U.S. patent application number 14/183182 was filed with the patent office on 2015-08-20 for telecommunications system cooling fan incorporating a compact vibration isolator.
This patent application is currently assigned to CIENA CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Trevor Meunier, Peter Saturley. Invention is credited to Trevor Meunier, Peter Saturley.
Application Number | 20150233388 14/183182 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53797704 |
Filed Date | 2015-08-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150233388 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Saturley; Peter ; et
al. |
August 20, 2015 |
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM COOLING FAN INCORPORATING A COMPACT
VIBRATION ISOLATOR
Abstract
The present invention provides a cooling fan assembly for use in
a telecommunications system, including: a cooling fan; a housing; a
rigid pin disposed through the housing an into a mounting hole
manufactured into the cooling fan; a vibration isolator disposed
about the rigid pin within the mounting hole; and a washer disposed
about the rigid pin between the cooling fan and the housing. The
vibration isolator is a cylindrical vibration isolator. The
vibration isolator is made of a polymeric vibration damping
material. The washer is made of material with a low coefficient of
friction. The vibration isolator is operable for damping vibrations
emanating from the cooling fan. The washer is operable for allowing
some movement of the cooling fan perpendicular to the rigid
pin.
Inventors: |
Saturley; Peter; (Ottawa,
CA) ; Meunier; Trevor; (Ottawa, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Saturley; Peter
Meunier; Trevor |
Ottawa
Ottawa |
|
CA
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
CIENA CORPORATION
Hanover
MD
|
Family ID: |
53797704 |
Appl. No.: |
14/183182 |
Filed: |
February 18, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/119 ;
29/888.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/668 20130101;
F05D 2300/43 20130101; F04D 25/0613 20130101; F04D 29/522 20130101;
Y10T 29/49236 20150115 |
International
Class: |
F04D 29/66 20060101
F04D029/66 |
Claims
1. A cooling fan assembly for use in a telecommunications system,
comprising: a cooling fan; a housing; a rigid pin disposed through
the housing an into a mounting hole manufactured into the cooling
fan; a vibration isolator disposed about the rigid pin within the
mounting hole; and a washer disposed about the rigid pin between
the cooling fan and the housing.
2. The cooling fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the vibration
isolator comprises a cylindrical vibration isolator.
3. The cooling fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the vibration
isolator comprises a polymeric vibration damping material.
4. The cooling fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the washer
comprises a material with a low coefficient of friction.
5. The cooling fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the vibration
isolator is operable for damping vibrations emanating from the
cooling fan.
6. The cooling fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the washer is
operable for allowing some movement of the cooling fan
perpendicular to the rigid pin.
7. A method for providing a cooling fan assembly for use in a
telecommunications system, comprising: providing a cooling fan;
providing a housing; disposing a rigid pin through the housing an
into a mounting hole manufactured into the cooling fan; disposing a
vibration isolator about the rigid pin within the mounting hole;
and disposing a washer about the rigid pin between the cooling fan
and the housing.
8. The cooling fan assembly method of claim 7, wherein the
vibration isolator comprises a cylindrical vibration isolator.
9. The cooling fan assembly method of claim 7, wherein the
vibration isolator comprises a polymeric vibration damping
material.
10. The cooling fan assembly method of claim 7, wherein the washer
comprises a material with a low coefficient of friction.
11. The cooling fan assembly method of claim 7, wherein the
vibration isolator is operable for damping vibrations emanating
from the cooling fan.
12. The cooling fan assembly method of claim 7, wherein the washer
is operable for allowing some movement of the cooling fan
perpendicular to the rigid pin.
13. A cooling fan vibration isolator for use in a
telecommunications system, comprising: a rigid pin disposed through
a housing an into a mounting hole manufactured into a cooling fan;
a vibration isolator disposed about the rigid pin within the
mounting hole; and a washer disposed about the rigid pin between
the cooling fan and the housing.
14. The cooling fan vibration isolator of claim 13, wherein the
vibration isolator comprises a cylindrical vibration isolator.
15. The cooling fan vibration isolator of claim 13, wherein the
vibration isolator comprises a polymeric vibration damping
material.
