Exhaust air ducting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9596790-B2
Application number	US-201514658912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

A system of thermally managing network equipment including a rack housing a network equipment element, an intake coupling including one or more vanes and an exhaust port, a duct, and a rack coupling mechanism configured to adjustably position the intake coupling relative to the rack. The intake coupling is configured to: receive an airflow from the hot air exhaust vent at a first direction; deflect the airflow in a second direction via the one or more vanes; and exhaust the airflow through an opening in the exhaust port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for thermally managing network equipment, the apparatus comprising:
an intake coupling comprising one or more vanes, a first pair of flanges comprising a first flange positioned on a first side of the intake coupling and a second flange positioned on an opposed second side of the intake coupling, and an exhaust port, the intake coupling configured to be positioned adjacent a hot air exhaust vent of a network equipment element and configured to: receive an airflow from the hot air exhaust vent at a first direction; deflect the airflow in a second direction via the one or more vanes; and exhaust the airflow through an opening in the exhaust port;
a duct comprising a first end, a second end, and an airflow passage extending between the first end and the second end, the first end coupled to the exhaust port of the intake coupling and the second end configured to be positioned above the network equipment element, the airflow passage configured to direct the airflow from the first end to the second end; and
a rack coupling mechanism operably couplable to a rack and configured to adjustably position the intake coupling relative to the rack, the rack coupling mechanism comprising a plurality of elongated bolts that supports the intake coupling in a position relative to the hot air exhaust vent of the network equipment element using the first pair of flanges,
the one or more vanes comprising a first vane and a second vane, the first vane comprising a first sidewall physically coupled to the first flange and a second sidewall physically coupled to the second flange, the first vane oriented at a specified angle relative to an orientation of the first and second flanges, the second vane having a second pair of flanges comprising a third flange and a fourth flange, the third and fourth flanges positioned on opposite ends of the second vane the third flange physically coupled to the first sidewall and the fourth flange physically coupled to the second sidewall such that an orientation of the second vane is parallel to the first vane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein adjustment of the plurality of elongated bolts changes the position by increasing or decreasing a lateral distance between the intake coupling and the hot air exhaust vent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second flanges comprises a plurality of holes into which one of the plurality of elongated bolts is configured to be inserted according to a desired height of the intake coupling relative to a height of the hot air exhaust vent.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the specified angle is 45 degrees.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising the rack housing the network equipment element, and wherein the rack comprises a pair of opposing vertically oriented U-shaped rails configured with multiple holes, the network equipment element positioned between the rails and the multiple holes of the rails being spaced relative to a height of the network equipment element, a first bolt of the plurality of elongated bolts secured in one of the multiple holes of a first rail of the pair of rails and a second bolt of the plurality of elongated bolts secured in another one of the multiple holes of a second rail of the pair of rails, the first bolt secured in one of a first plurality of spaced apart holes in the first flange and the second bolt secured in one of a second plurality of spaced apart holes in the second flange such that the intake coupling is adjustably positioned at a height sufficient to cover the hot air exhaust vent.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is upward of the horizontal direction.

7. An apparatus for thermally managing network equipment, the apparatus comprising:
an intake coupling comprising one or more vanes and an exhaust port, the intake coupling forming an enclosure, the one or more vanes forming at least part of the enclosure, the one or more vanes comprising a first vane forming a bottom portion of the enclosure, the enclosure comprising a top sheet on a top surface of the intake coupling, the top sheet comprising the exhaust port, the intake coupling configured to be positioned adjacent a hot air exhaust vent of a network equipment element and configured to: receive an airflow from the hot air exhaust vent at a first direction; deflect the airflow in a second direction via the one or more vanes; and exhaust the airflow through an opening in the exhaust port;
a duct comprising a first end, a second end, and an airflow passage extending between the first end and the second end, the first end coupled to the exhaust port of the intake coupling and the second end configured to be positioned above the network equipment element, the airflow passage configured to direct the airflow from the first end to the second end; and
a rack coupling mechanism operably couplable to a rack and configured to adjustably position the intake coupling relative to the rack.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first vane further comprising an intake port adapted for receiving an airflow from an exhaust port of a lower positioned intake coupling.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the intake coupling is formed from a first planar sheet of metal that, when bent to its final shape, forms at least one vane of the one or more vanes.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the one or more vanes comprises a second vane formed from a second planar sheet of metal.

11. A computing system comprising:
a rack housing a plurality of network equipment elements;
an intake coupling adapted to receive an airflow from at least one of the plurality of network equipment elements at a first direction and deflect the airflow in a second direction, the intake coupling adapted to secure to the rack in a plurality of positions relative to a hot air exhaust vent of the at least one of the plurality of network equipment elements using a rack coupling mechanism that is configured to position the intake coupling in the plurality of positions by adjusting a lateral distance between the hot air exhaust vent from intake coupling, the intake coupling comprising a first vane, and a second vane, the first vane comprising a first pair of flanges, and a pair of sidewalls, the first pair of flanges comprising a first flange positioned on a first side of the intake coupling and a second flange positioned on an opposed second side of the intake coupling, the pair of sidewalls comprising a first sidewall physically coupled to the first flange and a second sidewall physically coupled to the second flange, the second vane comprising a second pair of flanges comprising a third flange and a fourth flange, the third and fourth flanges positioned on opposite ends of the second vane, the third flange physically coupled to the first sidewall and the fourth flange physically coupled to the second sidewall; and
a duct coupled to the intake coupling and adapted to receive the airflow and direct the airflow from the intake coupling to another location,
wherein the rack coupling mechanism comprises a plurality of elongated bolts that physically mounts the intake coupling in one of the plurality of positions relative to the hot air exhaust vent of the at least one of the plurality of network equipment elements using the first pair of flanges,
wherein the first vane is oriented at a specified angle relative to an orientation of the first and second flanges, and
wherein an orientation of the second vane is parallel to the first vane.

12. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein each of the pair of flanges comprises a plurality of spaced hole

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Ambriz Robert

Classifications

• H05K7/20745 Primary

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device · CPC title

• H05K7/20145

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

• H05K7/20181

  Filters; Louvers · CPC title

• H05K7/20736

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• H05K7/20836 Primary

  Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control · CPC title