Locking louver assembly for air-moving assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9968006-B2
Application number	US-201514831073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are provided for locking an air-moving assembly within a chassis when in operational state. The apparatus includes a locking louver assembly having a louver(s) and locking mechanism. The louver(s) is disposed at an air inlet or outlet of the air-moving assembly, and pivots between operational and quiesced orientations, dependent on presence or absence, respectively, of airflow through the air-moving assembly. The locking mechanism includes a keying element(s) affixed to the louver(s) to pivot therewith, which includes an elongated key(s) oriented in a first direction when the louver(s) is in operational orientation, and a second direction when in quiesced orientation. A key-receiving element(s) is associated with the chassis and includes a key opening(s) which receives and accommodates movement of the elongated key(s) between the first and second directions, and prevents removal of the air-moving assembly from the chassis with the key(s) oriented in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a locking louver assembly in association with an air-moving assembly, the air-moving assembly residing within a chassis when in operational state and being removable from the chassis, the providing of the locking louver assembly comprising:
providing at least one louver coupled to and disposed at one of an air inlet or an air outlet of the air-moving assembly, the at least one louver pivoting between an operational orientation and a quiesced orientation, dependent on presence or absence, respectively, of airflow through the air-moving assembly; and
providing a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism comprising:
at least one keying element affixed to the at least one louver to pivot therewith, one keying element of the at least one keying element being affixed to one louver of the at least one louver at the pivot axis thereof, and comprising an elongated key extending transverse to the pivot axis, the elongated key being oriented in a first direction when the one louver is in the operational orientation, and in a second direction when the one louver is in the quiesced orientation; and
at least one key-receiving element associated with the chassis and comprising at least one key opening, one key opening of the at least one key opening receiving and accommodating movement of the elongated key therein, between the first direction and the second direction, wherein the one key opening of the at least one key opening comprises an inner wall region, and wherein the air-moving assembly is prevented from being removed from the chassis by the elongated key oriented in the first direction contacting the inner wall region of the one key opening.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one key opening comprises a pocket opening sized to receive the elongated key element and allow rotation of the elongated key between the first direction and the second direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one key opening comprises an insertion-removal slot sized to allow passage of the elongate key therethrough when oriented in the second direction to allow removal of the air-moving assembly from the chassis when the air-moving assembly is in a quiesced state.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the air-moving assembly comprises a centrifugal fan, and the at least one louver is hingedly coupled to the air-moving assembly at the air outlet thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one louver is substantially horizontal when in the operational orientation, and the elongated key is substantially vertical in the first direction.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the one louver gravitationally drops to a substantially vertical, quiesced orientation when the air-moving assembly transitions from the operational state to a quiesced state, and the elongated key is substantially horizontal in the second direction.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one key-receiving element is one of part of the chassis or secured to the chassis.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one key-receiving element comprises a block structure affixed to the chassis.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one louver is hingedly coupled to the air-moving assembly at one of the air inlet or the air outlet thereof.

10. A method comprising:
providing a locking louver assembly in association with an air-moving assembly, the air-moving assembly residing within a chassis when in operational state and being removable from the chassis, the providing of the locking louver assembly comprising:
providing at least one louver disposed at one of an air inlet or an air outlet of the air-moving assembly, the at least one louver pivoting between an operational orientation and a quiesced orientation, dependent on presence or absence, respectively, of airflow through the air-moving assembly; and
providing a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism comprising:
at least one keying element affixed to the at least one louver to pivot therewith, one keying element of the at least one keying element being affixed to one louver of the at least one louver of the locking louver assembly, and comprising an elongated key oriented in a first direction when the one louver is in the operational orientation, and in a second direction when the one louver is in the quiesced orientation; and
at least one key-receiving element associated with the chassis and comprising at least one key opening, one key opening of the at least one key opening receiving and accommodating movement of the elongated key therein, between the first direction and the second direction, and preventing removal of the air-moving assembly from the chassis with the elongated key oriented in the first direction; and

wherein the one key opening comprises a pocket opening and an insertion-removal slot, the pocket opening being defined, in part, by an inner wall region where the pocket opening connects to the insertion-removal slot, the inner wall region preventing the elongated key from entering the insertion-removal slot when the one louver is in the operational orientation.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Campbell Levi A
• Ciraulo Christopher R
• David Milnes P
• Demetriou Dustin W
• Mullady Robert K
• Schmidt Roger R

Classifications

• H05K7/2019

  Fan safe systems, e.g. mechanical devices for non stop cooling · CPC title

• H05K7/20727 Primary

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

• H05K7/20181

  Filters; Louvers · CPC title

• F04D25/14

  and having shutters, e.g. automatically closed when not in use · CPC title