阅读说明：本技术 适于容纳部件的机架、包括机架和部件的系统及输电方法 (Rack adapted to accommodate a component, system comprising a rack and a component and method of transmitting power ) 是由 克里斯托夫·莫里斯·蒂博 于 2020-02-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种适于容纳部件的机架、包括机架和部件的系统及输电方法。机架包括背板、配电板和主控制器。背板的每个级包括背板电力连接器和背板数据连接器,当部件插入背板级中时,背板电力连接器和背板数据连接器分别能够连接至部件电力连接器和部件数据连接器。主控制器通过接收由该背板级的背板数据连接器发出的信号来检测在给定背板级中部件的插入,获取部件的电力参数集,并且使配电板根据部件的电力参数集向该背板级的背板电力连接器提供电力。(A rack adapted to receive a component, a system comprising a rack and a component, and a method of transmitting power are disclosed. The rack comprises a back plate, a distribution board and a main controller. Each stage of the backplane includes a backplane power connector and a backplane data connector respectively connectable to the component power connector and the component data connector when the component is inserted into the backplane stage. The host controller detects insertion of a component in a given backplane level by receiving a signal issued by a backplane data connector of that backplane level, obtains a power parameter set for the component, and causes the distribution board to provide power to a backplane power connector of that backplane level according to the power parameter set for the component.)

1. A rack adapted to receive a component, comprising:

a backplane having a plurality of backplane stages, each backplane stage comprising a backplane power connector and a backplane data connector respectively connectable to a component power connector and a component data connector of the component when the component is inserted in the backplane stage;

a power distribution panel comprising a plurality of power stages, each power stage electrically connected to the backplane power connector of a corresponding backplane stage; and

a master controller operatively connected to each of the power stages of the electrical distribution panel and to the backplane data connectors of each of the plurality of backplane stages, the master controller configured to:

detecting insertion of the component in a given backplane stage of the plurality of backplane stages by receiving a signal issued by a backplane data connector of the given backplane stage when the backplane data connector of the given backplane stage is connected to the component data connector,

obtaining a set of power parameters for the component via a backplane data connector of the given backplane level, an

Causing the power distribution board to provide power to a backplane power connector of the given backplane level via an electrical connection to the power stage of the given backplane level and according to a power parameter set of the component by:

sending a presence verification signal to a power control device connected to the power stage electrically connected to the given backplane stage;

receiving a presence confirmation signal from the power control device; and

and sending a power-on signal to the power control device.

2. The rack of claim 1, wherein:

each of the power stages of the power distribution panel includes two complementary power connectors that are both connected to the backplane power connector of the corresponding backplane stage, each of the two complementary power connectors being adapted to receive a corresponding power control device; and is

A first one of the complementary power connectors is fed by a first power line and a second one of the complementary power connectors is fed by a second power line.

3. The rack of claim 2, wherein the master controller is further configured to:

reading an information element in a power parameter set of the component indicating whether the component designates single power or dual power;

if the component specifies single power, causing the power distribution board to provide power to a backplane power connector of the given backplane level via one of the complementary power connectors of the power level corresponding to the given backplane level;

if the component specifies dual power, causing the power distribution board to provide power to a backplane power connector of the given backplane level via two complementary power connectors of the power level corresponding to the given backplane level;

reading an expected power consumption of the component in a power parameter set of the component;

obtaining a measured power consumption of the component from the power stage connected to the given backplane stage; and

issuing a warning signal if the measured power consumption of the component is above or below an expected power consumption of the component above a predetermined threshold.

4. The rack of claim 3, wherein the master controller is further configured to: obtaining a measured power consumption of the component after a predetermined delay after causing the power distribution board to provide power to a backplane power connector of the given backplane level.

5. A system comprising the rack of any of claims 1-4 and the component, wherein the component comprises:

a main board, a plurality of first and second connection terminals,

a midplane mounted on the motherboard, the component power connectors and the component data connectors being mounted on the midplane, an

A memory operatively connected to the component data connector, the memory storing a set of power parameters for the component.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the components further comprise:

an electrical plug mounted on the midplane and electrically connected to the component power connector;

a data plug mounted on the midplane and operatively connected to the component data connector; and

an electronic device mounted on the motherboard and connected to the electrical plug and the data plug.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the frame is suitable for inserting a standard-size plate;

the main board is a standard-size board; and is

The electronic device includes a non-standard size board mounted on the motherboard.

8. The system of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein:

the rack comprising a plurality of different rack stages adapted to accommodate different components, each different rack stage corresponding to one of the backplane stages and to the power stage corresponding to the one of the backplane stages; and

the master controller is further configured to: causing the distribution board to independently provide power to each of the different components inserted in the different rack levels according to different sets of power parameters for the different components acquired via different data connectors of different backplane levels corresponding to the different rack levels into which the different components are inserted.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a modem operatively connected to the master controller and to a power line providing power to the distribution panel, wherein the master controller is further configured to:

obtaining, from the power stage, different power consumption measurements of the different components inserted in the different chassis stages;

assembling the different power consumption measurements to form a power consumption map for the rack; and

causing the modem to transmit the power consumption map over the power line.

