Uninterruptible power supply device

Abstract

To provide an uninterruptible power supply device and a power supply related device that can apply cooling air to many heating elements in the housing of the uninterruptible power supply device.SOLUTION: An uninterruptible power supply device includes a housing including a front plate having an intake port and a back plate having an exhaust port, a blower located near the exhaust port, a wind tunnel member that defines a wind tunnel in which the intake capacity of the blower is concentrated in a flow path from the intake port to the exhaust port, a first heating element located upstream in the wind tunnel, and a second heating element located downstream of the first heating element in the wind tunnel, and the wind tunnel member has an intake port for taking in cooling air taken in from the intake port on the downstream side of the first heating element.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an uninterruptible power supply position .

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an uninterruptible power supply device that provides an external cooling air inside a housing of the uninterruptible power supply device by providing a blower near a front cover.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the uninterruptible power supply device of Patent Document 1, since a blower is provided on the front side and external cooling air is supplied inside the housing, it can be expected to efficiently cool a heat generating body (such as a switching element) disposed near the blower (upstream side of the flow path). The inventor of the present invention considered applying cooling air with an appropriate air volume and temperature to many heat generating bodies inside the housing of the uninterruptible power supply device, and conceived the present invention.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an uninterruptible power supply that can apply cooling air to many heat generating bodies inside the housing of the uninterruptible power supply device. placement

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] ​The uninterruptible power supply device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a front panel with an air intake and a rear panel with an exhaust port, a blower disposed near the exhaust port, a wind tunnel member that defines a wind tunnel in a flow path from the air intake toward the exhaust port and concentrates the intake capacity of the blower, a first heating element disposed upstream in the wind tunnel, and a second heating element disposed downstream of the first heating element in the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel member has an intake port that takes in the cooling air sucked from the air intake downstream of the first heating element.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above aspect, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first heating element can be applied to the second heating element through the intake port.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The uninterruptible power supply device includes a housing having a front panel with an air intake and a rear panel with an exhaust port, a blower disposed near the exhaust port, a wind tunnel member that defines a wind tunnel in a flow path from the air intake toward the exhaust port and concentrates the intake capacity of the blower, a first heating element disposed upstream in the wind tunnel, and a second heating element disposed downstream of the first heating element in the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel member has an intake port that takes in the cooling air sucked from the air intake downstream of the first heating element. The wind tunnel member may be arranged in the housing so that there is a gap between the upstream end of the wind tunnel and the front panel.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first heating element can be applied to the second heating element through the intake port. A flow (flow path) of cooling air from the intake port toward the exhaust port is formed by a blower arranged near the exhaust port. In that flow path, a wind tunnel in which the intake capacity of the blower is concentrated is defined by the wind tunnel member. A first heating element is arranged on the upstream side of the flow path in the wind tunnel, and a second heating element is arranged on the downstream side of the first heating element. In an uninterruptible power supply device having such a configuration, if the wind tunnel member has no intake port, the cooling air introduced into the wind tunnel from the intake port first hits the first heating element, absorbs the heat of the first heating element and rises in temperature, and then hits the second heating element. Therefore, the second heating element is not sufficiently cooled compared to the first heating element. According to the above configuration, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first heating element can be applied to the second heating element through the intake port, and the second heating element can be appropriately cooled.

[0011] In addition, since the above configuration allows cooling air to flow to other parts in the housing other than the wind tunnel, it is possible to apply cooling air with an appropriate air volume and temperature to many heating elements in the housing.

[0012] A heat dissipation member extending in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel may be arranged in the wind tunnel, passing near the first heating element and near the second heating element.

[0013] Some uninterruptible power supply devices include a first reactor (inductance element, first heating element) and a first switching element that constitute an AC / DC converter, and a second reactor (inductance element, second heating element) and a second switching element that constitute a DC / AC converter. By arranging the heat dissipation member extending in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel in the wind tunnel as described above, the heat of the first switching element and the second switching element can be absorbed by the heat dissipation member. The heat of the first switching element and the second switching element may be absorbed by a single heat dissipation member. The heat of the heat dissipation member can be absorbed and discharged by the cooling air introduced into the wind tunnel from the upstream end of the wind tunnel member and the intake port of the wind tunnel member. In this way, an improvement in space efficiency and an improvement in heat dissipation performance can be achieved. Instead of arranging the AC / DC converter upstream of the DC / AC converter, the AC / DC converter may be arranged downstream of the DC / AC converter. That is, the reactor and the switching element constituting the DC / AC converter may be the first heat generating body. The first heat generating body and the second heat generating body may be arranged in the wind tunnel, and are not limited to specific parts (parts of a specific device).

