U.S. patent application number 13/013995 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-28 for uninteruptable power supply enclosure and battery locker.
This patent application is currently assigned to CHANNELL COMMERCIAL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Robert John GERMAN.
Application Number | 20110183599 13/013995 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44309306 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110183599 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GERMAN; Robert John |
July 28, 2011 |
UNINTERUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY ENCLOSURE AND BATTERY LOCKER
Abstract
An enclosure, which includes a box portion having a top wall,
the top wall having at least one fan and at least one baffle; and a
lid portion, which fits over the top wall of the box portion and
creates at least one passage extending along a front wall and/or a
back wall of the enclosure to allow airflow from within the box
portion of the enclosure.
Inventors: |
GERMAN; Robert John;
(Corona, CA) |
Assignee: |
CHANNELL COMMERCIAL
CORPORATION
Temecula
CA
|
Family ID: |
44309306 |
Appl. No.: |
13/013995 |
Filed: |
January 26, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61298512 |
Jan 26, 2010 |
|
|
|
61336860 |
Jan 26, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
454/343 ;
312/236 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 60/10 20130101;
H01M 10/6566 20150401; H01M 10/6563 20150401; H01M 10/613
20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/343 ;
312/236 |
International
Class: |
F24F 7/007 20060101
F24F007/007; A47B 97/00 20060101 A47B097/00; A47B 81/00 20060101
A47B081/00 |
Claims
1. An enclosure comprising: a box portion having a top wall, the
top wall having at least one fan and at least one baffle; and a lid
portion, which fits over the top wall of the box portion and
creates at least one passage extending along a front wall and/or a
back wall of the enclosure to allow airflow from within the box
portion of the enclosure.
2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the at least one baffle has a
curvature thereto, and air pushed by the at least one fan flows
over and clings to the curvature of the at least one baffle to
provide additional ventilation to the enclosure, and a vented
portion for passive ventilation from within the enclosure.
3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the lid portion comprises a
top wall, a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a back wall.
4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the box portion comprises a
base, a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a back wall.
5. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the lid portion is hinged to
the box portion across the back wall thereof for pivotal movement
between an open position and a closed position
6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the at least one fan is at
least one thermostatically controlled fan.
7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the front wall of the lid
portion has a greater height than the back wall of the lid
portion.
8. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a solar panel
attachable to an outer surface of the lid portion, which provides a
source of energy to power the at least one fan.
9. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the front wall of the box
portion has a pair of front panels which are hinged to an outer
edge of the sidewalls of the box portion for pivotal movement
between an open position and a closed position.
10. The enclosure of claim 9, wherein the pair of front panels has
a locking mechanism, which prevents the pair of front panels from
moving between the open position and the closed position without
unlocking the locking mechanism.
11. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
slide out shelves, each of the plurality of slide out shelves
configured to hold at least one battery.
12. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a power supply and
network electronics, wherein the network electronics includes fiber
optics and/or splice equipment with fiber optic cable cradles for
various cable sizes and/or a temperature sensor for sensing the
temperature within the enclosure.
13. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is constructed
of galvanized steel and/or aluminum with a polyester electrostatic
power paint for heat dissipation.
14. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a mounting
template on a lower portion of the box portion of the enclosure for
installation of the enclosure on a concrete pad.
15. An enclosure comprising: a box portion, the box portion
comprising a base, a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a back
wall, and wherein the box portion has a top wall having at least
one thermostatically controlled fan and at least one baffle
extending along a top edge of the top wall adjacent to the front
wall and/or a top edge of the back wall of the box portion; a lid
portion, the lid portion comprising a lower wall, a front wall, a
pair of sidewalls, and a back wall, and wherein the lid portion
fits over the top wall of the box portion and creates at least one
passage extending along the front wall and/or the back wall of the
enclosure and regulates the flow of air and/or heat from the box
portion; and wherein the at least one baffle has a vented portion
for passive ventilation from within an inner portion of the box
portion of the enclosure.
16. The enclosure of claim 15, wherein the front wall of the box
portion has a pair of front panels which are hinged to an outer
edge of the sidewalls of the box portion for pivotal movement
between an open position and a closed position.
