U.S. patent application number 11/217363 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-29 for fan control system and method and heat dissipation system of electronic equipment.
Invention is credited to Han-Tun Chen, Hung-Ping Shen, Ho-Ching Yeh.
Application Number | 20060138247 11/217363 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36610266 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060138247 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shen; Hung-Ping ; et
al. |
June 29, 2006 |
Fan control system and method and heat dissipation system of
electronic equipment
Abstract
A fan control system having a temperature sensor, a temperature
control module, a first logic, a second logic and a fan control
circuit is provided to resolve the heat problem and the noise
problem. The temperature sensor is used to detect the operation
temperature of an integrated circuit, and the temperature control
module receives the detected temperature to output a first logic
signal. According to the first logic signal, the first logic
outputs a second logic signal. One or more than one operation
relationship between the fan rotation speed and operation
temperature is set up in the second logic. According to the second
logic signal, a curve showing the relationship between the fan
rotation speed and the operation temperature is selected, and a
second control signal is output. The control circuit can thus
output a voltage to make the fan rotating, in responding to the
second control signal.
Inventors: |
Shen; Hung-Ping; (Taipei,
TW) ; Chen; Han-Tun; (Taipei, TW) ; Yeh;
Ho-Ching; (Taipei, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 8910
RESTON
VA
20195
US
|
Family ID: |
36610266 |
Appl. No.: |
11/217363 |
Filed: |
September 2, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
236/49.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/20209 20130101;
G06F 1/203 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
236/049.3 |
International
Class: |
F24F 7/00 20060101
F24F007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 27, 2004 |
TW |
93140751 |
Claims
1. A fan control system for an electronic apparatus that includes
one or at least one integrated circuits, the system comprising: at
least one temperature sensor arranged correspondingly to some or
all of the integrated circuits, for detecting operation temperature
of the corresponding integrated circuits; a temperature control
module connected to the temperature sensors, the temperature
control module being operative to output a first logic signal
corresponding to the detected temperature, and a first control
signal corresponding to the electronic apparatus; a first logic
connected to the temperature control module, the first logic being
operative to output a second logic signal corresponding to the
first control signal; a second logic connected to the first logic,
including at least one fan rotation speed-operation temperature
relationship stored therein, the second logic being operative to
output a second control signal based on the corresponding fan
rotation speed-operation temperature relationship; and at least one
control circuit to receive the second control signal and provide a
voltage corresponding to the second control signal.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module
and the first logic are arranged on a motherboard, and the second
logic and the control circuit are arranged in a power supply of the
electronic apparatus.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module
comprises a super input/output chip.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module
comprises a super input/output chip and at least one thermal
control integrated circuit operative to receive the temperature
detected by the temperature sensors.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module
comprises at least one thermal control integrated circuit operative
to receive the temperature detected by the temperature sensors.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the bit number of the first logic
signal corresponds to the number of the temperature sensors.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second logics are
independent electronic or integrated circuits.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second logics are
integrated into a single electronic or integrated circuit.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second logic and the control
circuit are independent electronic or integrated circuits.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second logic and the control
circuit are integrated into a single electronic or integrated
circuit.
11. A heat dissipation system of an electronic apparatus having one
or at least one integrated circuits, comprising: at least one
temperature sensor arranged correspondingly to some or all of the
integrated circuits, for detecting the operation temperature of the
corresponding integrated circuits; a temperature control module in
communication with the temperature sensor to output a first logic
signal corresponding to the detected temperature and a first
control signal corresponding to operation status of the electronic
apparatus; a first logic in communication with the temperature
control module to output a second logic signal corresponding to the
first logic signal and the first control signal; a second logic in
communication with the first logic, the second logic including at
least one relationship of fan rotation speed and operation
temperature and being operative to output a second control signal
according to the relationship of fan rotation speed and operation
temperature corresponding to the first logic signal and the first
control signal; at least one control circuit to receive the second
control signal and to output a voltage corresponding to the second
control signal; and at least one fan, each connected to the
corresponding control circuit, driven to rotate by the
corresponding voltage.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the temperature control module
and the first logic are arranged on a motherboard of the electronic
apparatus, and the second logic and the control circuit are
arranged in a power supply of the electronic apparatus.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the fan is arranged in a power
supply of the electronic apparatus which provides power to the
fan.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the fans selectively arranged
correspondingly to some or all of the integrated circuits, and a
motherboard of the electronic apparatus provides power to the
fans.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the temperature control module
comprises a super input/output chip.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the temperature control module
comprises a super input/output chip and a thermal control
integrated circuit operative to receive the detected
temperature.
