Apparatus cooling device and cooling method thereof

Abstract

To provide a slot-in apparatus mounted with a number of child apparatuses and cooled by a fan, and to enable highly efficient heat radiation even when various child apparatuses are mounted.SOLUTION: An apparatus cooling device comprises: first and second channels that are adjacent to each other in parallel, and have apparatuses arranged at predetermined positions therein; a cooling fan that is provided in the first and second channels to cause air for cooling the apparatuses to flow in from an intake port provided at one end of the first and second channels, and exhaust the air from an exhaust port provided at the other end of the first and second channels; and an adjustment member that, when the flow rate of the air generated by the cooling fan becomes a predetermined value, adjusts the pressure loss in at least one of the first and second channels so that the pressure loss in the first channel and the pressure loss in the second channel become identical to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an equipment cooling device and a cooling method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Equipment cooling devices that cool equipment are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-073720 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, multiple devices arranged on a flow path are cooled by cooling air from a cooling fan. In this case, variations in pressure loss among the devices and their installation status can cause fluctuations in the flow rate of other devices that dissipate large amounts of heat, potentially preventing the heat dissipation conditions from being met.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an equipment cooling device and a cooling method therefor that solve any of the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present disclosure is to First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; cooling fans provided in the first and second flow paths to introduce air for cooling the devices through intake ports provided at one ends of the first and second flow paths and to discharge the air through exhaust ports provided at the other ends of the first and second flow paths; an adjusting member that adjusts the pressure loss of at least one of the first and second flow paths so that the pressure loss in the first flow path and the pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when the flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; An equipment cooling device comprising: is. In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present disclosure is to First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; a cooling fan provided in each of the first and second flow paths to introduce air for cooling the devices through an intake port provided at one end of the first and second flow paths and to exhaust the air from an exhaust port provided at the other end of the first and second flow paths, adjusting a pressure loss in at least one of the first and second flow paths by an adjusting member so that the pressure loss in the first flow path and the pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when the flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; Cooling method for equipment cooling device is. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an equipment cooling device and a cooling method therefor that solve any of the above-mentioned problems. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an equipment cooling device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of setting pressure loss values ​​of the first and second flow paths. [Figure 3] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for adjusting pressure loss values ​​of the first and second flow paths. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an adjustment member. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a universal slot machine made up of three stages of units. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of setting pressure loss values ​​of the first and second flow paths. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for adjusting pressure loss values ​​of the first and second flow paths. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of pressure fluctuations from the intake port to the exhaust port of the first and second flow paths of the middle unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An example of the configuration of the equipment cooling device will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The equipment cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is mounted, for example, on a universal slot device 10, and cools each slot device 11 within the universal slot device 10. The slot device 11 is a specific example of a device.

[0010] The universal slot device 10 is applied to, for example, communication equipment, etc., which undergo performance improvements over several years, equipment that accompanies network expansion, and equipment that meets future performance improvements by replacing and adding slot devices 11. The universal slot device 10 may also be applied to other equipment, such as server equipment and broadcasting equipment.

[0011] The equipment cooling device 1 according to this embodiment includes first and second flow paths 2 and 3, a cooling fan 4, and an adjustment member 5.

[0012] The first and second flow paths 2, 3 are sealed, and the slot devices 11 are disposed at predetermined positions within the flow paths, respectively, and are formed adjacent to each other in parallel. The first and second flow paths 2, 3 are formed, for example, in the left-right direction in FIG.

[0013] The first and second flow paths 2, 3 are connected near the intake port 21 at the left end (one end) through which cooling air flows in to cool each slot device 11 and the exhaust port 22 at the right end (the other end) through which cooling air flows out, but are separated between the intake port 21 and the exhaust port 22 by, for example, a pressure bulkhead.

