FAN MOUNTING SYSTEM

Abstract

An information handling system includes a printed circuit assembly and a chassis for receiving and supporting the printed circuit assembly. The printed circuit assembly includes a plurality of fan connectors. A bracket is configured to be connected to the chassis. The system further includes a fan module including a fan rotor contained within a fan housing, an electrical connector, and a bracket connector for removably connecting the fan module to the bracket. The fan module also includes an electrical connector connectable to a fan connector of the printed circuit board assembly.

Description

INTRODUCTIONComputers (e.g., servers) generate heat during operation. If the heat is not dissipated or cooled, various components within the system may be damaged. Refrigeration systems exist in various forms, but all refrigeration systems help to regulate temperature so that the computer system and components contained therein can continue to operate without damage.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present disclosure may be understood from the following detailed description, either alone or in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings and the related descriptions of the figures serve to further understand the present disclosure and are part of this description and form a part thereof. The drawings illustrate one or more non-limiting aspects and embodiments of the present teachings and together with the description explain certain principles and operations. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a diagram of a computer system including a fan mounting system in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is another diagram of a computer system including a fan mounting system in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a computer system including a fan mounting system in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fan mounting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fan grille including a bracket connector of the fan mounting system of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the fan grid of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a side view of the fan grille with a bracket connector of the fan mounting system of FIG. 4. FIG. 8A is a side view of the fan mounting system of FIG. 4 in a state where the bracket connector is mounted to the bracket. FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of the portion 8B in FIG. 8A showing the bracket connector engaged with the bracket. FIG. 9 is a side view of the fan mounting system of FIG. 4 showing a fan partition wall in a mounted state on the bracket. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a fan module including the fan grille of the fan mounting system of FIG. 4. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an example computer system including the fan mounting system of FIG. 4. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an example computer system of FIG. 11 in a state where one of the fans is installed and the housing has been removed from the view. FIG. 13 is another perspective view of the computer system of FIG. 11 in a state where one of the fans is installed and the housing has been removed from the view. FIG. 14 is a side view of the computer system of FIG. 13 in a state where one of the fans is installed and the housing is not seen. FIG. 15 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method of using a fan mounting system according to the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONRefrigeration systems are an important aspect of a computer because without an appropriate refrigeration system, the heat generated by the computer or server system can cause damage to the components contained therein. Although there are several types of cooling systems for cooling a computer system, one possibility of cooling is the installation of fans within the system. The fans are electrically connected to fan terminals mounted at a predetermined position on a printed circuit board (PCA). Once installed, the fans can cool the system.The fans are often incorporated into the system by attaching them to a fan wall (or similar supporting structure) that is coupled to the housing that contains the PCA and associated components. The fans may be mounted to the fan wall (or other supporting structure) at a finite number of predetermined fan attachment locations distributed along a length dimension of the fan wall (which corresponds to a width dimension of the housing). The fan wall may include, for example, attachment features (e.g., bolt holes) for attaching the fans to the fan wall and / or airflow control features (e.g., cutouts) for controlling airflow through the fans. The position of these attachment features and / or airflow control features may determine the possible locations of mounting the fans to the fan wall.In various computer systems, it may be necessary to place the fans at different locations, e.g., because the heat generating components may be at different locations and / or because the fan connection points of different PCAs may be at different locations. As a result, different fan walls may need to be used for different computer systems, each fan wall having an array of fan mounting positions that meets the requirements of the particular computer system for which the fan wall is designed.That is, a manufacturer manufacturing multiple different types of computer systems or platforms may also need to design and manufacture (or obtain) multiple different types of fan walls, which may increase the overall cost of the computer systems. For example, the development of multiple different types of fan walls may require additional development time, which increases development costs. In addition, different tools may be required for the different types of fan walls, which may increase the manufacturing cost of the fan walls themselves. In addition, different inventory units (SCUs) may need to be used for the different fan walls, which may increase logistic complexity and costs.To solve these problems, fan mounting systems are disclosed herein that enable fans to be mounted to the housing of a computing device in a manner that does not limit the locations of the fans to a finite set of predetermined fan mounting positions. Rather, the present fan mounting systems enable the installation of fans at virtually any location along the width dimension of the housing (e.g., at any position from an infinite set of positions along the width dimension). As a result, each of the fan mounting systems of the present disclosure may accommodate multiple different fan location arrangements. That is, a particular fan mounting system disclosed herein may be used with multiple different computer systems having different fan positioning requirements. The ability to use a single fan mounting system for multiple different computer systems may reduce development, manufacturing, and logistics costs as compared to providing different fan walls to different computer systems.The fan mounting systems of the present disclosure each include a universal mount that is connected