Cooling fan automatic control system and cooling fan automatic control device

• US 10,712,041 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2018
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Denki Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Denki Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Naoki, Murakami, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh B
• Application Number:
  US16/006,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20180363938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/76 by means responsive to temperature, e.g. bimetal springs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A cooling fan automatic control system includes: a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an object to be cooled; a plurality of current sensors configured to measure power consumption by each of a plurality of cooling fans; and a controller which, when a measured temperature that is a measured value obtained by the temperature sensor is higher than a target cooling temperature of the object to be cooled, controls rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans so as to minimize a total of measured current values of the plurality of cooling fans obtained by the plurality of current sensors.

Claims

1. A cooling fan automatic control system comprising:

a plurality of cooling fans configured to cool a heating body;

a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the heating body;

a plurality of current sensors configured to measure electrical values of current of each of the plurality of cooling fans; and

a controller which controls, based on the electrical values of current of each of the plurality of cooling fans obtained by the plurality of current sensors and a measured temperature of the heating body that is a measured value obtained by the temperature sensor, rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans so as to reduce a total of measured electrical values of current of the plurality of cooling fans obtained by the plurality of current sensors.

2. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the plurality of cooling fans so as to decrease the rotational speeds in order from a cooling fan of which the measured electrical value of current is higher.

3. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the rotational speed of each of the cooling fans, the rotational speed of which has been decreased in response to the measured temperature of the heating body which is equal to or higher than the target cooling temperature, so as to be returned to a rotational speed before being decreased.

4. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the plurality of cooling fans so as to decrease the rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans in a pre-set order.

5. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 4, wherein the pre-set order is determined based on priorities of each of the plurality of cooling fans.

6. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store, for each target cooling temperature of the heating body, such a combination of the rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans as to reduce the total of the measured electrical values of current obtained by the plurality of current sensors,

wherein the controller controls the rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans so as to be equal to the rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans stored in the storage unit.

7. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, wherein the controller compares the measured electrical values of current of the plurality of cooling fans each other and controls the plurality of cooling fans so as to decrease the rotational speeds in order from a cooling fan of which the measured electrical value of current is higher.

8. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, wherein the measured temperature of the heating body is kept lower than a target cooling temperature of the heating body during a control operation for the rotational speeds of the plurality of cooling fans.

9. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls to:

decrease the rotational speed of one of the plurality of cooling fans to which a highest electrical value of current measured by the current sensor is applied; and

after decreasing the rotational speed of the one of the plurality of cooling fans, when the measured temperature of the heating body is equal to a target cooling temperature of the heating body, decrease the rotational speed of another one of the plurality of cooling fans to which a second highest electrical value of current measured by the current sensor is applied.

10. The cooling fan automatic control system according to claim 9, wherein, after decreasing the rotational speed of the another one of the plurality of cooling fans, the controller controls to return the rotational speed of the another one of the plurality of cooling fans to the rotational speed before the rotational speed of the another one of the plurality of cooling fans is decreased, when the measured temperature of the heating body is higher than the target cooling temperature.