16. The cooling fan vibration isolator of claim 13, wherein the
washer comprises a material with a low coefficient of friction.
17. The cooling fan vibration isolator of claim 13, wherein the
vibration isolator is operable for damping vibrations emanating
from the cooling fan.
18. The cooling fan vibration isolator of claim 13, wherein the
washer is operable for allowing some movement of the cooling fan
perpendicular to the rigid pin.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a
telecommunications system cooling fan. More specifically, the
present invention relates to a telecommunications system cooling
fan incorporating a compact vibration isolator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Vibration induced connector damage is common on the cooling
units and associated backplane connectors used in
telecommunications systems. Typical vibration mitigation strategies
involve the use of dampers or bushings that are added to the
mounting points of the cooling fans, typically above and below the
cooling fans. This, however, requires an increase in the size of
the cooling units. If space is not available within the broader
telecommunications system, then dimensions must be enlarged, and a
full redesign must be undertaken, resulting in significant delay
and expense. Further, valuable space must be allocated which may be
reserved for other functions and a full redesign is not an option
for already deployed telecommunications systems.
[0003] Thus, what is still needed in the art is a compact vibration
isolator that works with existing cooling units and conserves
valuable space.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention
provides a cooling fan that incorporates a compact vibration
isolator including a rigid pin, a low-friction washer, and a
cylindrical vibration isolator. This compact vibration isolator is
used at each connection point between the cooling fan and the
associated chassis. Collectively, these compact vibration isolators
allow the cooling fan to move freely within the chassis without the
conduction of vibration to the housing of the cooling unit, while
dissipating the energy of any vibration. The compact vibration
isolators mount almost entirely within the cooling fans mounting
holes, allowing them to be used in cooling units in which space has
not been allocated for conventional vibration isolators, such as
elastomer pads or bumpers. The compact vibration isolators work in
any orientation, allowing them to be used with cooling units that
are installed in multiple orientations.
[0005] In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides
a cooling fan assembly for use in a telecommunications system,
including: a cooling fan; a housing; a rigid pin disposed through
the housing an into a mounting hole manufactured into the cooling
fan; a vibration isolator disposed about the rigid pin within the
mounting hole; and a washer disposed about the rigid pin between
the cooling fan and the housing. The vibration isolator is a
cylindrical vibration isolator. The vibration isolator is made of a
polymeric vibration damping material. The washer is made of a
material with a low coefficient of friction. The vibration isolator
is operable for damping vibrations emanating from the cooling fan.
The washer is operable for allowing some movement of the cooling
fan perpendicular to the rigid pin.
[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention
provides a method for providing a cooling fan assembly for use in a
telecommunications system, including: providing a cooling fan;
providing a housing; disposing a rigid pin through the housing an
into a mounting hole manufactured into the cooling fan; disposing a
vibration isolator about the rigid pin within the mounting hole;
and disposing a washer about the rigid pin between the cooling fan
and the housing. The vibration isolator is a cylindrical vibration
isolator. The vibration isolator is made of a polymeric vibration
damping material. The washer is made of a material with a low
coefficient of friction . The vibration isolator is operable for
damping vibrations emanating from the cooling fan. The washer is
operable for allowing some movement of the cooling fan
perpendicular to the rigid pin.
[0007] In a further exemplary embodiment, the present invention
provides a cooling fan vibration isolator for use in a
telecommunications system, including: a rigid pin disposed through
a housing an into a mounting hole manufactured into a cooling fan;
a vibration isolator disposed about the rigid pin within the
mounting hole; and a washer disposed about the rigid pin between
the cooling fan and the housing. The vibration isolator is a
cylindrical vibration isolator. The vibration isolator is made of a
polymeric vibration damping material. The washer is made of a
material with a low coefficient of friction. The vibration isolator
is operable for damping vibrations emanating from the cooling fan.
