GB2550316A

GB2550316A - Mechanical support

Info

Publication number: GB2550316A
Application number: GB1522697.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gibson Edward
Original assignee: British Telecommunications PLC; BT Group PLC
Current assignee: British Telecommunications PLC; BT Group PLC
Priority date: 2015-12-22
Filing date: 2015-12-22
Publication date: 2017-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-22
Also published as: GB2550316B; GB201522697D0

Abstract

A rack support for supporting an electronic equipment rack 10, which is located substantially externally to the rack and comprises at least one structural component support member 44 to provide load bearing support to a structural component 18 of the rack and a spine member 40 which transfers load from the support member to a substrate 20, e.g. the floor. The rack material may deteriorate due to thermal cycling which leads to structural weakness and sagging of the rack shelves, necessitating temporary stabilisation. The support member 44 may be a bracket or sheet which engages inside the rack, may have a part to limit insertion into the rack and may engage at an opening of the rack. The support member may be attached to the spine with an adjustable fixing. The rack support may be positioned by lifting or sliding along the floor.

Description

Mechanical Support

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mechanical support for racks for housing communications and other electronic equipment. In particular, the invention relates to a mechanical support for fitting externally to such a rack to provide support to a load-bearing component of the rack.

Background to the Invention A typical electronic equipment rack houses a plurality of electronic modules in use. The electronic modules may be in the form of one or more printed circuit board or card. Each card or board may engage with the rack directly or may be housed in an enclosure, where the enclosure engages with the rack. A rack may be thought of as having a rear elevation mainly taken up with connectors for providing interconnection to the modules and a front elevation for providing access to the modules.

Over time, the material used in the construction of the rack may deteriorate leading to structural weaknesses. Such deterioration is especially likely when the rack is subject to the thermal cycling commonly experienced in industrial locations such as telephone exchanges. Repair of the rack by replacing original components tends to be expensive, will require the rack to be dismantled, with the removal modules leading to loss of service and may not provide a long-term solution due use of materials that have previously failed. Strengthening the rack internally, e.g. by adding struts or brackets to underpin weakened components will also require the rack to be at least partially dismantled and will use up internal space, e.g. occupying one or more slots, resulting in less space for the cards and modules.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides and external support structure for supporting one or more structural components. The external design means that the support structure is suitable for retrofitting to a rack, including a rack loaded with modules. The structure allows extra support to be provided quickly and relatively cheaply and is suitable for rapid retro-fitting externally to a rack without taking up space designed for accommodating modules. The external support structure comprises a substantially vertical, load-bearing spine to which is fixed one or more substantially horizontal supports. The, or each, support is dimensioned and positioned so that it will engage with and provide support to a front structural component by transferring at least part of the load borne by the structural component to the spine. Typically, the assembled support may be positioned to the front of the rack and lifted or slid towards the rack, so that the, or each, horizontal support engages with the appropriate structural component. The invention also provides a method of fitting an external support structure to the rack.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a rack support for providing support to at least one structural component of an electronic equipment rack, in which the rack support is located substantially externally to the rack, in which the rack support comprises: at least one structural component support member to engage with and provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component; a spine member arranged externally to the rack to transfer load from the at least one structural component support member to a substrate on which the rack is located.

According to an embodiment, the at least one structural component support member comprises a bracket or sheet that is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component.

According to an embodiment, the at least one structural component support member is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component within the rack.

According to an embodiment, at least half of a structural component support member is located outside the rack, when engaged with a structural component of the rack.

According to an embodiment, the at least one structural component support member comprises a part projecting away from a major surface of the structural component support member so as to limit a degree of insertion of the structural component support member into the rack.

According to an embodiment, the at least one structural component support member is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component at an aspect of the rack where electronic modules can be inserted into or removed from the rack.

According to an embodiment, the spine member comprises at least one adjustable fixing for securing the at least one structural component support member to the spine and for adjusting its position on the spine to provide, in use, load-bearing engagement between the at least one structural component and the at least one structural component support member.

According to an embodiment, the at least one adjustable fixing may be fixedly positioned at any point along a main axis of the spine component.

According to an embodiment, the at least one structural component support member is configured, in use, to provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component without restricting access for inserting electronics modules into or removing electronics modules from the rack.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for providing ioad-bearing support to at least one structural component of a rack, in which in which the method comprises: iocating at least one structural component support member on a spine member arranged externally to the rack to transfer load from the at least one structural component support member to a substrate on which the rack is located; arranging the at least one structural component support member in a position to engage with and provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component; manoeuvring the rack support towards the rack until the at least one structural component support member engages with and provides load-bearing support to the at least one structural component.

