Abstract:
A system and method of cooling heat generating components. Heat generating components are placed in an enclosure having an air permeable cover. A mating panel having a mating connector is placed proximate to the air permeable cover. A fan assembly having a hub is coupled to the mating panel, wherein coupling includes wiring the fan to a fan connector, mounting the fan connector along an axial line running through the hub and pressing the fan assembly into the mating panel so as to mate the mating connector and the fan connector.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to system cooling, and more particularly to a system and method for directing air through a system to be cooled. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Modern electronics systems can generate a great deal of heat in a very small space. Such systems must be cooled in order to dissipate the heat. 
     Systems to date have used a variety of liquid and air cooling techniques to draw heat away from the electronic system. Liquid cooling systems tend to be complicated, requiring complex plumbing and heat exchange systems. They have, therefore, traditionally been used only on relatively large, expensive systems. 
     Air cooling, on the other hand, has been used on computers ranging from personal computers and laptops through minicomputer and mainframe systems. The benefits of air cooling are that air is relatively easy to move around a system and that air can be cooled using room or area air conditioners. 
     Air cooling systems typically use fans or other air moving devices to push air across components of the system being cooled. The fans are typically mounted inside of the system being cooled and either suck air through or push air into the device to be cooled. Since the fan is mounted inside the system, mechanical and electrical hazards must be eliminated by shutting down the system before a failed or failing fan can be replaced. Also, because of electrical danger, maintenance is normally performed by qualified technicians only. 
     In high density systems, large volumes of air are needed to ensure that an adequate amount of heat is removed from the system. Modern electronics systems tend to pack devices in smaller and smaller spaces, increasing the heat generated per unit volume. Failure to supply adequate amounts of air can result in overheating, leading to system error or failure. Therefore it is important to predict when a fan is going to fail, identify a failure immediately, and minimize the time needed for fan replacement in order to limit the effects of a fan failure. 
     Thus, what is needed is a system and method for efficiently directing air past components of a heat generating system in a way that reduces downtime due to fan failure while at the same time transferring adequate amounts of air through an electronics enclosure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a system and method of cooling heat generating components. Heat generating components are placed in an enclosure having an air permeable cover. A mating panel having a mating panel connector is placed proximate to the air permeable cover. A fan assembly having a hub is coupled to the mating panel, wherein coupling includes wiring the fan to a fan connector, mounting the fan connector along an axial line running through the hub and pressing the fan assembly into the mating panel so as to mate the mating panel connector and the fan connector. 
     Another aspect of the present invention provides an air moving system which includes a fan assembly having a fan with a connector coupled to the fan. The fan assembly also includes one or more guide pins configured to guide the fan connector into a mating connection. 
     In further embodiments, the mating connection includes a panel connector situated in a central portion of a mating panel, the fan connector removably couplable with the panel connector. 
     In yet further embodiments, the fan assembly includes a rear finger guard for covering a rear side of the fan, with the one or more guide pins integral to the rear finger guide. The fan assembly includes a front finger guard for covering a front side of the fan, the front finger guard having handle. The handle includes a set of snap clips on each end of the handle, and wherein the front finger guard includes a modified H-shaped section couplable with the set of snap clips. 
     Another aspect of the present invention provides a cooling system. The cooling system includes an enclosure having an air permeable cover, a mating panel mounted proximate the air permeable cover and a fan assembly. The mating panel includes a mating connector or panel connector. The fan assembly includes a fan, a fan connector coupled to the fan and guiding members for guiding the fan assembly into the mating panel such that the fan connector and the panel connector are connected. 
     In a further embodiment, the cooling system includes a fan enclosure unit coupled proximate to the box, the mating panel mounted within the enclosure. In yet a further embodiment, the cooling system includes a controller for sensing and displaying fan and other system information. 
     The present system provides a modular system and method for efficiently directing air past components of a heat generating system. The system permits fan replacement by non-technical workers, permits fan replacement while the electronics system is still running, and permits a required volume of air movement in a minimal space. The result is increased reliability, reduced cost, and enhanced ease of use. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a front isometric view of a fan assembly according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 shows a back isometric view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a modular air moving system according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 shows the modular air moving system of FIG. 3 with a fan assembly removed. 
     FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the system of FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     FIG. 6 shows an isometric view of a corner section of a front finger guard according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 shows a top view of the modified H-shaped section of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of a handle according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of a guide tab for a rear finger guard according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of a guide tab for a rear finger guard according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The leading digit of reference numbers appearing in the Figures generally corresponds to the Figure number in which that component is first introduced, such that the same reference number is used throughout to refer to an identical component which appears in multiple Figures. 
