CLAMPING DEVICE FOR MOUNTING A RADIATOR FAN AND ASSEMBLY OF AN ASSEMBLY WITH THE SAME

Abstract

A bracket device for fastening a cooling fan and a cooling device with bracket devices for fastening a cooling fan are disclosed. The bracket device for fastening a cooling fan comprises a first bracket (10) and a second bracket (20). Each bracket has a vertical strip and two horizontal strips, each connected to one of the two ends of the vertical strip. The first bracket (10) has a locking projection (13) in the center of the vertical strip, and the free ends of the horizontal strips are each bent to form a bracket portion. The fixed ends of the horizontal strips of the second bracket (20) are each bent to form a hook portion (23), and the free ends of the horizontal strips are each bent to form a bracket portion.This allows the two clamps (10, 20) to fasten two cooling fans (30, 30) to the two sides of a radiator (42), and the two clamps (10, 20) are hooked together and cannot be separated without external force.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of fastening of cooling fans and in particular to a fastening device in the form of a clamp or chip for fastening a cooling fan and the construction of an assembly comprising the same. Description of the related art

[0002] Currently, two main types of cooling devices are used to cool and dissipate heat from processors: air-cooled cooling devices and liquid-cooled cooling devices. For example, as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Laid-Open TW 2007 411 69 A, an air-cooled cooling device uses heat pipes to connect a cooling plate and a heat sink, and a cooling fan is mounted on one side of the heat sink. As disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Laid-Open TW 2023 470 85 A, the liquid-cooled cooling device uses a liquid cooler connected to a cooling plate, and a cooling fan is mounted on one side of the liquid cooler.When the aforementioned cooling fans are mounted on the heatsink or liquid cooler, several screws are inserted through the four screw holes of the cooling fan and then the screws are screwed into the screw holes of the heatsink or liquid cooler.

[0003] The other type uses clamp- or clasp-type fasteners to secure the cooling fan. Clamp- or clasp-type fasteners come in various designs, including leaf spring clips and steel wire clips (also called spring clips). It is known to secure the cooling fan with steel wire clips, as disclosed in Chinese Patent Application Laid-Open No. CN 101 351 104 A and Utility Model Application No. CN 209 343 284 U, to fix the cooling fan to the heat sink using two left and right steel wire clips. However, when conventional steel wire clips are attached to the heat sink or liquid cooler, it is not possible to fix the two cooling fans on both sides of the heat sink or liquid cooler, and the conventional steel wire clips cannot be used if the structure of the heat sink or liquid cooler is changed.Therefore, solving this problem is the issue that the present invention aims to actively solve.

[0004] CN 2 562 230 Y discloses the attachment of a radiator block, through which a fan flows, to a support base. Longitudinal slots are formed in the cooling fins of the radiator block and on the sides of a housing that accommodates the radiator block. Two retaining clips are inserted into the longitudinal slots. After the housing is screwed to the radiator block, these clips are hooked into retaining tabs formed on the support base.

[0005] CN 2 499 886 Y discloses a similar arrangement without a housing accommodating the radiator block. Bottles are formed at opposite ends of the radiator block. First free ends of two retaining clips are hooked into a retaining plate, which is attached to the retaining base and presses down a first flange of the radiator block. Longitudinal strips of the two retaining clips extend through the spaces between adjacent cooling fins of the radiator block. Second free ends of the retaining clips are bent into a U-shape and hooked into correspondingly formed openings in the retaining base on a second side of the radiator base in order to press down the second flange of the radiator block formed there.

[0006] CN 1 01 415 315 A discloses the fastening of a fan with the aid of two retaining clips on the upper side of a radiator block, which are formed by the front free ends of the cooling fins of the radiator block. The two retaining clips are bent in a V shape. Screws are provided on the two opposite end faces of the radiator block, into each of which a central section of a retaining clip is hooked. The front free ends of the two retaining clips are each bent like a hook and hooked into holes on a base surface of the fan to hold the fan clamped to the upper side of the radiator block. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp device for fastening a radiator fan and the construction of an assembly with the same in order to be able to quickly fasten two radiator fans to two opposite sides of a radiator.