to a chassis of the computer system and connectors that removably connect the fans to the universal mount. The connectors are attached (or configured to be attached) to the fan housings of the fan. Each connector is configured to removably connect the fan to the bracket. The connectors may be connected to the universal mount at any position from an infinite series of positions-in some examples, at any location along the length of the universal mount that is not already occupied or otherwise excluded by something else. Thus, the bracket does not have a finite number of predetermined mounting positions; instead, the fans may be positioned at any location corresponding to a desired fan mounting location (e.g., corresponding to a fan connection point of a PCA). Moreover, in some examples, the fan mounting systems of the present disclosure include fan baffles that allow the fans to be separated from other components (such as cables). The fan baffles also have removable connections for attachment to the bracket that allow the baffles to be positioned at any position along the bracket.FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a fan mounting system 30 and a computer system 10 in accordance with the present disclosure. It should be understood that FIG. 1 is not intended to illustrate specific shapes, dimensions, or other structural details, accurate or to scale, and that implementations of the fan mounting system 30 and the computer system 10 may have a different number and arrangement of the illustrated components and may also include other parts that are not illustrated. In FIG. 1, physical connections (e.g., physical attachment and / or support) are conceptually represented by dashed lines, while electrical connections are conceptually represented by dotted lines. The fan attachment system 30 is shown in FIG. 1 in conjunction with the computer system 10 to facilitate understanding, but the fan attachment system 30 may be provided separately from the computer system 10. In other words, some examples include fan mounting system 30 alone, and other examples include computer system 10 having fan mounting system 30 installed therein.The system 10 includes a housing 14, a printed circuit board assembly (PCA) 12 housed within and / or supported by the housing 14, one or more fan modules 18 (only one is shown in FIG. 1 ) electrically connected to the PCA 12, and a fan mounting system 30 mounted to the housing 14 and connected to the fan modules 18. These components will be described in more detail below.The PCA 12 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) and one or more electronic components mounted on the PCA 12. The PCA 12 may be, for example, a primary system board (e.g., a motherboard) including a processor and other electronic circuits (not shown), but the examples are not so limited, and any PCA may be used. The PCA 12 includes one or more fan terminals 13 attached to the circuit board. In some examples, the PCA 12 may be comprised of a plurality of fan terminals 13 attached to the circuit board of the PCA 12. For example, Figures 2-6, 8, and 10 show various example systems, described in more detail below, in which a plurality of fan connectors are mounted on the PCA circuit board. A fan terminal 13 refers to an electrical terminal configured to receive (e.g., physically mate with) and electrically connect to a complementary electrical terminal of a fan (e.g., the electrical terminal 22 of the fan module 18 described in more detail below). Each fan plug 13 may include a plug body (e.g., a socket) and electrical components (e.g., pins, spring fingers, electrical contact pads, etc.) coupled thereto and arranged to make electrical connections with the fan's electrical plug so that electrical power and data signals may be transmitted between the PCA 12 and the fan. Moreover, in some examples, the fan connectors 13 may also provide some physical support for the fan module 18 to assist in securing and / or stabilizing the fan module 18. In some examples, the physical coupling between the fan terminals 13 and the electrical terminals 22 may be a friction fit, a snap fit, an interference fit, or other form of coupling that allows the external fan to be securely held by the fan terminal.As mentioned above, the computer system 10 may also include a fan attachment system 30 for attaching the fan modules 18 to the housing 14. The fan mounting system 30 includes a bracket 16 connectable to the housing 14 and a bracket connector 26 connectable to the fan module 18. In some examples, the bracket 16 may be connected to the chassis 14 by mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws), while in other examples, the bracket 16 may be connected to the chassis 14 by any other desired fastening technique, such as a friction or interference fit with a portion of the chassis 14, adhesive, welding, or any other suitable fastener. The bracket 16 may have a length L and may be connected to the chassis 14 such that the length L extends along a width dimension W of the chassis 14. The length L corresponds to the longest dimension of the bracket 16. The width dimension W of the chassis 14 may extend transversely (e.g., perpendicular) to a front / rear dimension D of the chassis 14 extending between a front panel and a rear wall of the chassis 14. The front and rear panels (not shown) may have perforations through which air enters and exits the system such that, in some examples, the flow of air through the housing 14 extends generally along the front / rear dimension D from the front panel to the rear panel and vice versa. In other words, in some examples, the length L and the width W are transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to the direction of airflow through the housing 14. In some examples, the front and back walls may include components (or books configured to accommodate such components) that are accessible during use, such as electrical ports / ports and removable modules (e.g., hot-plug-enabled storage drives).In addition to being connected to the PCA 12, the blower module 18 may be connected to the bracket 16 via a bracket connector 26. Although FIG. 1 shows a shackle connector 26, the examples are not so limited and more than one shackle connector may be used. For example, FIGS. 5-6 and 8 show examples in which two bracket connectors are provided per fan module. In other examples, more than two angle connectors may be provided per fan module.The bracket connector 26 may be configured to connect to the bracket 16 via a removable or repositionable connection. For example, the clip connector 26 may be a snap connector (see FIGS. 8A and 8B, which show an example, described in more detail below, in which a clip connector is a snap connector). A snap connector includes flexible engagement members configured to mate with complementary engagement members of another part. During the mating of a snap connector with the other part, the flexible engagement elements are initially pushed away from their rest position by the contact with the other part until a predetermined position is reached, whereupon the spring forces generated by the bending