Outdoor installation type cabinet

• US 5,765,743 A
• Filed: 11/19/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kojima, Yasushi, Yamazaki, Naoya, Iino, Kazuhiro, Sakiura, Jun, Nakamura, Motoko
• Primary Examiner(s): TAPOLCAI, WILLIAM E
• Application Number:
  US08/746,988
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49.3, 165/80.3, 165/104.33, 165/104.34, 361/694, 361/695, 361/696, 361/697, 454/184
• US Class Current: 236/49.3
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/76 by means responsive to temperature, e.g. bimetal springs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20572 within cabinets for removing heat from sub-racks, e.g. plenum
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/206 Air circulating in closed loop within cabinets wherein heat is removed through air-to-air heat-exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/207 Thermal management, e.g. cabinet temperature control

Abstract

An outdoor installation type cabinet which accommodates electronic equipment has a number of thin tubes which form an outside air passage and outside air is allowed to flow in the outside air passage by operating an external fan. A heat exchanger which is spaced from each wall of the cabinet is provided at a midway portion of the outside air passage to perform heat exchange between the outside air flowing in the outside air passage and inside air present in the equipment accommodating portion. A circulating fan is installed in the equipment accommodating portion to circulate the inside air. A bimetal is mounted on each side wall of the cabinet to detect a temperature of each side wall and control operations of the external fan, the circulating fan, and an internal fan according to the temperature detected. If the temperature of one side wall is higher than the temperature of the opposite side wall under given temperature conditions, the operation of only the circulating fan on that one side wall is stopped in to thereby suppress the entry of heat of solar radiation through that one side wall into the cabinet body and simultaneously continue to cool the interior of the cabinet.

Claims

1. An outdoor installation type cabinet for accommodating electronic equipment, comprising:

a substantially box-shaped cabinet body having a side wall formed with a plurality of first ventilation openings;

an outside air passage provided in said cabinet body so as to extend between said first ventilation openings of said side wall of said cabinet body;

an external fan for generating a flow of outside air in said outside air passage;

a heat exchanging means provided in said cabinet body so as to be spaced from an inner surface of said side wall of said cabinet body, for performing heat exchange between said outside air flowing in said outside air passage and inside air present in said cabinet body; and

a temperature detecting and controlling means for detecting a temperature of said side wall of said cabinet body and controlling an operation of said external fan according to said temperature detected,

wherein said cabinet body has a partition wall formed with a second ventilation opening, said partition wall dividing a space inside of said cabinet body into an upper section as an equipment accommodating portion for accommodating said electronic equipment and a lower section as a battery accommodating portion for accommodating a storage battery;

a portion of said side wall of said cabinet body corresponding to said battery accommodating portion is formed with a third ventilation opening; and

said outside air passage further extends between said first ventilation openings and said second ventilation opening.

2. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 1, further comprising a circulating fan provided in said cabinet body, for circulating said inside air present in said cabinet body;

wherein said temperature detecting and controlling means further controls an operation of said circulating fan according to said temperature detected.

3. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said outside air passage comprises a plurality of thin tubes.

4. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said temperature detecting and controlling means comprises a bimetal.

5. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 1, further comprising a harmful gas generation detecting means for detecting generation of a harmful gas from said storage battery accommodated in said battery accommodating portion;

wherein when the generation of said harmful gas is detected by said harmful gas generation detecting means, said external fan is operated.

6. An outdoor installation type cabinet for accommodating electronic equipment, comprising:

a substantially box-shaped cabinet body having a first side wall formed with a first upper ventilation opening and a first lower ventilation opening, and having a second side wall formed with a second upper ventilation opening and a second lower ventilation opening;

a first fan accommodating chamber defined in said cabinet body at a position in the vicinity of said first upper ventilation opening of said first side wall of said cabinet body;

a second fan accommodating chamber defined in said cabinet body at a position in the vicinity of said second upper ventilation opening of said second side wall of said cabinet body;

a first external fan provided in said first fan accommodating chamber so as to discharge air inside said first fan accommodating chamber from said first upper ventilation opening;

a second external fan provided in said second fan accommodating chamber so as to discharge air inside said second fan accommodating chamber from said second upper ventilation opening;

a first outside air passage provided in said cabinet body so as to extend between said first fan accommodating chamber and said first lower ventilation opening;

a second outside air passage provided in said cabinet body so as to extend between said second fan accommodating chamber and said second lower ventilation opening;

a first heat exchanging means provided in said cabinet body so as to be spaced from an inner surface of said first side wall, for performing heat exchange between outside air flowing in said first outside air passage and inside air present in said cabinet body;

a second heat exchanging means provided in said cabinet body so as to be spaced from an inner surface of said second side wall, for performing heat exchange between outside air flowing in said second outside air passage and said inside air present in said cabinet; and

a temperature detecting and controlling means for detecting a first temperature as a temperature of said first side wall and a second temperature as a temperature of said second side wall and controlling operations of said first external fan and said second external fan according to results of comparison of said first temperature detected, said second temperature detected, and a plurality of preset temperatures.

7. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 6, further comprising:

a first circulating fan provided in said cabinet body, for circulating a part of said inside air present in said cabinet body in the vicinity of said first side wall; and

a second circulating fan provided in said cabinet body, for circulating a part of said inside air present in said cabinet body in the vicinity of said second side wall;

wherein said temperature detecting and controlling means further controls operations of said first circulating fan and said second circulating fan according to said results of comparison of said first temperature detected, said second temperature detected, and said plurality of preset temperatures.

8. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 7, wherein when said first temperature is higher than said second temperature in an operative condition of both said first circulating fan and said second circulating fan, said temperature detecting and controlling means stops the operation of said first circulating fan, whereas when said second temperature is higher than said first temperature in the operative condition of both said first circulating fan and said second circulating fan, said temperature detecting and controlling means stops the operation of said second circulating fan.

9. An outdoor installation type cabinet according to claim 6, wherein said temperature detecting and controlling means comprises a plurality of bimetals.