Reinforced server rack

Abstract

The present invention relates to a server rack comprising an external structure (20) composed of external vertical uprights (21 to 24) connected by upper (26) and lower (25) cross members to form a vertical lateral frame, and by intermediate cross members (27 to 29) to which is fixed an internal structure formed by four internal uprights (31 to 34) forming two internal lateral frames of the rack for mounting computer equipment. Said intermediate cross members (27 to 29) are reinforced by horizontal support bars (77 to 79), said uprights also being fixed to said horizontal support bars. Reinforcing brackets (81, 82) are placed at the junctions of said external vertical uprights and said upper (26) and lower (25) cross members. It also relates to a rack adaptation kit. Abstract figure: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Reinforced server rack Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of storage cabinets or racks for computer equipment, such as servers, with customizable features to meet specific user needs. These racks, called "server racks" or "patch panels," are designed to meet the demanding requirements of servers with customizable ventilation, cable management, and security features, adapted to different technical and logistical environments.

[0002] These bays are generally made up of a metal structure formed by profiled uprights connected by side crossbars. This structure is closed by side panels and front and rear doors and rests on a base equipped with casters or height-adjustable wedges.

[0003] These server racks constitute a rack-mounted system with front-panel airflow management and connections. The servers are installed in a row of racks comprising several stacked units. Each rack has a front (cold aisle-side) and a rear (hot aisle-side) face, between which air circulates to cool the equipment.

[0004] The rack row is arranged to create two aisles: a cold aisle at the front of the racks (where cool air is blown towards the servers for cooling) and a hot aisle at the rear of the racks, where hot air, exhausted from the servers after passing through the components, is collected. Air is drawn into the racks from the cold aisle and expelled at the rear in the hot aisle. This airflow management aims to optimize server cooling while ensuring good heat dissipation.

[0005] Power distribution units (PDUs) are mounted on the front (cold aisle-side) of the racks. They manage the power supply for all the servers in the rack.

[0006] The power output connectors and the input / output connectors (1 / O) of the computer systems are oriented towards the front, on the cold aisle side. This facilitates maintenance and connections without requiring access to the rear of the racks. Air intakes for the system power supplies are located on the front panel, allowing fresh air to be drawn directly from the cold aisle to cool sensitive components.

[0007] In summary, the general structure is based on a rack layout optimized for cooling, with hot and cold aisles, and electrical distribution units front-mounted, and front-facing connections facilitating server maintenance and management. State of the art

[0008] The products marketed by the applicant under the reference "Line 800 rack" are known in the prior art. This model is designed for demanding server environments, offering a maximum static load capacity of 800 kg and optimized natural ventilation. Here is an overview of its main features: This rack, available in widths of 600 mm or 800 mm, depths of 600 mm, 800 mm, 1000 mm, or 1200 mm, and heights of 42U to 47U, has front and rear doors made of tempered glass, with a honeycomb design to ensure a ventilation rate of up to 80%, or of solid metal, with lock options for security, opening 180° for easy access to internal equipment. The side panels are removable and generally made of a solid material. Cable entry points are located at the top and bottom of the rack, and the cabinet includes cable management channels.The bay window features adjustable feet for better stability or wheels for easy movement.

[0009] For example, European patent EP2865254B1 is known, describing a patch panel comprising a side beam, a front-to-back beam connected to the side beam, a vertical post connected to the side beam, a profile removably connected to the front-to-back beam, and including mounting openings for mounting electronic equipment in the display case. A vertical blanking panel is removably connected to the profile and the vertical post. The front-to-back beam is inserted in conjunction with the vertical post to form a cable guide zone on one side of the frame.

[0010] European patent EP1835581 describes another example of a network cabinet, comprising:

[0011] a first door with a first and a second opposing side panel, positioned on the front of the cabinet, between a top panel and a door support, wherein each side panel of the first door comprises a retractable hinge that allows the first door to rotate about any hinge, each of the retractable hinges comprising a pair of opposing retractable hinge pins that engage with openings located in parts of the cabinet, with the hinge pins in the extended position. It comprises a pair of locking mechanisms, one on each side of the door, each pair of hinge pins being connected to one of the locking mechanisms so that each locking mechanism operates independently of the other; and

[0012] locking hinges at each upper and lower corner of the door, associated with each of the hinge pins and cooperating with said door support so that the locking hinges automatically prevent any retraction of the hinge pins on the first lateral side with the second lateral side of the first door in the open position, and automatically prevent any retraction of the hinge pins on the second lateral side with the first lateral side of the first door in the open position, and allow the retraction of the hinge pins on both lateral sides when the first door is in the closed position in order to allow the removal of said door.

