US20070286725A1

US20070286725A1 - Structure for assembling and disasembling a fan

Info

Publication number: US20070286725A1
Application number: US11/450,284
Authority: US
Inventors: Steven Su
Original assignee: Enermax Technology Corp
Current assignee: Enermax Technology Corp
Priority date: 2006-06-12
Filing date: 2006-06-12
Publication date: 2007-12-13

Abstract

A structure for assembling and disassembling a fan receives a fan body. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan includes a housing and a fastening frame. There is an opening located at the outside of the housing. The fastening frame is connected with the housing and has a fan receiving area. The fan receiving area is interlinked with the opening of the housing. Thereby, the fan body can be directly assembled or disassembled from the outside of the housing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for assembling and disassembling a fan. In particular, this invention relates to a structure for a fan that can be directly assembled or disassembled from the outside of the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a lot of circuit boards and electronic elements in the housing of a computer. When the computer is operating, the electronic elements on the circuit board in the computer, such as ICs, integrated circuits etc, generate heat so as to increase the temperature of the housing. When the temperature in the housing exceeds the upper limit of the operating temperature of the electronic elements, the electronic elements fail and the computer breaks down. In order to exhaust the heat from the housing via air convection, heat-exhausting holes are formed and fans are installed on the housing. Thereby, heat is exhausted to the outside of the housing via the heat-exhausting holes.
FIG. 1 shows a fan structure of the prior art. On the four corners of the fan body 10 a, there is a through hole 11 a. The housing 20 a of the computer comprises fixing holes 21 a that correspond to the through hole 11 a and a plurality of heat-exhausting holes 22 a. Screws 30 a pass through the fixing holes 21 a and are screwed in the through hole 11 a so as to fasten the fan body 10 in an inner section of the housing 20 a. The fan body 10 a exhausts heat from the housing 20 a to the outside of the housing 20 a via the heat-exhausting holes 22 a.
However, when the fan body 10 a has been operated for a period of time, dust accumulates on the fan body 10 a and the weight of the fan increases. Consequently, the operating efficiency of the fan body 10 a decreases. Furthermore, the fan body breaks down. At this moment, the user needs to open the housing 20 a and disassembles many components so as to disassemble the fan body 10 a. After the fan body 10 a is maintained or replaced, the fan body 10 a is assembled in an opposite sequence to the disassembling process. It is very inconvenient for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One particular aspect of the present invention is to provide a structure for assembling and disassembling a fan. The fan can be directly assembled or disassembled from the outside of the housing. The user does not need to disassemble the housing of the device so it is easy to maintain or replace the fan.
The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan includes a housing having an opening located at the outside of the housing, and a fastening frame. The fastening frame is connected with the housing and has a fan receiving area. The fan receiving area is interlinked with the opening.
For further understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description illustrating the embodiments and examples of the invention. The description is only for illustrating the invention and is not intended to be considered limiting of the scope of the claim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included herein provide a further understanding of the invention. A brief introduction of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fan structure of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the four embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is made to FIGS. 2 and 3. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan includes a housing 10, a fastening frame 20, and a fan body 30.
The housing 10 can be a housing for power supplies, a housing for backup power supplies, a housing for computers, a housing for industrial computers, a housing for a server, a housing for UPSs, a housing for external RAID boxes, a housing for external hard disk boxes, a housing for an external optical drive, a housing for a keyboard, a housing for laptop heat-exhausting boards, a housing for overhead projectors, a housing for medical detecting equipment, or a housing for other devices having a fan. In this embodiment, the housing for a computer is taken as an example. The housing 10 includes a side board 11 that is made of iron. On the outside of the side board 11, there is a square opening 111. The opening 111 is interlinked with the inner part of the housing 10.
The fastening frame 20 is a board-shaped body and has two blocking walls 21. The two blocking walls 21 are opposite to each other and there is a distance between the two blocking walls 21. A fan receiving area 22 is formed between the two blocking walls 21 and is used for receiving the fan body 30. The fan receiving area 22 is interlinked with the opening 111.
An assembling part 23 is connected with the rear side of the blocking wall 21. The assembling part 23 is located in the fan receiving area 22. On the upper and lower ends of the assembling part 23, there is a screw hole 231 for assembling the fan body 30.
A fixing part 24 is connected with the front side of the blocking wall 21. The fixing part 24 leans on the inner side of the side board 11 and is adjacent to the left and right sides of the opening 111. The two fixing parts 23 is connected to the inner surface of the side board 11 via a welding method, a riveting method, or a locking method so that the fastening frame 20 is fastened to the housing 10.
The fan body 30 can be an axial flow fan, a centrifugal fan, or a rolling-typed fan (also known as a traverse flow fan). In this embodiment, the fan body 30 is an axial flow fan. On the four corners of the fan body 30, there is a through hole 31 for fastening the fan body 30 to the housing 10.