[0014] The cooling fan 4 is provided in front of the exhaust port 22 of the first and second flow paths 2, 3. The cooling fan 4 rotates to exhaust air from the exhaust port 22, creating a negative pressure inside the first and second flow paths 2, 3, causing cooling air to flow in from the intake port 21. In the parallel flow paths described above, even if there is variation in the pressure loss of each flow path at the average flow velocity, the pressure loss of each flow path will be constant in the actual device because the pressure is adjusted according to the change in flow velocity of each flow path. In this embodiment, in order to prevent a change in the flow velocity, the change in the flow velocity is suppressed by equalizing the pressure loss at a specific flow velocity in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3. The specific flow velocity corresponds to the average flow velocity in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3. More specifically, in an actual device, the pressure loss in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 is the same. This is because it is adjusted by the flow velocity. For example, let A be the total flow rate of all the flow paths at this time. If the pressure loss at the average flow velocity of the entire flow path, calculated by dividing A by the cross-sectional area, is high, the flow velocity will decrease. On the other hand, if the pressure loss at the average flow velocity of the entire flow path is low, the flow velocity will increase. Note that flow velocity x cross-sectional area is the flow rate, and since the cross-sectional area is constant, flow velocity can be substituted with flow rate. In this embodiment, the flow rate is controlled by maintaining or adjusting the pressure loss in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3. In this case, if the pressure loss in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 is adjusted to be the same, the flow rate in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 will be the same. If the pressure loss in the part with large heat dissipation is relatively reduced, the flow rate there can be increased.

[0015] As described above, the equipment cooling device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with an adjustment member 5 that adjusts the pressure loss in at least one of the first and second flow paths 2, 3 so that the pressure loss in the first flow path 2 and the pressure loss in the second flow path 3 are the same when the flow rate of the cooling air by the cooling fan 4 reaches a predetermined value.

[0016] In this embodiment, in order to prevent variations in the pressure loss, a pressure loss value of each slot device 11 is set when the flow rate of the cooling air by the cooling fan 4 is a predetermined value. Then, the slot device 11 adjusted to that pressure loss value by the adjustment member 5 is mounted on the universal slot device.

[0017] This ensures that the heat dissipation conditions for each slot device 11 are met and cooling is performed reliably, even if there are variations in pressure loss or whether or not each slot device 11 is installed. Furthermore, by being able to control the fluctuations in flow rate due to the installation state of each slot device 11, for example, the range in which heat sinks with high pressure loss and high heat dissipation capacity can be installed is expanded, thereby improving the maximum heat dissipation capacity. Furthermore, since the rotation speed of the cooling fan 4 can be reduced, noise can be suppressed and power consumption can be reduced by reducing the capacity of the cooling fan 4.

[0018] As described above, the device cooling device 1 according to this embodiment first sets a pressure loss value for each slot device 11 so that the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices 11 in the first flow path 2 is equal to the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices 11 in the second flow path 3 when the air flow velocity caused by the cooling fan 4 reaches a predetermined value. Then, each slot device 11 adjusted to the set pressure loss value by the adjustment member 5 is placed at a predetermined position in the first and second flow paths 2, 3.

[0019] 2, the flow rate (wind speed) of the cooling air by the cooling fan 4 is set to a predetermined value F (m / s), the pressure loss value of the slot device C1 of the first flow path 2 is set to 47.6 Pa, the pressure loss value of the slot device (empty) C1 is set to 0.2 Pa, the pressure loss value of the slot device C4 of the second flow path 3 is set to 41.5 Pa, and the pressure loss value of the slot device C20 is set to 40 Pa. Note that the slot device (empty) C1 is empty, and a blank panel or the like is provided in anticipation of future expansion.

[0020] In this case, it is necessary to make the pressure loss of the slot devices C1, C1 in the first flow path 2 equal to the pressure loss of the slot devices C4, C20 in the second flow path 3. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, the pressure loss value of the slot device C1 in the first flow path 2 is adjusted from 0.2 Pa to 47.6 Pa by the adjusting member 5.

[0021] Furthermore, the pressure loss value of the slot device C20 in the second flow path 3 is adjusted from 40 Pa to 53.7 Pa by the adjustment member 5. As a result, the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices C1, C1 in the first flow path 2 (47.6 + 47.6) Pa and the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices C4, C20 in the second flow path 3 (41.5 + 53.7) Pa become equal to 95.2 Pa.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an adjustment member. For example, an adjustment member 5 as shown in Fig. 4 is attached to a slot device 11, and the slot device 11 with the adjustment member 5 attached is attached to a universal slot device 10. Note that in Fig. 4, a portion of the slot device is omitted to make the adjustment member 5 easier to understand.

