the bottom  20  of the chassis  18 , such that the front edge is substantially at the bottom  20  of the chassis  18 , while the rear edge is at a height approximately equal to top edges of the nine fans  16 . 
     Under normal operation, the nine fans  16  draw air from outside the chassis  18  into the chassis  18  and direct airflow at the corrugated deflector  14 . The corrugated deflector  14 , herein also the deflector  14 , causes lateral, i.e., sideways, turbulence in the air such that the air mixes and flows in many directions. The curvature of the deflector  14  also causes the air to move in an upward direction toward the exhaust blowers  12 . In normal operation, this would cause air to flow over electronic boards  24  that extend from the backplane  22  and contain electronic components such as, for example, a hard drive. The electronic boards  24  are shown in FIG.  4 . The air then flows out of the chassis  18  through the exhaust blowers  12 . The exhaust blowers  12  also act to cause air to be drawn out of the chassis  18 . 
     In an alternative embodiment the number of fans  16  and the number of exhaust blowers  12  could be more or less than nine and three, respectively, and the mechanical relationship between the corrugated deflector  14 , the backplane  22 , and the chassis  18  may differ. 
     The deflector  14 , in one embodiment is a molded piece of sheet metal. The deflector  14  is corrugated such that it causes lateral turbulence in the air flow, causing the air to move laterally (sideways) relative to the direction in which the air is blown by the nine fans  16 , and otherwise directed by the corrugated deflector  14 . The upward curvature of the corrugated deflector  14  causes the air to be deflected in an upward direction over the electronic boards  24 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, shown is side-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG.  1 . Shown is the cooling system  10 , one of the exhaust blowers  12 , one of the fans  16 , the corrugated deflector  14 , the backplane  22 , and the chassis  18 . 
     The corrugated deflector  14  is shown coupled to the backplane  22  and to the bottom  20  of the chassis  18 . The curvature of the corrugated deflector  14  along with the uneven surface of the corrugated deflector  14  cause turbulence in the air that will flow over the electronic components. While the corrugated deflector  14  is shown coupled to the backplane  22 , the corrugated deflector  14  could also be coupled to the chassis  18  or to an electronic board  24 . 
     The corrugated deflector  14  shown has parallel rounded grooves. This causes turbulence in the air flowing through the chassis  18 . The corrugated deflector  14  could also be shaped, for example, with ridged, pointed, or squared grooves. FIGS. 10 and 11 show such alternative embodiments of a corrugated deflector  14 . Additionally the grooves do not need to be perfectly parallel to cause turbulence in the air. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, shown is a front-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG.  1 . Shown is the cooling system  10 , the seven fans  16 , the backplane  22 , the chassis  18 , speed adjustment circuitry  13 , and three exhaust blowers  12 . 
     This embodiment of the present invention shows seven fans  16  instead of nine fans  16 . As stated earlier, the present invention can have a variable number of fans  16 . In the present embodiment there are a large number of smaller fans  16  drawing air into the chassis  18  from the ambient instead of a small number of larger fans  16 . Having a large number of smaller fans  16  prevents having a large change in the volume of air that is flowing through the chassis  18  in the event one of the fans  16  fails. For example, if two large fans  16  are used and one fails, a fifty percent reduction in the amount of air flow may result. Whereas, if ten fans  16  are employed and one fails, only a ten percent reduction in the amount of air flow results. This assumes the speed of the fans  16  is not increased when a failure is detected. 
     The present invention also advantageously includes circuitry that senses fan failure and adjusts the speed of remaining fans  16  if a failure is detected in one or more fans  16 . For example, if there are ten fans  16  and a failure is detected for one of the fans  16 , the remaining nine fans  16  will have their speed increased by ten percent to keep the total amount of air flowing through the chassis  18  almost constant. Such circuitry is well known, e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,623 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,549. 
     One problem with prior art cooling systems is when a fan fails the electronics that such fan was cooling no longer have air flowing over them. Advantageously, the present invention provides a system for cooling all the electronics within a chassis  18  even upon a fan failure. The corrugated deflector  14  insures air will continue to flow over all the electronic components even upon a fan failure. The turbulence caused by the corrugated deflector  14  causes air to flow over all the electronics even in the event one or multiple fans  16  fail. This is further shown in FIG.  7 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, shown is a front-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG. 1 with electronic boards coupled to the chassis  18 . Shown is the cooling system  10 , the fans  16 , the exhaust blowers  12 , and three electronic boards  24 . 
