Sound absorption structure and server

Abstract

A sound-absorbing structure includes at least one sound-absorbing unit. The sound-absorbing unit comprises multiple sub-units arranged in an array and interconnected to form a sound-permeable groove. Each sub-unit includes a connected sound-absorbing chamber and a connecting channel. The sound-absorbing chamber is a polygonal chamber, and the connecting channel is located at a corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The sound-absorbing chamber of at least one of the sub-units is connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sound-absorbing structure and a server. Prior Technology

[0002] To cope with the ever-increasing computing demands, server hardware performance is constantly improving, which also brings considerable heat dissipation. As a common solution in cooling systems, the increased cooling performance of cooling fans is accompanied by increased fan noise, and noise at certain frequencies can affect the performance of storage devices.

[0003] Currently, most noise reduction methods involve attaching low-cost passive noise-reducing components to the inside of the chassis and the back panel of the storage device to reduce the impact of noise on the performance of the storage device. However, the noise reduction effect of these components is often unsatisfactory and cannot effectively reduce noise in specific frequency bands, especially sensitive frequency bands that can easily affect hard drive read and write performance. Therefore, researchers in this field are currently working to solve the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a sound-absorbing structure and server that can effectively prevent the noise generated by the fan from affecting the storage device.

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a sound-absorbing structure comprising at least one sound-absorbing unit. The sound-absorbing unit comprises multiple sub-units arranged in an array and interconnected to form a sound-permeable groove. Each of these sub-units includes a communicating sound-absorbing chamber and a connecting channel. The sound-absorbing chamber is a polygonal chamber, and the connecting channel is located at a corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The sound-absorbing chamber of at least one of these sub-units is connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channel.

[0006] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a server comprising a chassis, a hard disk module, a fan module, and a sound-absorbing structure. The chassis includes a hard disk storage area and a fan storage area. The hard disk module is disposed in the hard disk storage area. The fan module is disposed in the fan storage area. The sound-absorbing structure is disposed between the hard disk storage area and the fan storage area and includes at least one sound-absorbing unit. The sound-absorbing unit includes multiple sub-units arranged in an array and interconnected to form a sound-permeable groove. Each of these sub-units includes a communicating sound-absorbing chamber and a connecting channel. The sound-absorbing chamber is a polygonal chamber, and the connecting channel is located at a corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The sound-absorbing chamber of at least one of these sub-units is connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channel.

[0007] According to the sound-absorbing structure and server disclosed in the above embodiments, the sound-absorbing structure is disposed between the hard disk storage area and the fan storage area. The sub-units of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure are arranged in an array and connected to each other to form a sound-permeable groove. The sound-absorbing chamber of each sub-unit is a polygonal chamber. The connecting channel is connected to the sound-absorbing chamber and separated at the corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The arrangement of at least one of these sub-units' sound-absorbing chambers being connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channel allows the sound generated by the fan module to enter the sound-absorbing chamber through the connecting channel of the sub-unit and dissipate. Therefore, the noise transmitted from the fan module to the hard disk module is effectively reduced to avoid the noise affecting the performance of the hard disk module.

[0008] The above description of the content of this invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of this invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of this invention. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0009] Figure 1 is a plan view of a server disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial planar schematic diagram of the sound-absorbing structure in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a planar schematic diagram of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a planar schematic diagram of the deformation of the sound-absorbing unit in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a plan view of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a planar schematic diagram of the deformation of the sound-absorbing unit in Figure 5. Implementation

[0010] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a plan view of the server disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the sound-absorbing structure of Figure 1.

[0011] In this embodiment, the server 1 includes a chassis 10, at least one hard disk module 20, a fan module 30, and a sound-absorbing structure 40. Furthermore, the server 1 may also include, for example but not limited to, a motherboard 50 and a power supply module 60.

[0012] The chassis 10 includes a hard drive housing 11, a fan housing 12, a motherboard housing 13, and a power supply housing 14. The hard drive housing 11, fan housing 12, motherboard housing 13, and power supply housing 14 are arranged sequentially along the length of the chassis 10. The hard drive module 20, fan module 30, motherboard 50, and power supply module 60 are respectively disposed in the hard drive housing 11, fan housing 12, motherboard housing 13, and power supply housing 14. A sound-absorbing structure 40 is disposed within the chassis 10 and located between the hard drive housing 11 and the fan housing 12.