[0013] US patent application 20040183409 describes another example of an electrical equipment enclosure comprising a plurality of vertical poles having vertical sides, and a plurality of brackets. Each bracket has a first and a second leg, generally horizontal, connected at a junction point. A connection between each bracket and the vertical side of a respective pole includes a keyway on one of the poles and the bracket junction, and a key on the other pole and the bracket junction received in the keyway. The first and second legs of the bracket project laterally outward from the pole. The enclosure further comprises at least one horizontal frame element, the first end of which is attached to the first leg of the bracket on one of the poles and the second end of which is attached to the second leg of the bracket on an adjacent pole.

[0014] Patent EP3881656 describes another example of a frame structure for a cabinet comprising a front frame assembly with a first and a second front pillar, a rear frame assembly with a first and a second rear pillar, a first lateral reinforcement element and a second lateral reinforcement element, each having a beam at opposite ends, the opposite ends of each lateral reinforcement element being connected to one of the front pillars and to one of the rear pillars. The frame structure also includes cable and airflow management features and functions. Disadvantages of prior art

[0015] The payload capacity of these racks is limited by the structure formed by the vertical supports, which are configured to minimize weight and material costs. The increased load resulting from adding more servers to the same rack, when a company needs to increase its processing capacity, is therefore problematic because it can cause damage to the entire rack, for example, by buckling one or more supports.

[0016] Similarly, when the user wishes to equip themselves with high-density servers, which concentrate more components (processors, disks, memory) in a space reduced in size, but often heavier than traditional models, the increased load on the bays can exceed the planned tolerances.

[0017] The user sometimes also wants additional storage (SAN, NAS): Adding storage equipment (hard drives, SSDs) to the same rack to meet growing data needs can significantly increase the load. Storage equipment is often heavy and occupies several rack units. Finally, network devices such as switches, routers, and other network equipment added to the rack to manage a larger number of connections also increase the overall load. These devices are necessary as an organization's network expands and requires more connections and bandwidth. Solution provided by the invention

[0018] To overcome this drawback, the present invention relates in particular to a server rack comprising a structure composed of external vertical uprights connected by upper and lower cross members to form a vertical lateral frame, and by intermediate cross members on which is fixed an internal structure formed by four internal uprights forming two internal lateral frames of the rack for the attachment of computer equipment, said vertical uprights being secured to a top cover and a base equipped with casters and adjustable feet, said rack further comprising front and rear doors and removable side panels as well as cable management channels characterized in that: a. said intermediate crossbeams are reinforced by horizontal reinforcing bars, said uprights being also fixed to said horizontal reinforcing bars and b. in that reinforcing brackets are placed at the junctions of said external vertical uprights and said upper and lower cross members.

[0019] Preferably, said external vertical uprights are made up of profiles having a flat central body with two lateral lips folded inwards or outwards, in that said brackets have a first part having a cross section having a central body with two lateral lips, complementary to the internal cross section of said profiles, extended by a second part perpendicular to said central body, for joining with an upper or lower cross member.

[0020] Advantageously, said intermediate cross members are made up of profiles having a flat central body with two lateral lips folded outwards, said lips having holes for the passage of connecting screws with said external vertical uprights, said flat central body having holes for the passage of connecting screws with said internal vertical uprights.

[0021] According to a particular variant, said internal lateral frames further comprise an intermediate internal upright.

[0022] According to another variant, the bay further comprises reinforcement profiles on which are fixed said four internal uprights which are fixed to the external uprights by fixing blocks.

[0023] The invention also relates to a server rack reinforcement kit comprising a structure made up of external vertical uprights connected by upper and lower cross members to form a vertical lateral frame, and by intermediate cross members to which are fixed four internal uprights forming two internal lateral frames of the rack for securing computer equipment, said vertical uprights being secured to a top cover and a base equipped with casters and adjustable feet, said rack further comprising front and rear doors and removable side panels as well as cable management channels

[0024] characterized in that it comprises: a. horizontal reinforcing bars suitable for being fixed to said vertical uprights and b. Reinforcing brackets suitable for placement at the junctions of said external vertical uprights and said upper and lower cross members.

[0025] Detailed description of a non-limiting example of embodiment

[0026] The present invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, concerning a non-limiting example of an embodiment illustrated by the accompanying drawings where:

[0027] Figure [Fig. 1] is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a bay according to the invention

[0028] Figure [Fig. 2] is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a bay window according to the invention, without the side walls or the front and rear doors

[0029] Figure [Fig.3] is a perspective view of the internal frame of an example embodiment of a bay according to the invention

[0030] Figure [Fig.4] is a perspective view, from three-quarters below, of the internal frame of an example of an embodiment of a bay window according to the invention

[0031] Figure [Fig.5] is a perspective view, from three-quarters below, of a variant embodiment of a bay according to the invention. General structure of a bay window from earlier art

