Rotatable Cooling Fans for Electronics Enclosure Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronics cooling systems, when a primary cooling fan fails, the airflow to electrical components decreases, leading to insufficient cooling and increased power consumption and noise as remaining fans operate at higher speeds to compensate.
Innovation Solution
A system where cooling fans are rotatable between two orientations, allowing a redundant fan to move into the failed fan's position, maintaining airflow without increasing fan speeds, by translating and rotating other fans to ensure continuous airflow coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the speed of remaining cooling fans is increased to compensate for decreased airflow, then the total airflow into the enclosure is maintained, but power consumption and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fans are made rotatable between a first orientation (directing air into the enclosure) and a second orientation (not directing air into the enclosure). This dynamic repositioning allows the system to maintain total airflow by redirecting fans rather than increasing their speed, thereby avoiding increased power consumption and noise.
2Quantity of substance
If the speed of remaining cooling fans is increased to compensate for decreased airflow, then the total airflow into the enclosure is maintained, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fans are made rotatable between a first orientation (directing air into the enclosure) and a second orientation (not directing air into the enclosure). This dynamic repositioning allows the system to maintain total airflow by redirecting fans rather than increasing their speed, thereby avoiding increased noise.
3Reliability
If a cooling fan fails, then the electrical components aligned with that fan receive insufficient cooling airflow, but the remaining fans can be repositioned to compensate
Solution Approach 1:
Each cooling fan is rotatable relative to the fan chassis between a first orientation and a second orientation. When a fan fails, it rotates to the second orientation to clear the path, and a redundant fan rotates from the second orientation to the first orientation to take over the cooling function, maintaining reliable cooling coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
A redundant cooling fan is pre-positioned in the second orientation (not directing air into the enclosure) before any failure occurs. This preliminary positioning allows the redundant fan to quickly rotate into the first orientation and compensate for a failed fan without delay, maintaining cooling reliability.
4Reliability
If spacing between cooling fans is reduced to accommodate fan repositioning, then redundant fan engagement is enabled, but the operational envelope of each fan is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fans are designed with rotatable capability, allowing them to change orientation between first and second positions. This dynamic capability enables compact spacing between fans while maintaining sufficient operational envelope during normal operation, as fans only require close spacing when repositioning for redundancy engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and system for providing cooling to an electronics enclosure that includes redundant cooling in the event of a failure of a cooling fan. The system includes an enclosure configured to support electrical components and a fan chassis. The system also includes a plurality of cooling fans coupled to the fan chassis. Each of the plurality of cooling fans is rotatable relative to the fan chassis between a first orientation in which the fans are operable to direct air into the enclosure and a second orientation. Spacing between adjacent cooling fans is less when the second cooling fan is in the second orientation than when the second cooling fan is in the first orientation. A third one of the plurality of cooling fans automatically rotates from the second orientation to the first orientation upon the second cooling fan moving to the second orientation.