Fan Frame Recesses for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fans used in electronic devices produce noise due to the rigid frame materials, which are not effectively mitigated by existing sound-absorbing methods that require increased size and cost, limiting their application in standardized systems.
Innovation Solution
A fan frame design incorporating a porous sound absorber with a recess and cover, where the sound absorber is slightly smaller than the recess, and a supporting member ensures secure placement, allowing for noise absorption without increasing the fan's volume or size, using a porous material with holes of varying diameters to effectively reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sound-absorbing cotton is disposed in the housing to surround the fan, then noise is reduced, but the size and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing sound-absorbing material only in specific recesses at the four corners of the fan frame, rather than surrounding the entire fan. This localized approach reduces noise effectively while minimizing the increase in overall fan volume and maintaining standard size compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The sound-absorbing material is nested within recesses that are already part of the fan frame structure. The recesses are formed between adjacent flanges on the fan frame, allowing the sound-absorbing material to be integrated into the existing structure without adding external volume.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sound-absorbing cotton is disposed in the housing to surround the fan, then noise is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By limiting sound absorption to specific corner recesses rather than full surrounding coverage, the amount of sound-absorbing material required is significantly reduced, thereby lowering manufacturing cost while maintaining effective noise reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential sound-absorbing function to the minimum necessary locations (four corner recesses), removing the need for extensive sound-absorbing material while preserving the core noise reduction benefit.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the fan size is increased to accommodate sound absorption, then noise is reduced, but adaptability to standardized systems decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sound-absorbing material is nested within existing recesses of the standard fan frame structure, ensuring that the overall external dimensions remain unchanged. This allows the modified fan to maintain compatibility with standardized mounting systems and enclosures.
Solution Approach 2:
The localized placement of sound-absorbing material in corner recesses ensures that the fan's external profile and mounting interface dimensions remain standard, preserving adaptability to existing systems while providing noise reduction functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design successfully reduces noise levels by 2 dB(A) compared to conventional fans, maintaining standard sizes and reducing manufacturing costs while ensuring efficient heat dissipation and noise comfort.
Implementation Method 1
At least one sound absorber is disposed using a limited space in a fan without increasing fan volume, such that the sound is absorbed during the operation, thereby decreasing or even eliminating noises produced by the fan
Data Source
AI summary
A fan includes an impeller and a fan frame. The fan frame has a main body and at least one sound absorber, wherein the main body has a passage for receiving the impeller, a plurality of flanges are disposed on a periphery of the main body, a recess is defined between the two adjacent flanges, an aperture is disposed on a wall of the main body corresponding to the recess so as to allow the recess to communicate with the passage, and the sound absorber is disposed in the recess. Also, a cover is assembled in the main body and covers the sound absorber within the recess.