Computer cabinet design

• US 6,554,697 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Engineering Management Services Limited
• Original Assignee: Engineering Management Services Limited
• Inventors: Koplin, Edward C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US09/453,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 454/184, 454/334, 361/690, 361/692, 361/695, 361/678
• US Class Current: 454/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20718 Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant in closed loop H05K7/20754

Abstract

Cabinets or enclosures are provided having heat generating elements stored therein cooled by locating the cabinets on tiles of an elevated floor having cool air provided under the tiles, the cabinets having variable size openings in their bottom surface located over openings in the tiles, openings in the top surface of the cabinets, which openings may have fans located in the openings, highly perforated shelves and a highly perforated front door. By controlling the size of the various openings, and the number, if any, of fans and air flow through the door the temperature in the cabinet may be controlled. A number of cabinets may be located side-by-side with side walls in contact and with wires introduced into one cabinet from under the tiles through an opening in its bottom wall being passed from cabinet-to-cabinet through aligned openings in the side walls of the cabinets. The air flow within the cabinets may be reversed in air conditioned rooms not having cooling air under the floor on which the cabinet is situated.

Claims

1. A structure for cooling a cabinet containing heat producing elements, comprising

an enclosure having an interior with at least a top wall, a bottom wall and least one shelf located in a fixed position,

a front and rear door being highly perforated to permit cooling gas to flow therethrough,

said bottom wall having at least one variable size opening therein,

said one shelf positioned to prevent equipment from being located sufficiently close to said bottom wall to hinder flow of cooling gas through said variable size opening and to permit ready access to said variable size opening to adjust a size of said opening,

said top wall having at least one opening therein,

a plurality of panels selectively insertable into said at least one opening in the top wall,

at least one of said panels adapted to control flow of air through said opening,

means for selectively providing access to cool air located under said bottom wall of said enclosure, said enclosure having a highly perforated door, and

means for controlling the flow of air through said doors.

2. An arrangement for controlling the temperature in each of an array of cabinets comprising,

a plurality of cabinets, each having side walls to isolate each cabinet from each other cabinet, top walls, a bottom wall, a back wall and a perforated front door;

an elevated floor of tiles having cooling air thereunder under pressure;

said cabinets arrayed on said tiles in groups of a predetermined number having their side walls substantially in contact;

means for introducing communication and power wires into at least one of said cabinets;

means for passing wire and cables from one cabinet to one or more adjacent cabinets through said walls;

means for maintaining a low level of leakage of air around said wires and cables;

means for regulating introduction of cooling air into said cabinets through said bottom walls.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said cabinets have a predetermined width;

said floor includes openings therethrough, to permit access to cool air under said tiles; and

a group of cabinets positioned on said tiles, the combined width of which equals the width of tiles providing a number of said openings equal to the number of said cabinets in said group.

4. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said cables and wires enter the cabinet from under the tile floor.

5. The arrangement of claim 2, further comprising means for preventing leakage of gas flow around said cables and wires.

6. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein each of said cabinets has at least one variable opening in its bottom wall.

7. The arrangement of claim 6, further comprising a grommet adapted to be received in said opening of said bottom wall, said grommet having a variable size opening in a range to almost fully open the opening in one position and substantially fully close the opening in another position and to provide openings in between throughout the range wherein said grommet is insertable into said opening to control the area of unimpeded air flow through said opening in said bottom wall.

8. The arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a bottom shelf secured in said cabinet a distance above said bottom wall to permit access to a grommet in said bottom wall from above said bottom wall to enable adjustment of said opening.

9. The arrangement of claim 2, further comprising horizontal bars disposed in said cabinet under the top wall at a distance to prevent articles from being placed close enough to the top wall to impede flow of gas therethrough.

10. The arrangement of claim 9, further comprising a first duct positioned above said cabinets, and further ducting adapted to extend from said first duct to said cabinet to control air flow in said cabinet.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein said first duct is adapted to carry cooling air, and said fan is adapted to pull air through said cabinet.

12. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein said first duct is adapted to carry exhaust air;

and a plurality of fans are adapted to pull air upward through said cabinets.

13. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the relationship between cabinets and said tiles is AX=BY where X is the width of a single tile, A is the number of tiles, Y is the width of a single cabinet, and B is the number of cabinets, said cabinets are arrayed side-by-side in a group positioned on said tiles.

14. A structure for cooling an enclosure containing heat producing elements, comprising:

a cabinet having sides walls, and top and bottom walls to effectively isolate said cabinet from other object and environments;

a plurality of fans in said top wall;

means for limiting power consumption by said fans to less than 10% of the power consumed by equipment located in said cabinet;

at least two additional panels selectively insertable into at least one opening in said top wall;

a first of said panels being highly perforated, a second of said panels to block flow of gas therethrough, and a third of said panels having an induction fan secured thereto to draw air through said opening.

15. The structure of claim 14, further comprising legs for supporting said cabinet above said tile floor, and means for drawing ambient cool air into said cabinet.

16. A structure for cooling a cabinet containing heat producing elements, comprising

an enclosure having an interior with at least a top wall, a bottom wall and least one shelf located on a fixed position,

said wall being highly perforated to permit cooling gas to flow therethrough,

said bottom wall having at least one variable size opening therein,

said one shelf positioned to prevent equipment from being located sufficiently close to said bottom wall to hinder flow of cooling gas through said variable size opening and to permit ready access to said variable size opening to adjust a size of said opening,

said top wall having at least one opening therein,

a plurality of panels selectively insertable into said at least one opening in the top wall,

at least one of said panels to control flow of air through said opening,

a tile floor on which said cabinet is supported,

legs adapted to support said cabinet above the tile floor, and

means for inducting cool ambient air into said cabinets,

said enclosure having a highly perforated door, and

means for controlling the flow of air through said door.

17. The structure of claim 16, wherein said inducting means includes introducing air through said door.

18. The structure of claim 16, wherein said inducting means includes introducing air through said bottom wall.

19. A method of cooling an interior of a cabinet having a top wall with openings, a perforated door, perforated shelves, side walls and a bottom wall with openings, comprising:

locating the cabinet over an opening in tiles of a raised floor having a source of cool air under the tiles;

controlling the size of the opening in the bottom wall to control the flow of cool air into the cabinet;

selectively controlling the flow of ambient air into the cabinet through the door, and controlling air flowing through the top wall, inserting panels into the top wall for selectively affecting air flow in said cabinet, selected from the group of increasing the flow of air through the top wall, decreasing the flow of air through the top wall, and allowing normal convection currents produced by the heat of materials in the cabinet to provide flow of air through the top wall, or combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising increasing flow of air through the cabinet by inserting a panel having an induction fan mounted thereon in an opening in the top wall.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising employing pieces of tiles on which the cabinet is positioned to provide an opening into the cabinet through the tiles to the cool air.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising retaining the pieces of the tile in their proper positions.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising securing the cabinet to the tile floor to maintain said cabinet position on the floor.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising securing the cabinet to a beam supporting the tiles, and securing a member for retaining the tiles in position under the bottom wall of the cabinet.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the flow of ambient and cool air through the cabinet to maintain an interior temperature within acceptable limits.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising passing power and communication cables from under the tiles into at least one of the cabinets through the opening in the bottom wall of at least one of the cabinets while reducing flow of air between cabinets.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising adding additional cabinets side by side on the tile floor such that the cabinets may essentially touch one another along their sides, and passing wires through the side walls to provide energy and communication facilities to each cabinet.