[0014] The wind tunnel further includes a third heat generating body arranged downstream of the second heat generating body in the wind tunnel, and the heat dissipation member may extend in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel through the vicinity of the first heat generating body, the vicinity of the second heat generating body, and the vicinity of the third heat generating body.

[0015] The uninterruptible power supply device usually includes a converter connected to a storage battery in order to supply power from the storage battery instead of the commercial power supply during a power outage. By arranging the third reactor or transformer (inductance element, third heat generating body) constituting the converter in the wind tunnel, an improvement in space efficiency and an improvement in heat dissipation performance can be achieved. The heat dissipation member arranged in the wind tunnel can also cool the switching element constituting the converter. The third heat generating body may be arranged in the wind tunnel, and is not limited to specific parts (parts of a specific device).

[0016] The intake port is provided on the front panel over an area wider than the cross-sectional area of the wind tunnel at the position where the first heat generating body is arranged, and the wind tunnel member extends from the upstream end of the wind tunnel obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel toward the front panel side, and may have a first guide plate for guiding the cooling air sucked from the intake port toward the wind tunnel.

[0017] By providing the intake port over a large area of the front panel, it is possible to allow the cooling air to flow to locations other than the wind tunnel inside the housing. The wind tunnel member has a first guide plate that extends from the upstream end of the wind tunnel and inclines toward the front panel side, so that the intake capacity by the blower can be concentrated on the wind tunnel.

[0018] The wind tunnel member may have a second guide plate that extends from the vicinity of the intake port and inclines toward the front panel side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel, and guides the cooling air sucked from the intake port toward the second heat generating body.

[0019] The wind tunnel member has a second guide plate that extends from the vicinity of the intake port and inclines toward the front panel side, so that the cooling air not warmed by the first heat generating body can be efficiently applied to the second heat generating body.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the uninterruptible power supply device will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] In this specification, "vertically placed" means the posture of the uninterruptible power supply device in which the height from the installation surface to the upper end is higher than when it is "horizontally placed". "Horizontally placed" means the posture of the uninterruptible power supply device in which the height from the installation surface to the upper end is lower than when it is "vertically placed". "Vertical direction" means a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface. That is, the "vertical direction" may be a direction perpendicular to the installation surface of the uninterruptible power supply device, or a direction that slightly deviates from the vertical direction but is close to the vertical direction. "Horizontal direction" means a direction substantially parallel to the installation surface. That is, the "horizontal direction" may be a direction parallel to the installation surface of the uninterruptible power supply device, or a direction that slightly deviates from the parallel direction but is close to the parallel direction.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a front view of the uninterruptible power supply device 10, and FIG. 2 is a rear view of the uninterruptible power supply device 10. Hereinafter, the uninterruptible power supply device 10 is also referred to as the UPS 10. The UPS 10 houses a storage battery (a plurality of batteries, not shown) inside, and when a power outage occurs in the commercial power supply, the storage battery discharges and supplies power to the load for a predetermined time (for example, about 10 minutes). The UPS 10 may not have a built-in storage battery and may have an external storage battery. An operation display unit 12 including operation buttons and indicators is provided on the front panel 11 of the UPS 10. Alternatively, the operation display unit 12 may be provided at a location other than the front panel 11, or the operation display unit 12 may be reduced in function or eliminated so that the UPS 10 can be remotely operated and monitored using communication.

[0023] In this embodiment, the front panel 11 is composed of a resin cover 13 and a metal plate 18 (see FIG. 3) disposed adjacent to the inner surface thereof. Alternatively, the front panel 11 may be composed of a single plate.

[0024] The resin cover 13 shown in FIG. 1 has a number of elongated plates (first plate, second plate) that extend in the vertical direction with the UPS 10 placed vertically. The first plate 131 is located on the front side and is arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. The second plate 132 is located slightly behind the first plate 131 (the back side in the plane of FIG. 1) and is arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. In a front view, the second plate 132 is arranged so that the inside of the UPS 10 cannot be seen through the intervals of the first plate 131 (the second plate 132 closes the gap between the first plates 131 in a front view). There is a gap between the first plate 131 and the second plate 132, and the gap functions as an air intake. The resin cover 13 has air intakes formed over its large area (substantially over its entire area).

