Centrifugal cooling fan

Abstract

This invention provides a centrifugal cooling fan suitable for laptops. The centrifugal cooling fan includes a housing, a hub, multiple fan blades, and a silencing ring. The hub is rotatably disposed within the housing. The fan blades are disposed around the hub to rotate with the hub in a first direction. The silencing ring connects to the fan blades and is disposed around the distal edge of the fan blades away from the hub. The silencing ring has multiple recesses, the contours of which taper along a second direction, opposite to the first direction. Airflow passing through the silencing ring enters the recesses, converges at one point due to the taper, is squeezed out of the recess, and blown towards the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a centrifugal cooling fan. Background Technology

[0002] The rapid development of the current electronics industry and the continuous improvement of the performance of electronic components have led to a surge in heat generation as instruction cycles become faster. Therefore, portable electronic devices, such as laptops, require centrifugal cooling fans to expel air from their interiors and reduce internal temperatures. Furthermore, to meet the current trend towards thinner, smaller, and more efficient devices, the space available for centrifugal cooling fans in portable electronic devices is often insufficient.

[0003] For centrifugal cooling fans, their performance largely depends on the area of ​​the fan blades; larger blade areas mean they can capture more air and generate a larger airflow. However, as mentioned earlier, there is insufficient space for configuration. Therefore, given the limited space that the fan housing can provide for the blades, designers will try to increase the blade area as much as possible. This leads to a trend of the distance between the blades and the inner wall of the housing becoming smaller and smaller.

[0004] However, this also means that the motor, hub, and fan blades need to be more stable during operation; otherwise, the fan blades could easily wobble and collide with the casing. Conversely, the aforementioned stability considerations limit the possibility of further increasing the fan blade area during the design phase. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a centrifugal cooling fan that provides airflow during operation so that the fan blades can maintain their stability relative to the housing.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a centrifugal cooling fan is suitable for laptop computers. The centrifugal cooling fan includes a housing, a hub, multiple fan blades, and a silencing ring. The hub is rotatably disposed within the housing. The fan blades are disposed around the hub to rotate with the hub in a first direction. The silencing ring connects to the fan blades and is disposed around the distal edge of the fan blades away from the hub. The silencing ring has multiple recesses, the contours of which taper along a second direction, opposite to the first direction. Airflow passing through the silencing ring enters the recesses, converges at one point due to the taper, is squeezed out of the recesses, and blown towards the housing.

[0007] Based on the above, centrifugal cooling fans, in response to the trend of shrinking internal space in laptops, incorporate multiple recesses on their silencing rings. Each recess has a tapering profile, tapering along a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction of fan blade rotation. Thus, when the fan blades rotate in the first direction, the airflow on the silencing ring flows along the second direction, causing the airflow to flow into the recesses. Due to the tapering profile, the airflow converges and is forced out of the recesses, thereby changing the airflow on the silencing ring from the second direction to the normal direction of the top plane of the silencing ring—that is, the direction in which it exits the top plane of the silencing ring. This airflow exiting the silencing ring is directed towards the casing, effectively generating airflow from the fan blades towards the casing when the fan blades are rotating.

[0008] Therefore, when these airflows toward the casing are continuously generated as the fan blades rotate, it is equivalent to forming an air wall or airflow barrier between the fan blades and the casing, so as to maintain a gap between the fan blades and the casing, thereby enabling the operating fan blades to achieve dynamic balance relative to the casing, and preventing them from hitting the casing due to swaying. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a laptop computer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a centrifugal cooling fan;

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified schematic diagram of a centrifugal cooling fan in part B;

[0012] Figure 4 A partial side view of a centrifugal cooling fan is shown in a simple accompanying drawing;

[0013] Figure 5 A partially enlarged view of a centrifugal cooling fan according to another embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same component reference numerals are used in the drawings and description to denote the same or similar parts.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a laptop computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a centrifugal cooling fan. Please also refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the centrifugal cooling fan 100 is suitable for the laptop 10 to dissipate heat from heat sources (such as the CPU or GPU) within the laptop 10, thereby expelling heat from the laptop 10. Figure 2 As shown, the centrifugal cooling fan 100 includes a housing 110 and a blade wheel 120, wherein the blade wheel 120 is connected to a motor (not shown) and is able to rotate within the housing 110 along the shaft AX.

[0016] In this embodiment, the housing 110 includes a base 112 and a top plate 111, wherein the top plate 111 has an air inlet 111a and the base 112 has an air inlet 112a, and thus, after the base 112 and the top plate 111 are combined, an air outlet 113 is further formed. Therefore, when the centrifugal cooling fan 100 operates, it generates airflow that is drawn into the housing 110 through the air inlets 111a and 112a and then discharged from the housing 110 through the air outlet 113.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified schematic diagram of the centrifugal cooling fan at point B. Please also refer to... Figure 2 Figure 3 In this embodiment, the impeller 120 includes a hub 121, a plurality of fan blades 122, and a noise-reducing ring 123. The hub 121 is rotatably disposed within the housing 110 and is connected, for example, to the aforementioned motor, allowing it to rotate along the shaft AX. The fan blades 122 are arranged around the periphery of the hub 121 to rotate with the hub 121 in a first direction D1. The noise-reducing ring 123 is connected to the fan blades 122 and is arranged around the distal edge of the fan blades 122 away from the hub 121. Here, the noise-reducing ring 123 serves to reduce the operating noise of the centrifugal cooling fan 100 while increasing the structural strength of the fan blades 122; this part is known in the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0018] Importantly, the silencing ring 123 in this embodiment is also provided with a plurality of recesses 124, such as Figure 3 As shown, the contours of each recess 124 taper along a second direction D2, which is opposite to the first direction D1. Thus, when the centrifugal cooling fan 100 operates, that is, when the fan blades 122 rotate along the first direction D1, airflow is generated along the second direction D2. The airflow passing through the silencer ring 123 enters the recess 124, converges at one point due to the taper of the contour, is squeezed out of the recess, and blown towards the housing 110. Figure 3 As shown, the recess 124 in this embodiment has a first flow channel 124a and a second flow channel 124b, and the two intersect at one point along the second direction D2, thereby making the recess 124 in this embodiment have an arrow outline.

