Pivoting arm for a rack system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rack system for IT equipment, the rack system comprising at least one door, wherein the at least one door is provided with at least one pivoting arm, wherein the at least one pivoting arm is configured to move the at least one door around at least one pivot point.

Description

[0001] Pivoting arm for a rack system

[0002] Technical field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a rack system. In particular the present invention relates to a rack system for a data center.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] A data center is a physical facility designed to house IP equipment like servers, networking equipment, storage devices, and power supplies that supports the IT infrastructure e.g. for businesses and cloud services.

[0006] The data center is built with rack structures where all the IT equipment may be stored. Rack structures may be standardized to 19" racks (typically 42U to 48U) for optimizing rack struce density in the data center and comprises servers, switches, routers, and firewalls to connect servers and manage data traffic, and fiber and copper cables organized with cable management systems.

[0007] In the data center the rack structures are arranged close together in rows with a hot aisle / cold aisle configuration to optimize airflow.

[0008] Since the requirements for data and data storage keeps increasing the centers continue to grow and the rack structure densities are increasing to maximizing rack structure capacity which lead to tight spaces and difficult access.

[0009] The increased rack structure density may be challenging for rack structures management because of space constraints, cable congestion, security restrictions, and poor rack organization. During management of the IT equipment in the rack structure the space constraints reduce the door opening (the door of the rack structure) and reduce the access to the IT equipment in the rack structure.

[0010] The IT equipment generates a significant amount of heat and therefore cooling is critical in data centers to prevent overheating, which can lead to hardware failures, reduced performance, and increased operational costs. When cooling is insufficient, multipleproblems arise that can affect both equipment lifespan, costs, overall system reliability, and fire.

[0011] Generally, rack structures are overloaded with IT equipment and the rack structure density is high, which means that an increasing amount of heat is generated, and often more than what the cooling system can handle.

[0012] Thus, the cooling capacity is increased, which often means the heat exchanger is increased and the doors of the rack structures are increase. This increase in the size of the doors is not possible in hight or width since they need to fit the rack structure, therefore they are made thicker - taken op more space of the data center and further reducing the space for maintenance.

[0013] Hence, there is a need in the industry for an improved rack structure that would improve the access to the IT equipment in the rack structures, provide more space for maintenance of IT equipment in the rack structures to avoid delays in maintenance, reduce the risk of errors, and reduce downtime. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a rack system where the cooling system and / or the cooling capacity may be increased without increasing the size of the rack system (and the door of the rack system). These needs should be achieved with increasing the rack system density.

[0014] Summary of the invention

[0015] Thus, an object of the present invention relates to a rack system for a data center.

[0016] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rack system for a data center that solves the above mentioned problems of the prior art with insufficient space to access the rack structures and therefore the difficulties in performing timely and proper maintenance of the IT equipment in the rack structure, and the challenge with providing sufficient cooling capacity to the rack structures and IT equipment.

[0017] This problem of the prior art rack systems has been solved by the present invention.

[0018] Thus, one aspect of the invention relates to a rack system for IT equipment, the rack system comprising at least one door, wherein the at least one door is provided with at least one pivoting arm, wherein the at least one pivoting arm is configured to move the at least one door around at least one pivot point.Another aspect of the present invention relates to a pivoting arm configured to be attached to a door of a rack system and a frame of a rack system.

[0019] Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to use of a pivoting arm for opening a door of a rack system.

[0020] Still another aspect of the present invention relates to a hollow pivoting arm configured to be attached to a door of a rack system and a frame of a rack system.

[0021] Brief description of the figures

[0022] Figure 1 shows 3 thick versions of rack system doors comprising cooling system and the associated frames as they are conventionally constructed (demonstrated the prior art).

[0023] Figure 2 shows two rows of rack systems with 2 slim doors comprising cooling system and the associated frames as they are conventionally constructed (demonstrated the prior art).

