Externally mounted on-line replaceable fan module

• US 20030026074A1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Clements, Bradley E., Minichiello, Angela L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,690,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20181 Filters; Louvers

Abstract

A cooling fan apparatus includes a plastic housing and an electric fan. The housing containing the fan is mounted directly on the external surface of equipment being cooled. No separate mounting frame is utilized. The modular fan apparatus is on-line replaceable and is useful with other units to provide cooling fan redundancy. Preferably, a filtered electrical connector and a light emitting diode are integrated with the housing.

Claims

1. A cooling fan unit for use with an electrical component presenting a fan mounting surface having airflow apertures, comprising:

a housing including a top, a first side, an outer front wall having an outer side and an inner side, a rear edge, and a rear airflow opening; and

an electric fan having fan blades and located in the housing; and

a structure for mounting the apparatus directly onto an external mounting surface of an electrical component.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

a rear-wall finger guard positioned in said housing between said fan and rear air hole opening.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the mounting surface of the component apertures are in axial alignment with, and of equal dimensions as, the apertures in the component mounting surface.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the rear-wall finger guard comprises sheet metal.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the structure for mounting the apparatus includes:

a plurality of mounting rods and a plurality of corresponding mounting rod passages through the apparatus for mounting the apparatus directly onto the mounting surface of the machine.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a filtered electrical connector integral with the housing for connecting the fan with a power supply.

7. A system for mounting externally a cooling fan on a machine, comprising:

a housing including mounting rod openings;

an electric fan having fan blades and located in the housing;

a mounting surface on the machine having mounting rod receptors; and

a plurality of mounting rods;

wherein the housing containing the fan is capable of being mounted directly onto the mounting surface.

8. A cooling fan unit for use with an electrical component presenting a planar fan mounting surface having a plurality of air flow apertures, comprising:

an electric fan having fan blades operable to create airflow by rotating in a path having an outer diameter;

a box shaped housing presenting a square shaped open face and having a mutually opposed wall with openings to permit fan induced airflow through said housing and open face;

a square shaped fan wall structure presenting a centrally located circular opening having a diameter of about the outer diameter of the fan blade outer diameter, said fan affixed to said wall structure to form a fan assembly, said fan being in axial alignment with said wall structure circular opening to permit fan induced airflow there through, said fan assembly presenting corner regions and being affixed within said housing at a position that is recessed inwardly from said square shaped open face;

said housing including structure for releasably fastening said housing to the electrical component so that the open face of the housing abuts the fan mounting surface and encloses a region of airflow apertures in the fan mounting surface, a corner region portion of said apertures being in longitudinal alignment with said corner regions of said fan assembly, said fan assembly induced airflow between said fan assembly and said corner regions apertures being unrestricted by intervening structure.

9. The apertures in claim 8, further comprising an array of fan units releasably mounted on the mounting surface of the electrical component.