[0008] This object is achieved by a clamping device having the features of claim 1 and by a cooling device having such clamping devices according to claim 8. Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] According to the present invention, the structural design of a first bracket and a second bracket formed in one piece by bending a metal strip or wire makes it possible to hook and lock the first bracket and the second bracket together to quickly fix two cooling fans on two sides of a radiator.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, two cooling fans can be fixed to the front and rear sides of a radiator, respectively, by a structural design in which a first clamp and a second clamp are hooked and locked together. Furthermore, the present invention can prevent the first clamp from being separated from the second clamp by hooking the structure of the second clamp to the first clamp and locking the structural design of the first clamp to the inside of the second vertical strip, thereby ensuring that the clamping device fixes the two cooling fans to the front and rear sides of the radiator, respectively. The first clamp and the second clamp according to the present invention are not directly attached to the radiator, so that a change in the structure of the radiator does not affect the functions of the first clamp and the second clamp. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic representation of the first embodiment of the cooling device with clamping devices for attaching a cooling fan according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic exploded view of the first embodiment of the cooling device with clamping means for fixing a cooling fan according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of the first embodiment of the cooling device with clamping means for fixing a cooling fan according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the first embodiment of the cooling device with clamping means for fixing a cooling fan according to the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of the first embodiment according to the present invention, in which the first clamp and second clamp of the clamping device are shown during their assembly. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment according to the present invention, in which the first clamp and the second clamp are hooked together. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing that the locking projection of the first bracket according to the present invention is a U-shaped projection or a semicircular projection. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the locking projection of the first clip of the present invention as a trapezoidal projection. Fig. 9 is a three-dimensional schematic representation of a second embodiment of the cooling device with clamping devices for attaching a cooling fan according to the present invention. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the hooked state of the first clamp and the second clamp of the second embodiment according to the present invention. Fig. 11 is a schematic exploded view of the second embodiment according to the present invention, in which the first bracket and the second bracket are locked together. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the locking state of the first bracket and the second bracket of the second embodiment according to the present invention. Fig. 13 is a schematic exploded view of the second embodiment according to the present invention, in which the first bracket and the second bracket are locked together. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] With reference to the Fig. 1 to 4, the present invention discloses a cooling fan mounting bracket for mounting two cooling fans 30, 30' on the front and rear sides of a cooling device 40, respectively. With reference to Fig. 5, the first preferred embodiment comprises a first clamp 10 and a second clamp 20.

[0012] The first clamp 10 is formed by bending a strip-like metal sheet or metal wire (for example, made of stainless steel) into a first vertical strip 11 and two first horizontal strips 12. A locking projection 13 is formed in the center of the first vertical strip 11 by bending, and the locking projection 13 protrudes in a direction opposite to the direction of the free end of the first horizontal strips 12. The fixed ends of the two first horizontal strips 12 are formed integrally with the upper and lower ends of the first vertical strip 11, respectively. The free ends of the two first horizontal strips 12 are each formed by a bending process to form a first clamp portion 14. The first clamp portion 14 extends in the direction of the first vertical strip 11. The locking projection 13 is a square projection (as shown in the Fig. 5), a U-shaped projection, a semicircular projection (as shown in the Fig. 7) or a trapezoidal projection (as shown in the Fig. 8) formed by bending the first vertical strip 11 and, during assembly, is fixed to the second bracket 20 (as shown in the Fig. 6). The first clamp portion 14 is a square body, a U-shaped body, or a semicircular body formed by bending the free end of the respective first horizontal strip 12.

[0013] The second clamp 20 is formed by bending a strip-like metal sheet or metal wire (for example, made of stainless steel) into a second vertical strip 21 and two second horizontal strips 22. The second vertical strip 21 extends parallel to the first vertical strip 11 in the assembled state and serves to engage the locking projection 13 of the first clamp 10 (as shown in Fig. 6). The two second horizontal strips 22 are shorter or of the same length as the aforementioned first horizontal strips 12. The fixed ends of the two second horizontal strips 22 are each bent horizontally in a U-shape to form a hook portion 23. The hook portion 23 is preferably designed as a U-shaped hook. The hook tips of the hook portions 23 of the two second horizontal strips 22 are each formed integrally with the upper and lower ends of the second vertical strip 21, respectively. The free ends of the two second horizontal strips 22 are each bent to form a second clamp portion 24, and the second clamp portions 24 extend in the direction of the second vertical strip 21.The second bracket portions 24 are each formed by bending the free ends of the second horizontal strip 22 to form a square body, a U-shaped body, or a semicircular body.

