U.S. patent application number 11/826335 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-17 for fan housing and wire clipping mechanism thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.. Invention is credited to Wen-Shi Huang, Chih-Hua Lin, Chao-Wen Lu.
Application Number | 20080014085 11/826335 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38292574 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080014085 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lin; Chih-Hua ; et
al. |
January 17, 2008 |
Fan housing and wire clipping mechanism thereof
Abstract
A fan housing includes a first frame and a second frame. The
first frame includes a clip member protruding toward the second
frame, and a limit member connected with the clip member. The limit
member has a slot along the outer wall of the first frame so that a
wire can pass through the slot. The second frame includes an
engaging member corresponding to the clip member and having a
recess to be engaged with the clip member. When the first and
second frames are combined, the wire will be securely fastened in
the slot.
Inventors: |
Lin; Chih-Hua; (Taoyuan
Hsien, TW) ; Lu; Chao-Wen; (Taoyuan Hsien, TW)
; Huang; Wen-Shi; (Taoyuan Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
|
Family ID: |
38292574 |
Appl. No.: |
11/826335 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/214.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/626 20130101;
F04D 29/4226 20130101; G06F 1/20 20130101; F04D 29/582
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/214.1 |
International
Class: |
F04D 29/40 20060101
F04D029/40 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 17, 2006 |
TW |
095212494 |
Claims
1. A fan housing comprising: a first frame comprising a clip member
and a limit member connected with the clip member, wherein the
limit member has a slot; and a second frame comprising an engaging
member, wherein the engaging member has a recess corresponding to
the clip member for being coupled with the clip member, and when
the first frame and the second frame are combined, the limit
member, the clip member and the engaging member form a fixing
space.
2. The fan housing according to claim 1, wherein the clip member
protrudes toward the second frame.
3. The fan housing according to claim 2, wherein one end of the
clip member near the second frame is an inclined structure.
4. The fan housing according to claim 2, wherein the clip member is
elastically deformed for being inserted into the recess of the
engaging member.
5. The fan housing according to claim 2, wherein the limit member
and the clip member are integrally formed as a single piece.
6. The fan housing according to claim 1, wherein the limit member
is integrally formed with the first frame as a single piece.
7. The fan housing according to claim 1, wherein a part of the clip
member is disposed in the recess.
8. The fan housing according to claim 1, wherein the engaging
member is integrally formed with the second frame as a single
piece.
9. The fan housing according to claim 1, wherein the limit member
has a slot along an outer wall of the first frame, and the second
frame further comprises a blocking member extending from the second
frame toward the slot.
10. The fan housing according to claim 9, wherein the blocking
member is integrally formed with the second frame as a single
piece.
11. The fan housing according to claim 1, further comprising at
least one another engaging member and at least one protrusion, both
of which are optionally disposed on the first frame and the second
frame, respectively.
12. A wire clipping mechanism disposed on a fan housing, the wire
clipping mechanism comprising: a first clipping structure disposed
on the fan housing and having a clip member and a limit member
connected with the clip member; and a second clipping structure
having an engaging member and disposed on the fan housing
corresponding to the first clipping structure, wherein the clip
member protrudes toward the engaging member, and the engaging
member has a recess to be engaged with the clip member.
13. The wire clipping mechanism according to claim 12, wherein one
end of the clip member has an inclined structure.
14. The wire clipping mechanism according to claim 13, wherein the
clip member is elastically deformed for being inserted into the
recess of the engaging member.
15. The wire clipping mechanism according to claim 14, wherein a
part of the clip member is disposed in the recess.
16. The wire clipping mechanism according to claim 15, wherein the
limit member has a along an outer wall of the fan housing, and the
second clipping structure further comprises a bengaging member
extending from the fan housing toward the slot.
17. The wire clipping mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the
clip member and the limit member are integrally formed as a single
piece.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 095212494 filed in
Taiwan, Republic of China on Jul. 17, 2006, the entire contents of
which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a fan housing and, in particular,
to a fan housing and wire clipping mechanism for fixing a wire.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] The fans are commonly used to dissipate heat of electronic
devices. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional fan 1 includes an
impeller 11, a fan housing 12 and a motor (not shown) for driving
the impeller 11. The impeller 11 has a plurality of blades 111 and
is connected with the motor. The impeller 11 and motor are disposed
in the fan housing 12. A wire 13, which passes through the fan
housing 12, is used to electrically connect the motor to
exterior.
[0006] To prevent the wire 13 from unfixing or moving as the fan 1
is operating, the conventional fan housing 12 has a fixer 121 for
fixing the wire 13 between the fixer 121 and the fan housing 12.
However, the fixer 121 is simply a hook, so the wire 13 is possibly
moved or unfastened from the fixer 121. When the fan 1 is assembled
and an external force is easily applied to pull the wire 13, the
solder joint for connecting the wire 13 and a circuit board may be
consequently broken. Moreover, if the fan 1 has been installed in a
system, the vibration of the system may also cause the break of the
solder joint for connecting the wire 13 and the circuit board. In
such cases, the reliability and lifetime of the fan 1 are
definitely decreased. To avoid this problem, the fixer 121 may be
applied with glue to adhere the wire 13. This solution, however,
needs more time and works. In addition, if the glue is applied at
wrong location, the yield of the product decreases and thus the
cost increases.
