CN114265488A - Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method - Google Patents

Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN114265488A
CN114265488A CN202111583852.4A CN202111583852A CN114265488A CN 114265488 A CN114265488 A CN 114265488A CN 202111583852 A CN202111583852 A CN 202111583852A CN 114265488 A CN114265488 A CN 114265488A
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
fan
panel
hot plug
control box
modular
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
CN202111583852.4A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Inventor
唐吉林
袁强
秦友伦
肖伟杰
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
China South Industries Group Automation Research Institute
Original Assignee
China South Industries Group Automation Research Institute
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by China South Industries Group Automation Research Institute filed Critical China South Industries Group Automation Research Institute
Priority to CN202111583852.4A priority Critical patent/CN114265488A/en
Publication of CN114265488A publication Critical patent/CN114265488A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Landscapes

  • Cooling Or The Like Of Electrical Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

The invention discloses a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control and a control method, wherein the modular fan assembly based on intelligent control comprises a fan unit, a fan control box and a panel; the fan unit is arranged with a plurality of fans; a controller is arranged in the fan control box; the fan unit and the fan control box are respectively arranged on the panel; the panel is provided with a fixing piece for fixing the modular fan assembly to the heating assembly of the computer; the fan control box is provided with a first hot plug interface and a second hot plug interface; the controller is connected with the computer through a first hot plug interface; the controller is also connected with the fan unit through a second hot plug interface. The invention integrates the fan, the fan control box and the panel into an integrated fan component, and can carry out integral assembling and disassembling operation. Meanwhile, a hot plug interface is designed, so that the fan assembly can be quickly replaced under the condition that the computer works in an electrified mode.

