Electronic device and fan-retaining structure thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976559-B2
Application number	US-201514734163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2015
Priority date	Feb 2, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing and a fan. The housing has a fan-retaining structure including a base, two side walls and at least one elastic clamping unit. The two side walls are disposed on the base and respectively have a guiding slot and an elastic clamping unit. The two guiding slots and the base corporately define a receiving space. The elastic clamping unit has a top-blocking portion formed on one end thereof. The fan is selectively mounted in the receiving space along a longitudinal direction. As the fan is disposing into the receiving space, the top-blocking portion is propped up by the fan, and the elastic clamping unit is elastically curved outward. After the fan is disposed in the receiving space, the top-blocking portions and the base corporately clamp the fan, and the movement of the fan is restricted in the longitudinal direction and in a radial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fan-retaining structure, for receiving a fan, the fan-retaining structure comprising:
a base;
two side walls, disposed on the base and being opposite to each other, each of the side walls erectly arranged on the base along a longitudinal direction, each of the side walls having an inner side facing to each other and a guiding slot formed on the inner side, wherein the two guiding slots and the base corporately define a receiving space for receiving the fan; and
a pair of elastic clamping units, respectively arranged on the inner side of the two side walls, and respectively disposed in the guiding slots,
wherein each of the elastic clamping units has a top-blocking portion formed on a top end thereof away from the base, wherein the top-blocking portion has at least one part protruded outside a top end of the side walls away from the base, and each of the top-blocking portions protruded into the receiving space;
wherein an inner surface of the top-blocking portion having a width substantially equal to a width of the guiding slot, so as to fully retaining the fan between the pair of clamping units;
wherein the fan is selectively mounted in the receiving space along the longitudinal direction; as the fan is disposing into the receiving space, the top-blocking portion is propped up by the fan, so that the elastic clamping units are elastically curved outward; whereby after the fan is disposed in the receiving space, two sides of the fan are respectively arranged in the two guiding slots, and a height of the guiding slot between the two side walls is substantially equal to a height of the fan; wherein the two guiding slots restrain the fan from moving in an axial direction of the fan; wherein the top-blocking portions and the base corporately clamp the fan, so as to restrain the fan from moving in the longitudinal direction.

2. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the top-blocking portions has one side facing the base formed with a first guiding structure; wherein as the fan is moving from the receiving space away from the base, each of the first guiding structures is propped up by the fan and elastically curved away from each other, whereby the elastic clamping units are curved elastically away from each other.

3. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each of the top-blocking portions has a second guiding structure formed on one side thereof opposite to the first guiding structure; whereby as the fan is disposing in the receiving space, the second guiding structures are propped up by the fan, and the pair of elastic clamping units are curved elastically away from to each other.

4. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first guiding structure is an arc-shaped structure concavely formed on an inner side of the top-blocking portion facing the base, the arc-shaped structure is extended away from the base.

5. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one buffering unit correspondingly arranged on the base or on the inner side of the side walls facing to each other in the receiving spaces; whereby as the fan is disposing in the receiving space, one side of the buffering unit contacts a surface of the fan.

6. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one structure-strengthening piece having two ends connected the two side walls respectively.

7. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the side walls has a plurality of guiding bevels on one end thereof away from the base.

8. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper erectly disposed on the base; whereby as the fan is disposing in the receiving space, the first auxiliary elastic clamper elastically clamps the fan.

9. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a supporter and at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper; wherein the supporter has two ends respectively connected two ends of the two side walls away from the base; wherein the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper is erectly disposed on the supporter and in the receiving space; whereby as the fan is disposing in the receiving space, the second auxiliary elastic clamper elastically clamps the fan.

10. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper and the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper are formed in inclined shape;
whereby as the fan is disposing in the receiving space, the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper and the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper are propped up by the fan and curved outward elastically; whereby after the fan is disposed in the receiving space, the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper and the second auxiliary elastic clamper are elastically restored to an original position to clamp sides of the fan.

11. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper close to the base formed with a first inclined plane, and the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper has one side away from the base formed with a first inclined plane;
wherein the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper has one end away from the base formed with a second inclined plane, and the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper has one end away from the supporter formed with a second inclined plane;
whereby as the fan is disposing in or removed out of the receiving space, the fan abuts against the first inclined planes and the second inclined planes, so that the at least one first auxiliary elastic clamper and the at least one second auxiliary elastic clamper are curved outward elastically.

12. The fan-retaining structure as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the base, the side walls, the elastic clamping units, the first auxiliary elastic clamper, the supporter and the second auxiliary elastic clamper are integrally formed in one piece.

13. An electronic device, comprising a housing and a fan, the housing having a fan-retaining structure for receiving the fan, the fan-retaining structure comprising:
a base;
two side walls, disposed on the base and being opposite to each other, each of the side walls erectly arranged on the base along a longitudinal direction, each of the side walls having an inner side facing to each other and a guiding slot formed on the inner side, wherein the two guiding slots and the base corporately define a receiving space for receiving the fan; and
a pair of elastic clamping units, respectively arranged on the inner side of the two side walls and respectively disposed in the guiding slots;
wherein each of the elastic clamping unit has a top-blocking portion formed on a top end thereof away from the base, wherein the top-blocking portion has at least one part protruded outside a top end of the side walls away from the base, and each of the top-blocking portions protruded into the receiving space;
wherein an inner surface of the top-blocking portion having a width substantially equal to a width of the guiding slot, so as to fully retaining the fan between the pair of elastic clamping units;
wherein the fan is selectively mounted in the receiving space along the longitudinal direction; as the fan is disposing into the receiving space, the top-blocking portion is propped up by the fan, so that the elastic clamping units are elastically curved outward; whereby after the fan is disposed in the receiving space, two sides of the fan are respectively arranged in the two guiding slots

Assignees

• Lite On Electronics Guangzhou
• Lite On Technology Corp

Inventors

• Shih Yi-An
• Tsai Ming-Yuan

Classifications

• F04D19/002 Primary

  Axial flow fans · CPC title

• F04D29/601

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title