Computer rack with power distribution system

• US 20040228087A1
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Rackable Systems Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Coglitore, Giovanni
• Granted Patent: US 7,173,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/687
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications

Abstract

The invention relates to a computer rack, frame or system having a direct current power supply positioned at the upper portion of the rack. In one variation, the DC power supply is placed in the highest shelf in the computer rack. In another variation, the DC power supply is placed on top of the computer rack. In yet another variation, a dual column computer rack with a back-to-back configuration is implemented with DC power supplies placed in a top shelf of the one of the computer columns. The DC power supply may comprise of one or more direct current power supply modules configured to provide fail over protection. In another aspect of the invention, the power supply modules are placed in a separate rack and provide direct current to support computers in one or more computer racks.

Claims

1. A rack mounted computer apparatus comprising:

a rack;

a power supply mounted on the upper portion of said rack; and

a plurality of computers mounted below said power supply, wherein said power supply is configured to provide direct current to at least two of said plurality of computers.

2. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power supply is mounted on a top shelf of said rack.

3. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power supply comprises two or more direct current modules configured to provide fail over protection.

4. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power supply comprises a plurality of power supply modules, wherein said plurality of power supply modules are connected to said plurality of computers in a parallel manner such that there is load sharing between said plurality of power supply modules.

5. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power supply provides an output voltage of about 56 volts.

6. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said power supply is mounted on top of said computer rack.

7. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rack is configured for two column placement of computers.

8. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 7 wherein said power supply is mounted on a top shelf of at least one of said two columns.

9. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 8 wherein a space is provided between said two columns of computers, said space is adapted to facilitate air flow in said rack.

10. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein said current power supply comprises two or more direct current modules configured to provide fail over protection.

11. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein said power supply comprises a plurality of direct current power supply modules, wherein said plurality of direct current power supply modules are connected to said plurality of computers in a parallel manner such that there is load sharing between said plurality of direct current power supply modules.

12. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein each of said two columns has at least two direct current power supply modules placed at a top shelf of each column.

13. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rack is configured to contain a plurality of columns of computers.

14. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 13 wherein said power supply is mounted in at least a top shelf on one of said plurality of columns.

15. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 14 wherein each of said plurality of computers comprises a direct current voltage step-down converter and a central processing unit.

16. A system for distributing power to a plurality of computers housed within a cabinet comprising:

a cabinet, wherein said cabinet defines a storage space for housing computers, wherein said storage space have a top end and a bottom end;

a plurality of computers, each computer having a front section and a back section located opposite each other in each of said computers, at least two of said plurality of computers being placed in a back-to-back configuration inside said cabinet; and

a plurality of power supply modules placed at the top end of said storage space defined by said cabinet, wherein said plurality of power supply modules are configured to provide direct current to at least two of said plurality of computers.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said plurality of computers and said cabinet cooperate to define a air flow space between said plurality of computers and to direct air flowing into said space such that a quantity of air sufficient to constitute a cooling flow for said plurality of computers either (1) enters said space then exits out through said computers or (2) enters through said plurality of computers into said air flow space then exit out of said air flow space.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a cooling apparatus placed next to said power supply modules adapted to extract heat from said power supply modules.

19. The system of claim 17 further comprising an air conduit attached to a top end of said cabinet adapted to remove air from an area surrounding the power supply modules.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein said power supply modules are configured to provide fail over protection.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein said power supply modules are connected to said plurality of computers in a parallel manner such that there is load sharing between said plurality of power supply modules.

22. A system for distributing power to a plurality of computing units within a rack comprising:

a rack configured to mount two columns of computing units, wherein said rack has a top end and a bottom end; and

a power supply unit mounted at the top end of said rack, wherein said power supply unit is configured to provide direct current to at least two computing units.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising:

a plurality of computing units mounted in said rack in two column back-to-back configurations.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said computing units are mounted horizontally inside said rack.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein said computing units are mounted vertically inside said rack.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein said power supply unit comprises a plurality of power supply modules, wherein said plurality of power supply modules are mounted at the top end of said rack in a back-to-back fashion.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said power supply modules are configured to provide fail over protection.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said power supply modules are connected to said plurality of computers in a parallel manner such that there is load sharing between said plurality of power supply modules.