[0014] The design of the clamp device for attaching a cooling fan, as shown in the Fig. 1, Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, after the first bracket portions 14 of the first bracket 10 and the second bracket portions 24 of the second bracket 20 are respectively inserted (fitted) into the screw through holes 33 of a cooling fan 30, 30', the first vertical strip 11 of the first bracket 10 can be twisted or fitted to the outside of the second vertical strip 21 of the second bracket 20, and then a force is applied to hook the upper and lower parts of the first vertical strip 11 with the hook portions 23 of the second bracket 20 (as shown in the Fig. 1, Fig. 4 and Fig. 6). The locking projection 13 of the first clamp 10 can also be adjusted by exerting pressure from the outside of the second vertical strip 21, so that the locking projection 13 is changed so that it is locked or hooked on the inside of the second vertical strip 21 (as in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6). As a result, the first vertical strip 11 of the first clamp 10 cannot be separated from the hook portions 23 without external force, and the locking projection 13 of the first clamp 10 cannot be separated from the inside of the second vertical strip 21 without external force, so that the two cooling fans 30, 30' are attached to the front and rear of the radiator 42 of the cooling device 40, respectively.

[0015] As shown by the Fig. 1 to 4, based on the features of the first bracket 10 and the second bracket 20, the present invention proposes the construction of a cooling device with clamping devices for fastening cooling fans, the preferred embodiment of which comprises a cooling device 40, a first cooling fan 30, a second cooling fan 30', two first brackets 10 and two second brackets 20.

[0016] The cooling device 40 includes a cooling plate 41 for attachment to a processor and a cooler 42 attached to the cooling plate 41. The first cooling fan 30 and the second cooling fan 30' are attached to the front and rear sides of the cooler 42, respectively. The first cooling fan 30 and the second cooling fan 30' each include a housing 31 and an axial fan 32 with fan blades arranged in the housing 31, and four corners of the housing 31 are each provided with a screw through hole 33. Specifically, the first cooling fan 30 and the second cooling fan 30' each have a known structure, each including two four-sided frames 311 located at both ends of the housing 31, and the screw through holes 33 are provided at the four corners of each of the four-sided frames 311.

[0017] Thus, the two first brackets 10 are arranged on the two sides of the first cooling fan 30, and the upper and lower first bracket portions 14 of each first bracket 10 are respectively inserted into the screw through holes 33 of the first cooling fan 30, so that the two first brackets 10 can be arranged on both sides of the radiator 42. The two second brackets 20 are arranged on the two sides of the second cooling fan 30', and the upper and lower second bracket portions 24 of each second bracket 20 are respectively inserted into the screw through holes 33 of the second cooling fan 30'.

[0018] By twisting or adjusting the first vertical strip 11 of each first clamp 10 by the user applying external force, the first vertical strip 11 is hooked onto the top and bottom of the respective second clamp 20 via the hook portions 23, and the locking projection 13 of each first clamp 10 is adjusted by the application of force such that it is locked or hooked onto the inside of the second vertical strip 21 of the respective second clamp 20. As a result, the first vertical strips 11 of the first clamps 10 cannot be separated from the respective hook portions 23 without the application of external force, and the locking projections 13 of the first clamps 10 cannot be separated from the inside of the respective second vertical strips 21 without the application of external force.

