1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an electronic device and fan-retaining structure thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to a fan which can be quickly dismounted from a fan-retaining structure and an electronic device having fan-retaining structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Most electronic products have requirements of heat-dissipation. In generally, if using the inner space of electronic products is allowed, cooling fans are most popularly used for directly dissipating heat. Most of the fans are directly fixed by screws on the housing or other parts of the electronic product. However, the way of using screws to fix the fan in the electronic product causes much inconvenience to a user or manufacturer in practical usage. For example, when the user wants to replace the fan, the screws firstly must be removed one by one and the fan is taken out. After the fan is installed, the screws must be screwed again one by one. Such a manner not only is time-consuming, but also requires much work. Further, screws are easily lost. Similarly, for production workers assembling the electric product, it is time-consuming and requires much work assembling the fans. The assembling time and manufacturing cost of the electronic products are increased.
To resolve the above issues, the inventor researched and proposes the following design solutions to address the above shortcomings. Therefore, it is desirable to propose an electronic device and fan-retaining structure thereof to overcome the above-mentioned problems.
It is one objective of this invention to provide an electronic device and a fan-retaining structure thereof, so as to solve the problem of a fan of a conventional electronic device that cannot be quickly dismounted from a fan-retaining structure.
In order to achieve the above objective, the present disclosure provides a fan-retaining structure, which includes a base, two side walls and at least one elastic clamping unit. The two side walls are disposed on the base and being opposite to each other. Each of the side walls is erectly arranged on the base along a longitudinal direction. Each of the side walls facing to each other and a guiding slot formed on the inner side. The two guiding slots and the base corporately define a receiving space for receiving the fan. The elastic clamping unit is arranged on at least one of the inner side of the side walls. The elastic clamping unit is disposed in the guiding slot. The elastic clamping unit has a top-blocking portion formed on one end thereof away from the base. The top-blocking portion has at least one part protruded from one end of the side walls away from the base, and the at least one part of the top-blocking portion shields a part of the receiving space. The fan is selectively mounted in the receiving space along the longitudinal direction. As the fan is disposing into the receiving space, the top-blocking portion is propped up by the fan, so that the elastic clamping unit is elastically curved outward. After the fan is disposed in the receiving space, at least one part of the fan is arranged in the two guiding slots. Therefore, the two guiding slots restrain the fan from moving in an axial direction, and the axial direction is parallel to a ventilation direction of the fan. The top-blocking portions and the base corporately clamp the fan, so as to restrict the fan to move along the longitudinal direction.
In order to achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, which includes a housing and a fan. The housing includes a fan-retaining structure for receiving the fan. The fan-retaining structure includes a base, two side walls and at least one elastic clamping unit. The two side walls are disposed on the base and being opposite to each other. Each of the side walls is erectly arranged on the base along a longitudinal direction. Each of the side walls facing to each other and a guiding slot formed on the inner side. The two guiding slots and the base corporately define a receiving space for receiving the fan. The elastic clamping unit is arranged on at least one of the inner side of the side walls. The elastic clamping unit is disposed in the guiding slot. The elastic clamping unit has a top-blocking portion formed on one end thereof away from the base. The top-blocking portion has at least one part protruded from one end of the side walls away from the base, and the at least one part of the top-blocking portion shields a part of the receiving space. The fan is selectively mounted in the receiving space along the longitudinal direction. As the fan is disposing into the receiving space, the top-blocking portion is propped up by the fan, so that the elastic clamping unit is elastically curved outward. After the fan is disposed in the receiving space, at least one part of the fan is arranged in the two guiding slots. Therefore, the two guiding slots restrain the fan from moving in an axial direction, and the axial direction is parallel to a ventilation direction of the fan. The top-blocking portions and the base corporately clamp the fan, so as to restrict the fan to move along the longitudinal direction.
Thus, the present disclosure has advantages as follows. By the two guiding slots and the elastic clamping unit, the fan can be quickly installed in the receiving space, and is firmly clamped. Similarly, by the two guiding slots and the elastic clamping unit, the fan can be quickly removed out of the receiving space.
For further understanding of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following detailed description illustrating the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. The description is for illustrative purpose only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.
The present invention is described in the following with specific embodiments, so that one skilled in the pertinent art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosure of the invention. The present invention may also be implemented and applied according to other embodiments, and the details may be modified based on different views and applications without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, the drawing and the components shown herein are not to scale and are made in simplicity with provision of only associated components related to the invention; in practical usage, the component may be more complexly structured and the number, size, shape and arrangement of each component can be varied accordingly.
