Electronic apparatus having cooling system

• US 5,484,012 A
• Filed: 12/15/1994
• Issued: 01/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hiratsuka, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US08/356,580
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 62/259.2, 62/179, 236/49.3, 165/40, 165/80.3, 361/691, 361/695, 361/696, 417/5, 454/184
• US Class Current: 165/247
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/166 using fans
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20136 Forced ventilation, e.g. by fans H05K7/202 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An electronic apparatus having a housing in which at least a heat source is housed, the housing being provided with an intake port and an exhaust port, the electronic apparatus comprising a cooling fan mounted in the exhaust port, an auxiliary cooling fan placed near the heat source, a first control portion for controlling a revolving speed of the cooling fan in accordance with a temperature of intake air, and a second control portion for controlling a revolving speed of the auxiliary cooling fan in a first mode when the revolving speed of the cooling fan is less than a reference speed and in a second mode when the revolving speed of the cooling fan is greater than the reference speed, the revolving speed of the auxiliary cooling fan controlled in the first mode being greater than the revolving speed of the auxiliary cooling fan controlled in the second mode.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus having a housing in which at least a heat source is housed, said housing being provided with an intake port and an exhaust port, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a first cooling fan mounted in the exhaust port;

a second cooling fan placed near said heat source;

a first control means for controlling a revolving speed of said first cooling fan; and

a second control means for controlling a revolving speed of said second cooling fan in a first mode when the revolving speed of said first cooling fan is less than a reference speed and in a second mode when the revolving speed of said first cooling fan is greater than the reference speed, the revolving speed of said second cooling fan controlled in the first mode being greater than the revolving speed of said second cooling fan controlled in the second mode.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second control means has means for controlling the revolving speed of said second cooling fan at a first speed in the first mode and means for controlling the revolving speed of said second cooling fan at a second speed less than the first speed.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first speed and the second speed are constant values.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first speed is a variable value which is increased in accordance with a decrease of the revolving speed of said first cooling fan.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second speed is zero so that the second cooling fan is stopped in the second mode.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second control means has:

first signal generating means for generating a first control signal;

second signal generating means for generating a second control signal;

determination means for determining whether the revolving speed of the first cooling fan is less or greater than the reference speed;

means for driving said second cooling fan at a first revolving speed based on the first control signal from said first signal generating means when said determination means determines that the revolving speed of said first cooling fan is less than the reference speed; and

means for driving said second cooling fan at a second revolving speed less than the first revolving speed based on the second control signal from said second signal generating means when said determination means determines that the revolving speed of said first cooling fan is greater than the reference speed.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first speed at which said second cooling fan is driven based on the first control signal and the second speed at which said second cooling fan is driven based on the second control signal are constant values.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second speed is zero so that said second cooling fan is stopped.

9. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first speed at which said second cooling fan is drive based on the first control signal is a variable value increased in accordance with a decrease of the revolving speed of said first cooling fan.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first control means controls the revolving speed of said first cooling fan so that the revolving speed of said first cooling fan is increased in accordance with an increase of a temperature of intake air taken into said housing through the intake port, and wherein said second control means has:

determination means for determining whether the temperature of the intake air is less or greater than a reference temperature corresponding to the reference speed;

means for controlling the revolving speed of said second cooling fan in the first mode when said determination means determines that the temperature of the intake air is less than the reference temperature; and

means for controlling the revolving speed of said second cooling fan in the second mode when said determination means determines that the temperature of the intake air is greater than the reference temperature.

11. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the revolving speed of said second cooling fan controlled in the first mode and the revolving speed of said second cooling fan controlled in the second mode are constant values.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the revolving speed of said second cooling fan controlled in the second mode is zero so that said second cooling fan is stopped.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the revolving speed of the second cooling fan controlled in the first mode is a variable value which is increased in accordance with a decrease of the temperature of the intake air.