According to an embodiment, the method comprises sliding or lifting the rack support across the substrate towards the rack.

According to an embodiment, the method comprises operating adjustable fixings for securely locating the at least one structural component support member to the spine member to adjust a position of at least one structural component support member to provide load-bearing engagement between the at least one structural component and the at least one structural component support member.

Brief Description of the Figures

In order that the present invention may be better understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic representations of a conventional equipment rack;

Figures 3,4 and 5 are diagrammatic representations of the conventional equipment rack of Figures 1 and 2, enhanced by the addition of a rack support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Figure 1 shows a conventional electronic equipment enclosure 10, of a type widely available and suitable for housing several electronic modules (not shown), such as printed circuit boards, in one or more horizontal shelves 12a, 12b. Commonly, the rear aspect of each shelf in the rack is taken up with a backplane 14 providing a means of support and of connection to each module in that shelf and providing the possibility of interconnecting each module in the shelf with one or more other modules housed in the rack or with external equipment outside the rack. The front aspect 16 of the rack is typically open (or may be opened) to allow insertion of modules into the shelves and removal of modules from the shelves. Whereas the rear of each module may be supported by a substantial backplane 14, due to the need to access the modules, the front of each module is commonly only supported by a structural component 18 (e.g. a metal strap) running under the front portion of each shelf.

Figure 2 shows in more detail, a shelf of the rack shown in Figure 1. Each shelf typically comprises accommodation for several electronic modules (not shown) and may provide pairs of guides (e.g. card guides) 22a, 22b one at the top and one at the bottom of a shelf with the pair of guides arranged to engage with edges or flanges of an electronic module (not shown), so as to hold the module in position and to facilitate mating of one or more connector (not shown) on the rear of the module with connectors provided by backplane 14. Structural weaknesses brought about by aging, e.g. as a result of thermal cycling, may mean that the front structural component may no longer be able to support the load applied to it. Modules or cards mounted in the shelf of Figure 2 are supported by structural component 18 and a thin metal strap 24a extending between the front and the rear of the shelf and supported by structural component 18 and backplane 14. Metal strap 24a supports a guide 22a (e.g. a card guide or module guide) that also runs from front to rear of the shelf. A second guide 22a and second metal strap 24a occupy a corresponding position at the top portion of the shelf. A card or module is electrically connected via connector 19 to backplane 14, which also provides some mechanical support to the card or module.

Returning to Figure 1, the lower shelf 12b is shown to have sagged, i.e. support component 18 has moved downwards under the weight of modules bearing upon it. This sagging is shown exaggerated in Figure 1 with the lower shelf shown hanging down from backplane 14. In reality, even a slight unwanted movement of a support component can lead to dislocation of connections between modules and the back plane, leading to intermittent or failed service.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 3 and 4. As shown in Figure 3, a vertical support or spine 40, e.g. a smooth or threaded rod or a framework is mounted vertically to a foot support 42. Vertical support or spine 40 may be truly vertical or may extend at an angle to the vertical. The foot support may, by way of example, comprise a solid block, a folded sheet (as shown) or a box construction and may be separate from or integral with spine 40. The spine 40 and foot support 42 are positioned free-standing in front of the card rack which is to be supported. Support member 44, e.g. cantilevers, brackets, rods or sheets, are preferably adjustably fixed to the spine. Fixing may be achieved by securing each support member to the spine by using a clamping mechanism, which may, for example be a resilient clip or a set of nuts and washers 40. According to an embodiment, the spine 40 is inserted through an opening in a support member. When in position on spine 40, support members 44 may be truly horizontal or may extend at an angle to the horizontal but will be configured to engage with and provide support to a structural component of the rack.

The support members 46 are fixed to the spine 40 at vertical positions coincident with teach structural component 18 (that is, at vertical positions coincident with the desired position for each structural component 18 that is to be supported). As indicated by double-headed arrow 50, the correct positioning of the support members 44 may be achieved by adjusting its position on the spine, e.g. releasing the resilient clamp or by slackening the nuts or other fixing devices, moving the support members 44 to the desired position and then clamping the resilient clamp, or fastening the nuts or fixing devices to secure the support members 44 in the new position. As shown in Figure 4, the spine 40 is then manoeuvred towards the rack, so that a part of each support member 22 is inserted into the front of the rack 10 to support a different structural component 18. In use, the support structure transfers load from the structural component to a substrate 20, e.g. ground or floor, on which the rack is itself supported. The transfer to the substrate 20 may be achieved by direct contact between the support structure (e.g. the foot 42) and the substrate 20 or indirectly through one or more intermediate layers or structures (not shown).

