Patent Publication Number: US-8967963-B2

Title: Fan module

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a fan module. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Typically, a cooling fan is needed for a computer, and is mounted on a computer enclosure through screws, which is inconvenient. During operation, the cooling fan may generate undesirable vibration, with resulting in vibration noise. Such vibration can adversely affect other components in the enclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a fan module, wherein the fan module includes four fasteners. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged, isometric view of one of the fasteners of  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 3  is an assembled, isometric view of the fan module of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3 , taken along the line of IV-IV. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of a fan module  100  includes a supporting rack  20 , a cooling fan  40 , and four fasteners  60  for fixing the cooling fan  40  to the supporting rack  20 . 
     The supporting rack  20  is substantially U-shaped and integrally bent from a single metal plate. The supporting rack  20  includes a rectangular base  22  and two supporting walls  24  perpendicularly extending up from opposite sides of the base  22 , respectively. Two opposite installing portions  26  are respectively protruding out from the supporting walls  24 , away from each other. The base  22  and the supporting walls  24  cooperatively bound a receiving space  25 . 
     Each supporting wall  24  is rectangular. One of the supporting walls  24  defines a round air inlet  29 , and the other supporting wall  24  defines a round air outlet  28  aligning with the air inlet  29 . The installing portion  26  is substantially U-shaped and extends out from an upper portion of each supporting wall  24 . The installing portion  26  includes two supporting plates  262  extending out from the supporting wall  24  at opposite sides of an upper portion of the air inlet  29  or the air outlet  28 , two guiding plates  264  slantingly extending up and out from the ends of the supporting plates  262  opposite to the air inlet  29  or the air outlet  28  and connected to the supporting wall  24 , and an abutting plate  266  connected between outer sides of the guiding plates  264  and connected to the supporting plates  262 . The abutting plate  266  is parallel to the supporting wall  24 . 
     The cooling fan  40  includes a hollow frame  42  and an impeller (not shown) mounted in the frame  42 . The frame  42  defines a cylindrical receiving hole  424  for receiving the impeller. The frame  42  includes two opposite rectangular sidewalls  422 , with four mounting holes  426  defined in four corners of each of the sidewalls  422 . The receiving hole  424  extends through the sidewalls  422 . Four arc-shaped connecting portions  428  are formed at four corners of each of the sidewalls  422 , each connecting portion  428  connected between two adjacent sides of the sidewall  422 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the fasteners  60  are made with vibration-resistant material, such as rubber or foam. Each of the fasteners  60  includes a substantially rectangular main body  62 , and a cylindrical latching pin  64  perpendicularly extending out from a surface of the main body  62 . The main body includes a top surface  624 , a bottom surface  626  opposite to the top surface  624 , a first end surface  627  perpendicularly connected between the top surface  624  and the bottom surface  626 , a second end surface  628  perpendicularly connected between the top surface  624  and the bottom surface  626  and opposite to the first end surface  627 , and a side surface  629  perpendicularly connected among the first end surface  627 , the second end surface  628 , the top surface  624 , and the bottom surface  626 . The latching pin  64  perpendicularly extends from a center of the second end surface  628 . 
     An L-shaped extending portion  622  protrudes out from two adjacent sides of the second end surface  628 , adjacent to the top surface  624  and the side surface  629 . The extending portion  622  includes a first engaging plate  623  extending along the side surface  629 , and a second engaging plate  625  extending along the top surface  624 . A substantially wedge-shaped resilient latching block  642  protrudes from a middle of a circumference of the latching pin  64 , opposite to a junction of the first and second engaging plates  623  and  625 . A slanted guiding surface  644  is formed in an outer surface of the latching block  642 , opposite to the latching pin  64 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in assembly, the latching pin  64  of each fastener  60  is inserted into the corresponding mounting hole  426  of an upper portion of the cooling fan  40 , from an outside surface of the corresponding sidewall  422 . The guiding surface  644  of the latching block  642  slidably abuts against a sidewall bounding the mounting hole  426 , to deform the latching block  642 , until the latching block  642  passes through the mounting hole  426 . The latching block  642  is restored to be blocked by an inside of the sidewall  422 . The second end surface  628  of the fastener  60  abuts against the outside surface of the sidewall  422 . The extending portion  622  abuts against the corresponding sides of the sidewall  422 . Therefore, the fastener  60  is securely latched to the cooling fan  40 . 
     The cooling fan  40  is inserted into the receiving space  25  of the supporting rack  20 . The two fasteners  60  at each sidewall  422  are received in opposite ends of the corresponding installing portion  26 . The cooling fan  40  is pressed down. Each fastener  60  moves down and is deformed by the abutting plate  266 , until the bottom surface  626  of each fastener  60  is supported on the supporting plates  262 . The first end surface  627  of each fastener  60  abuts against the abutting plate  266 . The side surface  629  of each fastener  60  abuts against the corresponding guiding plate  264 . Therefore, the cooling fan  40  is securely engaged in the supporting rack  20 . The receiving hole  424  aligns with the air inlet  29  and the air outlet  28 . 
     The top surface  624  of each fastener  60  is protruded out of a top surface of the corresponding supporting wall  24 , for avoiding interference between the cooling fan  40  and other elements, such as motherboard or hard disk drives. A U-shaped space is formed between each supporting wall  24  of the supporting rack  20  and the corresponding sidewall  422  and the base  22  of the cooling fan  40 , through the fasteners  60 . 
     In disassembly, the cooling fan  40  is pulled out from the supporting rack  20 . The fasteners  60  are disengaged from the installing portions  26 . Therefore, the cooling fan  40  may be easily separated from the supporting rack  20 . 
     During operation, the fasteners  60  can absorb the energy of vibrations generated by the cooling fan  40 . 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.