JPH03250698A - Cabinet cooling structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need of a mechanism exposed to the outside of a cabinet and prevent any water droplet from entering from fresh air by guiding heat produced in the cabinet by a heat exchanger into an air stream entering through a vent hole. CONSTITUTION:A cabinet 34 comprises left and right end walls 46, 48 and a pair of longitudinally opposing side walls 42, 44 located vertically on a base part 36. The upper surface 38 forms an inner chamber 50 covering therewith the opposing side walls 42, 44 and the left and right end walls 46, 48, in which various electrical instruments producing heat upon operation are mounted. An air duct 62 of a cooling device 40 extends from one of the left and right end surfaces of the cabinet 34 to the other of the same between a pair of vent holes 64, 66 provided in the upper part of the opposing end walls 46, 48. A heat exchanger 68 resides partly in the air duct 62 and partly in the inner chamber 50, for guiding heat produced from the electronic instruments into the air duct. The upper part 81 of a cooling fin mechanism 84 enters the air duct 62 and the lower part 83 of the same enters the inner chamber 50 toward the lower portion.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding a cooling structure for a closed cabinet that stores electronic equipment, the electronic equipment storage cabinet is equipped with an integrated cooling device, and this cooling structure has a The cooling fin mechanism includes an air duct extending longitudinally between the end walls, and the cooling fin mechanism fits the air duct into the lower wall so that the fins enter the air duct upward and move downward. The heat inside the cabinet is sent to the cooling fins, where it is cooled by a pair of fans placed at opposite ends of the air duct, allowing the heat inside the sealed cabinet to flow into the cabinet. indirect cooling is performed.

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a cabinet for storing electronic equipment, and more particularly to a cooling structure for a cabinet for removing heat generated inside the cabinet.

Custom specification cabinets for storing electronic components such as communication electronic equipment are typically made by combining parts made of aluminum plates. Since some cabinets are mounted outdoors on concrete pads, it is essential that they are sealed to prevent water ingress. Along with this, the components stored in the cabinet generate heat during operation, so a cooling device is required to remove the heat from inside the sealed cabinet. The requirement to protect the internal components by sealing and the requirement to remove the heat generated from the internal components by cooling must be met at the same time.

[Conventional technology]

However, most conventional cooling devices have a structure that goes inside the cabinet that stores electronic components.
The cooling system can be a path for water to enter the interior of the cabinet.

Additionally, most known cooling systems are "add-on" or add-on configurations that do not integrate well with other parts of the cabinet and do not provide optimal cooling performance. Additionally, most require the cabinet to be provided with passage holes for the cooling air flow generated by the cooling fan. Since add-on mechanisms tend to be made as compact as possible, the provision of a fan in such a case itself becomes an obstacle to compactness.

A known add-on cooling mechanism will be explained with reference to FIG. Note that this mechanism is indicated as a whole by 20 in the figure. This mechanism 20 can be connected to the cabinet 22 by opening a connection hole 24 in the top surface 22 of the cabinet 22. Vent holes 28 and 30 are provided in the top surface 26 of the cabinet 22 to allow air to flow perpendicularly in the direction of the arrows. Airflow from fan 30 is forced to one side of the mechanism and flows downward into cabinet 22, causing warm air to rise in the direction of the arrow. Warm air is blown out of the mechanism 20 through the cooling fin mechanism 32. The cooling fin mechanism 32 consists of a coolant coil.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The mechanism described with reference to FIG. 10 has problems associated with known cooling devices. One problem is that if this mechanism is installed on the top of the cabinet, there is nothing to shield it and water will pass through connection hole 24 and into vents 28 and 30, so it cannot be used outdoors. . Additionally, since the fan 30 is exposed, it is susceptible to water damage.

Furthermore, in the known cooling device shown in FIG. 10, the fan 30 cannot be maintained or inspected unless the entire mechanism is removed, making maintenance extremely troublesome.

