A chassis with adaptive flow regulation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chassis with adaptive flow control, comprising a chassis housing, a flow control structure disposed on the chassis housing, the flow control structure comprising a flow tube, a ball valve, a transmission rod, a switching structure, a shape memory alloy rod, and a gear. The flow tube comprises a pipe body and a transmission mechanism mounting tube, the ball valve being disposed within the pipe body and rotatable therein, and having a flow passage hole formed therein; one end of the transmission rod being radially locked with the ball valve and the other end being connected to the gear; the transmission rod having an externally threaded section, the switching structure having an internally threaded hole, the switching structure being fixed within the transmission mechanism mounting tube, and the shape memory alloy rod being movably mounted within the transmission mechanism mounting tube, the shape memory alloy rod having a rack structure section meshing with the gear. The present invention utilizes the shape memory effect of the shape memory alloy to automatically control the flow of cooling medium entering the chassis, thereby improving the reliability of temperature rise control of components within the chassis and reducing the workload of equipment commissioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of chassis cooling structures, and in particular relates to a chassis with adaptive flow regulation. Background Art

[0002] The structure of the traditional forced air cooling chassis is as follows Figure 1 As shown, its main structure includes a chassis shell component 01, a board 02 and other components. The board 01 is installed inside the chassis shell component 01. An air duct is provided inside the chassis shell component. An air inlet 04 is provided on the front panel 03 of the chassis shell component. When the board 02 is working, the PCB components inside it generate heat. The air inlet connected to the environmental control system provides cooling air to enter the air duct. The heat loss of the PCB components is transferred to the surface of the heat dissipation teeth of the board 02 and is carried away by the cooling air passing through the air duct. Finally, the air after heat exchange is discharged from the air outlet 05 of the chassis shell component. Figure 1 The chassis air inlet dimensions shown are fixed values, and therefore the air flow rate is also fixed. When the actual heat dissipation of the chassis exceeds the design value, the temperature of the board components will rise due to insufficient air cooling quality, affecting component reliability. Figure 1 The chassis flow distribution shown in the figure is very labor-intensive. The chassis is supplied with air uniformly by the environmental control system, and the cooling flow cannot be dynamically distributed. Although the air supply volume of a single chassis can be changed by manually adjusting the size of the air inlet, there are three conditions of heat consumption during actual operation of the chassis: heat consumption higher than the design value, heat consumption equal to the design value, and heat consumption lower than the design value. Therefore, the corresponding chassis flow adjustment has three states: increasing the air cooling flow, maintaining the air cooling flow unchanged, and reducing the air cooling flow. When multiple chassis are working at the same time, for example, when the number of chassis is N, there are N theoretical manual adjustment working conditions. 3 The debugging workload is large. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a chassis with adaptive flow regulation to improve the reliability of heat dissipation of components inside the chassis and reduce the workload of equipment debugging.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention and the technical problem to be solved are achieved by adopting the following technical solutions. According to the present invention, a chassis with adaptive flow regulation includes a chassis shell and a board installed in the chassis shell. The chassis shell is provided with a flow control structure, the flow control structure including a flow tube, a ball valve, a transmission rod, a transfer structure, a shape memory alloy rod and a gear. The flow tube includes a pipeline body extending in the front-to-back direction and communicating with the internal flow channel of the chassis shell, and a transmission mechanism mounting tube connected to the pipeline body. The ball valve is arranged in the pipeline body and can rotate in the pipeline body. The ball valve is provided with a flow channel hole. One end of the transmission rod is a ball valve mounting end that is radially locked with the ball valve, and the other end is a gear mounting end connected to the gear. The ball valve mounting end can slide with the ball valve in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. The transmission rod is provided with an external threaded section, and the transfer structure is provided with an internal threaded hole that cooperates with the external threaded section. The transfer structure is fixed in the transmission mechanism mounting tube. The shape memory alloy rod is movably installed in the transmission mechanism mounting tube along the front-to-back direction. The rear end of the shape memory alloy rod is connected to the chassis shell. The shape memory alloy rod is provided with a rack structure section that meshes with the gear.

[0005] Furthermore, a transmission rod connecting hole that cooperates with the ball valve mounting end is opened on the top of the ball valve, and the ball valve mounting end is a first square key, and the transmission rod connecting hole is a square key hole.

[0006] Furthermore, the gear is fixed to the gear mounting end by fastening screws.

