Patent ID: 12225683

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A thermal module1disposed in an electronic device2according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG.1andFIG.2. The electronic device2could be an electronic communication device, such as a router, a switch, or an electronic device requiring cooling. The electronic device2includes an outer case2a, wherein two opposite sides of the outer case2arespectively have a plurality of through holes2bcommunicating an inside and an outside of the outer case2a. The thermal module1is disposed in the outer case2aand is located on a side of a plurality of electronic components2c. In this way, a gas from outside of the outer case2acould be guided by the thermal module1to enter the outer case2athrough the through holes2bon a side of the outer case2a, and pass through a surface of the electronic components2c, and exit through the through holes2bon another side of the outer case2a, so that an air flow carrying a heat energy could be removed from the electronic device2, achieving cooling effect.

As shown inFIG.3toFIG.8, the thermal module1includes a driving device10and at least one thermal device20. The driving device10includes a driving member12and a driven member14which are connected together, wherein the driving member12is adapted to drive the driven member14to operate. Each of the thermal devices20includes a fan22, wherein a mating portion22aand a connecting portion22bare provided respectively on two opposite ends of the fan22(as shown inFIG.8). The mating portion22ais adapted to be connected to the driven member14, so that the driving member12could drive the driven member14to drive the fan22to rotate. Besides, the connecting portion22bof the fan22is adapted to be connected to the mating portion22aof the fan22of another thermal device20′. In this way, the fan22of the thermal device20could drive the fan22of the another thermal device20′ to rotate when the fan22of the thermal device20rotates.

As shown inFIG.3toFIG.8, the fan22could drive another fan22to rotate when the driving member12drives the driven member14to drive the fan22, which is the nearest to the driving member12, to rotate. In this way, only one driving member12is required to drive the plurality of fans22to rotate, effectively increasing the cooling efficiency and reducing the noise of the driving member12during operating, reducing the energy consumption, the cost, and the overall volume of the thermal module1at the same time. In the current embodiment, the number of the at least one thermal device20is three for illustration. In practice, the number of the at least one thermal device20could be one or more, depending on the arrangement of a room inside the electronic device2or the requirement of the cooling efficiency.

The driving member12is a motor. The driven member14and the connecting portion22bof the fan22are respectively a non-circular rotating shaft. The mating portion22aof the fan22is a non-circular blind hole matching with a contour of the non-circular rotating shaft. In this way, the motor could drive the driven member14to rotate around a reference axis A to drive the fan22to rotate around the reference axis A. In the current embodiment, the non-circular rotating shaft and the non-circular blind hole are respectively a hexagonal shape as an example. In other embodiments, the non-circular rotating shaft and the non-circular blind hole could be respectively a triangular shape, a quadrilateral shape, a pentagonal shape, an elliptical shape, an irregular shape, or any shape which could allow the driven member14to be firmly connected and operatively coupled to the connecting portion22bof the fan22or could allow the connecting portion22bof the fan22to be firmly connected and operatively coupled to the mating portion22aof another fan22.

Each of the thermal devices20includes a case24, wherein the fan22is disposed in the case24. Referring toFIG.3, the case24has an engaging portion241for being detachably engaged with the engaging portion241of another case24. As shown inFIG.4andFIG.6, the engaging portion241of the case24includes two first engaging portions241aand two second engaging portions241b, wherein the two first engaging portions241aof the engaging portion241are disposed respectively on two diagonal ends of the case24, and the two second engaging portions241bof the engaging portion241are disposed respectively on another two diagonal ends of the case24. The two first engaging portions241aof the engaging portion241respectively have a through hole2411. When the two cases24of the two thermal devices20are disposed adjacently, the through holes2411of the two thermal devices20that are adjacent are disposed correspondingly, and are respectively passed through by a fixing column30which extends along a direction parallel to the reference axis A. Each of the second engaging portions241bof the engaging portion241include two engaging members2412which are arranged along a direction parallel to the reference axis A, wherein each of the engaging members2412has a screw hole2413. When the two cases24of the two thermal devices20are disposed adjacently, a threaded rod32passes through the screw hole2413of the two engaging members2412which are adjacent. An end of the threaded rod32has an outer threaded section32amatching with the screw hole2413of the engaging member2412, and another end of the threaded rod32has an annular recessing groove32b. In this way, the end of the threaded rod32having the outer threaded section32ais engaged with the screw hole2413of one of the two engaging members2412that are adjacent, and another end of the threaded rod32having the annular recessing groove32bpasses through the screw hole2413of the other one of the two engaging members2412that are adjacent, and a C-shaped retaining ring34is engaged with the annular recessing groove32b, so that the two cases24of the two thermal devices20that are adjacent could be firmly engaged together and not be loosened easily. Besides, as each of the thermal devices20is disposed coaxially along the reference axis A, and the two cases24of the two thermal devices20that are adjacent are disposed closely (as shown inFIG.8), the overall volume of the thermal module1could be reduced.

As shown inFIG.3andFIG.5, an air inlet242and an air outlet243are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the case24, wherein the air inlet242is closer to a bottom of the case24than the air outlet243, thereby the air flow in the electronic device2could be guided by the fan22to enter the case24via the air inlet242and then exit via the air outlet243(as shown inFIG.7).