When the fan body 30 is installed, the fan body 30 passes through the opening 111 and is received in the fan receiving area 11 of the fastening frame 20. Next, four screws 40 pass through four through holes 31 of the fan body 30 to screw the fan body 30 in the screw hole 231 of the assembling part 23. Thereby, the fan body 30 is locked on the fastening frame 20 and the fan body 30 is installed at the housing 10 via the opening 111.
When the fan body 30 is disassembled, the four screws 40 screwed at the four corners of the fan body 30 are released via the opening 111 so as to unlock the fan body 30. Therefore, the fan body 30 can be moved outward from the fastening frame 20. Then, the fan body 30 is disassembled from the housing 10 via the opening 111.
Reference is made to FIG. 4. The fastening frame 20 of the structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention also can be formed by the side board 11 of the housing 10 and integrated into a single piece. The side board can be made of metal. The upper and lower ends of the opening 111 individually are bent inward to form a blocking wall 21. A fan receiving area 22 is formed between the two blocking walls 21. An assembling part 23 is connected with the end of each blocking wall 21. The assembling part 23 is located in the fan receiving area 22.
On the four corners of the fan body 30, there are two magnets 32 that have a round shape. The two magnets 32 are symmetrically disposed along the diagonal line of the fan body 30.
When the fan body 30 is installed, the fan body 30 passes through the opening 111 and is attached on the assembling part 23 of the fastening frame 20 via the magnetic force of the magnets 32, and is received in the fan receiving area 11. Thereby, the fan body 30 is installed at the housing 10 via the opening 111.
When the fan body 30 is disassembled, the magnetic force between the fan body 30 and the fastening frame 20 is merely released so that the fan body 30 can be moved from the fastening frame 20. Therefore, the fan body 30 is disassembled via the opening 111.
Reference is made to FIG. 5. Another fastening frame 20 is disclosed. The fastening frame 20 has four legs 25. The four legs 25 are located at the four corners that are adjacent to the opening 111. The space surrounded by the four legs 25 forms a fan receiving area 22 for receiving the fan body 30. A fixing part is connected with the front end of each leg 25. The fixing part 24 leans on the inner surface of the side board 11. An assembling part 23 is connected with the rear end of each leg 25. The assembling part 23 has a screw hole 231 that corresponds to the through hole 31 of the fan body 30 so that the fan body 30 can be disassembled from or assembled to the fastening frame 20.
Reference is made to FIG. 6. A fastening frame 20 and a housing 10′ are disclosed. The housing 10′ has an opening 11′. The opening 11′ is interlinked with the inner of the housing 10′.
The fastening frame 20 is a frame that has an opening-shaped on the front side. The space surrounded by the four sides of the fastening frame 20 forms a fan receiving area 22. The fan receiving area 22 is interlinked with the opening 11′. The fastening frame 20 has a flexible flake 26 located at the lower side of the fan receiving area 22. The center of the flexible flake 26 has an arc-shape that is protruding, and is flexible. The two ends of the flexible flake 26 are connected with the bottom of the fastening frame 20. The fastening frame 20 has two blocking walls 21 located above the flexible flake 26. The two blocking walls 21 are disposed at the left and right sides and there is a distance between the two blocking walls 21. On the upper side of the two blocking walls 21, there is a blocking block 27 that corresponds to the flexible flake 26. The blocking block 27 has a triangular shape and the slope side of the triangle faces downward.
When the fan body 30 is installed, the fan body 30 inclinedly passes through the opening 11′ and is received in the fan receiving area 22. Next, the left and right sides of the fan body 30 lean on the inner surface of the two blocking walls 21 and the flexible flake 26 is pressed to deform so that the fan body 30 moves inward, and leans and pushes below the two blocking blocks 27. The flexible flake 26 recovers and is wedged below the fan body 30. Thereby, the fan body 30 is wedged in the fastening frame 20 and the fan body 30 is installed at the housing 10′ via the opening 11′.
When the fan body 30 is disassembled, the fan body 30 is pressed downward to make the flexible flake 26 deform so that the fan body 30 escapes from the leaning and pushing area of the two blocking blocks 27. Therefore, the fan body 30 is inclinedly moved out from the fastening frame 20 via the opening 11′. Then, the fan body 30 is disassembled from the housing 10′.
Reference is made to FIG. 7. Another fastening frame 20 is disclosed. The fastening frame 20 is a frame that has an open-shaped on the front side. The space surrounded by the four sides of the fastening frame 20 forms a fan receiving area 22. The fastening frame 20 has four wedges 28. The four wedges 28 are located in the fan receiving area 22 and are adjacent to the center of the inner side of the four sides of the fastening frame 20. The four wedges 28 correspond to the opening 11′ of the housing 10′. The fan body 30 is wedged in the fastening frame 20 via the four wedges 28.
When the fan body 30 is installed, the fan body 30 passes through the opening 11′ and is received in the fan receiving area 22 of the fastening frame 20. Next, the four wedges 28 wedge the four sides of the fan body 30 to wedge the fan body 30 on the and the fan body 30 is installed at the housing 10′.
When the fan body 30 is disassembled, the user pushes the four wedges 28 so as to release the fan body 30. Therefore, the fan body 30 is moved out from the fastening frame 20 via the opening 11′, and the fan body 30 is disassembled from the housing 10′.
The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan of the present invention allows the fan to be directly removed from the opening of the housing of the device to maintain or replace the fan. The user does not need to disassemble the housing of the device or the inner components. It is convenient. When problems occur with the fan, the user can easily and rapidly assemble or disassemble the fan so that the problem can be fixed. The problem of lowering the heat-exhausting efficiency due to the dust accumulation is overcome. Therefore, the inner components can operate below their operating temperature. The components are not damaged due to the overheating. The usage life of the device is extended.
The description above only illustrates specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims.