of the flexible engagement elements snap them back into their rest position again. The result is that the flexible engagement elements engage the complementary engagement elements of the other part to secure the snap fit to the other part.In some examples, the bracket 16 includes a base portion and a rail portion connected to the base portion and extending parallel to the length L. The bracket connector 26 can be attached to the rail. In some examples, the rail may include a locking feature that engages (e.g., locks) a locking feature of the boom connector 26 to connect the boom connector 26 to the rail. In some examples, the locking feature of the rail may extend continuously along a particular length of the rail such that the boom connector 26 may be connected to the rail at any position along that particular length, as opposed to being connectable at a limited number of positions along the length. In some examples, the rail is integrally formed with the base portion (i.e., they are part of the same unitary or monolithic body), e.g., the rail portion may be formed by bending or rolling an edge of the base portion. In other examples, the rail is first formed separately from the base portion and later secured thereto (e.g., by mechanical fasteners, adhesives, welding, etc.).In some examples where the retainer coupler 26 includes a snap-fit coupler, the retainer coupler 26 may have an arc-like shape with a central portion and two curved segments extending in opposite directions from the central portion to define a channel therebetween, the channel having a curved (e.g., semicircular) profile. In these examples, the rail portion of the bracket 16 may have a curved shape that is complementary to that of the bracket connector 26 such that the rail portion of the bracket 16 may be received in the channel defined by the bracket connector 26. The curved segments form the flexible engagement members of the snap connector and a flange or other locking member is provided at one end of one of the curved segments of the shackle connector. As the clip connector 26 is slid onto the clip 16, the curved surfaces of the rail cause the curved segments to flex outward until the flange or other locking feature thereof passes a complementary locking feature of the rail, whereupon the flange or other locking feature engages the complementary locking feature of the rail. In some examples, the retainer 16 may have a rolled edge with a profile complementary to the retainer connector 26. Figures 8A-8B show an example system, described in more detail below, in which the rail of the bracket has a rolled edge. The connector of the bracket 26 may also be connected to the bracket 16 via an interference fit, a repositionable adhesive, or a physical connection, e.g., a screw.In some examples, the fan module 18 includes a lower portion and an upper portion that are disposed opposite each other, the lower portion being closer to the PCA 12 than the upper portion when the fan module 18 is installed, and in some examples, the bracket port 26, when connected to the fan module 18, may be at the lower portion of the fan housing 24. In some examples, the bracket port 26 may be directly attached to the fan housing 24. In some examples, the bail connector 26 may be integrally formed with the fan housing 24, i.e., the bail connector may be manufactured as part of the fan housing 24. In other examples, the bracket connector 26 may be manufactured separately from the fan housing 24 and may be directly attached to the fan housing 24, e.g., by adhesives, screws, or other suitable fasteners. In yet other examples, the bracket connector 26 may be removably coupled to the fan housing 24 by, for example, snapping onto the fan housing 24 when the fan module 18 is ready for use. In other examples, the bracket connector 26 may be indirectly attached to the fan housing 24. In some examples, the bail connector 26 may be attached to, or integrally formed with, another part (e.g., a fan grille or finger / blade guard) that is in turn attached to the fan housing 24.The blower module 18 may be connected to the carrier 16 at any location from an infinite set of joints along the length L of the carrier. Note that the infinite set of joints does not necessarily include all possible locations along the length L, as some locations may be blocked or otherwise excluded. For example, locations that are physically blocked by other elements may be excluded from the set. As another example, the rail or other portions of the carrier 16 to which the connectors 26 are attached may not extend the entire length L of the carrier or may include multiple segments separated by gaps, and positions in such gaps may be excluded from the infinite set of positions. However, each of the segments of the beam 16 at which connection is possible defines a range of positions which continuously varies along the longitudinal direction and has an infinite set of connection points.In some examples, the installation location of the fan modules 18 may be limited by other factors, although the fan mounting system 30 allows for infinite variation of fan position along the length dimension L. For example, in some embodiments, the main limitation on the arrangement of the fan modules 18 is the location of the fan port / ports 13 on the PCA 12. As described above, a PCA 12 includes a plurality of fan ports 13 that may be distributed generally along the width W of the PCA 12 (e.g., along a line parallel to the width W of the PCA). Since the blower module 18 is to be coupled to a blower port 13, the positions of the blower modules 18 may be limited by the positions of the blower ports 13. In particular, in some examples, the position of the electrical connectors 22 relative to the fan housing 24 is fixed (e.g., because the electrical connectors 22 are rigidly connected to the fan housing 24), and in such examples, the allowable installation positions along the length L for the fan modules 18 are determined by the positions of the fan connectors 13 (e.g., each fan module 18 is to be installed at a location where its connector 22 is aligned with a corresponding fan connector 13). However, in such cases, the installation positions of the fan modules 18 are not limited by the fan mounting system 30, but by the arrangement of the connectors 22, and the bracket 16 may receive the fan modules 18 at any location along their length L, provided that another hardware part (e.g., another fan module or a mounting part) is not already present at that location. In addition, the bracket 16 may also be attached to a second housing. The second housing may support a second PCA whose fan connections are arranged differently than the fan connections of the PCA 12; however, the bracket 16 may receive the fan module 18 at any location along the length L of the bracket 16. In this way, different positioning arrangements of the fan ports 13 (as may occur between different models of computer systems or different configurations of the same model) do not require different fan mounting structures, as the same fan mounting system 30 may be used in these systems regardless of the different