Pivotable fan assembly and associated systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9913401-B2
Application number	US-201414289949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2014
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A pivotable fan assembly includes a mounting frame, a panel, and a bracket. The panel can be coupled to the mounting frame at a first edge. The panel can pivot about the mounting frame between a first position and an angularly displaced second position. At least one fan assembly can be coupled to the bracket, which extends distally from the panel with a first pair of adjacent sides of the fan assembly bounded by the panel and the bracket and a second pair of adjacent sides of the fan assembly unbounded and exposed. When attached to a chassis cover, the panel can pivot to expose the fan assembly for tool-less replacement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pivotable fan assembly for attaching to a unit for cooling electronic components housed by the unit, comprising:
a mounting frame for attaching the pivotable fan assembly to an inside cover of the unit housing the electronic components;
a panel coupled to the mounting frame at a first edge of the panel and extending distally from the mounting frame to a second edge of the panel, the panel to pivot about the mounting frame between a first position and an angularly displaced second position;
a bracket, coupled to and extending distally from the panel for receiving a fan assembly, wherein when the at least one fan assembly is received by the bracket and the panel is in the first position the at least one fan assembly is disposed within an interior volume of the unit for providing air to the electronic components housed within the unit, and wherein the bracket includes a tool-less latching device, fixedly coupled to the bracket, and the latching device to couple the at least one fan assembly to the bracket to permit tool-less removal of the at least one fan assembly from the bracket; and
the at least one fan assembly having a first pair of adjacent sides bounded by the panel and the bracket when received by the bracket for pivoting the at least one fan assembly with the panel when the panel is pivoted between the first position and the angularly displaced second position;
the at least one fan assembly having a second pair of adjacent sides unbounded and exposed when received by the bracket for providing accessibility to release the fan assembly from the bracket when the panel is in the angularly displaced second position while the mounting frame remains attached to the inside cover of the unit housing the electronic components.

2. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 1 , the panel and the bracket defining an ell about the first pair of adjacent sides.

3. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 1 , the latching device comprising a base member and a cantilevered arm, the base member comprising one or more bosses to insert into one or more apertures of the at least one fan assembly, the cantilevered arm extending from the base member to retain the one or more bosses within the one or more apertures.

4. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 3 , the base member and the cantilevered arm defining an ell about a third pair of adjacent sides of the at least one fan assembly.

5. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 4 , the first pair of adjacent sides and the third pair of adjacent sides comprising a common side.

6. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more minor cantilever arms to attach to one or more sides of the at least one fan assembly.

7. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 1 , the latching device comprising an electrical connector to couple to the at least one fan assembly.

8. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 7 , the electrical connector disposed within an ell defined by the latching device.

9. The pivotable fan assembly of claim 1 , the bracket defining one or more apertures, the at least one fan assembly do draw air through the one or more apertures.

10. A chassis cover, comprising:
a major face defining an aperture disposed interior to the major face;
a mounting frame coupled along an edge of the aperture;
a panel to pivot about the mounting frame between a first position closing the aperture and a second position angularly displaced from the first position;
a bracket extending from the panel for receiving a fan assembly, wherein the bracket includes a tool-less latching device, fixedly coupled to the bracket, and the latching device to couple the at least one fan assembly to the bracket to permit tool-less removal of the at least one fan assembly from the bracket; and
the at least one fan assembly pivotable with the panel between the first position and the angularly displaced second position;
the at least one fan assembly disposed at a first side of the chassis cover when the panel is in the first position, the at least one fan assembly disposed within an interior volume of the unit for providing air to electronic components housed within the chassis; and
a plurality of sides of the at least one fan assembly exposed at a second side of the chassis cover when the panel is in the second position for providing accessibility, while maintaining the chassis cover in position, to release the fan assembly from the bracket when the panel is in the angularly displaced second position.

11. The chassis cover of claim 10 , the aperture surrounded by portions of the major face of the chassis cover.

12. The chassis cover of claim 10 , further comprising a torsion spring to bias the panel in the first position.

13. The chassis cover of claim 12 , further comprising one or more gaskets disposed between the panel and the chassis cover.

14. The chassis cover of claim 10 , further comprising a latching device comprising a base member disposed between the at least one fan assembly and the bracket.

15. The chassis cover of claim 14 , further comprising a cantilevered arm extending from the base member, the at least one fan assembly coupled to the bracket by the cantilevered arm.

16. The chassis cover of claim 14 , the at least one fan assembly to draw air through one or more apertures defined in the base member and the bracket.

17. The chassis cover of claim 15 , the cantilevered arm and the base member defining the tool-less latching device to permit tool-less removal of the at least one fan assembly from the bracket with the removal being snap out.

18. An electronic component chassis, comprising:
a top surface, a bottom surface, and one or more side surfaces defining an interior volume of the electronic component chassis;
a pivotable fan assembly disposed along, and interior to, one of the top surface or the bottom surface, the pivotable fan assembly comprising a panel having at least one fan assembly attached thereto for cooling electronic components housed by the electronic component chassis;
the panel pivotable from a closed position with the at least one fan assembly disposed within the interior volume of the electronic component chassis for providing air to the electronic components housed within the chassis to an angularly displaced open position exposing plural sides of the at least one fan assembly exterior to the electronic component chassis for providing accessibility, while maintaining a position of the surfaces of the chassis, to release the fan assembly from a tool-less latching device that is fixedly coupled to the bracket, and the tool-less latching device being coupled to the at least one fan assembly to permit tool-less removal of the at least one fan assembly from the bracket when the panel is in the angularly displaced second position.

19. The electronic component chassis of claim 18 , the pivotable fan assembly disposed along and interior to the top surface, wherein gravity biases the panel in the closed position.

Assignees

• Arris Entpr Inc
• Arris Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Gonzalez Inda Carlos Paul
• Cruz Corral Humberto
• Linares Rivas Oswaldo Enrique
• Lopez Moreno Luis
• Ayala Vera Julio Cesar
• Arroyo Calderon Monica

Classifications

• F04D19/002

  Axial flow fans · CPC title

• G06F1/181

  Enclosures (for portable computers G06F1/1613) · CPC title

• H05K7/20136

  Forced ventilation, e.g. by fans (H05K7/202 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D29/522

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• H05K7/20172 Primary

  Fan mounting or fan specifications · CPC title