[0025] The metal plate 18 disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the resin cover 13 is provided with an opening 181 (see FIG. 3) that functions as an air intake over its large area, similar to the resin cover 13.

[0026] On the back panel 14 of the UPS 10 shown in Fig. 2, four sockets (outlets) 16 for connecting a load are provided. The number of sockets 16 is not limited to four. Further, on the back panel 14, an exhaust port 15 of a fan (blower) 17 provided adjacent to the inner surface of the back panel 14 is provided. That is, the back panel 14 has the exhaust port 15, and the fan 17 is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port 15. The space between the back panel 14 and the fan 17 may be substantially in close contact or may have a gap. In this specification, the direction connecting the front panel 11 (see Fig. 1) and the back panel 14 of the UPS 10 is referred to as the "front-rear direction".

[0027] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the UPS 10. The housing of the UPS 10 has, in addition to the above-described metal plate 18 and the back panel 14, a top plate 191 when placed vertically, a bottom plate (not shown), and a pair of opposing side plates 192. In Fig. 3, the illustration of one side plate 192 and the bottom plate is omitted so that the main parts of the internal structure can be understood. A substrate 30 is disposed at an appropriate position within the housing. The substrate 30 mounts various components. Here, when the UPS 10 is placed vertically, the substrate 30 is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction at approximately the center in the horizontal direction of the UPS 10 in Fig. 1 and partition the space within the housing into left and right (in the horizontal direction).

[0028] The wind tunnel member 20 shown in Fig. 3 defines a wind tunnel 29 that concentrates the intake capacity of the fan 17 in the flow path from the intake port 181 to the exhaust port 15. In this specification, a position close to the metal plate 18 of the wind tunnel 29 or the flow path is referred to as "upstream (or upstream side)", and a position close to the back panel 14 of the wind tunnel 29 or the flow path is referred to as "downstream (or downstream side)".

[0029] The wind tunnel member 20 may be made of synthetic resin or metal. From the viewpoints of ease of processing, weight, and cost, the wind tunnel member 20 is preferably made of synthetic resin. The wind tunnel member 20 may be arranged in the housing such that there is a gap between the upstream end of the wind tunnel 29 and the metal plate 18 (front panel 11) (such that there is a gap in the front-rear direction). The wind tunnel member 20 has a cover plate 21 that extends in the front-rear direction while facing the substrate 30 with a gap therebetween, and connection plates 22 and 23 that connect the cover plate 21 and the substrate 30. One connection plate 23 extends substantially parallel to the top plate 191 of the housing, and the other connection plate 22 extends substantially parallel to the bottom plate (not shown) of the housing.

[0030] An intake port 24 for taking in the cooling air sucked in from the intake port 181 is provided in the middle part of the connection plate 22. A first guide plate 26 that is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the wind tunnel 29 and extends toward the metal plate 18 is provided at the upstream end 221 of the connection plate 22. In this specification, the direction in which the wind tunnel 29 extends and that is substantially parallel to the flow path from the upstream end to the downstream end of the wind tunnel 29 is referred to as the "longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel".

[0031] The wind tunnel member 20 may have an additional first guide plate. For example, it may have a first guide plate 25 that extends from the upstream end 231 of the connection plate 23 while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel 29 and extends toward the metal plate 18 (front panel 11), and guides the cooling air sucked in from the intake port 181 toward the wind tunnel 29.

[0032] The wind tunnel member 20 may have a second guide plate 27 that extends from the vicinity of the intake port 24 (for example, the downstream side of the intake port 24) while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel 29 and extends toward the metal plate 18 (front panel 11), and guides the cooling air sucked in from the intake port 181 into the wind tunnel 29.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure when the wind tunnel member 20 of the UPS 10 is removed. On the substrate 30, a first reactor 31 as a first heating element disposed upstream in the wind tunnel 29, a second reactor 32 as a second heating element disposed downstream of the first reactor 31 in the wind tunnel 29, and a third reactor 33 as a third heating element disposed downstream of the second reactor 32 in the wind tunnel 29 are mounted. The intake port 24 of the wind tunnel member 20 shown in FIG. 3 is provided so as to be located in the vicinity of the second reactor 32.

