Background Art In general, a rack for communication devices includes various wired or wireless communication devices. If the device generating heat inside the rack is cooled appropriately, a communication system may be seriously damaged due to overheat.

In the hot summer, an increase in temperature of the inside of the rack due to the radiant heat by the sun must be prevented.

Also, foreign materials such as dust in air may adhere to the device by the property of static electricity, thus causing short-circuit or corrosion. To solve these problems, a conventional rack uses a filter to prevent intrusion of foreign materials in the external air when the external air is sucked, circulated inside, and exhausted using one or more blow fans.

However, in the above conventional rack, even when the external air is sucked inside through the filter, the filter cannot block all impurities, and particularly, the intrusion of moisture which may bring a critical damage to internal devices cannot be prevented. Also, since the filter needs to be regularly replaced, manpower and cost for maintenance and repair are needed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional rack. Referring to FIG. 4, in the conventional rack, a cooling plate 7 having a plurality of fins 71 installed integrally therewith to increase a surface area is installed on a read surface thereof. A part 100 that is a main heat source is formed on an inner surface of the rack to directly contact the cooling plate 7. Thus, the heat generated from the heat source is directly conducted to the cooling plate 7 and cooled by heat exchange made at the fins 71 formed outside the rack.

The above method is used as an effective method to exhaust the heat generated inside. However, a case in which the heat source is directly attached to the cooling plate is used for a rack for wired and wireless devices. Since it is difficult to attach a wired device directly to the cooling plate, only an air circulation apparatus is installed.

Also, in another conventional rack, an air-conditioner or heat exchanger may be installed for effective cooling of the inside to maximize a cooling effect. In this case, such an equipment is expensive and a cost for maintenance and repair is increased so that the rack becomes large and noise is generated.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a rack for communication devices according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the rack of FIG. 1 in use; FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the cooling effect of the rack of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the conventional rack.

Disclosure of the Invention According to an aspect of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to maximize a cooling efficiency of a rack for communication devices.

Also, it is another object of the present invention to effectively cool internal air by manufacturing a completely sealed rack to prevent intrusion of external air which may damage internal apparatuses and make internal temperature uniform and maximizing heat exchange between inside and outside racks without intrusion of the external air.

Also, it is yet another object of the present invention to minimize noise generated by driving a cooling apparatus.

To achieve the above technical objects, the present invention provides a rack for communication devices having a door formed on a front surface thereof to be capable of opening and shutting and a body including various communications devices, the body comprising an inner body in which the communication devices are installed, an outer body which is an outer portion of the inner body and is separated from the inner body by a space portion, a cooling portion including a plurality of outer cooling fins

protruding outwardly from the outer body and a plurality of inner heat exchange fins protruding inwardly from the outer body and integrally connected to the outer cooling fins, and an air circulation portion circulating air between the inner body and the inner heat exchange fins.

In the above rack having the inner body and the outer body, the"outside of the inner body"works as a partition wall between the inner heat exchange fins and the inner body. The circulation of air formed by the blow fan intends to flow toward a place where the inner heat exchange fins which hinders the flow of air do not exist. However, the circulation of air is prevented by the partition wall so that hot air flows between the inner heat exchange fins. Thus, heat is dissipated outside by heat exchange by the inner heat exchange fins so that a cooling efficiency is remarkably improved.

Advantageous Effects According to the present invention, the heat generated inside the rack is absorbed by the internal heat exchange fin and exhausted through the outer cooling fin to circulate the internal air so that a cooling efficiency is maximized in the rack used for wired and wireless communications equipment.

Also, the rack is manufactured as a completely sealed type so that the internal air effectively can be circulated, intrusion of the external air which may damage the internal apparatuses is blocked, and the internal temperature can be maintained uniformly.

Further, heat is exchanged at the outside of the rack by natural convention while heat is exchanged at the inside of the rack by forcible conventional. Thus, noise is relatively reduced so that quietness is provided.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to FIG. 1, a rack for communication devices according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 1 in which a door 2 is installed on a front surface thereof to be capable of opening and shutting and various communication devices are installed.

The body 1 includes an inner body 21 in which the various communication

devices are installed, an outer body 22 separated from the inner body 21 and forming a space portion 23 in rear and upper surfaces of the inner body 21, a cooling portion 3 having a plurality of outer cooling fins 31 protruding outside from a rear surface of the outer body 22 and a plurality of inner heat exchange fins 32 integrally connected to the outer cooling fins 31 and protruding inside the outer body 22, and an air circulation portion 4 circulating air between the inner body 21 and the inner heat exchange fins 32.

The air circulation portion 4 includes a plurality of suction holes 41 formed in a lower side of the rear surface of the inner body 21 and at least one blow fan 42 formed on the upper surface of the inner body 21 to connect the inside of the outer body 22 and the inside of the inner body 21.

