Slide rails as airflow channels

Abstract

The airflow device includes a cooling air passage structure formed along an exterior side of the server chassis, the cooling air passage structure extending in a depth direction of the server chassis from a front face of the server chassis, and an airflow channel formed in the cooling air passage structure, the airflow channel extending in the depth direction, and a vent fluidly connecting the airflow channel with the interior of the server chassis at a vent location depthwise rearward from the front face.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001]

[0001] Server cooling components for optimal performance are important to overall server function. Temperature control in server racks where heat generation can be high is even more challenging. Cooler air can be drawn into the interior of the server than the air already circulating within the server. Continuously drawing in cooler air transfers the heat being generated from the server's heat-generating components to the drawn air. The circulated air is then exhausted from the interior of the server to the outside, cooling the internal components. Server parts, especially those where hard drives, batteries, and other heat-generating components are located, deserve special consideration in the temperature control design for cooling the server. Summary of the Invention

[0002]

[0002] An airflow device is provided. The airflow device may include a cooling air passage structure formed on an exterior of a server housing along a side thereof, the cooling air passage structure extending in a depth direction of the server housing from a front face of the server housing. The airflow device may further include an airflow channel formed in the cooling air passage structure, the airflow channel extending in the depth direction, and a vent fluidly connecting the airflow channel to an interior of the server housing at a vent location that is depthwise rearward relative to the front face.

[0003]

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce in a simplified form a selection of concepts further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages noted in any portion of this disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example hardware environment in which the airflow device may be implemented. [Diagram 2] 2 is an expanded view of a portion of an air flow device that may be implemented within the electronic device of FIG. 1, according to an example. [Diagram 3] 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an interior of the electronic device of FIG. 1 including an air flow device according to an example embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a top view of the electronic device of FIG. 1 including an air flow device according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005]

[0009] Disclosed herein is an airflow device for enhancing airflow into the interior of an electronic device, such as a server. Moving ambient air into the interior of an electronic device for the purpose of cooling heat-generating components therein is plausibly important to maintaining peak performance of the device. In one prior art configuration, baffles were placed within the housing of the computing device with the intent of directing air through the housing to specific interior areas containing heat-generating components. However, as the density of components within a server increases, it has been found that the interior of these tightly packed computing devices, in some circumstances, prevents efficient airflow through the device. For this reason, drawing sufficient airflow through the interior of such devices to various areas requiring cooling has become increasingly difficult to achieve.

[0006]

[0010] Specifically, in a data center environment, configurations of computing devices such as blade servers mounted in racks can present challenges in providing sufficient ambient air to the rear of the device. Cooling air can be drawn in at the front of the server by fans mounted at the rear of the server. However, the air may not reach the rear area of ​​the device adequately because intervening components may impede the path of the cooling airflow. Additionally, the air drawn into the device may become too hot during circulation, preventing reliable device operation. Because power supplies and hard drives are often located near the rear area of ​​the device, it is of course important to maintain a cooler airflow and thus provide sufficient cooling for these components at the rear of the device. To address these issues, exemplary configurations of airflow devices are disclosed herein. These exemplary configurations utilize one or more additional channels for airflow on the exterior of the housing of the computing device. These channels can pass through the slide rails of the housing and direct the airflow to the interior area of ​​the housing, thereby enhancing the cooling airflow to the rearward area within the housing.

[0007]

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example hardware environment including an electronic device 10 in which an airflow device 12 may be implemented. In this example configuration, the electronic device 10 is a blade server that includes the airflow device 12. The blade server may include, among other components, a power supply unit (PSU) 60, a battery 62, a hard drive 64, and a processor 66. These and other components may also generate heat during operation, and thus a design that allows cooler air to enter the interior of the blade server may be advantageous. The PSU fan 70 and system fan 54 may be located toward the rear of the electronic device 10 to help draw air from the front 68 toward the rear 58 of the electronic device 10 (as shown in FIG. 4). The first slide rail 14 of the server enclosure 16 may be located outside and along the first side 34 of the server enclosure 16. The slide rail of the server enclosure 16 may most likely allow the blade server to be installed in a server rack (not shown). The airflow device 12 may include a cooling air passage structure formed along and outside the side of the server housing 16. The cooling air passage structure may extend from a front face 68 of the server housing 16 to a depth direction D of the server housing 16. In FIG. 1, an example of airflow is shown by an arrow from the front face 68 of the electronic device 10 to the first vent 20, which is drawn in dashed lines to show airflow within the cooling air passage structure of the airflow device 12. In an example discussed below, the cooling air passage structure may be the first slide rail 14 of the server housing 16.

