U.S. patent application number 10/928577 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-03 for rack mountable computer component fan cooling arrangement and method.
Invention is credited to Hester, Victor P., Smith, John V., Wylie, William A..
Application Number | 20050024825 10/928577 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29587919 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050024825 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith, John V. ; et
al. |
February 3, 2005 |
Rack mountable computer component fan cooling arrangement and
method
Abstract
According to certain embodiments of the invention, there is
provided an arrangement for cooling a series of closely spaced
upright computer components mounted to a support, the arrangement
including a tray having a plurality of air moving devices such as
fans. Members are used for helping mount removably the tray to the
support in a generally horizontal disposition, and the air moving
devices move air in a generally upright path of travel to help cool
the upright computer components. The tray also has a series of
connector ports for connecting electrically to outputs from
individual ones of the computer components.
Inventors: |
Smith, John V.; (Poway,
CA) ; Hester, Victor P.; (El Cajon, CA) ;
Wylie, William A.; (San Diego, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DUCKOR SPRADLING METZGER
401 WEST A STREET, SUITE 2400
SAN DIEGO
CA
92101-7915
US
|
Family ID: |
29587919 |
Appl. No.: |
10/928577 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10928577 |
Aug 27, 2004 |
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10449608 |
May 29, 2003 |
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6801428 |
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60384996 |
May 31, 2002 |
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60384987 |
May 31, 2002 |
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60384986 |
May 31, 2002 |
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60385005 |
May 31, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.46 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/1488 20130101;
G06F 1/183 20130101; G06F 1/181 20130101; G06F 1/20 20130101; H05K
7/20736 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/687 |
International
Class: |
G06F 001/20 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cooling arrangement for cooling a series of closely spaced
upright computer components mounted to a support, comprising: a
frame adapted to be mounted on the support; a tray having a
plurality of air moving devices removably mounted within the frame;
members for helping mount removably said tray within the frame in a
generally horizontal disposition; said air moving devices for
moving air in a generally upright path of travel to help cool the
upright computer components; and an upstanding removable front
panel on the frame for permitting the tray to be withdrawn from the
frame when the front panel is removed therefrom.
2. A cooling arrangement according to claim 1, further including
connector ports arranged in a row at the front panel.
3. A cooling arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said front
panel can be opened to permit access to said air moving
devices.
4. A cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said tray is
arranged in separately removable tray portions.
5. A method of cooling a series of closely spaced upright computer
components mounted to a support, comprising: using a frame adapted
to be mounted to the support; using a tray having a plurality of
air moving devices and a series of connector ports for connecting
electrically to outputs from individual ones of the computer
components; mounting the frame to the support; mounting removably
the tray within the frame behind a front panel in a generally
horizontal disposition; utilizing the air moving devices to move
air in a generally upright path of travel to help cool the upright
computer components; and removing the front panel from the frame
for permitting the tray to be withdrawn from the frame.
6. A method according to claim 5, further including arranging the
tray in a plurality of separately removable subtrays, and removing
individual ones of the subtrays.
7. A method according to claim 6, further including providing
connector ports arranged on the openable front panel, and further
including opening the front panel and removing at least one of the
subtrays from the frame while maintaining the electrical connection
to the connector ports.
8. A cooling tray for cooling a series of closely spaced upright
computer components mounted to a support, comprising: a frame
adapted to be mounted on the support; a tray having a plurality of
air moving devices for mounting within the frame; a removable
upstanding front panel over an access opening in the frame; guide
mounted on the frame for helping mount removably said tray to the
frame in a generally horizontal disposition; said air moving
devices for moving air in a generally upright path of travel to
help cool the upright computer components; and at least one signal
conductor mounted on the back portion of the frame and electrically
connected to the air moving devices.
9. A cooling arrangement according to claim 8, further including
connector ports arranged in a row at the front panel.
10. A cooling arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said front
panel can be opened to permit access to said air moving
devices.