[0007] Furthermore, the gear mounting end is a second square key, a fastening screw hole is provided on the second square key, the upper end of the transmission rod is provided with a supporting end surface for axially supporting the gear, and the gear is provided with a key hole that radially stops rotation with the second square key.

[0008] Furthermore, a shape memory alloy mounting groove for the shape memory alloy rod to pass through is provided on the transmission mechanism mounting tube of the flow tube, and the shape memory alloy mounting groove is used to guide the shape memory alloy rod to slide along the front-back direction.

[0009] Furthermore, a sealing cover is provided at the upper end opening of the transmission mechanism mounting tube.

[0010] Furthermore, a sealing gasket is provided inside the transmission mechanism mounting tube and is placed on the upper end surface of the transition structure; the sealing gasket is sleeved on the transmission rod and has an interference fit with the cylindrical rod body of the transmission rod.

[0011] Furthermore, a flange is provided at the upper end of the transfer structure, and a mounting surface that cooperates with the flange is provided in the transmission mechanism mounting tube. Both the flange and the mounting surface are provided with mounting holes for fixing the two by bolts. An elastic gasket is provided between the flange and the mounting surface. On the one hand, the elastic gasket can adjust the assembly accuracy of the flange and the mounting surface, and on the other hand, it can enhance the end face sealing after the flange and the mounting surface are matched.

[0012] Furthermore, the transition structure is provided with an outer peripheral surface which is radially limitedly engaged with a matching surface provided on the inner wall of the transmission mechanism mounting tube.

[0013] Furthermore, a sealing ring is provided between the outer peripheral surface and the mating surface.

[0014] By means of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0015] The present invention provides a flow control structure on the chassis. The flow control structure utilizes the shape memory effect of shape memory alloy to sense the chassis temperature in real time through the contact between the shape memory alloy rod and the chassis shell, and then can realize the change of the length of the shape memory alloy rod according to the high and low temperature of the chassis. Ultimately, the flow of the cooling medium entering the chassis can be automatically controlled through the coordination of gears, transmission rods, ball valves and other structures, thereby improving the reliability of temperature rise control of the board components inside the chassis and greatly reducing the debugging workload of multiple chassis devices working simultaneously.

[0016] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a forced air cooling chassis in the prior art.

[0018] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the shape memory alloy in a contracted state at a low temperature.

[0019] Figure 2B yes Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the shape memory alloy in the stretched state at high temperature.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a chassis with adaptive flow regulation according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a flow control structure in a chassis with adaptive flow regulation according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flow control structure of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure coordination of the flow control structure in the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the flow tube in the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the transfer structure in the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the transfer structure in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination between the adapter structure and the flow tube in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 11 It is a structural schematic diagram of the shape memory alloy rod in the present invention.

[0029] Figure 12A It is a three-dimensional diagram of the transmission rod in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 12B It is a front view schematic diagram of the transmission rod in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 13A It is a three-dimensional diagram of the ball valve of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 13B It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the ball valve in the present invention.

[0033] Figure 13C It is a side view of the ball valve of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly sequence of the ball valve, transmission rod and adapter structure in the present invention.

[0035] Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram of the assembled gear and shape memory alloy rod in the present invention.

[0036] Figure 16 It is a schematic diagram of the axial displacement change of the transmission rod when the ball valve of the flow control structure in the present invention is in the fully open and closed states. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 15 A chassis with adaptive flow regulation includes a chassis shell 2, a board installed in the chassis shell, a flow control structure 1 set on the front panel 21 of the chassis shell, and an air outlet 22 connected to the internal flow channel of the chassis shell is provided on the top of the chassis shell. The present invention utilizes the shape memory effect of shape memory alloys. The shape memory effect refers to the plastic deformation produced by shape memory alloys in low temperature environments. When heated to a certain temperature, the alloy generates recovery stress that forces it to return to its original shape. Figure 2A The shape memory alloy in the form of strips or sheets is in a contracted state at a low temperature; when the temperature rises, it becomes an expanded state, such as Figure 2B shown.

