Rack mounting portion assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723756-B1
Application number	US-201414265002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 29, 2014
Priority date	Apr 29, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

One or more racks in a rack computing system include shelving systems with mounting portions to receive computer systems in the mounting portion. The mounting portion can include an air flap structure that can restrict airflow through internal space of the mounting portion when a rack computer system is absent from the mounting portion. The air flap structure can retract to enable a computer system to be mounted in an internal space of the mounting portion. A mounting portion can include at least a portion of a backplane assembly that can be aligned to couple with a rack computer system mounted in the mounting portion to communicatively couple the rack computer system with one or more communication networks. The mounting portion can include an ejection mechanism that can eject an installed computer system from the mounting portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center comprising:
a rack comprising a plurality of mounting portions that are each configured to receive and structurally support at least one of a plurality of computer systems mounted in the respective one of the plurality of mounting portions;
a backplane assembly that is communicatively coupled to a communication network and extends along a portion of a rear end of the rack, the backplane assembly comprising separate network connectors that are each aligned with separate ones of the plurality of mounting portions and are each configured to communicatively couple a complimentary network connector of individual ones of the plurality of computer systems with the communication network when the individual ones of the plurality of computer systems are mounted in the separate ones of the plurality of mounting portions; and
a plurality of air flap structures, each coupled to a separate one of the plurality of mounting portions of the rack and configured to restrict airflow through the respective mounting portion based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the respective mounting portion;
wherein at least one of the mounting portions comprises a latch mechanism configured to:
receive, at a communication interface of the latch mechanism, an ejection command signal via a communication pathway external to a computer system mounted in the at least one mounting portion; and
in response to receiving the ejection command signal, disengage the latch mechanism with an interface portion of the computer system.

2. The data center of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the plurality of mounting portions is included in a shelving module, wherein the shelving module comprises:
a coupling element configured to directly couple the shelving module to the rack, wherein the backplane assembly extends at least in part along a portion of a rear end of the shelving module;
a housing configured to at least partially encompass a slot and to receive at least one of the plurality of computer systems into the slot via a front end of the shelving module opposite the rear end of the shelving module in which the backplane assembly extends at least in part along, such that the at least one of the plurality of computer systems is mounted in the shelving module; and

wherein, to restrict airflow through the respective mounting portion based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the respective mounting portion, the at least one of the air flap structures is configured to substantially seal a cross section of the slot substantially perpendicular to a depth of the slot through the shelving module, based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the slot, to restrict air flow through the depth of the slot through the shelving module.

3. The data center of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of mounting portions are included in a shelving module, wherein the shelving module comprises:
an enclosure including a front end, side ends, and a rear end, wherein each of the plurality of mounting portions comprises a portion of the enclosure; and
a plurality of sets of support rails coupled to the side ends of the enclosure, wherein each set of support rails is aligned with a separate one of the plurality of mounting portions in the rack and is configured to structurally support at least one computer system mounted in the respective mounting portion of the rack; and

wherein, to restrict airflow through the respective mounting portion based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the respective mounting portion, the at least one of the air flap structures is configured to substantially seal a portion of the front end of the enclosure that corresponds with a front end of the respective mounting portion, based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the mounting portion, to restrict air flow through the mounting portion between the front end of the enclosure and the rear end of the enclosure.

4. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the latch mechanism is configured to reversibly engage with the interface portion of the computer system to hold the computer system in the at least one mounting portion and to resist the spring force exerted on the rear end of the computer system, the at least one of the mounting portion further comprising:
a spring mechanism configured to exert a spring force on a rear end of the computer system mounted in the at least one mounting portion;
wherein the spring mechanism is further configured to at least partially eject the computer system from the mounting portion based at least in part upon the latch mechanism being disengaged with the interface portion of the computer system, wherein to at least partially eject the computer system, the spring mechanism is configured to exert the spring force on the rear end of the computer system to push an opposite front end of the computer system out of the mounting portion.

5. An apparatus, comprising:
a shelving module configured to mount in a rack and support one or more computer systems in the rack, the shelving module comprising:
a backplane assembly that is communicatively coupled to a communication network and extends at least in part along a portion of a rear end of the shelving module;
two or more shelving members configurable to form at least one slot for receiving, from a front end of the shelving module opposite the rear end of the shelving module in which the backplane assembly extends at least in part along a portion of, at least one of the one or more computer systems to mount the at least one computer system in the shelving module;
an air flap structure coupled to at least one of the two or more shelving members and configurable to restrict airflow through the at least one slot based at least in part upon an absence of a computer system in the at least one slot, wherein, to restrict airflow through the at least one slot, the air flap structure is configured to substantially seal a cross section of the at least one slot substantially perpendicular to a depth of the at least one slot through the shelving module; and
a latch mechanism configured to:
receive, at a communication interface of the latch mechanism, an ejection command signal via a communication pathway external to the at least one computer system mounted in the at least one slot; and
in response to receiving the ejection command signal, disengage the latch mechanism with an interface portion of the at least one computer system.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 ,
the backplane assembly comprising:
at least one backplane network connector aligned with at least a portion of the rear end of the shelving module and configured to communicatively couple at least one computer system mounted in the at least one slot with the communication network.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one backplane network connector that is aligned with at least a portion of the rear end of the shelving module is a blind mate backplane connector configured to couple with a complementary blind mate computer system connector of the at least one computer system mounted in the at least one slot.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the backplane assembly comprises at least one backplane connector configured to couple the backplane assembly with at least one other backplane assembly, such that the backplane assembly is communicatively coupled with the communication network via the at least one other backplane assembly; and
the shelving module comprises a complementary coupling element configured to couple the shelving module with another shelving module, such that the backplane assembly of the shelving module is coupled in series with another back

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Masters Mallory Leigh
• Knight Kraig

Classifications

• H05K7/20736

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• H05K7/20709 Primary

  for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks · CPC title

• H05K7/1489 Primary

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

• H05K7/1414

  with power interlock · CPC title