Description

Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of computer application, in particular to a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control and a control method.
Background
The direct current motor fan is widely applied to the fields of computer application, industrial control and the like, and is mainly used for heat dissipation of heating components and long-term stable operation of equipment. The mainstream computer cooling fan is a direct current motor fan, and working signals of the fan comprise a power supply positive signal, a power supply negative signal, a rotating speed signal and a PWM signal. The computer supplies the DC power to the DC motor fan, and can control the rotating speed of the fan through the PWM signal, and the rotating speed information of the fan can be fed back through the rotating speed signal when the fan works.
Because the direct current motor fan is a mechanical part, in the running process of the motor, the stator and the rotor can generate heat through friction, meanwhile, the current generates heat power consumption in the coil, and the service life of the fan can be shortened due to the heating of the motor. The existing direct current motor fan is installed inside a computer, and is directly and fixedly installed as a whole with a heating device, so that the direct current motor fan is inconvenient to replace when being damaged.
The high-reliability computer can stably work for a long time, the continuous working time exceeds ten thousand hours, however, the service life of the existing direct current motor fan cannot meet the time requirement, the fan needs to be replaced regularly, the replacement process is complex, and the computer is required to be powered off to stop working during replacement, and a large number of parts are detached to replace the fan. Therefore, the existing dc motor fan does not meet the requirement of continuous operation of a highly reliable computer, and a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control is needed, so that the fan assembly can be quickly replaced without the need of stopping the computer.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to solve the technical problems that the existing direct current motor fan needs to be replaced regularly, the fan replacing process is complex, a computer needs to be powered off to stop working, a large number of parts are disassembled, and the requirement of high-reliability computer continuous working is not met.
The invention is realized by the following technical scheme:
a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control comprises a fan unit, a fan control box and a panel;
the fan unit is arranged with a plurality of fans; a controller is arranged in the fan control box;
the fan unit and the fan control box are respectively arranged on the panel; the panel is provided with a fixing piece for fixing the modular fan assembly to the heating assembly of the computer; the fan control box is provided with a first hot plug interface and a second hot plug interface; the controller is connected with the computer through a first hot plug interface; the controller is also connected with the fan unit through a second hot plug interface.
The invention fixes the fan unit and the fan control box on the panel, and the controller is arranged in the fan control box; the controller in the fan control box is used for being connected with a plurality of temperature sensors in a computer to obtain temperature information of the heating assembly, and meanwhile, the controller is also connected with the fan, controls the fan to be turned on or off according to the obtained temperature information of the heating assembly, and controls the rotating speed of the fan. The fan unit and the fan control box are integrated on the panel, the panel is provided with the fixing piece, and the fixing piece is used for quickly positioning and fixing the modularized fan assembly at the position of a heating assembly needing heat dissipation in a computer.
Further, the plurality of fans are arranged in rows and are arranged on the same side of the panel as the fan control box; and a second hot plug interface is arranged on one side of the fan control box, which is close to the plurality of fans.
Furthermore, the first hot plug interface and the second hot plug interface are both hot plug type interface connectors.
Further, the fixing piece is a positioning pin. The locating pin is designed to facilitate installation and replacement of the modular fan assembly: when the fan assembly is installed, the fan assembly is conveniently installed on a computer in a blind plugging manner; when the fan assembly is damaged, the fan assembly can be directly pulled out for quick replacement.
Furthermore, the position of the panel on the fan is in a hollow shape or a ventilation mesh structure. The panel needs better air fluidity at the position of the fan, so the panel is designed to be in a hollow shape or a ventilation mesh structure at the position of the fan.
Furthermore, a threaded hole is formed in the panel, and the fan unit is fixed to the panel through a bolt. The fan unit can be fixed on the panel in a welding mode and can also be detachably arranged on the panel; to facilitate replacement of a damaged fan, it is preferably secured to the faceplate by a threaded connection.
Further, the fan is a dc motor fan including a motor and an impeller, the motor being connected to the impeller to drive the impeller.
Further, the direct current motor fan further comprises a cylindrical fan shell with an upper opening and a lower opening, and the impeller is arranged in the fan shell. The cylindrical fan housing serves to better fix the fan and to protect the fan from damage due to external forces.
Further, the controller is an MCU controller, and the MCU controller is connected with multiple paths of temperature sensors in the computer in a distributed mode through an I2C bus. And each heating component is provided with a corresponding temperature sensor, wherein each temperature sensor is in signal connection with the MCU controller.
A modular fan assembly control method, comprising:
monitoring whether the direct current motor fan is normal or not in real time, if not, alarming to prompt replacement of the fan assembly, and if so, monitoring the temperature of the computer heating assembly and judging whether the temperature of the computer heating assembly exceeds a set threshold value or not;
if the temperature of the computer heating component exceeds a set threshold value, the controller outputs a starting frequency through the PWM signal, starts the fan, and outputs the PWM signal according to the temperature of the heating component to control the fan to change the rotating speed;
if the temperature of the computer heating component does not exceed the set threshold, the controller outputs zero frequency through the PWM signal, and the fan is turned off.
The invention relates to a modular fan component control method, which takes a controller as a measurement and control core, adopts an I2C bus to connect a plurality of temperature sensors in a distributed manner, monitors the temperature value of each heating component in real time, judges the threshold value according to a software algorithm, linearly adjusts the rotating speeds of a plurality of fans through a plurality of PWM control signals, and monitors the working condition of the fans through rotating speed information in real time so as to judge whether the fans are damaged.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:
1. the invention provides a modularized fan component based on intelligent control and a control method, wherein a fan unit and a fan control box are fixed on a panel, and a controller is arranged in the fan control box; the controller in the fan control box is used for being connected with a plurality of temperature sensors in a computer to obtain temperature information of the heating assembly, and meanwhile, the controller is also connected with the fan, controls the fan to be turned on or off according to the obtained temperature information of the heating assembly, and controls the rotating speed of the fan. The fan unit and the fan control box are integrated on the panel, the panel is provided with the fixing piece, and the fixing piece is used for quickly positioning and fixing the modularized fan assembly at the position of a heating assembly needing heat dissipation in a computer.