11. A cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said tray
is arranged in separately removable tray portions.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a Divisional Patent Application under 37
C.F.R. .sctn. 1.53 (b) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______,
Attorney Docket No. 7719-112, application Ser. No. 10/449,608,
"Rack Mountable Computer Component Fan Cooling Arrangement And
Method", filed on May 29, 2003, and is incorporated by
reference.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0002] This application claims priority to the following U.S.
provisional applications: Application No. 60/384,996, titled "Rack
Mountable Computer Component and Method of Making Same", filed May
31, 2002; Application No. 60/384,987, titled "Rack Mountable
Computer Component Cooling Method and Device", filed May 31, 2002;
Application No. 60/384,986, titled "Rack Mountable Computer
Component Fan Cooling Arrangement and Method", and Application No.
60/385,005, titled "Rack Mountable Computer Component Power
Distribution Unit and Method", which are each hereby incorporated
by reference in their entirety.
[0003] This application relates to the following U.S.
non-provisional patent applications: application Ser. No. 10/449,
799, titled "Rack Mountable Computer Component and Method of Making
Same," filed May 28, 2003; application Ser. No. 10/448,691, titled
"Rack Mountable Computer Component Cooling Method and Device,"
filed May 28, 2003; and application Ser. No. 10/448,508, titled
"Rack Mountable Component Power Distribution Unit and Method,"
which are each hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention relates in general to a new and
improved method computer components adapted for rack mounting. It
more particularly relates to such a method and apparatus for
cooling computer components adapted to be mounted in a compact
configuration.
[0006] 2. Related Art
[0007] There have been a variety of different types and kinds of
methods and systems for mounting computer components. For example,
reference may be made to the following United States patents:
1 U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUE DATE 4,258,967 Boudreau Mar. 31,
1081 4,879,634 Storrow et al. Nov. 7, 1989 4,977,532 Borkowicz et
al. Dec. 11, 1990 5,010,444 Storrow et al. Apr. 23, 1991 5,216,579
Basara et al. Jun. 1, 1993 5,460,441 Hastings et al. Oct. 24, 1995
5,571,256 Good et al. Nov. 5, 1996 5,684,671 Hobbs et al. Nov. 4,
1997 5,877,938 Hobbs et al. Mar. 2, 1999 5,896,273 Varghese et al.
Apr. 30, 1999 6,025,989 Ayd et al. Feb. 15, 2000 6,058,025 Ecker et
al. May 2, 2000 6,075,698 Hogan et al. Jun. 13, 2000 6,220,456 B1
Jensen et al. Apr. 24, 2001 6,305,556 B1 Mayer Oct. 23, 2001
6,315,249 B1 Jensen et al. Nov. 13, 2001 6,325,636 B1 Hipp et al.
Dec. 4, 2001 Re. 35,915 Hastings et al. Oct. 6, 1998 Des. 407,358
Belanger et al. Mar. 30, 1999
[0008] As a result of having available a large number of different
types and kinds of mounting techniques, a standard has been adopted
for mounting computer components in racks according to a certain
modular configuration: In this regard, computer components such as
computer processor units, and the like, are mounted one above the
other in a column in standard size rack configurations. The
standard is referred to as the EIA-310-D Standard, as clarified by
the Server Rack Specification (SSI).
[0009] The housing for each computer device must have a certain
height dimensions according to the Standard. The height dimension
must be a multiple of a standard unit "U". Thus, there can be
computer components which are 1 "U" (standard unit) high or
multiples thereof. Thus, there can also be standard rack mountable
computer components which are 1 U, 2 U, 3 U, 4 U and so on.
[0010] Thus, according to the conventional currently-used standard,
racks are provided for storage of computer components in tightly
spaced, densely packed horizontal dispositions, and each computer
component mounted in the rack is suitably dimensioned in multiples
of standard unit U. The racks are movably mounted on casters or the
like so that they can be readily positioned in, for example, a
computer room having a tightly controlled air conditioning system
to ensure proper cooling of the computer equipment.
