Embedded Power Floor Panels for Flexible Server Rack Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional server room floor systems face challenges with cable management, airflow obstruction, and inflexible rack positioning due to the use of removable floor panels and fixed inlaid cable solutions, which hinder efficient reconfiguration and maintenance as network operations evolve.
Innovation Solution
A floor system comprising removable main panels with inlaid power cables and connectors, and sub-panels with corresponding connectors, allowing for a flexible and organized power pathway from a distribution board to server racks, enabling adjustable rack positioning and maintenance access while maintaining airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If power cables are coiled under removable floor panels, then the power cable can be extracted or retracted as necessary, but the coiled cable prevents airflow and obstructs the space between floor panels and sub-floor
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is divided into two functional layers: an upper removable panel for access and a lower fixed panel with integrated cable management channels. This segmentation allows cables to be routed through dedicated pathways in the lower panel while maintaining airflow channels, eliminating the need to coil cables under the removable panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower floor panel acts as an intermediary structure that provides dedicated cable management channels and airflow passages. Instead of placing coiled cables directly under the removable panel, the intermediate lower panel organizes cables in structured pathways, separating cable routing from airflow paths.
2Ease of operation
If cables are threaded through removable floor panels, then cables can be organized and stored under the floor, but after long-term operation the cable layers pile up randomly and become unmanageable
Solution Approach 1:
The lower floor panel is pre-configured with molded-in cable management channels and routing pathways during manufacturing. These pre-formed channels guide cables in organized routes from the outset, preventing random cable accumulation and maintaining orderly cable arrangement throughout the system's operational life.
3Ease of operation
If ceiling ducts are used for cable installation, then cables are organized and airflow is maintained, but server racks can only be positioned along the duct path and reconfiguration requires ceiling renovation
Solution Approach 1:
The lower floor panel serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, contains integrated cable management channels for organized routing, creates airflow passages for cooling, and enables flexible server rack positioning anywhere within the facility. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for ceiling ducts and allows reconfiguration without renovation.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor system in a server room includes a main panel and a sub-panel. The main panel includes main panel inlaid cables and main panel connectors where the main panel inlaid cables connect a first set of the main panel connectors to a second set of the main panel connectors. The sub-panel includes sub-panel inlaid cables and sub-panel connectors where the sub-panel inlaid cables connect the sub-panel connectors to one another. The floor system provides an operating floor via the main panel and the sub-panel where the operating floor is raised relative to a sub-floor and the main panel is a removable floor panel to access a space between the operating floor and the sub-floor. The main panel inlaid cables and the sub-panel inlaid cables establish a current pathway from a power source.