Cooling air circuits for welding machine
First Claim
1. A power supply for a welding machine comprising:
- a. abase;
b. front and back end panels upstanding from the base and having respective louvers therethrough;
c. a top cover over the base and front and back end panels and cooperating therewith to define an interior space;
d. a magnetics chamber containing first heat producing components in the power supply interior space adjacent the front end panel and open to atmospheric air only through the louvers in the front end panel;
e. a second chamber containing second heat producing components in the power supply interior space between the magnetics chamber and the back end panel, the second chamber cooperating with the magnetics chamber to form a primary air circuit that extends from the louvers in the front end panel to the louvers in the back end panel; and
f. a fan between the magnetics chamber and second chamber that creates a negative pressure in the magnetics chamber and a positive pressure in the second chamber, wherein the magnetics chamber is partially defined by a vertical wall generally aligned with the fan and located between the front and back end panels, and a horizontal wall between the vertical wall and the front end panel, the vertical and horizontal walls reaching the full width of the base and the top cover, and the vertical wall extending between the base and the horizontal wall, to thereby prevent any air from entering the second chamber except through the fan, so that operation of the fan causes cooling air to flow in a first direction through the primary circuit from the front end panel to the back end panel and thereby cools the first and second heat producing components.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A welding machine power supply has two circuits for cooling air. A primary circuit comprises a magnetics chamber and a second chamber. A fan between the magnetics and second chambers draws atmospheric air through one end panel into the magnetics chamber and blows it through the second chamber. The second chamber is comprised of a pair of heat sinks. Major heat generating components are mounted to the heat sinks outside the second chamber. The fan is sandwiched between the magnetics chamber and the heat sinks such that all the air blown by the fan flows through the heat sinks and out a second end panel. A wind tunnel is also part of the second chamber. A counterflow circuit extends from the second end panel to the magnetics chamber. The negative pressure in the magnetics chamber draws atmospheric air through the second end panel to the magnetics chamber, thereby cooling minor heat generating components outside of the primary circuit and not associated with the heat sinks.
84 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A power supply for a welding machine comprising:
-
a. abase;
b. front and back end panels upstanding from the base and having respective louvers therethrough;
c. a top cover over the base and front and back end panels and cooperating therewith to define an interior space;
d. a magnetics chamber containing first heat producing components in the power supply interior space adjacent the front end panel and open to atmospheric air only through the louvers in the front end panel;
e. a second chamber containing second heat producing components in the power supply interior space between the magnetics chamber and the back end panel, the second chamber cooperating with the magnetics chamber to form a primary air circuit that extends from the louvers in the front end panel to the louvers in the back end panel; and
f. a fan between the magnetics chamber and second chamber that creates a negative pressure in the magnetics chamber and a positive pressure in the second chamber, wherein the magnetics chamber is partially defined by a vertical wall generally aligned with the fan and located between the front and back end panels, and a horizontal wall between the vertical wall and the front end panel, the vertical and horizontal walls reaching the full width of the base and the top cover, and the vertical wall extending between the base and the horizontal wall, to thereby prevent any air from entering the second chamber except through the fan, so that operation of the fan causes cooling air to flow in a first direction through the primary circuit from the front end panel to the back end panel and thereby cools the first and second heat producing components. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
a. a first heat sink having center and side walls; and
b. a second heat sink having center and side walls, the center and side walls of the second heat sink coacting with the center and side walls of the first heat sink, respectively, to define a second chamber periphery that cooperates with the fan such that all the air flowing in the primary circuit second chamber flows solely inside the second chamber periphery and through the first and second heat sinks.
-
-
3. The power supply of claim 2 wherein:
-
a. the first heat sink reaches between the fan and the back end panel; and
b. a wind tunnel between the second heat sink and the back end panel cooperates with the center and side walls of the second heat sink to define the periphery of the second chamber adjacent the back end panel.
-
-
4. The power supply of claim 2 further comprising means for holding the side walls of the second heat sink to the side walls of the first heat sink.
-
5. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the fan is sandwiched between the vertical wall and the first and second heat sinks.
-
6. The power supply of claim 2 wherein:
-
a. the power supply further comprises-a first bracket that joins the first heat sink to the vertical wall, and a second bracket that joins the first heat sink to the back end panel; and
b. the horizontal wall, vertical wall, first bracket, first heat sink, and second bracket cooperate to form a structural connection between the front and back end panels.
-
-
7. The power supply of claim 1 wherein:
-
a. the top cover, back end panel, front end panel, magnetics chamber, and second chamber cooperate to define a counterflow circuit in the interior space between the back end panel and the magnetics chamber; and
b. operation of the fan causes cooling air to flow in the counterflow circuit in a second direction opposite the first direction from the back end panel to the magnetics chamber.