[0024] Figure 3 shows 3 thick versions of rack system doors comprising cooling system and the associated frames according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 shows two rows of rack systems with 2 slim doors comprising cooling system and the associated frames according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 shows the front side (figure 5A) and the backside (figure 5B) of the door connected to the frame using two pivoting arms according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 shows the backside of the door and the frame having two hollow pivoting arms according to the present invention where the lower pivoting arm may be used for supplying cooling liquid to the cooling system and where the upper pivoting arm may be used for removing heated liquid from the cooling system.

[0028] The present invention will now be described in more detail in the following.

[0029] Detailed description of the invention

[0030] One of the challenges with the solutions presently on the market is that doors attached to the rack system using a hinge at one side makes an angular opening of the door providingonly little space for enter the interior of the rack system and occupies significant amount of space when opened. Furthermore, when using conventional hinges, the space requirements between multiple rack systems comprising IT equipment, need to be large to allow opening of the doors.

[0031] A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a rack system for IT equipment, the rack system comprising at least one door, wherein the at least one door is provided with at least one pivoting arm, wherein the at least one pivoting arm is configured to move the at least one door around at least one pivot point.

[0032] The rack system according to the present invention may be a framework or structure used for holding, storing, and / or organizing items, in particular for holding, storing, or organizing networking, IT equipment, and / or electrical systems including electrical or electronic components, such as circuit breakers or control panels.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention the IT equipment may be a server. Preferably, the rack system may be a server rack system.

[0034] The server rack system may be a standardized framework or cabinet designed to house, organize, and secure servers, networking equipment, and other IT hardware in data centers, offices, or server rooms. These rack systems provide efficient space utilization, cable management, airflow control, and security for IT infrastructure.

[0035] The rack system comprises a top, a bottom, at least two sides, at least one door and a controlled airflow.

[0036] The at least one pivoting arm according to the present invention may not be a hinge.

[0037] A hinge may be a joint that allows rotation around a fixed axis, usually with two connected parts. The hinge is restricted in motion to one plane around the centre of the hinge.

[0038] On the other hand, a pivoting arm according to the present invention allows movement around a pivot point and allows a greater range of movement and may not be restricted to movement in a single plane.

[0039] Preferably, the pivoting arm allows the at least one door to move in 2 planes or the pivoting arm allows the at least one door to move in 3 planes.In the context of the present invention the movement in 2 or 3 planes refers to the motion occurring along different axes of space. For movements in 2 planes according to the present invention relates to the movement in two perpendicular axes (X, Y) in space and the movement in three perpendicular axes (X, Y, Z) in space.

[0040] This movement of the at least one door of a rack system allows for an improved movement of the door allowing increased and / or improved access to the inside of the rack system, for performing maintenance, for making changes or other activities that requires access to the interior of the rack system.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present invention the rack system comprises 2 pivoting arms configured to moving the at least one door around at least one pivot point of each of the pivoting arms.

[0042] Preferably, the at least one pivot point according to the present invention may be the point where the pivoting arm may be attached to a frame of the rack system and / or the point where the pivoting arm may be attached to the door of the rack system.

[0043] The at least one pivoting arm may be connected to at least one pivot point which the pivoting arm may move around. In an embodiment of the present invention the at least one pivoting arm may comprise 2 pivoting points which the pivoting arm may move around.

[0044] The at least one pivot point of the at least one pivoting arm may be placed at the end-part of the at least one pivoting arm. The end-part of the at least one pivoting arm may be the part of the at least one pivoting arm near the end of the at least one pivoting arm. This positioning of the pivot point may reduce the space occupied by the at least one pivoting arm.

[0045] Preferably, the end-part of the at least one pivoting arm may comprise only one pivot point.

[0046] The at least one pivoting arm according to the present invention may comprise two endparts (one in each end of the at least one pivoting arm).

