Abstract:
A design concept for a tower PC having an air grille formed on one side in a region of the power supply to achieve much more efficient cooling in the region of the power supply.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
   This is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/437,824, filed May 14, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,951. The application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of German patent application No. 102 24 273.9, filed May 31, 2002; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a design concept for a tower PC having a motherboard, a microprocessor, and a power supply with a fan in a computer casing. 
   To date, most tower PCs have been configured such that the cooling air is taken in at the front of the PC and is discharged at the back by a fan in the power supply. 
   As a result of components such as hard disks and processors becoming more and more powerful, the evolution of heat within the PC is also increasing. 
   In some cases, practice is now being changed to integrating an additional fan at the back for cooling purposes. 
   Similarly, special fans are being used on the processors. 
   The additional fans increase manufacturing costs and also increase the noise pollution by PC, and the MTBF (lifetime) is reduced. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a tower PC configuration that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that allows a tower PC to be cooled more effectively. 
   With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a tower PC configuration, including a computer casing, a motherboard disposed in the computer casing, a processor disposed at the motherboard, a power supply having a fan, the power supply disposed in the computer casing, and the computer casing having a side in a region of the power supply and a ventilation grille disposed at the side in the region of the power supply. 
   Because the ventilation grille can be configured to be much larger than at the back of the PC, a much greater cross-section is available for air to emerge, which means that the overall cooling for the interior of the PC can be made much more effective. 
   In accordance with another feature of the invention, maximum cooling can be achieved by forming the ventilation grille over the entire breadth of the power supply. 
   In accordance with a further feature of the invention, at the back, there is, advantageously, an air vent below the power supply, as in previously known models, and a fan forcing air outward can, likewise, be disposed on this air vent to increase efficiency. 
   In accordance with an added feature of the invention, there is provided an air guide shroud connected to the power supply, the air guide shroud passively cooling the processor. 
   In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the computer casing has an interior and heat-generating components disposed in the interior and an airshield subdivides the interior to isolate the components from the power supply and from the processor. 
   In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior to isolate cooling air from the power supply on the air guide shroud and on the processor from the components. 
   In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior to isolate the power supply and the processor. 
   In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior to isolate the power supply, the air guide shroud, and the processor. 
   In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior to isolate the power supply, the air guide shroud, and the processor. 
   In accordance with again another feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior and isolates cooling air from the power supply on the processor from the components. 
   In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, an airshield subdivides the interior and isolates cooling air from the power supply on the air guide shroud and on the processor from the components. 
   In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the components are hard disks in the form of 3½″ drives or plug-in cards. 
   In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the computer casing has a front, a back, a second ventilation grille at the front, and a third ventilation grille at the back below the airshield and a fan is disposed in the computer casing between the second and third ventilation grilles and supplies a cooling air stream to cool the components. 
   Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. 
   Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a tower PC configuration, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. 
   The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view from a side of a computer casing according to the invention open at the side; 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the casing of  FIG. 1  in a closed condition; and 
       FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the casing of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
   Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to  FIG. 1  thereof, there is shown a side view of a computer casing  1  for a tower PC whose front region contains a mounting cradle  2  for 5¼″ drives  3  and, below that, a mounting cradle  4  for 3½″ drives  5 . The mounting cradle  4  for the 3½″ drives  5  is disposed transversely with respect to the top mounting cradle  2 , which means that the 3½″ drives can be inserted transversely when the side has been removed. The 3½″ drives installed at this point are generally the hard disks. 
   Behind the two mounting cradles  2  and  4 , the side that is behind these has the motherboard  6  disposed on it substantially at right angles, and this motherboard has a series of slots  7  for plug-in cards  8  in its lower region. 
   The plug-in cards  8  are, thus, disposed horizontally and are fixed at the back of the computer casing  1  on a slot panel  9 . The top half of the computer casing  1  contains a power supply  10  on the back at the top, the power supply  10  being disposed exactly behind the removed side of the computer casing  1 . The power supply  10  has a ventilation grille  11  which points toward the removed side. Disposed behind the ventilation grille  11  is a non-illustrated ventilator or fan. 
     FIG. 2  shows a side  12  such as can be used for the computer casing shown in  FIG. 1 . The side  12  is distinguished in that it, likewise, has a ventilation grille  13  or a means of taking in air in the region of the power supply  10  or in the region of the ventilation grille  11  for the power supply  10 , the means of taking in air, preferably, being formed over the entire breadth of the power supply  10 . 
   The effect of a much larger surface area being available for air to emerge from the power supply  10  as a result of the ventilation grille  13  or  11  means that a much larger volume flow can be discharged from the interior of the PC through the power supply or the fan for the power supply  10 , which increases cooling efficiency. 
   The large configuration of the ventilation grille  11  on the power supply or of the ventilation grille  13  on a removable side affords the further advantage that it is also possible to dispose two fans next to one another within the power supply. 
   In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the power supply  10  has an air guide shroud  14  connected thereto that extends over a processor  15  (shown only in dashes) on the motherboard  6 . 
   In the exemplary embodiment shown, it is, thus, possible to dispense with a fan above the processor for the present evolution of heat from processors because an adequate cooling effect is achieved passively using the power supply. 
   For the cooling air to emerge, a further ventilation grille  16  is disposed below the power supply  10  in the usual manner. 
   To keep the evolution of heat from the hard disks, which are generally installed in the mounting cradle  4  as 3½″ components, away from the processor, the computer has an airshield  17  that is disposed between the mounting cradles  2  and  4 , extends over the entire breadth and length of the computer, and, thus, isolates the space containing the power supply and the part of the motherboard that holds the processor  15  from the 3½″ drives  5  and from the plug-in cards  8 . 
   To ensure adequate cooling for the 3½″ drives  5  and for the plug-in cards  8 , the front of the computer casing has a ventilation grille  18  and the back of the computer casing has a ventilation grille  19  next to the slot panel  9 . 
   Below the airshield  17 , either between the mounting cradle  4  for the 3½″ components and the plug-in cards  8  or, alternatively, between the mounting cradle  4  and the front of the computer housing  1 , there is a fan  20  that generates an air stream for the region below the airshield  17 . 
     FIG. 3  shows the back of the computer casing shown in  FIG. 1 , with the power supply  10  being shown only in dashes. 
   As already shown in  FIG. 1 , a ventilation grille  16  for air to emerge in the top region is shown below the power supply  10 , and, next to the slot panel  9 , a further ventilation grille  19  for air to enter and emerge for the region below the airshield  17  is shown. 
   Above the slot panel  9 , there is a plug panel  21  for the  connections from external devices.