[0023] The adjustment member 5 is a member that adjusts the pressure loss by adjusting the flow rate of the cooling air in the slot device 11 to which the adjustment member 5 is attached. The adjustment member 5 is formed, for example, by forming openings of any shape, size, and number in a plate-like member.

[0024] In the above embodiment, the universal slot machine 10 is configured as a single-stage unit, but is not limited to this. The universal slot machine 20 may be configured as a multi-stage unit, as shown in FIG.

[0025] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a universal slot machine made up of three tiers of units. Universal slot machine 20 is made up of three tiers of units: upper tier, middle tier, and lower tier.

[0026] Each stage unit includes first and second flow paths 2, 3 and a cooling fan 4. The first and second flow paths 2, 3 each have a slot device 11 disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and are formed adjacent to each other in parallel.

[0027] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, in each unit, the air flow velocity caused by the cooling fan 4 is set to a predetermined value F (m / s), and a pressure loss value is set for each slot device 11. Then, as shown in Fig. 7, for each unit, an adjustment member 5 is attached to each slot device 11 to adjust the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices 11 in the first flow path 2 and the sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the slot devices 11 in the second flow path 3, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0028] 7, the pressure loss value of the slot device C3 in the second flow path 3 of the upper unit is adjusted from 7.0 Pa to 47.6 Pa. In the first flow path 2 of the middle unit, the pressure loss value of the slot device C5 is adjusted from 4.7 Pa to 17.9 Pa, the pressure loss value of the slot device C6 is adjusted from 5.0 Pa to 17.9 Pa, and the pressure loss value of the slot device C7 is adjusted from 4.0 Pa to 17.9 Pa. In the second flow path 3 of the middle unit, the pressure loss value of the slot device C3 is adjusted from 7.0 Pa to 47.6 Pa.

[0029] In the first flow path 2 of the lower unit, the pressure loss value of slot device C4 (empty) is adjusted from 0 Pa to 41.5 Pa, the pressure loss value of slot device C8 from 5.5 Pa to 17.9 Pa, the pressure loss value of slot device C9 (empty) from 0.1 Pa to 17.9 Pa, and the pressure loss value of slot device C10 (empty) from 0.1 Pa to 17.9 Pa. In the second flow path 3 of the lower unit, the pressure loss value of slot device C1 (empty) is adjusted from 0.2 Pa to 47.6 Pa.

[0030] While the above-described pressure loss value adjustment is a pressure loss setting for making the flow rate uniform in each stage, it is also possible to set the pressure loss to increase the flow rate in a stage with high heat dissipation based on the same principle. For example, if a slot device 11 is installed and there is room for heat dissipation in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3, the pressure loss value set in the slot device 11 for the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 can be increased to decrease the flow rate in those first and second flow paths 2 and 3, and increase the flow rate in the other first and second flow paths 2 and 3.

[0031] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of pressure fluctuations from the intake port 21 to the exhaust port 22 of the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 of the middle unit described above. As shown in Figure 8, the pressure just after the intake port 21 and just before the cooling fan 4 are naturally adjusted to match regardless of the pressure loss caused by each slot device. The pressure is made the same by lowering the pressure in areas with high pressure loss and raising the pressure in areas with low pressure loss.

[0032] The pressure loss ΔP can be calculated, for example, by the following formula. P=2·ΔP / (v 2 ·K) In the above equation, v is the flow velocity. P is the outlet pressure of each parallel flow path and is the same for each flow path. K is the resistance coefficient, which depends on the shape of each flow path and is therefore the same for each flow path.

[0033] When ΔP is high, the flow rate is adjusted by decreasing, and when ΔP is low, the flow rate is adjusted by increasing, resulting in an increase or decrease in flow rate.

[0034] This increase or decrease in flow velocity is caused by the difference in pressure loss at a predetermined flow velocity by the cooling fan 4. Therefore, to prevent this difference in flow velocity, as described above, the pressure loss in the first flow path 2 and the pressure loss in the second flow path 3 are made the same. This makes it possible to prevent flow velocity fluctuations even if there is a change in the configuration of each slot device within the universal slot device 10.