The washer is operable for allowing some movement of the cooling
fan perpendicular to the rigid pin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The present invention is illustrated and described herein
with reference to the various drawings, in which like reference
numbers are used to denote like system components/method steps, as
appropriate, and in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of
the cooling unit of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of
the compact vibration isolator of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one exemplary embodiment
of the compact vibration isolator of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of one exemplary embodiment
of the cooling unit of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a planar view of one exemplary embodiment of the
cooling unit of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary node for
use with the systems and methods described herein; and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a controller to
provide control plane processing and/or operations, administration,
maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P) for the node of FIG.
6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Again, in various exemplary embodiments, the present
invention provides a cooling fan that incorporates a compact
vibration isolator including a rigid pin, a low-friction washer,
and a cylindrical vibration isolator. This compact vibration
isolator is used at each connection point between the cooling fan
and the associated chassis. Collectively, these compact vibration
isolators allow the cooling fan to move freely within the chassis
without the conduction of vibration to the housing of the cooling
unit, while dissipating the energy of any vibration. The compact
vibration isolators mount almost entirely within the cooling fans
mounting holes, allowing them to be used in cooling units in which
space has not been allocated for conventional vibration isolators,
such as elastomer pads or bumpers. The compact vibration isolators
work in any orientation, allowing them to be used with cooling
units that are installed in multiple orientations.
[0017] Referring now specifically to FIGS. 1-4, in one exemplary
embodiment, the cooling unit 10 includes a cooling fan 12 that is
disposed within a fan housing 14. A compact vibration isolator 16
is disposed at each fan mounting point (of which there are
typically eight (8)). Each compact vibration isolator 16 includes a
metallic or rigid pin 18 that is press fit into or otherwise
disposed through the fan housing 14. In one exemplary embodiment,
this pin 18 has a length of between about 4 mm and about 10 mm. A
low-friction washer 20 is disposed about the base of each pin 18.
Preferably, this washer 20 is made from a material with a low
coefficient of friction. In one exemplary embodiment, the washer 20
has an outer diameter of between about 5 mm and about 10 mm. A
cylindrical vibration isolator 22 is then disposed about the pin
18. Preferably, this vibration isolator 22 is made from a polymeric
vibration damping material. In one exemplary embodiment, the
vibration isolator 22 has an outer diameter of between about 2.4 mm
and about 4 mm. Although a "cylindrical" vibration isolator is
illustrated and described herein, it will be readily apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art that other shapes or
configurations may be used. This assembly is used at each fan
mounting point. The cooling fan 12 is then disposed over the
vibration isolators 16.
[0018] Referring now specifically to FIG. 5, it can be seen that
the low-friction washers 20 (FIGS. 2 and 3) allow the fan 12 to
move freely without the conduction of vibration to the housing 14
of the cooling unit 10, while the vibration isolators 22 dissipate
the vibrational energy.
[0019] As discussed herein above, cooling fans are typically
mounted to the chassis of a cooling unit using metallic screws or
the like. This type of connection couples the vibration of the fan
to the chassis and the rest of the telecommunications system. Under
certain circumstances, this vibration can cause damage and
premature failure of various components, and particularly
connectors. Conventional vibration isolators consist of pads or
other isolators that are disposed between the fan and the chassis,
requiring significantly more space than the washers of the present
invention.
[0020] Experiments have demonstrated that vibration generated by
the fans within the plane of impeller rotation is of chief concern
with respect to connector wear. Therefore, damping in the vertical
direction is less critical. Placing only a very thin, low-friction
washer between the fan and the chassis allows the fan to move from
side to side without exerting a significant force on, or inducing
vibration in, the chassis. The compliant isolator of the present
invention instead damps the motion and prevents it from being
transmitted to the chassis and the rest of the telecommunications
system. The pin provides a mounting point for the washer and the
isolator and prevents larger displacements of the fan.
[0021] Advantageously, the present invention locates most of the
isolator within the mounting holes of the fan. The only part of the
assembly that is external to the fan is the washer, which is
manufactured to be negligibly thin compared to other components in
the assembly. This allows the compact vibration isolator of the
present invention to be used without taking up any additional
system volume.
[0022] Vibration-induced connector damage is non-trivial and is the
leading reason for communication loss with cooling units. Such
connector damage may be rectified by replacing an affected cooling
unit, but backplane connectors are not so easily replaced. Thus,
this is a significant issue.