     Description of the System 
     FIGS. 1,  2 , and  5  show one embodiment of a fan assembly  101 . FIGS. 1 and 2 show a front and a back isometric view of fan assembly  101 . FIG. 5 partially shows an exploded view of FIGS. 1 and 2. Fan assembly  101  includes a front finger guard  201 , an air mover such as a fan  202 , and a rear finger guard  212 . Front finger guard  201  contains a plurality of finger guards  240  which prevent a user&#39;s fingers from coming in contact with fan  202 . Attached to the front side of finger guard  201  is a handle  104 . In one embodiment, handle  104  is attached at two diagonally opposite corners of front finger guard  201 . In one embodiment, handle  104  is shaped to provide a grip for a hand so that a user can pull or push on handle  104  to remove or attach fan assembly  101  to a mating connection. Embodiments of handle  104  will be described in further detail below. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, air mover or fan  202  includes an outer casing  222 . Within casing  222  the fan includes a fan hub  207 . Attached to hub  207  are a plurality of blades  206 . Fan  202  also includes a plurality of electric wires  208  for providing power, speed control, and sensing to and from the fan. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any type of fan or other air moving apparatus can be used within the present system, and that the present invention is not limited by the type of fan described. 
     In one embodiment, front finger guard  201  includes clips  205  for attaching front finger guard  201  to a front side of fan  202 . In one such embodiment, front finger guard  201  includes two clips  205  located on an upper side of front guard  201 , and two clips  205  located on a bottom side of the finger guard. Clips  205  permit a user to attach front finger guard to fan  202  without the need to use any separate fasteners. 
     Fan assembly  101  also includes a fan connector  210 . Fan connector  210  is coupled to the electrical wires  208  from fan  202 . Connector  210  contains a connecting latch section  232  and a coupling/mating member  211 . 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, fan assembly  101  includes a rear finger guard  212 . In one such embodiment, rear finger guard  212  is approximately the same size as front finger guard  201  and it is attached to the rear side of the fan  202 . Rear finger guard  212  contains a plurality of finger guards  241  which prevent a user&#39;s fingers from coming in contact with blades  206  of fan  202 . Rear finger guard  212  also contains clips  215  for clipping rear finger guard  212  to the back side of fan  202 . Clips  215  are positioned analogously to front finger guard clips  205 . 
     Rear finger guide  212  also contains a plurality of guiding members or guiding posts  214 . In one embodiment, four guiding members  214  are attached to rear finger guard  212  substantially in the four corners thereof. Guiding members  214  are bi-directional latching members. This provides that if enough pressure is applied to them while they are being pushed or pulled the guiding members will tend to unlatch from where they are attached. Furthermore, it permits the fan assembly to be installed without using separate fasteners, either electrical or mechanical. This minimizes the complexity and time needed to mount the fan to its mating connection. 
     Rear finger guard  212  also includes an opening (latching hole  213 ) situated approximately in a central portion of guard  212 . Latching hole  213  is adapted to lockably mate with connecting latch section  232  of fan connector  210 , as shown in FIG.  2 . In one embodiment, latching hole  213  includes tabs for supporting and attaching fan connector  210  firmly to the rear finger guard. In one embodiment, rear finger guard  212  also includes a plurality of guide/support tabs  250  on an outer surface of the guard. Tabs  250  are adapted to mate with opposing slots such as slots  251  and  252  on the mating panel. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, rear finger guard  212  can include guide/support tabs  901  situated diagonally in a corner of the finger guard, or guide/support tabs  1001  and  1002  which are perpendicular to the sides of the finger guard and lay at right angles to one another on adjacent sides of guide member  214 . 
     FIGS. 6-8 show one embodiment of handle  104  and an attaching section  502  on front finger guard  201 . FIG. 6 shows an outside isometric view of a corner section of front finger guard  201 . Front finger guard  201  contains a modified H-shaped section  502  having an opening  501  on one side and an opening  503  on an opposite side. The shape of section  502  is adapted to match the shape of the underside of handle  104 . Handle  104  has a first set of angled snaps  203  on one end and a second set of angled snaps  204  on an opposite end. When snaps  203  or  204  are inserted into openings  501  and  503 , the snaps become attached. The modified H-shape helps spread the force of handle  104  so it is not localized only where the snaps attach to front finger guard  201 . This permits a user to use enough force to insert and remove fan assembly  101  from mating panel  216 , while not taking up too much space in front of fan assembly  101 , which would decrease airflow. 