[0035] As described above, the cooling method of the device cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can control the fluctuation of the flow rate due to the installation state of each slot device, which, for example, expands the range in which heat sinks with high pressure loss and high heat dissipation capacity can be installed, thereby improving the maximum heat dissipation capacity. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the cooling fan 4 can be reduced, which has the effect of suppressing noise and reducing power consumption by reducing the capacity of the cooling fan 4.

[0036] As mentioned above, the reason for adjusting the flow velocity of the cooling air is because there is a difference in the resistance coefficient. If the resistance coefficients could be made the same, adjustment based on the flow velocity would be unnecessary. However, to derive the resistance coefficient, an unknown pressure loss is required, and calculating this pressure loss is difficult. Therefore, in this embodiment, instead of the resistance coefficient, the pressure loss in the first and second flow paths 2 and 3 at a predetermined flow velocity by the cooling fan 4 is calculated and controlled. This makes it possible to easily control the flow velocity.

[0037] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0038] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may relate not only to one particular embodiment, but also to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0039] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; cooling fans provided in the first and second flow paths to introduce air for cooling the devices through intake ports provided at one ends of the first and second flow paths and to discharge the air through exhaust ports provided at the other ends of the first and second flow paths; an adjusting member that adjusts the pressure loss of at least one of the first and second flow paths so that the pressure loss in the first flow path and the pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when the flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; An equipment cooling device comprising: (Appendix 2) 10. The equipment cooling device of claim 1, a pressure loss value is set for each of the devices so that a sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the devices in the first flow path is equal to a sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the devices in the second flow path when the flow velocity of the air by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; The devices, each adjusted to the set pressure loss value by the adjusting member, are arranged at predetermined positions in the first and second flow paths, respectively. Equipment cooling system. (Appendix 3) 10. The equipment cooling device of claim 1, The device is a slot device installed in a universal slot machine. Equipment cooling system. (Appendix 4) First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; a cooling fan provided in each of the first and second flow paths to introduce air for cooling the devices through an intake port provided at one end of the first and second flow paths and to exhaust the air from an exhaust port provided at the other end of the first and second flow paths, adjusting a pressure loss in at least one of the first and second flow paths by an adjusting member so that the pressure loss in the first flow path and the pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when the flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; A cooling method for an equipment cooling device.

[0040] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 3 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 {e.g., device} may also be dependent on Supplementary Note 4 {e.g., method} in the same dependency relationship as Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 3. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Equipment cooling system 2 First flow path 3 Second flow path 4 cooling fans 5 Adjustment member 10 Universal slot machine 11 slot machines 20 Universal slot machine 21 Air intake 22 Exhaust port

Claims

1. First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; cooling fans provided in the first and second flow paths to introduce air for cooling the devices through intake ports provided at one ends of the first and second flow paths and to discharge the air through exhaust ports provided at the other ends of the first and second flow paths; an adjusting member that adjusts the pressure loss of at least one of the first and second flow paths so that the pressure loss in the first flow path and the pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when the flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; An equipment cooling device comprising:

2. 2. The equipment cooling device according to claim 1, a pressure loss value is set for each of the devices such that a sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the devices in the first flow path is equal to a sum of the pressure loss values ​​of the devices in the second flow path when a flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value, The devices, each adjusted to the set pressure loss value by the adjusting member, are disposed at predetermined positions in the first and second flow paths, respectively. Equipment cooling system.

3. 2. The equipment cooling device according to claim 1, The device is a slot device installed in a universal slot machine. Equipment cooling system.

4. First and second flow paths, each of which has a device disposed at a predetermined position within the flow path, and which are adjacent to each other and parallel to each other; a cooling fan provided in each of the first and second flow paths so as to introduce air for cooling the devices through an intake port provided at one end of the first and second flow paths and discharge the air through an exhaust port provided at the other end of the first and second flow paths, adjusting a pressure loss in at least one of the first and second flow paths by an adjusting member so that a pressure loss in the first flow path and a pressure loss in the second flow path are equal when a flow velocity of the air caused by the cooling fan reaches a predetermined value; A cooling method for an equipment cooling device.

Images