17. The system of claim 11, wherein the bit number of the first
logic signal corresponds to the number of the temperature
sensors.
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first logic and the second
logic are independent electronic or integrated circuits.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second logics are
integrated into a signal electronic or integrated circuit.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the second logic and the
control circuit are independent electronic or integrated
circuits.
21. The system of claim 11, wherein the second logic and the
control circuit are integrated into the same electronic or
integrated circuit.
22. A fan control method for an electronic apparatus that has at
least one integrated circuit, the method comprising: detecting the
operation temperature of the at least one integrated circuit;
generating a first logic signal according to the operation
temperature and a first control signal according to operation
status of the integrated circuit; generating a second logic signal
according to the first logic signal and the first control signal;
selecting a relationship between fan rotation speed and temperature
according to the second logic signal and generating a second
control signal by the relationship; and outputting a voltage
according to the second control signal to drive a fan to rotate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates in general to a fan control
system, and more particularly, to a fan control system that
performs heat dissipation according to various temperature curves
in an electronic device or an information-processing device.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] The advancement of computer technology has consequently
increased the energy consumption. Currently, large-size heat sinks
have been used to dissipate heat by natural convection or
large-size fans have been used to aid in air convection.
Alternatively, small- or medium-size heat sinks have been used in
combination with small-size fans to dissipate heat by air
convection within an enclosure. Other dissipation systems such as a
water-cooling heat dissipation system or a heat pipe have been
proposed as well. In the typical personal computer, the electronic
apparatus or information processing devices, combination of heat
sink and fan are mostly frequently used for heat dissipation.
Therefore, the flow amount, pressure and bearing type are all
factors that affect heat dissipation.
[0005] In the current heat dissipation system, the rotation speed
of fan is controlled to provide adequate heat dissipation. The
rotation speed of the fan rotation is often governed by temperature
control. In a typical system, only one fan is used for heat
dissipation. By detecting the temperature, the rotation speed can
be determined from a pre-determined relationship between the
temperature and the rotation speed. The operation range of the
temperature curve is normally between the lowest 4.5-5 DCV (direct
current voltage) and the highest 12-13 DCV.
[0006] As the functions provided by the computer system become more
and more versatile, the noise problem caused by the fan rotation
becomes more significant.
[0007] For example, when the user intends to watch a multi-medium
film, the operation system is normally in stand-by state with a
reduced heat source. According to the current fan control
technique, the fan is low-speed rotating. In other words, after the
computer system is switched on, the continuous rotation of the fan
is maintained.
[0008] Most of the fans start rotation at a minimum speed or
according to a single temperature curve. As the complexity or the
operation mode of the system increases, a single temperature curve
is insufficient to meet with the requirements of electronic
products. The single temperature curve can't resolve the noise
problem either.
[0009] It is therefore a substantially need to provide a fan
operation system, operative to work in a more complex operation
environment without causing significant noise.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A fan control system and a fan control method are provided
to resolve the drawbacks as mentioned above.
[0011] The fan control system for an electronic apparatus includes
one or more temperature sensors, a temperature control module, a
first logic, a second logic, at least one control circuit and at
least one fan. The electronic apparatus includes a motherboard, a
power supply for supplying operation power of the system and one or
more integrated circuits installed in the motherboard for assisting
the system operation. The temperature sensor is used to detect the
operation temperature of at least one component of the integrated
circuit. The temperature control module in communication with the
temperature sensor is used to output a first logic signal
corresponding to the detected temperature and a first control
signal corresponding to operation status of the electronic
apparatus. The first logic in communication with the temperature
control module is used to output a second logic signal
corresponding to the first logic signal and the first control
signal. The second logic in communication with the first logic
includes at least one relationship of fan rotation speed and
operation temperature and is operative to output a second control
signal according to the relationship of fan rotation speed and
operation temperature corresponding to the first logic signal and
the first control signal. The control circuit is used to receive
the second control signal and to output a voltage corresponding to
the second control signal. The fan is driven to rotate by the
voltage.