[0011] It is highly desirable to configure the computer components
in the rack in a compact and highly dense manner for some
applications. Thus, it has been important for many applications to
position in the computer room or other assigned space as many
computer components as possible.
[0012] In order to compactly mount the computer components on the
rack in a high density manner, they are closely positioned one
above the other in a column. The data and power cables are
positioned in a back plane area or space within the rack.
[0013] For cooling purposes, various techniques are employed. For
example, individual fans have been mounted within the housing of
each computer component. The interiors of the housing have been
exhausted to a fan exhaust plenum chamber often times constructed
within the rack at one side thereof.
[0014] Such conventional rack mounted systems have several
drawbacks. The individual fans mounted in each component are
expensive, and time-consuming to replace in case of malfunctions.
Also, the back plane space and fan exhaust plenum chamber are
wasted space in that they occupy spaces which could otherwise be
filled with computer components.
[0015] Additionally, in order to assemble the rack mounted system
for installation at the site, each component must be installed in
place within the rack, and then the cabling for each unit is routed
within the rack at its back plane space. Such an operation is time
consuming, and therefore expensive since highly trained personnel
are required to do such an installation. Furthermore, once
installed, in order to replace a malfunctioning computer component,
the entire system, or at least a substantial portion thereof, must
be shut down so that the malfunctioning unit can be disassembled,
and a replacement unit installed and reconnected electrically.
This, too, is time consuming and expensive.
[0016] In order to help cool the electronic circuits within the
computer component housing, intake and exhaust fans are employed.
In this regard, typically there may be a plurality of intake fans
located at the front of the component housing, and another set of
fans for exhausting the air located typically at one side of the
housing. Should one or more of the fans malfunction, the computer
component must be taken out of service to either replace the entire
computer component or replace the malfunctioning fan or fans. Such
a delay in the functioning of the system is highly undesirable for
many applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The following is a brief description of the drawings:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a rack-mounted system showing
the front, left side and top thereof, which is constructed in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the rack-mounted
system of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the rack-mounted
system of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the rack-mounted system
of FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of the rack-mounted
system of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the rack-mounted system of
FIG. 1, showing the rear, right side and top thereof;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of the housing of the
rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 without various components being
mounted for illustration purposes;
[0025] FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of the housing of FIG. 7
illustrating the process of installation of fan/LAN trays;
[0026] FIG. 9 is an enlarged scale pictorial view of one embodiment
of a fan/LAN tray for the rack-mounted system of FIG. 1;
[0027] FIG. 9A is an enlarged scale pictorial view of another
embodiment of a fan/LAN tray for the rack-mounted system of FIG.
1;
[0028] FIG. 9B is an enlarged scale fragmentary pictorial view of
the tray of FIG. 9A, illustrating some of the fans being
removed;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of the housing of FIG. 7 with
the fan/LAN trays installed;
[0030] FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of the housing of FIG. 7
illustrating the process of installation of blades;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a fragmentary, enlarged scale front elevational
view of the rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 illustrating the relative
positioning of the fan/LAN trays and the blades;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic, right-side elevational view of
the rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 illustrating the configuration of
the right-side cabling;
[0033] FIG. 14 is a bottom fragmentary pictorial view of the
rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 illustrating the cabling in the front
and right portion of the control bay;
[0034] FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic, left-side elevational view of the
rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 illustrating the configuration of the
left-side cabling;
[0035] FIG. 16 is a bottom fragmentary pictorial view of the
rack-mounted system of FIG. 1 illustrating the cabling in the rear
and left portion of the control bay;
[0036] FIG. 17 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary pictorial view of
one embodiment of a power distribution unit (PDU) for the
rack-mounted system of FIG. 1;
[0037] FIG. 18 is a front elevational view of the PDU shown in FIG.
17;
[0038] FIG. 19 is a fragmentary top view of the PDU shown in FIG.
17;
[0039] FIG. 20 is a rear elevational view of the PDU shown in FIG.
