Internally Wireless Datacenter Rack Reflective Backplane

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional datacenter racks rely on wired connections, which occupy significant space, making them cumbersome and costly to maintain, and existing wireless solutions fail to improve performance and reduce costs within the datacenter rack.

Innovation Solution

An internally wireless datacenter rack with a housing containing wireless connectors that convert between electrical and wireless signals, utilizing a wireless free space region with reflective backplanes and waveguides to facilitate communication between networking boxes, allowing for efficient wireless signal transmission and reception.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wired connections are used to connect networking boxes within datacenter racks, then connection reliability is maintained, but space is occupied and maintenance costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidspace occupied by wired connections

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical wired connection system with an electromagnetic wireless communication system. Networking boxes are equipped with wireless transceivers that communicate through electromagnetic waves, eliminating the need for physical cables and connectors while maintaining reliable data transmission between devices within the rack.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes the wired connection components (cables, connectors, cable management infrastructure) from the datacenter rack system. By taking out these mechanical elements, the rack space is freed up and maintenance complexity is reduced while wireless communication infrastructure is integrated into the networking boxes themselves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If wired connections are used between networking boxes, then stable communication is achieved, but maintenance time and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication stabilityVSAvoidmaintenance time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes the mechanical wired connection system with wireless electromagnetic communication, eliminating the need for physical cable installation and troubleshooting. This replacement dramatically reduces maintenance time as there are no cables to replace, connectors to tighten, or cable routing issues to diagnose, while maintaining stable communication through wireless protocols.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Area of stationary object

If conventional wireless communication is implemented between datacenter racks, then some space is saved, but performance and cost reduction within racks is not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace reductionVSAvoidcommunication performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by implementing wireless communication specifically within the rack environment rather than relying on conventional rack-to-rack wireless solutions. By optimizing wireless transceivers and communication protocols for short-range intra-rack distances, the system achieves high-performance communication that conventional wireless technologies do not provide, while simultaneously reducing the need for wired infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 reduces the time and financial costs associated with maintaining datacenter racks by enabling efficient wireless communication within the rack, allowing for easier replacement of networking boxes and reducing the need for expensive wired components.

Implementation Method 1

a wireless reflective backplane configured to allow free space wireless communication between the one or more wireless connectors disposed on the first networking box and the one or more wireless connectors disposed on the second networking box

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 2

the wireless free space region may further define a wireless waveguide configured to facilitate wireless communication between at least one of the one or more wireless connectors disposed on the first networking box and a corresponding one of the one or more wireless connectors disposed on the second networking box

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectWaveguide: Waveguide

Data Source

PatentUS10506733B2Internally wireless datacenter rack

Publication Date: 2019.12.10 MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES LTD(IL)

AI summary

An internally wireless datacenter rack configured to support datacenter computing equipment is provided. The datacenter rack includes a housing configured to receive a first networking box including a printed circuit board assembly and one or more wireless connectors in electrical communication with the printed circuit board assembly. The housing includes a second networking box including a printed circuit board assembly and one or more wireless connectors in electrical communication with the printed circuit board assembly. The one or more wireless connectors convert between electrical signals and optical signals. The datacenter rack includes a wireless free space region within the housing, and the wireless free space region includes a wireless reflective backplane that allows free space wireless communication between the first networking box and the second networking box.