IES60099B2 - Rack system - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack system (10) includes a plurality of racks (12) mounted adjacent one another for housing electronic devices (16). The racks comprising rear (23) and left and right side walls (9), the rear wall of each rack being spaced apart from the rear of a device housed in said rack. Closure means (28) are provided to close the space between the rear wall of a respective end rack and the rear of a device in said rack. The closure means, left right and rear walls of the racks together with the rear of the devices define an enclosure.

Description

CS-457 Rack System The present invention relates to a rack system.

According to the present invention there is provided 5 a rack system including a plurality of racks mounted adjacent one another for housing electronic devices; said racks comprising rear and left and right side walls, the rear wall of each rack being spaced apart from the rear of a device housed in said rack; wherein 10 closure means are provided to close the space between the rear wall of a respective end rack and the rear of a device in said rack such that the closure means, left, right and rear walls of the racks together with the rear of the devices define an enclosure.

Preferably, the closure means comprises a plate fixed to said rear wall.

Preferably, a device in a rack is directly connectible with a device in another rack.

The invention further provides a rack for housing electronic devices; the rack comprising rear and left and right side walls, the rear wall of the rack being 25 spaced apart from the rear of a device housed in said rack; wherein detachable closure means are provided to close the space between the rear wall of the rack and the rear of a device in the rack.

I30 An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings., in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation view of a rack system; 860099 Figure 2 is a perspective view of an electronic device stored in a rack system of Figure 1; V Figure 3 is an exploded rear perspective view of the rack system according to the invention; Figure 4 is an assembled rear perspective view of the rack system of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic view illustrating inter-rack electrical connections in a prior art rack system; and Figure 6 is a schematic view illustrating inter-rack electrical connections in the rack system of Figure 3; Referring now to the drawings wherein similar numerals have been used to indicate like parts, there is shown a rack system generally indicated at 10 according to the invention. The rack system 10 comprises a cabinet 20 11 into the front of which racks 12 are inserted one on top of another. Each rack 12 has a pair of front left and right flanges 13 projecting away from respective side walls 9 of the rack 12. A pair of left and right side rails 14 run from top to bottom inside the cabinet 25 11 and the flanges 13 are fixed to the rails 14 by bolts to secure the racks 12 in place.

Electronic devices 16, such as disk drives or power supply units, are in turn inserted into each rack 12.

Power and data are channelled through an electrical connector 18 located at one end of each device 16, Figure 2. Each connector 18 mates with a correponding connector 17 located on a back-plane 19 at the rear of each rack 12. Intra-rack connections can be made between devices 16 on the same rack 12 by either discrete wiring (not shown) or integrally forming a printed circuit board (PCB) into the back-plane 19. Thus, disk drives 16 ' in a rack 12 can be inter-connected or powered from one or more power supply units located in the same rack 12.

When many devices 16 operate within a single rack 12, heat is generated, and the devices 16 must be cooled. The devices 16 are thus spaced apart when inserted in a rack 12 leaving gaps 20 between the devices 16 to allow air to pass from the front to the rear of the rack 12. Corresponding slots 21 are removed from the back-plane 19 to lie in register with the gaps allowing air to pass smoothly through the back-plane 19.

In order to draw cooling air through the gaps 20, fans 22 are mounted to the rear of the back-plane 19, Figure 3. The side walls 9 of each rack 12 project behind the back-plane 19 and are bent inwards at 90° to form a pair of flanges 24. The fans 22 are located in a back-plate 23 which in turn is fixed to the rack 12 by bolts 25 that locate in corresponding holes 26 formed in the flanges 24.

To ensure efficient cooling operation of the fans 22, the gap between the back-plate 23 and the back-plane must be closed above and below the fans 22. Air drawn by the fans 22 can then only flow from the gaps 20 between the devices 16, thus cooling the devices 16. To acheive this, upper (not shown) and lower L-shaped plates 28 are located on each back-plate 23 through the * bolts 25 and the back-plate is fixed to the rack 12, Figure 4.

J· Sockets 30 for receiving the mains supply for the rack 12 are mounted on a bracket 29, Figure 3. A portion of the back-plate 23 is cut away to enable access to the sockets 30 when the back-plate 23 is fixed to the rack 12.

In a conventional system, Figure 5, inter-rack connection of the devices 16 is achieved first by connecting the connectors 17 to respective intermediate connectors 27 which protrude from the back-plate 23. It will be seen that each device 16 in a rack 12 must first be connected to the intermediate connectors 27 in the respective back-plate 23 before being connected through intermediate connectors 27 in a second back-plate 23 to a device 16 located in another rack 16.

In the present invention, racks 12 are stacked in close proximity on top of one another, as shown schematically in Figure 6. The upper plate 28 is removed from the bottom rack 12; the lower plate 28 is removed from the top rack; and both the upper and the lower plates 28 are removed from intermediate racks 12. The upper and lower edges of respective back-plates 23 lie .close together so that fans 22 draw air through the gaps 20 between respective devices 16 located in the same rack 12, thus cooling the devices 16.

Because of the absence of plates 28 between racks 12, there is direct inter-rack connection of devices 16. This shortens the overall length of interconnecting wiring and thus allows more racks to be inter-connected. Manufacturing costs are also reduced as no intermediate connectors 27 are required and maintenance access to the rear of individual rack 12 is also improved. It will also be seen that because the inter-connecting wiring runs inside the back-plate 23, it is protected from accidental damage.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS:

1. A rack system including a plurality of racks mounted adjacent one another for housing electronic devices; 5 said racks comprising rear and left and right side walls, the rear wall of each rack being spaced apart from the rear of a device housed in said rack; wherein closure means are provided to close the space between the rear wall of a respective end rack and the rear of a 10 device in said rack such that the closure means, left, right and rear walls of the racks together with the rear of the devices define an enclosure.

2. A rack system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the 15 closure means comprises a plate fixed to said rear wall.

3. A rack system as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein a device in a rack is directly connectible with a device in another rack.

4. A rack for housing electronic devices; the rack comprising rear and left and right side walls, the rear wall of the rack being spaced apart from the rear of a device housed in said rack; wherein detachable closure 25 means are provided to close the space between the rear wall of the rack and the rear of a device in the rack.

5. A rack system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 6 of the 30 accompanying drawings.