Refer to
The two elastic clamping units 12 are formed on the inner side of the side walls 11 facing to each other. Each of the elastic clamping units 12 is arranged in the guiding slot 111, respectively. Each elastic clamping unit 12 has one end away from the base 10, which is formed with a top-blocking portion 121. Each top-blocking portion 121 has at least one part protruded from the corresponding end of the side wall 11 away from the base 10. The at least one part of the top-blocking portion 121 shields a part of the receiving space A. For more detail, according to the coordinate system as shown in
Refer to
Because the two top-blocking portions 121 partially shield the receiving space A, two corners of the fan F firstly abut against the second guiding structure 1212 of the top-blocking portion 121, when the fan F enters the receiving space A in the longitudinal direction. When the fan F props the two top-blocking portions 121, the two top-blocking portions 121 are curved elastically and away from each other, which is curved toward the outer side of the side wall 11. When the fan F props the two top-blocking portion 121 and the elastic clamping unit 12 curves outward, the fan F is guided by the two guiding slots 111 and disposed quickly and accurately in the receiving space A. Refer to
Refer to
Please refer to
More specifically, when two corners of the fan F prop up the two first guiding structures 1211, the reaction force exerted by the fan F will be partially transformed as a lateral reaction force (that is the Y-axis direction of the coordinate system in the figures) by each first guiding structure 1211. The two elastic clamping units 12 therefore are affected by the lateral reaction force, and are curved elastically toward an outer side of the side walls 11. That is, when the user removes the fan F in the longitudinal direction, each elastic clamping unit 12 can be curved outward elastically by the first guiding structure 1211. In other words, the fan-retaining structure 1 allows a user to remove the fan F directly in a single-handed manner by the first guiding structures 1211 of the top-blocking portions 121.
Please refer to
It is particularly noteworthy that, in practical usage, the numbers and position of the buffering unit 13 can be increased or decreased according to demand. For example, the fan-retaining structure 1 has two buffering units 13, which are arranged on the inner side of the two side walls 11 facing to each other. When the fan F is installed in the fan-retaining structure 1, between the fan F and the two side walls 11, there is one buffering unit 13, respectively. Otherwise, the fan-retaining structure 1 has three buffering units 13, which are disposed on the base 10 and two side walls 11.
Please refer to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Therefore, as the fan F is installing in the receiving space A, not only can two elastic clamping units 12 clamp the fan F together, but also the first auxiliary elastic clampers 15 and the second auxiliary elastic clampers 17 can clamp the fan F simultaneously. Therefore, the fan F is more firmly installed in the fan-retaining structure 1. Further, the first auxiliary elastic clampers 15 and the second auxiliary elastic clampers 17 can help to absorb some shock as the fan F is operating. Noise due to the shock of the fan F can be reduced, so as to prolong the service life of the fan F.
For more detail, as shown in
In other alternative embodiments, the fan-retaining structure 1 can include many pairs of first auxiliary elastic clampers 15. For example, the fan-retaining structure 1 has two first auxiliary elastic clampers 15, which are substantially disposed on the diagonal line of the base 10. Alternatively, the fan-retaining structure 1 has four first auxiliary elastic clampers 15, which are substantially disposed at four corners of the base 10, respectively. In another embodiment, the fan-retaining structure 1 further has two supporters 16 (not shown) and many pairs of second auxiliary elastic clampers 17. The second auxiliary elastic clampers 17 could be arranged similar to the many pairs of first auxiliary elastic clampers 15. In a specific embodiment, the first auxiliary elastic clamper 15 can be arranged on two side walls 11, or on the base 10 and two side walls 11.
An additional remark, as shown in
Therefore, when the fan F is installing in the receiving space A, one side of the fan F abuts against the first inclined plane 171 of the second auxiliary elastic clamper 17. Each second auxiliary elastic clamper 17 therefore is curved outward elastically; and one side of the fan F abuts against the second inclined planes 152 of the first auxiliary elastic clampers 15 and part of the first inclined plane 151. Each first auxiliary elastic clamper 15 therefore is curved outward elastically. After the fan F is installed in the receiving space A, each first auxiliary elastic clamper 15 and each second auxiliary elastic clamper 17 firmly clamp the fan F by the elastic-restoring force.
In a reverse operation order, when the fan F is taken out of the receiving space A, one side of the fan F abuts against the first inclined planes 151 of the first auxiliary elastic clampers 15. The first auxiliary elastic clampers 15 are curved outward elastically. Further, the fan F abuts against the second inclined planes 172 and some of the first inclined planes 171 of the second auxiliary elastic clampers 17, so that the second auxiliary elastic clamper 17 is curved outward elastically. The fan F therefore can be withdrawn from the receiving space A. Similar to the above embodiments, even though the fan-retaining structure 1 of this embodiment has the first auxiliary elastic clampers 15 and the second auxiliary elastic clampers 17, the user still can take the fan F out of the fan-retaining structure 1 by a one-handed manner.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the characteristics of the present disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alterations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure delineated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015 2 0074256 U | Feb 2015 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4598894 | Johannes | Jul 1986 | A |
20080286100 | Hu | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20130108435 | Zhou | May 2013 | A1 |
20130142644 | Zeng | Jun 2013 | A1 |
20130309064 | Liu | Nov 2013 | A1 |
20150351280 | Gonzalez Inda | Dec 2015 | A1 |
20170042060 | Chen | Feb 2017 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160222983 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |