U.S. patent application number 13/175986 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-11 for cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan.
Invention is credited to Alex Horng, Cheng-Hsueh Lee, Yuan-Jie Zheng.
Application Number | 20120255713 13/175986 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45115394 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120255713 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Horng; Alex ; et
al. |
October 11, 2012 |
Cooling System Equipped with an Advection-Type Fan
Abstract
A cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan is
disclosed. The cooling system includes a casing and an
advection-type fan. The casing has a compartment receiving a
heat-emitting source or a heat-conducting element. The casing
further includes two radial air-guiding openings communicating with
the compartment. The advection-type fan has a frame disposed in the
compartment. The frame has an air-guiding lateral wall defining a
radial air channel. The frame has radial air inlet and a radial air
outlet. Both the radial air inlet and the radial air outlet
communicate with the radial air channel. The radial air inlet and
the radial air outlet face the two radial air-guiding openings of
the casing respectively. The radial air channel receives an
impeller that causes air advection to dissipate the heat of the
heat-emitting source or the heat-conducting element. The frame has
two sides that are completely laid open.
Inventors: |
Horng; Alex; (Kaohsiung,
TW) ; Lee; Cheng-Hsueh; (Kaohsiung, TW) ;
Zheng; Yuan-Jie; (Kaohsiung, TW) |
Family ID: |
45115394 |
Appl. No.: |
13/175986 |
Filed: |
July 5, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/121 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 17/04 20130101;
F04D 25/0613 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/121 |
International
Class: |
F24H 3/02 20060101
F24H003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 8, 2011 |
TW |
100112256 |
Claims
1. A cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan,
comprising: a casing having a compartment receiving a heat-emitting
source or a heat-conducting element, wherein the casing further
comprises two radial air-guiding openings communicating with the
compartment; and an advection-type fan having a frame disposed in
the compartment, wherein the frame has an air-guiding lateral wall
defining a radial air channel, the frame has a radial air inlet and
a radial air outlet, both the radial air inlet and the radial air
outlet communicate with the radial air channel, the radial air
inlet and the radial air outlet face the two radial air-guiding
openings of the casing respectively, the radial air channel
receives an impeller that causes air advection to dissipate the
heat of the heat-emitting source or the heat-conducting element,
and the frame has two sides in an axial direction of the impeller
that are completely laid open.
2. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing further comprises a bottom
plate and a cover plate, the bottom plate has a plurality of side
walls on a periphery thereof, the side walls are connected to the
cover plate, and the two radial air-guiding openings are arranged
on the side walls of the casing.
3. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
jointly define the compartment of the casing.
4. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 3, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
are disposed in the axial direction of the impeller to cover the
rotation range of the impeller, thereby closing the radial air
channel in the axial direction of the impeller.
5. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 3, wherein the cover plate is disposed over the
impeller to cover the rotation range of the impeller, thereby
closing the radial air channel in the axial direction of the
impeller.
6. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 2, wherein the two radial air-guiding openings are
arranged on adjacent two of the plurality of side walls of the
casing.
7. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom plate is spaced from the
cover plate by a distance, the air-guiding lateral wall has an
axial height in the axial direction of the impeller, and the axial
height is equal to the distance.
8. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 2, wherein a sealing element is disposed between
the air-guiding lateral wall and the bottom plate, or between the
air-guiding lateral wall and the cover plate.
9. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 8, wherein the sealing element is disposed at one
side of the air-guiding lateral wall that faces the bottom plate or
the cover plate.
10. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one fixing portion is arranged
between the two radial air-guiding openings for fixing the
advection-type fan.
11. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one fixing portion
comprises two engaging grooves, and the air-guiding lateral wall of
the frame has two engaged protrusions respectively inserted into
the two engaging grooves of the air-guiding lateral wall.
12. A cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan,
comprising: a casing having a compartment receiving a heat-emitting
source or a heat-conducting element, wherein the casing further
comprises a radial air-guiding opening communicating with the
compartment; and an advection-type fan having a frame disposed in
the compartment, wherein the frame has an air-guiding lateral wall
defining a radial air channel, the frame has a radial air inlet and
a radial air outlet, both the radial air inlet and the radial air
outlet communicate with the radial air channel, one of the radial
air inlet and the radial air outlet faces the heat-emitting source
or the heat-conducting element while the other one faces the radial
air-guiding opening, the radial air channel receives an impeller
that causes air advection to dissipate the heat of the
heat-emitting source or the heat-conducting element, and the frame
has two sides in an axial direction of the impeller that are
completely laid open.
13. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 12, wherein the casing further comprises a bottom
plate and a cover plate, the bottom plate has a plurality of side
walls on a periphery thereof, the side walls are connected to the
cover plate, and the radial air-guiding opening is arranged on one
of the side walls of the casing.
14. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 13, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
jointly define the compartment of the casing.
15. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 14, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
are disposed in the axial direction of the impeller to cover the
rotation range of the impeller, thereby closing the radial air
channel in the axial direction of the impeller.
16. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 14, wherein the cover plate is disposed over the
impeller to cover the rotation range of the impeller, thereby
closing the radial air channel in the axial direction of the
impeller.
17. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 13, wherein the bottom plate is spaced from the
cover plate by a distance, the air-guiding lateral wall has an
axial height in the axial direction of the impeller, and the axial
height is equal to the distance.
18. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 13, wherein a sealing element is disposed between
the air-guiding lateral wall and the bottom plate, or between the
air-guiding lateral wall and the cover plate.
19. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 18, wherein the sealing element is disposed at one
side of the air-guiding lateral wall that faces the bottom plate or
the cover plate.
20. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 12, wherein the casing further comprises at least
one fixing portion on which the advection-type fan is fixed.
21. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 20, wherein the at least one fixing portion
comprises two engaging grooves, and the air-guiding lateral wall of
the frame has two engaged protrusions respectively inserted into
the two engaging grooves of the air-guiding lateral wall.
22. A cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan,
comprising: a casing having a compartment receiving a heat-emitting
source or a heat-conducting element, wherein the casing further
comprises a radial air-guiding opening communicating with the
compartment, and the compartment forms a radial air channel
communicating with the radial air-guiding opening; and an
advection-type fan having a base disposed in the radial air channel
and coupled with an impeller, wherein the impeller causes air
advection to dissipate the heat of the heat-emitting source or the
heat-conducting element.
23. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 22, wherein the compartment has a plurality of
air-guiding lateral walls that form the radial air channel.
24. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 22, wherein the casing further comprises a bottom
plate and a cover plate, the bottom plate has a plurality of side
walls on a periphery thereof, the side walls are connected to the
cover plate, and the radial air-guiding opening is arranged on one
of the side walls of the casing.
25. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 24, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
jointly define the compartment of the casing.
26. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 25, wherein the bottom plate and the cover plate
are disposed in the axial direction of the impeller to cover the
rotation range of the impeller, thereby closing the radial air
channel in the axial direction of the impeller.
27. The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan as
claimed in claim 25, wherein the cover plate is disposed over the
impeller to cover the rotation range of the impeller, thereby
closing the radial air channel in the axial direction of the
impeller.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a cooling system
and, more particularly, to a cooling system equipped with an
advection-type fan.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventional cooling fans are mainly categorized into two
types: axial-flow type and blower type. The axial-flow type cooling
fan has an axial air inlet and an axial air outlet opposite to the
axial air inlet. The air can be drawn via the axial air inlet and
then expelled via the axial air outlet. The blower type cooling fan
has an axial air inlet in the axial direction, as well as a radial
air outlet in the radial direction thereof. Thus, the air can be
drawn via the axial air inlet and then expelled via the radial air
outlet for cooling operation.
[0005] However, the axial-flow type cooling fan must be mounted on
a top of an electronic device to be cooled, such as on the top of a
Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer. This is because the
axial-flow type cooling fan can only expel air in the axial
direction rather than the radial direction. Therefore, the axial
height of the electronic device can not be reduced. In addition,
since the blower type cooling fan draws air via the axial air inlet
(in an axial direction) and expels air via the radial air outlet
(in a radial direction), the blower type cooling fan can not be
applied to electronic devices that draw air from a lateral face
(from the radial direction), such as a handset or a Personal
Digital Assistant (PDA).
[0006] In light of the problems, a conventional advection-type fan
capable of drawing and expelling air in the radial direction was
proposed. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional advection-type fan 8
is disclosed by a Taiwanese Patent No. 553323 entitled "Fan
Structure Having Horizontal Convection". The conventional
advection-type fan 8 includes a housing 81 and an impeller 82. The
housing 81 is a hollow housing consisting of a bottom plate 811, a
plurality of lateral walls 812 and a cover plate 813. The housing
81 includes at least one radial air inlet 83 and at least one
radial air outlet 84. The impeller 82 is disposed in the housing
81. Based on this, the conventional advection-type fan 8 can be
installed in a casing 9 of an electronic device. When the impeller
82 rotates, the at least one radial air inlet 83 and the at least
one radial air outlet 84 can cause air advection, bringing air into
the casing 9 to cool down a heat-emitting source (i.e. an
electronic component) therein.
[0007] When the conventional advection-type fan 8 is installed in
the casing 9, however, the casing 9 should have an enough inner
space for accommodation of the conventional advection-type fan 8.
The inner space should be in a predetermined height equal to or
larger than a sum total height of the bottom plate 811, lateral
walls 812 and cover plate 813. Note the thickness of the casing 9
should also be considered. Thus, the casing 9 will have a height
(H) that is the thickness of the casing 9 plus the sum total height
of the bottom plate 811, lateral walls 812 and cover plate 813, all
included. This leads to a thick casing 9 and the overall volume of
the casing 9 can not be reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is therefore the primary objective of this invention to
provide a cooling system equipped with an advection-type fan, in
which the cooling system is allowed to have a smaller volume when
the advection-type fan is installed therein.
[0009] The invention discloses a cooling system equipped with an
advection-type fan is disclosed. The cooling system includes a
casing and an advection-type fan. The casing has a compartment
receiving a heat-emitting source or a heat-conducting element. The
casing further includes two radial air-guiding openings
communicating with the compartment. The advection-type fan has a
frame disposed in the compartment. The frame has an air-guiding
lateral wall defining a radial air channel. The frame has a radial
air inlet and a radial air outlet. Both the radial air inlet and
the radial air outlet communicate with the radial air channel. The
radial air inlet and the radial air outlet face the two radial
air-guiding openings of the casing respectively. The radial air
channel receives an impeller that causes air advection to dissipate
the heat of the heat-emitting source or the heat-conducting
element. The frame has two sides in an axial direction of the
impeller that are completely laid open.
[0010] Furthermore, the invention discloses a cooling system
equipped with an advection-type fan. The cooling system includes a
casing and an advection-type fan. The casing has a compartment
receiving a heat-emitting source or a heat-conducting element. The
casing further comprises a radial air-guiding opening communicating
with the compartment. The advection-type fan has a frame disposed
in the compartment. The frame has an air-guiding lateral wall
defining a radial air channel. The frame has a radial air inlet and
a radial air outlet. Both the radial air inlet and the radial air
outlet communicate with the radial air channel. One of the radial
air inlet and the radial air outlet faces the heat-emitting source
or the heat-conducting element while the other one faces the radial
air-guiding opening. The radial air channel receives an impeller
that causes air advection to dissipate the heat of the
heat-emitting source or the heat-conducting element. The frame has
two sides in an axial direction of the impeller that are completely
laid open.
[0011] Furthermore, the invention discloses a cooling system
equipped with an advection-type fan. The cooling system includes a
casing and an advection-type fan. The casing has a compartment
receiving a heat-emitting source or a heat-conducting element. The
casing further comprises a radial air-guiding opening communicating
with the compartment. The compartment forms a radial air channel
communicating with the radial air-guiding opening. The
advection-type fan has a base disposed in the radial air channel
and coupled with an impeller. The impeller causes air advection to
dissipate the heat of the heat-emitting source or the
heat-conducting element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The present invention will become more fully understood from
the detailed description given hereinafter and the accompanying
drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are
not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a cooling system equipped with a
conventional advection-type fan.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an exploded diagram of a cooling system
equipped with an advection-type fan according to a first embodiment
of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a top cross-sectional diagram of the cooling
system of the first embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 4 shows an exploded diagram of the advection-type fan
of the first embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional diagram of the cooling
system of the first embodiment observed at line 5-5 in FIG. 3.
[0018] FIG. 6 shows an exploded diagram of a cooling system
equipped with an advection-type fan according to a second
embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 7 shows an exploded diagram of a cooling system
equipped with an advection-type fan according to a third embodiment
of the invention.
[0020] In the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals
designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the term
"first", "second", "third", "fourth", "inner", "outer" "top",
"bottom" and similar terms are used hereinafter, it should be
understood that these terms refer only to the structure shown in
the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings,
and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a cooling system equipped with
an advection-type fan comprises a casing 1 and an advection-type
fan 2 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The casing
1 may be a housing of an electronic device that generates heat
during operation thereof, such as a Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA), mobile phone, computer or others. The advection-type fan 2
is disposed in the casing 1 to provide a predetermined cooling
function.
[0022] The casing 1 comprises a compartment 11 having one or both
of a heat-emitting source 111 and a heat-conducting element 112.
For instance, the compartment 11 may only have the heat-emitting
source 111. Thus, the advection-type fan 2 can operate to dissipate
the heat of the heat-emitting source 111. Alternatively, the
compartment 11 may have both the heat-emitting source 111 and the
heat-conducting element 112. At this point, the advection-type fan
2 can operate to dissipate the heat of the heat-emitting source 111
via the heat-conducting element 112. The casing 1 further comprises
two radial air-guiding openings 12 communicating with the
compartment 11, with at least one fixing portion 13 arranged
therebetween. The at least one fixing portion 13 can be of any
structure on which the advection-type fan 2 is fixed. For example,
the at least one fixing portion 13 can be of a structure that
allows the advection-type fan 2 to be fixed thereon by ways of
fastening, screwing, soldering or adhesion.
[0023] In this embodiment, the casing 1 further comprises a bottom
plate 1a having a plurality of side walls 1b on a periphery
thereof, with the side walls 1b connected to a cover plate 1c
facing the bottom plate 1a. As such, the bottom plate 1a, side
walls 1b and cover plate 1c may jointly form the casing 1. The two
radial air-guiding openings 12 are arranged on two adjacent side
walls 1b of the casing 1. The compartment 11 has both the
heat-emitting source 111 and the heat-conducting element 112. The
heat-conducting element 112 consists of a cooling fin module 112a
and a cooling plate 112b, with the cooling fin module 112a disposed
at one radial air-guiding opening 12. The cooling plate 112b has
one end connected to the cooling fin module 112a and the other end
connected to the heat-emitting source 111. The at least one fixing
portion 13 of the casing 1 is implemented as two engaging grooves.
One engaging groove is arranged on an inner wall of one side wall
1b and the other engaging groove is arranged on a face of a fixing
board 14 disposed in the compartment 11.
[0024] The advection-type fan 2 comprises a frame 21 disposed in
the compartment 11 and fixed on the at least one fixing portion 13.
Referring to FIG. 4, the frame 21 has an air-guiding lateral wall
211 that defines a radial air channel 212. The air-guiding lateral
wall 211 has a radial air inlet 213 and a radial air outlet 214,
with both the radial air inlet 213 and the radial air outlet 214
communicating with the radial air channel 212. The radial air inlet
213 and the radial air outlet 214 face the two radial air-guiding
openings 12 of the casing 1, respectively. An impeller 22 may be
rotatably disposed in the radial air channel 212. Referring to FIG.
4, the impeller 22 may have a plurality of vanes 221 that can drive
the air to cause air advection. The frame 21 has two sides in an
axial direction L that are completely laid open.
[0025] In this embodiment, the frame 21 of the advection-type fan 2
has a base 23 disposed therein. The base 23 is connected to the
air-guiding lateral wall 211 via a plurality of connection members
231. Further, the base 23 has a shaft-coupling portion 232 to which
the impeller 22 is rotatably connected. The base 23 has a driving
unit 24 that can drive the impeller 22 to rotate. The driving unit
24 may consist of components such as a coil, a circuit board and so
on. One skilled in this art may readily appreciate that the driving
unit 24 drives the impeller 22 to rotate based on alternating
magnetic fields (which are generated under a permanent magnet of
the impeller 22), so it is not described herein again. The
air-guiding lateral wall 211 of the frame 21 has two engaged
protrusions 25. When the at least one fixing portion 13 is
implemented as two engaging grooves, the engaged protrusions 25 can
be engaged in the engaging grooves respectively. This allows the
advection-type fan 2 to be securely coupled in the compartment 11
of the casing 1 and provides easy assembly and disassembly of the
advection-type fan 2.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 5, the bottom plate 1a is spaced from the
cover plate 1c by a distance (D), and the air-guiding lateral wall
211 of the advection-type fan 2 has an axial height (H) in the
axial direction L of the impeller 22. The axial height (H) of the
advection-type fan 2 is preferably equal to the distance (D) such
that no gap is presented between the air-guiding lateral wall 211
and the bottom plate 1a and cover plate 1c. Thus, when the
advection-type fan 2 drives the air to flow in the radial air
channel 212, the air can be prevented from escaping from the radial
air channel 212 via such gap. To prevent any potential gap from
forming between the air-guiding lateral wall 211 and the bottom
plate 1a and cover plate 1c for better airtightness, a sealing
element 26 such as a silicon gel or rubber can be disposed between
the air-guiding lateral wall 211 and the bottom plate 1a, and
between the air-guiding lateral wall 211 and the cover plate 1c.
