Refurbishable Fan Assembly With Replaceable Bearing and Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fan assemblies for information handling systems are replaced entirely when components like the shaft or bearing deteriorate, leading to unnecessary manufacturing and disposal of still-functional parts, contributing to carbon dioxide emissions.
Innovation Solution
A refurbishable fan assembly design that allows for the replacement of only quickly-worn components such as the shaft or bearing, while reusing other functional parts, utilizing a dual-bushing system for motor assemblies and a replacement shaft for impeller assemblies to facilitate efficient refurbishment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire fan assembly is replaced when components like shaft or bearing deteriorate, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing waste and CO2 emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fan assembly is divided into modular components including the motor assembly, impeller assembly, shaft, and bearing. This segmentation allows individual components to be replaced independently rather than replacing the entire assembly, reducing manufacturing waste while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables recovery and reuse of functional components such as the motor assembly and impeller assembly after the shaft or bearing deteriorates. By discarding only the worn components and recovering the still-functional parts, manufacturing waste and CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.
2Reliability
If the entire fan assembly is replaced when components deteriorate, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption for manufacturing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan assembly is divided into modular components including the motor assembly, impeller assembly, shaft, and bearing. This segmentation allows individual components to be replaced independently rather than replacing the entire assembly, reducing manufacturing energy consumption while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables recovery and reuse of functional components such as the motor assembly and impeller assembly after the shaft or bearing deteriorates. By discarding only the worn components and recovering the still-functional parts, manufacturing energy consumption and CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.
3Loss of substance
If quickly-worn components like shaft or bearing are replaced individually, then manufacturing waste is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan assembly is divided into modular components including the motor assembly, impeller assembly, shaft, and bearing. This segmentation enables individual component replacement, reducing manufacturing waste. The modular design actually simplifies the replacement process despite the increased number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic replacement strategy where the bushing assembly can be configured in different ways (with replaceable bushing or without) depending on the specific application and wear patterns. This flexibility allows optimization between component replacement ease and structural complexity.
4Loss of substance
If quickly-worn components like shaft or bearing are replaced individually, then manufacturing waste is reduced, but repair difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan assembly is divided into modular components including the motor assembly, impeller assembly, shaft, and bearing. This segmentation enables individual component replacement, reducing manufacturing waste. The modular design actually simplifies the replacement process despite the increased number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic replacement strategy where the bushing assembly can be configured in different ways (with replaceable bushing or without) depending on the specific application and wear patterns. This flexibility allows optimization between component replacement ease and structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A carbon dioxide (CO2) minimizing refurbishable fan assembly for an information handling system may comprise a refurbishable motor assembly including a re-used bushing mechanically affixed to a re-used exterior housing and disposed through central openings of a re-used printed circuit board assembly and a re-used motor. A replaceable bushing assembly, including a replaceable bearing housed within a replaceable bushing to form a bearing aperture for receiving an impeller drive shaft of an impeller assembly, the re-usable motor for generating an electro-magnetic field for interacting with magnets on the impeller assembly to drive rotation of the impeller assembly when the aligned impeller drive shaft is disposed in a bearing aperture of the replaceable bushing assembly to reduce noise and wear on the impeller drive shaft and the replaceable bushing assembly.