[0034] On the substrate 30, a single heat radiating member (heat sink) 40 extending in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel 29 through the vicinity of each of the first reactor 31, the second reactor 32, and the third reactor 33 is disposed in the wind tunnel 29. The first switching element 51, the second switching element 52, and the third switching element 53 are attached to the heat radiating member 40 from the upstream side to the downstream side of the wind tunnel 29.

[0035] The UPS 10 includes an AC / DC converter having the first switching element 51 and the first reactor 31, a DC / AC converter having the second switching element 52 and the second reactor 32, a DC / DC converter having the third switching element 53 and the third reactor 33, and the like.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the air flow in the wind tunnel 29 of the UPS 10. For convenience, the wind tunnel member 20 is represented by a dashed line, and the components inside the wind tunnel member 20 are represented by solid lines. By the fan 17 disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port 15, a flow path (flow path) of cooling air from the intake port 181 toward the exhaust port 15 is formed. Specifically, as indicated by reference sign A, the air heated by the heat generating components (including, for example, the first reactor 31, the second reactor 32, the third reactor 33, the first switching element 51, the second switching element 52, the third switching element 53, etc.) in the housing is exhausted from the exhaust port 15 to the outside of the housing. Due to the intake capacity of the fan 17, as indicated by reference signs B to E and H, the cooling air outside the housing is intake into the housing from the intake port 181.

[0037] The intake port 181 is provided in the metal plate 18 (front panel 11) over an area wider than the cross-sectional area of the wind tunnel 29 at the position where the first reactor 31 is arranged. By providing the intake port 181 over a wide area of the front panel 11, as indicated by the symbols D and H, it is possible to allow the cooling air to flow to locations other than the wind tunnel 29 within the housing.

[0038] By having the first guide plates 25 and 26, the wind tunnel member 20 can concentrate the intake capacity of the fan 17 on the wind tunnel 29.

[0039] The wind tunnel member 20 has an intake port 24 on the downstream side of the first reactor 31 for taking in the cooling air sucked in from the intake port 181. Thereby, as indicated by the symbol F, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first reactor 31 can be applied to the second reactor 32 through the intake port 24.

[0040] If the intake port 24 is not provided in the wind tunnel member 20, the cooling air introduced from the intake port 181 into the wind tunnel 29 first hits the first reactor 31, absorbs the heat of the first reactor 31 and rises in temperature, and then hits the second reactor 32. Therefore, the second reactor 32 is not sufficiently cooled compared to the first reactor 31. According to the present embodiment, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first reactor 31 (the cooling air that does not pass through the vicinity of the first reactor 31 in the wind tunnel 29) can be applied to the second reactor 32 through the intake port 24, and the second reactor 32 can be appropriately cooled.

[0041] Also, as indicated by the symbol G, the cooling air that has not been heated by the first reactor 31 can be applied to the third reactor 33 through the intake port 24. Thereby, even if the air heated by the second reactor 32 hits the third reactor 33, the third reactor 33 can be appropriately cooled.

[0042] Also, as indicated by reference sign H, since cooling air is allowed to flow also to locations other than the wind tunnel 29 (outside the wind tunnel member 20) within the housing, it is possible to direct cooling air with an appropriate air volume and temperature to many heat generating components within the housing.

[0043] By disposing a heat radiating member 40 extending in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel 29 within the wind tunnel 29, the heat of the first switching element 51, the second switching element 52, and the third switching element 53 can be absorbed by the heat radiating member 40. The heat of the first switching element 51, the second switching element 52, and the third switching element 53 may be absorbed by a single heat radiating member 40. The heat of the heat radiating member 40 can be absorbed and discharged by the cooling air introduced into the wind tunnel 29 from the upstream end of the wind tunnel member 20 and the intake port 24 of the wind tunnel member 20. Thereby, improvement in space efficiency and improvement in heat radiation performance can be achieved.

[0044] By having the second guide plate 27, the wind tunnel member 20 makes it easier to take in cooling air that has not been warmed by the first reactor 31 from the intake port 24, and can more efficiently direct it to the second reactor 32.