The rack support is designed to remain substantially external to the rack in use so as to enable fast fitting with minimal disturbance to the rack. Only an extremity, typically less than half, of the support members 44 may project into the space occupied by the rack in order that it can make adequate contact with the structural component to allow the support member 44 to provide support to the structural component. According to an embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the support member 44 may be provided with a ridge 46, flange or other projection 48 located close to an extremity so as to limit a degree of insertion 52 of the support member 44 into the rack. A support member 44 may engage with and provide support to a structural component by applying pressure from beneath the structural component, by mating with one or more opening in the structural component, or by gripping one or more section of the structural component, for example by means of a clamp or magnetic fixing.

The invention has particular application to System X electronic equipment racks, where vertical separator sheets are fixed between each pair of card guides, so as to maintain the card guides at the correct separation to accept an electronic module. Returning to Figure 2, each vertical separator sheet 48 is connected at the top and bottom edges to a plastic card guide 22a, 22b. In lower shelves, the combination of card-guide pairs and separator sheet also provide mechanical support for the structural component of the shelf directly above. Structural weaknesses may mean that the structural component may no longer be able to support the load applied to it, for example, due to mechanical failure on a rack below, which acts to support the structural component. Thermal and mechanical stress can cause the connection between a vertical separator sheet 48 and its card guides 22a. 22b to rupture, so that the vertical separator sheet is no longer in rigid contact with and no longer supports the structural component 18 above. As a result, the structural component in the shelf above may become distorted, e.g. sag, allowing the modules fitted to that shelf to droop and disengage from electrical connections made via the back plane towards the rear of the cabinet.

One solution would be to replace the faulty parts and return the racks to close to their original condition. However the replacement parts are expensive and the refurbishment of each shelf takes hours to complete, during which time, the whole shelf will be out of service leading to potential loss of service to numerous customers. The external spine support may be installed in much less time, at lower cost and with little or no disruption to service.

The above embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. Further embodiments of the invention are envisaged and will be evident to the skilled reader. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of another of the embodiments, or any combination of the embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above will be evident to the skilled reader and may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A rack support for providing support to at least one structural component of an electronic equipment rack, in which the rack support is located substantially externally to the rack, in which the rack support comprises: at least one structural component support member to engage with and provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component; a spine member arranged externally to the rack to transfer load from the at least one structural component support member to a substrate on which the rack is located.

2. The rack support of claim 1 in which the at least one structural component support member comprises a bracket or sheet that is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component.

3. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 2 in which the at least one structural component support member is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component within the rack.

4. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 3 in which at least half of a structural component support member is located outside the rack, when engaged with a structural component of the rack.

5. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 4 in which the at least one structural component support member comprises a part projecting away from a major surface of the structural component support member so as to limit a degree of insertion of the structural component support member into the rack.

6. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 5 in which the at least one structural component support member is arranged to engage, in use, with the at least one structural component at an aspect of the rack where electronic modules can be inserted into or removed from the rack.

7. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 6 in which the spine member comprises at least one adjustable fixing for securing the at least one structural component support member to the spine and for adjusting its position on the spine to provide, in use, load-bearing engagement between the at least one structural component and the at least one structural component support member.

8. The rack support of claim 7 to in which the at least one adjustable fixing may be fixedly positioned at any point along a main axis of the spine component.

9. The rack support of any of claims 1 to 8 in which the at least one structural component support member is configured, in use, to provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component without restricting access for inserting electronics modules into or removing electronics modules from the rack.

10. A method for providing load-bearing support to at least one structural component of a rack, in which in which the method comprises: locating at least one structural component support member on a spine member arranged externally to the rack to transfer load from the at least one structural component support member to a substrate on which the rack is located; arranging the at least one structural component support member in a position to engage with and provide load-bearing support to the at least one structural component; manoeuvring the rack support towards the rack until the at least one structural component support member engages with and provides load-bearing support to the at least one structural component.

11. The method of claim 10 including sliding or lifting the rack support across the substrate towards the rack.

12. The method of any of claims 10 and 11 including operating adjustable fixings for securely locating the at least one structural component support member to the spine member to adjust a position of at least one structural component support member to provide load-bearing engagement between the at least one structural component and the at least one structural component support member.