US20100032139A1

US20100032139A1 - Wind-guiding cover

Info

Publication number: US20100032139A1
Application number: US12/425,863
Authority: US
Inventors: Wen-Bin Tian; Tsai-Kuei Cheng
Original assignee: Inventec Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Corp
Priority date: 2008-08-07
Filing date: 2009-04-17
Publication date: 2010-02-11
Also published as: TWI359635B; TW201008458A

Abstract

A wind guiding cover applied to an electronic device is provided, which has an air inlet portion and an air outlet portion opposing to the air inlet portion. A heat exchange zone is formed between the air inlet and the air outlet, and an airflow disturbing portion, adjacent to the air inlet portion, is formed within the heat exchange zone. The airflow disturbing portion in the present invention allows a greater air disturbance of the airflow passing therethrough, as a result, it improves the heat exchange coefficient and increases the heat exchange effect in the present invention.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wind-guiding cover, and more particularly, to a wind-guiding cover applied to an electronic device for guiding wind to dissipate heat generated by electronic components in the electronic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Interior overheating problems tend to happen on commercially available electronic devices due to frequent and long-time operations, which may result in malfunctions. Moreover, the better operational speed and data processing abilities imply the higher breakdown probability caused by heat generating components, such as Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, North Bridge and power supply, when they are overheated. In order to prevent such a problem beforehand, heat-dissipating fans are installed inside the electronic devices to dissipate the heat generated by heat generating components. This may reduce the chance of failures of heat generating components at a high temperature, and consequently, reduce the chance of instability as the electronic devices are working.
However, during the heat dissipating process, the cooling efficiency achieved merely by heat-dissipating fans is far from satisfactory, in other words, the optimal heat dissipation effect has not been realized. The malfunctions of heat generating components owing to overheating were partially solved by a conventional wind-guiding cover mounted over them, which creates an airflow passage and concentrates the air. The increased airflow density from heat-dissipating fans in the conventional wind-guiding cover can further facilitate the heat conduction to improve its heat dissipating performance of the heat-dissipating fans. Therefore, a wind-guiding cover has become essential to the heat generating system.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional wind-guiding cover 1 is a hallow body with a top board 10 and two side boards 11, downwardly extended from the top board 10, wherein an air inlet 12 and an air outlet 13 are provided on its two ends. The conventional wind-guiding cover 1 is mounted over a main board 14 of an electronic device to cover a heat generating component 15 to allow the heat generating component 15 to be placed within the wind-guiding cover 1. An airflow 160, driven from the air inlet 12 to the air outlet 13, is generated by the heat-dissipating fans 16 to achieve the heat dissipation effect thereby.
Nevertheless, the heat dissipation effect of the wind-guiding cover 1 only relies on a straight air passage formed by the top board 10 and two side boards 11. While the heat dissipation is subject to the airflow 160 running through the wind-guiding cover 1, it would not be efficient. The result often leads to insufficient dissipation of heat from the heat generating component 15, thereby causing adverse effect to the operation of the heat generating component 15.
Thus, a solution to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art as well as to provide a more efficient wind-guiding cover is of great urgency nowadays.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the foregoing drawbacks in the prior art, the present invention provides a wind-guiding cover, which is capable of improving heat dissipation effect.
The present invention also provides a wind-guiding cover, which is capable of improving heat exchange efficiency by the provision of a higher heat exchange coefficient.
Moreover, the present invention provides a wind-guiding cover, which is capable of reducing an air resistance.
In accordance with the above and other provisions, the present invention proposes a wind-guiding cover applied to a heat generating component installed on a main board, the heat generating component is covered with the wind-guiding cover forming an air passage with the main board, the wind-guiding cover comprises: an air inlet portion having an air inlet provided on a first end of the air passage and coupled with the fan module; an air outlet portion having an air outlet provided on a second end of the air passage and opposite to the air inlet; and a heat exchange zone provided between the air inlet portion and the air outlet portion and allowing the heat generating component to be situated within the heat exchange zone, the heat exchange zone having an airflow disturbing portion adjacent to the air inlet portion.
An airflow pressing section is further formed between the air inlet and the heat exchange zone within the air inlet portion, for allowing the airflow to be pressed downwards in the heat exchange zone for acceleration. Then, an air diffusion section may be alternatively formed between the airflow disturbing portion and the air outlet portion to reduce air resistance of the airflow passing therethrough. In addition, the airflow disturbing portion has at least a V-shaped intersection.
According to the wind-guiding cover of the present invention, the airflow disturbing portion is formed by a first inclined plane and a second inclined plane. the first inclined plane is connected to the air inlet portion is formed on an inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend downwards alongside the airflow direction, and the second inclined plane opposite to the air inlet portion is formed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction. Preferably, the first inclined plane and the second inclined plane has a V-shaped structure in combination.
According to the structure mentioned above, the airflow pressing section, which is formed with a second sloped plane to extend downwards, is connected to the first inclined plane of the airflow disturbing portion . It thus allows the airflow pressing section to have a slope equal to that of the first inclined plane in the airflow disturbing portion.
Likewise, the air diffusion section is provided between the second inclined plane and the air outlet portion. The air diffusion section is formed with a first sloped plane disposed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction, with an inclined angle equal to that of the second inclined plane. Preferably, the slope of the air diffusion section against a horizontal plane is 30 degrees or less.
By applying the airflow disturbing portion within the heat exchange zone to the present invention, the air passage between the airflow disturbing portion and the heat generating component can be formed. Thus its heat convection and exchange efficiency will be superior to that of the prior art. The heat generated by the heat generating component can be efficiently dissipated as a consequence. Moreover, the air resistance in the present invention will be reduced due to a more spacious air passage through the design of the air diffusion section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B (PRIOR ART) are schematic diagrams illustrating applications of a conventional wind-guiding cover;