17;
[0040] FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic view of the rack-mounted system of
FIG. 1 illustrating the flow of air therethrough;
[0041] FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a
rack-mounted system according to the present invention and
illustrating the flow of air therethrough;
[0042] FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic view of yet another embodiment of
a rack-mounted system according to the present invention and
illustrating the flow of air therethrough;
[0043] FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic view of still another embodiment
of a rack-mounted system according to the present invention and
illustrating the flow of air therethrough;
[0044] FIG. 25 is an enlarged scale top view of one embodiment of a
blade of the rack-mounted system of FIG. 1; and
[0045] FIG. 26 is a left side elevational view of the blade of FIG.
1;
DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0046] According to certain embodiments of the invention, there is
provided an arrangement for cooling a series of closely spaced
upright computer components mounted to a support, the arrangement
including a tray having a plurality of air moving devices such as
fans. Members are used for helping mount removably the tray to the
support in a generally horizontal disposition, and the air moving
devices move air in a generally upright path of travel to help cool
the upright computer components. The tray also has a series of
connector ports for connecting electrically to outputs from
individual ones of the computer components.
[0047] According to the other embodiments of the invention, the
tray includes a front panel having the connector ports arranged in
a row thereon. As disclosed herein, the front panel can be opened
to permit access to the air moving devices or removing them for
repair or replacement. The air moving devices can be removed from
the support as a unit. Also, as disclosed herein, according to
other embodiments of the invention, the air moving devices are
arranged in separate sub groups and selected ones of the sub groups
of air moving devices can be removed from the tray as a unit when
the front panel is opened.
[0048] According to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,
electrical cables connect the connector ports for conveying signals
therefrom, and the cables have a sufficient slack portion to permit
the front panel to be removed to an open position while maintaining
the electrical connection to the connector ports. Thus, the air
moving devices are "hot swappable" while the computer components
remain in operation.
[0049] According to at least one of the disclosed embodiments of
the present invention, there is provided a fan tray or unit which
is adapted to be mounted horizontally within a rack to facilitate
the movement of air vertically through computer components
vertically mounted within the rack. In one example of the
invention, a series of the fan trays are adapted to be disposed in
a vertically-spaced apart manner within the rack. Each one is
adapted to be removed and replaced, while permitting the computer
components to continue to function normally.
[0050] General System Description
[0051] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
FIGS. 1 through 21 and 29 and 30, there is illustrated one
embodiment of a rack mounted system 10 according to the present
invention. The rack mounted system 10 includes a rack housing 12
configured generally as a rectangular box having a plurality of
vertical bays 14. The embodiment illustrated in the drawings
includes three vertically spaced-apart bays 14.
[0052] Each bay 14 is divided into a front bay portion 16 and a
rear bay portion 18 by an intermediate transversely-extending
horizontal divider 19. The intermediate divider 19 is most clearly
illustrated in FIG. 7. The bays 14 are formed in the rack housing
12 in a vertical manner one above the other. In a bottom portion of
the rack housing 12, a control bay 21 is provided to house various
controlled components, as hereinafter described in greater
detail.
[0053] The rack housing 12 further includes a fan/LAN tray slot 23
above each bay 14. Each fan/LAN tray slot is configured to
accommodate a fan/LAN tray such as tray 27.
[0054] The embodiment illustrated in the drawings provides a
control bay 21 (FIG. 7) having a bottom opening 25 (FIG. 7) for
facilitating air flow to receive vertically moving air flow from a
vent opening 26 in a floor 28 and vertically through the system 10
as assisted by the fan/LAN trays. At the top of the rack housing
12, an apertured top panel 26 (FIG. 1) is provided to permit
venting of the vertically moving air flow from the system 10.
[0055] At the top portion of each bay 14, in the intermediate
region between the front bay portion 16 and the rear bay portion
18, as best seen in FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 8, a power distribution unit
(PDU) 29 is provided to supply electricity to various components
mounted in the rack mounted system. Each bay is adapted to
accommodate a plurality of computer components in the form of open
structure computer components or blades, such as blade 32 (FIG. 1),
in each of the front bay portions 16 and the rear bay portions 18.
