Waterproof enclosure configured to house an electronic component

Abstract

Title: Watertight enclosure configured to receive an electronic component. Watertight enclosure (1) configured to receive one or more electronic components (100) to be cooled and a cooling fluid in which the electronic component(s) are at least partially immersed, the enclosure comprising: a receptacle (2) having a base (20) on which the electronic component(s) can be placed, and a raised rim (22) which forms a corner, for example at a right angle, with the base, the raised rim forming a front (24) of the receptacle, in particular a cover configured to close, in particular in a watertight manner, the receptacle, an electrical connector (4) having, on the one hand, at least one external electrical pin (40), in particular of the conductive bar type, configured to allow an electrical connection with an electrical device external to the enclosure and, on the other hand,electrical connection elements (42) configured to allow electrical connection with cables (3) in the receptacle, and the electrical connector is mounted in an opening (28) in the front panel in a sealed and movable manner with some clearance. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 3,

Description

Title of the invention: Waterproof housing configured to receive an electronic component

[0001] The present invention relates in particular to a sealed housing configured to receive one or more electronic components to be cooled and a cooling fluid in which the electronic component(s) are at least partially immersed.

[0002] In the field of data centers, it is common practice to house computer servers in a cabinet (also called a rack). For this purpose, the server is placed in an enclosure (or casing) closed by a lid, and the server is cooled by being immersed in a dielectric fluid. It is necessary to make the enclosure impermeable to this dielectric fluid.

[0003] To power the electronic cards of the servers, it is known to use electrically conductive bars (also called "busbars" in English).

[0004] The installation of the busbars requires proper management of the housing's sealing.

[0005] The presentation aims in particular to meet this need.

[0006] The invention thus relates to a sealed housing configured to receive one or more electronic components to be cooled and a cooling fluid in which the electronic component(s) are at least partially immersed, this cooling fluid being in particular a dielectric fluid, the housing comprising: - a receptacle configured to receive the electronic component(s), the receptacle having a base on which the electronic component(s) can be placed, and a raised edge that forms a corner, for example at a right angle, with the base, the raised edge forming a front of the receptacle, - in particular a lid configured to close, especially in a watertight manner, the receptacle, - an electrical connector comprising, on the one hand, at least one external electrical pin, in particular of the busbar type, configured to allow an electrical connection with an electrical device external to the housing and, on the other hand, electrical connection elements configured to allow an electrical connection with cables in the receptacle, cables configured to be connected to the electronic components to be placed inside the receptacle, these electrical connection elements for cables being arranged on the inside of the receptacle, - and the electrical connector is mounted in an opening in the facade in a watertight and movable manner with a play.

[0007] The term "the electrical connector is mounted in an opening in the facade in a sealed manner" means having a sealed barrier around this opening in the facade, and this sealed barrier can be achieved in different ways described below.

[0008] In the present invention, the pin or pins of the electrical connector are advantageously arranged on the outside of the housing, allowing an electrical connection with an electrical device external to the housing, for example a power supply.

[0009] Thanks to the invention, the fact that the electrical connection elements for cables are located on the inside of the receptacle eliminates the need to manage cable sealing at the interface with the front of the housing. This differs from the case where the electrical connection elements for cables are placed in a sealed cavity on the outside of the housing, where it would then be necessary to manage cable sealing at the interface with the front of the housing. Furthermore, the presence of the sealed cavity complicates the design of the sealed housing because an internal shape must then be provided.

[0010] The present invention makes it possible to have a housing that is easier to manufacture since the electrical connector (with the exception of the external pin(s)) is placed on the inside of the housing, which makes it possible to avoid having to provide a dedicated sealed cavity for this electrical connector.

[0011] The gap between the electrical connector and the housing allows for the absorption of play during assembly and electrical connections. The invention provides a waterproof and mobile power connector.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, the electrical connector comprises a plate carrying the external electrical pin(s), the plate being on the inside of the housing.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, the plate has a substantially rectangular perimeter. Other shapes are of course conceivable, for example trapezoidal or rounded.

[0014] According to one aspect of the invention, the external electrical pin(s) extend into the opening of the facade.

[0015] According to one aspect of the invention, the opening in the facade has sufficiently large dimensions to allow the external electrical pin(s) to move with some play within the opening in the facade, in particular along an axis J oriented in the longitudinal direction of the facade.