The sealing element 26 can be disposed at one side of the
air-guiding lateral wall 211 that faces the bottom plate 1a or the
cover plate 1c, or disposed at both sides of the air-guiding
lateral wall 211 that face the bottom plate 1a and the cover plate
1c. Thus, easy assembly of the advection-type fan 2 is
attained.
[0027] Specifically, the bottom plate 1a and the cover plate 1c are
used to close the compartment 11 of the casing 1 so that the radial
air channel 212 can only be accessed via the two radial air-guiding
openings 12. Thus, the bottom plate 1a and the cover plate 1c are
preferably disposed in the axial direction L of the impeller 22 so
as to cover the rotation range of the impeller 22. Alternatively,
there can only be the cover plate 1c disposed over the impeller 22
to cover the rotation range of the impeller 22. In this way, the
cover plate 1c can close the radial air channel 212 in the axial
direction L of the impeller 22.
[0028] When the cooling system of the invention is in use, the
driving unit 24 of the advection-type fan 2 can drive the impeller
22 to rotate once the heat-emitting source 111 (which is an
electronic component in the electronic device) is overheated during
operation of the electronic device. Therefore, the impeller 22 will
draw air into the radial air channel 212 via one radial air-guiding
opening 12 and the radial air inlet 213, and then expels air from
the radial air channel 212 via the other radial air-guiding opening
12 and the radial air outlet 214. The driven air can dissipate the
heat of the heat-conducting element 112 generated by and delivered
from the heat-emitting source 111, ensuring the normal operation of
the cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan 2. Thus,
longer service life of the cooling system is achieved.
[0029] Based on the structural features disclosed previously, the
cooling system of the invention is characterized as follows.
[0030] First, the overall height of the casing 1 can be reduced.
This is because that the frame 21 of the advection-type fan 2
merely consists of the air-guiding lateral wall 211, and two sides
of the advection-type fan 2 in the axial direction L are completely
laid open. In such an arrangement, the advection-type fan 2 does
not need to arrange the bottom plate 811 and the cover plate 813 on
two sides thereof as required by the conventional housing 81 (FIG.
1). As an advantage, the height of the compartment 11 can be
designed in a smaller value fitted to the axial height (H) of the
air-guiding lateral wall 211.
[0031] Second, the radial air channel 212 of the frame 21 may form
a channel structure in the compartment 11 of the casing 1 by simply
disposing the advection-type fan 2 in the compartment 11 of the
casing 1. Based on this, the casing 1 does not need to form a
channel structure itself, thereby achieving convenient
manufacturing and assembly of the casing 1 and reducing the
structural complexity of the casing 1.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 6, a cooling system equipped with an
advection-type fan also includes a casing 3 and an advection-type
fan 4 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The
advection-type fan 4 is disposed in the casing 3.
[0033] The casing 3 of the second embodiment also comprises a
bottom plate 3a, a plurality of side walls 3b and a cover plate 3c,
with the bottom plate 3a, side walls 3b and cover plate 3c jointly
forming a compartment 31. The compartment 31 only has a
heat-emitting source 311. The casing 3 has one radial air-guiding
opening 32 on one side wall 3b thereof, with the radial air-guiding
opening 32 communicating with the compartment 31.
[0034] Similar to the advection-type fan 2 in the first embodiment,
the advection-type fan 4 in this embodiment also comprises a frame
41, an air-guiding lateral wall 411, a radial air channel 412, a
radial air inlet 413, a radial air outlet 414, an impeller 42, a
plurality of vanes 421, a base 43, a plurality of connection
members 431, a shaft-coupling portion 432, a driving unit 44 and a
sealing element 46. The frame 41 in this embodiment is coupled with
the casing 3 by way of adhesion and thus, the advection-type fan 4
does not need the engaged protrusions 25 anymore. The
advection-type fan 4 has similar structure to the advection-type
fan 2, so it is not described herein again although it has a
slightly different shape from the advection-type fan 2.
