Exhaust air deflecting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442541-B2
Application number	US-201314097986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 5, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

An air deflecting system includes an air deflector that is physically mounted against a hot air exhaust vent of a network equipment element using a rack coupling mechanism that is adjustable to accommodate a variable lateral distance of the hot air exhaust vent from the computing rack. The air deflector receives an airflow from the hot air exhaust vent at a first direction and deflects the airflow in a second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an air deflector to receive an airflow at a first direction and deflect the airflow in a second direction, the airflow discharged through an hot air exhaust vent of a network equipment element configured in a computing rack, wherein the air deflector is separate from the computing rack; and
a rack coupling mechanism to physically locate the air deflector against the hot air exhaust vent of the network equipment element, and connect the air deflector to the computing rack, the rack coupling mechanism is adjustable to accommodate a variable lateral distance of the hot air exhaust vent from the computing rack,
wherein the rack coupling mechanism comprises a pair of elongated bolts that physically mounts the air deflector against the hot air exhaust vent of the network equipment element using a pair of flanges each configured on opposing sides of the air deflector,
wherein each flange comprises a plurality of equally-spaced holes into which one of a pair of elongated bolts are alternatively inserted according to a desired height of the air deflector relative to the height of the hot air exhaust vent,
wherein the air deflector comprises a first vane, each of the pair of flanges physically coupled to the first vane at either end using each of a pair of sidewalls, the first vane oriented at a specified angle relative to an orientation of each of the flanges, and
wherein the air deflector comprises a second vane having a pair of second flanges on either end, each second flange physically coupled to each of the pair of sidewalls such that the orientation of the second vane is parallel to the first vane.

2. The air deflector of claim 1 , wherein the specified angle is 45 degrees.

3. The air deflector of claim 1 , wherein the computing rack comprises a pair of opposing vertically oriented U-shaped rails configured with multiple holes, the network element positioned between the rails and the holes of the rails being spaced relative to a height of the network element, a first bolt of the pair of bolts secured in one of the holes of a first rail of the pair of rails and a second bolt of the pair of bolts secured in one of the holes of a second rail of the pair of rails, each of the first bolt and the second bolt secured in one of a plurality of spaced apart holes of each of a pair of flanges configured on opposing sides of the air deflector such that the air deflector is positioned at a height sufficient to cover the hot air exhaust vent.

4. The air deflector of claim 1 , wherein the air deflector is formed from a first planar sheet of metal that, when bent to its final shape, forms at least one vane of the air deflector.

5. The air deflector of claim 3 , wherein the air deflector comprises a second vane formed from a second planar sheet of metal.

6. The air deflector of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is upwards of the horizontal direction.

7. A computing system comprising:
a plurality of network equipment elements;
a computing rack housing the network equipment elements; and
an exhaust air deflector to receive an airflow from at least one network equipment element at a first direction and deflect the airflow in a second direction, the exhaust air deflector is physically located against the hot air exhaust vent of the one network equipment element using a rack coupling mechanism that connects the exhaust air flow deflector to the computing rack, and the exhaust air deflector is separate from the computing rack and the rack coupling mechanism is adjustable to accommodate a variable lateral distance of the hot air exhaust vent from the computing rack,
wherein the rack coupling mechanism comprises a pair of elongated bolts that physically mounts the air deflector against the hot air exhaust vent of the network equipment element using a pair of flanges each configured on opposing sides of the air deflector,
wherein the air deflector comprises a first vane, each of the pair of flanges physically coupled to the first vane at either end using each of a pair of sidewalls, the first vane oriented at a specified angle relative to an orientation of each of the flanges, and
wherein the air deflector comprises a second vane having a pair of second flanges on either end, each second flange physically coupled to each of the pair of sidewalls such that the orientation of the second vane is parallel to the first vane.

8. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein each flange comprises a plurality of equally-spaced holes into which one of the bolts are alternatively inserted according to a desired height of the air deflector relative to the height of the hot air exhaust vent.

9. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the computing rack comprises a pair of opposing vertically oriented U-shaped rails configured with multiple holes, the network element positioned between the rails and the holes of the rails being spaced relative to a height of the network element, a first bolt of the pair of bolts secured in one of the holes of a first rail of the pair of rails and a second bolt of the pair of bolts secured in one of the holes of a second rail of the pair of rails, each of the first bolt and the second bolt secured in one of a plurality of spaced apart holes of each of a pair of flanges configured on opposing sides of the air deflector such that the air deflector is positioned at a height sufficient to cover the hot air exhaust vent.

10. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the air deflector is formed from a first planar sheet of metal that, when bent to its final shape, forms at least one vane of the air deflector.

11. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the air deflector comprises a second vane formed from a second planar sheet of metal.

12. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is upwards of the horizontal direction.

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Pofahl Morgan Morrison
• Veit Dolf Conrad

Classifications

• H05K7/183

  support rails therefor · CPC title

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20145

  Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides · CPC title

• H05K7/20718

  Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant (in closed loop H05K7/20754) · CPC title

• H05K7/1488

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