[0019] Reference is made to the Fig. 2. The cooling device 40 according to the present invention is preferably designed as an integrated liquid cooling device, wherein the integrated liquid cooling device comprises a cooling plate 41 and the cooler 42 is a liquid cooler. The liquid cooler comprises a first liquid housing 421, a second liquid housing 422, a plurality of cooler tubes 423, and a liquid pump 43. The interior of the first liquid housing 421 is connected to the cooling plate 41. The second liquid housing 422 is arranged at a distance from the first liquid housing 421. The cooler tubes 423 are connected between the first liquid housing 421 and the second liquid housing 422.The liquid pump 43 is arranged in the second liquid housing 422, so that the liquid pump 43 is used to drive the liquid in the liquid cooler so that it circulates through the cooling plate 41 to cool the processor and can transfer heat to the cooler tubes 423, which can be dissipated by the cold air blown in by the two cooling fans 30, 30'.

[0020] As in the Fig. 9 to 13, the second preferred embodiment according to the present invention also includes a first bracket 10 and a second bracket 20. The structure of the second preferred embodiment is basically the same as that of the first preferred embodiment, except that: the locking projection 13 in the center of the first vertical strip 11 of the first bracket 10 is modified to protrude toward the free ends of the first horizontal strip 12, and two operating projections 15 are each formed on the first vertical strip 11 between the locking projection 13 and the upper and lower first horizontal strips 12 by bending. The operating projections 15 are formed as square projections, U-shaped projections, semicircular projections, or trapezoidal projections formed by bending the first vertical strip 11. As shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, the actuating projections 15 project in a direction opposite to the direction of the free end of the first horizontal strip 12, namely at an angle of 45° to the first horizontal strip 12; or as shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, the actuating projections 15 protrude in a direction opposite to the direction of the free end of the first horizontal strip 12, namely at an angle of 90 degrees to the first horizontal strip 12.

[0021] As in the Fig. 10 and Fig.12, when the first clamp 10 and the second clamp 20 are assembled, the user can hold the operating projections 15 to exert a force so that the hook portions 23 of the second clamp 20 can be hooked onto the first vertical strip 11. However, the locking projection 13 extends opposite to the first preferred embodiment, so that the locking projection 13 is conversely engaged or hooked onto the inside of the second vertical strip 21 of the second clamp 20. At the same time, the operating projections 15 extend at an angle of 45 degrees or 90 degrees toward the free ends of the second horizontal strips 22 of the second clamp 20 to facilitate operation when the first clamp 10 and the second clamp 20 are to be connected to or separated from each other.

[0022] Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above for illustrative purposes, various modifications and improvements are possible. Changes may be made without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

