Advanced programmable closed loop fan control method

Abstract

A fan control system and method that maintains the operating temperature of computer and electronic devices or components at about a predetermined control level to minimize power consumption and audible noise. The fan control system is a programmable closed loop system including a temperature sensor, first and second fan controllers, and a fan / motor assembly including a power converter, a motor, and a fan. The first fan controller provides programmable acceleration / deceleration of the fan during an initial fan spin up, and the second fan controller runs the fan only as fast as necessary to keep the sensed temperature level of a computer device as close as possible to the predetermined control level, thereby minimizing the power consumption of the system and the audible noise of the fan.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] N / A STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] N / A BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of controlling a fan to cool computer and electronic devices, components, and / or equipment enclosures, and more specifically to a system and method of controlling a cooling fan based on the sensed die temperature of a CPU. The presently disclosed system and method provide for reduced system power consumption and reduced audible fan noise. [0004] In recent years, operating speeds of computer devices such as central processing units (CPUs) and microprocessors have undergone dramatic increases. Because increases in computer device speeds are typically accompanied by significant increases in the level of current flowing through the devices, the amount of heat dissipated by such computer devices has also risen dramatically. For this reason, there is a need for improve...

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