positions of the fan ports 13.As mentioned above, the computer system 10 may have multiple fan connections 13 and multiple fan modules 18. FIG. 2 shows, for example, such a configuration example of the computer system 10 in the form of the computer system 100. As with the system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 also uses a single bracket 16 that is connected to the housing 14. The system 100 also includes a PCA 112 that is mounted on the chassis 14. This PCA 112 is a configuration example of the PCA 12 in which a plurality of instances of the fan terminal 13 including at least the fan terminals 13- 1 and 13- 2 are provided as illustrated in FIG. 2. Similar to the system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes fan modules 18. The first blower module 18- 1 and the second blower module 18- 2 each include components similar to the components shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the blower module 18 and omitted in FIG. 2 for clarity. The first fan module 18- 1 is electrically connected to the first fan terminal 13- 1, while the second fan module 18- 2 is electrically connected to the second fan terminal 13- 2. Moreover, the first and second fan modules 18- 1 and 18- 2 are connected to the bracket 16 via the bracket connectors 26- 1 and 26- 2, respectively, which are two types of the bracket connector 26 described above. In this example system 100, the installation locations of the fan modules 18 are limited by the locations of the fan ports 13, and thus the first fan module 18- 1 may be coupled to the bracket 16 at a first location corresponding to the first fan port 13- 1, and the second fan module 18- 2 may be coupled to the bracket 16 at a second location corresponding to the second fan port 13- 2.In particular, in some examples, neither the first fan module 18- 2 nor the second fan module 18- 2 are limited to being connected to the first fan port 13- 2 and the second fan port 13- 2, respectively. Rather, in some examples, the PCA 12 or 112 may include more than two fan ports 13 distributed across the width W of the PCA 12 or 112 such that each fan port has a different and unique position. Thus, in some examples, the first fan module 18- 1 and the second fan module 18- 2 are movable between the plurality of fan ports 13, and may be installed at any location along the length L of the bracket 16 where a corresponding fan port 13 is located and where there is no other fan module, fan partition, or other restriction. Moreover, different embodiments of the PCA 12 or 112 may have different numbers and positions for their different fan connections 13, and thus the positions at which the fan modules 18 are installed may vary from one embodiment to the next. Moreover, in some examples, because the bracket ports 26 may be coupled to the bracket 16 at an infinite number of locations, rather than at a predetermined finite number of locations, a given implementation of the bracket 16 may be used with multiple different implementations of the PCA 12 or 112 having a different number and / or positions of fan ports 13.Moreover, in some examples, the fan mounting system and / or the computer system 10 may include at least one fan partition. For example, FIG. 3 shows an example of a fan mounting system 130 including fan partitions 28, the fan mounting system 130 being a configuration example of the fan mounting system 30. As an example of the fan mounting system 130, the fan mounting system 130 includes the bracket 16 and the bracket connectors 26 already described. Additionally, the fan mounting system 130 includes one or more fan baffles 28 (although only one is shown in FIG. 3, in some examples, multiple fan baffles could be included). FIG. 3 shows the example fan mounting system 130 installed in a computer system 200 that is an example configuration of the computer system 100 described above with respect to FIG. 2 with the addition of fan baffles 28.The fan partition 28 may include a connector 33 to releasably connect the fan partition 28 to the bracket 16. The connector 33 may be a snap fit, similar to the retainer connector 26, or it may be another type of removable connector. A baffle 32 may be connected to and extend from the connector 33. In some examples, the baffle 32 may have a generally leaf or plate-like shape that is relatively thin in one dimension and relatively wide in two other dimensions perpendicular to the thin dimension. In some examples, when the bulkhead 28 is installed in the chassis 13 and connected to the bracket 16, the relatively wide dimensions of the deflector 32 may include a first dimension extending upward from the connector 33 and a second dimension extending parallel to the direction D (upward refers to a direction perpendicular to the width dimension W and the front / rear direction D). The baffle 32 may be substantially solid; however, in other examples, the baffle 32 may include perforations or cut-outs.In some examples, the fan partition 28 may be installed adjacent to a fan module 18. When multiple blower modules 18 are used, in some cases, one blower partition 28 (or multiple blower partitions 28) may be positioned between adjacent blower modules 18, e.g., between a first blower module 18- 1 and a second blower module 18- 2, as shown in FIG. 3. In such examples, the baffle 32 of the fan partition 28 separates the first fan module 18- 1 and the second fan module 18- 2. In some examples, multiple fan baffles 28 may be disposed between two adjacent fan modules 18, such as to form a corridor between the fan baffles 28 through which cable or other components may be routed. In such examples, the fan baffles 28 may protect the fan modules 18 from the cables or other components routed through the duct, such that the cables or other components do not press against or contact the fan modules 18, which could result in damage.Referring now to FIGS. 4-14, a fan mounting system 430 and a computer system 410 are described. The fan mounting system 430 is an example configuration of the fan mounting system 30 described above. the computer system 410 is an example configuration of the computer system 10 described above. accordingly, some components of the systems 430 and 410 correspond to the components of the systems 30 and 10 described above (i.e., they are configuration examples). These corresponding components are given reference numerals with the same last two digits (e.g., 26 and 426). Although systems 430 and 410 are example configurations of systems 30 and 10, respectively, systems 30 and 10 are not limited to systems 430 and 410.FIG. 4 shows the fan mounting system 430 in a state not yet installed in the computer system 410. The fan mounting system 430 includes a universal mount 416 and one or more mount connectors 426. The universal mount 416 is an example configuration of the mount 16 and includes a base portion 431 and two rails 431 and 433 extending along the length L. The rails 432 and 433 are configured to receive the bracket connectors 426. In this example, the rails 432 and 433 are integrally connected to the base part 431 and have rolled edges. In this example, the rails 432 and 433 