Rack power distribution unit with detachable cables

• US 9,209,622 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wishman, Max J., Frink, Darin Lee, Ross, Peter George, Chen, Chao, Watson, Christopher Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFFBERG, ROBERT JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/557,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/007 Arrangements for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources for providing uninterruptable power supply H02J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/04 for connecting networks of the same frequency but supplied from different sources

Abstract

A system includes a rack, computing devices coupled to the rack, a rack PDU, and one or more input power cables. The rack PDU includes an enclosure, two or more power input receptacles on the enclosure, and two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure. The output power receptacles supply power to the computing devices. The input power cables are coupled in one or more of the power input receptacles. The input power cables supply electrical power from an electrical power system to the rack PDU.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a rack;

one or more computing devices coupled to the rack;

one or more rack power distribution units (PDUs) coupled to the rack, wherein at least one of the one or more rack PDUs comprises;

an enclosure;

two or more power input receptacles mounted on the enclosure, at least two of the two or more power input receptacles are wired in parallel with one another, wherein;

at least one of the two or more power input receptacles is a top power input receptacle mounted on a top portion of the enclosure; and

at least another of the two or more power input receptacles is a bottom power input receptacle mounted on a bottom portion of the enclosure, wherein the bottom power input receptacle has a same connector type as the top power input receptacle; and

two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure, wherein the two or more power output receptacles are electrically connected to the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel so that the two or more power output receptacles are configured to receive power from any one of, or any combination of, the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel, wherein the two or more output receptacles are configured to supply the power to at least one of the one or more computing devices, and wherein the two or more output receptacles have a different receptacle type than the top power input receptacle and the bottom power input receptacle; and

one or more power cables each coupled in a respective one of the two or more power input receptacles on the enclosure, wherein at least one of the one or more power cables is configured to supply electrical power from an electrical power system to the at least one of the one or more rack PDUs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one power cable feeds into the rack by way of a panel that is nearest to the top power input receptacle or nearest to the bottom power input receptacle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more rack PDUs comprises a phase match detection device, wherein the phase match detection device is configured to determine whether respective phases of power fed to the at least one of the power input receptacles and power fed to the at least another of the power input receptacles match within acceptable limits.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more power cables comprise at least one power cable configured to supply a secondary feed through one of the two or more power input receptacles of the at least one of the rack PDUs while a primary feed is supplied through another power input receptacle of the two or more power input receptacles of the at least one of the rack PDUs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rack PDUs comprise two or more rack PDUs, wherein each of at least two of the two or more rack PDUs comprises a respective top power input receptacle and a respective bottom power input receptacle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rack PDUs comprise two or more rack PDUs, wherein the one or more power cables comprise two or more power cables, wherein respective ones of the two or more power cables are coupled in the top power input receptacles of respective ones of the two or more rack PDUs or are coupled in the bottom power input receptacles of respective ones of the two or more rack PDUs.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rack PDUs comprise two or more rack PDUs, wherein the one or more power cables comprise two or more power cables, wherein at least one of the two or more power cables is coupled in the top power input receptacle of one of the rack PDUs, and wherein another one of the two or more power cables is coupled in the bottom power input receptacle of another one of the rack PDUs.

8. A rack power distribution unit (PDU), comprising:

an enclosure;

two or more power input receptacles mounted on the enclosure, wherein at least two of the two or more power input receptacles are wired in parallel with one another, wherein;

at least one of the two or more power input receptacles is a top power input receptacle mounted on a top portion of the enclosure; and

at least another of the two or more power input receptacles is a bottom power input receptacle mounted on a bottom portion of the enclosure, wherein the bottom power input receptacle has a same connector type as the top power input receptacle; and

two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure, wherein the two or more power output receptacles are electrically connected to the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel so that the two or more power output receptacles are configured to receive power from any one of, or any combination of, the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel, wherein the two or more power output receptacles are configured to supply the power to one or more electrical systems, and wherein the two or more output receptacles have a different receptacle type than the top power input receptacle and the bottom power input receptacle.

9. The rack PDU of claim 8, wherein the bottom power input receptacle is located below the two or more power output receptacles and the top power input receptacle is located above the two or more power output receptacles.

10. The rack PDU of claim 8, further comprising a circuit protection device coupled to each of the two or more power input receptacles, wherein each of the respective circuit protection devices is configured to protect the one or more electrical systems that receive electrical power through a respective one of the two or more power input receptacles.

11. The rack PDU of claim 8, wherein the rack PDU comprises a phase match detection device coupled to the at least two of the power input receptacles, wherein the phase match detection device is configured to determine whether respective phases of power fed to the at least one of the power input receptacles and the at least another of the power input receptacles match within acceptable limits.

12. The rack PDU of claim 11, wherein the phase match detection device comprises one or more voltage comparators configured to compare voltages between lines coupled to the at least one of the power input receptacles and the at least another of the power input receptacles.

13. The rack PDU of claim 8, further comprising one or more switching devices configured to open and close a connection between the at least two of the power input receptacles.

14. The rack PDU of claim 8, further comprising a set of two or more power cables, wherein each power cable of the two or more power cables comprises:

a first end of the power cable configured to couple in a respective one of the two or more power input receptacles; and

a second end, wherein the second end of each of at least two of the two or more power cables is configured to couple with a different upstream power distribution system.

15. A method, comprising:

providing a rack power distribution unit (PDU) with an enclosure and two or more rack PDU power input receptacles mounted on the enclosure, wherein the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles are wired in parallel with one another, wherein;

at least one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles is a top power input receptacle mounted on a top portion of the enclosure; and

at least another of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles is a bottom power input receptacle mounted on a bottom portion of the enclosure, wherein the bottom power input receptacle has a same connector type as the top power input receptacle;

the rack PDU comprises two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure, wherein the two or more power output receptacles are electrically connected to the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel so that the two or more power output receptacles are configured to receive power from any one of, or any combination of, the at least two power input receptacles wired in parallel, wherein the two or more output receptacles are configured to supply the power to one or more electrical systems, and wherein the two or more output receptacles have a different receptacle type than the top power input receptacle and the bottom power input receptacle; and

coupling a power cable to one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles that is nearest to a location from which the power cable is being fed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein coupling the power cable to the one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles comprises establishing a secondary feed in the at least one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles while a primary feed is received in the at least another of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles of the rack PDU.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising verifying whether respective phases of power fed to the at least one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles match power fed to the at least another of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles of the rack PDU.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein coupling the power cable to one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles comprises:

installing a power cable in a first one of the rack PDU power input receptacles, and,

wherein the method further comprises;

after installing the power cable in the first one of the rack PDU power input receptacles, removing another power cable from a second one of the two or more rack PDU power input receptacles.