Device and method for automatically controlling rotating speed of fan cooler

• US 6,182,902 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitac Technology Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitac Technology Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shih, Min-Tien
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US09/358,831
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 236/35, 236/78.B, 236/49.3, 236/DIG.9, 236/78.D, 165/203, 165/80.3, 165/299, 165/300, 361/695, 361/697
• US Class Current: 236/35
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1913 delivering a series of pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 236/09 Fan control

Abstract

A thermal control method and device for automatically regulating the rotational speed of the fan cooler are disclosed in the present invention. The thermal control device comprises a control-voltage generator having a temperature-sensing device for sensing a temperature and generating a control voltage, a pulse modulator for modulating the pulse width of a clock signal with respect to the control voltage to generate a pulse modulation signal, and a fan driver for regulating the rotational speed of the fan cooler, modulating the refrigerant efficiency, and maintain the internal temperature of an apparatus, thereby consuming moderate power and making less noise.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a rotational speed of a fan cooler attached to an apparatus, the device comprising:

a plurality of control-voltage generators, each of which having a sensing means for sensing a local temperature and generating a local control voltage corresponding to the local temperature;

a weighted circuit comprising a plurality of resisters, each of the resisters comprising a weighting coefficient wherein the weighted circuit generates a weighted control voltage by a summation of the local control voltages multiplied by the respective weighting coefficients;

a pulse modulator for modulating a clock signal responsive to the control voltage into a pulse modulation signal; and

a fan driver for controlling the rotational speed of the fan cooler in response to the pulse modulation signal.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing means is a thermister.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control voltage generator includes a first resister connected in series to the thermister and powered by a voltage source such that the control-voltage is proportional to a voltage across the thermister.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulse modulator is a pulse width modulator.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the sensing means comprises a plurality of sensors distributed across the apparatus to obtain an average temperature.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a notebook computer.

7. A method for controlling a rotational speed of a fan cooler attached to an apparatus, comprising the steps of:

sensing a local temperature of the apparatus and generating a local control voltage by each of a plurality of sensing means;

generating a weighting coefficient for each of the local control voltages;

generating a weighted control voltage by summing the local control voltages multiplied by the respective weighting coefficients;

modulating a clock signal responsive to the weighted control voltage into a pulse modulation signal; and

varying the rotational speed of the fan cooler in response to the pulse modulation signal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of sensing an average temperature by distributing a plurality of sensors over the apparatus.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensing means is a thermister.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of modulating the clock signal is implemented by pulse width modulation.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of powering a first resister when generating the control voltage that is proportional to a voltage across the sensing means.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the apparatus is a notebook computer.