JPH07101781B2 - Cabinet cooling structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooling structure for a hermetically-sealed cabinet that stores electronic equipment. The electronic equipment storage cabinet includes a cooling device that is integrally formed. It has an air duct that extends longitudinally between the end walls of the cooling fin mechanism, and the cooling fin mechanism inserts the air duct into the lower wall, and the fins move upward into the air duct and downward. The heat in the cabinet is sent to the cooling fins, where it is cooled by a pair of fans arranged at the opposite ends of the air duct.
Indirect cooling is provided in a closed cabinet.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a cabinet for storing electronic equipment, and more particularly to a cabinet cooling structure for removing heat generated inside the cabinet.

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

[Conventional technology]

However, most of the conventional cooling devices have a structure that goes inside a cabinet that stores electronic components.
The cooling device may be a passageway for water into the room inside the cabinet.

In addition, most of the known cooling devices have an "add-on" mechanism, that is, an additional installation type structure, so that they are not well integrated with other parts of the cabinet, and the optimum cooling performance cannot be obtained. Furthermore, most require that the cabinet be provided with passage holes for the cooling air flow generated by the cooling fan. Since the add-on mechanism tends to be made as compact as possible, in such a case, providing the fan itself hinders the compactness.

A known add-on cooling mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. Note that this structure is indicated by 20 in its entirety. The structure 20 includes a connection hole 24 on the top surface 26 of the cabinet 22.
It can be connected to the cabinet 22 by opening. Vents 28 and 30 are provided in the upper surface 26 of the cabinet 22 so that air flows vertically in the direction of the arrow. The air flow is forcibly sent from the fan 30 to one side of the mechanism and flows downward to enter the cabinet 22 so that warm air rises in the direction of the arrow. The warm air passes through the cooling fin mechanism 32,
It is blown out from the mechanism 20. The cooling fin mechanism 32 is composed of a cooling liquid coil.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

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 block it, and water will pass through the connection holes 24 and into the ventilation holes 28 and 30, so it cannot be used outdoors. . Further, since the fan 30 is exposed, it is easily damaged by water.

Further, in the known cooling device as shown in FIG.
Since maintenance and inspection cannot be performed unless the entire mechanism is removed, maintenance is very troublesome.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 10, the cooling mechanism in which the airflow flows vertically causes the inflow and outflow of the air to exist in a part of the cabinet, and the cooling is uneven, so that the efficiency of the cooling device tends to decrease. There is.

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

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet for storing electronic equipment in which the internal parts of the cabinet and the parts of the cooling device are exposed to the elements as little as possible.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above and other objects, an electronic equipment storage cabinet 34 according to the present invention, a base 36 for supporting the cabinet 34 as shown in FIG. 1, and an interior for mounting the electronic equipment upright from the base 36. Ventilation holes 64, 66 provided in the upper portions of the side walls 42, 44 facing each other in the longitudinal direction and the left and right end face walls 46, 48 and the left and right end face walls forming the chamber.
And an inclined plate connected at one end to the lower portions of the ventilation holes 64, 66,
An air duct 62 having a bottom wall composed of a vertically long partition plate extending the other end of the inclined plate, and a ventilation provided with louvers provided in the ventilation holes 64 and 66 and substantially parallel to the inclined plate. The cover, a part of which is located inside the air duct, and a part of which is located inside the inner chamber, cooling fin mechanisms 82 and 84 for guiding heat generated from electronic devices to the air duct, and the louver. And a fan provided on the inclined plate so as to stand upright with respect to the inclined surface. The air duct 62 is the inclined plate.
74, 76 and a vertically long partition plate 78, which is extended between the other ends of the inclined plates.
80 and [a slanted plate and a vertical partition plate form the bottom wall of the air duct], a pair extending longitudinally between the left and right end walls of the cabinet from the top surface of the cabinet toward the bottom wall of the air duct. It is preferable that the upper wall 38 and the upper wall 38 formed by the upper surface of the cabinet are opposed to each other. The vertical partition plates 78, 80 are formed with openings for mounting the cooling fin mechanisms 82, 84 so that the upper part is located in the air duct and the lower part is located in the inner chamber of the cabinet.

[Action]

The heat generated in the cabinet inner chamber 50 is guided to the cooling fin mechanisms 82 and 84 while convection.

Then, the heat introduced to the cooling fin mechanisms 82 and 84 is changed to the ventilation hole 6
Heat is dissipated in the air flow generated by 4,66 (indicated by the arrow in AIR FLOW).