Finally, as shown in Figure 10, cooling systems with vertical airflow tend to reduce the efficiency of the cooling system because the airflow into and out of the cabinet is present in a portion of the cabinet, resulting in uneven cooling. There is.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device storage cabinet in which a cooling device is integrated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet 1 for storing electronic equipment in which the internal parts of the cabinet and the parts of the cooling device are minimized from being exposed to the elements.

[Means for solving problems]

To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a cabinet 34 for storing electronic equipment, a base 36 for supporting the cabinet 34 as shown in FIG.
longitudinally opposed side walls 42.4 forming an interior chamber for mounting electronic equipment that generates heat during operation;
4 and left and right end walls 46, 48, an upper surface 38 that covers both side walls and left and right end walls, a pair of ventilation holes 64 and 66 provided in the upper portions of the left and right end walls, respectively, and an inner chamber. An air duct 62 is disposed between the ventilation holes at the top of the upper cabinet, a part of which is located within the air duct, and a part of which is located within the interior chamber, and guides heat generated from electronic equipment to the air duct. It consists of heat exchangers 82, 84 for cooling the electronic equipment, and means for introducing outside air into the air duct to remove the heat generated by the electronic equipment.

The air duct 62 is connected to a pair of inclined plates 74, 76, each of which is attached at its proximal end to the left and right end walls of the cabinet below the vent and whose terminal ends extend towards the top of the cabinet. A vertical plate 78,80 is connected and extends between its ends (the inclined plate and the vertical plate form the bottom wall of the air duct), and from the top surface of the cabinet in the longitudinal direction between the left and right end walls of the cabinet. Preferably, it consists of a pair of opposing side walls extending downwardly towards the bottom wall of the air duct and an earthen wall 38 formed by the top surface of the cabinet. The longitudinal plates 78.80 are formed with openings for mounting heat exchangers 82.84 such that the upper part of the air duct is located in the air duct and the lower part is located in the interior of the cabinet.

[Effect]

Heat exchangers 82 , 84 direct the heat generated within the cabinet interior 50 to the air duct 62 . The heat led to the air duct 62 is radiated by the air flow (indicated by the AIRFLOW arrow in the figure) generated by the ventilation holes 64 and 66.

The air duct and heat exchanger are completely contained within the cabinet, providing a closed indirect cooling mechanism, eliminating any exposed mechanisms outside the cabinet, and being self-contained, reducing air pollution from outside air. It can prevent water droplets from flowing in.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device storage cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, cabinet 34 includes a base portion 36 for mounting the cabinet on a concrete pad or other suitable support. A top surface 38 extends upright from the base portion 36 and covers opposing side walls and left and right end walls 46 and 48 forming an interior chamber 50 for mounting electronic equipment that generates heat during operation. For example, various printed circuit board packages, a DC power supply, a surge protection device, a backup battery, and the like are stored in the cabinet 34 .

Preferably, the cabinet is constructed from 1/8 inch thick aluminum sheet and all exposed seams are fully welded. The cabinet body and interior panels are polyester powder coated.

A cooling device 40 integrated with the cabinet is provided at the upper part of the cabinet 34. The various components of the cooling bag W34 and the detailed structure of the cabinet 34 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

The cabinet, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

base portion 36 along with left and right end walls 46 and 48.
It is comprised of a pair of longitudinally opposed side walls 42 and 44 that stand upright from the top. The top surface 38 covers the opposing side walls 42 and 44 and the left and right end walls 46 and 48 to form an inner chamber 50.
It is designed to be used to attach various electronic devices that generate heat during operation. The cabinet shown in Figures 1-8 is approximately 86 inches long and 34 inches deep.
It is 66 inches tall, including the 10 inch tall mounting board. For installation, the board has a removable end cover, and the cable, AC power supply line, and band attachment bolts can be accessed. Cable supports 52 (FIG. 3), battery shelves 54, and other mounting structures 56 are provided within interior chamber 50 to allow various components to be mounted within cabinet 34.

