High-density, fail-in-place switches for computer and data networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10749817-B2
Application number	US-201816135172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A structure for a network switch. The network switch may include a plurality of spine chips arranged on a plurality of spine cards, where one or more spine chips are located on each spine card; and a plurality of leaf chips arranged on a plurality of leaf cards, wherein one or more leaf chips are located on each leaf card, where each spine card is connected to every leaf chip and the plurality of spine chips are surrounded on at least two sides by leaf cards.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network switch comprising:
a plurality of spine cards each comprising a liquid cooling plate in direct contact with one or more spine chips, the plurality of spine cards are stacked vertically one on top of another and separated by a predetermined space;
a plurality of leaf cards each comprising one or more leaf chips in direct contact with a heat sink, the plurality of leaf cards are perpendicular to and circumferentially arrayed around the stack of spine cards, the spine chips of each spine card are electrically connected to the leaf chips of each leaf card, wherein the plurality of leaf cards along any one side of the stack of spine cards are arranged at an angle relative to one another such that no two leaf cards along that side of the stack of spine cards are parallel;
a heat exchanger comprising supply piping connecting it to the liquid cooling plate and return piping connecting it from the liquid cooling plate;
lower card guide plate comprising perforations and guiding features corresponding with each of the plurality of leaf cards; and
upper card guide plate comprising perforations and guiding features corresponding with each of the plurality of leaf cards.

2. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each leaf card is removably coupled to all of the spine cards.

3. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein an orthogonal connector connects all the spine cards to each of the leaf cards.

4. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein the leaf cards surround the stack of spine cards on all four sides, and all the leaf cards along each side of the stack of spine cards are separated from each other by a space at all four corners of the stack of spine cards.

5. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein the supply piping is routed through a space between adjacent leaf cards at a first corner of the stack of spine cards, and the return piping is routed through a space between adjacent leaf cards at a second corner of the stack of spine cards.

6. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more leaf chips are positioned nearest to an innermost edge of each of the plurality of leaf cards to minimize electrical path length in the leaf card.

7. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises a vapor chamber situated between the one or more leaf chips and the heat sink to transfer the heat with low resistance from an innermost edge of the leaf card to an outermost edge of the leaf card.

8. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein the heat sink comprises cooling fins.

9. The structure according to claim 8 , wherein a height of the cooling fins gradually increase from an innermost edge of the leaf card to an outermost edge of the leaf card to provide clearance for adjacent leaf cards.

10. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises one orthogonal receptacle corresponding to each spine card in the stack of spine cards.

11. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises multiple rows of RJ45 connectors arranged along an edge opposite from the stack of spine cards.

12. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein the supply piping is routed through a space between adjacent leaf cards at a first corner of the stack of spine cards, and the return piping is routed through a space between adjacent leaf cards at a second corner of the stack of spine cards.

13. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises a vapor chamber situated between the one or more leaf chips and the heat sink to transfer the heat with low resistance from an innermost edge of the leaf card to an outermost edge of the leaf card.

14. A network switch comprising:
a plurality of spine cards each comprising a liquid cooling plate in direct contact with one or more spine chips, the plurality of spine cards are stacked vertically one on top of another and separated by a predetermined space;
a plurality of leaf cards each comprising one or more leaf chips in direct contact with a heat sink, the plurality of leaf cards are perpendicular to and circumferentially arrayed around the stack of spine cards, the spine chips of each spine card are electrically connected to the leaf chips of each leaf card, wherein each of the plurality of spine cards comprises one orthogonal receptacle corresponding to each of the plurality of leaf cards, and, wherein each orthogonal receptacle along any one side of each of the plurality of leaf cards are arranged at an angle relative to one another such that no two orthogonal receptacles along that side of each of the plurality of leaf cards are parallel;
a heat exchanger comprising supply piping connecting it to the liquid cooling plate and return piping connecting it from the liquid cooling plate;
lower card guide plate comprising perforations and guiding features corresponding with each of the plurality of leaf cards; and
upper card guide plate comprising perforations and guiding features corresponding with each of the plurality of leaf cards.

15. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein each leaf card is removably coupled to all of the spine cards.

16. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein an orthogonal connector connects all the spine cards to each of the leaf cards.

17. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein the leaf cards surround the stack of spine cards on all four sides, and all the leaf cards along each side of the stack of spine cards are separated from each other by a space at all four corners of the stack of spine cards.

18. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more leaf chips are positioned nearest to an innermost edge of each of the plurality of leaf cards to minimize electrical path length in the leaf card.

19. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein the heat sink comprises cooling fins.

20. The structure according to claim 19 , wherein a height of the cooling fins gradually increase from an innermost edge of the leaf card to an outermost edge of the leaf card to provide clearance for adjacent leaf cards.

21. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises one orthogonal receptacle corresponding to each spine card in the stack of spine cards.

22. The structure according to claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of leaf cards comprises multiple rows of RJ45 connectors arranged along an edge opposite from the stack of spine cards.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Coteus Paul W
• Doany Fuad E
• Hall Shawn A
• Schultz Mark D
• Takken Todd E
• Tian Shurong

Classifications

• H05K7/20254

  Cold plates transferring heat from heat source to coolant · CPC title

• H05K7/20572

  within cabinets for removing heat from sub-racks, e.g. plenum · CPC title

• H05K7/1444 Primary

  Complex or three-dimensional-arrangements; Stepped or dual mother boards · CPC title

• H05K7/20509

  Multiple-component heat spreaders; Multi-component heat-conducting support plates; Multi-component non-closed heat-conducting structures · CPC title

• H05K7/20763

  Liquid cooling without phase change · CPC title