extend continuously along the length of the bracket 416 so that the bracket connectors 426 can be connected thereto at any position along the length. In other examples, rails 432 and / or 433 may be divided into segments separated by gaps. In this example, mechanical fasteners 434 are provided to secure the mount 416 to the housing of a computer system, such as the housing 414 of the computer system 410 described further below.As shown in FIGS. 4-2, in this example, the bail connectors 426 are integrally coupled to (i.e., formed as part of the same unitary / monolithic body as) a fan grill 440. The fan grill 440 is configured to be coupled to a housing 424 of a fan module 418. As shown in FIG. 5, the blower grill 440 includes a frame 441 defining and surrounding an opening 445 and a guard 442 connected to the frame 441 and extending across the opening 445 to divide the opening 445 into many smaller openings 448 (e.g., the openings 448 aand 448 bare labeled in FIG. 5 ). The guard members 442 are configured to prevent items such as fingers or cables from being inserted through the opening 445 and colliding with the fan blades on the other side, while still allowing airflow through the opening 445 (via the smaller openings 448). The fan grille 440 may also include fasteners 443 and 446 that engage a fan housing 418 and secure the fan grille 440 thereto.As shown in FIGS. 3-8B, the strap connectors 426 in this example include snap connections with an engagement portion 427 and a mounting portion 429. The fixing portion 429 of each bracket connector 426 is fixed to the frame 441. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4-14, there are two bracket connectors 426 per fan grille 440, and the attachment portions 429 are disposed at opposite lower lateral corners of the frame 441.Moreover, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the engagement portions 427 define a channel 453 having a curved (e.g., semicircular) profile configured to receive the rolled edge of the rail 432, as shown in Figs. 8A and 8B. More specifically, the engaging portions 427 have an arc-like shape with a central portion and two curved segments 451 and 452 extending in opposite directions from the central portion to define the channel 453 therebetween, the channel having a curved (e.g., semicircular) profile. The rail portion 432 has a complementary curved shape so that the rail portion 432 can be received in the channel 453. The arcuate segments 451 and 452 form the flexible engagement elements of the snap connections 426. The curved segments 451 and 452 may also include locking features 454 and 455 at their ends, which may be protrusions / ribs. These locking features 455 and 455 may engage complementary locking features 435 and 436 of the rail portion 432, as shown in FIG. 8B. The locking features 435 and 436 may be formed by portions of the rail 432 separated by a first width w 1 and adjacent portions of the rail 432 separated by a second width w 2 that is less than the first width w 1. In other words, the locking features 435 and 436 consist of portions of the rail 431 that project laterally further outward than adjacent portions of the rail 432.In addition, the first width w 1 is greater than the spacing of the locking features 454 and 455 in their rest state. Thus, when the connector 426 is slid onto the rail 432, the curved segments 451 and 452 are pushed by the rail 432 and flex outward until the locking features 454 and 455 pass the portion of the rail 432 having the width w 1. At this point, the locking members 454 and 455 now abut the portion of the rail 432 of width w2so that the curved segments 451 and 452 can snap back to their resting distance. This results in the locking features 454 and 455 being positioned below the locking features 435 and 436, and the locking features 435 and 436 now abutting the tops of the locking features 454 and 455, thereby resisting upward movement of the connector 426. In this manner, the connector 436 is snap-connected to the bracket 416. The connector 426 may be removed from the bracket 416 by bending the curved segments 451 and 452 outward so that the attachment features 454 and 455 may move upward past the attachment features 435 and 436. In this example, the locking features 435 and 436 are formed by edges or portions of the rail 432 that extend continuously along the entire length L of the bracket 416, and thus the snap connectors 426 may be connected to the bracket 416 at any position (from a set of infinite numbers of positions) along that length L.In some examples, the fan mounting system 430 also includes one or more baffles 428. For example, in FIG. 9, a fan partition 428 is shown secured to the bracket 416. The fan partition may include two connectors 433- 1 and 433- 2 to removably connect the fan partition 428 to the bracket 416. The connectors 433 may be snap connections, similar to the connectors of the bracket 426. The connector 433- 1 is arranged to engage with the rail 432, while the connector 433- 2 is arranged to engage with the rail 433. A baffle 432 may be connected to and extend from the connectors 433. In this example, baffle 432 is generally in the form of a sheet or plate that is relatively thin in one dimension and relatively wide in the dimensions d and h that are perpendicular to the thin dimension. When mounted to the bracket 416, the two dimensions d and h of the fan partition 428 are perpendicular to the length L of the bracket 416. When installed in a computer system, the dimensions d and h of the fan partition 428 may be parallel to the front-to-back dimension D and the height dimension H of the system, respectively (see FIG. 10 for an example of these system dimensions). In some examples, baffle 432 may be substantially solid; however, in other examples, baffle 432 may also include perforations or cut-outs.Turning now to FIG. 10, a fan module 418 configured for use with the fan mounting system 430 will be described. The fan module 418 includes a fan housing 424 that houses a fan rotor 420 and a fan motor (not shown). The fan module 418 also includes the fan grille 440 described above that is secured to a first surface of the fan housing 424 via fasteners 443 and 446 that engage complementary fasteners 447 and 449, respectively. The cantilever connectors 426 are also indirectly attached to the fan module 418, as the connectors 426 are integrally formed with the frame 441 attached to the fan module 418. The blower module 418 also includes a port / grid array 450. The connector / grille assembly 450 includes a grille portion 423 including a frame, guards and fasteners similar to the grille 440, and a connector support portion 425 attached to and protruding from the grille portion 423. The connector support part 425 is connected to and supports the electrical connector 422 of the fan module 418. The electrical connector 418 may be electrically connected to the fan motor and / or other electronics of the fan module 418 when the connector / grid assembly 450 is installed to the fan housing 424 through electrical connections not shown in the figures, such as a cable or electrical interface (e.g., pins, contact