[0023] Referring now specifically to FIG. 6, in one exemplary
embodiment, an exemplary node or shelf with which the fan assembly
of the present invention may be used is illustrated. The node can
be a network element that may consolidate the functionality of a
multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP), digital cross connect
(DCC), Ethernet and/or Optical Transport Network (OTN) switch,
dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) platform, etc. into a
single, high-capacity intelligent switching system providing Layer
0, 1, and/or 2 consolidation. In another exemplary embodiment, the
node can be any of an OTN add/drop multiplexer (ADM), a
multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP), a digital cross connect
(DCC), an optical cross connect (OXC), an optical switch, a router,
a switch, a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) terminal, an
access/aggregation device, etc. That is, the node can be any
digital system with ingress and egress digital signals and
switching therebetween of channels, timeslots, tributary units,
etc. utilizing OTN, etc. While the node is generally shown as an
optical network element, the systems and methods contemplated are
for use with any switching fabric, network element, or network
based thereon.
[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the node includes common
equipment, one or more line modules, and one or more switch
modules. The common equipment can include power; a control module;
operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning
(OAM&P) access; user interface ports; and the like. The common
equipment can connect to a management system through a data
communication network (as well as a PCE, SDN controller, OpenFlow
controller, etc.). The management system can include a network
management system (NMS), element management system (EMS), or the
like. Additionally, the common equipment can include a control
plane processor configured to operate the control plane. The node
can include an interface for communicatively coupling the common
equipment, the line modules, and the switch modules therebetween.
For example, the interface can be a backplane, mid-plane, a bus,
optical or electrical connectors, or the like. The line modules are
configured to provide ingress and egress to the switch modules and
external to the node. In an exemplary embodiment, the line modules
can form ingress and egress switches with the switch modules as
center stage switches for a three-stage switch, e.g. a three stage
Clos switch. Other configurations and/or architectures are also
contemplated. The line modules can include optical transceivers,
such as, for example, 1 Gb/s (GbE PHY), 2.5 Gb/s (OC-48/STM-1,
OTU1, ODU1), 10 Gb/s (OC-192/STM-64, OTU2, ODU2, 10GbE PHY), 40
Gb/s (OC-768/STM-256, OTU3, ODU3, 40GbE PHY), 100 Gb/s (OTU4, ODU4,
100GbE PHY), ODUflex, etc.
[0025] Further, the line modules can include a plurality of optical
connections per module and each module may include a flexible rate
support for any type of connection, such as, for example, 155 Mb/s,
622 Mb/s, 1 Gb/s, 2.5 Gb/s, 10 Gb/s, 40 Gb/s, and 100 Gb/s,
N.times.1.25 Gb/s, and any rate in between. The line modules can
include wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) interfaces, short
reach interfaces, and the like, and can connect to other line
modules on remote network elements, end clients, edge routers, and
the like. From a logical perspective, the line modules provide
ingress and egress ports to the node, and each line module can
include one or more physical ports. The switch modules are
configured to switch channels, timeslots, tributary units, etc.
between the line module. For example, the switch modules can
provide wavelength granularity (Layer 0 switching), SONET/SDH
granularity such as Synchronous Transport Signal-1 (STS-1) and
variants/concatenations thereof (STS-n/STS-nc), Synchronous
Transport Module level 1 (STM-1) and variants/concatenations
thereof, Virtual Container 3 (VC3), etc.; OTN granularity such as
Optical Channel Data Unit-1 (ODU1), Optical Channel Data Unit-2
(ODU2), Optical Channel Data Unit-3 (ODU3), Optical Channel Data
Unit-4 (ODU4), Optical Channel Data Unit-flex (ODUflex), Optical
channel Payload Virtual Containers (OPVCs), ODTUGs, etc.; Ethernet
granularity; Digital Signal n (DSn) granularity such as DS0, DS1,
DS3, etc.; and the like. Specifically, the switch modules 630 can
include both Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) (i.e., circuit
switching) and packet switching engines. The switch modules can
include redundancy as well, such as 1:1, 1:N, etc. In an exemplary
embodiment, the switch modules provide OTN switching and/or
Ethernet switching.