[0008]

[0012] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of an airflow device that may be implemented within electronic device 10. An airflow channel may be formed within the cooling air passage structure, which may be referred to as a first airflow channel 18. The first airflow channel 18 may be within the first slide rail 14 and extend along a depth direction D of the server housing 16. It will be appreciated that the first airflow channel 18 may be integral with the first slide rail 14 and outside of the interior 22 of the server housing 16, as shown in FIG. 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, two arrows indicate the flow of air that may enter the opening of the first airflow channel 18, and a set of three parallel arrows indicate the direction of airflow through the first airflow channel 18. The set of three parallel arrows are depicted in dashed lines when indicating that the airflow is within the first airflow channel 18. One potential advantage of locating the first airflow channel 18 outside the server housing 16 is that the air is not yet heated before being directed into near-vicinity with the heat-generating components, as opposed to air drawn only from the front 68 of the electronic device 12 and directed through the server housing 16 toward the back 58.

[0009]

[0013] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the airflow device 12 showing further rearward of the server housing 16 than the view shown in FIG. 2 in a depth direction D along a first side 34 of the server housing 16. As shown in FIG. 3, a vent, which may be received as a first vent 20, may fluidly connect a first airflow channel 18 with an interior 22 of the server housing 16 at a vent location rearward in the depth direction D relative to the front face 68. A dashed line with an arrow tip shows an example of an airflow direction along the inside of the airflow device 12 toward the first vent 20. The first vent 20 may include a channel opening. The channel opening may be at a first depth 28 of the server housing 16 within the first airflow channel 18 and may be referred to as a first channel opening 24. The first vent 20 may also include a housing opening within the server housing 16, which may be referred to as a first housing opening 26. The first housing opening 26 may be aligned with the first channel opening 24 to allow air to flow from the first airflow channel 18 through the first channel opening 24 and then through the first housing opening 26 into the interior 22 of the server housing 16. The two parallel arrows in FIG. 3 show an example of airflow from the vent 20 at the aligned opening along the depth direction D toward the rear of the electronic device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the airflow is not introduced into the interior 22 of the server housing 16 until the air is in proximity to the components to be cooled, in this case including the battery 62. In this example, a potential advantage of this configuration is that the airflow in the interior of the electronic device 10 does not have to travel very far through the interior 22 before reaching the battery 62 to be cooled.

[0010]

[0014] 4 is a top view of the electronic device 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the airflow device 12 may further include a second channel opening 30 in the first airflow channel 18 at a second depth 32 of the server housing 16. However, the second channel opening 30 may be present in the first airflow channel 18 without a corresponding housing opening disposed in the server housing 16. As will be discussed further below, this design may facilitate favorable airflow from the first airflow channel 18 to the interior 22 of the server housing 16 while allowing for simplified manufacturing of the first and second slide rails 14, 38 because the same component shape may be used for each of the first and second slide rails 14, 38, thereby reducing the number of individual parts.

[0011]

[0015] Assuming the symmetry of the server blade shown in FIG. 4, the airflow device 12 may further include a second slide rail 38 of the server chassis 16 outboard of and along a second side 36 of the server chassis 16. Within the second slide rail 38 may be a second airflow channel 40 that may extend along a depth direction D of the server chassis 16. The airflow device 12 may further include a third channel opening 44 at a third depth 46 and a fourth channel opening 48 at a fourth depth 50 within the second airflow channel 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the first depth 28 is illustrated as being equal to the third depth 46 and the second depth 32 is illustrated as being equal to the fourth depth 50, however, it will be appreciated that the respective depths of the respective channel openings may vary in some embodiments and that any particular depth at which a given channel opening is located may not be equal to any other depth at which a given channel opening is located.