     The three electronic boards  24  are coupled to the chassis  18  and aligned perpendicular to the backplane  22  and parallel to the deflected turbulent air. The electronic boards  24  are above the corrugated deflector  14  such that the deflected turbulent air flows up through spaces between the three electronic boards  24 . Although the three electronic boards  24  are shown aligned perpendicular to the backplane  22  they could be aligned in any direction without departing from the present invention. There could also be any number of electronic boards  24  within the chassis  18 . The size of the chassis  18 , also is independent of the invention, and could be very small or very large. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, shown is a front-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG. 1 showing the air flow through the chassis  18 . Shown is the cooling system  10 , the fans  16 , the exhaust blowers  12 , three electronic boards  24 , and the air flow represented by arrows. 
     The air is drawn into the chassis  18  by the fans  16  from the ambient. The air hits the corrugated deflector  14  which causes turbulence in the air. The air is also deflected in an upward direction by the curvature of the corrugated deflector  14 . Additionally, the optional exhaust blowers  12  help to cause the air to exit the chassis  18 . The corrugated deflector  14  causes the air to rise in many directions, thus causing air to flow over all of the electronic components in the chassis  18  before exiting the chassis  18  through the exhaust blowers  12 . In another embodiment of the present invention the fans  16  could be located on the top of the chassis  18  with the corrugated deflector  14  curved downward, thus causing air to flow down over the electronic components. The corrugated deflector  14  would still cause turbulence in the air allowing it to flow over all the electronic components. Upward flow is consistent with convention currents created as the air is heated by components on the electronic boards  24 . 
     Only three electronic boards  24  are shown, however, any configuration housing electronic components could be utilized in the present invention. As more boards are added the corrugated deflector  14  works to direct air sideways, making sure air flows between all the electronic boards  24 , thus adequately cooling all the electronic components within the chassis  18 . As shown, the air flows from the fans  16 , over the electronic components located on the electronic boards  24 , and out the exhaust blowers  12 . Even in the event a fan  16  fails, air will still flow to over all the electronic components. This is more clearly shown and described with reference to FIG.  7 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6, shown is a front-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG. 1 showing the air flow through the chassis  18 . Shown is the cooling system  10 , the seven fans  16 , the three exhaust blowers  12 , and the air flow represented by arrows. 
     Shown is the air flow through the chassis  18  when all of the seven fans  16  are properly functioning. As shown the air at the bottom of the chassis  18  is coming up from the corrugated deflector  14  in many directions, not only the original direction the fan  16  was blowing the air. This is caused by the turbulence in the air, caused by the corrugated deflector  14 . The air then proceeds to flow up through the chassis  18 , cooling the electronic components, and out of the chassis  18  through the exhaust blowers  12 . Optionally, the air could leave the chassis  18  through holes in the top of the chassis  18  rather than through the exhaust blowers  12 . 
     Referring to FIG. 7, shown is a front-view of the cooling system  10  of FIG. 1 showing the air flow through the chassis  18  when one of the fans  16  has failed. Shown is the cooling system  10 , six functioning fans  16 , a failed fan  26 , the three exhaust blowers  12 , and the air flow represented by arrows. 
     Shown is the air flow through the chassis  18  when only six of the fans  16  are properly functioning. The failed fan  26  is no longer drawing air into the chassis  18 . Similarly to FIG. 6, the air at the bottom of the chassis  18  is still coming up from the corrugated deflector  14  in many directions, not only the original direction the fan  16  was blowing the air. This is caused by the turbulence in the air, caused by the corrugated deflector  14 . The turbulence in the air will cause air to flow above the failed fan  26 . Advantageously, this provides a system that still causes air to flow over all of the electronic components inside the chassis  18  even in the event one or multiple fans  16  fail. The air then proceeds to flow up through the chassis  18 , cooling the electronic components, and out of the chassis  18  through the exhaust blowers  12 . Optionally, the air could leave the chassis  18  through holes in the top of the chassis  18  rather than through the exhaust blowers  12 . 
     In the event one or multiple fans  16  fail, the speed of the functioning fans  16  can be increased, such that the total amount of air flowing through the chassis  18  remains relatively constant. 
     Advantageously, the present invention provides for a fail safe cooling system  10 , such that electronic components will not overheat in the event of a fan  16  failure. 
     Additionally, in one embodiment a large number of fans  16  are used to blow air into the corrugated deflector  14 , such that in the event of a failure, the amount of air flowing through a chassis  18  is only reduced by a small percentage. Optionally, a smaller number of fans  16  could be used and the speed of the fans  16  increased upon the failure of one of the fans  16 , such that the amount of air flowing through the chassis  18  remains relatively constant. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, shown is a perspective view of the corrugated deflector with a plurality of directional air deflectors attached. Shown is the corrugated deflector  14 , five directional air deflectors  28 , and adjustment bolts  30 . In FIG. 8, the corrugations in the corrugated deflector  14  are not clearly shown. 