[0026] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the node
can include other components which are omitted for illustration
purposes, and that the systems and methods described herein are
contemplated for use with a plurality of different network elements
with the node presented as an exemplary type of network element.
For example, in another exemplary embodiment, the node may not
include the switch modules, but rather have the corresponding
functionality in the line modules (or some equivalent) in a
distributed fashion. For the node, other architectures providing
ingress, egress, and switching therebetween are also contemplated
for the systems and methods described herein. In general, the
systems and methods described herein contemplate use with any
network element providing switching of OTN channels, timeslots,
tributary units, wavelengths, etc. Furthermore, the node is merely
presented as one exemplary node for the systems and methods
described herein. Further the WDM functionality can be included in
the node or in a separate node.
[0027] Referring now specifically to FIG. 7, in one exemplary
embodiment, a controller is illustrated to provide control plane
processing and/or operations, administration, maintenance, and
provisioning (OAM&P) for the node. The controller can be part
of common equipment, such as common equipment in the node, or a
stand-alone device (e.g., a PCE) communicatively coupled to the
node via the DCN. The controller can include a processor which is
hardware device for executing software instructions such as
operating the control plane. The processor can be any custom made
or commercially available processor, a central processing unit
(CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated
with the controller, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the
form of a microchip or chip set), or generally any device for
executing software instructions. When the controller is in
operation, the processor is configured to execute software stored
within memory, to communicate data to and from the memory, and to
generally control operations of the controller pursuant to the
software instructions. The controller can also include a network
interface, a data store, memory, an I/O interface, and the like,
all of which are communicatively coupled therebetween and with the
processor.
[0028] The network interface can be used to enable the controller
to communicate on the DCN, such as to communicate control plane
information to other controllers, to the management system, and the
like. The network interface can include, for example, an Ethernet
card (e.g., 10BaseT, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet) or a wireless
local area network (WLAN) card (e.g., 802.11a/b/g). The network
interface can include address, control, and/or data connections to
enable appropriate communications on the network. The data store
can be used to store data, such as control plane information,
provisioning data, OAM&P data, etc. The data store can include
any of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM,
such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, and the like)), nonvolatile memory
elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, flash drive, CDROM, and the like),
and combinations thereof. Moreover, the data store can incorporate
electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media.
The memory can include any of volatile memory elements (e.g.,
random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)),
nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, flash drive,
CDROM, etc.), and combinations thereof. Moreover, the memory may
incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of
storage media. Note that the memory can have a distributed
architecture, where various components are situated remotely from
one another, but may be accessed by the processor. The I/O
interface includes components for the controller to communicate to
other devices. Further, the I/O interface includes components for
the controller to communicate with the other nodes, such as using
overhead associated with OTN signals.
[0029] It will be appreciated that some exemplary embodiments
described herein may include one or more generic or specialized
processors ("one or more processors") such as microprocessors,
digital signal processors, customized processors, and field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored program
instructions (including both software and firmware) that control
the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with
certain non-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions
of the methods and/or systems described herein. Alternatively, some
or all functions may be implemented by a state machine that has no
stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific
integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each function or some
combinations of certain of the functions are implemented as custom
logic. Of course, a combination of the aforementioned approaches
may be used. Moreover, some exemplary embodiments may be
implemented as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
having computer readable code stored thereon for programming a
computer, server, appliance, device, etc. each of which may include
a processor to perform methods as described and claimed herein.
Examples of such computer-readable storage mediums include, but are
not limited to, a hard disk, an optical storage device, a magnetic
storage device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read
Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an
EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), Flash
memory, and the like. When stored in the non-transitory computer
readable medium, software can include instructions executable by a
processor that, in response to such execution, cause a processor or
any other circuitry to perform a set of operations, steps, methods,
processes, algorithms, etc.
[0030] Although the present invention is illustrated and described
herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific
examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform
similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent
embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the
present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be
covered by the following claims.
* * * * *