Airflow arrangement in a wireless audio transceiver housing
An wireless audio transceiver housing comprising an air inlet, an intake manifold, one or more fans, directing vanes, and an exhaust port, wherein the geometry of the intake manifold, the directing vanes, and the exhaust port are configured to enhance airflow from the one or more fans through the housing, over a heatsink, and out the exhaust port towards the rear of the housing by minimizing the pressure drop for the one or more fans and maximizing the potential for airflow through the unit.
1. A wireless audio transceiver housing comprising:
an intake manifold configured to:
reduce a resultant noise in the housing from a first airflow; and
bend the first airflow from an ambient air inlet into a first fan inlet; and
wherein the intake manifold comprises a first protruding member configured to:
regulate a velocity of the first airflow to a laminar flow.
2. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 1 , wherein the intake manifold comprises a first curved member configured to operate in concert with the first protruding member to regulate the velocity of the first airflow and to redirect the first airflow from a first direction to a second direction from the ambient air inlet into the first fan inlet.
3. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 2 , wherein the intake manifold further comprises:
a second protruding member configured to operate in concert with a second curved member to regulate a velocity of a second airflow and to redirect the second airflow from the first direction to the second direction from the ambient air inlet into a second fan inlet; and
a third protruding member configured to operate in concert with a third curved member to regulate a velocity of a third airflow and to redirect the third airflow from the first direction to the second direction from the ambient air inlet into a third fan inlet.
4. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 3 , wherein the first, second, and third protruding members; the first, second, and third curved members; and the first, second, and third fan inlets are configured to operate in concert to evenly distribute the first, second, and third airflows from the ambient air inlet to the respective first, second, and third fan inlets.
5. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 1 , wherein the intake manifold is configured to prevent the resultant noise in the housing from the first airflow from exceeding 14 decibels.
6. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 1 , further comprising:
a front face, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a rear face, wherein the ambient air inlet is disposed along the front face of the housing;
an inlet plenum defined by the ambient air inlet, the first sidewall of the housing, and the intake manifold, the intake manifold comprising at least one inlet duct, wherein the at least one inlet duct comprises a first inlet fan, and wherein the first inlet fan is disposed within the at least one inlet duct; and
at least one inlet vane configured to direct the first airflow from the at least one inlet duct through an interior heatsink to at least one exhaust port attached to the second sidewall of the housing; and
wherein the first protruding member comprises the at least one inlet vane, and wherein the at least one inlet vane is configured to regulate the velocity of the first airflow to the laminar flow, reduce a resultant noise of the first airflow, and minimize a pressure drop across the inlet duct to the exhaust port.
7. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 6 , wherein:
the intake manifold comprises a second inlet duct and a third inlet duct;
the second inlet duct comprises a second inlet fan within the second inlet duct;
the third inlet duct comprises a third inlet fan within the third inlet duct;
the intake manifold is configured to evenly distribute airflow to the first inlet fan, second inlet fan, and third inlet fan; and
the first inlet fan, the second inlet fan, and the third inlet fan are configured to minimize a pressure drop across the first inlet fan, the second inlet fan, and the third inlet fan.
8. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 7 wherein;
the first inlet fan is attached to the intake manifold adjacent the ambient air inlet;
the third inlet fan is attached to the intake manifold adjacent the rear face of the housing; and
the second inlet fan is attached to the intake manifold intermediate the first and third inlet fans.
9. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 8 , wherein the intake manifold is further configured such that the first inlet fan is offset from the first sidewall of the housing a first distance, the second inlet fan is offset from the first sidewall of the housing a second distance, and the third inlet fan is offset from the first sidewall a third distance.
10. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 9 , wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance, and the second distance is greater than the third distance.
11. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 6 , wherein the at least one exhaust port further comprises a plurality of exhaust louvers configured to direct the first airflow from the at least one exhaust port towards the rear face of the housing.
12. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 6 , further comprising a second air duct intermediate the inlet plenum and the at least one exhaust port, the second air duct defined by a first and second inlet vane, a plurality of circuit boards disposed above and below the first and second inlet vanes, and the interior heatsink.
13. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 7 , wherein the second inlet fan is configured to provide a second airflow that is at least partially parallel to the first airflow, wherein the third inlet fan is configured to provide a third airflow that is at least partially parallel to the first and second airflow, and wherein the second airflow and the third airflow are laminar air flow.
14. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 7 , further comprising a controller module that is electrically connected to the first inlet fan, the second inlet fan, and the third inlet fan, wherein the controller module is configured to communicatively enable independent operation of the first inlet fan, the second inlet fan and the third inlet fan.
15. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more circuit boards comprising one or more generally planar surfaces;
a first face comprising the ambient air inlet,
a first air duct partially defined by the one or more generally planar surfaces of the one or more circuit boards; and
a first fan for drawing air from the ambient air inlet to the first air duct to provide the first airflow, wherein the first airflow is configured to cool the transceiver housing.
16. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 15 , further comprising a second air duct providing a second airflow that is at least partially parallel to the first airflow, wherein the second air duct is at least partially defined by the one or more generally planar surfaces of the circuit boards, and wherein the second air duct comprises a second fan for drawing air through the ambient air inlet to provide the second airflow, wherein the second airflow is configured to cool the transceiver housing.
17. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 16 , further comprising a third air duct configured to provide a third airflow that is at least partially parallel to the first airflow and the second airflow, and wherein the third air duct comprises a third configured to draw air through the ambient air inlet to provide the third airflow, wherein the third airflow is configured to cool the transceiver housing.
18. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 17 , further comprising an intake manifold defining a first fan inlet, a second fan inlet, and a third fan inlet, and wherein:
the intake manifold is configured to draw air from the ambient air inlet to supply air to the first fan, the second fan, and the third fan; and
the intake manifold is configured to regulate the velocity of the first airflow, the second airflow, and the third airflow to the laminar flow and reduce a resultant noise of the first airflow, second airflow, and the third airflow.
19. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 18 , further comprising a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and wherein:
the first fan inlet is positioned farther away from the first sidewall than the second inlet, and
the second fan inlet is positioned farther away from the first sidewall than the third inlet.
20. The wireless audio transceiver housing of claim 19 , further comprising at least one exhaust port attached to the second sidewall and comprising a plurality of exhaust louvers configured to direct exhaust air from the at least one exhaust port towards a rear face of the transceiver housing.
21. A method by a wireless audio transceiver housing, wherein the method comprises:
reducing, by an intake manifold of the housing, a resultant noise in the housing from a first airflow;
bending, by the intake manifold, the first airflow from an ambient air inlet into a first fan inlet; and
regulating, by a first protruding member of the intake manifold, a velocity of the first airflow to a laminar flow.