The air duct and cooling fin mechanism is completely contained within the cabinet, providing a closed indirect cooling mechanism, with ventilation holes to stand upright in the base of the cabinet, almost parallel to the sloping plate. Since the ventilation cover having the louver is provided and the fan is attached to the inclined plate of the device so as to stand upright with respect to the inclined surface of the louver, the inflow of water droplets from the outside air can be prevented and the ventilation cover having the louver can be provided. Even if it is installed, air flows in parallel to the louver,
The heat generated inside the device can be dissipated efficiently.

〔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 abutment. The upper surface 38 stands upright from the base portion 36 and forms an inner chamber 50 for mounting electronic devices that generate heat during operation.
Covers 46 and 48. For example, in cabinet 34,
It contains various printed circuit board packages, DC power supply, surge protection device, backup battery, etc.

The cabinet is preferably constructed from 1/8 inch thick aluminum sheet with all exposed seams fully welded. The cabinet body and internal panels are coated with polyester powder.

A cooling device 40 integrated with the cabinet is provided at the upper part of the cabinet 34. The various components of the cooling device 40 and the detailed structure of the cabinet 34 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the ventilation hole 66 in FIG.
It corresponds to the vent hole 86 in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cabinet comprises left and right end walls 46 and 48, as well as a pair of longitudinally opposite side walls 42 and 44 which stand upright from the base portion 36.
The upper surface 38 covers the opposite side walls 42 and 44 and the left and right end surface walls 46 and 48 to form an inner chamber 50, in which various electronic devices that generate heat during operation are attached. The cabinet shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 is approximately 86 inches long,
It is 34 inches deep and 66 inches high, including a 10-inch high mounting board. The mounting board has a removable end cover to allow access to cables, AC power lines and pad mounting bolts. Cable support rack 52 (Fig. 3), battery shelf 5
4. Other mounting structures 56 are provided in the inner chamber 50 so that various components can be mounted in the cabinet 34.

The cabinet has front and rear doors to access the equipment. Thus, in FIG. 2, the side walls 42 are actually double doors that are attached to the cabinet body by continuous stainless steel hinges (not shown) at opposite longitudinal ends of the cabinet. It has become. These doors are latched by a 3-point latch mechanism (not shown). This latch mechanism is mechanically interlocked to form a padlock. This mechanical interlock mechanism is self-locking
It is designed to be operated with a wrench.

Cabinets are completely enclosed to prevent dust and moisture from entering the electronics area. Top of cabinet
38 is specially constructed to include overhang portions 58 and 60 (FIG. 3). This overhanging part is the side wall 42
And 44 to prevent water droplets from entering the inner chamber 50. Each of the overhanging portions forms a stagnant air space on opposite sides of the upper surface 38, which has the effect of increasing the surface area of the cabinet and thus allowing heat to be dissipated from the cabinet. Also, with the overhang part 58
The 60 acts to prevent water droplets from entering the equipment contained within the cabinet when the door is opened. By providing a gasket around the door, it is possible to prevent the entry of wind, snow, dust, rain, and the like.

The cooling device 40 is designed to keep the internal temperature below a predetermined temperature. In the cabinet shown, the internal temperature is
It is preferable to keep the temperature below 65 ° C. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device includes an air duct 62, which is provided between a pair of vent holes 64 and 66 provided at the upper portions of the facing end walls 46 and 48 between cabinets. It extends from one of the left and right end faces of 34 toward the other.

The cooling fin mechanisms 82, 84 are partially provided in the air duct 62 and partially in the inner chamber 50, and guide heat generated from the electronic device to the air duct. Fans 70 and 72 are attached to opposite ends of air duct 62 to cause an air flow to pass through the air duct in the direction of the arrow.

The cooling fin mechanisms 82 and 84 and the upper surface 38 of the cabinet 34 form a part of the air duct 62, and the cabinet 34 and the upper surface 38 are integrated. More specifically, the pair of inclined plates 74 and 76 have vent holes at their proximal ends, respectively.
Opposite end walls 46 and 48 of cabinet 34 below 64 and 66
Attached to the cabinet and its ends extend toward the upper surface 38 of the cabinet. The vertical partition plate 78 is connected to the inclined plates 74 and 76 and extends between the ends thereof. The inclined plates 74 and 76 and the vertical partition plate 78 form the bottom wall of the air duct 62 extending from the one end face wall 46 toward the other end face wall.

The vertical partition plate 78 is provided with an opening, and as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of cooling fin mechanisms are housed therein.

Further, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view when FIG. 2 is viewed from the front.