[0040] In this embodiment, the flow control structure 1 includes a flow tube 11, a ball valve 12, a transmission rod 13, a switching structure 14, a shape memory alloy rod 15, and a gear 16. One end of the shape memory alloy rod 15 is connected to the chassis housing. In this embodiment, since the flow control structure is integrally fixed to the front panel, the rear end of the shape memory alloy rod is connected to the front panel to sense the chassis temperature. The flow tube 11 includes a pipe body 111 extending in a front-to-back direction and a transmission mechanism mounting pipe 112 connected to the pipe body. The pipe body 111 and the transmission mechanism mounting pipe 112 can be connected vertically. The ball valve 12 is disposed within the pipe body 111 and can rotate within the pipe body. The ball valve 12 controls the flow of the cooling medium entering the chassis housing by rotating within the flow tube. The ball valve 12 is provided with a flow channel hole 121 extending through the front-to-back direction for the cooling medium to pass through. The cooling medium can be gaseous or liquid, making it suitable for existing air-cooled or liquid-cooled chassis. In this embodiment, the cooling medium is cooling air as an example. A ball valve mounting end 131 is provided at one end of the transmission rod 13, and a gear mounting end 132 is provided at the other end. An external threaded section 133 is provided in the middle of the transmission rod. A transmission rod connecting hole 122 is provided at the top of the ball valve 12 for radially anti-rotation cooperation with the ball valve mounting end 131, and the ball valve mounting end 131 can be clearance-matched with the transmission rod connecting hole 122 in a direction perpendicular to the front and rear directions. The upper end of the adapter structure 14 is provided with a flange 141, and the interior of the adapter structure is provided with an internal threaded hole 142 that cooperates with the external threaded section 133. Correspondingly, a mounting surface 1121 that cooperates with the flange is provided in the transmission mechanism mounting tube 112, and the mounting surface 1121 supports the flange upward. Both the flange and the mounting surface are provided with mounting holes 17 for fixing the two by bolts. In order to improve the combination stability and sealing performance of the adapter structure and the flow tube, the outer peripheral surface 143 of the adapter structure cooperates with the matching surface 1122 provided on the inner wall of the transmission mechanism mounting tube 112. On the one hand, the inner wall of the transmission mechanism mounting tube radially limits the adapter structure, thereby improving the installation and fixing strength of the adapter structure. On the other hand, a sealing ring 18 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the adapter structure and the matching surface to prevent the cooling medium in the pipeline body from leaking upward, wherein the sealing ring mounting groove 144 for accommodating the sealing ring is as shown in FIG. Figure 9As shown, the flow tube is provided with a corresponding annular groove that cooperates with the sealing ring mounting groove to accommodate the sealing ring. In addition, during the actual installation process, the flange and the mounting surface may be in contact, but the mounting holes provided on them may not necessarily correspond to each other. In this case, an annular elastic gasket can be provided between the flange and the mounting surface. On the one hand, the elastic gasket can adjust the assembly accuracy of the flange and the mounting surface. For example, if the mounting hole (threaded hole) on the adapter structure does not coincide with the mounting hole on the mounting surface after the adapter structure is installed, the adapter structure can be further rotated. At this time, the elastic gasket is squeezed and deformed, so that the mounting holes can coincide. On the other hand, the provision of the elastic gasket can also enhance the end face sealing between the flange and the mounting surface.

[0041] Preferably, in this embodiment, the ball valve mounting end 131 is a first square key, and the transmission rod connecting hole 122 is a square key hole.

[0042] Furthermore, the gear 16 is secured to the gear mounting end via a set screw 19. The gear mounting end 132 is a second square key with a set screw hole 1321 defined therein. The upper end of the transmission rod is provided with a support end face 134 for axially supporting the gear, and the gear is provided with a keyhole that radially engages the second square key to prevent rotation. During gear assembly, the gear is fitted onto the second square key. Once the gear contacts the support end face, the assembly is complete. The set screw engages the set screw hole to secure the gear to the upper end of the transmission rod.

[0043] The flow tube's transmission mechanism mounting tube 112 is provided with a shape memory alloy mounting groove 1123 for the shape memory alloy rod. This groove 1123 guides the rod in forward and backward sliding motion. The shape memory alloy rod 15 is provided with a rack segment 151, which can be located, for example, at or near the middle of the entire shape memory alloy rod. The gear segment 151 is configured to mesh with a gear within the transmission mechanism mounting tube.