10. A method of providing power to a component housed in a rack, comprising:

detecting insertion of the component in a given stage of the rack by receiving a signal at a master controller from a backplane data connector of the given stage of the rack, the insertion of the component establishing contact between the backplane data connector in the given stage of the rack and a component data connector of the component;

obtaining a set of power parameters for the component via a backplane data connector in the given stage of the rack; and

causing a power distribution board to provide power to backplane power connectors in the given stage of the rack according to a power parameter set of the component by:

sending a presence verification signal from the master controller to a power control device connected to a given power level of the distribution board, the given power level of the distribution board being electrically connected to a backplane power connector in the given level of the rack,

receiving a presence confirmation signal from the power control device at the master controller, an

Sending a power-on signal from the master controller to the power control device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: issuing a warning signal if the main controller does not receive the presence confirmation signal from the power control device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reading an expected power consumption of the component in a power parameter set of the component;

obtaining a measured power consumption of the component from the given power level; and

issuing a warning signal if the measured power consumption of the component is above or below an expected power consumption of the component above a predetermined threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: issuing a warning signal if the power control device detects that the component is not consuming power.

Technical Field

The present technology relates to an enclosure adapted to receive power and provide power to an electronic device. In particular, a rack adapted to receive components, a system including a rack and components, and a method of delivering power to components mounted in a rack are disclosed.

Background

Electronic devices (e.g., servers, storage volumes, computer disks, etc.) are typically mounted one after another in equipment racks. Some components (e.g., motherboards) have non-standard form factors and are smaller than conventional rack components. Without proper adjustment, these components would not fit in a standard rack. Various cables are connected to each component inserted into the rack. Some cables carry incoming and/or outgoing data as well as signaling. Other cables provide power to the components in either AC or DC form, depending on the needs of the particular component. Typically, these cables are mounted at the front of the rack, i.e., the front of the component. In large racks, the number of cables may be large and may lead to potential installation errors or maintenance errors.

These problems are particularly important in large data centers that may contain thousands or even tens of thousands of servers. New servers may be added each day. Some servers may fail and therefore need to be replaced from time to time. The complex wiring, variability in power requirements, and variability in component size make it difficult to configure and maintain large data centers. The installation and removal of components in equipment racks is a routine task for operators. Care must be taken to properly align the components within the equipment rack. In a hurry installation, the components may not be properly aligned in the rack, resulting in equipment failure or poor electrical and/or data connections. Thus, mounting the components in the equipment rack is a delicate and time consuming operation.

A rack (including the equipment mounted on its backplane) may consume a large amount of power and generate a large amount of heat. In such racks, the cooling requirements are important. Water cooling can be used but is difficult to provide in an efficient manner. The need for hydraulic connections to be completely waterproof is self-evident in view of the presence of electronic equipment.

There is still a need for improvements in the maintenance and configuration of large data centers.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be considered prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, the problems mentioned in the background or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be considered as having been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section is only representative of different approaches.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present technology have been developed based on a developer's understanding of the shortcomings associated with the prior art.

In particular, such drawbacks may include (1) wiring complexity, (2) variability in power requirements, and/or (3) variability in component form factor.

In one aspect, various embodiments of the present technology provide a rack adapted to receive a component, comprising:

a backplane having a plurality of backplane levels, each backplane level including a backplane power connector and a backplane data connector respectively connectable to a component power connector and a component data connector of a component when the component is inserted into the backplane level;

a distribution board; and

a master controller operatively connected to the distribution board and to the backplane data connectors of each of the plurality of backplane levels, the master controller configured to:

detecting insertion of a component in a given backplane stage of the plurality of backplane stages by receiving a signal issued by a backplane data connector of the given backplane stage when the backplane data connector of the given backplane stage is connected to the component data connector,

obtaining a set of power parameters for the component via a backplane data connector of a given backplane level, and

the power distribution board is caused to provide power to the backplane power connectors of a given backplane level according to the power parameter set of the component.

In some implementations of the present technology, the power distribution board includes a plurality of power stages, each power stage electrically connected to a backplane power connector of a corresponding backplane stage; a main controller operatively connected to each of the power stages of the electrical distribution panel; and the main controller is further configured to cause the power distribution panel to provide power to the backplane power connector of the given backplane level via the power stage electrically connected to the given backplane level by: sending a presence verification signal to a power control device connected to a power stage electrically connected to the given backplane stage; receiving a presence confirmation signal from the power control device; and sending a power-on signal to the power control device.

In some implementations of the present technology, each of the power stages of the distribution panel includes two complementary power connectors that are both connected to a backplane power connector of a corresponding backplane stage, each of the two complementary power connectors being adapted to receive a corresponding power control device; and a first one of the complementary power connectors is fed by the first power line and a second one of the complementary power connectors is fed by the second power line.