[0047] It may be preferred that the at least one pivot point may be placed in the end-part of the at least one pivoting arm as close to the end of the at least one pivoting arm as possible without risking the strength of the at least one pivoting arm.In an embodiment of the present invention the at least one pivot point is where the at least one pivoting arm is attached to a frame of the rack system and / or where at least one pivot point is where the at least one pivoting arm is attached to the door of the rack system.

[0048] Preferably, at least one the pivoting arm comprises two pivot points, having one pivot point where the at least one pivoting arm may be attached to a frame of the rack system and another pivot point where the at least one pivoting arm may be attached to the door of the rack system.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present invention the pivot point between the at least one pivoting arm and the frame of the rack system may be offset relatively to the pivot point between the at least one pivoting arm and the door of the rack system.

[0050] When using a traditional hinge for holding the door in a rack system, the hinge is attachment to adjacent surfaces on the frame of the rack system and on the door of the rack system.

[0051] With the at least one pivoting arm according to the present invention the attachment of one end-part of the at least one pivoting arm may be offset relative to the other end-part of the at least one pivoting arm.

[0052] The rack system according to the present invention comprising at least one pivoting arm comprising a first end-part attached to the frame of the rack system, and a second endpart attached to the door of the rack system and wherein the first end-part may be attached to the frame via a first pivot point and wherein the second end-part may be attached to the door via a second pivot point.

[0053] Preferably, the rack system according to the present invention comprising at least one pivoting arm comprising a first end-part attached to the frame of the rack system, and a second end-part attached to the door of the rack system and wherein the first end-part may be attached to the frame via a first pivot point and wherein the second end-part may be attached to the door via a second pivot point and wherein the first pivot point and the second pivot point are offset relative to each other.

[0054] The one or more pivot point according to the present invention may be provided with a bearing assisting the opening of the door.The door opening mechanism of the rack system according to the present invention makes it easy to open the at least one door of the rack system without to be interfered by the neighbouring doors but also by another adjacent row of rack systems that is placed opposite to the door. Furthermore, when a wide rack system is used, then the door may also be wide, and during opening a wide door can interfere or bump in to the adjacent rows of rack systems.

[0055] The door opening also provides important impact on the economy for the server industry and the IT infrastructure as the new opening system provided by the present invention allows multiple rack systems to be stacked even further.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one pivoting arm may comprise a first end-part and a second end-part, wherein the first end-part may be attached to the frame of the rack system (forming a frame-attachment) and the second end-part may be attached to the door of the rack system (forming a door-attachment), and wherein the frame-attachment and the door-attachment may be offset relative to each other.

[0057] Preferably, the first end-part of at least one pivoting arm may not be able to be in contact with the second end-part of at least one pivoting arm.

[0058] The offset of the frame attachment and the door attachment according to the present invention may provide a sliding movement of the door away from the frame of the at least one pivoting arm and sideways relative to the position of the frame. The movement of the door may be starting with an opening swinging movement followed by a more sliding or laterally offset of the door relative to the frame of the rack system.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the frame attachment may be placed at one side of the frame, or close to the one side of the frame, and the door attachment may be placed at the side of door at, or close to, the opposite side of the frame attachment.

[0060] Preferably, the offset of the frame attachment and the door attachment may be provided by a construction where:

[0061] the frame attachment may be placed:

[0062] at a first side of the frame,

[0063] close to the first side of the frame, or

[0064] at the top-side or the bottom side of the frame close to the first side of the frame; and

[0065] the door attachment may be placed:

[0066] at the side of the door close to a second side of the frame, orat the top-side or the bottom side of the frame close to the second side of the frame.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present invention the term "close to" may relate to a distance of 25 cm or less, such as a distance of 20 cm or less, e.g. a distance of 18 cm or less, such as a distance of 16 cm or less, e.g. a distance of 14 cm or less, such as a distance of 12 cm or less, e.g. a distance of 10 cm or less, such as a distance of 8 cm or less, e.g. a distance of 6 cm or less, such as a distance of 4 cm or less.