[0016] According to one aspect of the invention, the opening in the facade has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, the plate is configured to be mounted against the opening on the front by at least one screw / insert assembly which allows play along at least one degree of freedom of the connector with respect to the housing.

[0018] The screw is configured so that it can be screwed into a threaded hole in the insert (which is preferably blind). For example, the insert is on the outside of the housing and the screw is on the inside of the housing. Alternatively, the insert is on the inside of the housing and the screw is on the outside of the housing.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the screw has a shank extending through an elongated slot in the plate, so that the screw can move in the slot according to the clearance in at least one degree of freedom, which is in particular a translation.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the slot in the plate has an oblong shape.

[0021] According to one aspect of the invention, the electrical connector includes a peripheral sealing gasket configured to be applied to the periphery of the opening in the front panel in which the electrical connector is engaged, in particular the peripheral sealing gasket being placed in a groove of a plate.

[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, the sealing gasket is of the double-lip type, or, alternatively, of the single-lip type.

[0023] According to one aspect of the invention, the peripheral sealing gasket is configured to be placed in a groove in the plate. This allows its compression against the front panel to be controlled by the screw / insert assembly (by appropriately tightening the screw in the insert).

[0024] According to one aspect of the invention, the screw has a shank extending through an elongated slot in the housing, so that the screw can move in the elongated slot in the housing according to the clearance in at least one degree of freedom, which is in particular a translation.

[0025] According to one aspect of the invention, the elongated slot in the housing has an oblong shape.

[0026] According to one aspect of the invention, a peripheral sealing gasket is arranged around a plate of the electrical connector.

[0027] This peripheral sealing joint also surrounds the opening of the facade while being applied against the inner side of the facade.

[0028] According to one aspect of the invention, the peripheral sealing gasket is a separate part from the electrical connector, and is in particular immobile relative to the facade.

[0029] In this embodiment of the invention, the electrical connector does not perform the sealing function.

[0030] According to one aspect of the invention, the electrical connector comprises a connector body bearing on the peripheral sealing gasket, this connector body being inside the housing.

[0031] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector body delimits an internal space which is made watertight by means of the peripheral sealing gasket.

[0032] According to one aspect of the invention, in the interior space of this connector body are present the cables which are connected to the electrical connector.

[0033] These cables exit the connector body through a fluid-tight interface, and this interface being for example an encapsulation in an insulating resin (or 'potting') around the cable sheaths, or a seal mounted between the cable sheaths and the connector body, or an overmolding.

[0034] According to one aspect of the invention, the electrical connector comprises a connector body, this connector body being inside the housing and the connector body delimits a sealed internal space.

[0035] According to one aspect of the invention, in the interior space of this connector body are present the cables which are connected to the electrical connector.

[0036] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector body is assembled in a sealed manner, for example using screws, on the opposite side of the front, with a second sealed electrical connector.

[0037] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector body has a substantially sheath-like shape, in particular open at two opposite ends.

[0038] According to one aspect of the invention, the second electrical connector comprises electrical connection elements, which may, for example, be specific to the chosen application.

[0039] According to one aspect of the invention, a sealing gasket is interposed between the connector body and the second electrical connector.

[0040] The invention further relates to an assembly comprising a sealed housing as described above, and one or more electronic components to be cooled placed in the housing, the electronic component(s) being at least partially immersed in a cooling fluid, this cooling fluid being in particular a dielectric fluid.

[0041] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description on the one hand, and several exemplary embodiments given by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings on the other hand, in which:

[0042] [Fig-1] The [Fig. 1] is a perspective representation of a housing without an electrical connector according to the invention;

[0043] [Fig.2] The [Fig.2] is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing of the [Fig.1];

[0044] [Fig.3] The [Fig.3] is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the housing of the [Fig.1], fitted with an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0045] [Fig.4] The [Fig.4] is an external front view of the housing of the [Fig.3];

[0046] [Fig.5] Fig.5 is a perspective representation of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment;

[0047] [Fig.6] The [Fig.6] is a perspective representation of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[0048] [Fig.7] The [Fig.7] is an internal view of the mounted housing of the electrical connector according to the second embodiment;

[0049] [Fig.8] The [Fig.8] is an external view of the mounted housing of the electrical connector according to the second embodiment;

[0050] [Fig.9] The [Fig.9] is a perspective representation of an electrical connector according to a variant of the second embodiment;

[0051] The features, variants, and different embodiments of the invention can be combined in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be conceived comprising only a selection of features, described hereafter in isolation from the other described features, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage and / or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0052] Figure 1 shows a sealed housing 1 configured to receive components 100 to be cooled. Inside this housing 1, the components 100 are immersed in a cooling fluid, which in this case is a dielectric fluid.