[0012]

[0016] 4, a second vent 42 may fluidly connect the second airflow channel 40 with the interior 22 of the server housing 16. The second vent 42 may include a fourth channel opening 48 and a second housing opening 52 within the server housing 16. The second housing opening 52 may be aligned with the fourth channel opening 48 such that air may pass from the second airflow channel 40 through the fourth channel opening 48 and then through the second housing opening 52 into the interior 22 of the server housing 16.

[0013]

[0017] The first depth 28 at which the first housing opening 26 may align with the first channel opening 24 in the first airflow channel 18 may be different from the fourth depth 50 at which the second housing opening 52 may align with the fourth channel opening 48 in the second airflow channel 40. An example of this configuration is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the first channel opening 24 aligns with the first housing opening 26 to form the first vent 20, but the second channel opening 30 does not align with the housing opening, thereby not allowing airflow into the electronic device 10. Thus, the air drawn into the first airflow channel 18 need only be directed toward the rear of the blade server to cool the PSU 60, and in particular to cool the PSU battery 62. However, on the second side 36, the third channel opening 44 does not align with the housing opening, but the fourth channel opening 48 aligns with the second housing opening 52 to form the second vent 42. The airflow at the second vent 42 need only be directed primarily to the hard drives 64. Thus, as shown, the first depth 28 is a different depth than the fourth depth 50 to selectively direct air to preferred locations within the interior 22 of the server enclosure 16. This allows for purposeful directing of airflow through the interior 22 of the server enclosure 16. However, the first and second slide rails 14, 38 can have channel openings at the same depth along each of the slide rails, which can make the slide rails easier to manufacture due to this symmetry.

[0014]

[0018] In an alternative configuration, a first plurality of channel openings may be formed in the first airflow channel 18 and a second plurality of channel openings may be formed in the second airflow channel 40. Each of the first plurality of channel openings may be at a different depth along the depth direction D, and each of the second plurality of channel openings may be at the same depth along the depth direction D as each of the first plurality of channel openings. In this configuration, each channel opening may be spaced apart from any of the other channel openings by any desired amount, either regularly or irregularly. However, by forming each of the second plurality of channel openings at the same depth as the first plurality of channel openings, the first and second slide rails 14, 38 may be matched and therefore may be manufactured similarly, and potentially more efficiently, as discussed above.

[0015]

[0019] Continuing with this example, the one or more housing openings in the server housing 16 may be along a first side 34 and / or a second side 36 of the server housing 16. At least one vent may also be formed to include one of the first and second plurality of channel openings that coincide with one of the one or more housing openings. In this configuration, any one or more housing openings may also be formed to align with any of the channel openings to selectively form and position one or more vents along the first and second sides 34, 46 of the server housing 16. Each vent may fluidly connect at least one of the first airflow channel 18 and the second airflow channel 40 with the interior 22 of the server housing 16 at a vent location that is rearward in the depth direction D relative to the front face 68. A potential advantage of this configuration is that vents may be strategically positioned along the server housing 16 by efficiently designing the first and second slide rails 14, 38 to set the channel openings in predetermined locations that may selectively align with the housing openings.

[0016]

[0020] It will be appreciated that this selective alignment of the channel openings with the housing openings can accommodate intentional vent placement to potentially direct relatively fresh air to components within the electronic device 10, particularly to the rear of the device 10. It will be further appreciated that while the placement of each channel opening in the slide rails may be the same for ease of manufacture of the slide rails, the placement of the housing openings to form the selectively positioned vents can ultimately determine the location of the airflow from each airflow channel to the interior 22 of the server housing 16. Alternatively, it will be further appreciated that the placement of the channel openings in the slide rails can be at different depths from slide rail to slide rail such that the channel openings are not symmetrical along each of the slide rails. An asymmetric design may be advantageous for vent and airflow design in some applications.

[0017]

[0021] The rear 56 of the first airflow channel 18 may be shielded by a restrictor 72 included at the rear end of the first airflow channel 18 such that heated air from the rear 58 of the server chassis 16 may be prevented from entering the first airflow channel 18. This configuration may be advantageous when heat generating components such as the PSU 60 are located near the rear of the blade server causing the air surrounding this area to be warmer than the surrounding air. By shielding the rear 56 of the first airflow channel 18 (or the second airflow channel 40), this warm air may be prevented from entering the respective airflow channel.