[0013] The sound-absorbing structure 40, for example, is a monolithic planar auxetic metamaterial. Through precisely designed micro-internal structures, rather than relying on the chemical composition of ordinary materials, it endows the material with special physical properties (such as negative mass density, negative Poisson's ratio, and negative refractive index) to block sound waves of specific frequencies. The sound-absorbing structure 40, for example, can elastically deform along its length direction L and height direction H, and its thickness T is, for example, greater than or equal to 5 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. The sound-absorbing structure 40 comprises multiple sound-absorbing units 41, which are arranged in a matrix and connected to each other. This design allows the sound-absorbing structure 40 to adjust its sound-absorbing performance by applying different strains, effectively reducing noise at different frequencies. Since these sound-absorbing units 41 have the same structure, only one will be described in detail below.

[0014] Next, please refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 3 is a plan view of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure in Figure 2.

[0015] The sound-absorbing unit 41 includes multiple sub-units 411 and multiple connecting portions 412. These sub-units 411 are arranged in an array and connected to each other through the connecting portions 412 to form a sound-permeable groove 413. For example, the sound-permeable groove 413 is rectangular and includes a first side 4131, a second side 4132, a third side 4133, a fourth side 4134, two ends 4135, and a central portion 4136. The first side 4131 and the second side 4132 are opposite to each other, and the third side 4133 and the fourth side 4134 are opposite to each other. The two ends 4135 and the central portion 4136 are located between the third side 4133 and the fourth side 4134, and the central portion 4136 is located between the two ends 4135. The sound-absorbing unit 41 is, for example, a 20mm × 20mm block and includes four sub-units 411 and four connecting portions 412. The four sub-units 411 are arranged in a 2×2 array. Two of the four sub-units 411 and one of the four connecting parts 412 are located on the first side 4131 of the sound-permeable groove 413, the other two of the four sub-units 411 and the other one of the four connecting parts 412 are located on the second side 4132 of the sound-permeable groove 413, and the remaining two of the four connecting parts 412 are located on the third side 4133 and the fourth side 4134 of the sound-permeable groove 413, respectively.

[0016] Each of these sub-units 411 includes a connected sound-absorbing chamber 4111 and a connecting channel 4112, wherein the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 is a polygonal chamber, and the width W1 of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 is greater than the width W2 of the connecting channel 4112. Taking a sub-unit 411 as an example, the sub-unit 411 is a hollow cube, and the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 it surrounds is a square chamber. The sub-unit 411 includes a first surface 4113 and a second surface 4114 facing each other. The first surface 4113 faces the sound-permeable groove 413, and the second surface 4114 faces away from the sound-permeable groove 413 and faces the sound-absorbing chamber 4111. The connecting channel 4112 is located on one side of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 and is separated from the two corners of that side of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111. The connecting channel 4112 is equidistant from the two corners of that side of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111, and the connecting channel 4112 extends from the second surface 4114 to the first surface 4113. One of the connecting channels 4112 located on the first side 4131 and one of the connecting channels 4112 located on the second side 4132 open opposite each other. The sound-absorbing chambers 4111 of all sub-units 411 are connected to opposite ends 4135 of the same sound-permeable groove 413 via connecting channels 4112. These sub-units 411 are, for example, Helmholtz resonators. When sound waves pass through the sound-permeable groove 413 and enter the sound-absorbing chambers 4111 via the connecting channels 4112, the sound waves will resonate at a specific frequency, thereby absorbing and dissipating sound energy.