In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, eleven blades may be
accommodated in each of the front bay and rear bay portions in a
generally upright disposition. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment,
the system 10 accommodates 66 computer components in a densely
compact, closely spaced configuration.
[0056] The bottom control bay 21 is adapted to accommodate various
control components. These control components may include a circuit
breaker junction box 34, as most clearly illustrated in FIG. 6. The
circuit breaker junction box 34 is electrically connected to each
PDU. As shown in FIG. 4, a switch module 36 is also provided in the
control bay 21. The switch module 36 is adapted to control
communication between the various blades, such as blade 32, and a
network, such as a local area network, wide area network, or a
public network, such as the internet. Further, the control bay 21
accommodates an air intake fan module 38 (FIGS. 1 and 5) for
facilitating intake of air through the bottom opening 25 and
facilitating vertical air flow through the blades and the bays 14
and out the apertured top panel 26.
[0057] The embodiment of the rack system 10 illustrated in the
figures includes four casters 41 for rollably supporting the system
on the floor 26 (FIG. 5) for easy portability of the rack system
10. Other embodiments of the rack system according to the present
invention may be floor mounted, thereby including legs or skids in
place of the casters for direct mounting to the floor.
[0058] Fan/LAN Tray
[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, the fan/LAN tray 27 and its
installation into the rack housing 12 will be described in further
detail. FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a fan/LAN tray 27 for
mounting to a suitable support such as the rack system 10
illustrated in the drawings. The fan/LAN tray 27 includes eight
suitable air moving devices such as fans for facilitating vertical
air flow. Although the embodiment illustrated in the drawings
includes eight fans such as fan 43 (FIG. 9) per tray, any suitable
number of fans may be used.
[0060] In the front portion of the fan/LAN tray 27, a series of LAN
connector ports 45 (FIGS. 1 and 9) is provided. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 9, each fan/LAN tray 27 includes 12 LAN
connector ports 45, the end one of which may be used for test
purposes. While 12 LAN connectors are shown in the disclosed
embodiment, it should be understood that any number of such
connectors may be employed for a given application. Internal wiring
leads (not shown) from each LAN connector port 45 extend to one of
two signal connectors 47 (FIG. 9) in the back portion of the
fan/LAN tray 27. In one embodiment, each signal connector 47 is a
50 pin signal connector, and is connected electrically to the
switch module 36. Further, each fan/LAN tray includes an AC power
inlet 49 in the back portion for providing power to the fans. When
installed, power may be supplied to the fans such as fan 43 through
the AC power inlet 49 from the PDU 29, as hereinafter described in
greater detail.
[0061] For facilitating installation of the fan/LAN tray 27 into
the fan/LAN tray slot 23 of the rack housing 12, as shown in FIG.
9, guides 52 may be provided on the sides of each fan/LAN tray 27.
During the installation process, the guides, preferably nylon
guides, may engage corresponding member on the sides of the fan/LAN
tray slots 23 to help support the fan/LAN tray. Further, a locking
mechanism may be provided in conjunction with the guides 52 for
securing the fan/LAN tray 27 into the fan/LAN tray slot 23 to help
support the fan/LAN tray. Once installed, each fan/LAN tray 27
occupies an area directly above either the front bay portion 16 or
the rear bay portion 18. Accordingly, a fan/LAN tray in the front
and a fan/LAN tray in the rear may completely cover each bay 14
level. Thus, as illustrated most clearly in FIG. 10, a total of 6
fan/LAN trays 27, in addition to the air intake fan module 38 may
be provided in a three bay level rack mounted system 10 according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0062] Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, in accordance with another
one of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention, a
fan/LAN tray 42 which is similar to the fan/LAN tray 27, may be
divided into a plurality of separate trays or tray portions such as
a tray portion 44, each of which can be removed independently so
that the remaining tray portion or portions can continue to
function. In this regard, it is contemplated that the LAN
connections are separate from the fan tray or tray portions so that
the tray portions may be removed independently of the LAN
component.