[0018]

[0022] Figure 5 shows a flow chart of a method 500 for manufacturing an air flow device 12. The following description of method 500 is made with reference to the air flow device 12 described above and shown in the electronic device 10 of Figure 1. It will be appreciated that method 500 may be performed in other contexts using other suitable components.

[0019]

[0023] 5, a method 500 for manufacturing an airflow device 12 may include, at 502, forming a cooling air passage structure. The cooling air passage structure includes an airflow channel, which may be a first airflow channel 18 formed therein. At 504, the method 500 may include connecting the cooling air passage structure to an exterior side of and along a side of the server housing 16. The side may be a first side 34. The cooling air passage structure and the first airflow channel 18 extend from a front face 68 of the server housing 15 to a depth D of the server housing 16. The method 500 may include, at 506, aligning a vent to fluidly connect the first airflow channel 18 to an interior 22 of the server housing 16 at a vent location that is rearward in the depth D relative to the front face 68. The vent may be a first vent 20. A potential advantage of this configuration is that by having the cooling air passages on the outside of the server housing 16, air drawn in from outside the server and traveling along the first side 34 of the server housing 16 may not pick up a lot of heat before entering the interior 22 of the server at the first vent 20. That is, the air that ultimately travels through the first vent 20 may have a greater cooling impact on the heat generating components near the first vent 20 compared to air entering at the front 68 of the server, which may be warmer than the surrounding air relative to the heat generating components near the first vent 20 because it must pass through the server.

[0020]

[0024] As previously described, the cooling air passage structure may be a slide rail of the server housing 16. The slide rail may be the first slide rail 14. The method 500 may further include forming a channel opening in the first airflow channel 18 and forming a housing opening in the server housing 16. The channel opening may be the first channel opening 24 and the housing opening may be the first housing opening 26. The aligning the first vent 20 may include aligning the first channel opening 24 in the airflow channel 18 with the first housing opening 26 of the server housing 16. The first housing opening 26 may coincide with the first channel opening 24 so that air flows from the first airflow channel 18 through the first channel opening 24 and through the first housing opening 26 to the interior 22 of the server housing 16. As previously described, the channel opening may be the first channel opening 24. The first channel opening 24 may be at a first depth 28 of the server housing 16. The method 500 may further include forming a second channel opening 30 in the first airflow channel 18 at the second depth 32 of the server housing 16. It will be appreciated that the location of the first and second channel openings 24, 30 along the first airflow channel 18 may be according to any preferred design that may reflect the location of components and / or the planned airflow within the server.

[0021]

[0025] As previously described, the slide rail may be a first slide rail 14, the side of the server housing 16 may be a first side 34, the airflow channel may be a first airflow channel 18, and the vent may be a first vent 20. The method 500 may include connecting a second slide rail 38 of the server housing 16 to an exterior of and along a second side 36 of the server housing 16. The method 500 may further include forming a second airflow channel 40. The second airflow channel 40 may be formed in the second slide rail 38 and extend along a depth direction D of the server housing 16. The method 500 may also include aligning a second vent 42 to fluidly connect the second airflow channel 40 with an interior 22 of the server housing 16. It will be appreciated that the first and second slide rails 14, 38 can be manufactured with symmetry in mind, with each of the first and second air flow channels 18, 40 being similarly formed within their respective slide rails. The channel openings can also be symmetrical about the first and second sides 34, 36. However, the first and second vents 20, 42 do not have to be symmetrically aligned. This design can have potential advantages as will be further described below.

[0022]

[0026] The method 500 may include forming a third channel opening 44 at a third depth 46 in the second airflow channel 40 and forming a fourth channel opening 48 at a fourth depth 50 in the second airflow channel 40. As previously described, this housing opening may be the first housing opening 26. The method 500 may include forming a second housing opening 52 in the server housing 16. Aligning the second vent 42 may include aligning the second housing opening 16 with the fourth channel opening 48 to align the fourth channel opening 48 and the second housing opening 52 in the server housing 16 such that air flows from the second airflow channel 40, through the fourth channel opening 48, and through the second housing opening 52 into the interior 22 of the server housing 16.