[0053] Components 100 are electronic components of a computer server, or in English, a "CPU" (for "Central Processing Unit"). Components 100 may include graphics processing unit (GPU) components, random access memory (RAM) components, or any other heating element of an electronic board. These components 100 may be cooled by contact with heatsinks dedicated to each component, for example, the CPU or GPU, through which a heat transfer fluid, for example, water-based, circulates.

[0054] The housing 1 includes a receptacle 2 which receives the components 100, and a cover (not shown) configured to seal the receptacle 2 tightly. The housing 1 has a substantially rectangular perimeter which extends longitudinally in a plane P.

[0055] The receptacle 2 comprises a base 20 which receives the components 100, and further comprises four raised edges 22 which form a right angle with the base 22. The raised edges 22 each form a front 24 of the receptacle 2 and which forms the perimeter of the case 1.

[0056] Fig. 2 shows that one of the fronts 24 of the housing 1 includes an opening 28 and two elongated holes 29. The opening 28 is in the central position of the front 24 and has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0057] Figure 3 represents a first embodiment in which the housing 1 includes an electrical connector 4. The electrical connector 4 has an external electrical pin 40 of the busbar type. The electrical pin 40 has two tabs 41 which are configured to allow an electrical connection with an electrical device (not shown) external to the housing 1, for example, a power supply.

[0058] The electrical connector 4 also includes electrical connection elements 42 configured to allow an electrical connection with cables 3 connected to the electronic components 100 in the receptacle 2. These electrical connection elements 42 are arranged on the inside side of the receptacle 2.

[0059] Figure 4 shows that the electrical connector 4 is mounted in the opening 28 of the front panel 24 in a sealed and movable manner with some clearance. The opening 28 has sufficiently large dimensions to allow the electrical pin 40 to move within the opening 28 with a clearance T about an axis J oriented in the longitudinal direction of the front panel 24.

[0060] The play between the electrical connector 4 and the housing 1 allows to absorb the play during assembly and electrical connections.

[0061] Fig. 5 shows that the electrical connector 4 has a plate 44 on the inside of the housing 1. The plate 44 has a substantially rectangular outline and carries the external electrical pin 40.

[0062] The plate 44 is mounted against the opening 28 by a screw 6 / insert 7 assembly which allows play along at least one degree of freedom of the connector 4 with respect to the housing 1.

[0063] The screw 6 is configured to be screwed into a blind thread in the insert 7. The screw 6, screwed into the thread in the insert 7, remains on the inside of the housing 1, including the screw head. The insert 7, which is on the housing 1, protrudes on the outside of the housing 1.

[0064] The electrical connector 4 has a peripheral sealing gasket 50 which is applied to the periphery of the opening 28 in which the electrical connector 4 is engaged. The peripheral sealing gasket 50 is of the double-lip type. The peripheral sealing gasket 50 could be placed in a groove (not shown) of the plate 44.

[0065] The peripheral sealing gasket 50 is placed in a groove (not shown) of the plate 44. This allows its compression against the front 24 to be managed by the screw 6 / insert 7 assembly by tightening the screw 6 appropriately in the insert 7.

[0066] The screw 6 has a shank which extends through an elongated or oblong slot 48 in the plate 44. Thus the screw 6 can move in the slot 48 along the clearance T according to one degree of freedom, which is a translation parallel to the axis J. The slot 48 in the plate 44 corresponds to the elongated hole 29 in the front 24.

[0067] Figures 6 to 8 show a second embodiment in which a peripheral sealing gasket 52 is arranged around the plate 44 of the electrical connector 4. This peripheral sealing gasket 52 also surrounds the opening 28 of the front panel 24 while being applied against the inner side of the front panel 24. By "around" the plate, it is understood that the peripheral sealing gasket 52 is configured to allow the plate 44 to be sealed against the area outside the gasket 52.

[0068] The peripheral sealing gasket 52 is a separate part from the electrical connector 4, and is fixed relative to the front panel 24.

[0069] In this embodiment of the invention, the electrical connector 4 does not perform the sealing function. The electrical connector 4 comprises a connector body 70 bearing against the peripheral sealing gasket 52 and inside the housing 1. The connector body 70 has a shape substantially resembling a sheath open at two opposite ends. The gasket 52 is fixed to the front panel 24 by means of screws, and the connector body 70 bears against it, allowing the electrical connector 4 some clearance through the opening 28.