[0068] The surface of the door facing the interior of the rack system when closed, may when closed and when opened be in parallel, or substantially in parallel, with the opening of the frame of the rack system.

[0069] I order to improve the movement of the door, the at least one pivoting arm may be provided with one or more bends or the at least one pivoting arm may be angled.

[0070] Preferably the one or more bends (or the one or more angles) may be configured to allow the door to open close to the rack system and the door of the rack system standing next to it.

[0071] The rack system may comprise a front side of the door. The front side of the door may be facing away from the rack system. The front side of the door may comprise a fan forcing an air flow through the IT equipment placed in the rack system and cooling the IT equipment.

[0072] The fan may be configured to draw air through the rack system and through the heat exchanger.

[0073] Preferably, the door may comprise a cooling system.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present invention the cooling system may comprise a heat exchanger.

[0075] In yet an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling system may comprise a device promoting airflow through rack system and the IT equipment. Preferably, the device promoting airflow through the IT equipment may be a fan.

[0076] Preferably, the cooling system may comprise a combination of a heat exchanger and a fan where the heat exchanger may be placed on the backside of the door facing the racksystem and the fan may be placed on the front side of the door facing away from the rack system. In this construction the air may be dragged through the IT equipment to the heat exchanger and further to the fan and away from the rack system. The air may be heated by the IT equipment and chilled in the heat exchanger and removed by the fan.

[0077] The backside of the door may be facing the rack system. The advantage of having the cooling system placed on the backside of the door may be to get the cooling system as close as possible to the IT equipment to provide a fast and efficient cooling of the heated air (heated by the heat generated by the IT equipment).

[0078] The rack system and / or the pivoting arm according to the present invention may be suitable for any cooling system, even for small cooling systems capable of generating a cooling effect of e.g. from 1-50 KW per hour, but also for large cooling systems capable of generating a cooling effect above 50 KW per hour. However, one benefit of the present may be that even larger cooling effects may be generated by the rack system according to the present invention.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present invention the cooling system may be capable of generating a cooling effect of at least 50 KW per hour, such as at least 75 KW per hour, e.g. at least 100 KW per hour, such as at least 125 KW per hour, e.g. at least 150 KW per hour, such as at least 175 KW per hour, e.g. at least 200 KW per hour, such as at least 225 KW per hour, e.g. at least 250 KW per hour.

[0080] Preferably, the cooling system is capable of generating a cooling effect in the range of 50-300 KW per hour, such as in the range of 100-275 KW per hour, e.g. in the range of 150-250 KW per hour, such as in the range of 175-225 KW per hour, e.g. about 200 KW per hour.

[0081] The rack system according to the present invention may be able to run with both high and low air flow efficiencies. However, the new construction of the rack system and / or the pivoting arm according to the present invention, surprisingly high air flow efficiency may be achieved.

[0082] The rack system according to the present invention may be able to run with an air flow efficiency of at least 300 CFM (cubic feet per minute), such as at least 350 CFM, e.g. at least 400 CFM, such as at least 450 CFM, e.g. at least 500 CFM, such as at least 550 CFM, e.g. at least 600 CFM, such as at least 650 CFM, e.g. at least 700 CFM, such as in the range of 200-1000 CFM, e.g. in the range of 300-900 CFM, such as in the range of 400-800 CFM, e.g. in the range of 450-700 CFM, such as in the range of 500-650 CFM, e.g. in the range of 550-600 CFM.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present invention the cooling system according of the rack system may be configured to maintain a temperature out of the rack system at a temperature in the range of 15-35°C, such as in the range of 18-30°C, e.g. in the range of 20-28°C, such as in the range of 22-25°C.

[0084] Preferably the cooling system may comprise a heat exchanger.

