Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-23
2003-05-13
Chervinsky, Boris (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S694000, C361S688000, C361S690000, C363S141000, C174S016100, C165S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06563706
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to an information storage product and, more particularly, to a disk drive power supply module with an internal cooling system having redundant power for cooling.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rack mounted disk drive array systems are utilized by the computer industry for information storage. These systems contain disk drives and power supplies and utilize cooling fans to cool both the disk drives and the power supplies. Cooling the drives and power supplies increases the life of both drives and power supplies thereby improving system reliability.
Conventional typical high availability information storage products such as RAID disk drive arrays include the required number of hot-swap power supply modules plus one redundant hot-swap power supply module. Likewise, the arrays include the required number of hot-swap cooling fan modules plus one redundant hot-swap cooling fan module. In this configuration, if one power supply module fails the remaining power supply module(s) supply sufficient power to the disk drives and fan modules. In a similar manner, one fan module can fail and the remaining fan modules sufficiently cool the disk drives and power supplies.
A typical configuration for these disk drive arrays is the use of separate air cooling paths for the power supplies and disk drives. A first set of fan modules cools the disk drives and various data bus related PC boards using ambient air. A second set of fans within the power supply modules provides an independent air path also drawing from ambient air. This configuration requires a large enclosure to provide ambient air to both sets of fans.
Disk drives designers and manufacturers are under pressure to increase disk drive performance. As disk drive performance increases, the drives enerate more heat requiring better cooling. At the same time, enclosure designers and manufacturers are under pressure to increase disk drive and power supply densities within the enclosures. This results in an increase in rack thermal density.
One method for increasing the enclosure density is to combine disk drive cooling with power supply cooling. Ambient air first cools the disk drives. The heated air then moves on to cool the power supplies.
One enclosure design includes power supply modules with no internal fans. Instead, fans are provided behind the power supplies. The ambient inlet air flows through the disk drives, across the power supplies, and then through the fans which cover a major portion of the rear of the enclosure. This has the disadvantage of requiring the fan modules to be removed to replace a power supply module. Removing the fans causes reduced air flow to the disk drives and the power supplies while the fan module is removed. The result is undesirable higher temperature and thermal cycling within the enclosure.
Another enclosure design includes internal fans within the power supply modules. These enclosures can also utilize additional separate fan modules. Both the power supply modules and fan modules are at the back of the enclosure and the power supply modules are accessible for replacement without significantly reducing air flow. However, the drawback of this configuration is that the internal fans of the power supply are conventionally connected to the power supply within the power supply module. A power supply failure therefore causes these internal fans to stop, reducing disk drive cooling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to principles of the present invention, a power supply module supplies power to a power bus. The module includes a module casing. The power bus is outside the module casing. Within the module casing is a power supply and a means for cooling the power supply. The power bus supplies power to the means for cooling the module as well as to other devices connected to the power bus.
According to further principles of the present invention in a preferred embodiment, multiple power supply modules are included in a disk drive array system. Each module provides power to the power bus and to each means for cooling. Upon failure of one of the power supplies, the other power supplies will provide power to each device connected to the power bus, including the means for cooling the failed power supply.
Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4084250 (1978-04-01), Albertine et al.
patent: 4899254 (1990-02-01), Ferchau et al.
patent: 5619486 (1997-04-01), Uno et al.
patent: 5673029 (1997-09-01), Behl et al.
patent: 5808867 (1998-09-01), Wang
patent: 5808876 (1998-09-01), Mullenbach et al.
patent: 5822184 (1998-10-01), Rabinovitz
patent: 6046921 (2000-04-01), Tracewell et al.
Chervinsky Boris
Hewlett--Packard Development Company, L.P.
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