Patent Application
20070017230
The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 94212496, filed Jul. 22, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply. More particularly, the present invention relates to a power supply with a cooling function.
2. Description of Related Art
Power sources of electronic apparatuses are generally transmitted from a power plant to a socket to which a power supply is connected. The power supply rectifies, transforms and filters alternating current and then provides it to apparatuses. Especially in a computer system, a power supply simultaneously provides several apparatuses with power for operation. A power supply is typically disposed near a central processing unit (CPU) in a computer in which the CPU operates independently and has no cooperation with the power supply.
The central processing unit is generally equipped with a heat dissipation apparatus such as a CPU fan for preventing devices in the computer from failure due to a high temperature caused by heat generated during operation of the CPU. The CPU fan draws air from within the computer system to cool the CPU. The cooling effectiveness depends on the temperature of the air; the lower the temperature, the better the cooling. Thus, the internal air circulated by a CPU fan, which is heated by the devices operating in the computer system and is generally much warmer than the external room temperature air, has limited effectiveness in cooling a CPU.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a power supply with a cooling function to supply power and cooling simultaneously.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a power supply with a cooling function to enhance a cooling efficiency for a CPU in a computer system.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives of the present invention, a power supply with a cooling function is provided. The power supply with a cooling function includes a power supply case, a thermoelectric cooling module and a cold side heat dissipation member. The thermoelectric cooling module disposed at an installation surface opening of the power supply case has a cold side facing the outside of the power supply case, and a hot side facing the inside of the power supply case. The cold side heat dissipation member coupled with the cold side extends out of the power supply case for heat exchanging with external air outside the power supply case to lower the external air temperature.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply further includes a heat containment chamber having a first passage opening and a second passage opening. The power supply case further includes an outward opening coupled to the first passage opening and an inward opening coupled to the second passage opening. Also, a fan is installed between the first passage opening and the outward opening to direct heat gathered around the hot side to the outside of the case.
The power supply further integrates a temperature control module for monitoring a temperature data to adjust a fan power source so that a fan speed can be controlled appropriately, and a humidity control module for monitoring a humidity data to adjust a thermoelectric cooling module power source so that an output power of the thermoelectric cooling module can be controlled appropriately.
In conclusion, the power supply of the invention provides an extra function of lowering the temperature inside a system during operation by integrating a thermoelectric cooling module, especially for most present computer systems in which the installation location of the power supply is standardized. The present invention takes advantage of the standardized arrangement of the power supply to allow a CPU fan to draw heat exchanged air of lower temperature so that cooling efficiency for the CPU is raised.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
The present invention discloses a power supply with a cooling function, which not only provides power but also cools a system air. Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts:
Referring to
In the embodiment, a power supply with a cooling function includes a power supply case 100, a power supply unit 110 and a heat containment chamber 140. The power supply case 100 includes a first cover 100a and a second cover 100b having a first outward opening 102a, a second outward opening 102b and an inward opening 104, wherein the second outward opening 102b has a mesh structure. The power supply unit 110 disposed in the power supply case 100 includes a supply fan 114 and a circuit module 112 on which the supply fan 114 is installed, for example, on the edge of power supply unit 110 and adjacent to or protruding from the first outward opening 102a. The power supply switch 174 determines the start of the power supply and/or supply fan 114.
The heat containment chamber 140 has a heat passage 144, a first passage opening 144a and a second passage opening 144b. The first passage opening 144a and the second passage opening 144b are on both ends of the heat containment chamber 140 respectively, and are adjacent to or protruding from the second outward opening 102b and the inward opening 104 respectively. An installation surface 108 of the first cover 100a has an installation surface opening 106 at which the thermoelectric cooling module 120 is disposed. A cold side 122 of the thermoelectric cooling module 120 is coupled with a cold side heat dissipation member 130; preferably, the cold side heat dissipation member 130 includes at least a concave structure 132 and a projection whereby cold energy is accumulated.