[0085] A heat exchanger may be a system capable of transferring heat from a heated gas, such as air, to a working fluid which is separated from the heated gas. The working fluid may be a liquid which may be circulated in the heat exchanger. The liquid which may be circulated in the heat exchanger may include a cooling liquid that enters the heat exchanger and a heated liquid which is leaving the heat exchanger.

[0086] The flow arrangement of the heat exchanger of the present invention may be a parallelflow arrangement, a counter-flow arrangement or a cross-flow arrangement.

[0087] The parallel flow arrangement may include heat exchangers where the working fluid and the gas enter the heat exchanger at the same end, and travel in parallel to one another to the other side.

[0088] The counter-flow arrangement may include heat exchangers where the working fluid and the gas enter the exchanger from opposite ends and travels towards each other. The counter-flow design may be the most efficient, in that it can transfer the most heat from the heat (transfer) medium per unit mass due to the fact that the average temperature difference along any unit length is higher.

[0089] The cross-flow arrangement may include heat exchangers where the fluid and the gas travel roughly perpendicular to one another through the exchanger.

[0090] Preferably the flow arrangement of the heat exchanger of the present invention may be a counter-flow arrangement.

[0091] The efficiency of heat exchangers may be improved by maximizing the surface area of the wall between the heated air and the cooling liquid (e.g. the working fluid).The heat exchanger may be included in a cavity in a door of the rack system comprising the cooling system.

[0092] In an embodiment of the present invention the door comprising the cooling system may further comprise a fan for transporting cooling gas, e.g. air, through the IT equipment placed inside the rack system, ensuring proper cooling of the IT equipment.

[0093] The heated air may then be passed through the heat exchanger transporting the heat from the air to the cooling liquid circulated inside the heat exchanger and out the rack system.

[0094] In an embodiment of the present invention the door comprises a cooling system and the cooling system is a heat exchanger, wherein a liquid circulated in the heat exchanger is transported into the heat exchanger and / or out of the heat exchanger through the at least one pivoting arm.

[0095] The door comprising the cooling system according to the present invention may comprise one or more hollow pivoting arm.

[0096] The hollow pivoting arm may comprise pipes for cooling liquid (e.g. cooling pipes) and / or pipes for heated liquid (e.g. heated pipes) obtained from the heat exchanger.

[0097] By holding the cooling pipes and / or the heated pipes secured in the at least one pivoting arm (preferably, the hollow pivoting arm) wear of the piping and risk of damages of the piping may be significantly reduced. Furthermore, by using the at least one pivoting arm (in particular the at least one hollow pivoting arm) for holding the cooling pipes and / or the heated pipes it may be possible to reduce the piping in the door comprising the cooling system providing more space to a larger heat exchanger.

[0098] Preferably, the pivoting arm according to the present invention may be configured to carry the cooling liquid to and from the heat exchanger placed in the door.

[0099] Increasing the size of the heat exchanger, the cooling efficiency, and the productivity may be significantly improved.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present invention the rack system comprises at least one pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system, preferably a single pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system, where one end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the door and the other end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the top of the frame or the rack system as described herein.In a further embodiment of the present invention the rack system comprises at least one pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system, preferably a single pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system, where one end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the door and the other end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the bottom of the frame or the rack system as described herein.

[0101] Preferably, the rack system comprises at least one pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system, preferably a single pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system, where one end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the door and the other end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the top of the frame or the rack system as described herein; and wherein the rack system further comprises at least one pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system, preferably a single pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system, where one end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the door and the other end-part of the pivoting arm may be attached to the bottom of the frame or the rack system as described herein.

[0102] The cooling liquid (or the cooling pipe) may be introduced into the door and further into the heat exchanger via the at least one pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system.

[0103] In an embodiment of the present invention the cooling liquid may have a temperature in the range of 10-30°C, e.g. in the range of 15-29°C, such as in the range of 20-28°C, e.g. in the range of 22-26°C, such as in the range of 23-25°C.

