Patent Application
20100290182
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power supply fan.
2. Discussion
Power supply fans are known intrinsically. They are usually designed in such a way that they are mounted either inside or outside a power supply unit case and they cool said power supply unit case during operation by introducing an air stream.
A power supply unit providing a cooling effect for a computer is known from DE 20 2004 013 516 U1 in which a separate cooling fan blower is housed in the power supply unit that is arranged in such a manner that the airstream created by the cooling fan blower is not ducted into the interior of the power supply unit, or does not remain there, but serves solely to dissipate the heat in the computer. The disadvantage is that locating an additional power supply fan on or in the power supply unit requires additional space, and the procurement and installation of this power supply fan creates additional costs.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a power supply fan that eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages.
By using a power supply fan according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, not only the power supply unit itself is cooled by the air stream but also electronic components adjacent to the power supply unit. Installation of a power supply fan of this type requires only a minimal increase in space requirements. In addition, the costs for the procurement and installation of an additional cooling unit to cool electronic components adjacent to the power supply unit can be saved.
Additional advantageous configurations are identified in the dependent claims.
The electronic components that are arranged below the power supply unit can be cooled in a simple manner by having the power supply fan project beyond the lower edge of the end face of the power supply unit.
By forming projecting tabs on the power supply unit case, the power supply fan can be attached in a simple fashion to the power supply unit case so that the air stream emanating from the power supply fan flows not only into the interior of the power supply unit but also into areas into which the projecting tabs on the power supply unit case extend.
Embodiments are described in what follows using the appended drawings.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, terms such as top, bottom, left, right, front, back, refer only to the representation and position of the power supply fan and other parts selected as an example in the respective figures. These terms are not to be understood as restrictive, meaning that in different operating positions or as the result of mirror-image layouts or similar these references can change.
The power supply fan 1 is dimensioned such that it extends beyond at least one edge of the surface to which the power supply fan is attached. The result is that both the interior of the power supply unit case 5 as well as electronic components 7 adjacent to the power supply unit 4 are supplied with an air stream emanating from the power supply fan 1. The effective area of the power supply fan 1 preferably extends beyond one edge of the power supply unit facing the electronic components 7 lying under the power supply unit 4.
In a different embodiment (not shown), the power supply fan extends both beyond the lower edge of the end face of the power supply unit and beyond one of the lateral edges of the power supply unit so that the air stream emanating from the power supply fan reaches not only electronic components 7 lying under the power supply unit but also an area in the interior of the computer case lying next to the power supply unit at the level of the power supply unit body above the computer mother board.
To attach the power supply fan in a special embodiment, the power supply unit case 5 is configured in such a way that, on the end face to which the power supply fan 1 is attached, said case has at least one projecting tab 8 that extends beyond the end face of the power supply fan. In this way the power supply fan can be attached solely to the power supply unit case so configured. The power supply unit case preferably has two projecting tabs 8 on the end face of the power supply unit case 5 to which the power supply fan is attached.
Alternatively, the mother board 6 of the computer has fastening devices to attach the power supply fan so that the power supply fan is attached partially to the fastening device on the computer mother board 6 and partially to the power supply unit case 5.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2008 005 723.1 | Jan 2008 | DE | national |
This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2009/000046, filed Jan. 8, 2009. This application claims the benefit and priority of German application 10 2008 005 723.1, filed Jan. 23, 2008. The entire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP09/00046 | 1/8/2009 | WO | 00 | 7/8/2010 |