[0017] In this embodiment, a sound-absorbing structure 40 is disposed between the hard disk storage area 11 and the fan storage area 12. The sub-units 411 of the sound-absorbing unit 41 of the sound-absorbing structure 40 are arranged in an array and connected to each other to form a sound-permeable groove 413. The sound-absorbing chamber 4111 of each sub-unit 411 is a polygonal chamber. The connecting channel 4112 is connected to the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 and separated at the corner of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111. The sound-absorbing chamber 4111 of at least one of these sub-units 411 is connected to the sound-permeable groove 413 through the connecting channel 4112. When the sound generated by the fan module 30 enters the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 through the connecting channel 4112 of the sub-unit 411, the sound wave causes resonance in the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 and converts the sound energy into heat energy through resonance, thereby dissipating the sound. Therefore, the noise transmitted from the fan module 30 to the hard disk module 20 can be effectively reduced to avoid the noise affecting the performance of the hard disk module 20.

[0018] Furthermore, by arranging one of the connecting channels 4112 on the first side 4131 and one of the connecting channels 4112 on the second side 4132 opposite to each other, the resonant frequency decreases and the range of resonant frequency that can be adjusted increases under different strains, thereby increasing the resonant frequency adjustment capability.

[0019] Furthermore, the connecting channel 4112 is located on one side of the sound-permeable groove 413, and the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 is designed as a square chamber, which can improve noise reduction capability. Moreover, the square chamber design of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 can increase the utilization rate of structural space.

[0020] Previous studies observed that the performance of the hard drive module 20 decreased most significantly at a noise level of 3000Hz. This is likely because noise at this frequency causes resonance within the hard drive, thus affecting its read / write performance. In the first embodiment of this invention, the sound-absorbing structure 40, without deformation in its original state, achieves a sound transmission loss (STL) greater than 5dB for noise reduction, for example, at a frequency of approximately 2980Hz, with a frequency bandwidth of 59Hz. Furthermore, by utilizing the negative Poisson's ratio characteristic of planar tensile metamaterials, different strains are applied to cause elastic deformation of the sound-absorbing structure 40. Under different conditions of stretching or compression, the applicable sound frequency of the sound-absorbing structure 40 can be adjusted. For example, please refer to Figures 2 and 4 together; Figure 4 is a planar schematic diagram of the deformation of the sound-absorbing unit in Figure 3. Applying a strain of -0.1 to the sound-absorbing structure 40 compresses and deforms the shape of the sound-permeable groove 413 of the sound-absorbing unit 41, allowing the sound-absorbing structure 40 to reduce noise for sounds with a frequency of approximately 2890Hz, achieving an STL greater than 5dB, while reducing its frequency bandwidth to 28Hz. Applying a strain of 0.1 to the sound-absorbing structure 40 stretches and deforms the shape of the sound-permeable groove 413 of the sound-absorbing unit 41, allowing the sound-absorbing structure 40 to reduce noise for sounds with a frequency of approximately 2890Hz, achieving an STL greater than 5dB, while maintaining its frequency bandwidth at 59Hz. Specifically, the noise reduction performance of the sound-absorbing structure 40 changes after applying different strains. Applying a positive strain shifts the resonant frequency of the sound-absorbing structure to lower frequencies, while applying a negative strain reduces the effective frequency range of the sound-absorbing structure. The sound-absorbing structure 40 can be elastically deformed along its length (L) and height (H). After compression deformation, the sound-absorbing structure 40 can concentrate noise reduction within a narrow frequency range for lower-frequency (2900Hz) sounds. After stretching deformation, the sound-absorbing structure 40 can also reduce noise for lower-frequency (2900Hz) sounds, while maintaining a stable noise reduction effect (STL). This flexibility allows the sound-absorbing structure 40 to adjust its noise reduction performance according to specific needs, thereby providing optimal noise reduction effects in different application scenarios.

[0021] In this embodiment, the design of the sound-absorbing structure 40 is based on theoretical calculations and verified by numerical simulations. This allows for the rapid design of a suitable sound-absorbing structure 40, thus reducing costs. In this embodiment, the sound-absorbing structure 40 utilizes a planar tensile metamaterial combined with a Helmholtz resonator, offering several advantages over conventional sound-absorbing structures, including resonant frequency modulation capabilities, adjustable noise reduction bandwidth, and equivalent stress required for strain. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing structure 40 is a monolithic structure, simplifying assembly and further reducing costs.