[0012] According to the present invention, the fan is installed in
a power supply of the electronic apparatus, which provides power to
the fan.
[0013] According to the present invention, a plurality of fans is
installed at various heat-generating components of the electronic
apparatus, and the motherboard provides power to the fans.
[0014] Furthermore, the fan control method of an electronic
apparatus includes detecting the operation temperature of the
integrated circuit, generating a first logic signal according to
the operation temperature and a first control signal according to
operation status of the integrated circuit, generating a second
logic signal according to the first logic signal and the first
control signal, selecting a relationship between fan rotation speed
and temperature according to the second logic signal and generating
a second control signal by the relationship, and outputting a
voltage according to the second control signal to make a fan to
rotating.
[0015] According to the first logic signal, the first logic outputs
a second logic signal. One or more than one operation relationship
between the fan rotation speed and operation temperature is set up
in the second logic. According to the second logic signal, a curve
showing the relationship between the fan rotation speed and the
operation temperature is selected, and a second control signal is
output. The control circuit can thus output a voltage to make the
fan to rotating, responding to the second control signal.
[0016] The objectives of the present invention will become obvious
to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following
detailed description of preferred embodiments.
[0017] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary,
and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These, as well as other features of the present invention,
will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings
therein:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fan control system of an
electronic apparatus;
[0020] FIG. 2A shows a voltage-temperature curve used for the fan
control system;
[0021] FIG. 2B shows another voltage-temperature curve used for the
fan control system;
[0022] FIG. 2C shows another voltage-temperature curve used for the
fan control system;
[0023] FIG. 2D shows another voltage-temperature curve used for the
fan control system; and
[0024] FIG. 3 shows the configuration of operation signal for the
fan control system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] Detailed reference will now be made to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, examples which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description
to refer to the same or similar parts.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the fan control system of an electronic
device includes one or more temperature sensors, a temperature
control module 10, a first logic 20, a second logic 30 and one or
more control circuits 40. For the convenience of discussion, the
temperature sensors are referred to as the first, the second and
the third temperature sensors, and the signals output thereby are
referred as the first, the second and the third temperature
signals, respectively.
[0027] As shown, the temperature module 10 and the first logic 20
are installed on a motherboard 100 of the electronic device, while
the second logic 30 and the control circuit 40 are installed in a
power supply 200 of the system.
[0028] Typically, the motherboard 100 includes a central processing
unit, serving as a system operation core, memory, display card,
sound card, network card and other integrated circuit chips for
assisting the system operation. In addition, the television card or
video card and others can also be installed to provide more
functions of the system. In one embodiment, the motherboard 100 may
include more than one integrated circuit as the operation core. For
example, the motherboard 100 may be installed in a housing that
comprises a power supply 200 for supplying operation power of the
system. In addition, a plurality of heat dissipation fans may be
installed in the housing for dissipating heat generated during
operation. In addition to the power supply, the heat dissipation
fan is also easily installed at the integrated circuit, to generate
heat, such as the central processing unit. The power source of the
fan is provided from the power supply or the source supply module
on the motherboard, for example. The heat dissipation fan rotates
with a speed according to the temperature, detected by the
temperature sensor.
[0029] The electronic device includes a personal computer, a
server, a video game, a multimedia computer, a multimedia player,
or a personal video recording system (PVR), for example.
[0030] One or more temperature sensors may be installed on the
display card, the television card, the central processing unit and
the power source.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, one or more temperature sensors are used
to detect the operation temperatures of the integrated circuit such
as the central processing unit and the television card.
[0032] The function and operation for each of the above devices are
described as follows.
[0033] The temperature control module 10 is in communication with
the temperature sensor to receive the temperature detected thereby.
Upon receiving the detected temperature, a first logic signal
TEMP1-3 is generated and output by the temperature control module
10. The number of the first logic signals corresponds to the number
of temperature sensors. The temperature control module 10 includes
an input/output chip (super I/O) and more than one thermal control
integrated circuit (IC) for receiving the temperature, detected by
the temperature sensors. Alternatively, the temperature control
module 10 may include either the super I/O or the thermal control
IC. The super I/O is operative to output a detection source circuit
signal to the first logic 20 to aid the first logic 20, to
determine whether the received temperature is output from the super
I/O or the thermal control IC.