Each of the thermal devices20includes at least one frame26, wherein the at least one frame26has a fixing portion26a. The driving device10is detachably engaged with the at least one frame26, and the at least one thermal device20is detachably engaged with the at least one frame26. The at least one frame26is fixed on an installation surface of the electronic device2via the fixing portion26a. The driving device10and the at least one thermal device20are disposed above the installation surface by a distance via the at least one frame26.

Referring toFIG.4, in the current embodiment, the number of the at least one frame26is plural, and the at least one frame26includes a front-end frame261and a rear-end frame262. The driving device10, the front-end frame261, the thermal devices20, and the rear-end frame262are disposed in order along the reference axis A. In other embodiments, the front-end frame261could be disposed alone, and the rear-end frame262could be omitted.

As shown inFIG.4, the front-end frame261includes two screw holes26b, wherein the driving member12has two through holes12bcorresponding to the two screw holes26bof the front-end frame261. In this way, the driving member12could be fixed on the front-end frame261via two screws36matching with the two screw holes26bof the front-end frame261and the two through holes12bof the driving member12. Besides, the front-end frame261includes two first engaging portions261aand two second engaging portions261b, wherein the two first engaging portions261aof the front-end frame261are disposed respectively on two diagonal ends of the front-end frame261, and the two second engaging portions261bof the front-end frame261are disposed respectively on another two diagonal ends of the front-end frame261. The two first engaging portions261aof the front-end frame261respectively have a protruding column2611extending along a direction parallel to the reference axis A, wherein when the front-end frame261is disposed on a side of the case24of the thermal device20, each of the protruding columns2611passes through one of the through holes2411of the case24(as shown inFIG.6). As shown inFIG.6, each of the second engaging portions261bof the front-end frame261has a screw hole2614, wherein when the front-end frame261is disposed on the side of the case24of the thermal device20, a threaded rod32could pass through the screw hole2413of the case24and the screw hole2614of the second engaging portion261bof the front-end frame261. In this way, the end of the threaded rod32having the outer threaded section32ais engaged with the screw hole2614of the second engaging portion261bof the front-end frame261, and the another end of the threaded rod32having the annular recessing groove32bpasses through the screw hole2413of the case24, and a C-shaped retaining ring34is engaged with the annular recessing groove32b(as shown inFIG.3), thereby the thermal device20could be firmly engaged with the front-end frame261and not be loosened easily.

As shown inFIG.4, the structure of the rear-end frame262is the same as that of the front-end frame261. When the rear-end frame262is disposed on another side of the case24of the thermal device20, two ends of a threaded rod32respectively pass through the screw hole2413of the case24and the screw hole2614of the second engaging portion261bof the rear-end frame262. An end of the threaded rod32having the outer threaded section32ais engaged with the screw hole2413of the case24, and another end of the threaded rod32having the annular recessing groove32bpasses through the screw hole2614of the second engaging portion261bof the rear-end frame262, and a C-shaped retaining ring34is engaged with the annular recessing groove32b, thereby the thermal device20could be firmly engaged with the rear-end frame262and not be loosened easily. As shown inFIG.6, the two first engaging portion261aof the rear-end frame262respectively have a recessing groove2613disposed on a rear side of the protruding column2611. In this way, when the rear-end frame262is disposed on the another side of the case24of the thermal device20, each of the recessing grooves2613and the through hole2411of the case24are respectively passed through by two ends of a fixing column30, wherein the two ends of the fixing column30are located between each of the recessing grooves2613and the through hole2411of the case24.

A thermal module3according to another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG.9toFIG.13, which has almost the same structure as that of the thermal module1of the aforementioned embodiment, except that each of the cases24has an end surface244perpendicular to the reference axis A, wherein the air inlet242is disposed on the end surface244, and the air outlet243is disposed on a side surface of the case24. The number of the at least one frame26is plural, and the frames26include a front-end frame261and at least one middle frame263. The structure of each of the middle frames263is the same as that of the front-end frame261, and each of the middle frames263is disposed between the two thermal devices20that are adjacent, so that the two thermal devices20that are adjacent are spaced by an interval. In this way, the air flow in the electronic device2could be guided by each of the fans22to enter each of the cases24via each of the air inlets242and exit via each of the air outlets243.

In the current embodiment, the thermal module3includes a plurality of adapters40respectively disposed between any two of the fans22that are adjacent and between the driven member14of the driving device10and one of the fans22. Two opposite sides of the adapters40respectively have a non-circular rotating shaft and a non-circular blind hole, wherein the non-circular rotating shaft of the adapters40is adapted to pass through the mating portion22aof one of the fans22, and the non-circular blind hole of the adapters40is adapted to be passed through by the connecting portion22bof another fan22or the driven member14. In this way, the driven member14could be operatively coupled to one of the fans22via the adapters40, and the two fans22that are adjacent could be operatively coupled via the adapters40.

With the aforementioned design, the fan22of the plurality of thermal devices20could be driven to rotate by simply one driving member12, increasing the cooling efficiency. Besides, when installing the plurality of thermal devices, compared with the conventional thermal device in which one driving member drives one fan, the plurality of fans22of the thermal module of the present invention driven by one driving member12could effectively reduce the noise of the driving member12during operating, and the energy consumption and the overall volume of the thermal module could also be reduced.

It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.