The cabinet has doors on the front and back for inspecting equipment. Therefore, in FIG. 2, the side wall 42 is
It actually consists of continuous stainless steel hinges (not shown) at opposite longitudinal ends of the cabinet.
It has double doors attached to the cabinet body.

These doors are latched by a three point latching mechanism (not shown). This latch mechanism is mechanically interlocked and forms a padlock.

This mechanical interlock mechanism is self-locking and is operated with an Allen wrench.

The cabinet is completely sealed to prevent dust and moisture from entering the electronics area. The top surface 38 of the cabinet is specially configured to include overhang portions 58 and 60 (FIG. 3).

This overhang protrudes from the opposing side walls 42 and 44 to prevent water droplets from entering the interior chamber 50. Each of the overhang portions creates a stagnant air space on opposite sides of the top surface 38, which has the effect of increasing the surface area of the cabinet, thus allowing heat to be dissipated from the cabinet.

Overhang portions 58 and 60 also serve to prevent water droplets from entering equipment stored within the cabinet when the door is opened. By installing a gasket around the door, you can prevent wind, snow, dust, rain, etc. from entering.

The cooling device 40 is designed to keep the internal temperature below a predetermined temperature. In the illustrated cabinet, the internal temperature is preferably maintained below, for example, 65°C. The cooling device includes an air duct 62, as shown in FIG. It extends from one of the left and right end surfaces of the cabinet 34 toward the other. A heat exchanger 68 is provided partially within the air duct 62 and partially within the interior chamber 50 to guide heat generated from the electronic equipment to the air duct. fan 70 and 7
2 are attached to both ends of the air duct 62 to induce an air flow through the air duct in the direction of the arrow.

Heat exchanger 68 and top surface 38 of cabinet 34 form part of air duct 62 . More specifically, the pair of ramp plates 74 and 76 are attached at their proximal ends to the opposing end walls 46 and 48 of the cabinet 34 below the vents 64 and 68, respectively, and at their terminal ends to the upper surface of the gear vignette. It extends towards 38. Vertical partition plate 78
is connected to the inclined plates 74 and 76 and extends between their ends. Inclined plates 74 and 76 and elongated partition plate 78 form a bottom wall 80 of air duct 62 extending from one opposing end wall 46 to the other end wall.

The vertically elongated partition plate 78 is provided with an opening, and a pair of cooling fin mechanisms are accommodated in the opening as shown in the first section.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling fin mechanism 84 is attached to the vertically long partition plate 78. The upper part 81 of the cooling fin mechanism 84 enters into the air duct 62, and the lower part 83
enters the inner chamber 50 downward.

Figures 4 and 5 show details of one end of the cooling device. A ventilation hole 86 is provided in the end wall 48;
A ventilation cover (not shown) with a screen and louvers is inserted into the receptacle.

Slope plate 76 is connected to support plate 8 surrounding vent hole 86 . Slope plate 76 is connected to support plate 88 by a flange 90. Furthermore, this inclined plate is connected to the elongated partition plate 78 by a flange 92 at the opposite end. Opposing side walls 93 and 94 protrude from inclined plate 76 and extend to the top surface 38 of the cabinet. Thus,
The ramped plate 76, the opposing side walls 93 and 94 and the corresponding portions of the top surface 38 of the cabinet form an enlarged portion of the air duct. The opposite end of the air duct has a similar configuration.

The enlarged portion at the opposite end of the air duct includes fans 70 and 72.
This is provided to facilitate the installation of the Fan 72 is mounted within a housing 100 which is supported by mounting plate 102 on ramp plate 76 .

When fan 72 (and opposing fan 70) are mounted at an angle to the center of the air duct where the cooling fin arrangement is located, the larger diameter fan is mounted relative to the main length of the air duct. can be used, resulting in improved air flow and cooling capacity. Furthermore, inspection for maintenance becomes easier.

fan housing], the base portion 101 of OO is
Threaded fasteners, rivets. The attachment can be connected to plate 102 in a conventional manner, such as by welding.