pads, etc.) between the fan housing 424 and the connector / grid assembly 450.Referring now to Figures 11 through 14, the computer system 410 including the fan mounting system 430 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the computer system 10 includes a housing 414, a PCA 412, the fan mounting system 430, and a plurality of fan modules 418 attached to the housing 414 by the fan mounting system 430. The computer system 410 may also include additional components known to those skilled in the art and not shown in the drawings, such as storage drives, power supplies, expansion cards, etc. Figure 11 shows the system 410 with the mounting system 430 and fan modules 418 installed. FIG. 12 shows the system 410 in a state with fan modules 418 and partitions 428 not installed. FIG. 13 shows the system 410 in a state in which a fan module 418 is installed. FIG. 14 includes an enlarged view showing a portion of the system 410 in a state with a fan module 418 installed.As shown in FIG. 11, the chassis 414 in this example includes a floor pan 414 aextending along the width dimension W and the front-to-rear dimension D. In this example, the chassis 414 also includes two side walls 414 band 414 cconnected to the floor pan 414 aand extending along the front-to-rear dimension D and the height dimension H. The chassis 414 may also include a cover / lid (not shown) and front and rear walls (not shown).The PCA 412 includes a circuit board 415, one or more electronic components 460 (e.g., a processor) mounted on the circuit board 415, and a plurality of fan terminals 413 mounted on the circuit board 415. As shown in FIG. 11, the PCA is mounted on the base 414 a, with the circuit board 415 and the base 414 abeing parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 12, in this example, the PCA 412 includes thirteen fan terminals 413- 1 to 413- 13 arranged along a line parallel to the width dimension W. Other examples may include more or fewer fan ports 413.As shown in FIG. 11, the bracket 416 of the fan attachment system 430 is attached to the floor pan 414 a. In this example, mechanical fasteners 434 are used to secure the bracket 416 to the chassis 414. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 14, a first side of each fan module 418 is secured to the chassis 414 by connecting the connectors 426 attached to the respective fan module 418 to the bracket 416. A second side of each fan module 418 is attached to the PCA 412 by connecting the electrical terminal 422 of the respective fan module 418 to one of the fan terminals 413 of the PCA 12. In this manner, each fan module 418 is secured in part relative to the chassis 414 by assembly via the fan mounting system 430 and in part by connection to the PCA 412.Returning to FIG. 11, in this example, the fan mounting system 430 includes a plurality of fan baffles 428. Fan baffles 428- 1 and 428- 2 are disposed between two adjacent fan modules 418- 3 and 418- 4 to form a corridor therebetween through which cable or other components may be routed. In this example, another fan partition 428- 3 is located between the fan 418- 7 and the sidewall 414 c, thereby forming another corridor therebetween. The fan baffles 428 may protect the fan modules 418 from the cables or other components passing through the corridors so that the cables or other components do not hit or contact the fan modules 418, which could result in damage or displacement of the fan modules 418. The number and position of the fan baffles 428 shown in FIG. 11 is just one example. In other examples, fewer or more fan baffles 428 could be provided, and fan baffles 428 could be positioned at any desired location along bracket 416 as long as the location is not already occupied (e.g., fan baffles could be positioned between fans 418- 5 and 418- 6, between fans 418- 2 and 418- 3, between fan 418- 1 and wall 414 b, etc.).As can be seen from the comparison of FIGS. 11 and 12, in some examples, there may be more fan connections 413 than fan modules 418. This allows different fan assemblies to be used with the same PCA 412. For example, in the arrangement of FIG. 11, the fans 418- 1 to 418- 7 are connected to the fan ports 413- 1, 413- 3, 413- 5, 413- 7, 413- 9, and 413- 13, respectively, but in another arrangement having the same PCA 412, the fans 418- 1 to 418- 6 may be connected to the fan ports 413- 2, 413- 4, 413- 6, 413- 8, 413- 10, and 413- 12, respectively. These are only two examples, and further fan arrangements could also be realized by different combinations of the fan connections 413. The ability to position the fans differently by connecting different fan connections 413 may increase flexibility in configuring a particular system without having to replace the PCA for each different configuration. This may also allow for greater modularity in manufacturing, as the same general PCA design may be used for multiple different models or configurations of the system, which may save manufacturing costs. Also, because the bracket 416 allows the ports 426 to be connected at an infinite number of locations along their length, the aforementioned different fan assemblies can all be covered by the same bracket structure. This supports greater modularity because the same fixture can be used with any of the models or configurations mentioned above. Moreover, not only can the arrangement of the fan slots on a particular PCA be varied, but the fan slots can also be varied from one model or configuration to another by replacing the PCA with another PCA having a different arrangement of fan ports. In such a case, the same fixture 416 could also be used with the systems having different PCAs because the connection locations for the fixture terminals 426 to connect to the fixture 41 are not limited to a finite set of predetermined locations.FIG. 15 is an example of a method 70 for installing fans in an information processing system according to the present disclosure. At 72, the method 70 includes connecting a bracket to a housing of the information processing device. The bracket may be any of the brackets described herein, such as brackets 16 and 416 described above. The bracket may be connected to the chassis such that a length dimension of the bracket is parallel to a width dimension of the chassis.At 74, the method 70 includes positioning a first fan module at a desired installation location relative to a PCA of the information processing system. Positioning the first fan module may include positioning the first fan module such that a fan terminal on the PCA is aligned with an electrical terminal of the first fan module. The PCA 12 may be included in or part of the information processing system and may be supported by the housing.At 76, the method 70 includes engaging a first bracket connector attached to the first fan module with the bracket. The first fan module is then connected to the bracket, which in turn is attached to the chassis. In other words, the method 70 may thus include securing the fan to the housing by engaging the first bracket connector with the bracket. Moreover, before, simultaneously with, or after connecting the first bracket