2. According to the modularized fan component based on intelligent control and the control method, the fan control box is designed, the temperature of the heating component of the equipment can be monitored in real time, the rotating speed of the fan is controlled according to the temperature, and whether the fan is damaged or not can be automatically judged according to the rotating speed information. Each heating component inside the computer is matched with an independent fan to carry out independent temperature monitoring and rotating speed control, distributed heat dissipation control of each heating component is realized, the service life of the motor can be prolonged, and noise is reduced.
3. The invention provides a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control and a control method thereof, wherein a fan, a fan control box and a panel are integrated into an integrated fan assembly, and the integrated assembly and disassembly operation can be carried out. Meanwhile, a hot plug interface is designed, so that the fan assembly can be quickly replaced under the condition that the computer works in an electrified mode, and the continuous uninterrupted operation of the computer in the scenes such as industrial control, military application and the like is guaranteed.
Drawings
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and that for those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from these drawings without inventive effort. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a modular fan assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the intelligent control system of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the product of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the intelligent control of the modular fan assembly of the present invention.
Reference numbers and corresponding part names in the drawings:
the hot plug system comprises a panel 1, a direct current motor fan 2, a fan control box 3, a fixing piece 4, a bolt 5, a first hot plug interface 31 and a second hot plug interface 32.
Detailed Description
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to examples and accompanying drawings, and the exemplary embodiments and descriptions thereof are only used for explaining the present invention and are not meant to limit the present invention.
Example 1
This embodiment 1 provides a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control, which includes a fan unit, a fan control box 3 and a panel 1; as shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the fan unit includes four fans; the four fans and the fan control box 3 are respectively fixed on the panel 1 by screws; a controller is arranged in the fan control box 3; the fan unit and the fan control box 3 are respectively arranged on the panel 1; the panel 1 is provided with a fixing part 4 for fixing the modular fan component to a computer heating component part; a first hot plug interface 31 and a second hot plug interface 32 are arranged on the fan control box 3; the controller is connected with the computer through a first hot plug interface 31; the controller is also connected to the fan unit via a second hot plug interface 32. The fans are arranged in rows and are arranged on the same side of the panel 1 as the fan control box 3; a second hot plug interface 32 is arranged on one side of the fan control box 3 close to the plurality of fans. The first hot plug interface 31 and the second hot plug interface 32 are both hot plug type interface connectors.
In this embodiment 1, a fan unit and a fan control box 3 are fixed on a panel 1 with a fixing member 4, an MCU controller in the fan control box 3 is used for connecting multiple temperature sensors in a computer to obtain temperature information, and meanwhile, the MCU controller is also connected with a fan and controls the rotation speed of the fan according to the obtained temperature information; the fan unit and the fan control box 3 of this embodiment are both arranged on the panel 1, and the panel 1 is provided with the fixing member 4 for quickly fixing the modularized fan assembly at the position of the heating assembly needing heat dissipation in the computer.
As shown in fig. 1, the panel 1 is located at the position of the fan and has a ventilation mesh structure. The panel 1 is provided with a threaded hole, and the fan unit is fixed on the panel 1 through a bolt 5. The fan is a dc motor fan 2, the dc motor fan 2 comprising a motor and an impeller, the motor being connected to the impeller to drive the impeller. The direct current motor fan 2 further comprises a cylindrical fan shell with an upper opening and a lower opening, and the impeller is arranged in the fan shell.
As shown in fig. 2, the controller in this embodiment is an MCU controller, and the MCU controller is connected to multiple temperature sensors corresponding to multiple heating components in the computer in a distributed manner through an I2C bus. Specifically, each heating component is provided with a corresponding temperature sensor, wherein each temperature sensor is in signal connection with the MCU controller. The MCU controller controls the rotating speed of the fan through the PWM signal, and meanwhile, the fan feeds rotating speed information back to the MCU controller. And the MCU controller controls the fan to be turned on or off according to the acquired temperature information of the heating component and controls the rotating speed of the fan.
In order to facilitate replacement of a damaged fan, in the present embodiment, preferably, the fan and the fan control box 3 are fixedly mounted on the panel 1 by screws, the fan control box 3 is connected with the control fan through the second hot plug interface 32, and the fan control box 3 is connected with the computer through the first hot plug interface 31. To facilitate installation and replacement of the modular fan assembly, at least two fasteners 4 are provided at each end of the panel 1. The integrated mounting 4 of panel 1 when needing to install fan unit, can install fan unit blind plug to the computer, when fan unit damaged, can directly extract fan unit and carry out quick replacement. In the application of a high-reliability computer, continuous operation needs to be kept for tens of thousands of hours, the modular design is favorable for quickly replacing the fan assembly, and when the fan assembly is damaged, the fan assembly can be directly pulled out for quick replacement.
Example 2
The difference between the embodiment 2 and the embodiment 1 is that, the fixing mode of the fans on the installation components and the number of the fans, the modularized fan component of the embodiment is applied to military integrated electronic information system equipment; this embodiment 2 provides a modular fan assembly based on intelligent control, which includes a fan unit, a fan control box 3, and a mounting bracket for integrating the fan unit and the fan control box 3; an MCU controller is arranged in the fan control box 3; the fan unit comprises six fans; the mounting frame is a metal frame with a fixing piece 4; the fan unit and the fan control box 3 are respectively arranged on a metal frame with a fixing piece 4; the six fans and the fan control box 3 are fixed on the metal frame by rivets, a first hot plug interface 31 and a second hot plug interface 32 are arranged on the fan control box 3, and the first hot plug interface 31 and the second hot plug interface 32 are both hot plug interfaces; the first hot plug interface 31 is used for connecting the controller and the temperature sensor of the heating component in the computer, and the second hot plug interface 32 is used for connecting the controller and six fans in the fan unit.
