System and method of designing cooling fans

• US 20030236595A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Minebea Company Limited (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Frankel, Scott, Martin, Peter, Hardt, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A method of programming behavior of at least one cooling fan includes installing the at least one cooling fan within a housing. Operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan are set. Operation of the at least one cooling fan within the housing is conducted based on the operating parameters. The operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan are captured if the operating parameters result in adequate cooling within the housing by the at least one cooling fan.

Claims

1. A method of programming behavior of at least one cooling fan, comprising:

installing the at least one cooling fan within a housing;

setting operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan;

conducting operation of the at least one cooling fan within the housing based on the operating parameters; and

capturing the operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan if the operating parameters result in adequate cooling within the housing by the at least one cooling fan.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the operating parameters is performed by utilizing a software program executing on a computer system having a connection with the at least one cooling fan.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating parameters include at least one of a fan speed, an alarm condition, conditional logic, and a temperature within the housing.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including programming a cooling fan utilizing the operating parameters captured.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

6. A program code storage device, comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium; and

machine-readable program code, stored on the machine-readable storage medium, having instructions to

set operating parameters of at least one cooling fan assembled within a housing,

conduct operation of the at least one cooling fan within the housing based on the operating parameters, and

capture the operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan if the operating parameters result in adequate cooling within the housing by the at least one cooling fan.

7. The program code storage device according to claim 6, wherein the operating parameters include at least one of a fan speed, an alarm condition, conditional logic, and a temperature within the housing.

8. The program code storage device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one cooling fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

9. A cooling fan, comprising:

a fan;

a motor coupled to the fan to drive the fan; and

a microcontroller connected to the motor, the microcontroller being programmed by setting operating parameters of the cooling fan, conducting operation of the cooling fan within a housing based on the operating parameters, capturing the operating parameters of the cooling fan if, during the operation, the operating parameters result in adequate cooling within the housing, and programming the microcontroller utilizing the operating parameters captured.

10. The cooling fan according to claim 9, wherein the setting of the operating parameters is performed by utilizing a software program executing on a computer system having a connection with the one cooling fan.

11. The cooling fan according to claim 9, wherein the operating parameters include at least one of a fan speed, an alarm condition, conditional logic, and a temperature within the housing.

12. The cooling fan according to claim 9, further including an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

13. A method of determining cooling solution specifications of at least one fan for a system, comprising:

installing the at least one fan within the system and providing power to the at least one fan;

setting a speed of the at least one fan within the system;

setting an alarm condition for the at least one fan within the system;

monitoring a temperature of a temperature sensor within the system; and

determining the cooling solution specifications of the at least one fan for the system based on at least one of the speed, the alarm condition, and the temperature.

14. The method according to claim 13, further including connecting the at least one fan to a computer system.

15. The method according to claim 13, further including conducting operation of the at least one fan within the system.

16. The method according to claim 13, further including manufacturing cooling fans based on the cooling solution specifications determined.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

18. A program code storage device, comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium;

machine-readable program code, stored on the machine-readable storage medium, having instructions to

set a speed of at least one fan within a system, wherein the at least one fan is installed within the system to determine cooling solution specifications of the at least one fan in the system,

set an alarm condition for the at least one fan within the system,

monitor a temperature of a temperature sensor within the system, and

provide the cooling solution specifications of the at least one fan for the system based on at least one of the speed, the alarm condition, and the temperature.

19. The program code storage device according to claim 18, wherein the machine-readable program code further includes instructions to conduct operation of the at least one fan within the system.

20. The program code storage device according to claim 18, wherein the at least one fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

21. A system to determine cooling solution specifications of at least one fan for a system, comprising:

a computer system having a communications interface to connect to the at least one fan; and

a fan controller user interface executing on the computer system, wherein the fan controller user interface is capable of setting a speed of the at least one fan within the system, setting an alarm condition for the at least one fan within the system, monitoring a temperature of a temperature sensor within the system, and providing the cooling solution specifications of the at least one fan for the system based on at least one of the speed, the alarm condition, and the temperature.

22. The system according to claim 21, further including a fan-computer adapter interconnecting the at least one fan with the communications interface of the computer system.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the communications interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

24. The system according to claim 21, further including a housing into which the at least one fan is installed.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein the fan controller user interface is further capable of conducting operation of the at least one fan within the system.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein cooling fans are constructed based on the cooling solution specifications determined.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

28. The system according to claim 21, further including a fan-computer adapter interconnecting the at least one fan with the communications interface of the computer system, wherein the communications interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface and the fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus, and the fan-computer adapter is capable of converting between USB signals and I2C signals for communication between the computer system and the at least one fan.

29. A system to program behavior of at least one cooling fan, comprising:

a computer system having a communications interface to connect to the at least one fan; and

a fan controller user interface executing on the computer system, wherein the fan controller user interface is capable of setting operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan, conducting operation of the at least one cooling fan within a housing based on the operating parameters, and capturing the operating parameters of the at least one cooling fan if the operating parameters result in adequate cooling within the housing by the at least one cooling fan.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the operating parameters include at least one of a fan speed, an alarm condition, conditional logic, and a temperature within the housing.

31. The system according to claim 29, wherein the at least one cooling fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus.

32. The system according to claim 29, further including a fan-computer adapter interconnecting the at least one fan with the communications interface of the computer system.

33. The system according to claim 29, wherein the communications interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

34. The system according to claim 29, further including a housing into which the at least one fan is installed.

35. The system according to claim 29, wherein cooling fans are constructed based on the operational parameters captured.

36. The system according to claim 29, further including a fan-computer adapter interconnecting the at least one fan with the communications interface of the computer system, wherein the communications interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface and the fan includes an Inter-IC (I2C) bus, and the fan-computer adapter is capable of converting between USB signals and I2C signals for communication between the computer system and the at least one fan.