Modular fan and motherboard assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9769958-B2
Application number	US-201514860231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Sep 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A chassis defines a slot for receiving a motherboard. The motherboard is insertable within the slot and further defines a plurality of fan module receivers along an edge thereof. Fan modules insert within the fan modules receivers and are removable and insertable while the motherboard is inserted within the chassis. The motherboard defines a plurality of edge connectors and connectors of the plurality of fan modules engage the edge connectors. Alignment posts mount to the motherboard opposite the edge connectors and the fan modules include slots that engage the alignment posts to align the connectors of the fan modules with the edge connectors. The chassis includes a midplane defining a plurality of expansion sockets on one side and one or more motherboard sockets on the other. The expansion sockets are arranged in a coplanar and collinear manner to enable a planar expansion card to simultaneously insert within multiple expansion sockets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising: a chassis defining a motherboard slot; a motherboard positioned in the motherboard slot, the motherboard defining a plurality of fan module receivers, each fan module receiver including a first electrical connector; and a plurality of fan modules, each fan module inserted within one fan module receiver and coupled to the first electrical connector thereof, wherein the motherboard includes a circuit board and the first electrical connector of each fan module receiver is an edge connector, the edge connectors of the plurality of fan module receivers being positioned along an edge of the circuit board, and wherein the edge connectors are mounted on a first surface of the circuit board and a plurality of alignment posts are mounted to the circuit board on a second surface opposite the first surface, each alignment post positioned directly opposite one of the edge connectors, each fan module including a slot positioned to receive one of the alignment posts and a second electrical connector positioned to engage one of the edge connectors positioned directly opposite the one of the alignment posts.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fan modules are coupled to the chassis exclusively due to engagement with the motherboard positioned in the motherboard slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: each fan module receiver includes a threaded receiver; each fan module includes a faceplate including an aperture positioned to receive a threaded fastener engaging the threaded receiver of one of the fan module receivers when the each fan module is positioned within the one of the fan module receivers.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: the motherboard includes a face plate having a cross bar extending parallel to the edge of the circuit board and offset from the edge of the circuit board to define an opening between the cross bar and the edge of the circuit board, the plurality of edge connectors abutting the edge of the circuit board; the threaded receivers are mounted to the cross bar.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the chassis further comprises: a midplane including a motherboard socket, the motherboard being inserted within the motherboard socket; and a plurality of expansion sockets electrically connected to the motherboard socket, each expansion socket of the plurality of expansion sockets defining a plurality of connector pins arranged in one or more rows, each row of the one or more rows being coplanar and collinear with a corresponding row in the other expansion sockets of the plurality of expansion sockets.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein: each expansion socket of the plurality of expansion sockets defines an opening having a long dimension and a narrow dimension perpendicular to the long dimension, the long dimension being larger than the narrow dimension; the one or more rows of connector pins of each expansion socket of the plurality of expansion sockets include first and second rows of connector pins, the first row of connector pins being positioned on a first side of an opening defined by the each socket and the second row of connector pins being positioned on a second side of the opening opposite the first side, the first and second sides being parallel to the long dimension; and the first rows of connector pins of the plurality of expansion sockets are collinear and coplanar with one another and the second rows of connector pins of the plurality of expansion sockets are collinear and coplanar with one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the motherboard socket faces an opposite direction from the plurality of expansion sockets.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein: the motherboard slot is configured such that a circuit board of the motherboard inserted within the motherboard slot is parallel to a first plane; and wherein each row of the one or more rows of connector pins of the each expansion socket is coplanar with a corresponding row in the other expansion sockets of the plurality of expansion sockets in a plane parallel to the first plane.

9. An apparatus comprising: a fan unit defining a flow direction and including a housing, a fan, and a motor coupled to the fan; a base plate mounted to the housing and protruding outwardly from a first side of the housing parallel to the flow direction, the base plate defining a registration feature including a slot positioned outwardly from the housing; and an electrical connector electrically coupled to the motor and protruding outwardly from the first side of the housing parallel to the flow direction, the electrical connector and slot being concentric, wherein a motherboard includes a circuit board and an electrical connector receiver is an edge connector, the edge connectors of a plurality of fan module receivers being positioned along an edge of the circuit board, and wherein the edge connectors are mounted on a first surface of the circuit board and a plurality of alignment posts are mounted to the circuit board on a second surface opposite the first surface, each alignment post positioned directly opposite one of the edge connectors; and the slot positioned to receive one of the alignment posts when the electrical connector is engaged with one of the edge connectors positioned directly opposite the one of the alignment posts.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the electrical connector comprises a portion of a circuit board oriented parallel to the base plate.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a motherboard defining a plurality of fan module receivers each configured to engage the baseplate and including the electrical connector receiver configured to engage the electrical connector when the baseplate is engaged.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein: each fan module receiver includes a threaded receiver; a faceplate is secured to the baseplate and oriented perpendicular to the flow direction, the housing being mounted to the base plate by securing to the face plate; and a hand operable screw passes through the faceplate and engages the threaded receiver of one of the plurality of fan module.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein: the motherboard includes a face plate having a cross bar extending parallel to the edge of the circuit board and offset therefrom to define an opening between the cross bar and the edge of the circuit board, the plurality of edge connectors abutting the edge of the circuit board; the threaded receivers are mounted to the cross bar.

14. A method comprising: providing a chassis defining a motherboard slot; inserting a motherboard in the motherboard slot, the motherboard defining a plurality of fan module receivers, each fan module receiver including a first electrical connector; and inserting at least one fan module into at least one of the plurality of fan module receivers, each fan module inserted within one fan module receiver and coupled to the first electrical connector thereof, wherein the motherboard includes a circuit board and the first electrical connector of each fan module receiver is an edge connector, the edge connectors of the plurality of fan module receivers being positioned along an edge of the circuit board, and wherein the edge connectors are mounted on a first surface of the circuit board and a plurality of alignment posts are mounted to the circuit board on a second surface opposite the first surface, each alignment post positioned directly opposite one of the edge connectors, each fan module including a slot positioned to receive one of the alignment posts and a second electrical connector positioned to engage one of the edge connectors positioned directly opposite the

Assignees

• Ciena Corp

Inventors

• Jaskela Wayde
• Bettiga Raleigh

Classifications

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/1489

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

• G06F1/185

  Mounting of expansion boards · CPC title

• H05K7/20718 Primary

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

• G06F1/184

  Mounting of motherboards · CPC title