Although, in the heat exchange using the above cooling portion 3, it is most effective to make the cooling portion 3 directly contact a heat source, for a rack for wired equipments or other devices which should not directly contact a heat source, it is most effective to effectively cool the inside air as it is presented by the present invention to prevent overheat of the equipments.

In the above rack having the inner body 21 and the outer body 22, the"outside of the inner body 21"works as a partition wall between the inner heat exchange fins 32 and the inner body 21. The circulation of air formed by the blow fan 42 intends to flow toward a place where the inner heat exchange fins 32 which hinders the flow of air do not exist. However, the circulation of air is prevented by the partition wall so that hot air flows between the inner heat exchange fins 32. Thus, heat is dissipated outside by heat exchange by the inner heat exchange fins 32 so that a cooling efficiency is remarkably improved.

In the flow of the internal air in the rack having the above structure, forcible convention air formed by the sucking hole 41 and the blow fan 42 is guided toward the space portion 23. Here, due to the property of flow of fluid, the air tends to flow avoiding the inner heat exchange fins 32 which acts as resistance to the flow of air.

However, since there is no space to escape other than the space portion 23 between the outer wall of the inner body 21 and the outer body 22, the air cannot but flow

through the space portion 23. Thus, the forcible convention air generated in the inner body 21 intrudes between the inner heat exchange fins 32 so that heat exchange is made very effectively.

Also, the most effective structure of the rack to prevent intrusion of the external air and smoothly circulate the inner air is a dual structure. One skilled in the art can easily invent an embodiment in which a space portion is formed at the left and right sides, the rear surface, and the upper surface except for the front surface or at the left and right sides and the upper surface and the position of the cooling portion is adjusted.

Also, when an apparatus which can be sufficiently cooled by preventing increase of temperature of the partial inner air without exhausting the inner heat to the outside, is installed, the rack is manufactured to have a dual structure in which the cooling portion is removed and the space portion is present, so that the inner air is circulated to prevent partial increase of temperature. Thus, costs for manufacturing are reduced.

The outer cooling fins 31 and the inner heat exchange fins 32 installed at the cooling portion 3 protrude lengthily in a vertical direction parallel to one another. In particular, it is preferably that air resistance is minimized by extending the inner heat exchange fins 32 in a direction in which the air circulates.

Although the outer cooling fins 31 is irrelevant to the initial cooling efficiency and the extension direction, considering that various foreign materials such as dust are accumulated when it is installed for a long time, the outer cooling fins 31 are preferably formed to be extended in the vertical direction.

The door 2 is open and shut by two hinges 24 formed at one side thereof at a predetermined interval and is fixed by at least one fixing device 25 at the other side thereof. A sealing portion 26 sealing the inside of the inner body 21 is preferably formed on an inner surface of the door 2. The door 2 is formed as a swing door considering convenience in work and easiness in installation. In order to completely seal the inside, the sealing portion such as sealing rubber connecting along a contact portion between the door 2 and the body 1 is preferably formed so that a sealing effect is improved.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the rack of FIG. 1 in use. A radiant heat shield loop 5 is installed on the rack to be separated a predetermined distance from an outer upper surface of the outer body so that increase of inner temperature due to the radiant heat from the sun in the summer season can be minimized. Also, such a rack can be used for operating communication equipments indoors. The position of the outer cooling fins 31 can be added at any of the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower sides of the body 1 according to the amount of heat generated from the inside thereof.

The position of the blow fan 42 can be changed as necessary.

The door 2 has a dual structure of forming a cavity 27 inside so that the door 2 formed of a steel plate can be formed more firmly against an external force or other impact and have a higher seal effect.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the cooling effect of the rack of FIG. 1, in which a view (a) shows a characteristic portion of the rack structure according to the present invention while (b) is for explaining a comparison case.

Referring to the view (b) of FIG. 3, an air flow 302 for forcible cooling of the inside of the rack directs toward the opposite side of an inner heat exchange fins 304 due to the characteristic of a fluid 306 which flows toward a place having no obstacle.

In contrast, according to the view (a) of FIG. 3, when a partition wall 310 is formed between an inner body and inner heat exchange fins 314, an air flow 312 directs toward the opposite side to the inner heat exchange fins 314 due to the characteristic of a fluid intending to flow to a place where no obstacle exists. However, the air flow 312 receives a repulsive force by the partition wall 310. Accordingly, the air flow 312 intrudes between the inner heat exchange fins 314.

Since the inner heat exchange fins 314 are connected integrally with outer cooling fins, the air flow 312 that is hot and intrudes between the inner heat exchange fins 314 is cooled by the inner heat exchange fins 314 and the cooling speed is very fast. Thus, in cooling the inside of the rack for wired and wireless communication devices generating a large amount of heat, a sufficient cooling efficiency can be obtained without sucking the external air. Also, in the rack according to the present invention, maintenance and repair including use of a filter that is essential in an external air suction method are not needed. A damage to the devices due to intrusion of moisture which may be included in the external air can be prevented.