[0022] In this embodiment, by combining these sub-units 411 with Helmholtz resonant units and planar tensile metamaterials with negative Persson ratio, the planar tensile metamaterials can be utilized to achieve the advantages of being more easily deformable than general structures. Furthermore, the structure can be adjusted for ventilation, and its thickness is not affected by deformation, making it more suitable for use in the internal space of servers.

[0023] Next, please refer to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a plan view of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The sound-absorbing structure 40a in this embodiment is similar to the sound-absorbing structure 40 in the previous embodiment. The following mainly describes the differences between the two, while the same parts will not be described again.

[0025] The size of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111a of the sub-units 411a of the sound-absorbing unit 41a in this embodiment is larger than the size of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111 of the sub-units 411 of the sound-absorbing unit 41 in the previous embodiment, and the sound-permeable groove 413a surrounded by the sub-units 411a of the sound-absorbing unit 41a in this embodiment is smaller than the sound-permeable groove 413 surrounded by the sub-units 411 of the sound-absorbing unit 41 in the previous embodiment.

[0026] In the second embodiment of the present invention, the sound-absorbing structure 40a, in its original, undeformed state, can reduce noise for sounds with a frequency of approximately 3070 Hz, achieving a sound transmission loss (STL) greater than 5 dB, with a frequency bandwidth of 133 Hz. Furthermore, by utilizing the negative Poisson's ratio characteristic of planar tensile metamaterials, different strains are applied to cause elastic deformation of the sound-absorbing structure 40a. Under different conditions of tension or compression, the applicable sound frequency of the sound-absorbing structure 40a can be adjusted. For example, please refer to Figure 6, which is a planar schematic diagram of the deformation of the sound-absorbing unit in Figure 5. After applying a strain of -0.1 to the sound-absorbing structure 40a, the shape of the sound-transmitting groove 413a of the sound-absorbing unit 41a is compressed and deformed, allowing the sound-absorbing structure 40a to reduce noise for sounds with a frequency of approximately 2980 Hz, achieving an STL greater than 5 dB, with its frequency bandwidth extended to 256 Hz. Applying a strain of 0.1 to the sound-absorbing structure 40 causes the shape of the sound-transmitting groove 413a of the sound-absorbing unit 41a to be stretched and deformed, allowing the sound-absorbing structure 40a to reduce noise for sounds with a frequency of approximately 3020Hz, achieving an STL greater than 5dB, and reducing its frequency bandwidth to 97Hz. The sound-absorbing structure 40a can be configured to elastically deform along its length and height. Specifically, applying different strains can drive the sound-absorbing structure 40a to move towards lower frequencies, and negative strain will expand the effective frequency range of the sound-absorbing structure, while positive strain will shrink the effective frequency range of the sound-absorbing structure. Furthermore, observing the second embodiment from the first embodiment, it can be clearly seen that by increasing the size of the sound-absorbing chamber 4111a, the frequency bandwidth of the sound-absorbing structure 40a is significantly increased regardless of its original state, stretched state, or compressed state. In other words, the sound-absorbing structure 40a of the second embodiment can respond to signals of different frequencies over a wider frequency range, resulting in better noise reduction capabilities.

[0027] It should be noted that the sound-absorbing structures 40 and 40a in the above embodiments are not limited to being elastically deformable. In other embodiments, the sound-absorbing structure may be a non-deformable structure.

[0028] On the other hand, in the above embodiments, the sound-absorbing chambers 4111 and 4111a of the subunits 411 and 411a of the sound-absorbing units 41 and 41a are connected to the same sound-permeable grooves 413 and 413a, but this is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the sound-absorbing chambers of the subunits of the sound-absorbing unit may be connected to different sound-permeable grooves respectively.

[0029] Furthermore, the shapes of the sound-absorbing units 41 and 41a of the sound-absorbing structures 40 and 40a in the above embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, but can be adjusted according to requirements.

