Apparatus and method for cooling electronics and computer components with managed and prioritized directional air flow heat rejection
AssigneeRocky Research
InventorUwe Rockenfeller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of cooling a plurality of electronic components in a housing using one or more fans cooperating with baffles or ducts for directing a stream of air sequentially to the components or heat exchangers for the components. Direction of the air stream to the components is based on predetermined cooling prioritization of the plurality of components.
Claims73
In a computer or electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of heat generating electronic components in a housing therefore, and one or more fans cooperating therewith for providing connective air flow therein, the improvement comprising air flow directing means comprising one or more baffles and/or one or more air ducts cooperating with said one or more fans for directing a stream of air sequentially to two or more of said heat generating electronic components for cooling thereof and wherein at least one of said heat generating electronic components includes or cooperates with an active or passive cooling component in thermal communication with said stream of air for rejecting heat thereto from said electronic component.
A method of cooling a computer or electronic apparatus comprising a housing sealed to the environment from air, gas, water or other liquids and without air exchange with the ambient, having one or more boards encased in said housing containing a plurality of heat generating electronic components rejecting heat either directly or with heat sinks attached to said components, and whereby the cooling of said heat generating electronic components or heat sinks is achieved by one or more convective streams of air or a gas inside the housing, said method comprising directing at least one of the one or more streams of air to sequentially contact two or more heat generating electronic components and/or heat sinks whereby said at least one air stream sequentially contacts each said two or more electronic components and/or heat sinks without being mixed or dispersed with another stream of air.
A method of cooling a plurality of heat generating electronic components having two or more different cooling requirements in a computer or electronic apparatus comprising a housing having said plurality of heat generating electronic components therein comprising prioritizing the cooling requirements of the plurality of heat generating electronic components and directing a stream of air sequentially to said plurality of heat generating electronic components based on said cooling requirement prioritization.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.