FIG. 2A shows a perspective diagram according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B shows a schematic diagram according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention applied to an electronic device;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention applied to an electronic device;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention applied to an electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of a wind-guiding cover proposed in the present invention are described in detail as follows. Not only its advantages but also the effectiveness can be easily understood through the content being disclosed in the invention.

First Preferred Embodiment

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, schematic diagrams according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated. It is to be noted that the drawings are simplified diagrams and only show components relating to the present invention. All the designs for an electronic device comprising a heat exchange zone with an airflow disturbing portion to agitate the air running through, as well as an air inlet portion and an air outlet portion opposing to each other, are applicable to the invention.
FIG. 2A indicates a bottomless wind-guiding cover 2 that consists of a top board 2 a and two side boards 2 b extended downwards from the top board 2 a to form a bottomless housing. Preferably, the two side boards 2 b are respectively integrally formed with the top boards 2 a.
The foregoing wind-guiding cover 2 comprises an air inlet portion 21, an air outlet portion 22 opposing to the air inlet portion 21, and a heat exchange zone 20 provided between the air inlet portion 21 and the air outlet portion 22. The air inlet portion 21 has an air inlet 210, while the air outlet portion 22 has an air outlet 220. An airflow disturbing portion 200 is also formed in the heat exchange zone 20, which is adjacent to the air inlet portion 21.
Referring to FIG. 2B, the wind-guiding cover 2 is shown applied to an electronic device with a heat generating component 3. The heat generating component 3 is installed on a main board 4 and covered by the wind-guiding cover 2, in a manner that the heat generating component 3 is received in the heat exchange zone 20 of the wind guiding cover 2 and therefore, an air passage 6 is formed between the wind-guiding cover 2 and the main board 4.
On a first end of the air passage 6, the air inlet 210 is connected with a fan module 5, which allows a cool airflow 50 driven by the fan module 5 to enter the air passage 6 via the air inlet 210. On a second end of the air passage 6 is resided by the air outlet 220. Further, the heat exchange zone 20 between the air inlet 210 and the air outlet 220, is located above the heat generating component 3. The heat exchange zone 20 allows heat exchange of the cool airflow 50 entering from the air inlet 210 with the heat generating component 3. The cool airflow 50 changes into hot airflow by the heat generating component 3 to be exhausted through the air outlet 220 to the ambient.
the airflow disturbing portion 200 is formed with a first inclined planed plane 200 a and a second inclined planed plane 200 b, the first inclined planed plane 200 a connected to the air inlet portion 21 is formed on an inner top wall of the heat exchange zone 20 to extend downwards alongside the airflow direction, and the second inclined planed plane 200 b opposite to the air inlet portion 21 is formed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone 20 to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction. In the preferred embodiment, the first inclined plane 200 a is sloped to a direction opposite to and connected to the second inclined plane 200 b, the airflow disturbing portion 200 is thus formed in a V-shaped folded structure. Although there is only one V-shaped folded structure shown in the drawings to indicate the airflow disturbing portion 200, two or more fold structures in a different or the same shape that forms the airflow disturbing portion 200 are applicable in practice. In other words, the airflow disturbing portion 200 according to the present invention includes any folded structure bending towards the heat generating component 3 (described as below) as long as it is formed in the heat exchange zone 20 to increase the air disturbance above the heat generating component 3 by allowing more cool airflow 50 to heat exchange with the heat generating component 3 in the heat exchange zone 20. Thus, the heat exchange coefficient and efficiency will be improved accordingly with the application of the wind-guiding cover of the present invention.
Preferably, the airflow disturbing portion 200 is provided adjacent to the air inlet portion 21 to allow a higher air disturbance right after the entrance of the cool airflow 50 into the heat exchange zone 20, thus, the heat exchange coefficient and its efficiency can be improved even further.
It is to be noted that the electronic device is exemplified by, but not limited to, a server in the embodiment. A memory illustrated in the invention as the heat generating component 3 mounted by the wind-guiding cover 2, is also an instance which can be other heat generating components such as central processing unit (CPU), North Bridge, Integrated Circuit (IC), and power supply. Besides, since the heat generating component 3 and the fan module 5 have been disclosed in the prior art with their known structures and mechanisms, they are used hereby only for illustrating the embodiment of the present invention.
However, it should be highlighted that the heat convection and exchange coefficient in the present invention, which improves the heat dissipation effect, are superior to those of the prior art due to the design of an airflow disturbing portion. Because the airflow disturbing portion 200 leads to a greater air disturbance under the circumstances of the same amount of the cool airflow 50 flowing through the heat exchange zone 20.