connector to the bracket, a first electrical connector of the fan module may be connected to a first fan connector located on the PCA. The first clip connector may be any of the clip connectors described herein, such as clip connectors 26 and 426. As described, the first clip connector can be connected to the clip at any coupling location along the length dimension of the clip. The coupling locations of the bracket may be infinite, i.e., any location along at least a certain length of the bracket may receive the first bracket connector. In some examples, the allowable slots for the fans are primarily limited by the locations of the connectors on the PCA, and the bracket does not limit the particular locations of the fans along their length.Method 70 may further include positioning a second fan module at a second desired installation location. Like the first fan module, the second fan module is also positioned such that a second electrical terminal is aligned with a second fan terminal on the PCA. Once the second fan module is positioned and aligned, a second bracket port located on the second fan module may be engaged with the bracket to connect the second fan module to the bracket. In addition, the second electrical connector may be coupled to the second fan connector such that the second fan module is fully connected and coupled to the information processing system.A fan partition may also be positioned along the bracket. The fan partition may include a connector and a baffle. The fan partition may be one of the fan partitions described herein, such as the fan partition 28 or 428 described above. The fan partition may be engaged with the bracket by the connector such that the baffle extends upwardly from the connector and thus from the bracket. In some examples, the fan partition may be disposed between the first fan module and the second fan module. In such examples, the baffle of the fan partition may separate the first fan module from the second fan module when the fan partition is connected to the bracket.It is to be understood that both the general description and the detailed description include example implementations that have illustrative character and are intended to aid in understanding the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Other examples in accordance with the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. For example, various mechanical, compositional, structural, electronic, and operational changes may be made to the disclosed examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure, including, for example, adding, removing, changing, replacing, or rearranging elements of the disclosed examples, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure. Moreover, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain features or aspects of the present teachings may be used independently (even though disclosed together in some examples) or may be used together (even though disclosed in separate examples) whenever practical. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown or described in detail in order not to obscure the examples. Therefore, the following claims are intended to be given their full scope, including equivalents, by the true law without being limited to the examples disclosed herein.References throughout this document to examples, implementations, or similar references are to be understood as referring to prophetic or hypothetical examples, and not to devices / systems that have actually been manufactured, unless expressly stated otherwise. Likewise, references to qualities or features of examples should be understood to represent the inventors' informed estimates or expectation based on their understanding of the relevant principles, application of theory and / or modeling, and / or past experiences, and not as representations of the actual qualities or features of an actually manufactured device / system, or the empirical results of actually performed tests, unless expressly stated otherwise.The spatial, positional, and relational terminology used herein is intended to aid the reader in understanding examples of the invention, but is not intended to limit the invention to any particular frame of reference, orientation, or positional relationship. For example, spatial, positional, and relational terms such as "top," "bottom," "lateral," "below," "bottom," "top," "top," "proximal," "distal," and the like may be used herein to describe directions or to describe the spatial relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature, as depicted in the figures. These spatial terms are used with reference to the reference systems depicted in the figures and are not limited to any particular reference system in the real world. When considering a different frame of reference than that shown in the figures, the spatial terms used herein may need to be interpreted differently in this different frame of reference. Moreover, the positions of the items shown in the figures have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description; however, in practice, the items may be arranged differently.Moreover, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprises," "includes," and the like, specify the presence of particular features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. Components described as coupled may be directly coupled electronically or mechanically, or may be indirectly coupled via one or more intermediary components, unless expressly stated otherwise.And / or: Occasionally, the term "and / or" is used herein in conjunction with a list of items. This formulation means that any combination of elements may be included in the list - from a single element to all elements and any permutation therebetween. For example, "A, B, and / or C" means "one of {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {C, B}, and {A, C, B}".Mathematical and geometric terms need not necessarily be used in accordance with their strict definitions, unless the context of the description indicates otherwise, as a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that, for example, a substantially similar element that functions in a substantially similar manner could readily fall within the scope of a descriptive term, although the term also has a strict definition. Unless otherwise noted herein or apparent from context, the use of approximation terms such as "substantially," "about," "about," "about," "about," and the like is to be understood as not requiring mathematical accuracy and instead referring to a range of variation that includes, but is not strictly limited to, the stated value, property, or ratio. In particular, the range of variation implied by the use of such an approximation term includes, in addition to the ranges of variation (if any) explicitly indicated herein, at least all non-essential variations and also the variations typical in the relevant technical field for the relevant type of object due to manufacturing or other tolerances. In any case, the range of variation may comprise at least values that are within ±1% of the stated value, property or ratio, unless otherwise stated.