[0019] Accordingly, when the fan blade 122 rotates along the first direction D1, the airflow F0 on the surface (top surface 123a) of the silent ring 123 will be separated into airflow F1 along the first flow channel 124a and airflow F2 along the second flow channel 124b when it reaches the recess 124, until the two meet at one point and are squeezed out from the recess 124 to form airflow F3.

[0020] Figure 4 A partial side view of a centrifugal cooling fan is shown in the accompanying diagram. Please refer to [the diagram] first. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The silencing ring 123 is located at the upper edge of the fan blade 122, so that the recess 124 faces the top plate 111, thereby allowing the airflow to be forced out of the recess 124 and blow directly onto the top plate 111. Please refer to [further details]. Figure 3 and Figure 4 In detail, the top surface 123a of the silencing ring 123 is flat and faces each other parallel to the top plate 111 of the housing 110, while the depth direction of the recess 124 is the normal direction of the aforementioned flat surface (top surface 123a). Accordingly, when the airflow F3 is squeezed out from the recess 124, it will blow directly towards the top plate 111.

[0021] In this way, for the impeller 120 as a whole, the recesses 124 on the silencer ring 123 will create an air ring (wall) or air barrier on the top plate 111. That is, when the fan blade 122 is continuously rotating, the fan blade 122 and the top plate 111 can be effectively isolated by the air wall. Since these recesses 124 are evenly distributed, the silencer ring 123 can maintain a constant gap with the top plate 111 of the housing 110 by the airflow squeezed out from these recesses, preferably keeping the distance (gap) between the upper edge of the fan blade 122 and the top plate 111 at 0.6 mm.

[0022] In simple terms, the creation of the air wall is equivalent to stabilizing the rotational motion of the fan blade 122 through airflow and preventing it from wobbling. Therefore, given the presence of a recess 124 on the upper surface of the silent ring 123 corresponding to the top plate 111, the fan designer can maximize the area of ​​the fan blade 122 without any worries, which helps to increase the airflow of the centrifugal cooling fan 100 and optimize the heat dissipation performance of the centrifugal cooling fan 100.

[0023] Figure 5 A partially enlarged view of another embodiment of a centrifugal cooling fan is shown. Please refer to... Figure 5 And compare Figure 3The difference from the previous embodiment is that the recess 224 in this embodiment has a triangular outline, but its characteristic of gradually narrowing along the second direction D2 remains unchanged. Accordingly, the recess 224 in this embodiment can also generate airflow F3, and allow airflow F3 to abut against the top plate 111 of the housing 110, thereby creating the same air wall as in the previous embodiment.

[0024] In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, the centrifugal cooling fan, in response to the trend of shrinking internal space in laptops, has multiple recesses on its silencing ring. Each recess has a tapered profile, tapering along a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction of fan blade rotation. Thus, when the fan blades rotate in the first direction, the airflow on the silencing ring flows along the second direction, causing the airflow to flow into the recesses. Due to the tapered profile, the airflow converges and is squeezed out of the recesses, thereby changing the airflow on the silencing ring from the second direction to the normal direction of the top plane of the silencing ring, i.e., the direction of exiting the top plane of the silencing ring. This airflow exiting the silencing ring is directed towards the casing, thus effectively generating airflow from the fan blades towards the casing when the fan blades are rotating.

[0025] Therefore, when these airflows towards the casing are continuously generated as the fan blades rotate, it is equivalent to forming an air wall or airflow barrier between the fan blades and the casing. This maintains a gap between the fan blades and the casing, allowing the operating fan blades to achieve dynamic balance relative to the casing and preventing them from colliding with the casing due to wobbling. Conversely, the existence of the air barrier created by the recessed structure of the aforementioned silent ring allows fan designers to maximize the area of ​​the fan blades without any concerns, thereby increasing the airflow of the centrifugal cooling fan and optimizing its heat dissipation performance.

[0026] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A centrifugal cooling fan, suitable for laptops, characterized in that, The centrifugal cooling fan includes: case; The hub is rotatably disposed within the housing; Multiple fan blades, arranged around a hub to rotate in a first direction with the hub; and A silencing ring is connected to the plurality of fan blades and is disposed around the distal edge of the plurality of fan blades away from the hub. The silencing ring has a plurality of recesses, the contour of each recess being tapered along a second direction, the first direction being opposite to the second direction, so that airflow passing through the surface of the silencing ring enters the recess, is gathered at one place due to the tapering, is squeezed out of the recess and blown toward the housing.

2. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing has a base and a top plate. The silencing ring is located at the upper edge of the plurality of fan blades. The plurality of recesses face the top plate. The airflow is squeezed out of the recesses and blown toward the top plate.

3. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 2, characterized in that, The distance between the upper edge of the plurality of fan blades and the top plate is 0.6 mm.

4. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of recesses are equidistantly distributed so that the silencing ring maintains a gap with the housing as the plurality of airflows pass through it.

5. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The recess has a first flow channel and a second flow channel that converge at one point along the second direction.

6. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depression has a triangular outline.

7. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indentation has an arrowhead shape.

8. The centrifugal cooling fan according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silencing ring has a planar top surface that faces the top plate of the housing parallel to each other, and the depth direction of the recess is the normal direction of the planar surface.

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