In this embodiment 2, a fan unit and a fan control box 3 are fixed on a metal frame with a fixing member 4, an MCU controller in the fan control box 3 is used to connect to a plurality of temperature sensors in a computer to obtain temperature information, and the MCU controller is also connected to the fan and controls the rotation speed of the fan according to the obtained temperature information; the fan unit and the fan control box 3 of this embodiment are all set up on the metal frame, are provided with mounting 4 on the metal frame for with modularization fan unit fast fastening in the computer need radiating heating element position, this embodiment can be under the electrified circumstances of work of computer quick replacement fan unit.
The fan is a dc motor fan 2, the dc motor fan 2 comprising a motor and an impeller, the motor being connected to the impeller to drive the impeller. The direct current motor fan 2 further comprises a cylindrical fan shell with an upper opening and a lower opening, and the impeller is arranged in the fan shell.
As shown in fig. 2, the controller in this embodiment is an MCU controller, and the MCU controller is connected to multiple temperature sensors corresponding to multiple heating components in the computer in a distributed manner through an I2C bus. Specifically, each heating component is provided with a corresponding temperature sensor, wherein each temperature sensor is in signal connection with the MCU controller. The MCU controller controls the rotating speed of the fan through the PWM signal, and meanwhile, the fan feeds rotating speed information back to the MCU controller. And the MCU controller controls the fan to be turned on or off according to the acquired temperature information of the heating component and controls the rotating speed of the fan.
In order to facilitate replacement of a damaged fan, in the present embodiment, preferably, the fan and the fan control box 3 are fixedly mounted on the panel 1 by screws, the fan control box 3 is connected with the control fan through the second hot plug interface 32, and the fan control box 3 is connected with the computer through the first hot plug interface 31. To facilitate installation and replacement of the modular fan assembly, at least two fasteners 4 are provided at each end of the panel 1. The integrated mounting 4 of panel 1 when needing to install fan unit, can install fan unit blind plug to the computer, when fan unit damaged, can directly extract fan unit and carry out quick replacement. In the application of a high-reliability computer, continuous operation needs to be kept for tens of thousands of hours, the modular design is favorable for quickly replacing the fan assembly, and when the fan assembly is damaged, the fan assembly can be directly pulled out for quick replacement.
Example 3
Embodiment 3 provides a method for controlling a modular fan assembly, as shown in fig. 4, including:
monitoring whether the direct current motor fan 2 is normal in real time, if not, alarming to prompt replacement of the fan assembly, and if so, monitoring the temperature of the computer heating assembly and judging whether the temperature of the computer heating assembly exceeds a set threshold value;
if the temperature of the computer heating component exceeds a set threshold value, the controller outputs a starting frequency through the PWM signal, starts the fan, and outputs the PWM signal according to the temperature of the heating component to control the fan to change the rotating speed;
if the temperature of the computer heating component does not exceed the set threshold, the controller outputs zero frequency through the PWM signal, and the fan is turned off.
The control method of the embodiment takes the MCU as a measurement and control core, adopts the I2C bus to connect the multiple temperature sensors in a distributed manner, monitors the temperature value of each heating component in real time, judges the threshold value according to a software algorithm, linearly adjusts the rotating speeds of the multiple fans through multiple PWM control signals, and monitors the working condition of the fans through rotating speed information in real time to judge whether the fans are damaged.
The above-mentioned embodiments are intended to illustrate the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention in further detail, and it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control, characterized by comprising a fan unit, a fan control box (3) and a panel (1);
the fan unit is arranged with a plurality of fans; a controller is arranged in the fan control box (3);
the fan unit and the fan control box (3) are respectively arranged on the panel (1); the panel (1) is provided with a fixing piece (4) for fixing the modularized fan component on the position of the computer heating component; a first hot plug interface (31) and a second hot plug interface (32) are arranged on the fan control box (3); the controller is connected with the computer through a first hot plug interface (31); the controller is also connected to the fan unit via a second hot plug interface (32).
2. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control, according to claim 1, characterized in that said fans are arranged in rows and are arranged on the same side of said panel (1) as said fan control box (3); and a second hot plug interface (32) is arranged on one side of the fan control box (3) close to the plurality of fans.
3. A modular fan assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first hot plug interface (31) and the second hot plug interface (32) are both hot plug type interface connectors.
4. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing piece (4) is a positioning pin.
5. The intelligent control-based modular fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the panel (1) is in a hollow shape or a ventilation mesh structure at the position of the fan.
6. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel (1) is provided with a threaded hole, and the fan unit is fixed on the panel (1) by means of a bolt (5).
7. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control according to claim 1, characterized in that the fan is a dc motor fan (2), the dc motor fan (2) comprising an electric motor and an impeller, the electric motor being connected to the impeller to drive the impeller.
8. A modular fan assembly based on intelligent control according to claim 7, characterized in that the DC motor fan (2) further comprises a cylindrical fan housing with upper and lower openings, the impeller being arranged in the fan housing.
9. The intelligent control-based modular fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is an MCU controller, and the MCU controller is connected to multiple temperature sensors in the computer in a distributed manner via an I2C bus.
10. A method of controlling a modular fan assembly, comprising:
monitoring whether the direct current motor fan (2) is normal in real time, if not, alarming to prompt replacement of a fan assembly, and if so, monitoring the temperature of a computer heating assembly and judging whether the temperature of the computer heating assembly exceeds a set threshold value;
if the temperature of the computer heating component exceeds a set threshold value, the controller outputs a starting frequency through the PWM signal, starts the fan, and outputs the PWM signal according to the temperature of the heating component to control the fan to change the rotating speed;
if the temperature of the computer heating component does not exceed the set threshold, the controller outputs zero frequency through the PWM signal, and the fan is turned off.
CN202111583852.4A 2021-12-22 2021-12-22 Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method Pending CN114265488A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202111583852.4A CN114265488A (en) 2021-12-22 2021-12-22 Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202111583852.4A CN114265488A (en) 2021-12-22 2021-12-22 Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN114265488A true CN114265488A (en) 2022-04-01

