External Power Supply Containment Unit for Rack Space Optimization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In computing facilities, power supplies often have a longer usable life than the servers or computing devices they support, leading to premature replacement and waste, as well as occupying space and consuming resources that could be used for additional devices, and generating unnecessary heat.
Innovation Solution
An external power supply containment unit is mounted externally to a rack, providing direct current power to computing devices, allowing servers or racks to be upgraded or exchanged without replacing the power supply, and enabling the reuse of power supplies for a longer period.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If power supplies are included in individual servers or mounted in racks, then power conversion is provided for computing devices, but the power supplies occupy space in the rack that could be used for additional servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power supply function from the server units and places it in a separate external power supply containment unit. This allows the power conversion capability to be maintained while removing the space-occupying power supplies from the rack, thereby resolving the contradiction between providing power conversion and preserving rack space for additional servers.
2Power
If power supplies are included in individual servers or mounted in racks, then power conversion is provided for computing devices, but the power supplies generate waste heat that consumes cooling resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the power supplies from the server units and relocates them to an external containment unit. This extraction separates the heat-generating power conversion function from the computing devices, allowing waste heat to be managed independently and reducing the cooling burden on the server rack, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining power conversion capability and reducing waste heat generation.
3Reliability
If power supplies are included in individual servers or mounted in racks, then power conversion is provided for computing devices, but the power supplies have longer usable life than the servers, leading to premature replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts power supplies from the server units and places them in a separate external containment unit. This separation allows power supplies to be independently managed and retained until their actual end of life, rather than being discarded when servers are upgraded. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining power supply reliability while eliminating premature replacement and associated waste.
4Power
If power supplies are included in individual servers or mounted in racks, then power conversion is provided for computing devices, but the power supplies consume shared resources that could support additional servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes power supplies from individual server units and consolidates them in an external containment unit. This extraction frees up rack space and shared resources, allowing the rack capacity to be increased to accommodate additional servers or computing devices, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining power conversion capability and maximizing rack productivity.
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 solution extends the life of power supplies, optimizes space and resource usage, and reduces waste heat, leading to cost savings and improved operational efficiency in data centers.
Implementation Method 1
power supplies that convert higher voltage alternating current power into lower voltage direct current power suitable for consumption by computing devices
Implementation Method 2
power supplies included in individual servers or common power supplies mounted in racks may generate waste heat that consumes cooling resources
Data Source
AI summary
An external power supply containment unit includes a chassis configured to mount to a structure external to a rack. The external power supply containment unit further includes one or more discrete power supplies mounted in the chassis and one or more electrical connectors that are configured to couple and decouple with a power distribution system of a rack positioned adjacent to the external power supply containment unit. The electrical connectors are configured such that racks of electrical devices, such as computers, can be replaced while the external power supply containment unit remains mounted to the external structure. Additionally, discrete power supply units included in the external power supply containment unit may be re-used to provide power to electrical devices included in a replacement rack when a rack of electrical devices coupled with the external power supply containment unit is replaced.