Angled Stepped Faceplate Ports for Telecommunications Shelf Signal Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
In telecommunications and networking, conventional shelf and circuit packs have long signal tracks between client ports and fabric ports and an integrated circuit chip, leading to high power consumption and inefficient cooling, which is exacerbated by the use of forward-facing ports that hinder airflow and require larger heatsinks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an angled and stepped arrangement of ports around an integrated circuit chip, with client ports positioned closer to the chip and fabric ports positioned at the corners, reduces signal track lengths, enhances cooling efficiency, and allows for the use of vapor chambers for liquid cooling, thereby minimizing power consumption and improving thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If forward-facing ports are used in conventional shelf and circuit packs, then full frontal inlet airflow can pass over all optical and electrical ports to cooling fans, but signal track lengths between client ports and fabric ports and the integrated circuit chip become long, leading to high power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional planar port arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration where ports are positioned at multiple levels (stepped arrangement) and angles around the integrated circuit chip. This spatial reconfiguration reduces signal track lengths by placing ports closer to the chip in three-dimensional space while maintaining accessibility, thereby reducing power consumption without compromising airflow patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric port positioning where client ports and fabric ports are arranged at different angles and distances relative to the integrated circuit chip. This asymmetric configuration optimizes signal track lengths for different port types while maintaining balanced thermal management and airflow characteristics, resolving the contradiction between reduced track length and sustained cooling efficiency.
2Temperature
If forward-facing ports are used in conventional shelf and circuit packs, then ports are easily accessible from the front, but larger heatsinks are required due to longer signal tracks and higher power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing a stepped, multi-level port arrangement around the integrated circuit chip, the patent reduces the distance between ports and the chip, thereby lowering power consumption and reducing the thermal load that heatsinks must dissipate. This three-dimensional configuration enables the use of smaller heatsinks while maintaining effective cooling, as the reduced track lengths generate less heat overall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies localized port positioning strategies where high-power client ports are placed closer to the integrated circuit chip to minimize their individual track lengths and heat generation, while lower-power fabric ports are positioned accordingly. This localized optimization reduces the overall thermal load on heatsinks, improving cooling efficiency without requiring larger heatsink areas.
3Temperature
If client ports are spaced apart to accommodate larger heatsinks, then cooling is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by moving from a two-dimensional planar layout to a three-dimensional stepped arrangement. This allows ports to be positioned optimally close to the integrated circuit chip without requiring excessive spacing for heatsink accommodation. The vertical and angular positioning in three-dimensional space enables effective thermal management while maintaining a compact, integrated design that does not increase device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines port positioning, signal routing, and thermal management into an integrated three-dimensional configuration. The stepped arrangement naturally optimizes signal track lengths while working in conjunction with the cooling system, merging multiple design considerations into a unified structure that improves cooling efficiency without increasing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces high-speed serial signal loss, increases signal density, and lowers power consumption by shortening PCB tracks, while maintaining adequate receiver performance and reducing the need for additional cooling components, thus optimizing power usage and thermal efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A vapor chamber may include an evaporator proximate to the one or more heat sources of the printed circuit board and configured to thermally transfer heat from the one or more heat sources of the printed circuit board to the fluid of the vapor chamber. The vapor chamber may further include a condenser physically displaced from the one or more heat sources of the printed circuit board and fluidly coupled to the evaporator. The condenser may be configured to thermally transfer heat from the fluid of the vapor chamber.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf system for use in a telecommunications or networking application, the shelf system including a shelf assembly and a circuit pack conformally inserted into the shelf assembly. The circuit pack includes a printed circuit board disposed in an enclosure, an integrated circuit chip coupled to the printed circuit board, and a plurality of ports coupled to the printed circuit board and disposed around the integrated circuit chip. The ports of the plurality of ports are angled relative to a front faceplate of the enclosure such that lengths of tracks between the ports and the integrated circuit chip are less than a predetermined maximum length.