[0063] The fan tray 42 includes a generally rectangular flat hollow
frame 46 having a series of guides such as guide 68 for helping to
mount the fan tray 42 to a suitable support (not shown), which may
be similar to the rack housing 12 of FIG. 1. The frame 46 includes
a front opening 48 (FIG. 9B) for receiving the individual tray
portions such as the tray portion 44. A removable front panel 51
fits over the opening 48 and is secured in place by any suitable
technique such as by using fastening devices (not shown). A series
of connector ports such as a connector port 53 are mounted on the
front panel 51 and are electrically connected to signal connectors
(not shown) which may be similar to the signal connectors 47 of
FIG. 9. In this regard, cables such as a cable 55 are connected
individually to the connector ports such as the connector port 53.
In order to permit the removal of the front panel 51, the cables
such as the cable 55 include cable slack portions such as a cable
slack portion 57 to enable the front panel 51 to be removed from
the frame 46, while permitting the electrical connections to the
computer components to remain intact for normal operation of the
system. In this regard, individual ones of the fan tray portions
can be removed for repair or replacement, and the remaining fan
tray portions can function independently to facilitate cooling,
while the computer components remain in normal operation.
[0064] Considering now the tray portion 44 in greater detail, it
should be understood that all of the tray portions may be similar
to one another. The tray portion 44 includes a front flange 59 to
facilitate grasping by a user to pull it outwardly from the
interior of the frame 46 as indicated in FIG. 9B. The fan tray
portion includes a pair of air moving devices such as a fan 70, and
a power inlet (not shown) similar to the power inlet 49 of FIG. 9
to engage a power outlet 60 on a power distribution unit 62 for
energizing the fans. In this manner, the tray portion 44 can be
pulled out of the frame 46 by merely disengaging it from the power
outlet 60. Another like fan tray portion can then be inserted in
its place and connected to the power outlet 60 and then the front
panel 51 can then be replaced over the opening 48.
[0065] Thus, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art
that the group of air moving devices can be arranged in subgroups
of tray portions so that some but not all of the air moving devices
can be removed without interfering with the operation of the
remaining devices. It should be noted that the subgroups can be any
number of one or more of the air moving devices. Also, it should be
noted that the individual tray portions such as the tray portion 44
can be positioned behind the front panel 51, and a similar set of
tray portions (not shown) can be installed to the rear portion of
the frame 46 and interconnect with the power distribution unit 62.
A rear panel (not shown) is removable and is similar to the front
panel 51 and serves the same purpose as the front
[0066] Computer Component Construction
[0067] Referring now to FIGS. 11, 25 and 26, the computer
components or blades 32 and their installation into the rack
housing 12 will now be described in greater detail. Each blade is
provided with a pair of handles 54 projecting from the front face
of a front panel. The front panel extends transversely to a rigid
upright support or plate and is connected to the front edge of the
support in an L-shaped configuration. The handles allow a user to
easily manipulate the blade 32 to be grasped by the user to slide
the blade into or out of its bay. Each blade 32 may include one or
more mother boards 56. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 25
and 26, each blade 32 includes two mother boards 56a, 56b. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of mother boards
included in each blade 32 may be varied according to design. The
mother board may include heat sinks such as heat sinks 58 and 59
for facilitating the cooling of the mother boards. Further, each
mother board is provided with random access memory (RAM) 61. The
amount of RAM 61 provided for each mother board may be varied as
needed. A pair of power supply 63a, 63b may be provided on the
blade 32 for supplying power to their corresponding mother boards
56a, 56b. Similarly, a pair of hard disks 64a, 64b may also be
provided on the blade 32.
[0068] All of the components are mounted on one side of a rigid
plate or support 64, which is adapted to be supported vertically
within its bay. Each blade 32 includes a cut-out corner portion or
section 65 in its upper back portion. The cut-out portion 65 is
sized to receive and accommodate the PDU 29 there between such that
two opposing blades 32 and 32a (as shown in FIG. 26) accommodate
the PDU 29 almost completely. Thus, a substantially zero footprint
is achieved for the PDU 29. Each blade 32 is provided with an AC
power inlet such as an inlet 67 at or near the cut-out portion 65.