-
-
8. A power supply comprising:
-
a. first and second end panels having respective openings therethrough, a base, and a top cover all in operative association with each other to define an interior space;
b. a primary cooling circuit inside the interior space and extending between the first and second end panel openings;
c. a plurality of major heat generating components in the interior space in operative association with the primary circuit;
d. a counterflow circuit in the interior space but outside the primary circuit and extending between the second end panel openings and the primary circuit;
e. a plurality of minor heat generating components in the interior space in operative association with the counterflow circuit; and
f. means for blowing cooling air in a first direction through the primary circuit to cool the major heat generating components and for simultaneously drawing cooling air through the counterflow circuit in a second direction opposite the first direction to cool the minor heat generating components. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
a. the primary circuit comprises a first chamber and a second chamber;
b. the counterflow circuit extends between the second end panel and the first chamber; and
c. the means for propelling cooling air comprises a fan between the first and second chambers, the fan operating to produce a negative air pressure in the first chamber, the fan further operating to produce a positive air pressure in the second chamber, so that cooling air is drawn into the first chamber from the atmosphere through the first end panel openings and from the counterflow circuit.
-
-
10. The power supply of claim 9 wherein:
-
a. the second chamber is comprised of first and second heat sinks having respective walls that cooperate to define a periphery of the second chamber, the second chamber periphery being arranged such that all the air blown by the fan flows through the heat sinks; and
b. the major heat generating components are mounted to the first and second heat sinks outside of the second chamber.
-
-
11. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the second chamber is further comprised of a wind tunnel between the second heat sink and the second end panel, the wind tunnel cooperating with the first and second heat sinks to define the periphery of the second chamber between the first chamber and the back end panel.
-
12. The power supply of claim 10 wherein:
-
a. the first chamber is partially defined by a vertical wall, and a horizontal wall between the vertical wall and the first end panel; and
b. the fan is sandwiched between the vertical wall and the first and second heat sinks.
-
-
13. The power supply of claim 10 wherein:
-
a. each of the first and second heat sinks has a center wall and a pair of side walls; and
b. the welding machine further comprises a pair of rails that hold the side walls of the first and second heat sinks to each other.
-
-
14. The power supply of claim 9 wherein the second chamber has a periphery defined by center and side walls-of a first heat sink, by center and side walls of a second heat sink, and by center and side legs of a wind tunnel that are generally coplanar with the center and side walls, respectively, of the second heat sink.
-
15. The power supply of claim 14 wherein the periphery of the second chamber is arranged relative to the fan such that all the air blown by the fan flows through the second chamber.
-
16. The power supply of claim 14 further comprising means for holding the side walls of the second heat sink to associated side walls of the first heat sink.
-
17. The power supply of claim 14 further comprising means for holding the side walls of the second heat sink to the side walls of the first heat sink and for holding the side legs of the wind tunnel to the side walls of the first heat sink.
-
18. A method of cooling a power supply for a welding machine having first and second end panels comprising the steps of:
-
a. providing a primary circuit for cooling air that extends between the first and second end panels;
b. providing a counterflow circuit outside the primary circuit for cooling air that extends between the second panel and the primary circuit;
c. mounting first selected heat generating components in operative association with the primary circuit;
d. mounting second selected heat generating components in operative association with the counterflow circuit;
e. flowing cooling air in a first direction from the first end panel through the primary circuit to the second end panel and thereby cooling the first selected heat generating components; and
f. flowing cooling air in a second direction opposite the first direction through the counterflow circuit from the second end panel to the primary circuit and thereby cooling the second selected heat generating components. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
a. the step of providing a primary circuit comprises the steps of providing a first chamber adjacent the first end panel, and a second chamber adjacent the second end panel;
b. the step of flowing cooling air in the first direction comprises the step of producing a negative air pressure in the first chamber and drawing atmospheric air through the first end panel into the first chamber; and
c. the step of flowing cooling air in the second direction comprises the step of drawing atmospheric air through the second end panel into the counterflow circuit and into the first chamber.
-
-
20. The method of claim 19 wherein:
-
a. the step of providing a second chamber comprises the steps of;
i. providing first and second heat sinks having respective center and side walls; and
ii. arranging the first and second heat sinks such that the center and side walls thereof define a periphery of the second chamber; and
b. the step of flowing cooling air in the first direction comprises the step of flowing all the cooling air in the first direction through the first and second heat sinks.
-
-
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of providing a second chamber comprises the further step of providing a wind tunnel having center and side legs that are substantially coplanar with the center and side walls, respectively, of the second heat sink and that thereby cooperate with the first and second heat sinks to define the periphery of the second chamber,
so that all of the cooling air flowing in the first direction flows through the first and second heat sinks and the wind tunnel.
Specification