[0023]

[0027] It will be appreciated that the first and second vents 20, 42 may be at different depths along the first and second sides 34, 36 of the server. That is, the first depth 28 at which the first housing opening 26 aligns with the first channel opening 24 in the first airflow channel 18 may be different from the fourth depth 50 at which the second housing opening 52 aligns with the fourth channel opening 48 in the second airflow channel 40. In this manner, the channel openings may be located at the same depth with respect to the first and second sides 34, 36 of the first and second slide rails 14, 38, respectively, to potentially simplify manufacture of the slide rails, but may be at different depths such that the housing openings are selectively aligned with the channel openings. That is, airflow may be directed specifically to each of the first and second sides 34, 36 of the server.

[0024]

[0028] As previously discussed, a restrictor 72 may be included at the rear end of the first airflow channel 18 to prevent air from the rear 58 of the server chassis 16 from entering the first airflow channel 18. Because heat generating components may be located near the rear of the server, the air surrounding the rear of the server may be at an elevated temperature compared to the ambient air further away from the rear of the server. Thus, locating the restrictor 72 near the rear of the first and second airflow channels 18, 40 may be advantageous in maintaining airflow from the front 68 of the server toward the rear, rather than airflow entering from the rear 58.

[0025]

[0029] As described herein, the airflow device 12 can be implemented within the electronic device 10 to potentially draw ambient air from outside the electronic device 10 into an interior region. Being outside the electronic device 10, the airflow device 12 does not consume interior space of the electronic device 10, thus allowing room for other components and / or more room for airflow within the electronic device 10. Also, the airflow passing through the airflow channel can avoid being unnecessarily heated by heat-generating components during its travel outside the housing. The placement of the channel openings and housing openings to form vents at selected locations can accommodate ease of manufacturing and specific directing of airflow, particularly to areas at the rear of the housing.

[0026]

[0030] The present disclosure is illustrated, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Components, process steps, and other elements that may be substantially the same in one or more of the figures have been organized and identified in an orderly manner and described to minimize repetition. It is noted, however, that elements that are organized and identified in an orderly manner may differ slightly. It is further noted that some of the figures are schematic and may not be drawn to scale. Various drawing magnifications, aspect ratios, and numbers of components shown in the figures may be intentionally distorted to better illustrate certain structures or relationships.

[0027]

[0031] The following paragraphs serve as supplementary confirmation to the claims of the present application: In one embodiment, an airflow device is provided, the airflow device comprising a cooling air passage structure formed on an outer side of a side surface of a server housing and along the side surface, the cooling air passage structure extending from a front surface of the server housing in a depth direction of the server housing.

[0028] The airflow device includes an airflow channel formed in the cooling air passage structure, the airflow channel extending in a depth direction, and a vent that fluidly connects the airflow channel with the interior of the server chassis at a vent location that is depthwise rearward relative to the front face.

[0029]

[0032] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the cooling air passage structure may be a slide rail of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the vent may include a channel opening in the airflow channel and a housing opening in the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the housing opening may be aligned with the channel opening to allow air to flow from the airflow channel through the channel opening and further through the housing opening into the interior of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the channel opening may be a first channel opening at a first depth of the server housing and the airflow device may further include a second channel opening in the airflow channel at a second depth of the server housing.

[0030]

[0033] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the slide rail may be a first slide rail, the side of the server chassis may be a first side, the airflow channel may be a first airflow channel, and the vent may be a first vent. Further, the airflow device may include a second slide rail of the server chassis exterior to and aligned with a second side of the server chassis, a second airflow channel that may be in the second slide rail extending depthwise of the server chassis, and a second vent fluidly connecting the second airflow channel with the interior of the server chassis.

[0031]

[0034] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the airflow device may further include a third channel opening at a third depth and a fourth channel opening at a fourth depth in the second airflow channel. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the housing opening may be a first housing opening and the second vent may include a fourth channel opening and a second housing opening in the server housing. The second housing opening may be aligned with the fourth channel opening to allow air to flow from the second airflow channel through the fourth channel opening and further through the second housing opening into the interior of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the first depth at which the first housing opening may be aligned with the first channel opening in the first airflow channel may be different from the fourth depth at which the second housing opening is aligned with the fourth channel opening in the second airflow channel.