A hot side 124 of the thermoelectric cooling module 120 is further coupled with a hot side heatsink 136 extending into the inside of the power supply case 100. Further, a chamber sidewall 142 of the heat containment chamber 140 is coupled with a connecting sidewall 146 so that the hot side heatsink 136 is enclosed and heat is gathered in the heat passage 144, reducing or even preventing heat from spreading to the power supply unit 110. Preferably, the connecting sidewall 146 and/or the chamber sidewall 142 is made of heat insulating material. An aluminum foil 148 can be attached inside the heat containment chamber 140 for reducing heat radiation.
A first fan 150a and a second fan 150b are disposed at two openings 144a and 144b on both ends of the heat containment chamber 140, with the first fan 150a disposed at the first passage opening 144a and the second fan 150b disposed at the second passage opening 144b. The second fan 150b draws air from a computer system to the heat passage 144 and also helps forcing the air in the heat passage 144 toward the first fan 150a, and then the first fan 150a directs the air to the outside of the system.
The power supply further includes a thermoelectric cooling module switch 176 which controls the start and stop of the thermoelectric cooling module 120. The thermoelectric cooling module switch 176 is also connected to a lighting device 180 through a circuit. When the thermoelectric cooling module switch 176 is turned on, the circuit is also active and the lighting device 180 shines to suggest the actuation of the thermoelectric cooling module 120 to users.
When the power supply is installed in an electronic system, outward openings 102a and 102b face an external environment and the inward opening 104 faces the inside of the system. In a computer system, the installation surface 108 is near a CPU.
In the embodiment, the temperature control module 210a includes a temperature sensor 212a for measuring the environment temperature data and a temperature regulator 214a. As shown in
The humidity control module 210b monitors an environment humidity in the system such as a relative humidity. When the relative humidity reaches 100%, dew forms, and higher relative humidity corresponds to higher dew point temperature. Therefore, the humidity control module 210b is adapted for adjusting a supply of power from a thermoelectric cooling module power source 230b. When detecting a humidity higher than a predetermined value, the humidity control module 210b adjusts the thermoelectric cooling module power source 230b to lower an output power of the thermoelectric cooling module 240b so that the temperature in the system is prevented from reaching the dew point temperature.
In the embodiment, the humidity control module 210b includes a humidity sensor 212b and a humidity regulator 214b. The humidity sensor 212b measures the environment humidity data. Preferably, as shown in
The thermoelectric cooling module power source and the fan power source above may be powered by the power supply unit or by individual power sources, and it can be known and carried out without difficulty by those skilled in the art. Further, in the embodiment, the humidity control module and the temperature control module are integrated into a control circuit board 170 (shown in
Referring to
When the thermoelectric cooling module 312 is operating, the cold side lowers a surrounding temperature and the cold side heat dissipation member 314 advances a heat exchange with a system air 340 nearby. Therefore, the CPU fan 330 installed on a main board 320 draws the system air 340, a part of which comes from a heat-exchanged and low-temperature air surrounding the cold side, and thus the effect on cooling the CPU is improved.
Further, an end 406a of the heat dissipation body 406 forms a structure with a passing hole 430 for improving heat exchange. The cold side heat dissipation member is made of heat conductive material, and preferably, surfaces of the base 402, the connecting part 404 and a portion of the heat dissipation body 406 are coated with heat-insulated leather paint for heat insulation and cold energy dissipation occurring at the end 406a. The cold energy from the cold side 422 is transmitted through the base 402 and the connecting part 404 and eventually to the heat dissipation body 406, which is a way of distributing more cooled system air to the CPU 470 to help cool it.
The present invention has the following advantage. The present invention integrates a thermoelectric cooling module into a power supply and provides a function of cooling system air during the operation of a computer system so that the CPU fan draws a low temperature air to cool the CPU. Consequently, heat dissipation efficiency is raised. Through the humidity control system, dewing is prevented to better protect the system.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94212496 | Jul 2005 | TW | national |
