Sliding Cooling Fan Mount for Rectangular FEM Carrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cooling-fan mounting structure in vehicles, with a rectangular opening and circular fan-blade configuration, results in decreased cooling efficiency due to insufficient air flow at the edge regions, leading to increased manufacturing costs and noise when trying to enhance cooling performance.
Innovation Solution
A sliding mounting structure for the cooling-fan within the FEM carrier's opening, utilizing a locking guide, link bar, and motor-activated pins to adjust the fan's position laterally, ensuring optimal air flow and reducing the need for additional cooling devices or increased fan power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the size of radiator fin or additional cooling device is increased to increase heat exchange area, then cooling efficiency is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fan is made movable through a linkage mechanism (link bar, pins, guide holes) that allows the fan to slide laterally between two positions. This dynamic positioning enables a single fan to cover different regions of the rectangular opening, effectively increasing the cooling coverage area without adding more fans or increasing fan size, thereby avoiding increased manufacturing costs while improving cooling efficiency
2Temperature
If power applied to cooling-fan is increased to increase wind amount, then cooling efficiency is improved, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing fan power to improve cooling efficiency, the invention dynamically positions the fan laterally to optimize air flow distribution across the rectangular opening. By sliding the fan to appropriate positions, the system achieves better cooling coverage without increasing wind amount or power consumption, thereby avoiding increased noise levels
3Device complexity
If one cooling-fan is mounted at center of opening, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling efficiency decreases at edge regions
Solution Approach 1:
A single cooling fan is used (maintaining low device complexity), but it is equipped with a lateral sliding mechanism that allows it to move between different positions within the rectangular opening. This enables the fan to be positioned optimally to cover edge regions when needed, improving cooling efficiency at edges without requiring multiple fans or increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The rectangular opening is effectively divided into different coverage zones by sliding the fan laterally between positions. The fan can be positioned to cover the center region or shifted to cover edge regions, creating segmented cooling zones that are dynamically adjusted based on cooling requirements, thereby improving overall cooling efficiency with a single fan
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting structure of a cooling-fan mounted in an opening formed on a Front End Module (FEM) carrier may include a locking guide fixed to the opening and along a longitudinal direction of which a guide hole is formed, a link bar along a longitudinal direction of which a sliding hole is pierced and one end of which is connected rotatively to the FEM carrier, a first pin that is slid through the respective guide hole and sliding hole and connects the link bar and the locking guide, a second pin, one end of which is connected slidingly to the sliding hole, and a motor connected to the other end of the second pin to rotate the second pin. The cooling-fan is connected to the first pin and slid through the opening by link-movement of the first pin, the second pin and the link bar.