Claims

An information processing system, comprising: a printed circuit package having a plurality of fan terminals; a chassis configured to receive and support the circuit board assembly; a bracket configured to be connectable to the chassis such that a length dimension of the bracket extends along a width dimension of the chassis; and a fan module, the fan module comprising: a fan rotor; an electrical connector configured to be electrically coupled to a fan terminal of the plurality of fan terminals; a fan housing containing the fan rotor; and a bracket connector for releasably connecting the fan module to the bracket at any one of an infinite set of connection locations along the length dimension.The system of claim 1, further comprising a fan partition, the fan partition further comprising: a second bracket connector to removably connect the fan partition to the bracket; and a baffle extending from the bracket connector.The system of claim 1, wherein the retainer connector is a snap-fit connector.The system of claim 3, wherein the bracket connector is connected to an edge portion of the bracket.The system of claim 1, wherein the retainer has a rolled rim for receiving a retainer connector.The system of claim 1, wherein the blower module, after being connected to the bracket, is positioned such that the electrical terminal of the blower module is aligned with a blower terminal of the plurality of blower terminals.The system of claim 1, wherein in a state of the chassis-mounted circuit board assembly, the plurality of fan terminals are arranged along a line that is parallel to the length dimension of the bracket and the width dimension of the chassis.The information processing system of claim 1, wherein: the circuit board assembly is mounted to the chassis, the bracket is coupled to the chassis, the fan module is a first fan module, the electrical connector is a first electrical conductor electrically coupled to a first fan connector of the plurality of fan connectors, and the bracket connector is a first bracket connector coupling the first fan module to the bracket at a first location; and wherein the system further comprises: a second fan module, the second fan module further comprising: a second rotor; a second electrical connector configured to be electrically coupled to a second fan connector of the plurality of fan connectors; a second fan housing containing the second fan rotor; and a second bracket connector for removably connecting the second fan module to the bracket at a second location; and a fan partition, the fan partition further comprising: a connector for removably connecting the fan partition to the bracket at a third location; and a baffle extending upwardly from the connector.The information processing system of claim 8, wherein the first and second blower modules are movable between a plurality of differently arranged blower ports.A fan attachment system comprising: a bracket configured to be removably coupled to a chassis such that a length dimension of the bracket extends along a width dimension of the chassis; a bracket connector attached to a fan housing of a fan module or configured to be removably coupled to the bracket at any location from an infinite set of connection locations along the length dimension to attach the fan module to the chassis.The fan attachment system of claim 10, further comprising a fan baffle, the fan baffle further comprising: a baffle; and a connector formed at a lower portion of the baffle, the connector configured to be releasably connectable to the bracket at any location from the infinite set of connection locations.The fan attachment system of claim 10, wherein: the bracket connector is integrally connected to a fan grill of the fan module; and the fan grill is configured to be attachable to a fan housing of the fan module.The fan attachment system of claim 12, further comprising a second bracket connector integrally connected to the fan grill and configured to be releasably coupled to the bracket at any one of an infinite set of connection locations.The fan connection system of claim 10, wherein the retainer has a curled edge for receiving the retainer connector.The fan connection system of claim 10, wherein the retainer connector is a snap fit connector.The fan connection system of claim 10, comprising a plurality of bracket connectors including the bracket connectors, wherein the bracket connectors are attached to or configured to be attachable to the fan module.A method of installing fans in an information processing apparatus, comprising: connecting a bracket to a chassis of the information processing apparatus such that a length dimension of the bracket is parallel to a width dimension of the chassis; positioning a first fan module such that a first electrical terminal thereof is aligned with a first fan terminal of a circuit board assembly of the information processing apparatus; and mating a first bracket connector of the first fan module with the bracket and coupling the first electrical connector with the first fan connector, wherein the first bracket connector is couplable to the bracket at any one of an infinite set of coupling locations along the length dimension of the bracket.The method of claim 17, further comprising: positioning a second fan module such that a second electrical terminal thereof is aligned with a second fan terminal of the circuit board assembly; and mating a second bracket connector of the second fan module with the bracket and coupling the second electrical connector to the second fan connector.The method of claim 17, further comprising: positioning a fan partition along the bracket; and engaging a bracket connector with the bracket to connect the fan partition to the bracket.The method of claim 19, wherein positioning a fan partition further comprises positioning a fan partition between the first fan module and the second fan module such that a baffle of the fan partition separates the first fan module and the second fan module.

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