17. A method of venting air from an enclosure comprising: directing
a flow of air from within the enclosure over at least one curved
surface or through a venturi to create a lower pressure area at an
opening on an upper portion of the enclosure.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the enclosure includes: a box
portion configured to receive at least one battery, the box portion
having a top wall having at least one fan and at least one baffle
extending along a top edge of the top wall adjacent to a front wall
and/or a top edge of a back wall of the box portion; and a lid
portion, which fits over the top wall of the box portion and
creates at least one passage extending along the front wall and/or
the back wall of the enclosure, which increases airflow from the
box portion of the enclosure.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising activating the at
least one fan based on a predetermined fan activation temperature
and powering the at least one fan by an internal power source.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one baffle has a
curvature thereto, and air pushed by the at least one fan flows
over and clings to the curvature of the at least one baffle to
provide additional ventilation to the enclosure, and a vented
portion for passive ventilation from within the enclosure.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional
Application No. 61/298,512 filed Jan. 26, 2010, and U.S. Patent
Provisional Application No. 61/336,860 filed Jan. 26, 2010, which
are incorporated herein by this reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention generally relates to any type of enclosure
that is fan cooled, and more particularly to an uninteruptable
power supply enclosure and battery locker for use in the
telecommunications industry, including but not limited to broadband
node locations supporting remote deployment of network electronics,
including power supply batteries and RF components, and which
dissipates heat from said enclosure and battery locker.
BACKGROUND
[0003] For telecommunication locations supporting remote deployment
of network electronics, a power supply enclosure is often needed.
Typically, the power supply will be batteries and/or cells, which
comprise electrodes and an ion-conducting electrolyte positioned
therebetween. When such a battery pack is charged or discharged,
heat is produced which, if uncontrolled, can have a significant
impact on the life and performance of the battery pack as a whole
as well as the individual cells that form the battery pack.
[0004] In addition, it can be appreciated that the high voltage
battery packs are adaptable to receive and deliver high and fast
rates of current. Accordingly, it is also critical to maintain the
temperature of the battery packs within a defined operating range
to maximize the performance and life span of the battery pack. To
maintain the batteries at a desired temperature, a temperature
control system is often provided within the battery pack for
passing cool or hot air only over the external surfaces of the
battery packs, wherein the cool air picks up heat from and between
the cells and loses its cooling capacity, thereby creating cooler
battery temperatures near the inlet and hotter temperatures near
the outlet. As a result, significant temperature variances can
occur from one battery cell to the adjacent battery cell, thereby
detrimentally affecting the performance and life span of the
battery pack.
[0005] Conventionally, cooling systems pass cool air only over the
external surfaces of the batteries. Thus, the air picks up heat
from battery to battery and loses its cooling capacity. This
arrangement inherently creates cooler battery temperatures near the
inlet and hotter temperatures near the outlet. Another drawback
associated with the conventional systems relates to the airflow
being uncontrolled thereby resulting in unbalanced airflow wherein
air does not flow past each cell at the same rate and same
temperature.
[0006] As a result, significant temperature variances can occur
from one cell to the next, which is detrimental to performance of
the battery pack. In order for the batteries to be properly
charged, the cells must be below a desired threshold temperature
and the differential temperature between the cells in the battery
pack should be minimized. However, depending on the thermal path to
ambient, different cells will reach different temperatures.
Further, for the same reasons, different cells reach different
temperatures during the charging process. Accordingly, if one cell
is at an increased temperature with respect to the other cells, its
charge or discharge efficiency will be different, and, therefore,
it may charge or discharge faster than the other cells. This will
lead to a decline in the performance of the entire pack.
[0007] As such, there is a constant need in the area of a battery
art for an improved design of a battery pack that provides an even
cooling of the battery packs with balanced air management cooling
system wherein each cell receives a similar temperature and flow of
inlet air to remove the undesired heat of each cell, effective
packaging characteristics, structural integrity and improved heat
absorption thereby eliminating problems associated with current
designs of prior art battery packs having cooling systems. It can
be appreciated that when fans are specified in most battery lockers
and/or enclosures, the fan support system typically blocks most of
the normal convection airflow, which stagnates the internal airflow
allowing the enclosure to heat up at a more rapid rate.