[0104] Furthermore, the heated liquid may be obtained from the heat exchanger via the at least one pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present invention the heated liquid may have a temperature in the range of 30-45°C, such as in the range of 32-40°C, e.g. in the range of 34-38°C, such as in the range of 35-37°C.

[0106] The liquid circulated in the heat exchanger may be water or a mixture of water and glycol.

[0107] The liquid circulation may be provided by connecting the flow to either the top or bottom of the door of the rack system with hoses via quick connect couplings.

[0108] Cooling liquid may be supplied directly from a general building services chilled liquid system (chiller, fluid cooler, cooling tower or dry air cooler) or from a dedicated CoolingDistribution Unit (CDU), which may also provide isolation from the building services to limit the amount of water in the data center environment and may provide flow, pressure and condensation control.

[0109] The rack system comprises a pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system and a pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system. In an embodiment of the present invention the pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system and a pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system may have the same construction. In another embodiment of the present the pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system and a pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system may be provided with different constructions.

[0110] The pivoting arm placed at the bottom of the rack system and / or the pivoting arm placed at the top of the rack system may be configured to leaving space for the cooling pipes from the inlet into the rack system and to the inlet into the heat exchanger, and / or the heated pipes from the outlet from the heated pipes to the outlet of the rack system.

[0111] The door of the rack system of the present invention may be provided with various sensors (like temperature, pressure, air flow) to communicate with external systems and ensure stable and safe operation of the rack system.

[0112] A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a pivoting arm configured to be attached to a door of a rack system and a frame of a rack system.

[0113] Preferably, the pivoting arm may be a hollow pivoting arm.

[0114] The hollow pivoting arm may allow liquid connections (cooling liquid connections and / or heated liquid connections) to be integrated into the arms so e.g. the hot side may be in an upper arm (at the top of the rack system) and the cold flow of liquid in e.g. the lower arm (the bottom of the rack system). This construction may provide an even more robust and effective and durable cooling system.

[0115] The pivoting arm according to the present invention may be provided with a first end-part and a second end part.

[0116] The first end-part of the pivoting arm according to the present invention may be configured to be attached to, preferably pivotably attached to, the door of the rack system.The second end-part of the pivoting arm according to the present invention may be configured to be attached to, preferably pivotably attached to, the frame of the rack system or to the rack system as such.

[0117] In an embodiment of the present invention the pivoting arm may comprise at least one bend, may be angled or may be straight.

[0118] A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of a pivoting arm for opening a door of a rack system.

[0119] Preferably, the use of a pivoting arm for opening a door of a rack system may be by using a pivoting arm according to the present invention.

[0120] It should be noted that embodiments and features described in the context of one of the aspects or one embodiment of the present invention also apply to the other aspects and other embodiments of the invention.

[0121] The invention will now be described in further details in the following non-limiting detailed description of the drawings.

[0122] Detailed description of the drawings

[0123] Figure 1 shows a subset of a server room (1) illustrating 3 rack systems (2) placed next to each other. The rack systems (2) each comprises a door (3) and a frame (4). The doors (3) demonstrated in figure 1 are thick doors, which may include a larger cooling system (e.g. a heat exchanger) - not shown, compared to the more slim doors, e.g. as shown in figure 2. The rack system (2) demonstrated in figure 1 demonstrates the conventionally constructed rack systems (2) (demonstrated the prior art), where the door (3) and the frame (4) are held together using a hinge (8). The hinge (8) consists of two plates (leaves) which are fixed to the frame (4) and the door (3), respectively. The two plates (leaves) of the hinge (8) are connected by a pivot pin. When force is applied, one leaf remains fixed while the other rotates around the pin, allowing swinging or pivoting motion.

