Reversible contra-rotating fan system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9730364-B2
Application number	US-201314073094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2013
Priority date	Nov 6, 2013
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A contra-rotating fan system includes a fan chassis. A first fan in the fan chassis includes blades that provide airflow in a first direction when the first fan rotates in a second direction, and provide airflow in a third direction opposite the first direction when the first fan rotates in a fourth direction opposite the second direction. A second fan adjacent the first fan in the fan chassis includes the same number of blades as the first fan. The first fan and the second fan rotate at the same time in opposite directions. The blades on the second fan provide airflow in the first direction when the first fan rotates in the second direction and the second fan rotates in the fourth direction, and provides airflow in the third direction when the first fan rotates in the fourth direction and the second fan rotates in the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A contra-rotating fan system, comprising:
a fan chassis;
a first fan that is mounted in the fan chassis and that includes: a first motor, at least one signal input that is coupled to the first motor and that is configured to receive one or more signals from a cooling engine, and a number of blades that are oriented to:
provide an airflow in a first direction in response to the cooling engine receiving a first signal from a cooling control sensor that causes the first motor to rotate the first fan in a second direction; and
provide an airflow in a third direction that is opposite the first direction in response to the cooling engine receiving a second signal from the cooling control sensor that causes the first motor to rotate the first fan in a fourth direction that is opposite the second direction; and

a second fan that is mounted in the fan chassis adjacent the first fan and that includes: a second motor, at least one signal input that is coupled to the second motor and that is configured to receive the one or more signals from the cooling engine, and the same number of blades as the first fan, wherein the first motor and the second motor are configured to rotate the first fan and the second fan at the same time in opposite directions, and wherein the blades on the second fan are oriented to:
provide an airflow in the first direction in response to the cooling engine receiving the first signal from the cooling control sensor that causes the second motor to rotate the second fan in the fourth direction; and
provide an airflow in the third direction in response to the cooling engine receiving the second signal from the cooling control sensor that causes the second motor to rotate the second fan in the second direction.

2. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 1 , wherein the rotation of the first fan in the second direction provides a first airflow in the first direction and the rotation of the first fan in the fourth direction provides a second airflow in the third direction, and wherein the second airflow is less than the first airflow.

3. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 2 , wherein the rotation of the second fan in the fourth direction provides a third airflow in the first direction and the rotation of the second fan in the second direction provides a fourth airflow in the third direction, and wherein the third airflow is less than the fourth airflow.

4. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 3 , wherein the first airflow provided by the first fan and the fourth airflow provided by the second fan are equivalent to an airflow provided by a second stage fan in a conventional contra-rotating fan system that has the same number of blades and the same dimensions as the first fan and the second fan.

5. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 4 , wherein the second airflow provided by the first fan and the third airflow provided by the second fan are each equivalent to an airflow provided by a first stage fan in the conventional contra-rotating fan system that includes the second stage fan.

6. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 1 , wherein the orientation of the blades on the second fan and the mounting of the second fan in the fan chassis adjacent the first fan allows for the second fan to be rotationally positioned such that the blades on the second fan are a mirror image of the blades on the first fan.

7. The contra-rotating fan system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling control sensor includes:
a first temperature sensor that is spaced apart from the fan chassis in the first direction; and
a second temperature sensor that is spaced apart from the fan chassis in the third direction,
wherein the first signal is generated by the cooling control sensor when the second temperature sensor measures a lower temperature than the first temperature sensor, and
wherein the second signal is generated by the cooling control sensor when the first temperature sensor measures a lower temperature than the second temperature sensor.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:
a chassis;
at least one processor that is in the IHS chassis;
a non-transitory memory system that is located in the chassis and that includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to provide a cooling engine; and
a cooling system that is located in the chassis and that is coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the cooling system comprises:
a first fan that includes: a first motor, at least one signal input that is coupled to the first motor and that is configured to receive one or more signals from the cooling engine, and a number of blades that are oriented to:
provide an airflow in a first direction through the chassis when the cooling engine receives a first signal from a cooling control sensor and, response, causes the first motor to rotate the first fan in a second direction; and
provide an airflow in a third direction through the chassis that is opposite the first direction when the cooling engine receives a second signal from the cooling control sensor and, in response, causes the first motor to rotate the first fan in a fourth direction that is opposite the second direction; and

a second fan that is positioned adjacent the first fan and that includes: a second motor, at least one signal input that is coupled to the second motor and that is configured to receive one or more signals from the cooling engine, and the same number of blades as the first fan, wherein the first motor and the second motor are configured to rotate the first fan and the second fan at the same time in opposite directions, and wherein the blades on the second fan are oriented to:
provide an airflow in the first direction through the chassis when the cooling engine receives the first signal from the cooling control sensor and, in response, causes the second motor to rotate the second fan in the fourth direction; and
provide an airflow in the third direction through the IHS chassis when the cooling engine receives the second signal from the cooling control sensor and, in response, causes the second motor to rotate the second fan in the second direction.

9. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the rotation of the first fan in the second direction provides a first airflow in the first direction through the chassis and the rotation of the first fan in the fourth direction provides a second airflow in the third direction through the chassis, and wherein the second airflow is less than the first airflow.

10. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein the rotation of the second fan in the fourth direction provides a third airflow in the first direction through the chassis and the rotation of the second fan in the second direction provides a fourth airflow in the third direction through the chassis, and wherein the third airflow is less than the fourth airflow.

11. The IHS of claim 10 , wherein the first airflow provided by the first fan and the fourth airflow provided by the second fan are equivalent to an airflow provided by a second stage fan in a conventional contra-rotating fan system that has the same number of blades and the same dimensions as the first fan and the second fan.

12. The IHS of claim 11 , wherein the second airflow provided by the first fan and the third airflow provided by the second fan are each equivalent to an airflow provided by a first stage fan in the conventional contra-rotating fan system that includes the second stage fan.

13. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the orientation of the blades on the second fan and the positioning of the second fan adjacent the first fan allows for the second fan to be rota

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Mundt Kevin Warren
• Ozias Orin M

Classifications

• F04D19/007

  multistage fans · CPC title

• H05K7/20727 Primary

  within server blades for removing heat from heat source · CPC title

• F04D19/024

  with contrarotating parts · CPC title