Active cooling system for an electronic device

• US 6,487,463 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1998
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway 2000, Inc. (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stepp, George Thomas III
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/093,202
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 165/79, 165/80.3, 165/104.38, 361/695, 361/724, 361/690, 361/692, 361/693, 361/694, 700/29, 700/299, 700/300, 702/132
• US Class Current: 700/79
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means

Abstract

A system for actively cooling an electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device may be divided into a plurality of regions each containing one or more electrical or electronic components. A temperature sensor is positioned in each region to sense the temperature of the components contained in that region. Similarly, a temperature regulating device is positioned in each region. A controller monitors the temperature of each region as sensed by the temperature sensor and adjusts the amount of cooling provided to that region by the temperature regulating device, accordingly.

Claims

1. A system for cooling an electronic device having a plurality of regions each containing one or more electronic components wherein each of said plurality of regions may have a different temperature from other of said plurality of regions, said system comprising:

a plurality of temperature sensors disposed within the electronic device, each of said plurality of temperature sensors positioned to sense within one of said plurality of regions for sensing the temperature of that region;

a plurality of temperature regulation devices disposed within the electronic device, each of said plurality of temperature regulation devices positioned in a region monitored by one of said plurality of temperature sensors for cooling that region; and

a controller operatively coupled to each of said plurality of temperature sensors and each of said plurality of temperature regulation devices, said controller monitoring the temperature of each of said plurality of regions sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in that region and controlling an amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulation devices disposed in said region in response thereto.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by each temperature regulation device in proportion to the sensed temperature of the region in which it is disposed.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulation device disposed in a first of said plurality of regions in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second of said plurality of regions.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller monitors the amount of cooling provided by each temperature regulation device.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperature sensors is positioned on an electronic component.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperature regulation devices is positioned on an electronic component.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of said temperature regulation devices is a cooling fan.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by each cooling fan in proportion to the sensed temperature of the region in which it is disposed.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the cooling fan disposed in a first of said plurality of regions in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second of said plurality of regions.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein each cooling fan comprises a rotary cooling fan having a speed of rotation and the amount of cooling provided to each region is controlled by varying the speed of rotation of the cooling fan disposed in that region.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the speed of rotation of each cooling fan by varying the voltage supplied thereto.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the controller monitors the speed of rotation of each cooling fan.

15. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the cooling fans is position on an electronic component.

16. A system for cooling a computer having a plurality of regions each containing one or more electronic components wherein each of said plurality of regions may have a different temperature from other of said plurality of regions, said system comprising:

a temperature sensor disposed in each of said plurality of regions;

a temperature regulating device disposed in each of said plurality of regions, said temperature regulating device operable at variable rates for adjusting an amount of cooling provided to said region; and

a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and temperature regulating device of each of said plurality of regions, said controller monitoring the temperature of each region sensed by the temperature sensor and varying the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulating device disposed in said region in proportion to the sensed temperature of that region.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulation device disposed in said region in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second region.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said second region is adjacent to said region.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the controller monitors the amount of cooling provided by each temperature regulation device.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the temperature sensor is positioned on an electronic component within the region.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the temperature regulation device is positioned on an electronic component within the region.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein the temperature regulation device is a cooling fan.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the cooling fan disposed in the region in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second region.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein each cooling fan comprises a rotary cooling fan having a speed of rotation and the amount of cooling provided to each region is controlled by varying the speed of rotation of the cooling fan in that region.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the controller controls the speed of rotation of the cooling fan by varying the voltage supplied thereto.

27. The system according to claim 22, wherein the controller monitors the speed of rotation of each cooling fan.

28. The system according to claim 22, wherein the cooling fan is positioned on an electronic component disposed in the region.

29. A system for cooling a computer having a plurality of regions containing electronic components wherein each of said plurality of regions may have a different temperature from other of said plurality of regions, said system comprising:

means, disposed in each of said plurality of regions, for sensing the temperature of said region;

means, disposed in each of said plurality of regions, for regulating the temperature of said region; and

means for monitoring the temperature of each region via the temperature sensing means and controlling the temperature regulating means for regulating the temperature within that region in response thereto.

30. The system according to claim 29, further comprising means for monitoring the operation of each temperature regulation device.

31. The system according to claim 29, further comprising means for varying the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulation means disposed in a first of said plurality of regions in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing means disposed in a second of said plurality of regions.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

33. A method for cooling an electronic system having a plurality of regions containing electronic components wherein each of said plurality of regions may have a different temperature from other of said plurality of regions, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing the temperature of each region via a temperature sensor placed in the region; and

varying the amount of cooling provided to each region by a temperature regulation device disposed within that region according to the sensed temperature thereof.

34. A method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of monitoring the operation of each temperature regulation device.

35. A method according to claim 33, wherein the temperature sensing step further comprises detecting the temperature of an electronic component within the region.

36. A method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of varying the amount of cooling provided to a first region by a temperature regulation device according to the sensed temperature of a second region.

37. An information handling system incorporating a cooling system, comprising:

a processor unit;

memory interconnected with the processor unit;

a display driver;

an input/output system; and

a cooling system further comprising;

a temperature sensor disposed in each of a plurality of regions within the information handling system;

a temperature regulating device disposed in each of the plurality of regions, the temperature regulating device operable at variable rates to adjust an amount of cooling provided to the region; and

a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and temperature regulating device of each of the plurality of regions, the controller monitoring the temperature of each region and varying the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulating device disposed in the region in proportion to the sensed temperature of that region.

38. The information handling system according to claim 37, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by each temperature regulation device in proportion to the sensed temperature of the region in which it is disposed.

39. The information handling system according to claim 37, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the temperature regulation device disposed in a first of the plurality of regions in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second of the plurality of regions.

40. The information handling system according to claim 39, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

41. The information handling system according to claim 37, wherein the controller monitors the amount of cooling provided by each temperature regulation device.

42. The information handling system according to claim 37, wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature sensors is positioned on an electronic component.

43. The system according to claim 38, wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature regulation devices is positioned on an electronic component.

44. The information handling system according to claim 37, wherein each of the temperature regulation devices is a cooling fan.

45. The information handling system according to claim 44, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by each cooling fan in proportion to the sensed temperature of the region in which it is disposed.

46. The information handling system according to claim 45, wherein the controller varies the amount of cooling provided by the cooling fan disposed in a first of the plurality of regions in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed in a second of the plurality of regions.

47. The information handling system according to claim 46, wherein the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other.

48. The information handling system according to claim 44, wherein the amount of cooling provided to each region is controlled by varying the speed of rotation of the cooling fan disposed in that region.

49. The information handling system of claim 48, wherein the controller controls the speed of rotation of each cooling fan by varying the voltage supplied thereto.

50. The information handling system according to claim 44, wherein the controller monitors the speed of rotation of each cooling fan.

51. The information handling system according to claim 45, wherein at least one of the cooling fans is positioned on an electronic component.