[0070] The connector body 70 delimits an internal space which is sealed by means of the peripheral sealing gasket 52. In the internal space are the cables 3 which are connected to the electrical connector 4.

[0071] The cables 3 exit the connector body 70 through a fluid-tight interface 74, which is an encapsulation in an insulating resin or in English "potting", around the sheaths of the cables 3.

[0072] Alternatively, the interface 74 is a joint mounted between cable sheaths 3 and the connector body 70, or an overmolding.

[0073] Figure 9 shows a variant of the second embodiment of the invention in which the electrical connector 4 comprises a connector body 70 inside the housing 1, which delimits a sealed internal space. Within this internal space are the cables 3, which are connected to the electrical connector 4.

[0074] The connector body 70 is assembled in a watertight manner using two screws 9, opposite the front 24, with a second watertight electrical connector 5. The second electrical connector 5 is watertight at the cables 3.

[0075] The second electrical connector 5 includes electrical connection elements 60, which are specific to the chosen application.

[0076] A sealing gasket (not shown) is interposed between the connector body 70 and the second electrical connector 5.

[0077] Finally, the sealed housing 1 as described above, forms an assembly with the electronic components 100 to be cooled placed in the housing 1 which are partially immersed in the dielectric fluid.

Claims

Demands

1. A sealed enclosure (1) configured to receive one or more electronic components (100) to be cooled and a cooling fluid in which the electronic component(s) (100) are at least partially immersed, this cooling fluid being in particular a dielectric fluid, the enclosure (1) comprising: - a receptacle (2) configured to receive the electronic component(s) (100), the receptacle (2) comprising a base (20) on which the electronic component(s) (100) can be placed, and a raised rim (22) which forms a corner, for example at a right angle, with the base (20), the raised rim (22) forming a front (24) of the receptacle (2), - in particular a cover configured to close, in particular in a sealed manner, the receptacle (2), - an electrical connector (4) comprising, on the one hand, at least one external electrical pin (40), in particular of the conductive bar type,configured to allow an electrical connection with an electrical device external to the housing (1) and, on the other hand, electrical connection elements (42) configured to allow an electrical connection with cables (3) in the receptacle (2), cables (3) configured to be connected to the electronic components (100) to be arranged inside the receptacle (2), these electrical connection elements (42) for cables (3) being arranged on the inside side of the receptacle (2), - and the electrical connector (4) is mounted in an opening (28) in the front (24) in a sealed and movable manner with a clearance.

2. Housing (1) according to claim 1, in which the electrical connector (4) comprises a plate (44) carrying the external electrical pin(s) (40), the plate (44) being on the inside side of the housing (1).

3. Housing (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the plate (44) is configured to be mounted against the opening (28) on the front panel (24) by at least one screw (6) / insert (7) assembly which permits a set following at least one degree of freedom of the connector (4) with respect to the housing (1).

4. Housing (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the screw (6) has a shank extending through an elongated slot (48) in the plate (44), so that the screw (6) can move in the slot (48) following the clearance in at least one degree of freedom, which is in particular a translation.

5. Housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical connector (4) has a peripheral sealing gasket (50) configured to be applied to the periphery of the opening (28) of the front panel (24) in which the electrical connector (4) is engaged, in particular the peripheral sealing gasket (50) being placed in a groove of a plate (44).

6. Housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which a peripheral sealing gasket (52) is arranged around a plate (44) of the electrical connector (4).

7. Housing according to the preceding claim, in which the peripheral sealing gasket (52) also surrounds the opening (28) of the front panel (24) while being applied against the inner side of the front panel (24).

8. Housing (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the electrical connector (4) comprises a connector body (40) bearing on the peripheral sealing gasket (52), this connector body (70) being inside the housing (1), the connector body (40) preferably delimiting an internal space which is made watertight by means of the peripheral sealing gasket (52).

9. Housing (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the connector body (70) is assembled in a sealed manner, for example using screws (9), opposite the front (24), with a second sealed electrical connector (5).

10. Assembly comprising a sealed housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, and one or more electronic components (100) to be cooled placed in the housing (1), the electronic component(s) (100) being at least partially immersed in a cooling fluid, this cooling fluid being in particular a dielectric fluid.