     One exemplary method of assembling fan assembly  101  is as follows. Handle  104  is attached to front finger guard  201 . Front finger guard  201  is then attached to fan  202 . Fan connector  210  is coupled to the wires  208  of the fan. Fan connector  210  is then locked into place within hole  213  of rear finger guard  212 , and the rear finger guard is attached to the rear side of fan  202 . The fan assembly is then ready to be matably connected to the system. 
     In one embodiment, no finger guards are provided. In one such embodiment (not shown), guiding members extend from outer casing  222  and fan connector  210  is attached to hub  207  through mechanical or adhesive means. In addition, in one such embodiment (also not shown), slots are provided on the front side of outer casing  222 . The slots are used in one embodiment to permanently attached a handle thereto. In another embodiment, a temporary handle can be attached to outer casing  222  to facilitate inserting and removing fan assembly  201 . 
     FIGS. 3-5 show one embodiment of an exemplary modular air moving system  100  which includes fan assembly  101 . System  100  is described in the context of air cooling an electronic computer system. However those skilled in the art will recognize that the present system is not limited by the environment in which it is used but instead could be used, for example, in other types of electronic systems. 
     System  100  includes a supporting structure such as a sheet metal fan enclosure unit  107 . In this exemplary embodiment, fan enclosure unit  107  is EIA standard  19 ″ wide and is designed for fitting onto a standard  19 ″ computer system rack. Fan enclosure unit  107  is adapted to be mounted against the front side  230  of an enclosure  112 , which contains a plurality of electronic devices or other heat generating components including, but not limited to, processors, disk drives, memory chips, and/or other electronic components. The front side of enclosure  112  contains a plurality of perforated holes. Alternatively, enclosure  112  can include slits or other means to permit the air to be directed to the heat generating components. At least one other side of enclosure  112  also contains a plurality of slits or holes, thus permitting the flow-through of air. 
     In one embodiment, the perforations in enclosure  112  are designed to permit relatively free flow of air while providing a degree of electromagnetic shielding. 
     In one embodiment, fan assemblies  101 ,  102 , and  103  are removably mounted within fan enclosure unit  107 . In one such embodiment, fan assemblies  101 - 103  are interchangeable and are equivalent to fan assembly  101  described above. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-5, fan assemblies  101 - 103  are approximately 5″ square. This permits three of the fan assemblies to be used within the  19 ″ EIA standard width. Since the fans are mounted on the outside of the box, the system does not have to be shut down to replace the fans. Instead a worker can hot swap new fans for defective ones. In addition, since no dangerous electronics are exposed outside of enclosure  112 , no special training is required to maintain the cooling system. Therefore, even a non-technical worker can do maintenance for the cooling system. 
     In one embodiment, system  100  includes a controller section  111 . In one such embodiment, controller section  111  includes a controller  221  and/or programmable logic circuits which enable the fans to be monitored and controlled. Those skilled in the art will recognize that controller section  111  can also include other logic circuits and controllers to control and monitor other parts of system  100 . In one embodiment, controller section  111  also includes a display  108 , a first warning/failure light  109 , and a second warning/failure light  110 . The controller  221  inside controller section  111  monitors fan assemblies  101 ,  102  and  103 . When a fan fails or begins to fail, the controller causes one of the lights  109  and  110  to light, and it causes a message detailing the problem to be displayed on display  108 . For example, if fan assembly  101  was told to run at a certain speed and controller  221  detected that it was running at a lower speed, then the controller would cause a light to flash and a message such as “center fan running slow” to be output to the display  108   a  maintenance worker would notice the warning light, read the message, and replace fan assembly  101  with a new fan assembly equivalent to fan assembly  101 . The system permits non-technical maintenance workers to diagnose problems and replace the fans, thus not requiring highly paid specialists to do preventive and/or corrective maintenance. Controller  221  also can be programmed to send warning and failure messages to a system having central monitoring software. This would permit remote diagnosis of the system. 
     In one embodiment, a fan assembly receptacle such as a mating panel  216  is mounted flush against perforated outside wall  230  of enclosure  112  and each fan assembly  101 ,  102 , and  103  is removably mounted to the fan assembly receptacle. In one embodiment, one or more mating panels  216  are attached directly to enclosure  112  such that the mating panels are substantially flush with perforated wall  230 . 
     In another embodiment, each mating panel is mounted within a fan enclosure unit  107  and fan enclosure unit  107  is placed substantially flush with the perforated wall  230 . In such an embodiment, no mounting holes need to be drilled into enclosure  112  containing the electronic system. This means that no radio waves can leak out of the electronics system through the relatively large holes such a mounting system would require. 