[0124] Figure 2 also demonstrates a subset of a server room (1) conventionally used (prior art) Figure 2 shows a subset of two rows of rack structures (2) and each row comprises 2 rack structures (2) placed next to each other. The rack systems (2) each comprises a frame (4) and a slim door (3) comprising the cooling system (e.g. a heat exchanger) - not shown. The rack system (2) demonstrated in figure 1 show that the door (3) and the frame (4) areheld together using a hinge (8). The door (3) of the bottom right rack system (2) have been opened which involves a movement of the door (3), the frame (4) is fixed, around the pivot pin of the hinge (8). The door (3) comprises a backside of the door (5) and a front side of the door (6). The front side may comprise a fan (7 - but not shown in this figure) which ensures flow of air through the IT equipment in the rack structure to provide cooling. The fan (7 - but not shown in this figure) may be configured to draw air through the rack system (2) and through the heat exchanger (12 - but not shown in this figure). As apparent from the figure there is insufficient space between the rows for the door (3) to fully open, and additional space needs to be introduced between the rows of rack structures (2) to ensure proper entry when maintenance, or other work in the rack structure (2) is necessary. Furthermore, even sufficient space between the rows of rack structures (2) were provided allowing full opening of the door (3) the sides of the one door of a rack structure would collide with the adjacent rack structure (2) and more space between the individual rack structures is necessary to ensure proper entry when access into the rack structure is necessary.

[0125] Figure 3 shows a subset of a server room (1) according to the present invention comprising 3 rack systems (2) placed next to each other. The rack systems (2) each comprises a frame (4) and a thick door (3) which may be desirable because a larger include a larger cooling system (e.g. a heat exchanger) - not shown. The door (3) and the frame (4) are held together using a pivoting arm (11).

[0126] The pivoting arm (11) comprises a first end-part attached to the frame of the rack system (2) in a first pivot point (10), and a second end-part attached to the door of the rack system (2) in a second pivot point (9). In figure 3 the pivoting arm (11) is bent which may allow the door (3) to open close to the rack system (2) and the door (3) of the rack system (2) standing next to it. The first pivot point and the second pivot point are offset relative to each other to improve the movement and opening of the door (3).

[0127] During opening the door (3) may make a sliding movement away from the frame (4) of the at least one pivoting arm (11) and sideways relative to the position of the frame (4). The movement of the door (3) may be starting with an opening swinging movement followed by a more sliding or laterally offset of the door (3) relative to the frame (4) of the rack system (2).

[0128] Figure 4 is also a subset of the present invention, demonstrating two rows of rack structures (2), each comprising 2 rack structures (2) placed next to each other. The rack systems (2) each comprises a frame (4) and a slim door (3) comprising the cooling system (e.g. a heat exchanger) - not shown. The rack system (2) demonstrated in figure 4 showthat the door (3) and the frame (4) are held together using a pivoting arm (11) according to the present invention. The door (3) of the bottom right rack system (2) have been opened which involves a movement of the door (3), the frame (4) is fixed, around the pivot points of the pivoting arm (11). In the same way as shown in figure 3, the opening of the door (3) by a sliding movement away from the frame (4) of the at least one pivoting arm (11) and sideways as described above ensures that there are no collision with other rack structures (2) in the same row or in the opposite row, even if the rows and the rack structures are placed close to each other, and at the same time sufficient space are provided to ensure proper entry when access into the rack structure is necessary.

[0129] Figure 5 demonstrate the frame (4) and the door (3) of the present invention, in particular the front (6) of the door (3) where the fan (7) is provided and the backside (5) of the door (3) where the heat exchanger (12) is provided. The door (3) comprises a cooling system which is provided by a combination of a heat exchanger (12) and a fan (7). The heat exchanger (12) is placed on the backside (5) of the door (3) facing the rack system (2) and the fan (7) is placed on the front side (6) of the door (3) facing away from the rack system (2). In this construction the air may be dragged through the IT equipment inside the rack structure (2) to the heat exchanger (12) and further to the fan (7) and away from the rack system (2). The air may be heated by the IT equipment and chilled in the heat exchanger (12) and removed by the fan (7)

[0130] Cooling liquid may be supplied to the heat exchanger (12) via the cooling liquid inlet (13) and removed from the heat exchanger (12) via the heated liquid outlet (14).