[1] Clamping device for fastening a cooling fan, comprising a first clamp (10) and a second clamp (20), wherein: the first clamp (10) comprises a first vertical strip (11) and two first horizontal strips (12) formed by bending a metal strip, the first horizontal strips (12) each having a fixed end and an opposite free end, the first vertical strip (11) comprising a locking projection (13) formed in the middle by bending, the direction of extension of the projection being optionally opposite or identical to the direction of extension of the free ends of the first horizontal strips (12), the fixed ends of the two first horizontal strips (12) being respectively connected to the upper and lower ends of the first horizontal strips (12).the opposite lower end of the first vertical strip (11), wherein the free ends of the two first horizontal strips (12) are each bent so as to form a first clamp portion (14), wherein the first clamp portion (14) extends in the direction of the first vertical strip (11);. the second clamp (20) comprises a second vertical strip (21) and two second horizontal strips (22) formed by bending a metal strip, wherein the second horizontal strips (22) each have a fixed end and an opposite free end, and the second vertical strips (21) extend parallel to the first vertical strip (11), and the fixed ends of the two second horizontal strips (22) are each bent in a U-shape to form a hook portion (23), wherein the hook portions (23) of the two second horizontal strips (22) each have a hook tip connected to upper and opposite lower ends of the second vertical strip (21), respectively, wherein the free ends of the two second horizontal strips (22) are each bent to form a second clamp portion (24), wherein the second clamp portion (24) extends in the direction of the second vertical strip (21); and the first clamp sections (14) of the two first horizontal strips (12) of the first clamp (10) and the second clamp sections (24) of the two second horizontal strips (22) of the second clamp (20) are each designed to enable the first vertical strip (11) of the first clamp (10) to be hooked into the hook sections (23) of the second clamp (20) and the locking projection (13) of the first clamp (10) to be hooked onto an inner side of the second vertical strip (21) after each of them has been inserted or mounted into a cooling fan (30). [2] A bracket device for fixing a cooling fan according to claim 1, wherein the first bracket (10) further comprises two operating projections (15) each bent on the first vertical strip (11) between the locking projection (13) and the two first horizontal strips (12), the operating projections (15) projecting in a direction opposite to the direction of the free ends of the first horizontal strips (12), the operating projections (15) and the first horizontal strips (12) projecting at an angle of 30 degrees to 90 degrees to each other. [3] A bracket device for fixing a cooling fan according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking projection (13) is selectively formed as a square projection, U-shaped projection, semicircular projection or trapezoidal projection formed by bending the first vertical strip (11). [4] A bracket device for fixing a cooling fan according to claim 3, wherein the first bracket portion (14) of each first horizontal strip (12) is selectively formed as a square body, a U-shaped body or a semicircular body formed by bending the free end of the respective first horizontal strip (12). [5] A bracket device for fastening a cooling fan according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second bracket portion (24) of each second horizontal strip (22) is selectively formed as a square body, a U-shaped body or a semicircular body formed by bending the free end of the respective second horizontal strip (22). [6] A bracket device for fixing a cooling fan according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the operating projections (15) are selectively formed as square projections, U-shaped projections, semicircular projections or trapezoidal projections formed by bending the first vertical strip (11). [7] Clamping device for fastening a cooling fan according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal strips are round sheet metal strips or wires made of a stainless steel. [8] Cooling device with clamping devices for fastening a cooling fan, comprising a cooling device (40), a first cooling fan (30), a second cooling fan (30') and two first clamps (10) and two second clamps (20) of a clamping device for fastening a cooling fan according to one of the preceding claims, wherein: the cooling device (40) comprises a cooling plate (41) and a cooler (42) attached to the cooling plate (41); the first cooling fan (30) is arranged at the front of the radiator (42) and the second cooling fan (30') is arranged at the opposite rear of the radiator (42), wherein the first cooling fan (30) and the second cooling fan (30') each comprise a housing (31) and an axial fan impeller (32) with fan blades arranged in the housing (31), wherein the housing (31) is provided with a screw through hole (33) at each of its four corners on its front and rear sides; the two first brackets (10) are arranged on two opposite sides of the first cooling fan (30), wherein the first bracket sections (14) of the first brackets (10) are each inserted into the screw through holes (33) of the first cooling fan (30), so that the two first brackets (10) are located on the two opposite sides of the radiator (42); the two second brackets (20) are arranged on two opposite sides of the second cooling fan (30'), wherein the second bracket portions (24) of the second brackets (20) are each inserted into the screw through holes (33) of the second cooling fan (30'); and the first vertical strip (11) of each first clamp (10) is hooked together via the hook portions (23) of the associated second clamp (20) and the locking projection (13) of each first clamp (10) is engaged on an inner side of the second vertical strip (21) of the associated second clamp (20). [9] A cooling device with clamping devices according to claim 8, wherein the housing (31) comprises two four-sided frames (311) arranged on two opposite sides, wherein the screw through holes (33) are provided at the four corners of the four-sided frames (311), respectively; wherein the first clamp portions (14) and the second clamp portions (24) are respectively inserted into the screw through holes (33) of the four-sided frames (311) adjacent to the radiator (42). [10] A cooling device with clamping devices according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the cooling device (40) is an integrated liquid cooling device and the radiator (42) is a liquid cooler, the liquid cooler comprising a first liquid housing (421), a second liquid housing (422), a plurality of radiator tubes (423) and a liquid pump (43), the interior of the first liquid housing (421) being connected to the cooling plate (41), the second liquid housing (422) being arranged at a distance relative to the first liquid housing (421), the radiator tubes (423) being connected between the first liquid housing (421) and the second liquid housing (422), and the liquid pump (43) being arranged in the second liquid housing (422), the liquid pump (43) being designed to circulate a liquid in the liquid cooler through the cooling plate (41).

Images