Second Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, with only one major distinction in the structure of the heat exchange zone 20 if compared to the first embodiment. It is to be noted that the detailed descriptions are omitted here for the same of brevity.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, two V-shaped folded structures are formed in an airflow disturbing portion 200′ of the heat exchange zone 20 in order to increase disturbance of the cool airflow 50 so that the heat dissipation effect can be improved (described as below). In addition, the length and slope angle of each first inclined plane 200 a, 200 a′ are allowed to be equal to each other or not. Likewise, the length and slope angle of each second inclined plane 200 b,200 b′ are allowed to be equal to each other or not. In other practices, different length, slope angle, and depth of the V-shaped folded structure or other folded structures are all applicable in practice.
An air diffusion section 201 is formed between an airflow disturbing portion 200′ and the air outlet portion 22 to allow a sufficient airflow space by enlarging the air passage 6. Therefore, the air resistance is so reduced that the airflow can be conducted outside through the air outlet 220 more efficiently to dissipate the heat. In the embodiment, the air diffusion section 201 is formed with a first sloped plane formed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone 20 to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction, with connecting to the second inclined plane 200 b′. Preferably, the slope angle of the air diffusion section 201 and that of the second inclined plane 200 b′ are equal to each other, which is 30 degrees or less against a horizontal plane.

Third Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, with only one major distinction in the structure of an air inlet portion 21′ if compared to the second embodiment. It is to be noted that the detailed descriptions are omitted here for the same of brevity.
It is discovered that the height of the inlet portion 21′ should be raised as the height of the fan module 5 against the heat generating component 3 increases. As illustrated in FIG. 4, an airflow pressing section 211 is formed in the air inlet portion 21′ between the air inlet 210 and the heat exchange zone 20 to concentrate the airflow. A higher airflow velocity is then produced by massing and pressing downwards the cool airflow 50, which is generated by the fan module 5, onto the heat exchange zone 20. In the embodiment, the airflow pressing section 211 is formed by a part of the air inlet portion 21′, which is formed with a second sloped plane to extend downwards and connected to the first inclined plane 200 a of the air disturbing portion 200′. Preferably, the slope angle of the airflow pressing section 211 and that of the first inclined plane 200 a are equal to each other.
In both second and third embodiments, two V-shaped folded structures are illustrated in the airflow disturbing portion 200′ and combined with the heat generating component 3 to form a narrow space. Thus, the increased air disturbance of the cool airflow flowing through the narrow space improves the heat exchange coefficient as well as the heat dissipation effect.
Additionally, test experiments on the prior art and the present invention with one or two V-shaped folded structure are conducted to verify their heat dissipation effects respectively. The results are listed below, wherein DIMM 1-12 represent different heat generating components; F represents results tested from front sides of the generating components, while B represents results tested from back sides of the generating components. The standard temperature of 85 degrees indicates the temperature during these tests cannot go beyond 85 degrees.