[0032]

[0035] Another aspect provides a method of manufacturing an airflow device, the method including forming a cooling air passage structure including an airflow channel formed therein, the method further including connecting the cooling air passage structure to an exterior side of a server housing along the side, the cooling air passage structure and the airflow channel extending from a front face of the server housing in a depth direction of the server housing, the method further including aligning a vent to fluidly connect the airflow channel with an interior of the server housing at a vent location that is rearward in depth relative to the front face.

[0033]

[0036] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the cooling air passage structure may be a slide rail of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the method may further include forming a channel opening in the airflow channel and forming a housing opening in the server housing, and the aligning step may include aligning the channel opening in the airflow channel with the housing opening in the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the housing opening may coincide with the channel opening to allow air to flow from the airflow channel through the channel opening and through the housing opening into the interior of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the channel opening may be a first channel opening at a first depth of the server housing, and the method may further include forming a second channel opening in the airflow channel at a second depth of the server housing.

[0034]

[0037] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the slide rail may be a first slide rail, the side of the server chassis may be a first side, the airflow channel may be a first airflow channel, and the vent may be a first vent. Further, the method may include connecting a second slide rail of the server chassis to and along an exterior of a second side of the server chassis, forming a second airflow channel extending a depth of the server chassis, which may be formed within the second slide rail, and aligning the second vent to fluidly connect the second airflow channel with an interior of the server chassis.

[0035]

[0038] In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the method may further include forming a third channel opening in the second airflow channel at a third depth and forming a fourth channel opening in the second airflow channel at a fourth depth. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the housing opening may be a first housing opening and the method may further include forming a second housing opening in the server housing. The step of aligning the second vent may include aligning the fourth channel opening with a second housing opening in the server housing and matching the second housing opening with the fourth channel opening such that air can flow from the second airflow channel through the fourth channel opening and further through the second housing opening into the interior of the server housing. In this regard, additionally or alternatively, the first depth at which the first housing opening can match with the first channel opening in the first airflow channel may be a different depth than the fourth depth at which the second housing opening can match with the fourth channel opening in the second airflow channel.

[0036]

[0039] Another aspect provides an airflow device, the airflow device comprising a first cooling air passage structure, the first cooling air passage structure being a first slide rail of the server housing formed outside and along a first side of the server housing, the cooling air passage structure extending in a depth direction of the server housing from a front side of the server housing. The airflow device comprises a second cooling air passage structure, the second cooling air passage structure being a second slide rail of the server housing formed outside and along a second side of the server housing, the second cooling air passage extending in a depth direction of the server housing from a front side of the server housing. The airflow device comprises a first airflow channel formed in the first cooling air passage structure and a second airflow channel formed in the second cooling air passage structure, the first and second airflow channels extending in a depth direction. The airflow device comprises a first plurality of channel openings in the first airflow channel and a second plurality of channel openings in the second airflow channel. Each of the first plurality of channel openings is at a different depth along the depth direction and each of the second plurality of channel openings is at the same depth along the depth direction as each of the first plurality of channel openings. The airflow device includes one or more housing openings within the server housing along a first side and / or a second side of the server housing, at least one vent includes one of the first and second plurality of channel openings coinciding with one of the one or more housing openings, and fluidly connects at least one of the first and second gas flow channels with the interior of the server housing at a vent location that is depthwise rearward relative to the front face.

[0037]

[0040] It is understood that the configurations and / or methods described herein are exemplary in nature, and that the specific embodiments or examples should not be construed in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. Thus, the various acts shown and / or described may be performed in the order shown and / or described, in other orders, in parallel, or omitted. Similarly, the order of the processes described above may be changed. As used herein, a sentence forming "at least one of A and B" means at least one A or at least one B, and is not mutually exclusive of each other, and does not require at least one A and at least one B. As used herein, the term "and / or" means any or all of the multiple stated possibilities.