[0131] The frame (4) and the door (3) are combined by two pivoting arms (11) according to the present invention. One pivoting arm (11) at the top of the door (3) and in top of the frame (4), and one pivoting arm (11) at the bottom of the door (3) and in bottom of the frame (4).

[0132] When the door (3) is closed into the frame (4) the constructions of the pivoting arms (11), in particular the bends introduced into the pivoting arm (11) placed at the bottom of the frame (4) and door (3) may ensure that piping is not damaged or unnecessarily worn.

[0133] Figure 6 demonstrates the construction of a rack structure (2) comprising a frame (4) and a door (3) comprising a heat exchanger (12). The frame (4) and the door (3) are combined by two pivoting arms (11) according to the present invention. The two pivoting arms (11) are hollow two pivoting arms (11) provided for holding pipes for cooling liquid and / or pipes for heated liquid obtained from the heat exchanger. Thus, a hollow pivoting arm (11) may be provided at the bottom of the rack structure (2) providing a cooling liquidinlet, and a hollow pivoting arm (11) may be provided at the top of the rack structure (2) providing a heated liquid outlet (16).

[0134] By holding the cooling pipes and / or the heated pipes secured in the hollow pivoting arms as shown in figure 6, wear of the piping and risk of damages of the piping may be significantly reduced. Furthermore, by using the hollow pivoting arms for holding the cooling pipes and / or the heated pipes it may be possible to reduce the piping in the door comprising the cooling system providing more space to a larger heat exchanger.References

[0135] (1) Sample of a server room

[0136] (2) Rack structure

[0137] (3) Door of the rack structure

[0138] (4) The frame

[0139] (5) Backside of the door

[0140] (6) Front of the door

[0141] (7) Fan

[0142] (8) Hinge

[0143] (9) first pivot point

[0144] (10) second pivot point

[0145] (11) Pivoting arm

[0146] (12) Cooling system I heat exchanger

[0147] (13) Cooling liquid inlet

[0148] (14) Heated liquid outlet

[0149] (15) Hollow pivoting arm and cooling liquid inlet (16) Hollow pivoting arm and heated liquid outlet

Claims

Claims1. A rack system for IT equipment, the rack system comprising at least one door, wherein the at least one door is provided with at least one pivoting arm, wherein the at least one pivoting arm is configured to move the at least one door around at least one pivot point.

2. The rack system according to claim 1, wherein the rack system comprises 2 pivoting arms configured to moving the at least one door around at least one pivot point of each of the pivoting arms.

3. The rack system according to anyone of claims 1-2, wherein the at least one pivot point is where the at least one pivoting arm is attached to a frame of the rack system and / or where at least one pivot point is where the at least one pivoting arm is attached to the door of the rack system.

4. The rack system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot point between the at least one pivoting arm and the frame of the rack system is offset relatively to the pivot point between the at least one pivoting arm and the door of the rack system.

5. The rack system according to anyone of the preceding claims the door comprises a cooling system.

6. The rack system according to claim 5, wherein the cooling system is capable of generating a cooling effect of at least 50 KW per hour, such as at least 75 KW per hour, e.g. at least 100 KW per hour, such as at least 125 KW per hour, e.g. at least 150 KW per hour, such as at least 175 KW per hour, e.g. at least 200 KW per hour, such as at least 225 KW per hour, e.g. at least 250 KW per hour.

7. A pivoting arm configured to be attached to a door of a rack system and a frame of a rack system.

8. The pivoting arm according to claim 7, wherein the pivoting arm is a hollow pivoting arm.

9. Use of a pivoting arm for opening a door of a rack system.

10. The use according to claim 8, wherein the pivoting arm is a pivoting arm according to claims 7 and 8.

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