[0032] A prior art bay is constituted by an assembly comprising: • A top cover (10), formed for example by a 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) stamped sheet with a powder-coated finish. The folded-over faces (11) • An external frame (20) formed by four external vertical uprights (21 to 24) made, for example, of 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) profiles, also finished with powder coating, and connected by lower (25) and upper (26) cross members and by intermediate cross members made of 2.5 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) profiles • An internal frame (30) formed by four internal vertical uprights (31 to 34) made, for example, of 2 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) profiles, also finished with powder coating, and fixed to the lower (25) and upper (26) cross members. The cross members (25) and (26) are welded to the external vertical uprights (21 to 24). • A front door made up of two openings (41, 42) in glass, honeycomb or solid metal. • A rear door (43) made of glass, honeycomb or solid metal. • Two side panels (50) made of cold-rolled steel (SPCC) 1.2 mm thick with a powder-coated finish. • A base (60) formed from a 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) stamped sheet, powder-coated finish. The base (60) is fitted with height-adjustable feet (61 to 64) and / or four casters.

[0033] The bay also includes two cold-rolled steel (SPCC) cable management channels with a thickness of 0.8 mm.

[0034] These components, assembled with precision, form the structure of the bay, thus offering robustness, flexibility and optimized cable management, while meeting ventilation and security requirements. Principle of the invention

[0035] In order to reinforce such a structure, the dimensions and material details of which are only indicative and not limiting, the invention consists of reinforcing the internal structure (30) by providing transverse reinforcements (77 to 79) fixed on the external uprights (21 to 24), doubling the intermediate crossbeams (27 to 29).

[0036] These transverse reinforcements (77 to 79) are optionally also formed from 2.5 mm thick cold-rolled steel (SPCC) profiles, with a central body extended by two lips extending perpendicularly to form a perforated surface for screwing onto the external uprights (21 to 24). The central body also has holes for connection with the internal vertical uprights (31 to 34).

[0037] The internal structure is further reinforced by eight brackets (81 to 84) having a first part (86) which engages in the profile forming the external upright (21) and a second part (87) which extends perpendicularly, to engage against the lower surface of the upper cross member (26).

[0038] Alternative embodiment

[0039] Figure [Fig. 5] illustrates an alternative embodiment with reinforcing profiles (100, 101) onto which the four internal uprights (31 to 34) are fixed. These uprights are attached to the external uprights (21 to 24) by fixing blocks (89, 99). These internal uprights (31 to 34) allow the mounting of the "19-inch" racks and equipment.

Claims

Demands

1. Server rack comprising an external structure (20) composed of external vertical uprights (21 to 24) connected by upper (26) and lower (25) cross members to form a vertical lateral frame, and by intermediate cross members (27 to 29) on which is fixed an internal structure formed by four internal uprights (31 to 34) forming two internal lateral frames of the rack for the fixing of computer equipment, said internal vertical uprights (31 to 34) being secured to a top cover (10) and a base (50) equipped with casters and adjustable feet, said rack further comprising front (41, 42) and rear (44) doors and removable side panels (51, 52) as well as cable management channels characterized in that: • said intermediate cross members (27 to 29) are reinforced by horizontal support bars (77 to 79),said uprights being also fixed to said horizontal reinforcing bars and • in that reinforcing brackets (81, 82) are placed at the junctions of said external vertical uprights and said upper (26) and lower (25) cross members.

2. Server rack according to claim 1 characterized in that said external vertical uprights (21 to 24) are made up of profiles having a flat central body with two lateral lips folded inwards or outwards, and in that said brackets have a first part having a section having a central body with two lateral lips, complementary to the internal section of said profiles, extended by a second part perpendicular to said central body, for securing with an upper or lower cross member.

3. Server rack according to claim 1 characterized in that said intermediate cross members are made up of profiles having a flat central body with two lateral lips folded outwards, said lips having holes for the passage of connecting screws with said external vertical uprights (21 to 24), said flat central body having holes for the passage of connecting screws with said internal vertical uprights (31 to 34).

4. Server rack according to claim 1 characterized in that said internal side frames further comprise an intermediate internal upright.

5. Server rack according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises reinforcement profiles (100, 101) on which are fixed said four internal uprights (31 to 34) which are fixed to the external uprights (21 to 24) by fixing blocks (89, 99).

6. Server rack reinforcement kit comprising a structure composed of external vertical uprights connected by upper and lower cross members to form a vertical side frame, and by intermediate cross members on which are fixed four internal uprights forming two internal lateral frames of the rack for the fixing of computer equipment, said vertical uprights being secured with a top cover and a base fitted with casters and adjustable feet, said rack further comprising front and rear doors and removable side panels as well as cable trays for positioning the cabling characterized in that it comprises: • horizontal reinforcement bars suitable for being fixed on said vertical uprights and • reinforcement brackets suitable for being placed at the junctions of said external vertical uprights and said upper and lower cross members.

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