Method of controlling the number of revolutions of fan in electronic device

• US 7,194,340 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Honma, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US11/430,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 700/300, 361/695, 318/471, 236/49.3, 454/184
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20563 within sub-racks for removing heat from electronic boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/207 Thermal management, e.g. cabinet temperature control

Abstract

An electric device is provided that can provide an electronic device capable of maintaining the temperature in an apparatus approximately constant at a low cost without installing any temperature sensor. In a method of controlling the number of revolutions of forced-air-cooling fans in an electronic device having a plurality of circuit boards and the forced-air-cooling fans that discharge the heat generated from the plurality of circuit boards through ventilation, and each of which is equipped with a filter, the optimal number of revolutions for each fan is obtained from the relation between the accumulated time of use of the filter and the power consumption of the plurality of circuit boards mounted in the electronic device and a driving current of the forced-air-cooling fans is controlled such that the number of the revolutions becomes the obtained number of revolutions.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a number of revolutions of forced-air-cooling fans in an electronic device having a plurality of circuit boards and the forced-air-cooling fans discharging the heat generated from the plurality of circuit boards through ventilation, and each of which is equipped with a filter, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining an optimal number of revolutions for each fan from a relation between an accumulated time of use of the filter and a power consumption of the plurality of circuit boards mounted in the electronic device; and

controlling a driving current of a forced-air-cooling fan such that the number of the revolutions becomes the obtained number of revolutions.

2. The method of controlling the number of revolutions of forced-air-cooling fans in an electronic device according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

retaining, for each filter, individual identification information, and cleaning information that indicates whether or not cleaning has been completed; and

starting counting of the time having passed simultaneously when the filter is mounted and detecting the accumulated time of use of the filter.

3. The method of controlling the number of revolutions of forced-air-cooling fans in an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

a type of, a position of a slot that is mounted with, and a quantity of the plurality of circuit boards mounted in the electronic device are detected, and a power consumption to be loaded on the corresponding forced-air-cooling fans is calculated.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of slots each capable of being mounted with a circuit board;

a forced-air-cooling fan equipped with a filter, that is respectively equipped corresponding to a pre-determined slot in the plurality of slots;

a fan card having identification information of the filter;

a unit that is inputted with the identification information of the filter read from the fan card and obtains an accumulated time of use of the filter corresponding to the identification information;

a unit that is inputted with information on the circuit boards mounted in the plurality of slots and obtains a power consumption corresponding to the circuit boards mounted; and

a unit that obtains a number of revolutions of the forced-air-cooling fan to be set, from a relation between the obtained accumulated time of use of the filter and the power consumption corresponding to the circuit boards mounted.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the identification information of the filter is identified using year of manufacture, month of manufacture, and serial number.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising a timer, wherein the accumulated time of use of the filter is counted by the timer starting when the filter is newly mounted and, when any change occurs to the identification information of the filter, the counting by the timer is stopped and the accumulated time of use of the filter is obtained from the count value at this time.