Bi-directional fan cooling method for multi-axis controller

• US 9,835,345 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HIWIN Technologies Corp.
• Original Assignee: HIWIN Technologies Corp.
• Inventors: Tseng, I-Hsiang, Su, Chin-Yen
• Primary Examiner(s): RUBY, TRAVIS C
• Application Number:
  US14/815,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/76 by means responsive to temperature, e.g. bimetal springs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20209 Thermal management, e.g. fan control

Abstract

A cooling method for multi-axis controller includes a first step of enabling a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor to respectively detect the temperature of a first heat source and the temperature of a second heat source and to send the respective detected data to a control unit, and a second step of enabling the control unit to drive a first bi-direction fan to exhaust air if the temperature of the first heat source surpasses a predetermined upper temperature limit or to drive a second bi-directional fan to exhaust air if the temperature of the second heat source surpasses the predetermined upper temperature limit, thereby achieving enhanced cooling efficiency.

Claims

1. A cooling method of a multi-axis controller, the multi-axis controller comprising a housing, a first heat source provided inside the housing, a first temperature sensor mounted to the housing adjacent to the first heat source, two first bi-directional fans facing toward the first heat source, a second heat source provided inside the housing, a second temperature sensor mounted to the housing adjacent to the second heat source, two second bi-directional fans facing toward the second heat source, and a control unit electrically coupled with the first and second temperature sensors and the first and second bi-directional fans, the first bi-directional fans and the second bi-directional fans being respectively mounted to two opposite peripheral walls of the housing, the housing having at least one air vent between the first bi-directional fans and the second bi-directional fans, the cooling method comprising the steps of:

a);

enabling the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor to respectively detect the temperature of the first heat source and the temperature of the second heat source and then to provide the respective detected data to the control unit for comparison with a predetermined upper temperature limit;

b);

enabling said control unit to drive the first bi-directional fans adjacent to said first heat source to exhaust air and then returning to step a) if the temperature of said first heat source is higher than said predetermined upper temperature limit, or, enabling said control unit to drive the second bi-directional fans adjacent to said second heat source to exhaust air and then returning to step a) if the temperature of said second heat source is higher than said predetermined upper temperature limit.

2. The cooling method for multi-axis controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising step c):

enabling said control unit to determine whether or not the absolute temperature difference value between the temperature of said first heat source and the temperature of said second heat source surpasses a predetermined temperature difference limit if the temperature of said first heat source and the temperature of said second heat source are below said predetermined upper temperature limit, and then returning to step a) if the absolute temperature difference value between the temperature of said first heat source and the temperature of said second heat source is below said predetermined temperature difference limit;

if the absolute temperature difference value between the temperature of said first heat source and the temperature of said second heat source surpasses said predetermined temperature difference limit and the temperature of said first heat source surpasses the temperature of said second heat source, enabling said control unit to drive said first bi-directional fans to exhaust air and said second bi-directional fans to intake air and then returning to step a);

if the absolute temperature difference value between the temperature of said first heat source and the temperature of said second heat source surpasses said predetermined temperature difference limit and the temperature of said first heat source is below the temperature of said second heat source, enabling said control unit to drive said first bi-directional fans to intake air and said second bi-directional fans to exhaust air and then returning to step a).

3. The cooling method for multi-axis controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step b), enable said control unit to firstly determine whether or not the temperature of said first heat source surpasses said upper temperature limit, and then enable said control unit to determine whether or not the temperature of said second heat source surpasses said upper temperature limit if the temperature of said first heat source is below said upper temperature limit.

4. The cooling method for multi-axis controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein, before the implementation of step b), enable said control unit to drive said first bi-directional fans and said second bi-directional fans to intake air or exhaust air according to a predetermined setting.