Claims

1. A structure for assembling and disassembling a fan, comprising:

a housing having an opening located at the outside of the housing; and

a fastening frame connected with the housing and having a fan receiving area, wherein the fan receiving area is interlinked with the opening.

2. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is a housing for power supplies, a housing for backup power supplies, a housing for computers, a housing for industrial computers, a housing for a server, a housing for UPSs, a housing for external RAID boxes, a housing for external hard disk boxes, a housing for an external optical drive, a housing for a keyboard, a housing for laptop heat-exhausting boards, a housing for overhead projectors, or a housing for medical detecting equipment.

3. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame is connected with the housing via a welding method.

4. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame is connected with the housing via a riveting method.

5. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame is connected with the housing via a locking method

6. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame comprises at least two blocking walls and the two blocking walls are opposite to each other and there is a distance between the two blocking walls, and a fan receiving area is formed between the two blocking walls, wherein a fixing part is connected with one side of the blocking wall and the fixing part leans on the housing, and an assembling part is connected with another side of the blocking wall and the assembling part has a plurality of screw holes.

7. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame comprises a plurality of legs, the legs are located at corners that are adjacent to the opening, a space surrounded by the legs forms a fan receiving area, a fixing part is connected with one end of each of the legs, the fixing part leans on the inner surface of the housing, and another end of the leg is connected with an assembling part and the assembling part comprises a plurality of screw holes.

8. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame comprises a flexible flake and two blocking walls, the two blocking walls are located above the flexible flake and are opposite to each other, there is a blocking block on the upper side of each of the two blocking walls, and the two blocking walls correspond to the flexible flake.

9. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame comprises four wedges, and the four wedges are adjacent to the center of four sides of the fastening frame and correspond to the opening of the housing.

10. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening frame and the housing are integrated into one piece.

11. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fan body, wherein the fan body is received in the fan receiving area and is assembled to or disassembled from the fastening frame via the opening.

12. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fan body is an axial flow fan, a centrifugal fan, or a rolling-typed fan

13. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fan body is locked to the fastening frame.

14. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fan body is attached to the fastening frame via a magnetic force.

15. The structure for assembling and disassembling a fan as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fan body is wedged to the fastening frame.