Fan assembly for installing and removing fans individually and collectively

• US 7,236,361 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Cunningham, W. Brian, Cote, Gerald J., Bailey, Adrianna D., Boudreau, Maida
• Primary Examiner(s): Vortman; Anatoly
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards; Anthony Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/852,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 361/695
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/127 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20727 within server blades for removing heat from heat source

Abstract

Described is a fan assembly constructed to enable fans to be installed and removed from a storage enclosure individually or collectively. The fan assembly has a plurality of fan packs and a support frame that includes a plurality of wells for holding fan packs. Each fan pack includes a fan and a fan mount attached to the fan, and each fan pack is disposed in one of the plurality of wells. A first latch-and-release mechanism secures one of the fan packs to the side walls of the well within which that fan pack is disposed. The first latch-and release mechanism enables that fan pack to be removed individually from the fan assembly. A second latch-and release mechanism secures the support frame to opposing side walls of an enclosure. The second latch-and-release mechanism enables the fan assembly to be removed from the enclosure while populated with the plurality of fan packs.

Claims

1. A fan assembly, comprising:

a support frame having a base, a front wall extending perpendicular to the base, and a plurality of spatially separated side walls perpendicular to the base and to the front wall, the base, front wall, and side walls defining a plurality of wells;

a plurality of fan packs, each fan pack including a fan and a fan mount attached to the fan, each fan pack being disposed in one of the plurality of wells the fan mount of each fan pack having a top wall and spatially separated opposing side panels, and a first latch-and-release mechanism for removably securing the fan pack to the side walls of the well within which that fan pack is disposed, the first latch-and-release mechanism including a flexible section in each side panel with a tab projecting outwardly therefrom, each flexible section forming part of the top wall with a cutout region formed therein, the cutout regions of the flexible sections providing opposing movable finger holes, the fan pack being individually removable from the well by using the finger holes to urge the flexible sections towards each other so that each outwardly projecting tab releases from the sidewall of the well to which that tab is latched; and

a second latch-and-release mechanism securing the support frame to opposing side walls of an enclosure, the second latch-and-release mechanism enabling the fan assembly to be removed from the enclosure while populated with the plurality of fan packs.

2. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the first-latch-and-release mechanism of each fan pack includes flexible side panels of the fan mount, a tab projecting outwardly from an external surface of each side panel, and a recessed region in each side wall of the well within which that fan pack is disposed for receiving the tabs when the fan pack is installed in that well.

3. The fan assembly of claim 1, where in the second latch-and release mechanism includes a flexible side column on opposite ends of the support frame, a tab projecting from an inward facing surface of each side column, and openings in the side walls of the enclosure module for receiving a respective one of the tabs projecting from the flexible side columns.

4. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the fan mount of each fan pack has a rear side and a flap attached to the rear side for rotational movement between a closed position and a fully open position, the flap extending from the rear side at angle that is less than 90 degrees with respect to the rear side when the flap is in the fully open position.

5. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein a pair of the side walls of the support frame define a recessed compartment within the front wall of the support frame for receiving an LED module.

6. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein a base of each fan packs enters first into one of the wells when that fan pack is being slid into that well.

12. The fan assembly of claim 1, further comprising a filler pack having a fan mount with a top wall, opposing side panels, and a rear frame separating the side panels, the side panels and rear frame extending generally perpendicularly from the top wall, the filler pack being installed without a fan in one of the wells, the rear frame of the filler pack having a flap mechanism in a closed position to prevent reverse air flow from passing through a well unoccupied by a fan.

7. A fan pack for use in a fan assembly having a plurality of wells, the fan pack comprising:

a fan; and

a fan mount coupled to the fan, the fan mount having a top wall, spatially separated opposing side panels, and a rear frame separating the side panels, the side panels and rear frame extending generally perpendicularly from the top wall,

each side panel having a flexible section with a tab projecting outwardly therefrom for latching to a sidewall of a well in the fan assembly, each flexible section forming part of the top wall with a cutout region formed therein, the cutout regions of the flexible sections providing opposing movable finger holes, the fan pack being removable from the well by using the finger holes to urge the flexible sections towards each other so that each outwardly projecting tab disengages from the sidewall of the well to which that tab is latched,

the rear frame of the fan mount having a flap mechanism pivotally attached thereto for rotational movement between a closed position and a fully open position, the flap mechanism covering the rear frame when in the closed position, and extending away from the rear frame at an angle of less than 90 degrees when in the fully open position to ensure that any back draft urges the flap mechanism towards the closed position.

8. The fan pack of claim 7, wherein the flap mechanism includes a plurality of flaps pivotally attached to the rear frame for rotational movement between the closed position and the fully open position.

9. The fan pack of claim 8, wherein one of the flaps partially overlaps another of the flaps when the flaps are in the closed position.

10. The fan pack of claim 7, further comprising a floating connector extending from the rear frame of the fan mount.

11. The fan pack of claim 7, wherein the fan mount has a notch where each side panel meets the rear frame, each notch sliding into a respective groove in a sidewall of the well of the fan assembly to position the fan pack within the well.