Thus, when the blade 32 is installed into the rack housing 12, the
AC power inlet 67 engages electrically a corresponding AC connector
such as a connector 76 (FIG. 17) of the PDU 29.
[0069] As most clearly illustrated in FIG. 11, the installation of
the blade 32 may be achieved in a fast and efficient manner. The
blade 32 is simply slid into either the front bay portion 16 or the
rear bay portion 18 of a bay 14 of the rack housing 12. Each blade
32 is slid back until its AC power inlet 67 engages a corresponding
AC connector 76 on the PDU 29. The intermediate dividers 19 serve
as a back stop for the blades 32. Each blade 32 is secured in its
slot by four blade screws 69, which attach the blade 32 to the rack
housing 12.
[0070] Once the blade 32 has been mounted onto the rack housing 12,
a short blade/LAN connector cable such as a cable 45 (FIG. 12) or a
cable 71 (FIG. 1) provides electrical networking connection between
the blade 32 and a network such as a local area network, wide area
network or a public network such as the internet. In this regard,
the mother boards are each mounted at the front of each blade, and
thus access thereto is readily available at front outlets such as
at outlet 73 (FIG. 12). Thus, a data connection can be made from
the outlet 73, through a short cable 45, an inlet 77 of a PDU 29,
which is coupled to the switch module 36.
[0071] Referring now to FIGS. 17 through 20, the power distribution
unit 29 will now be described in greater detail. The PDU 29
supplies power from an external power source, through the circuit
breaker junction box 34, to the various blades 32 and the fan/LAN
trays 27. Each PDU 29 includes an elongated PDU body 74, which
preferably is formed of a two piece, 18 gauge steel chassis. Each
of two sides of the PDU body 74 includes a series of female AC
connectors 76. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 17 through
20, each side is provided with 12 female AC connectors 76. The
twelve connectors 76 correspond to eleven blades mounted in the
front bay portion 16 and the rear bay portion 18 of each bay 14 and
a fan/LAN tray 27. The twelfth connector is for an AC power outlet
on the front of the fan tray.
[0072] Thus, 12 female AC connectors 76 are provided on each of a
front side and a rear side of the PDU body 74. Each set of twelve
female AC connectors 76 receives power through a pair of power
cables 72. In one embodiment, the power cable 72 is a 15 amp power
cable with strained relief near its junction with the PDU body 74.
As described below, the power cables 72 are routed to the circuit
breaker junction box 34 in the control bay 21. The PDU body 74 may
also include a series of mounting studs 78 for installation of the
PDU body 74 to the rack housing 12.
[0073] Referring now to FIGS. 13 through 16, the routing of the
various power and LAN cables will now be described in detail. As
illustrated most clearly in FIG. 13, the power cables 72 from the
PDU's 29 at each bay level are directed along the right side of the
rack housing 12 toward the front portion of the rack housing 12 and
to the bottom, where they are connected electrically to the circuit
breaker junction box 34. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated in the
drawings, six power cables 72 are connected to the circuit breaker
junction box 34, since there are two from each one of the three
PDUs. A set of three cables generally indicated at 80 are each
adapted to be coupled to a suitable source of AC power to supply
power to the system 10.
[0074] As also illustrated in FIG. 13, a set of six LAN cables 81
from the fan/LAN trays and PDUs are routed along the rear right
side of the rack housing 12 to the switch module 36. In the
embodiment illustrated in the drawings, two LAN cables 81 extend
from each PDU which, in turn, are connected electrically to a pair
of fifty pin signal connectors 47. Thus, six such cables 81 are
directed along the right side of the rack housing 12. Similarly, as
most clearly shown in FIG. 15, six LAN cables 81 extend from the
fan/LAN trays 27 and PDUs along the left front side of the rack
housing 12. These six cables 81 are also connected at their lower
ends to the switch module 36.
