Multi-part concurrently maintainable electronic circuit card assembly

• US 6,014,319 A
• Filed: 05/21/1998
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: LaPree, Scott Raymond, Kuchta, Douglas Allan, Thomford, Paul Jon, Severson, Paul Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): SPARKS, DONALD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/082,897
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 307/37, 307/43, 307/64, 307/70, 307/65, 307/71, 307/150, 361/679, 361/686, 361/724, 361/729, 361/730, 361/731, 361/733, 361/736, 361/788, 361/796, 361/803, 395/283, 395/750.01, 439/59, 439/61, 439/62, 439/65, 439/911, 439/955, 439/924.1, 710/103
• US Class Current: 361/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/188 Mounting of power supply units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/001 Hot plugging or unplugging of load or power modules to or from power distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0216 Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference grounding H05K1/0215
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/044 Details of backplane or midplane for mounting orthogonal PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/093 Layout of power planes, ground planes or power supply conductors, e.g. having special clearance holes therein
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09663 Divided layout, i.e. conductors divided in two or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic system contains a backplane circuit card assembly for distribution of electrical signals to one or more modules. The card assembly includes a plurality of pluggably connected base cards, which provide redundant function. Preferably, two base cards in a single plane are connected by a single smaller parallel offset jumper card, the cards being coupled by pluggable connectors. The system preferably includes redundant power supply modules and redundant functional modules, which plug into the backplane from both sides. The modules connected to any one of the base cards provide minimum system functionality in the absence of the other card and its modules. Due to the redundant function, it is not only possible to replace any module, but is possible to replace a base card itself, while the system remains operational. The exemplary embodiment is an intelligent redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage server having concurrent maintenance capability.

Claims

1. An electronic system, comprising:

a frame for housing a plurality of electronic modules;

a backplane circuit card assembly mounted to the frame, said backplane circuit card assembly comprising;

(a) a plurality of base circuit cards, and

(b) at least one jumper circuit card, said at least one jumper card being pluggably coupled to said plurality of base circuit cards and providing a plurality of electrically conductive paths between base circuit cards; and

a plurality of electronic modules mounted to said frame for redundantly performing at least one function necessary for operation of said electronic system, each of said electronic modules being pluggably coupled to a respective base circuit card;

wherein, with respect to each of said plurality of base circuit cards, it is possible to remove the respective base circuit card from said electronic system and replace the respective base circuit card while said electronic system remains operational, the remainder of said plurality of base circuit cards providing redundant function for the respective base circuit card being removed.

2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of base circuit cards are mounted in substantially coplanar configuration, and said at least one jumper card is mounted parallel to and offset from said base circuit cards.

3. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of base circuit cards and said at least one jumper card contains a respective set of embedded power planes for transmitting electrical power, each set of embedded power planes containing a plurality of power planes, each power plane of said plurality of power planes in a set for carrying an electrical voltage at a respective single pre-defined voltage level.

4. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein:

said frame forms the outlines of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped;

said plurality of base circuit cards are mounted in substantially coplanar configuration, substantially perpendicular to the top, bottom and sides of said frame, and dividing the interior of said parallelepiped into front and rear regions;

a first plurality of said electronic modules are mounted in said front region; and

a second plurality of said electronic modules are mounted in said rear region.

5. The electronic system of claim 4, wherein:

said plurality of base circuit cards includes a left base circuit card and a right base circuit card, said left and right base circuit cards being mounted within a left half of the interior of said parallelepiped and a right half of the interior of said parallelepiped, respectively;

said plurality of electronic modules includes a plurality of left side electronic modules which plug into said left base circuit card, and a plurality of right side electronic modules which plug into said right base circuit card;

said plurality of left side electronic modules includes at least one left power supply module for supplying power to said left base circuit card; and

said plurality of right side electronic modules includes at least one right power supply module for supplying power to said right base circuit card.

6. The electronic system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of power supply modules, each power supply module being associated with a respective base circuit card and supplying power to the base circuit card with which it is associated.

7. The electronic system of claim 6, wherein said jumper circuit card further comprises power couplings for transmitting power between said base circuit cards, whereby in the event of failure of a power supply associated with a first base circuit card, power may be supplied to said first base circuit card by at least one power supply associated with another base circuit card, said power being transmitted through said jumper circuit card.

8. An electronic system, comprising:

a frame for housing a plurality of electronic modules;

a backplane circuit card assembly mounted to said frame, said backplane circuit card assembly comprising a plurality of base circuit cards having pluggable couplings for supporting a communications path between base circuit cards;

a plurality of electronic modules mounted to said frame for redundantly performing at least one function necessary for operation of said electronic system, each of said electronic modules being pluggably coupled to a respective base circuit card;

wherein, with respect to each of said plurality of base circuit cards, it is possible to (a) remove each of said electronic modules pluggably coupled to the respective base circuit card from said electronic system, and (b) remove the respective base circuit card itself from said electronic system, said removal of said electronic modules and base circuit cards being performed while said electronic system remains operational, the remainder of said plurality of base circuit cards and electronic modules providing redundant function for the respective base circuit card and electronic modules being removed.

9. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein:

said frame forms the outlines of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped;

said plurality of base circuit cards are mounted in substantially coplanar configuration, substantially perpendicular to the top, bottom and sides of said frame, and dividing the interior of said parallelepiped into front and rear regions;

a first plurality of said electronic modules are mounted in said front region; and

a second plurality of said electronic modules are mounted in said rear region.

10. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein:

said plurality of base circuit cards includes a left base circuit card and a right base circuit card, said left and right base circuit cards being mounted within a left half of the interior of said parallelepiped and a right half of the interior of said parallelepiped, respectively;

said plurality of electronic modules includes a plurality of left side electronic modules which plug into said left base circuit card, and a plurality of right side electronic modules which plug into said right base circuit card;

said plurality of left side electronic modules includes at least one left power supply module for supplying power to said left base circuit card; and

said plurality of right side electronic modules includes at least one right power supply module for supplying power to said right base circuit card.

11. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein said backplane circuit card assembly further comprises at least one jumper circuit card, said jumper circuit card having pluggable couplings for mating with the pluggable couplings for supporting a communications path of at least two of said base circuit cards, said jumper circuit card further having circuit paths running between said pluggable couplings and forming a portion of said communications path between said base circuit cards.

12. The electronic system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of base circuit cards are mounted in substantially coplanar configuration, and said at least one jumper card is mounted parallel to and offset from said base circuit cards.

13. The electronic system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of power supply modules, each power supply module being associated with a respective base circuit card and supplying power to the base circuit card with which it is associated.

14. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein said jumper circuit card further comprises power couplings for transmitting power between said base circuit cards, whereby in the event of failure of a power supply associated with a first base circuit card, power may be supplied to said first base circuit card by at least one power supply associated with another base circuit card, said power being transmitted through said jumper circuit card.

15. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of base circuit cards contains a respective set of embedded power planes for transmitting electrical power, each set of embedded power planes containing a plurality of power planes, each power plane of said plurality of power planes in a set for carrying an electrical voltage at a respective single pre-defined voltage level.

16. The electronic system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of power supply modules, each power supply module being associated with a respective base circuit card and supplying power to the base circuit card with which it is associated.