[0045] The UPS 10 generally includes a DC / DC converter connected to a storage battery in order to supply power from the storage battery in place of the commercial power supply during a power outage. By disposing the third reactor 33 that constitutes the DC / DC converter within the wind tunnel 29, improvement in space efficiency and improvement in heat radiation performance can be achieved. The switching element 53 that constitutes the DC / DC converter can be cooled by the heat radiating member 40 disposed within the wind tunnel 29.

[0046] Although not shown, an intake port for taking cooling air that has not been warmed by the first reactor 31 and the second reactor 32 into the wind tunnel 29 may be provided at a location corresponding to the position of the third reactor 33 of the wind tunnel member 20. Thereby, cooling air that has not been warmed by the second reactor 32 can be directed to the third reactor 33. Further, an intake port for introducing cooling air into the wind tunnel 29 may be provided at a location corresponding to each of the positions of the first switching element 51, the second switching element 52, and the third switching element 53 of the wind tunnel member 20.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the first reactor 31, the second reactor 32, and the third reactor 33 are arranged in a straight line in the front-rear direction on the substrate 30 (that is, so that the distances to the heat radiating member 40 are equal). However, instead of being arranged in a straight line, the first reactor 31, the second reactor 32, and the third reactor 33 may be arranged so that the distances to the heat radiating member 40 are different. As the heat radiating member, a plurality of heat radiating members may be arranged in the wind tunnel 29 instead of the single heat radiating member 40.

[0048] In the description of the above embodiment, a UPS is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be applied to power-related devices such as power conditioners, rectifiers, and battery panels other than UPSs. That is, the following embodiments are also included in the present invention. A housing having a front panel with an air intake and a rear panel with an air exhaust, a blower arranged near the air exhaust, a wind tunnel member that defines a wind tunnel that concentrates the intake capacity of the blower in a flow path from the air intake to the air exhaust, a first heat generating body arranged upstream in the wind tunnel, and a second heat generating body arranged downstream of the first heat generating body in the wind tunnel, wherein the wind tunnel member has an intake port for taking in cooling air sucked in from the air intake downstream of the first heat generating body, a power-related device.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0049] 10 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) 11 Front panel 12 Operation display unit 13 Cover 14 Rear panel 15 Exhaust port 17 Fan 18 Metal plate 181 Opening (Air intake) 20 Wind tunnel member 21 Cover plate 22, 23 Connection plate 24 Inlet 25, 26 First guide plate 27 Second guide plate 29 Wind tunnel 30 Substrate 31 First reactor (example of first heating element) 32 Second reactor (example of second heating element) 33 Third reactor 40 Heat dissipation member 51 First switching element (example of first heating element) 52 Second switching element (example of second heating element) 53 Third switching element

Claims

1. A housing having a front panel with an air inlet and a rear panel with an air outlet; A blower disposed near the air outlet; A cover plate facing a substrate disposed in the housing across from the air inlet to the air outlet, and connection plates connecting the cover plate and the substrate and facing each other, defining a wind tunnel surrounded by the cover plate, the connection plates, and the substrate, which concentrates the air intake capacity of the blower in the flow path from the air inlet to the air outlet; A first heat generating body disposed upstream in the wind tunnel; A second heat generating body disposed downstream of the first heat generating body in the wind tunnel and comprising; The wind tunnel member has an intake port for taking in cooling air sucked in from the air inlet downstream of the first heat generating body; A heat dissipation member extending in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel is disposed in the wind tunnel, passing near the first heat generating body and near the second heat generating body. An uninterruptible power supply device.

2. The air inlet is provided on the front panel over an area wider than the cross-sectional area of the wind tunnel at the position where the first heat generating body is disposed. The uninterruptible power supply device according to claim 1.

3. Further comprising a third heat generating body disposed downstream of the second heat generating body in the wind tunnel, The heat dissipation member extends in the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel passing near the first heat generating body, near the second heat generating body, and near the third heat generating body. The uninterruptible power supply device according to claim 1.

4. The air inlet is provided on the front panel over an area wider than the cross-sectional area of the wind tunnel at the position where the first heat generating body is disposed, The wind tunnel member has a first guide plate that extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel from the upstream end of the wind tunnel toward the front panel side and guides the cooling air sucked in from the air inlet toward the wind tunnel. The uninterruptible power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The wind tunnel member has a second guide plate that extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wind tunnel from near the intake port toward the front panel side and guides the cooling air sucked in from the air inlet toward the second heat generating body. The uninterruptible power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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