Multi-shelf power-pooling bus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9320166-B1
Application number	US-201213693970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2012
Priority date	Dec 4, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A system includes a rack, a plurality of shelves, a plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, and an inter-shelf power-pooling bus. The inter-shelf power-pooling bus is coupled to a power output of a shelf power supply mechanism on each of the shelves and a power input of a shelf computing device on each of the shelves. The inter-shelf power-pooling bus supplies pooled power from the shelf power supply mechanisms coupled to the inter-shelf power bus to the shelf computing devices coupled to the inter-shelf power-pooling bus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a rack comprising a plurality of shelves;
a plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, wherein respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems are coupled to respective ones of the shelves, wherein the respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems comprise one or more chassis, a shelf power supply mechanism configured to receive AC power from a power distribution system and supply DC power, and one or more shelf computing devices;
an inter-shelf power-pooling bus coupled to the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, wherein for a given shelf-mountable electrical system of the respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, the inter-shelf power pooling bus is coupled between:
a DC power output of a shelf power supply mechanism of the given shelf-mountable electrical system; and
a power input of a shelf computing device of the given shelf-mountable electrical system;

wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is configured to supply pooled power from the shelf power supply mechanisms coupled to the inter-shelf power bus to the shelf computing devices coupled to the inter-shelf power-pooling bus.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the DC power supplied from the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is about 12 VDC or about 48 VDC.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the DC power supplied from the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is high voltage DC power.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the shelf-mountable electrical systems comprises one or more additional power supply mechanisms and a local power bus coupled to the power supply mechanism and the one or more additional power supply mechanisms of the at least one shelf-mountable electrical system, wherein at least one of the shelf computing devices of the at least one shelf-mountable electrical system is coupled to the local power bus.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power supply mechanism of a shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to a first shelf has a capacity that is less than the capacity required by the one or more shelf computing devices of the shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to the first shelf, wherein the power supply mechanism of a shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to a second shelf has a capacity that is greater than the capacity required by the computing devices of the shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to the second shelf, wherein the power-pooling bus is configured to conduct excess power from the second shelf to the first shelf.

6. A system, comprising:
a rack comprising a plurality of shelves;
a plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, wherein respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems are coupled to respective ones of the shelves, wherein the respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems comprise one or more chassis, a shelf power supply mechanism, and one or more shelf computing devices;
an inter-shelf power-pooling bus coupled to the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, wherein for a given shelf-mountable electrical system of the respective ones of the plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, the inter-shelf power pooling bus is coupled between:
a power output of a shelf power supply mechanism of the given shelf-mountable electrical system; and
a power input of a shelf computing device of the given shelf-mountable electrical system;

wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is configured to supply pooled power from the shelf power supply mechanisms coupled to the inter-shelf power bus to the shelf computing devices coupled to the inter-shelf power-pooling bus.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the pooled power supplied to the shelf computing devices is DC power, wherein the system further comprises one or more DC/DC converters, wherein at least one of the one or more DC/DC converters is configured to receive DC power from the inter-shelf power-pooling bus at a first voltage and to supply power to at least one of the shelf computing devices at a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the pooled power supplied to the shelf computing devices is DC power, wherein the DC power supplied from the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is about 48 VDC.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the pooled power supplied to the shelf computing devices is DC power, wherein the DC power supplied from the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is about 12 VDC or about 48 VDC.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the pooled power supplied to the shelf computing devices is high voltage DC power.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the power supply mechanisms are configured to supply pooled power to the inter-shelf power-pooling bus to tolerate a failure of at least one of the power supply mechanisms.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the power supply mechanism of a shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to a first shelf has a capacity that is less than the capacity required by the one or more shelf computing devices of the shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to the first shelf, wherein the power supply mechanism of a shelf-mountable electrical system coupled a second shelf has a capacity that is greater than the capacity required by the computing devices of the shelf-mountable electrical system coupled to the second shelf, wherein the power-pooling bus is configured to conduct excess power from the second shelf to the first shelf.

13. The system of claim 6 , wherein the power supply mechanism on at least one of the shelves comprises at least one battery back-up unit.

14. The system of claim 6 , wherein the power supply mechanism on at least one of the shelves comprises at least one power supply unit.

15. The system of claim 6 , wherein the power supply mechanism on at least one of the shelves comprises at least one power supply unit and at least one battery back-up unit.

16. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the shelf-mountable electrical systems comprises a local bus between the power supply mechanism and the shelf computing devices, wherein the local bus is configured to couple the computing devices to two or more power supply units, or to one or more power supply units and one or more battery back-up units.

17. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus comprises one or more blind-mate connectors configured to couple with the power output of the power supply mechanisms of two or more of the shelf-mountable electrical systems when the shelf-mountable electrical systems are installed in the rack.

18. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus comprises one or more bus connectors on at least one of the shelves, wherein at least one of the shelf-mountable electrical systems comprises one or more power bus connectors configured to couple with at least one of the bus connectors on the at least one shelf.

19. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus comprises one or more insulated power cables configured to couple the power outputs of power supply mechanisms of the shelf-mountable electrical systems coupled to two or more of the shelves.

20. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inter-shelf power-pooling bus is formed from power bus elements on each of at least two of the shelf-mountable electrical systems.

21. The system of claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to activate or

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Marr Michael David
• Ross Peter George
• Bryan David Edward

Classifications

• H05K7/14 Primary

  Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack · CPC title

• H05K7/1492 Primary

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

• G06F1/263

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title