Shelf-mounted modular computing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9380729-B2
Application number	US-201514733898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Mar 22, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A system for performing computing operations includes a rack, one or more shelves coupled to the rack, and two or more computing modules. Each computing module may include a chassis, one or more circuit board assemblies in a primarily vertical orientation, and one or more hard disk drives in a primarily vertical orientation. The circuit board assemblies and the hard disk drives are coupled to the chassis of the computing module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a rack;
one or more mounting components coupled to the rack;
two or more computing modules, wherein each of at least one of the computing modules comprises:
a chassis configured to couple with at least one of the mounting components;
one or more circuit board assemblies in a primarily vertical orientation coupled to the chassis; and
one or more hard disk drives in a primarily vertical orientation coupled to the chassis,
wherein at least one of the two or more computing modules is at least partially removable from the at least one mounting component such that the chassis, the one or more circuit board assemblies and the one or more hard disk drives move together when the at least one computing module is at least partially removed;
wherein at least one of the hard disk drives or circuit board assemblies in the primarily vertical orientation is coupled such that the at least one hard disk drive or circuit board assembly can be removed from the computing module without removing one or more other hard disk drives or one or more other circuit board assemblies from the computing module.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the chassis for at least one of the computing modules comprises one or more guides for at least one of the hard disk drives, wherein the at least one hard disk drive is configured to slide on at least one of the guides to remove the hard disk drive from the chassis.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the mounting components coupled to the rack comprises a vertical member between at least two adjacent computing modules.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mounting components comprise two or more mounting components coupled to the rack, wherein each of at least one of the mounting components is configured to nest with at least one other of the mounting components.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mounting components coupled to the rack comprise two or more mounting components coupled to the rack, wherein each of at least two of the mounting components comprises two or more computing modules, wherein at least two of the mounting components are configured to interlock with one another.

6. A computing module, comprising:
a chassis configured to be installed in a rack;
one or more circuit board assemblies in a primarily vertical orientation coupled to the chassis; and
one or more hard disk drives in a primarily vertical orientation coupled to the chassis;
wherein the computing module is at least partially removable from the rack such that the chassis, the one or more circuit board assemblies and the one or more hard disk drives move together when the computing module is at least partially removed;
wherein at least one of the hard disk drives or circuit board assemblies in a primarily vertical orientation is coupled to the chassis such that the at least one hard disk drive or circuit board assembly can be removed from the computing module without removing one or more other hard disk drives or one or more other circuit board assemblies from the computing module.

7. The computing module of claim 6 , wherein the chassis comprises one or more guides for at least one of the hard disk drives, wherein the at least one hard disk drive is configured to slide on at least one of the guides to remove the hard disk drive from the chassis.

8. The computing module of claim 6 , wherein the one or more hard disk drives in a primarily vertical orientation comprise two or more hard disk drives coupled to at least one of the circuit board assemblies.

9. The computing module of claim 6 , wherein the one or more circuit board assemblies comprise a left circuit board assembly coupled to the chassis and a right circuit board assembly coupled to the chassis.

10. The computing module of claim 9 , wherein the chassis comprises a left chassis member and a right chassis member coupled to one another, wherein the left circuit board assembly is coupled to the left chassis member and the right circuit board assembly is coupled to the right chassis member.

11. The computing module of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first set of one or more hard disk drives coupled to the left chassis member and operably coupled to the left circuit board assembly; and
a second set of one or more hard disk drives coupled to the right chassis member and operably coupled to the right circuit board assembly.

12. The computing module of claim 10 , further comprising a power supply unit coupled to the chassis, wherein the power supply unit is configured to supply electrical power to the left circuit board assembly and the right circuit board assembly.

13. The computing module of claim 6 , wherein the computing module comprises a left computing unit configured to perform computing operations and a right computing unit configured to perform computing operations independent of the left computing unit.

14. The computing module of claim 6 , further comprising one or more hard disk drives coupled to the chassis in a primarily horizontal orientation.

15. The computing module of claim 14 , wherein the chassis is configured to allow at least one of the horizontally oriented hard disk drives to slide in and out the side of the chassis.

16. The computing module of claim 14 , further comprising an air passage commonly adjoining at least one of the vertically oriented hard disk drives and at least one of the horizontally oriented hard disk drives, wherein the air passage is configured to allow air to flow from the front of the air passage to the rear of the air passage such that the air removes heat from the at least one vertically oriented hard disk drive and at least one horizontally oriented hard disk drives.

17. The computing module of claim 6 , further comprising a faceplate, wherein the chassis comprises one or more chassis members configured to carry at least one of the circuit board assemblies, wherein at least one of the chassis members comprises at least one handle configured to extend through the faceplate.

18. A method, comprising:
providing a rack and two or more computing modules coupled in a slot of the rack, each of at least one of the two or more computing modules comprising one or more circuit board assemblies in a primarily vertical orientation and one or more hard disk drives in a primarily vertical orientation;
performing computing operations with at least one of the computing modules in the rack;
at least partially removing at least one of the two or more computing modules from the slot in the rack, wherein the at least one computing module is configured such that the one or more circuit board assemblies and the one or more hard disk drives move together with the computing module when the computing module is removed from the slot in the rack; and
removing at least one primarily vertically oriented hard disk drive or circuit board assembly from the at least one computing module without removing one or more other hard disk drives or one or more other circuit board assemblies from the computing module.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein when at least partially removing the computing module from the slot in the rack one or more other computing modules coupled in the slot of the rack do not move with the computing module.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising removing and replacing at least one primarily horizontally oriented hard disk drive from the at least one computing module by sliding the hard disk drive out through a side of the at least one

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ross Peter George
• Frink Darin Lee

Classifications

• H05K7/1488

  Cabinets therefor, e.g. chassis or racks or mechanical interfaces between blades and support structures · CPC title

• H05K7/1487

  Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade · CPC title

• G06F1/187 Primary

  Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives · CPC title

• H05K7/1489 Primary

  characterized by the mounting of blades therein, e.g. brackets, rails, trays (H05K7/1491 takes precedence) · CPC title