     In one embodiment, mating panel  216  has a square-shaped frame and includes a plurality of mating guide holes  219 , and guiding slots  251  and  252 . In one such embodiment, mating panel  216  includes four mating guide holes  219  located in approximately the four corners of its frame. Mating guide holes  219  are configured to matably receive guiding members  214  of rear finger guard  212 . In one embodiment, mating guide holes  219  have a slight conical shape, wherein the front opening is larger than the rear opening. This permits guiding members  214  to be slightly misaligned when the fan assembly is being mounted within fan enclosure unit  107 . This permits a blind mating connection since the installer does not have to see the connector as they are trying to mount the fan assembly. As explained above, this greatly decreases the need for a specialist to do the maintenance for the system. 
     In one embodiment, mating panel  216  also includes a post  217  rising from a portion of the mating panel frame. In one such embodiment, post  217  includes a hollow portion running lengthwise inside its body. This permits electrical wires  220 , which originate at controller  221 , to run upwards therethrough. In one embodiment, only a single post  217  is attached to each panel  216 . By using a single post  217 , the present system decreases interference to air flow. Attached to the upper end of post  217  is a mating connector such as panel connector  218 . Wires  220  terminate in panel connector  218 . 
     Panel connector  218  is situated in approximately a central portion of mating panel  216  and it provides a mating connection that removably couples with fan connector  210 . In one embodiment, mating panel  216  includes a latching section  245  having tabs which provide support and attachment for the mating panel connector  218 . Since it is mounted in the center of panel  216  at the same level and coaxial with fan hub  207 , the connector  218  only minimally interferes with airflow. Also, since it is located in the center of frame  216 , it saves space compared with being mounted outside the perimeter of the fan assembly. This provides that three 5″×5″ fans can be used in air moving system  100  and still be within the EIA  19 ″ standard width. Thus, the system provides optimized airflow in a minimal space. 
     In one embodiment, read finger guard  212  and mating panel  216  are designed such that when fan assembly  101  is snapped into place, a closed tube extends from fan  202  to the front of enclosure  112 . In such an embodiment, even if a fan assembly is removed (such as in FIG.  2 ), the air being pushed by the other two fans is still directed into the enclosure  112 . This is because the fans are mounted in parallel, and each mating panel provides a channel for air to go through. 
     Exemplary Operation of the System 
     In one exemplary embodiment of using system  100 , mating panel  216  is mounted against a box or structure containing heat generating components, such as enclosure  112 . Mating panel  216  is attached to fan enclosure unit  107  or an equivalent supporting structure. This supporting structure permits mating panel  216  to be mounted against the wall of enclosure  112  without being attached to it. Wires  220  from the system are run up post  220  to a mating connector such as panel connector  218 . Connector  218  is adapted to be matably connectable to fan connector  210 . Wires  220  are also coupled to a controller  221  contained in a controller section  111  of the system. The controller  111  is for sensing, monitoring, and controlling the fan. 
     The fan assembly is then mounted against mating panel  216 . Guide members  214  on rear finger guard  212  provide guidance into mating guide holes  219  on the mating panel. The fan assembly is then inserted into position, and fan connector  210  mates with panel connector  218 . 
     If replacement of the fan is required, then controller  221  senses this requirement and displays a warning/failure light on light  109  or  110  and a message on display  108   a  person can read the message to diagnose the problem. If, for example, the message reads, “replace central fan,” the person grips handle  104  and pulls the fan assembly out away from the mating panel. The bi-directional guiding members  214  permit the unit to unlatch from its attached position. The front finger guards and rear finger guards protect the person&#39;s hands from any danger. Also, since the fan is outside the box, the person does not have to shut down the electronics within the box to remove the fan since there is no electrical danger outside of the box. 
     The person takes an equivalent fan assembly and mounts it in the failed fan&#39;s former position, as described above. If the system is a three-fan system, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the short time that the fan is removed does not cause any harm to the system. This is because the fan can be replaced quickly, and because the fans are mounted in a parallel configuration so that each fan assembly&#39;s mating panel provides an airflow channel to the inside of the box. 
     It should be noted that, although in the above examples fan  202  is placed to blow air into enclosure  112 , fan  202  could be configured to suck air out of enclosure  112 . 
     CONCLUSION 
     The present system provides a system and method for efficiently directing air past components of a heat generating system. The system permits fan replacement by non-technical workers, permits fan replacement while the electronics system is still running, and provides a required volume of air movement using minimal space. The result is increased reliability, reduced cost, and enhanced ease of use. 
     It is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.