[0038]

[0041] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems, and configurations, as well as other features, functions, acts, and / or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. 1. An air flow device comprising: a first cooling air passage structure formed on the outside of the interior of the server housing along a first side of the server housing, the first cooling air passage structure extending from a front surface of the server housing in a depth direction of the server housing and including a first slide rail of the server housing; a first airflow channel opening and a second airflow channel opening formed in the first cooling air passage structure, the first airflow channel opening and the second airflow channel opening being arranged at a first depth and a second depth of the server chassis, respectively, in the depth direction; a second cooling air passage structure formed outside the interior of the server chassis along a second side of the server chassis, the second cooling air passage structure including a second slide rail of the server chassis; a third airflow channel opening and a fourth airflow channel opening formed in the second cooling air-passing structure, the third airflow channel opening and the fourth airflow channel opening being arranged at a third depth and a fourth depth of the server chassis, respectively, in the depth direction; Equipped with the first airflow channel opening is aligned with a first chassis opening at the first depth of the server chassis; the fourth airflow channel opening is aligned with a second housing opening at the fourth depth of the server housing, and the first depth of the server housing is aligned forward of the fourth depth of the server housing; Air flow device.

2. 2. The airflow device of claim 1, wherein a first restrictor is included at a rear end of the first cooling air passage structure and a second restrictor is included at a rear end of the second cooling air passage structure, whereby air from a rear of the server chassis is prevented from entering the first cooling air passage structure and the second cooling air passage structure.

3. 1. A method for manufacturing an airflow device, comprising: forming a first cooling air passage structure including a first slide rail of a server chassis, the first cooling air passage structure having a first air flow channel opening and a second air flow channel opening formed therein; connecting the first cooling air-passage structure to an outside of an interior of the server chassis along a first side of the server chassis, the first cooling air-passage structure extending from a front surface of the server chassis in a depth direction of the server chassis, and the first airflow channel opening and the second airflow channel opening being respectively arranged at a first depth and a second depth of the server chassis in the depth direction of the server chassis; forming a second cooling air-passing structure including a second slide rail of the server chassis, the second cooling air-passing structure having a third airflow channel opening and a fourth airflow channel opening; connecting the second cooling air-passage structure to the outside of the interior of the server housing along a second side of the server housing, the second cooling air-passage structure extending in a depth direction of the server housing, and the third airflow channel opening and the fourth airflow channel opening being respectively arranged at a third depth and a fourth depth of the server housing in the depth direction of the server housing; Including, the first airflow channel opening is aligned with a first chassis opening at the first depth of the server chassis; the fourth airflow channel opening is aligned with a second chassis opening at the fourth depth of the server chassis; the first depth of the server chassis is arranged before the fourth depth of the server chassis; method.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, forming a first restrictor at an aft end of the first cooling air passage structure; forming a second restrictor at an aft end of the second cooling air passage structure; The method further comprising:

5. 1. An air flow device comprising: a first cooling air passage structure including a first slide rail of the server housing formed on the outside of the interior of the server housing along a first side surface of the server housing, the first cooling air passage structure extending from a front surface of the server housing in a depth direction of the server housing; a second cooling air passage structure including a second slide rail of the server housing formed on the outside of the interior of the server housing along a second side of the server housing, the second cooling air passage structure extending from the front surface of the server housing in the depth direction of the server housing; a first air flow channel formed in the first cooling air passage structure and a second air flow channel formed in the second cooling air passage structure, the first air flow channel and the second air flow channel extending in the depth direction; a plurality of first channel openings in the first air flow channel and a plurality of second channel openings in the second air flow channel, each of the plurality of first channel openings being at a different depth along the depth direction and each of the plurality of second channel openings being at the same depth along the depth direction as each of the plurality of first channel openings; one or more chassis openings in the server chassis along the first side of the server chassis; one or more chassis openings in the server chassis along the second side of the server chassis; a first vent including one of the plurality of first channel openings aligned with one of the one or more chassis openings along the first side of the server chassis, the first vent fluidly connecting at least one of the first airflow channels with an interior of the server chassis at a first vent location, the first vent location being rearward in the depth direction relative to the front face; a second vent including one of the plurality of second channel openings aligned with one of the one or more chassis openings along the second side of the server chassis, the second vent fluidly connecting at least one of the second airflow channels with an interior of the server chassis at a second vent location, the second vent location being rearward in the depth direction relative to the first vent location; An airflow device comprising:

6. 6. The airflow device of claim 5, further comprising a first restrictor at a rear end of the first cooling air passage structure and a second restrictor at a rear end of the second cooling air passage structure, the first restrictor and the second restrictor preventing air from a rear of the server chassis from entering the first cooling air passage structure and the second cooling air passage structure, respectively. The airflow device further comprising:

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