[0008] Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an enclosure as
shown in the attached drawings, which includes a power source which
activates at least one fan upon reaching a predetermined
temperature and/or includes at least one and/or a plurality of
solar panels, which provide a source of energy to one or more fans
from sunrise to sunset and/or parameters including outside and/or
internal temperature within the enclosure, time of day, and time of
year.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, an enclosure
comprises: a box portion having a top wall, the top wall having at
least one fan and at least one baffle; and a lid portion, which
fits over the top wall of the box portion and creates at least one
passage extending along a front wall and a back wall of the
enclosure to allow airflow from within the box portion of the
enclosure.
[0010] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, an
enclosure comprises: a box portion, the box portion comprising a
base, a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a back wall, and
wherein the box portion has a top wall having at least one
thermostatically controlled fan and at least one baffle extending
along a top edge of the top wall adjacent to the front wall and/or
a top edge of the back wall of the box portion; a lid portion, the
lid portion comprising a lower wall, a front wall, a pair of
sidewalls, and a back wall, and wherein the lid portion fits over
the top wall of the box portion and creates at least one passage
extending along the front wall and/or the back wall of the
enclosure and regulates the flow of air and/or heat from the box
portion; and wherein the at least one baffle has an inner portion
for passive ventilation from within an inner portion of the box
portion of the enclosure.
[0011] In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, a method
of venting air from an enclosure comprises directing a flow of air
from within the enclosure over at least one curved surface or
through a venturi to create a lower pressure area at an opening on
an upper portion of the enclosure.
[0012] The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are
set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.
Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the
description and drawings, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The invention will now be described in greater detail with
reference to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which like elements bear like reference
numerals, and wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure in the form of
a uninteruptable power supply enclosure and battery locker in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a uninteruptable power
supply enclosure and battery locker.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the top portion
of the uninteruptable power supply enclosure and battery
locker.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a top view of the uninteruptable power supply
enclosure and battery locker.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of 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 like parts.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure 100 in the form
of a uninteruptable power supply enclosure and battery locker in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the
enclosure 100 comprises a box portion 110, and a lid portion 120.
The box portion 110 includes a base (or base wall) 112, a pair of
front walls 114, 115, a pair of sidewalls 116, and a back wall 118.
The pair of front walls 114, 115, is preferably configured to open
outward to disclose an inner portion 102 of the box portion 110 of
the enclosure 100. The inner portion 102 of the enclosure 100
preferably includes one or more compartments, such as batteries,
network electronics, and/or RF components, which can be deployed in
remote and/or non-remote locations.
[0020] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the enclosure
100 also includes a top wall (or baffle wall) 130 as shown in FIG.
2. The top wall (or baffle wall) 130 includes an upper edge 132,
which is located within an inner portion of the lid portion 120 of
the enclosure 100, and a lower edge 134, which is located within
the inner portion 102 of the box portion 110. It can be appreciated
that the top wall (or baffle wall) 130 can be either an upper wall
or panel (or top wall) of the box portion, or alternatively, in
accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the baffle wall 130
can be a lower wall or panel of the lid portion 120 of the
enclosure 100.
[0021] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the front walls
114, 115 of the box portion 110 are hinged to an outer front edge
of the sidewalls 116 of the box portion 110 for pivotal movement
between an open position and a closed position. Each of the front
walls 114, 115 preferably includes a locking mechanism 106, which
prevents the pair of front walls 114, 115 from moving between the
open position and the closed position without unlocking the locking
mechanism 106.
[0022] The lid portion 120 includes a top wall 122, a front wall
124 (or front walls 124, 125), a pair of sidewalls 126, and a back
wall 128. The top wall 122, 123 is preferably a single wall (or
panel), however, it can be appreciated that the top wall 122, 123
can be comprised of a pair of top walls, 122, 123, which correspond
to the front walls 114, 115, of the box portion 110, such that each
inner compartment has a designated lid portion 120. In accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, the front walls 124, 125 of the lid
portion 120 have a height greater than the corresponding back wall
128 of the lid portion 120.