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

4 and 5 show in detail one end of the cooling device. Vents 86 are provided in the end wall 48 to receive a vent cover (not shown) with a screen and louvers. The sloping plate 76 is connected to a support plate 88 surrounding the ventilation hole 86. The ramp plate 76 is connected to the support plate 88 by a flange 90. Further, this inclined plate is connected to the longitudinal partition plate 78 by a flange 92 at the opposite end. The air duct side wall 94 projects from the sloping plate 74 and reaches the upper surface 38 of the cabinet. Thus,
The ramp 76, the air duct sidewalls 93 and 94 and corresponding portions of the cabinet upper surface 38 form an enlarged portion of the air duct. The opposite end of the air duct has a similar construction.

An enlarged portion of the air duct at the opposite inner end is provided to facilitate attachment of the fans 70 and 72. fan
72 is mounted within housing 100 which is supported by ramp plate 76 by mounting plate 102. When the fan 72 (and the fan 70 on the opposite side) is attached at an angle to the center of the air duct where the cooling fin mechanism is installed, a fan having a large diameter with respect to the main part in the length direction of the air duct Can be used, thus improving the air flow rate and cooling capacity. In addition, the inspection for maintenance becomes easy.

The base portion 101 of the fan housing 100 is a mounting plate made by conventional methods such as threaded fasteners, rivets and welding.
It can be connected to 102. The band portion 132 of the fan housing 100 is formed on the base portion 101. The built-in fan mechanism has rotatable blades and a drive motor,
It can be fitted into the band portion 132.

Beams 104 and 106 are provided at both ends of the air duct, and side walls 108 and 110 thereof are side walls of the air duct 62. The beam side walls 108 and 110 overlap with the air duct side walls 93 and 94 to form a continuous wall from one end side to the other end side of the air duct. However, this overlap is not necessary. The upper walls 112 and 114 of the beams 104 and 106 are connected to the upper surface 38 of the cabinet, respectively. Holes 116 are provided in the upper walls 112 and 114 so as to receive eyebolts inserted through the upper surface and the holes 116. Eyebolts (not shown) can be used to lift the cabinet, position it on its pads, and mount it there. Once in the correct position, you can aesthetically remove the eyebolts or leave them attached. If removed, the corresponding holes on the top of the cabinet can be covered with plugs or covers.

The extension divider plate 78 forms the beam side walls 108 and 110 of the beams 104 and 106.
Since it extends only to the lower end of the cooling fan mechanism, the air in all parts of the cabinet hits the lower part 83 of the cooling fin mechanism 84 without being disturbed.

Therefore, the heat generated everywhere in the cabinet is transferred to the lower part of the two cooling fin mechanisms.

Next, the details of the cooling fin mechanism 84 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The mechanism consists of a plurality of fins 117 spaced by spacer bars 118. The upper fin 117 portion of the spacer bar 118 constitutes the upper portion of the cooling fin mechanism, and enters the air duct. On the other hand, the lower portion extending below the space bar 118 constitutes the lower portion of the cooling fin mechanism. The fins 117 and the spacer bars 118 are joined by passing the threaded rods 120 through alignment holes provided in them at predetermined intervals. The threaded rod 120 is at the head end,
It has an end that accepts a threaded nut. Angle bars 122 and 124 also have threaded rods in their vertical section
A hole is provided to receive 120. When assembling the fin mechanism, fin 117 and spacer bar 1
18 are stacked alternately, and both ends of the stack are angled.
Secure with bars 122 and 124. Then thread the threaded rod 120 through the alignment holes in the laminate, fit a nut on the rod end opposite the head end and screw the threaded rod in place,
Fasten the fin mechanism components. Since the spacer bar 118 runs the entire length of the fin 117, a strong wall will be formed in the spacer bar 118 between the upper and lower portions of the fin. This wall becomes integral with the bottom of the air duct when assembled in the opening provided in the elongated divider plate 78. Horizontal part of vertical partition 78 and angle bar
The 122 and 124 can be joined by any suitable method such as threaded fasteners, rivets, and welding.

The end angle bar 126 is joined by bolts or other means to the axially opposite ends of the fin 117,
As a result, the cooling fin mechanism is attached to the vertically long partition plate 78. The vertical partition plate 78 can be independently connected to the side walls of the beams 104 and 106. The opposite end of the vertical partition plate 78 is connected to the flange 92 of the inclined plate 76.

Since the positioning of the holes of the fins and the spacer bars becomes difficult due to the problem of tolerance when the length of the fins becomes large, the cooling fin mechanism has a cooling fin mechanism 82, 84 as shown in FIG.
It is more preferable to use two of them than to provide them over the entire length of the cabinet.

