Intelligent thermal management using brushless DC fans-implementing reliable, full-featured, and cost-effective systems for cooling and thermal supervision

Although BDC fans are superior to conventional fans, they are still less than optimum solutions. Because they are electromechanical devices, BDC fans do not achieve the same level of reliability as the system electronics they protect. BDC fan failure commonly results from wear-out mechanisms (primarily fan bearing failures), physical damage, or blockage by foreign objects; or electrical failure. Like all air moving devices, BDC fans generate acoustic noise, a growing concern given the number of electronic systems introduced to the home and workplace. These issues can be minimized by adding BDC fan management circuitry to operate the fan only as necessary to maintain system temperature within limits.