[0023] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, at least one
solar panel 104 is attached or fixed to an outer surface of the lid
portion 120. The at least one soar panel 104 provides a source of
energy to power the at least one fan (or fan system) 160 and/or
other electronic components within the enclosure 100 as shown in
FIGS. 2-4. For example, the at least one solar panel 104 can be
attached to an outer surface of the top wall 122, 123 of the lid
portion 120 of the enclosure 100. The enclosure 100 can also be
fitted with a mounting template (or plate) 111 attached to the base
wall 112 of the box portion 110 for concrete pad installations.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a uninteruptable power
supply enclosure and battery locker (or enclosure) 100 in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the at
least one inner portion (or compartment) 102 of enclosure 100
includes at least one shelve (or tray) 140, which is configured to
hold or house at least one battery 150. In accordance with an
exemplary embodiment, the inner portion 102 of the enclosure 100
includes a plurality of slide out shelves (or trays) 142 configured
to hold or house at least one battery 140 per shelve or tray 142.
It can be appreciated that in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the at least one shelve 140 is adjustable.
[0025] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the at least one
battery 140 is one or more batteries, which are comprised of a
group of two or more cells connected together to furnish electric
current. It can be appreciated that in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the at least one battery 140 can be a single cell
source that furnishes electric current.
[0026] The lid portion 120 of the enclosure 100 includes at least
one fan 160 and at least one baffle 170, 174, and more preferably a
pair of baffles 170, 174, each having a curved surface 172, 176
extending along a top edge 132 of the top wall 130 adjacent to the
front wall 124 and/or the top edge 132 of the back wall 118 of the
box portion 110 of the enclosure 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the lid
portion 120 fits over the front wall 114 of the box portion 110 and
in combination with the baffles 170, 174, a pair of passages (or
baffle openings) 180, 182 are created adjacent to an upper portion
of the front wall 114 and the back wall 118 of the box portion 110
of the enclosure 100. The pair of passages (or baffle openings)
180, 182 allows the flow of air and/or heat from the inner portion
102 of the enclosure 100.
[0027] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each of the
baffles 170, 174 is preferably a plate or panels having a raised
portions thereto, which includes a curved surface (or curvature)
172, 176 thereto, which deflects and regulates the flow of air from
within the enclosure 100. Each of the baffles 170, 174 preferably
extends from one sidewall 126 to the opposite sidewall 126 (or
compartment divider) of the box portion 110 (or lid portion 120) of
the enclosure 100. However, it can be appreciated that in
accordance with another exemplary embodiment, each of the baffles
170, 174 extends only a portion of the length (or distance) from
one sidewall 116, 126 to the other sidewall (or compartment
divider) 116, 126. For example, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, each of the baffles 170, 174 extends approximately 50%
to 100% of the distance from one sidewall 116, 126 to the other
sidewall (or compartment divider) 116, 126. In addition, each of
the baffles 170, 174 is preferably centered (i.e., longitudinally
or length-wise) between the sidewalls (and/or compartment dividers)
116, 126, and/or adjacent to the at least one fan 160.
[0028] Upon activation of the at least one fan 160, the air from
within the box portion 110 of the enclosure 100 is forced (or
drawn) from within the inner portion 102 of the enclosure 100, and
pushed by the at least one fan 160 over the curvature 172, 176 of
the baffles 170, 174. The airflow from within the inner compartment
(or inner portion) 102 flows over and clings to the curvature 172,
176 of the baffles 170, 174, (also known as the "Coanda" effect) to
provide additional ventilation to the enclosure 100. In accordance
with a further exemplary embodiment, each of the baffles 170, 174
also preferably includes a hollow inner portion 171, 175, which
provides for passive ventilation from the inner portion 102 of the
box portion 110 of the enclosure 100.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the hollow inner portions 171, 175 of
the each of the baffles 170, 174 allows a higher volume of early
airflow to escape from the enclosure 100 initially, which keeps the
internal temperature of the internal portion 102 of the enclosure
100 at a lower temperature for a longer period of time prior to the
activation of at least one fan 160.