	Wind-	Wind-
	guiding	guiding
	cover	cover	Wind-guiding
	without	with one	cover with two	Standard
Test location	fold structure	fold structure	fold structures	temperature

DIMM 1F	67.7	58.8	57.3	85.0
DIMM 1B	79.6	68.8	64.7	85.0
DIMM 2F	81.0	73.1	69.0	85.0
DIMM 2B	79.7	72.0	69.8	85.0
DIMM 3F	78.4	67.9	66.6	85.0
DIMM 3B	78.6	72.0	72.7	85.0
DIMM 4F	78.8	69.2	69.0	85.0
DIMM 4B	81.3	84.8	76.7	85.0
DIMM 5F	80.5	87.9	80.1	85.0
DIMM 5B	85.2	83.2	80.7	85.0
DIMM 6F	82.8	75.1	74.5	85.0
DIMM 6B	77.2	61.6	61.0	85.0
DIMM 7F	72.3	87.6	79.6	85.0
DIMM 7B	87.7	81.3	73.1	85.0
DIMM 8F	90.4	93.0	80.9	85.0
DIMM 8B	89.7	91.5	81.7	85.0
DIMM 9F	87.8	86.0	77.6	85.0
DIMM 9B	84.4	90.1	78.6	85.0
DIMM 10F	85.7	81.7	76.6	85.0
DIMM 10B	89.9	84.1	76.8	85.0
DIMM 11F	94.6	82.4	78.7	85.0
DIMM 11B	96.5	84.5	77.9	85.0
DIMM 12F	90.4	79.4	83.1	85.0
DIMM 12B	76.0	84.8	79.5	85.0

From the experiment results listed in the above table, adding two V-shaped folded structures increase the air disturbance of the heat generating component 3 so that the temperature is lowered more evidently. However, the results do not imply more V-shaped folded structure bring about a greater temperature difference. As a matter of fact, the cooling effect of the two V-shaped folded structures is similar to that of the three V-shaped folded structures from the experimental results, which are not indicated here.
In conclusion, by applying the design of the airflow disturbing portion to the present invention, the air disturbance increases as the air passage between the airflow disturbing portion and the heat generating component is narrowed. Therefore, the heat exchange effect will be improved by the enhanced heat convection and exchange coefficient.
Moreover, the air resistance in the present invention will be reduced due to a more spacious air passage through the design of the air diffusion section to further improve the heat exchange effect.
The present invention has been described by exemplary preferred embodiments, however, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to them. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar changes. The scope of the claims, therefore, should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. A wind-guiding cover applied to an electronic device having at least one heat generating component, wherein the electronic device has a fan module and a main board for the heat generating component to be installed thereon, and the heat generating component is covered with the wind-guiding cover forming an air passage with the main board, the wind-guiding cover comprising:

an air inlet portion having an air inlet provided on a first end of the air passage and coupled with the fan module, allowing a cool airflow driven by the fan module to enter the air passage via the air inlet;

an air outlet portion having an air outlet provided on a second end of the air passage and opposite to the air inlet; and

a heat exchange zone provided between the air inlet portion and the air outlet portion and allowing the heat generating component to be situated within the heat exchange zone, the heat exchange zone having an airflow disturbing portion adjacent to the air inlet portion to enhance the airflow disturbance and increase the heat exchange coefficient, wherein the cool airflow makes heat exchange with the heat generating component to form a hot airflow in the heat exchange zone and discharge the hot airflow from the air outlet.

2. The wind-guiding cover of claim 1, wherein an airflow pressing section is further formed between the air inlet and the heat exchange zone, wherein the cool airflow is pressed downwards in the heat exchange zone for acceleration.

3. The wind-guiding cover of claim 1, wherein an air diffusion section is further formed between the airflow disturbing portion and the air outlet portion to reduce the air resistance.

4. The wind-guiding cover of claim 1, wherein the airflow disturbing portion has at least a V-shaped folded structure.

5. The wind-guiding cover of claim 1, wherein the airflow disturbing portion is formed with a first inclined planed plane and a second inclined plane, the first inclined plane connected to the air inlet portion is formed on an inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend downwards alongside the airflow direction, and the second inclined plane opposite to the air inlet portion is formed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction.

6. The wind-guiding cover of claim 5, wherein the first inclined plane and the second inclined plane has a V-shaped structure in combination.

7. The wind-guiding cover of claim 5, wherein the heat exchange zone has an air diffusion section provided between the second inclined plane and the air outlet portion.

8. The wind-guiding cover of claim 7, wherein the air diffusion section is formed with a first sloped plane disposed on the inner top wall of the heat exchange zone to extend upwards alongside the airflow direction, with an inclined angle equal to that of the second inclined plane.

9. The wind-guiding cover of claim 8, wherein a slope angle of the air diffusion section against a horizontal plane is less than 30 degrees.

10. The wind-guiding cover of claim 5, wherein the air inlet portion has an airflow pressing section which is formed with a second sloped plane to extend downwards, disposed between the air inlet and the airflow disturbing portion.

11. The wind-guiding cover of claim 10, wherein the airflow pressing section is connected to the first inclined plane of the airflow disturbing portion.

12. The wind-guiding cover of claim 10, wherein the airflow pressing section and the first inclined plane respectively have a same slope angle.