The spacer bars and fins of the fin mechanism are formed by cutting or punching an aluminum sheet, but a method in which the entire structure is molded as one part is also possible, much like the one shown in the drawings.

FIG. 8 shows the inner surface 49 of the end wall 48.
As shown, the vent hole 86 has a substantially square shape, and the support plate 88 is provided at the center thereof. The support plate 88 can be attached by welding or any other suitable method.

FIG. 9 shows a louvered ventilation cover 128, which is screwed into a hole 131 in the support plate 88 until flush with the end wall 48. The screen 130 is attached to the back side of the ventilation cover 128 as an independent component, or
Alternatively, it is provided integrally with the ventilation cover 128. 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 device of the cabinet shown is designed to keep the internal temperature below 65 ° C. The cooling fin mechanism acts as a place for transferring heat to the outside air. Since the air duct 62 is sealed from the other parts of the inner chamber, water and dust do not enter the cabinet and damage the components stored in the cabinet. The fan that sends outside air into the air duct is located at the opposite end of the air duct, and has a complementary function. That is, one draws air into the duct and the other sends air out of the duct. For a cabinet of the dimensions described above, the fan is 6 inches in diameter, runs at 48 volts (DC), and is thermostatically controlled to turn on at 50 ° C and turn off at 40 ° C. In order to perform this thermostat control, the fans 70 and 72 are connected to the controller C as shown in FIG. This controller is composed of an integrated circuit, a relay having a temperature detecting function, and a switch for connecting and disconnecting a fan according to the detected temperature. The DC power supply is connected to the controller and is connected to the fan 70
It powers 72 and is charged by a battery charger connected to an AC power source.

The upper surface of the cabinet is the insulating layer 13 shown in Figs.
Insulated with foil insulation, such as 4. The insulation is preferably sold under the trade name REFLECTIX Bubble Pack Foil Insulation with a resistance (R) value of 9.2. The main purpose of insulation is to reduce the heat of discharge of the sun. A secondary effect of insulation is to keep the internal temperature constant when the ambient temperature changes periodically or rapidly.
Insulation also serves to protect against extreme cold.

When installing in a very cold environment, it is possible to attach a heater to the battery shelf 54 shown in FIG. The heater (not shown) is connected to a 15A, 120V AC circuit and turned on at 0 ° C.
It is thermostatically controlled to turn off at 15 ° C.
The heater is constructed by winding a metal plated resistive element between the neoprene rubber sheet. Each heater has a rated output of about 225 watts and needs to be protected by a 4A fuse. This type of cabinet is usually equipped with an AC power system consisting of a 100A load center, a circuit breaker, dual outlets, and a voltage surge protector, so AC power can be used.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is an integrated type and is built in a cabinet, can prevent the inflow of water droplets from the outside air, etc., and even if a ventilation cover having a louver is provided, the air is parallel to the louver. Since it flows, a cooling mechanism that can efficiently dissipate the heat generated inside the device is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a schematic view 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 front view of an end face wall 48 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing a part of the cooling fan mechanism incorporated in the cabinet when the upper surface 38 of FIG. 2 is removed and viewed from above, and FIG. 5 is FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of a part of the air duct on the exhaust side of FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the cooling fan mechanism shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the cooling fan mechanism shown in FIG. Is a partial view of one of the left and right end walls of the cabinet in FIG. 2 as seen from the inside of the cabinet, and FIG. 9 is a ventilation hole 64,66 in the end wall 46,48 when seen from the outside.
FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway sectional view of FIG. 10, and FIG. 10 is a partially developed view showing a known cooling device.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Kojima 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Within Fujitsu Limited (56) References: 53-132648 (JP, U) (JP, U) Actual Open Sho 59-61585 (JP, U) Actual Open Sho 57-201421 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cooling structure for a closed cabinet for housing electronic equipment, comprising: a base portion; and longitudinal side walls that stand upright from the base portion and form an inner chamber for housing the electronic equipment. The left and right end face walls, the ventilation holes provided in the upper portions of the left and right end face walls, the inclined plate that is connected to the lower portion of the ventilation hole at one end, and the other end of the inclined plate are provided. An air duct having a bottom wall composed of a vertically long partition plate, a ventilation cover provided in the ventilation hole and having a louver substantially parallel to the inclined plate, and a part of the ventilation cover located in the air duct and the rest. A part of which is located in the inner chamber, transfers heat generated from the electronic device to the air duct, and a fan provided on the inclined plate so as to stand upright with respect to the inclined surface of the louver. Cabinet cooling structure with.