Cooling of electronic equipment cabinets

• US 5,150,277 A
• Filed: 07/06/1991
• Issued: 09/22/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Palaszewski, Stephen J., Bainbridge, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Gregory D.
• Application Number:
  US07/742,210
• Time in Patent Office: 444 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104.33, 361/381, 361/383, 361/384, 361/390, 361/391, 361/395, 361/399
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/206 Air circulating in closed loop within cabinets wherein heat is removed through air-to-air heat-exchanger

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for cooling unvented cabinets housing electronic equipment. A fanning unit at a bottom portion of the cabinet draws air down through the spaces between printed circuit boards which include the electronic components. A plate installed on the inside of the cabinet door creates a duct to cause cooling of the air at the door surface as it flows upward for recirculation. A heat exchange element may also be provided in the space between the equipment mounted on both sides of the cabinet.

Claims

1. A cabinet (10), comprising:

a fan (22) mounted to said cabinet so as to be capable of drawing air in a vertical direction;

means for providing recirculation of the air in a vertical direction opposite to the direction of air drawn by the fan, said means including a plate member (23) mounted to the inside of a door of said cabinet to form a duct (25) for recirculation of the air adjacent to a surface of said door so as to provide cooling of the air by said surface of the door, the fan being mounted to be capable of blowing air into the duct;

a plurality of shelves (17,

     18) mounted to said cabinet with a side positioned adjacent to said plate member and vertically spaced from said fan; and

a heat exchanging element (30) mounted to said cabinet and positioned adjacent to a side of said shelves opposite to said door.

2. The cabinet according to claim 1 further comprising electronic equipment which includes a plurality of circuit packs (16) positioned in said shelves (17, 18) mounted to said cabinet so that the air is drawn in vertical spaces between the circuit packs.

3. The cabinet according to claim 2 wherein the electronic equipment includes a plurality of banks (14 and 15) of circuit packs and a plurality of doors for providing access to the banks, each of said doors (12, 13, 50 and 51) including a plate element (23, 24, 52 and 53) mounted to an inside surface.

4. The cabinet according to claim 1 wherein the plate member extends a vertical distance essentially co-extensive with said plurality of shelves.

5. The cabinet according to claim 3 wherein the heat exchanging element (30) mounted to said cabinet is positioned in a space between two banks (14 and 15) so that the banks are between the element and the doors.

6. The cabinet according to claim 1 further comprising 58 a baffle mounted at a bottom portion of the plate member (23).

7. The cabinet according to claim 1 further comprising a second plurality of shelves with a side adjacent to another plate member (24) mounted to another door (13) of the cabinet, the heat exchanging element being mounted in a space between the two pluralities of shelves.

8. A cabinet (10), comprising:

a fan (22) mounted to said cabinet so as to be capable of drawing air in a vertical direction;

means mounted to said cabinet for directing the air in an opposite vertical direction;

a plurality of vertically stacked shelves (e.g., 17 and

     18) mounted to the cabinet with one side positioned adjacent to a door for providing access to said shelves; and

a heat exchanging element (30) mounted to said cabinet and positioned adjacent a side of the shelves opposite to the door in a relationship to the fan so that air which is directed in the opposite vertical direction can be cooled by the heat exchanging element, said heat exchanging element comprising means (32) for drawing air from outside the cabinet through a plurality of compartments (36, 37,

     38) in said element so as to provide a cooling surface (34) for the air in a space adjacent to said surface.

9. The cabinet according to claim 8 further comprising a plurality of banks (14, 15) of circuit packs (16), positioned within said shelves mounted to said cabinet with the heat exchanging element positioned in a space between the banks.

10. The cabinet according to claim 8 wherein the means for drawing air from outside the cabinet comprises a first fan (32) mounted to said element at an input portion of the compartments, and further comprising an exhaust fan (33) mounted to said element at an output portion of the compartments.

11. The cabinet according to claim 8 wherein the compartments are defined by U-shaped baffles (39, 40, 41,) and vertical plates (42) mounted to said element.