Variable inlet vanes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9695829-B2
Application number	US-201615091152-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2015
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A cooling system that includes two or more fans that each have a chassis. The chassis includes a first face, a second face, and a sidewall. The fans then can be attached to each other by attaching a sidewall of a first fan chassis to a sidewall of a second fan chassis. An adjustable vane is attached perpendicularly and approximately equidistant between the fans, with an angular control element that is attached to the first fan chassis. The vane can be oriented such that the vane divides the airflow distributed to the fans. The vane then can be adjusted radially by the angular control element, which is attached to the fan chassis. If an impeller of a fan chassis fails the vane can be adjusted radially using an angular control element to distribute more airflow to the failed fan superimposing the non-failed fan chassis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system comprising:
a first fan and a second fan, the first and second fans each including:
a fan chassis, including:
a first face with a first opening,
a second face with a second opening,
two or more impellers aligned in series of a multiple impeller counter-rotational central electronic complex fan,
a chassis sidewall,
wherein the first face and the second face oppose each other, and
wherein the fan chassis sidewall is perpendicular to the first face and the second face;

wherein the first fan chassis and the second fan chassis are attached to a server blade;
wherein the first fan chassis and the second fan chassis are attached adjacent to each other, such that the chassis sidewall of the first fan chassis is substantially parallel to the chassis sidewall of the second fan chassis;
wherein the first face of the first fan chassis and the first face of the second fan chassis are facing a same direction and are configured to intake a first airflow through the first face of the first fan chassis and the first face of the second fan chassis and exhaust the first airflow through the second face of the first fan chassis and the second face of the second fan chassis;
one or more vanes, including:
a first vane, positioned approximately equidistant from the attached sidewalls of the first face of the first fan chassis and the first face of the second fan chassis, the first vane having a first edge, and the first edge of the first vane is attached perpendicularly to the first face of the first fan chassis,
a second vane, positioned approximately equidistant from the attached sidewalls of the second face of the first fan chassis and the second face of the second fan chassis, the second vane having a second edge, and the second edge of the second vane is attached perpendicularly to the second face of the first fan chassis;

one or more extension elements, including:
a first extension element configured to produce heat to expand a length of the first vane distally away from the first face of the first fan chassis by constructing the first vane out of thermally expandable material and heating the first vane with a heating element as the first extension element, and
a second extension element, which includes attaching a third slidably attached vane to the second vane, allowing the third slidably attached vane to extend distally away from the second face of the first fan chassis by the second extension element;

one or more angular control elements, including:
a first angular control element that is configured to orient a position of the first vane radially relative to the first face of the first fan chassis along the first edge of the first vane, based on impeller failure altering the first airflow entering the first face of the first fan chassis and the first face of the second fan chassis by:
superimposing the first face of the second fan chassis in response to a second non-zero airflow entering into the first face of the first fan chassis where the second non-zero airflow entering the first face of the first fan chassis is less than the first airflow entering the second fan chassis, the angular control element including:
a first motor that is configured to alter the position of the first vane by:
determining a failure of the first fan chassis based on data from a first monitoring unit, and
varying the angle of the first vane from an open position towards a closed position based on the data from the first monitoring unit in the first fan chassis being different than the data from a second monitoring unit in the second fan chassis; and

a second angular control element, which is configured to orient a position of the second vane radially relative to the second face of the first fan chassis along the second edge of the second vane, based on impeller failure altering the first airflow exhausting the second face of the first fan chassis and the second face of the second fan chassis by:
superimposing the second face of the first fan chassis in response to a second non-zero airflow exhausting the second face of the first fan chassis where the second non-zero airflow exhausting the second face of the first fan chassis is less than the first airflow exhausting the second fan chassis, the angular control element including:
a first spring that is configured to alter the position of the second vane by:
 holding, in response to the second non-zero airflow exhausting the second face of the first fan chassis and the first airflow exhausting the second fan chassis being equal, the second vane statically and is perpendicular to the second face of the first fan chassis, and
 varying, in response to the second non-zero airflow exhausting the second face of the first fan chassis being less than the first airflow exhausting the second fan chassis, the angle of the first vane from the open position towards the closed position, including superimposing the second face of the first fan chassis where the first spring resists the movement of the second vane until the second non-zero airflow exhausting the first fan chassis is equal to the first airflow exhausting the second fan chassis.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Anderl William J
• Stathakis Karl

Classifications

• B23P19/00

  Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation {(connecting metal parts or objects by metal-working procedures B21J, B23K)}; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes (hand tools in general B25) · CPC title

• F04D19/007

  multistage fans · CPC title

• F04D29/601

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D25/166

  using fans · CPC title

• F04D29/646

  Mounting or removal of fans · CPC title