[0007] Therefore, it is an important subject to provide a fan and a
fan housing thereof, which can avoid the break of the solder joint
by securely fixing the wire without increasing the manufacturing
cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In view of the foregoing, the invention is to provide a fan
and a fan housing thereof, which can securely fasten the wire
without increasing the manufacturing cost so as to avoid the break
of the solder joint.
[0009] To achieve the above, the invention discloses a fan housing
including a first frame and a second frame. The first frame
includes a first clipping mechanism disposed at the outer wall of
the first frame. The first clipping mechanism has a clip member and
a limit member connected with the clip member. The clip member
protrudes toward the second frame, and the limit member has a slot
along the outer wall of the first frame. The second frame includes
a second clipping mechanism disposed on the outer wall of the
second frame. The second clipping mechanism is positioned
corresponding to the first clipping mechanism and has an engaging
member and a blocking member. The engaging member has a recess for
receiving a part of the clip member. The blocking member extends
from the outer wall of the second frame toward the limit member.
When the first frame and the second frame are combined to form the
fan housing, the limit member, the clip member and the engaging
member form a fixing space for securely fixing a wire.
[0010] As mentioned above, the fan housing of the invention has a
limit member, clip member and an engaging member to cooperatively
generate a fixing force for pushing the entire first clipping
mechanism toward the blocking member. The fixing force can securely
fasten the wire between the first clipping mechanism and the fan
housing. Compared with the prior art, the fan of the invention can
securely fasten the wire between the first clipping mechanism, the
second clipping mechanism and the fan housing so that the solder
joint will not break. In addition, the first and second clipping
mechanisms and the corresponding fan frames can be integrally
formed as a single piece, so the fan housing can fasten the wire
securer without increasing the manufacturing cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will become more fully understood from the
detailed description given herein below illustration only, and thus
is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional
fan;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded diagram of a fan housing according to
an embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a first clipping
mechanism and a second clipping mechanism of the fan housing shown
in FIG. 2;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the assembled fan
housing according to the embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged diagram of FIG. 4; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention will be apparent from the following
detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the
same elements.
[0019] With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a fan housing 2
according to an embodiment of the invention includes a first frame
21 and a second frame 22 combined with the first frame 21. The
first frame 21 includes a first clipping mechanism 211 disposed at
the outer wall of the first frame 21. The first clipping mechanism
211 has a clip member 211a and a limit member 211b connected with
the clip member 211a. The clip member 211a protrudes toward the
second frame 22. The limit member 211b has a slot 211c along the
outer wall of the first frame 21. In more particular, one end of
the clip member 211a near the second frame 22 is an inclined
structure 211d. The clip member 211a and the limit member 211b can
be connected by any means. In practice, the clip member 211a and
the limit member 211b can be integrally formed as a single piece.
Of course, the first clipping mechanism 211 can be integrally
formed with the first frame 21 as a single piece.
[0020] The second frame 22 includes a second clipping mechanism 221
disposed on the outer wall of the second frame 22 corresponding to
the first clipping mechanism 211. The second clipping mechanism 221
has an engaging member 221a and a blocking member 221b. The
engaging member 221a has a recess 221c for receiving a part of the
clip member 211a. The blocking member 221b extends axially from the
outer wall of the second frame 22 toward the limit member 221b. In
practice, the second clipping mechanism 221 can be integrally
formed with the second frame 22 as a single piece.
[0021] The fan housing 2 further includes at least one engaging
member 23 and at least one protrusion 24. In this embodiment, the
engaging member 23 is disposed on the outer wall of the second
frame 22, and the protrusion 24 is disposed on the outer wall of
the first frame 21 corresponding to the engaging member 23, or vice
versa.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, when the first frame 21 and the
second frame 22 are combined, the engaging member 23 is engaged
with the protrusion 24. At the same time, the clip member 211a of
the first clipping mechanism 211 is engaging with the engaging
member 221a of the second clipping mechanism 221. In more detail,
to combine the first frame 21 and the second frame 22, the inclined
structure 211d is elastically deformed for guiding the clip member
211a to be inserted into the recess 221c of the engaging member
221a. The blocking member 221b is simultaneously entering into the
slot 211c of the limit member 211b so as to form a fixing
space.
[0023] Therefore, when a wire 3 of the fan for being electrically
connected to exterior is installed in the fan housing 2, the limit
member 211b, clip member 211a and engaging member 221a can
cooperatively generate a fastening force to push the entire first
clipping mechanism 211 toward the blocking member 3 so that the
fastening force can securely fasten the wire 3 between the first
clipping mechanism 211 and the fan housing 2. In addition, means
for connecting the first clipping mechanism 211 and the second
clipping mechanism 221 is not limited to the above mentioned
method. In practice, the first clipping mechanism 211 and the
second clipping mechanism 221 can be connected by hooking or
wedging.
[0024] In summary, the fan of the invention, compared with the
prior art, can securely fasten the wire between the first clipping
mechanism and the fan housing Such that the solder joint will not
break due to the unfastened wire. In addition, the first and second
clipping mechanisms and the corresponding fan frames can be
integrally formed as a single piece, so the fan housing can fasten
the wire securer without increasing the manufacturing cost.
[0025] Although the invention has been described with reference to
specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed
in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed
embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent
to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that
the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within
the true scope of the invention.
* * * * *