     The directional air deflector  28 , shown, is coupled to the corrugated air deflector  14 . The directional air deflector  28 , curves upward toward the exhaust blowers  12 , such that air will be deflected upward toward the electronic components. Advantageously, the directional air deflectors  28  are made from sheet metal. Optionally, the directional air deflectors  28  could be many different shapes or materials. One or more directional air deflectors  28  could be used to direct air at electronic components that need a relatively greater amount of air flow to keep them from overheating. 
     The directional air deflectors  28  are coupled to the corrugated air deflector  14  with adjustment bolts  30 . The adjustment bolts  30  come up through the corrugated air deflector  28  and through a hole in the directional air deflectors  28 . Nuts are then coupled to the adjustment bolts  30  to keep the directional air deflectors  28  in place. There are multiple adjustment bolts  30  each directional air deflector  28  can be coupled to. Shown in FIG. 8 are multiple adjustment bolts  30  that do not go through the directional air deflectors  28 . The directional air deflectors can be easily moved to these different adjustment  1  bolts  30  to adjust the direction of the air flow and direct additional air to hot spots. Thus, in the present embodiment there are more adjustment bolts  30  than directional air deflectors  28 . However, in another embodiment there could be the same number of adjustment bolts  30  as directional air deflectors  28 . The corrugated air deflector  14  optionally can have many additional adjustment bolts  30  in it, such that the directional air deflectors  28  can be adjusted to many different positions within the chassis  18 , allowing for precise controlled deflection of the air flowing through the chassis  18 . Optionally, the directional air deflectors  28  could be coupled to the chassis  18 . Appropriate nuts (not shown), such as lock nuts, wiring nuts, or the like, are used to secure the direction air deflectors  28  to the bolts  30  on the corrugated air defect  14 . 
     The directional air deflectors  28  direct air to predetermined hot spots within the chassis  18 . A hot spot is any area within the chassis where the electrical components are more susceptible to overheating, thus requiring a relatively greater amount of air to flow over them. This is an optional feature that may only need to be used when certain electronic components need more air passing over them in order for them to avoid overheating. 
     The optional directional air deflector  28  deflects air moving horizontally from the fans and redirects it to move in an upward direction, i.e., vertically. This will direct a greater amount of air to specific places on the electronic boards  24 , such that electronic components that are more susceptible to overheating have more air flowing over them. This prevents the electronic components from overheating. 
     Advantageously, the directional air deflectors  28  can be adjusted within the chassis  18  in order to cool different hot spots. The directional air deflectors  28  can be moved closer or farther away from the fans  16 . Additionally, the directional air deflectors  28  could be adjusted rotationally to more precisely direct air at hot spots. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, shown is a side-view of the cooling system of FIG. 1 showing the optional directional air deflector. Shown is the cooling system  10 , the exhaust blower  12 , the backplane  22 , the corrugated deflector  14 , the fan  16 , and the directional air deflector  28 . 
     The curvature of the directional air deflector  28  deflects a portion of the air moving in a horizontal direction into a vertical direction. The optional directional air deflector  28  need only be used in systems which have predetermined hot spots, thus requiring a relatively greater amount of airflow over the hot spots to prevent the electronic components from overheating. 
     Advantageously, the directional air deflectors  28  can be adjusted to tune where the air is flowing inside the chassis  18 . The directional air deflectors  28  can be moved in any direction in order to send a relatively greater amount of air to the hot spots. The directional air deflectors  28  can be adjusted to sit closer or farther from fans  16 . Additionally, rotational adjustments can be made to the directional air deflectors  28  in order to better direct air to the hot spots. Advantageously, the size and shape of the directional air deflectors  28  can be changed to adjust the amount of air being deflected and the direction of deflection. The tuning of the directional air deflectors  28  can be done at any time should the configuration of the electronic components change. Thus, if a new electronic board  24  is added inside the chassis  18 , the directional air deflectors  28  could be tuned to direct air at any hot spots. Additionally, new directional air deflectors  28  could be added to direct air at the new electronic components. 
     While some air is being deflected by the directional air deflectors  28  the majority of the air coming from the fans  16  passes by the directional air deflector  28  either over the top or by the side of it. The air then comes into contact with the corrugated air deflector  14  and is deflected sideways by the corrugations and horizontally by the upward curvature of the corrugated deflector  14 . The corrugations cause the air to move sideways, filling the space behind the directional air deflectors, such that air will still flow over all the electronic components. However, a relatively greater amount of air will be directed to the predetermined hot spots by the directional air deflectors  28 . 
     The corrugated air deflector  14  causes air to move into the areas behind the directional air deflectors  28  because of the sideways turbulence in the air caused by the corrugations. Thus, the combination of the corrugated air deflector  14  and the directional air deflectors  28  allow for an even cooling of a plurality of electronic components in an environment where certain electronic components need more air flow. The cooling system  10  continues to function in the event one or more fans  16  fail to operate. 
     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.