[0035] The cooling system equipped with the advection-type fan 4
(the second embodiment) differs from that equipped with the
advection-type fan 2 (the first embodiment) in that the casing 3
only has one radial air-guiding opening 32. Thus, one of the radial
air inlet 413 and the radial air outlet 414 will face the
heat-emitting source 311 while the other one faces the radial
air-guiding opening 32. In particular, the radial air outlet 414
will face the radial air-guiding opening 32 when the radial air
inlet 413 faces the heat-emitting source 311 or, alternatively, the
radial air inlet 413 will face the radial air-guiding opening 32
when the radial air outlet 414 faces the heat-emitting source 311,
depending on the rotation direction of the impeller 42 (clockwise
or counterclockwise direction).
[0036] Referring to FIG. 6, the casing 3 is a hollow casing having
an inner space not completely closed. For example, the casing 3 may
have a plurality of vents for ventilation. Thus, when the
heat-emitting source 311 is overheated during operation of the
electronic device, the impeller 42 of the advection-type fan 4 can
draw the heat of the heat-emitting source 311 into the radial air
channel 412 via the radial air inlet 413, then expels the heat from
the radial air channel 412 via the radial air outlet 414.
Furthermore, the cooling system of the second embodiment also
allows the casing 3 to have a smaller thickness, thereby reducing
the volume of the casing 3. Thus, the convenient manufacturing and
assembly of the casing 3 are achieved and the structural complexity
of the casing 3 is simplified.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 7, a cooling system equipped with an
advection-type fan also includes a casing 5 and an advection-type
fan 6 according to a third embodiment of the invention. The
advection-type fan 6 is disposed in the casing 5.
[0038] The casing 5 of the third embodiment also comprises a bottom
plate 5a, a plurality of side walls 5b and a cover plate 5c, with
the bottom plate 5a, side walls 5b and cover plate 5c jointly
forming a compartment 51. The compartment 51 has a heat-emitting
source 511 and a heat-conducting element 512 (which consists of a
cooling fin module 512a and a cooling plate 512b). The casing 5 has
one radial air-guiding opening 52 on one side wall 5b thereof, with
the radial air-guiding opening 52 communicating with the
compartment 51. The compartment 51 is surrounded by a plurality of
air-guiding lateral walls 53 to form a radial air channel 54 that
communicates with the radial air-guiding opening 52.
[0039] The advection-type fan 6 has a base 61 that can be disposed
in the radial air channel 54 by ways of adhesion, fastening or
screwing. In this embodiment, the base 61 is disposed in the radial
air channel 54 by way of adhesion. The base 61 has a shaft-coupling
portion 611 to which an impeller 62 is rotatably connected. The
base 61 further comprises a driving unit 63 that can drive the
impeller 62 to rotate. The driving unit 63 may consist of
components such as a coil, a circuit board and so on. One skilled
in this art may readily appreciate that the driving unit 63 drives
the impeller 62 to rotate based on alternating magnetic fields, so
it is not described herein again.
[0040] The third embodiment differs from the first and second
embodiments in that the plurality of air-guiding lateral walls 53
can form the radial air channel 54 for the casing 5. Therefore, the
advection-type fan 6 does not need the frame 21, 41 as required by
the advection-type fan 2, 4. This allows the base 61 and the
impeller 62 to be directly disposed in the compartment 51 of the
casing 5 for convenient assembly and simplified structural
complexity. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7, when the heat-emitting
source 511 is overheated during operation of the electronic device,
the impeller 62 can draw the heat of the heat-emitting source 511
into the radial air channel 54. The drawn heat flows past the
heat-conducting element 512 and is then expelled from the radial
air channel 54 via the radial air-guiding opening 52.
Alternatively, the impeller 62 can also draw air into the radial
air channel 54 via the radial air-guiding opening 52, and then
guides the air to the heat-emitting source 511 for cooling purpose.
Furthermore, the cooling system of the third embodiment also allows
the casing 5 to have a smaller thickness, thereby reducing the
volume of the casing 5. Thus, the convenient manufacturing and
assembly of the casing 5 are achieved and the structural complexity
of the casing 5 is simplified.
[0041] In conclusion, the height of the compartment 11, 31 of the
casing 1, 3 in the first and second embodiments can be designed in
a smaller value fitted to the axial height (H) of the air-guiding
lateral wall 211, 411. In addition, the height of the compartment
51 of the casing 5 in the third embodiment can be further reduced
to a value fitted to the height of the impeller 62. In overall, the
casing 1, 3, 5 of the invention can have a smaller height, thus
reducing the volume thereof.
[0042] Although the invention has been described in detail with
reference to its presently preferable embodiment, it will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the
scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *