Fan control for electronic display assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12477683-B2
Application number	US-202519034216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2025
Priority date	Mar 15, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Display assemblies with enhanced fan control are disclosed. An electronic display is located within a housing. A controller receives readings from sensors located at an airflow pathway extending within the housing and determines which of the readings is, relatively, furthest from a predetermined, associated parameter. The controller drives fans located at the airflow pathway based on the relatively furthest one of the readings in accordance with a control scheme including reading-dependent, preprogrammed operating parameters for the fans.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display assembly with enhanced fan control, said display assembly comprising:
a housing; an electronic display located within the housing; an airflow pathway extending within the housing; fans located at said airflow pathway; sensors located at said airflow pathway, said sensors comprising temperature sensors and a humidity sensor; and a controller in electronic connection with said one or more sensors and said one or more fans, said controller comprising one or more electronic storage devices comprising software instructions, which when executed, configure one or more processors to, on an ongoing basis:
receive a reading from each of said sensors;
determine which of the readings is, relatively, furthest deviated, in a predetermined fashion, from a predetermined, associated parameter, including temperature parameters for the temperature sensors and a humidity parameter for the humidity sensor;
identify, from the common control scheme, a respective operating parameter for said fans associated with the relatively, furthest deviated one of said readings; and
drive said fans in accordance with said respective operating parameter.

2 . The display assembly of claim 1 wherein:
said controller comprises additional software instructions stored at said one or more electronic storage devices, which when executed, configure one or more processors to: where any of said readings meet or exceed a respective safety threshold for a respective one said sensors, operate each of said fans at maximum operational speed.

3 . The display assembly of claim 2 wherein:
the electronic display comprises an electronic display layer and an illumination device for illuminating the electronic display layer when activated; and
said controller comprises additional software instructions stored at said one or more electronic storage devices, which when executed, configure one or more processors to: where any of said readings continue to meet or exceed the respective safety threshold and each of said fans are already operating at maximum operational speed, reduce operating power level of the backlight assembly.

4 . The display assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the electronic display comprises an electronic display layer and an illumination device for illuminating the electronic display layer when activated; and
said airflow pathway is a continuous airflow pathway which extends entirely within said housing.

5 . The display assembly of claim 1 wherein:
said common control scheme is dependent upon the readings relative to sensor-specific acceptable operating parameters.

6 . The display assembly of claim 5 wherein:
the common control scheme comprises fan speed levels which vary in relationship to a difference between the readings from said sensors and the operating parameters in a positive correlation.

7 . The display assembly of claim 6 wherein:
the fan speed levels are linearly dependent upon the difference.

8 . The display assembly of claim 5 further comprising:
a closed, continuous airflow pathway which extends entirely within said housing, wherein the airflow pathway extends between an intake and an exhaust in said housing.

9 . The display assembly of claim 8 wherein:
a first subset of the sensors is located at the closed, continuous airflow pathway; and
a second subset of the sensors is located at the airflow pathway.

10 . The display assembly of claim 8 wherein:
a first subset of the fans is located at the closed, continuous airflow pathway; and
a second subset of the fans is located at the airflow pathway.

11 . The display assembly of claim 10 wherein:
the common control scheme includes different reading-dependent, preprogrammed operating parameters for at least some of the fans.

12 . The display assembly of claim 11 wherein:
the first subset of the fans is controlled in accordance with a first set of reading-dependent, preprogrammed operating parameters of the common control scheme; and
the second subset of the fans is controlled in accordance with a second set of reading-dependent, preprogrammed operating parameters of the common control scheme.

13 . The display assembly of claim 5 wherein:
said controller comprises additional software instructions stored at said one or more electronic storage devices, which when executed, configure one or more processors to: establish zones within said housing, wherein at least one of said sensors is located within each of said zones.

14 . The display assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the predetermined parameter is a dewpoint spread threshold.

15 . The display assembly of claim 14 wherein:
said controller comprises additional software instructions stored at said one or more electronic storage devices, which when executed, configure one or more processors to:
determine a dewpoint based on the relatively highest one of said readings;
determine a local dewpoint;
determine a dewpoint spread between the dewpoint and the local dewpoint;
where said dewpoint spread is above the dewpoint spread threshold, initiate modified operations; and
while said dewpoint spread is below the dewpoint spread threshold, forgo the modified operations.

16 . A display assembly with enhanced fan control, said display assembly comprising:
a housing comprising an intake and an exhaust, each open to an ambient environment; an electronic display layer located within the housing; a cover positioned forward of said electronic display layer; an illumination device positioned rearward of the electronic display layer to illuminate the electronic display layer when powered; a first airflow pathway extending within the housing between said intake and said exhaust to form an open airflow pathway; a second airflow pathway extending entirely within said housing to form a closed, continuous airflow pathway; fans comprising a first set of one or more fans located at said first airflow pathway and a second set of one or more fans located at said second airflow pathway; sensors comprising a first set of one or more temperature sensors located at said first airflow pathway, a second set of one or more temperature sensors located at said second airflow pathway, and a set of one or more humidity sensors located at said first airflow pathway; and a controller in electronic connection with said sensors and said fans, said controller comprising one or more electronic storage devices comprising software instructions, which when executed, configure one or more processors to:
establish zones within said display assembly, including at least a first zone located at the first airflow pathway and a second zone located at the second airflow pathway, wherein at least one of said first set of one or more temperature sensors and at least one of said first set of one or more fans is located within the first zone and at least one of the second set of one or more temperature sensors and at least one of said second set of one or more fans is located within the second zone;
establish an acceptable operating parameter for data received from each of said sensors, wherein said operating parameters are different between said zones, the acceptable operating parameters comprising temperature thresholds;
establish a common control scheme for each of said fans, wherein said common control scheme comprises fan speed levels which vary relative to a difference between a reading from a respective subset of one or more of said sensors and a respective one of the operating parameters associated with the respective subset of one or more of

Assignees

• Mri Inc

Inventors

• Dunn William
• Brown Mike
• Schuch John

Classifications

• H05K7/20972

  Forced ventilation, e.g. on heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title

• G09F9/35

  being liquid crystals (G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; {liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13}) · CPC title

• G09F27/005 Primary

  Signs associated with a sensor · CPC title

• G02F2201/36

  Airflow channels, e.g. constructional arrangements facilitating the flow of air · CPC title

• G02F1/133382

  Heating or cooling of liquid crystal cells other than for activation, e.g. circuits or arrangements for temperature control, stabilisation or uniform distribution over the cell · CPC title