[0044] The upper opening of the transmission mechanism mounting tube is provided with a sealing cover 110 to block the upper end of the transmission mechanism mounting tube and seal and protect the internal parts of the transmission mechanism mounting tube. The interior of the transmission mechanism mounting tube is also provided with a sealing gasket 113 placed on the upper end face of the transition structure. The sealing gasket 113 is sleeved on the transmission rod and has an interference fit with the cylindrical rod body of the transmission rod, playing a certain sealing role, preventing the cooling medium from penetrating upward into the inner cavity of the transmission mechanism mounting tube where the gear is located through the gap between the external thread section and the internal thread hole. The sealing gasket 113 can be bonded to the corresponding end face of the transition component and / or the transmission mechanism mounting tube, or a circumferentially extending sealing gasket mounting groove can be recessed on the inner wall of the transmission mechanism mounting tube so that the sealing gasket is stuck in the sealing gasket mounting groove to achieve axial limitation of the sealing gasket mounting groove.

[0045] Combine Figure 14During installation, first fix the flow tube, use the tooling to install the ball valve into the pipeline body, and make the center axis of the ball valve coincide with the center line of the transmission mechanism installation tube, then insert the transmission rod, and make the ball valve installation end at the lower end of the transmission rod enter the transmission rod connection hole. The ball valve installation end can not only drive the ball valve to rotate together during radial rotation, but also slide with the clearance of the transmission rod connection hole in the extension direction of the transmission rod (up and down direction). Use the tooling to rotate the adapter structure onto the transmission rod. During the rotational assembly of the adapter structure, the mating surface guides it. After the flange and the installation surface are matched, the adapter component is fixed to the flow tube by bolts. Combined Figure 15 , then install the sealing gasket, gear, and shape memory alloy rod in sequence. By adjusting the shape memory alloy rod to the appropriate position, the ball valve can be rotated from 0° to 90°, thereby achieving adaptive flow adjustment. There is a certain angle between the central axis of the flow channel hole and the central axis of the pipe body. When the angle is 0°, the central axis of the flow channel hole and the central axis of the pipe body coincide, and the flow rate is maximum at this time; when the angle is 90°, the central axis of the flow channel hole and the central axis of the pipe body are perpendicular. Figure 15 The state shown is the maximum flow state, which is also the expansion limit state of the shape memory alloy rod.

[0046] When the chassis is working, the chassis shell heats up, the shape memory alloy rod expands due to the heat and moves forward, driving the gear to rotate. The gear then rotates synchronously with the ball valve through the transmission rod. The position of the ball valve is different, and the cooling flow rate of the fluid entering the chassis through the flow tube is different, thereby realizing adaptive flow adjustment. The specific principle is as follows:

[0047] The shape memory alloy rod is connected to the chassis shell. For the convenience of description, the connection point between the two is called point A. When the chassis heat consumption W is different, the temperature of point A is different. Therefore, the relationship between chassis heat consumption and point A temperature t is established. A The equation is:

[0048] t A = f(W) (1)

[0049] The temperature of point A is different, and the expansion amount L of the shape memory alloy is different, so the temperature of point A t A And the equation for the expansion L:

[0050] L=f(t A ) (2)

[0051] The shape memory alloy rod and gear are designed into a rack and pinion transmission structure. The equation between the expansion amount L of the shape memory alloy rod and the rotation angle ω of the gear is as follows:

[0052]

[0053] Where r is the meshing radius of the gear, and the meshing radius is the radius of the gear pitch circle.

[0054] The rotation angle ω of the gear is the same as the rotation angle of the ball valve. The equation between the rotation angle ω of the ball valve and the cooling flow rate Q is:

[0055] Q=f(ω) (4)

[0056] Cooling flow Q and chassis temperature t A The equation between them is:

[0057] t A = f(Q) (5)

[0058] In summary, this embodiment can establish the relationship between the cooling flow rate and the chassis temperature through the above equations (6) to (7), and achieve the purpose of automatic flow control through reasonable structural design.

[0059] like Figure 16 As shown in the left figure, the ball valve is fully open, at this time the flow rate is the largest; Figure 16 The right figure in the figure shows the ball valve in a closed state. By comparison, it can be seen that as the transmission rod drives the ball valve from fully open to closed, the transmission rod undergoes axial up-and-down movement. In this embodiment, the distance D of upward axial movement of the transmission rod from fully open to closed is 0. This is because the adapter structure is fixed, requiring the rotating rod, which is threadedly connected to the adapter structure, to make a slight axial movement during rotation. However, the ball valve does not require up-and-down movement and can only rotate. Furthermore, this slight up-and-down axial movement of the transmission rod does not separate the gear and the shape memory alloy rod, nor does it affect the meshing relationship between them.