A hand portion 132 of fan housing 100 is formed on base portion 101'. The built-in fan mechanism
It is equipped with a rotatable blade and a drive motor, and can be fitted into the hand portion 132.

Beams 104 and 106 are provided on either side of the air duct;
The side walls 108 and 110 form the side walls of the air duct 62. The opposing ends of the beam sidewalls 108 and 110 each overlap the opposing sidewall to form a continuous wall from one end of the air duct to the other end. However, this overlap may not be necessary. beams 104 and 10
The upper walls 112 and 114 of 6 are each connected to the upper surface 38 of the cavity foot. Holes 116 are provided in the top walls 112 and 114 to receive eye bolts inserted through the top surface and holes 116. Eye bolts (not shown) can be used to lift the cabinet, position it on its pad, and attach it there. Once in the correct position, the eyebolts can be removed for aesthetic reasons or left in place. If removed, the corresponding hole in the top of the cabinet can be hidden with a plug or cover.

As shown again in FIG. 3, interior sidewalls 108 and 110 of beams 104 and 106 extend downwardly to the lower end of divider plate 78 so that the total cross-sectional area of the interior space below divider plate 78 is reduced by cooling fin arrangement 84. It communicates with the lower part 83 of. Therefore,
Heat generated at a particular location within the cabinet will be transferred to the lower portion of the two cooling fin arrangements.

Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the cooling fin mechanism 84
Explain the details. This mechanism consists of a spacer bar 118
It consists of a plurality of fins 117 spaced apart by. Fin 117 above spacer bar 118
The part constitutes the upper part of the cooling fin arrangement and extends into the air duct. On the other hand, the downwardly extending lower portion of space bar 118 constitutes the lower portion of the cooling fin mechanism. The fins 117 and spacer bars 118 are
These are coupled by passing threaded rods 120 through alignment holes provided at predetermined intervals. Threaded rod 120 has a head end and an end that receives a threaded nand. Angle bars 122 and 124 also have holes in their vertical portions for receiving threaded rods 120. When assembling the fin mechanism, fins 117 and spacer bars 118 are stacked alternately, and both ends of the stack are connected to angle bars 122 and 1.
Fix it at 24. The threaded rod 120 is then threaded through the alignment hole in the laminate, a NAND is fitted to the end of the rod opposite the head end, and the threaded rod is screwed to fasten the fin mechanism components. Since the spacer bar 118 spans the entire length of the fin 7117(7), a strong wall is formed in the spacer bar 118 between the upper and lower portions of the fin. This wall, when assembled into the opening provided in the partition plate 78, becomes integral with the bottom of the air duct. The horizontal portions of the partition plate 78 and the angle bars 122, 124 may be joined by any suitable method, such as threaded fasteners, rivets, or welding.

End angle bar 126 is coupled by bolts or other means to the axially opposite end of fin 117, thereby attaching the cooling fin arrangement to partition plate 78. The partition plate 78 can be connected independently to the side walls of the beams 104,106. Further, the opposite end of the partition plate is connected to the flange 92 of the inclined plate 76.

Because alignment of the fins and the holes in the spacer bar becomes more difficult as the length increases, it is preferable to have one fin mechanism along the entire length of the cabinet.
Preferably, there are two as shown in the figure.

The spacer bars and fins of the fin mechanism are formed by cutting or stamping aluminum sheets, but the entire structure could also be molded as one piece, much like what is shown in the drawings.

FIG. 8 shows the inner surface 49 of the end wall 48. As shown, the vent hole 86 is generally square with a support plate 88 at its center. This support plate 88 can be attached by welding or other suitable methods.

FIG. 9 shows a louvered ventilation cover 128 that is fitted flush with the ventilation hole 86 and screwed into a hole 131 provided in the support plate 88. Screen 130 is an independent component with ventilation cover 128
or the ventilation cover 128
It is installed integrally with the The screen is attached to the cover by folding the edges of the ventilation cover and overlapping the edges of the screen 130.

