GB2446869A

GB2446869A - Case for electronic equipment with blower fan rather than extractor fan

Info

Publication number: GB2446869A
Application number: GB0703401A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Hostettler Wain
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-22
Filing date: 2007-02-22
Publication date: 2008-08-27
Also published as: GB0703401D0

Abstract

A case or container containing hot equipment, e.g. a personal computer, is fitted with a fan that blows cold air into the case rather than sucking air out of the case. Hot air vents are then provided around the case to exhaust the hot air. A filter can then be attached to the fan inlet so that the cold air is free of dust and dirt before entering the case or container. Consequently the hot air leaving the container is also properly filtered and the fan may clean the air in the room. A blower fan may also produce less noise than an extractor fan.

Description

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BLOWN AIR EQUIPMENT CASE

Cooling fans are used extensively for equipment that generates heat The main cooling fan tends to be an extractor fan that sucks air out of the case, A common example of this arrangement is a personal computer. Normally with computers, the extractor fan is built into the transformer unit for ease of manufacture, Although extractor fans are the norm in many cases, there are many examples of blower ans used for CooHng. p-or nstance, many high pertormance processors both on computer motherboards and video accelerator cards have heat sinks combined with a fan that blows air onto the required area.

Blowing air onto an area is inherently better than sucking air from an area because the airflow is directed onto the surface required. Within a volume however, both blowing and sucking deliver approximately the same amount of overall cooling, although the air flow and circulation are normally more controllable using blowing rather than sucking.

Within the case cold, air circulates and mixes with hot air generated by the equipment.

Normally the airflow provided by the fan is much greater than would be generated by, say, convection. Although the specific heat capacity of air is low, fan driven air-cooling is usuaHy sufficient for most applications With extractor fans, the air intakes are normally situated around the container or case preferably near to the hottest parts. The inlet vents allow cold air into the case, where it mixes with the hot air generated by the equipment. However, the in'et air contains dust and dirt that tends to build up gradually on and inside the case. With an extractor fan system, it is practically impossible to incorporate air filters to prevent this.

According to the present invention, there is provided a blown air equipment case comprising a fan that blows cold air into the case wherein it mixes with hot air generated by the equipment and the resulting mix is exhausted through hot air vents around the case. The fan's air intake may be further modified such that an air filter can be attached to remove dust and dirt before it enters the case.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the typical arrangement for a computer, except that the fan blows air into the case, rather than sucking air from the case.

Figure 2 shows a removable air filter that may fitted (clipped or screwed) to the fan intake to remove dust and dirt. 2/2

Refemng to the drawing, the case contains equipment that needs cooling because of the heat generated by operation. The case has a blower fan that blows cold air into the case, and various exhaust vents are provided near to spots where hot air collects. The location of the intake fan, plus the exhaust vents will vary by application.

The fan air intake is also provided with a means of attaching or detaching an air filter to the air intake, such that cold the air introduced into the case is clean. The normal problem of dust and dirt accumulating around the case and on the internal equipment by an extractor fan system is thus solved.

Of course, the air filter should either be washable or replaceable such that if it becomes clogged, it may be cleaned or replaced. Thus the amount of cold air entering the case can be kept within acceptable limits.

The secondary benefit of the air intake system is that because the air is filtered properly, the equipment, for example a computer, also provides a filtering facility for the room in which it resides, removing dust and dirt from the surrounding environment.

It should also be noted that since the vent locations for a blown air system will be similar to those of a suction air system, many systems could merely be retrofitted with a blower air fan and filter, without the need for a redesign. Additionally, the amount noise generated will tend to be reduced.

Claims

1 A blown air equipment case comprising a fan that blows cold air into the case wherein it mixes with hot air generated by the equipment and the resulting mix is exhausted Through hot air vents around The case.

2 A blown air equipment case as claimed in claim 1 whereby the fan's air intake may be further modified such that an ar filter can be attached to remove dust and dirt before n enters me case