[0030] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the at least one
fan 160 is preferably at least one or more thermostatically
controlled fans. For example, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the enclosure 100 includes at least two
thermostatically control fans 160. It can also be appreciated that
when the passive ventilation can no longer keep the temperature of
the internal compartment or inner portion below a predetermined fan
activation temperature, the at least one thermostatically
controlled fan 160 is activated and causes the airflow to flow over
and cling to the curvature 172, 176 of the baffles 170, 174. In
addition, it can be appreciated that the speed of the airflow (as
shown by "Bernoulli's Principle") creates a low pressure area at
the baffle openings 180, 182 and draws even more air to flow
through the thermostatically controlled fans 160 and the inner
portion 102 of the enclosure 100 than would normally be obtained
from a locker (or enclosure) with fans only. In accordance with
another exemplary embodiment, the venting of air from the enclosure
100 can be performed by directing a flow of air from within the
enclosure 100 over at least one curved surface and/or through a
venturi to create a lower pressure area at an opening 180, 182 on
an upper portion of the enclosure 100.
[0031] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the enclosure
100 includes a power supply (or source) 144, which is configurable
to operate the at least one fan 160 and other components contained
within the enclosure or enclosure 100. The enclosure 100 also
preferably includes network electronics 146 which are housed within
the enclosure and/or alternatively, in separate housing. The
network electronics 146 can include multiple fiber optic/splice
equipment with fiber optic cable cradles for various cable sizes
(not shown), and/or a temperature sensor for sensing the
temperature within the enclosure 100. Upon reaching a set
temperature, the temperature sensor activates the at least one fan
160, which begins the ventilation and cooling of the inner portion
102 of the enclosure 100.
[0032] It can be appreciated that the power source 144 in
conjunction with the network electronics 146 can be configured such
that the power source activates at least one fan 160 upon reaching
a predetermined temperature and/or includes at least one and/or a
plurality of solar panels 104, which provide a source of energy to
one or more fans 160 from sunrise to sunset and/or other set
parameters such as outside and/or internal temperature within the
enclosure, time of day, and time of year. For example, the at least
one fan 160 and more preferably at least two fans 160 are activated
based on a predetermined fan activation temperature and powered by
an internal power source. Alternatively, upon reaching the
predetermined fan activation temperature, the at least one fan 160
can be activated and a signal can be sent to a central office
warning of the possibility of a shut down of internal components
within the enclosure 100. The internal components can include
batteries and/or power supply configurations, and network
electronics including RF components.
[0033] In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the at least
one fan 160 is preferably powered by the solar panels 104 attached
to the lid portion 120 and/or another source of alternative energy.
The at least one fan 160 can also powered by a DC (i.e. direct
current) power source, and/or another source of power, which is
external and/or internal of the enclosure 100 when the power
provided by the solar panels 104 and/or alternative source of
energy is not available. For example, upon setting of the sun
(i.e., at night), the at least one fan 160 can be powered by a DC
power source.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a top view of the uninteruptable power supply
enclosure and battery locker (or enclosure) 100 in accordance with
an exemplary embodiment along the line A-A of FIG. 2. In accordance
with an exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the at least one
fan 160 is preferably at least two fans 160, which are located
within the top wall (or baffle wall) 130 of the box portion 110.
The at least two fans 160 are preferably equally spaced apart from
one another and the corresponding walls 114, 116, 118 to maximize
the heat dissipation performance of the fans 160.
[0035] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the lid portion
120 is preferably hinged 190 to the box portion 110 across an upper
edge of the back walls 118, 128 of the box portion 110 and lid
portion 120 for pivotal movement between an open position and a
closed position
[0036] In addition, the enclosure 100 is preferably constructed of
galvanized steel and/or aluminum with a polyester electrostatic
power paint, which provides for excellent heat dissipation.
[0037] It can be appreciated that although the system and methods
as described herein are generally shown as an uninterruptable power
supply or battery locker, the system and methods as described
herein can be used and/or implemented with any type of enclosure
100 that is fan cooled.
[0038] It is to be understood that the form of this invention as
shown is merely a preferred embodiment. Various changes may be made
in the function and arrangement of parts; equivalent means may be
substituted for those illustrated and described; and certain
features may be used independently from others without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the
following claims.
* * * * *