[0075] Once the rack system 10 is fully assembled with all the
fan/LAN trays 27, PDUs 29 and the blades 32 in place, a fully
assembled and efficient rack mounted system is provided. In such a
system, networking of the various components provided on the blades
32 is also performed efficiently. In the embodiment illustrated in
the drawings, eleven blades are accommodated at each of the front
bay portion 16 and the rear bay portion 18 at each bay 14. Thus, in
the embodiment illustrated, 66 such blades 32 may be accommodated.
However, some of the slots may be occupied by master computer
components or blades such as the master blades indicated at 32a in
FIGS. 4 and 6. In the illustrated embodiment, two master blades 32a
are provided in the bottom of the three blade bays directly above
the switch module 36. The master blades 32a are connected
electrically directly to the switch module 36 via high speed
connections (not shown) such as fiber optic connections. The master
blades control the switch module 36 to switch communication between
the various slave blades 32 and the master blades. Accordingly, 64
slave blades may be accommodated by the illustrated embodiment of
the system. Each of the 64 slave blades may be hot swappable, for
example, allowing replacement of the blades 32 without causing the
shutting down of the system 10.
[0076] Each fan/LAN tray 27 is provided with twelve LAN connector
ports such as the port 45 (FIG. 1). Eleven of the 12 LAN connector
ports 45 are adapted to permit communication between the various
slave blades 32 and the switch module 36. The twelfth LAN connector
port 45 allows an external user to connect an external device such
as a laptop computer to the network. Further, each fan/LAN tray 27
is provided with a centrally disposed AC power outlet for
connecting such an external device.
[0077] According to the disclosed embodiments of the present
invention, and as indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 21, the system
10 illustrated in the figures provides efficient air flow to
maintain a cool operating temperature for the various components
mounted on the blades 32. Air flow is directed from the bottom
opening 25 by the air intake fan module 38 located in the control
bay 21. The air intake fan module 38 directs the air flow
vertically through the various open structure blades 32 at each bay
level 14. The air flow is further facilitated by the fans 43 in
each fan/LAN tray 27 to move the air in its upwardly directed path
of travel. The air flow is directed out of the rack housing 12
through the apertured top panel 26.
[0078] FIGS. 21 through 24 illustrate further embodiments of the
present invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 21 through 24, the
intake and exhaust of the air flow may be varied to accommodate
various configurations as to the availability of air supply in the
immediate environment. For example, in FIG. 22, an air intake fan
module 38a draws air from a bottom opening 25a, similar to that
illustrated in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 21. Air flow
is directed vertically with the aid of fans 43a mounted on fan/LAN
trays. However, unlike the previously described embodiment, in the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 22, the air flow is re-directed from
a vertical path of travel at right angles to a horizontal path of
travel out of the rack system 10a towards the rear of the rack
housing. An air flow hood 85a facilitates the rearward re-direction
of the air flow.
[0079] FIG. 23 illustrates yet another embodiment of the rack
system according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an
air intake fan module 38b draws air horizontally inwardly through
an opening such as defined by a perforated plate 87b in the bottom
front portion of the rack housing. The air flow is then re-directed
upwardly with the aid of fans 43b mounted in fan/LAN trays. The air
flow is directed vertically out of the top portion of rack system
10b.
[0080] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 24, an air intake fan
module 38c draws air horizontally through an opening such as
defined by a perforated plate 87c in the front bottom portion of
the rack housing. The air flow is re-directed vertically through
this system with the aid of fans 43c. The air flow is re-directed
at right angles to a horizontal path of travel out of the rack
housing rearwardly at the top of the rack housing. The rearward
redirection of the air flow is facilitated by an airflow hood 85c.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other
variations on the intake and exhaust of the air flow are possible
in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention.
[0081] While particular embodiments of the present invention have
been disclosed, it is to be understood that various different
modifications and combinations are possible and are contemplated
within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is
no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract and
disclosure herein presented.
* * * * *