Modular network switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11058034-B2
Application number	US-201916676887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2019
Priority date	Aug 10, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A modular network switch is disclosed. In an embodiment, removable interface modules and a switch circuit board (SMB) are housed in a chassis. Each of the interface modules includes a circuit board that is positioned in parallel with other interface modules. The SMB is oriented in a plane perpendicular to orientation planes of the interface modules, and the circuit boards are connected to the switch circuit board. A switch chip is electrically connected to SMB, and configured to switch network traffic between network connections of the interface modules. The chassis may include airflow regions separated by a divider with respective air intake vents. A power supply is housed in one of the regions and the SMB/interface modules are housed in another region. Power supplies provide power to the interface modules via a bus bar and provide power to the switch circuit board via a connection separate from the bus bar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a device chassis including:
a first airflow region,
a second airflow region, and
a first airflow divider separating the first airflow region and the second airflow region;

a plurality of removable network switch interface modules housed in the first airflow region of the device chassis, wherein each of the removable network switch interface modules includes a network switch interface module circuit board that is positioned in parallel with other network switch interface module circuit boards of the removable network switch interface modules housed in the device chassis;
a switch circuit board housed in the first airflow region of the device chassis downstream of the network switch interface module circuit boards, the switch circuit board oriented in an orientation plane perpendicular to orientation planes of the network switch interface module circuit boards, wherein each of the network switch interface module circuit boards is connected to the switch circuit board;
a switch chip electrically connected to the switch circuit board, housed in the first airflow region of the device chassis downstream of the network switch interface module circuit boards, and configured to switch network traffic between network connections of the plurality of removable network switch interface modules;
a power bus bar including two ends each adapted to electrically couple to a power component, the two ends being connected by a bridge portion spanning over the switch circuit board, wherein the bridge portion is housed in the first airflow region of the device chassis and is adapted to electrically couple to the removable network switch interface modules, and a first end of the two ends of the power bus bar is housed in the second airflow region of the device chassis;
a plurality of intake vents for the first airflow region, each of the intake vents corresponding to at least one of the removable network switch interface modules;
at least one intake vent for the second airflow region that is different than the plurality of intake vents for the first airflow region; and
a thermal component provided over the switch chip housed in the first airflow region of the device chassis.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a removable system control module housed in the device chassis.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the removable system control module includes a processor circuit board that is positioned in parallel with the network switch interface module circuit boards of the removable network switch interface modules housed in the device chassis.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power component electrically coupled to the first end of the power bus bar comprises at least one modular and removable power supply provided in the second airflow region.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of modular and removable fans.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network switch interface module circuit board for at least one module of the removable network switch interface modules includes a gearbox network physical layer function chip configured to at least one of: convert signaling format, re-time, amplify, encrypt, or decrypt signals.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the network switch interface module circuit boards includes a plurality of optical transceiver receiver connectors.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a number of the removable network switch interface modules is at least eight.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device chassis has a third airflow region separated from the first airflow region by a second airflow divider, and a second end of the two ends of the power bus bar is housed in the third airflow region of the device chassis.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the power component electrically coupled to the second end of the power bus bar comprises at least one second power supply housed in the third airflow region of the device chassis.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of fans each adapted to provide forced air cooling within the device chassis.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one fan configured to move cooling air into the device chassis through a front side of the device chassis, then over the network switch interface modules, and then out of the device chassis through a back side of the device chassis.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of removable network switch interface modules are oriented substantially parallel to a direction of airflow and are electrically connected such that the airflow is unimpeded by a midplane or a backplane.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal component includes (i) a heat absorbing portion configured to absorb heat from the switch chip and (ii) a heat releasing portion configured to release the heat into the first airflow region downstream of the switch chip.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the thermal component includes a thermal siphon heatsink, the heat absorbing portion includes an evaporator module, and the heat releasing portion includes a radiator coupled to the evaporator module and downstream of the evaporator module.

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Leung Che Kin
• Yao Zhiping
• Wang Xu
• Wu Lingjun
• Fernandes John Edward

Classifications

• H05K7/1492 Primary

  having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications · CPC title

• G06F1/185

  Mounting of expansion boards · CPC title

• G06F1/189

  Power distribution · CPC title

• H04L49/405

  Physical details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane of ATM switches · CPC title

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title