Family

ID=80829693

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202111583852.4A Pending CN114265488A (en) 2021-12-22 2021-12-22 Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CN (1) CN114265488A (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20050105269A1 (en) * 2003-11-18 2005-05-19 Yu-Lin Chen Removable fan module
CN102506025A (en) * 2011-11-25 2012-06-20 中国人民解放军国防科学技术大学 12V direct-current air cooling control module
CN206584306U (en) * 2017-03-15 2017-10-24 重庆科技学院 Intelligent notebook computer heat abstractor
CN208123092U (en) * 2018-03-21 2018-11-20 山东超越数控电子股份有限公司 A kind of blower module with speed regulation and pluggable function

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20050105269A1 (en) * 2003-11-18 2005-05-19 Yu-Lin Chen Removable fan module
CN102506025A (en) * 2011-11-25 2012-06-20 中国人民解放军国防科学技术大学 12V direct-current air cooling control module
CN206584306U (en) * 2017-03-15 2017-10-24 重庆科技学院 Intelligent notebook computer heat abstractor
CN208123092U (en) * 2018-03-21 2018-11-20 山东超越数控电子股份有限公司 A kind of blower module with speed regulation and pluggable function

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6947281B2 (en) Cooling units
US6931306B2 (en) System and method of designing cooling fans
US6954684B2 (en) Intelligent cooling fan
US7305316B2 (en) Microcontroller methods of improving reliability in DC brushless motors and cooling fans
US20040196631A1 (en) Communication device, cooling fan unit, and operation control method for the cooling fan unit
US20030234624A1 (en) System and method of controlling cooling fan speeds
CN103313578A (en) Server cabinet
JP2005257258A (en) Fin filter unit
CN114265488A (en) Intelligent control-based modular fan assembly and control method
CN114443430A (en) Server fan fault prediction system and method
US20090299544A1 (en) System and method for fan tray control and monitoring system
CN209400969U (en) A kind of main frame of intelligent heat dissipation
CN210443896U (en) Ventilation type switch board
CN212406877U (en) Self-control cooling system
CN210112525U (en) Power electronic equipment fan mounting structure
KR20060042867A (en) Fan-filter-unit
CN218062744U (en) Linear driver with rotating speed feedback and closed-loop heat dissipation control functions
US20110125343A1 (en) Method for Operating a Modular Automation Device
CN114860050A (en) Server, electronic equipment and cooling fan
CN212812468U (en) Outdoor integrated cabinet base station temperature control device
CN216585378U (en) Control device, two-for-one twister and textile production line
CN220775642U (en) Inverter fan gear cover structure
CN216017437U (en) PLC electrification control device
US20070146832A1 (en) Electronic device assembly
CN219418108U (en) Stock solution control unit and server cooling system

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PB01 Publication
PB01 Publication
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination