Computer rack with power distribution system

• US 7,173,821 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US10/464,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20040228087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 307/65, 361/695, 361/788, 361/691, 361/693, 361/698
• US Class Current: 361/695
• 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 plurality of AC to DC power converter modules mounted on the upper portion of said rack;

a power supply line, wherein said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules are electrically connected to the power supply line in a parallel manner to supply a DC current through said power supply line;

one or more direct current voltage step-down converters;

a plurality of computers mounted below said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules, each of said plurality of computers is electrically connected to said power supply line to receive the DC current from said power supply line, wherein each of said plurality of computer comprises a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and a hard drive, and wherein each of said plurality of computers is further configured to receive DC current from the power supply line through the direct current voltage step-down converter located outside of each of the plurality of computers; and

wherein said power supply comprises two or more direct current modules configured to provide fail over protection.

18. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1, wherein said direct current voltage step-down converter is configured to provide current outputs with at least two differently voltage levels.

19. The rack mounted computer apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rack comprises a plurality of sockets electrically connected to said power supply line, and each of said plurality of computers comprises an electrical interface for engaging one of said plurality of sockets.

20. The rack mounted computer of claim 19, wherein said plurality of sockets are configured on an elongated electrical conduit extending vertically within said rack.

23. The rack mounted computer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules are configured to provide fail over protection such that if one of the AC to DC power converter module fails, that rest of the AC to DC power converter module is able to maintain the DC current to keep each and everyone of the plurality of computers running.

24. The rack mounted computer apparatus according to claim 23, wherein each of said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules comprises a 48 volt DC output.

25. The rack mounted computer apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said plurality of computers are placed in a two-columns back-to-back configuration, and a space is provided in between the two columns for ventilation purposes, the AC to DC power converter modules are also positioned in a back-to-back manner above said two columns of computers.

26. The rack mounted computer apparatus according to claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of computers is enclosed inside of a casing, and the computers are stacked one over the other within the rack.

27. The rack mounted computer apparatus according to claim 25, further comprises an air suction or air compression device provided to remove or replace the air in the space between the two columns of computers.

28. The rack of claim 1, further comprising a secondary direct current voltage step-down converter located within each of the plurality of computers.

2. 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, said plurality of computers are placed in two columns in a back-to-back configuration inside said cabinet, wherein a center space column is formed between said two columns of computers, and each of said plurality of computer comprises a fan configured to push heated air out of the computer into the center space column; and

a plurality of AC to DC power converter modules placed at the top end of said storage space defined by said cabinet, wherein said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules are electrically connected to each of said plurality of computers in a parallel manner.

3. The system of claim 2 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 enters through said plurality of computers into said air flow space then exit out of said air flow space.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a cooling apparatus placed next to said power supply modules configured to extract heat from said power supply modules.

5. The system of claim 3 further comprising an air conduit attached to a top end of said cabinet configured to remove air from an area surrounding the power supply modules.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein said plurality of AC to DC power converter modules are positioned in a back-to-back configuration inside said cabinet.

22. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

an air suction device position on a top portion of said cabinet to remove air from said center space column.

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

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

providing direct currents from said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers to said plurality of computing units through one or more direct current voltage step-down converters located outside of the computing units connected to an electrical supply line, wherein said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers are connected to the electrical supply line in a parallel manner to support load sharing; and

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

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

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

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said plurality of computers are stacked in a two column back-to-back configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 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.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each of said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformer is housed in a power supply module.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least two of the power supply modules are positioned in a back-to-back configuration above said plurality of computers.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

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

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

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

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

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

21. The method of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of computing units is enclosed within a casing.

29. The method of claim 7, wherein providing direct currents from said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers to said plurality of computing units through one or more direct current voltage step-down converters located outside of the computing units connected to an electrical supply line further comprises providing direct current from the direct current voltage step-down converters located outside of the computing units to a secondary direct current voltage step-down converter located within a computing unit.

16. 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, wherein said computing units are configured in two columns of computing units, and said two columns are placed in a back-to-back configuration, wherein the direct current is provided by a plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers, wherein said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers are connected in a parallel manner to support load sharing; and

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

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said plurality of alternating-to-direct current transformers are placed above said plurality of computing units in a back-to-back configuration.