Rack-mounted air deflector

• US 20060176664A1
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Rackable Systems Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Casebolt, Matthew P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,286,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.460
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20736 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades

Abstract

One or more air deflection assemblies are used to redirect air emitted by computers in a rack-based computer system. These air deflection assemblies may be used to redirect air emerging horizontally out of the back sides of computers into a vertically-oriented exhaust plenum. This can eliminate the need for exhaust fans to draw heated air through the exhaust plenums and out of the rack.

Claims

1. A rack system for housing a plurality of computers, comprising:

a rack assembly configured to support a plurality of computers in at least one stack; and

at least one air deflection assembly mounted to the rack assembly for redirecting an airflow emerging from computers housed in the rack system.

2. The rack system of claim 1, wherein each air deflection assembly is sized to redirect air from a plurality of computers.

3. The rack system of claim 1, wherein:

each air deflection assembly comprises two vertical frame members and a plurality of blades supported between the two vertical frame members, wherein the two vertical frame members are coupled to the rack assembly and the plurality of blades are positioned at an angle to a direction of exhaust air emitted from the computers.

4. The rack system of claim 1, further comprising:

an exhaust plenum for receiving the airflow emerging from the computers and directing the airflow out of an exhaust port of the rack system.

5. The rack system of claim 4, wherein:

the rack assembly is configured to support the plurality of computers in two stacks such that the back sides of computers in the first stack face the back sides of the computers in the second stack and the exhaust plenum is disposed between the back sides of computers in the first stack and the back sides of the computers in the second stack.

6. A computer system, comprising:

a rack assembly;

a first plurality of computers supported by the rack assembly in a first stack; and

at least one air deflection assembly mounted to the rack assembly adjacent to the first stack of computers for redirecting an airflow emerging from the computers.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein each air deflection assembly is sized to redirect air from a plurality of computers.

8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein:

each of the first plurality of computers comprises an internal fan for drawing air into a front side of the computer and emitting air out of the back side of the computer; and

each air deflection assembly receives the air emitted out of the back sides of the computers and redirects the air into a different direction.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

a vertical exhaust plenum for receiving the air emitted from the computers and directing the airflow out of an exhaust port on a top side of the rack assembly;

wherein each computer emits air out of the back side of the computer in a horizontal exhaust direction and each air deflection assembly redirects the emitted air towards the exhaust port.

10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein:

each air deflection assembly comprises two vertical frame members and a plurality of blades supported between the two vertical frame members, wherein the two vertical frame members are coupled to the rack assembly and the plurality of blades are positioned at an angle to a direction of exhaust air emitted from the computers.

11. The computer system of claim 6, further comprising:

an exhaust plenum for receiving the airflow emerging from the computers and directing the airflow out of an exhaust port of the rack assembly.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the rack assembly is configured to support the plurality of computers in two stacks such that the back sides of computers in the first stack face the back sides of the computers in the second stack and the exhaust plenum is disposed between the back sides of computers in the first stack and the back sides of the computers in the second stack.

13. A method of operating a plurality of computers positioned in a stack in a rack assembly having a vertical axis, each of the computers comprising a main board, a computer fan, a front portion, and a back portion, the method comprising:

operating each of the computers to generate heat;

operating the fan in each of the computers to draw cooling air into the front portion of the computer and to emit exhaust air from the back portion of the computer; and

redirecting the exhaust air emitted from the back portion of the computers using one or more air deflection assemblies mounted to the rack assembly.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

said redirecting comprises positioning blades at an angle to the direction of airflow emitted from the back portions of the computers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said redirecting comprises positioning blades at an angle to the direction of airflow emitted from the back portions of the computers to redirect the airflow upwards.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said redirecting comprises positioning blades at an angle to the direction of airflow emitted from the back portions of the computers to redirect the airflow upwards through an exhaust plenum.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the rack assembly supports two stacks of computers with an exhaust plenum positioned between the two stacks; and

said redirecting comprises positioning blades at an angle to the direction of airflow emitted from the back portions of the computers in both stacks.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

channeling the cooling air from the computers through an exhaust plenum up and out of the rack assembly.