In some implementations of the technology, the master controller is further configured to: reading an information element in a power parameter set of a component indicating whether the component specifies single power or dual power; if the component specifies single power, causing the power distribution board to provide power to the backplane power connector of the given backplane level via one of the complementary power connectors of the power level corresponding to the given backplane level; if the component specifies dual power, causing the power distribution board to provide power to the backplane power connector of the given backplane level via two complementary power connectors of a power level corresponding to the given backplane level; reading an expected power consumption of a component in a power parameter set of the component; obtaining a measured power consumption of a component from a power stage connected to a given backplane stage; and issuing a warning signal if the measured power consumption of the component is above or below an expected power consumption of the component above a predetermined threshold.

In some implementations of the technology, the master controller is further configured to obtain the measured power consumption of the component after a predetermined delay after causing the power distribution board to provide power to the backplane power connectors of a given backplane level.

In other aspects, various implementations of the technology provide a system comprising a component and a rack adapted to receive the component, the component comprising:

a main board; a middle plate installed on the main board, and a component power connector and a component data connector installed on the middle plate; and a memory operatively connected to the component data connector, the memory storing a set of power parameters for the component.

In some implementations of the present technology, the components further include: an electric plug mounted on the middle plate and electrically connected to the component power connector; a data plug mounted on the midplane and operatively connected to the component data connector; and an electronic device mounted on the main board and connected to the electric plug and the data plug.

In some implementations of the present technology, the rack is adapted for insertion of standard-sized boards; the main board is a standard size board; and the electronic device includes a non-standard size board mounted on the motherboard.

In some implementations of the present technology, the rack includes a plurality of different rack stages adapted to accommodate different components, each different rack stage corresponding to one of the backplane stages and to a power stage corresponding to the one of the backplane stages; and the master controller is further configured to: the power distribution panel is caused to independently provide power to each of the different components inserted in the different rack levels according to different sets of power parameters for the different components obtained via different data connectors of different backplane levels corresponding to the different rack levels into which the different components are inserted.

In some implementations of the technology, the system further includes a modem operatively connected to the master controller and to a power line providing power to the distribution panel, the master controller further configured to: obtaining from the power stage different power consumption measurements for different components inserted in different chassis stages; assembling the different power consumption measurements to form a power consumption map for the rack; and causing the modem to transmit the power consumption map over the power line.

In other aspects, various implementations of the present technology provide a method of providing power to a component housed in a rack, comprising:

detecting insertion of a component in a given stage of the rack by receiving at the master controller a signal from a backplane data connector of the given stage of the rack, the insertion of the component establishing contact between the backplane data connector of the given stage of the rack and the component data connector of the component;

obtaining a set of power parameters for a component via a backplane data connector in a given stage of a rack; and

the power distribution board is caused to provide power to backplane power connectors in a given stage of the rack according to the power parameter set of the component.

In some implementations of the technology, causing the power distribution board to provide power to backplane power connectors in a given stage of the rack further comprises: sending a presence verification signal from the master controller to a power control device connected to a given power level of a distribution board, the given power level of the distribution board being electrically connected to a backplane power connector in a given level of the rack; receiving, at a master controller, a presence confirmation signal from a power control device; and sending a power-on signal from the master controller to the power control device.

In some implementations of the technology, the method further includes: if the main controller does not receive the presence confirmation signal from the power control apparatus, a warning signal is issued.

In some implementations of the technology, the method further includes: reading an expected power consumption of a component in a power parameter set of the component; obtaining a measured power consumption of a component from a given power level; and issuing a warning signal if the measured power consumption of the component is above or below an expected power consumption of the component above a predetermined threshold.

In some implementations of the technology, the method further includes: if the power control means detects that the component does not consume power, a warning signal is issued.

In the context of this specification, unless specifically stated otherwise, a computer system may refer to, but is not limited to, "electronic device," "operating system," "computer-based system," "controller unit," "monitoring device," "control device," and/or any combination of the foregoing as appropriate for the task at hand.

In the context of this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the expressions "computer-readable medium" and "memory" are intended to include any medium of any nature and kind, non-limiting examples of which include RAM, ROM, magnetic disks (CD-ROM, DVD, floppy disk, hard drive, etc.), USB keys, flash memory cards, solid state drives, and tape drives. Also in the context of this specification, a computer-readable medium and "the" computer-readable medium should not be construed as the same computer-readable medium. In contrast, and where appropriate, computer-readable media and "the" computer-readable media can also be interpreted as first computer-readable media and second computer-readable media.

In the context of this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the words "first", "second", "third", and the like are used merely as adjectives for the purpose of enabling distinction between the terms they modify one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between the terms.

Implementations of the present technology each have at least one, but not necessarily all, of the above objects and/or aspects. It should be appreciated that certain aspects of the present technology that result from an attempt to achieve the above objects may not meet this object and/or may meet other objects not specifically set forth herein.

Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of implementations of the technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.