The cooling system in the illustrated cabinet is designed to maintain an internal temperature below 65°C. The cooling fin mechanism acts as a point for transferring heat to the outside air. Since the air duct 62 is sealed from the rest of the interior, water and dust can enter the cabinet and damage the components stored inside the cabinet. No damage will be caused. The fans that blow outside air into the air duct are located at opposite ends of the air duct and have a complementary function. That is, one pulls air into the duct and the other pumps air out of the duct. For a cabinet of the dimensions described above, the fan would be 6 inches in diameter and 48
Volt (DC) operation, power on at 50°C, 40°C
It is thermostatically controlled to turn off at °C. To perform this thermostatic control, fans 70 and 72 are connected to controller C, as shown in FIG.

This controller consists of an integrated circuit, a relay with a temperature detection function, and a switch that connects and disconnects the fan depending on the detected temperature. A DC power source is connected to the controller and powers the fans 70 and 72, whose charging is performed by a battery charging device connected to the AC power source.

The top surface of the cabinet is covered with an insulating layer 1 as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
Insulated with foil insulation, such as No. 34. Preferably, the insulation is sold under the trade name REFLECTIX Bubble Pack Foil Insulation, which has a resistance (R) value of 9.2. The main purpose of insulation is to reduce the sun's radiant heat.

A secondary effect of insulation is to maintain a constant internal temperature when the outside temperature changes periodically or rapidly. Insulation also serves to protect against extreme cold conditions.

When installed in a very cold environment, it is possible to attach a heater to the battery shelf 54 shown in FIG. A heater (not shown) is connected to a 15A, 120V AC circuit;
It is thermostatically controlled to turn on at 0°C and turn off at 15°C. The heater is neobrene rubber.
It is constructed by wrapping a metal-plated resistive element between sheets. Each heater has a rated output of approximately 225 watts and must be protected with a 4A fuse. ACt sources are available since this type of cabinet typically has an AC power system consisting of a 100A load center, circuit breakers, and dual outlet voltage surge protectors.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, a cooling mechanism that is integrated and built into a cabinet is provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cabinet for storing electronic equipment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the cabinet for storing electronic equipment according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 2. Figure 4 is a partial plan view showing a part of the cooling fan mechanism incorporated in the cabinet shown in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 4, which consists of the top surface of the cabinet, the fan, and the support structure. , FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the cooling fan mechanism shown in FIG. 3,
Fig. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the cooling fan mechanism shown in Fig. 6, Fig. 8 is a partial view showing the back side of one of the left and right end walls of the cabinet shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 9 is shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded side view showing one of the louvered ventilation holes provided on the opposing end surface of the cabinet. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded view showing a known cooling device.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A cooling structure for a closed cabinet that stores electronic equipment, which includes a base part and a longitudinal section that stands upright from the base part and forms an inner chamber for housing electronic equipment that generates heat during operation. an opposing side wall, left and right opposing end walls, a pair of ventilation holes each provided in an upper portion of the opposing end walls, and a pair of ventilation holes arranged between the ventilation holes and extending from one of the left and right end walls toward the other. an air duct that is isolated from the upper part of the interior chamber by a bottom wall that is by means of heat exchange for transferring the air to the air duct and by feeding outside air into the air duct.
A cabinet cooling structure consisting of a means for removing heat generated from electronic equipment. (2) The heat exchange means comprises at least one cooling fin mechanism, which is attached to the upper part of the cabinet and consists of an upper part located in the air duct and a lower part located in the inner chamber. Claim (1)
Cooling structure of the stated cabinet. (3) Each of the air ducts has a proximal end and a terminal end, each proximal end being connected to the opposite end wall of the cabinet below the vent, and the terminal end extending upward toward the top surface of the cabinet. The air duct consists of a pair of inclined plates extending in the air duct, and a vertically long partition plate connected to the inclined plates and extending between the terminal ends thereof, the inclined plates and the vertical partition plate forming the bottom wall of the air duct. and a top wall formed by the top surface of the cabinet; and a top wall formed by the top surface of the cabinet. Section (1)
Cabinet as described.