[0060] To sum up, when the present invention is actually applied, the temperature of the device inside the chassis shell rises, the temperature of the chassis shell rises, the shape memory alloy rod expands forward, the opening degree of the ball valve increases, the cooling flow rate increases, and the temperature of the device inside the chassis shell is reduced. When the temperature of the chassis shell decreases, the shape memory alloy rod shortens backward, the opening degree of the ball valve decreases, and the cooling flow rate decreases; when the temperature of the chassis shell rises, the opening degree of the ball valve also increases accordingly, thereby forming a closed-loop regulation method that adaptively adjusts the corresponding flow rate according to the real-time temperature.

[0061] In another embodiment, the portion of the shape memory alloy rod between the gear segment and the end where the shape memory alloy rod connects to the front panel of the chassis is made of a shape memory alloy material, while the remaining portion is made of a metal material capable of connecting to the shape memory alloy. Specifically, the gear segment can be made of a metal material rather than a shape memory alloy material, while the section preceding the gear segment is made of a shape memory alloy material. This approach not only maintains the shape memory alloy rod's ability to extend forward upon heating, but also maintains the spacing between adjacent teeth in the gear segment, allowing the rack segment to mesh more stably with the gear. This resolves the issue of uneven transmission with the gear caused by the increased spacing between teeth of the rack segment made of shape memory alloy when heated and expanded.

[0062] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and any parts not described in detail are all prior art; any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments by any technician familiar with the profession based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A chassis with adaptive flow control, comprising a chassis housing and a board mounted in the chassis housing, characterized in that: A flow control structure is provided on the chassis shell, which includes a flow tube, a ball valve, a transmission rod, a transfer structure, a shape memory alloy rod and a gear. The flow tube includes a pipeline main body extending in the front-to-back direction and connected to the internal flow channel of the chassis shell, and a transmission mechanism mounting tube connected to the pipeline main body. The ball valve is arranged in the pipeline main body and can rotate in the pipeline main body. A flow channel hole is provided on the ball valve; one end of the transmission rod is a ball valve mounting end that cooperates with the radial anti-rotation of the ball valve, and the other end is a gear mounting end connected to the gear, and the ball valve mounting end can slide with the ball valve in a clearance perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. The transmission rod is provided with an external threaded section, and an internal threaded hole that cooperates with the external threaded section is provided inside the transfer structure. The transfer structure is fixed in the transmission mechanism mounting tube, and the shape memory alloy rod is movably installed in the transmission mechanism mounting tube along the front-to-back direction. The rear end of the shape memory alloy rod is connected to the chassis shell, and the shape memory alloy rod is provided with a rack structure section that meshes with the gear.

2. A chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: A transmission rod connecting hole that matches the ball valve mounting end is opened on the top of the ball valve. The ball valve mounting end is a first square key, and the transmission rod connecting hole is a square key hole.

3. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear is fixed on the gear mounting end by fastening screws.

4. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gear mounting end is a second square key with a fastening screw hole. The upper end of the transmission rod is provided with a supporting end surface for axially supporting the gear. The gear is provided with a key hole that cooperates with the second square key for radial rotation prevention.

5. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: A shape memory alloy mounting groove for the shape memory alloy rod to pass through is provided on the transmission mechanism mounting tube of the flow tube. The shape memory alloy mounting groove is used to guide the shape memory alloy rod to slide along the front-back direction.

6. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end opening of the transmission mechanism mounting tube is provided with a sealing cover.

7. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing gasket is also provided inside the transmission mechanism mounting tube and is placed on the upper end surface of the transition structure; the sealing gasket is sleeved on the transmission rod and has an interference fit with the cylindrical rod body of the transmission rod.

8. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flange is provided at the upper end of the transfer structure, and a mounting surface that cooperates with the flange is provided in the transmission mechanism mounting tube. Both the flange and the mounting surface are provided with mounting holes for fixing the two by bolts, and an elastic gasket is also provided between the flange and the mounting surface.

9. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transition structure is provided with an outer peripheral surface which is radially limitedly matched with a matching surface provided on the inner wall of the transmission mechanism installation tube.

10. The chassis with adaptive flow control according to claim 9, characterized in that: A sealing ring is provided between the outer peripheral surface and the matching surface.

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