29. The system of claim 27 further comprises an air conduit connect to said rack, wherein said air conduit is adapted to remove heated air from a space surrounding said power supply modules.

30. The system of claim 27 further comprises a liquid conduit connect to the said rack, wherein said liquid conduit is adapted to remove heat from said power supply modules.

31. The system of claim 22 wherein said rack forms a perimeter, wherein said power supply unit is mounted within said perimeter at the top end of said rack.

32. The system of claim 22 wherein said power supply unit is mounted on top of said rack.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein each of said plurality of computing units comprises a voltage step down converter and a central processing unit.

34. The system of claim 26 further comprising:

a plurality of voltage step-down converter, wherein each of said voltage step-down convert is electrically connected to said power supply unit and at least one of said plurality of computing units.

35. A computing system comprising:

a rack;

a plurality of computing units mounted in said rack;

a second rack; and

a plurality of power supply modules mounted in said second rack wherein said plurality of power supply modules supply a direct current to said plurality of computing units.

36. The computing system of claim 35 wherein said plurality of power supply modules are configured to provide failover protection.

37. The computing system of claim 35 further comprising:

a third rack;

a second plurality of computing units mounted in said third rack, wherein said plurality of power supply modules supply a direct current to said second plurality of computing units in said third rack.

38. A system for distributing power to a plurality of computers contained within a cabinet comprising:

a cabinet;

a plurality of computers mounted in said cabinet in a dual column configuration; and

a direct current power supply connected to at least two of said plurality of computers.

39. The system of claim 38 further comprising:

a second cabinet, wherein said power supply is housed in said second cabinet.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein said power supply comprises a plurality of power supply modules.

41. The system of claim 40 further comprising:

a power distribution bar connected to said plurality of computers and said plurality of power supply modules.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein said plurality of power supply modules are connected to said power supply bar in a parallel configuration, and said power supply modules are configured for load sharing.

43. The system of claim 38 wherein said computers are mounted vertically inside said cabinet.

44. The system of claim 38 wherein said computers are mounted horizontally inside said cabinet.

45. The system of claim 39 further comprising:

a cooling apparatus connected to said second cabinet for removing heat from said second cabinet.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein said cooling apparatus comprises an air conduit adapted to remove heated air from an area surrounding said power supply.

47. The system of claim 45 wherein said cooling apparatus comprise of a liquid conduit adapted to remove heat from said power supply.

48. A method of distributing electrical power to computers in a computer rack comprising the steps of:

supplying a alternating current to an alternating-to-direct current transformer wherein said transformer is placed above a plurality of computing units;

transforming said alternating current into a direct current; and

directing said direct current to said plurality of computing units.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising the steps of:

receiving said direct current with a voltage step-down converter; and

converting said direct current to a plurality of direct current outputs having different voltages.

50. The method of claim 48 further comprising the step of:

inducing an air flow to flow pass said plurality of computing units before passing next to said transformer and exiting said computer rack.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein said plurality of computers are stacked in a two column configuration.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

directing an air flow to flow through a space between said two columns from a bottom end of said computer rack to a top end of said computer rack.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein said transformer is housed in a power supply module.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein at least two power supply modules are provided in a back-to-back configuration above said plurality of computers.

55. The method of claim 54 further comprising:

drawing heated air out of said computing units and into said air flow.

56. The method of claim 55 further comprising:

drawing heated air out of said power supply modules and into said air flow.

57. The method of claim 52 further comprising:

drawing heated air out of said computing units and into said air flow.

58. A method of modulating heat distribution within a computer rack comprising:

supplying a direct current to a plurality of computing units in a computer rack; and

drawing a plurality of air streams to flow through said plurality of computing units and into a column of air flowing in an upward direction.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein said direct current is supplied by a power supply placed above said plurality of computing units.

60. The method of claim 58 wherein said direct current is supplied by a power supply located in a second rack separate from said computer rack.

61. The method of claim 59 wherein said computing units are placed in a back-to-back configuration.

62. The method of claim 60 wherein said computing units are placed in a back-to-back configuration.

63. The method of claim 61 wherein said power supply comprises a plurality of power supply modules placed in a back-to-back configuration.

64. The method of claim 63 further comprising the step of:

drawing heated air out of power supply modules and into said column of air flowing in an upward direction.