[0030] According to the sound-absorbing structure and server disclosed in the above embodiments, the sound-absorbing structure is disposed between the hard disk storage area and the fan storage area. The sub-units of the sound-absorbing unit of the sound-absorbing structure are arranged in an array and connected to each other to form a sound-permeable groove. The sound-absorbing chamber of each sub-unit is a polygonal chamber. The connecting channel is connected to the sound-absorbing chamber and separated at the corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The arrangement of at least one of these sub-units' sound-absorbing chambers being connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channel allows the sound generated by the fan module to enter the sound-absorbing chamber through the connecting channel of the sub-unit and dissipate. Therefore, the noise transmitted from the fan module to the hard disk module is effectively reduced to avoid the noise affecting the performance of the hard disk module.

[0031] In addition, the sound-absorbing structure can be configured to elastically deform along the length and height directions, allowing it to provide noise reduction for sounds of different frequencies.

[0032] Furthermore, the design of the sound-absorbing structure utilizes theoretical calculations combined with numerical simulations for verification, enabling the rapid design of a suitable sound-absorbing structure and reducing costs. In addition, the sound-absorbing structure is a single-piece design, simplifying assembly and further reducing costs.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the server of the present invention can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, and can also be used as a 5G server, cloud server or vehicle networking server.

[0034] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to the preferred embodiments described above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims defined in the appended patent application.

[0035] 1: Server 10: Chassis 11: Hard drive storage area 12: Fan housing area 13: Motherboard Compartment Area 14: Power Supply Area 20: Hard drive module 30: Fan Module 40, 40a: Sound-absorbing structure 41, 41a: Sound-absorbing unit 411, 411a: Subunit 4111, 4111a: Sound-absorbing chamber 4112: Connecting Channel 4113: First Surface 4114: Second Surface 412: Connecting part 413, 413a: Sound-permeable groove 4131: First side 4132: Second side 4133: Third side 4134: Fourth side 4135:End 4136: Central Department 50: Motherboard 60: Power Supply Module L: Length direction H: Height direction W1, W2: Width T: Thickness

Claims

1. A sound-absorbing structure, comprising: at least one sound-absorbing unit, comprising a plurality of sub-units, the sub-units being arranged in an array and interconnected to collectively form a sound-transmitting groove; wherein, Each of the sub-units includes a connected sound-absorbing chamber and a connecting channel. The sound-absorbing chamber is a polygonal chamber, and the connecting channel is located at a corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The sound-absorbing chamber of at least one of the sub-units is connected to the sound-transmitting groove through the connecting channel.

2. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 1, wherein the sound-absorbing chambers of all the sub-units are respectively connected to the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channels.

3. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 2, wherein the number of the sub-units is four, the four sub-units are arranged in a 2×2 array, two of the four sub-units are located on one side of the sound-permeable groove, and the other two of the four sub-units are located on the other side of the sound-permeable groove.

4. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 3, wherein the sound-absorbing chambers of the four sub-units are connected to opposite ends of the sound-permeable groove through the connecting channels.

5. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 3, wherein each of the four sub-units includes a first surface and a second surface facing each other, the first surface facing the sound-permeable groove, the second surface facing away from the sound-permeable groove and facing the sound-absorbing chamber, and the connecting channel extending from the second surface to the first surface.

6. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 1, wherein the sub-units are Helmholtz resonant units.

7. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 1, wherein the sound-absorbing structure is elastically deformable along the length and height directions.

8. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 1, wherein the sound-absorbing chamber is a square chamber.

9. The sound-absorbing structure as described in claim 8, wherein the connecting channel is located on one side of the sound-absorbing chamber and maintains the same distance from the two corners of that side of the sound-absorbing chamber.

10. A server, comprising: a chassis including a hard disk storage area and a fan storage area; a hard disk module disposed in the hard disk storage area; a fan module disposed in the fan storage area; and a sound-absorbing structure disposed between the hard disk storage area and the fan storage area, and comprising: at least one sound-absorbing unit including a plurality of sub-units, the sub-units being arranged in an array and interconnected to form a sound-permeable groove; wherein, Each of the sub-units includes a connected sound-absorbing chamber and a connecting channel. The sound-absorbing chamber is a polygonal chamber, and the connecting channel is located at a corner of the sound-absorbing chamber. The sound-absorbing chamber of at least one of the sub-units is connected to the sound-transmitting groove through the connecting channel.

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