[0034] The thermal control module 10 may also output a first
control signal S1 to the first logic 20 to inform the first logic
20 with the current operation mode. The bit number of the first
control signal S1 determines the number of operation modes for the
system. When the first control signal S1 includes only one bit, the
system includes two operation modes. When the first control signal
S1 includes two bits, there are four operation modes available for
the system. Therefore, the bit number of the first control signals
S1 can be configured according to the system complexity and
specific requirement.
[0035] In one embodiment, the first control signal S1 output by the
temperature control module 10 is controlled by a basic input/output
system (BIOS) of the system. It is known in the art that the
temperature control module 10 can be connected to the BIOS via
system management (SM bus).
[0036] The first logic 20 is in communication with the temperature
control module 10 to output a second logic signal L1 in response to
the first logic signal TEMP1-3 and the first control signal S1.
[0037] The second logic 30 is connected to the first logic 20. A
rotation speed-temperature relationship for one or more than one
fan is installed in the second logic 30. According to the
relationship corresponding to the second logic signal L1, a second
control signal S2 is output by the second logic 30.
[0038] The control circuit 40 is connected to the second logic 30
to drive the fan rotation in response to the second control signal
S2. Each control circuit corresponds to one specific
voltage-temperature curve. The voltage includes the applied voltage
for making the fan to rotating. The first logic 20, the second
logic 30 and the control circuit 40 can be assembled by any
electronic devices such as transistors and logic gates.
[0039] In one embodiment, the first logic 20 and the second logic
30 include an independent electronic circuit or integrated circuit.
Or alternatively, the first and second logics 20 and 30 can be
integrated into a single circuit or integrated circuit.
[0040] In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the second logic 30
and the control circuit 40 include independent circuits or
integrated circuits. However, the second logic 30 and the control
circuit 40 can be integrated into a single circuit or integrated
circuit as desired.
[0041] FIGS. 2A to 2D show several exemplary voltage-temperature
curves for the control circuits 40. In FIG. 2A, a two-step
voltage-temperature curve with a smooth transition is illustrated.
In FIG. 2B, the control circuit 40 corresponds to a linear
voltage-temperature curve. In FIG. 2C, a two-step
voltage-temperature curve with abrupt transition is illustrated. In
FIG. 2D, the multiple-step voltage-temperature curve is
illustrated. It will be appreciated that the voltage-temperature
curve may vary according to specific requirements.
[0042] The operation of the fan control system will be further
explained herein, with reference to FIG. 3 that illustrates the
relationship between the temperature sensor and the control
signal.
[0043] As mentioned above, the electronic device includes one or
more than one temperature sensor installed in the central
processing unit and television card, for example. In the normal
operation module of the system, a first control signal S1, such as
the signal "0" as shown in FIG. 3, is output from the temperature
control module 10 to the first logic 20. The temperature sensor
installed at the central processing unit and the temperature sensor
installed at the television card will receive different
temperatures received by the temperature control module 10. The
detected temperatures are output to the first logic 20, which then
convert the detected temperatures into detection logic signals. In
the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, four temperature sensors are
installed to generate four different temperature signals, converted
into the detection logic signals by the first logic 20.
[0044] When the signals detected by the temperature sensor are
<X.degree. C., <Y1.degree. C., <Y2.degree. C. and
<Z.degree. C., the first logic 20 generates a second logic
signal as "00" corresponding to the first logic signal "0", such,
that the second logic 30 is operative to output a second control
S2, responding to the second logic signal "00".
[0045] When the signals detected by the temperature sensor are
>X.degree. C., <Y1.degree. C., <Y2.degree. C. and
<Z.degree. C., the first logic 20 generates a second logic
signal as "11" corresponding to the first logic signal "1", such
that the second logic 30 is operative to output a second control S2
responding to the second logic signal "11".
[0046] The second logic 30 includes various temperature-voltage
curves stored therein. The temperature-voltage curves correspond to
respective second logic signal. For example, when the second logic
signal is "00", the second control signal corresponding to "00"
will be output by the second logic, to provide a corresponding
voltage allowing the control circuit 40 to drive the fan to
rotate.
[0047] While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
various changes in form and details may be made herein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *