Electronic devices such as personal computers, servers, and digital versatile disks (DVD) players are ubiquitous in everyday life. Electronic devices can employ a housing which can define an internal volume. Various electrical components, such as processors, can be supported by the housing within the internal volume.
a-1b illustrate an example of an electronic device.
a-2c illustrate cross-sectional representations taken along the xz-plane as indicated in
In this particular embodiment bottom component 122 is supported by feet or pads 206a, 206b which are configured to be positioned against a supporting surface 208 which is not a component of electronic device 100.
b illustrates electronic device 100 with electrical components 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d positioned on and supported by bottom component 122. The weight of electrical components 202a-202d can cause at least a portion of bottom component 122 to distend or sag below the xy-plane and away from top component 120. In this instance the portion of bottom component 122 extending between pads 206a, 206b is sagging relative to the xy-plane. Sagging can become more pronounced with increasing electrical component densities and/or weight within a housing.
c-2d illustrate an alternative configuration where electronic device 100 is supported on bottom component 122 proximate the sidewall bottom portions 138, 140.
In the configuration illustrated in
Sagging of an electronic device's housing can limit design parameters related to the electronic device and/or racks associated with the electronic device. For example, sagging of bottom component 122 may prevent insertion of electronic device 100 into rack 230 if such sagging causes a height dimension h1 to exceed the allocated height dimension h2 of rack 230.
The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components wherever feasible.
a illustrates a front elevation view of a prior art electronic device.
b illustrates a perspective view of a prior art electronic device.
a-2c illustrate cross-sectional views of a prior art electronic device.
d illustrates a front elevational view of a prior art rack.
a-3d illustrate cross-sectional views of a portion of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
a illustrates a top view of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
b-4f illustrate cross-sectional views of a portion of the exemplary electronic device illustrated in
a illustrates a top view of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
b illustrates a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
a illustrates a top view of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
b illustrates a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary electronic device in accordance with one embodiment.
c-6d illustrate cross-sectional views of a portion of the exemplary electronic device illustrated in
The following relates to electronic devices and housings of electronic devices. The housing comprises a bottom component joined with other components which can include sidewall components, and front wall and back wall components. When in use, electrical components can be placed in the housing and rest on the bottom component. The housing, and in particular the bottom component, can have a non-loaded disposition which, when loaded assumes a different disposition that mitigates sagging due to the weight of the electrical components contained therein.
a-3d illustrate cross-sectional views of an exemplary electronic device 100a which can be less prone to sagging than existing designs. These cross-sectional views are taken generally parallel to the front surface of the electronic device as illustrated in relation to
Electronic device 100a comprises housing 110a. The housing can comprise top component 120a and bottom component 122a. A pair of sidewall components 124a, 126a extend between the top and bottom components 120a, 122a respectively. In this embodiment top component 120a intersects the sidewall components at top portions 134a, 136a, while bottom component 122a intersects the sidewall components at bottom portions 138a, 140a. The intersection of the bottom component and a sidewall component can define an edge of the bottom component. The bottom portions 138a, 140a can be contained in a plane extending therebetween. In this particular embodiment the plane containing the bottom portions comprises the xy-plane.
As can best be appreciated from
In this particular embodiment bottom component 122a is deflected upwardly toward the top component 120a in a generally arcuate configuration that is concave away from top component 120a. Examples of some other exemplary configurations are provided below. An extent of the bottom component's deflection toward top component is indicated generally here as distance z1 which is measured generally parallel to the z-axis. Distance z1 can have a wide range of values depending on various factors including but not limited to the width w1 of housing 110a, the weight of the electrical components to be positioned within the housing, and the material selected for the housing.
With present technologies, electronic devices such as servers can have a width in the range of 10 to 30 inches, though other electronic devices reside above and below this range. In some of these embodiments, distance z1 can range from 0.001 inch to 0.300 or more. In some exemplary configurations, with a housing width w1 of 15-20 inches, distance z1 can have a value in a range of 0.002 to 0.020. The skilled artisan should recognize other exemplary configurations.
b illustrates a representation of electrical device 100a in the loaded configuration where electrical components 202e, 202f, and 202g are positioned in housing 110a. In this embodiment, the three electrical components 202e-202g are positioned in housing 110a on bottom component 122a. Other exemplary configurations may have more or less electrical components positioned in housing 110a. In this embodiment, in the loaded configuration, bottom component 122a is deflected toward the xy-plane by the weight of electrical components 202e-202g. As such, the bottom component's deflection away from the xy-plane, as measured generally parallel to the z-axis and indicated generally as z2, is less in the loaded configuration than in the non-loaded configuration illustrated in
c-3d illustrate two alternative loaded conditions of housing 110a.
a-4f illustrate another exemplary electronic device and process steps for forming same.
Referring to
Any suitable material can be utilized to form base pan 404. In this particular embodiment, material 402 can comprise sheet metal of a gauge and composition employed in the art. Other materials such as polymers and/or other metals can also be utilized either alone or combination with sheet metal materials to form some or all of the housing components.
a-4b illustrate material 402 with areas designated to be formed into associated components including bottom component 122c and sidewall components 124c, 126c of housing 110c. Regions of bottom component 122b can be manipulated to define portions of the bottom component. In this embodiment two regions 410, 412 of bottom component 122c can be manipulated to define first, second, and third portions 420, 422, and 424 of the bottom component.
c illustrates base pan 404 formed by manipulating material 402 utilizing known sheet metal manipulation tools and processes such as bending and/or crimping. In some embodiments the sheet metal can be manipulated along regions 410, 412 to form an angle between the various portions 420-424. In this particular embodiment angle a is formed between first portion 420 and second portion 422. Angle β is formed between second portion 422 and third portion 424. In some embodiments angles α, β can have a value greater than 180 degrees. Some of these embodiments may utilize angles in a range of about 180.2 degrees to about 185 degrees. Other embodiments may have still larger angles α, β. For ease of describing and illustrating this embodiment, angles α, β represented in
c represents the non-loaded configuration of bottom component 122c. In this particular embodiment, manipulated regions 410, 412 cause second portion 422 to be displaced to the same side of the xy-plane as the sidewall components 124c, 126c occur. This displacement can be evidenced by distance z5.
Referring collectively to
e illustrates an alternative loaded configuration where the weight of electrical components 202i-202p can cause second portion 122 to deflect toward the xy-plane when compared to the non-loaded configuration. This displacement can be evidenced by comparing distance z7 to the greater value of z5. In this embodiment, the weight of electrical components 202i-202p can also cause top portions 134c, 136c of sidewalls 124c, 126c to deflect toward bottom component 122c forming an acute angle relative to bottom component 122c. Angle δ1 is illustrated between bottom component 122c and sidewall component 126c. In this particular embodiment, angle δ1 is about 88 degrees. Other embodiments may have angles ranging from less than 80 degrees to more than 89.5 degrees.
d-4e represent an exemplary housing which is loaded with electrical components but is unassembled or only partially assembled. In this instance the housing's top portion has yet to be joined with base pan 404. Further process steps to assemble housing 110c are described below.
Referring to
a-5b illustrate another exemplary base pan 404d.
In this embodiment, bottom pan 404d comprises bottom component 122d, sidewall components 124d, 126d and backside component 502. In this embodiment base pan's bottom component 122d has two regions 410d, 412d that are manipulated to create portions of the bottom component. The two regions 410d, 412d of bottom component 122d can be manipulated to define first, second, and third portions 420d, 422d, and 424d of the bottom component. In this particular embodiment regions 410d, 412d extend less than bottom component's entire length l and can deflect at least some of bottom component 122d away from the x-axis which is provided for reference purposes and is oriented similar to the orientation illustrated in
a-6d illustrate another exemplary base pan 404e.
In this embodiment bottom pan 404e comprises bottom component 122e, sidewall components 124e, 126e and backside component 502c. Further, bottom component 122c has three regions 410c, 412c, and 602 that can be manipulated to create two portions 420e, 422e of the bottom component. At least a first area 610 of portions 420e, 422e can be deflected above the xy-plane in the non-loaded configuration as can best be appreciated from
In this embodiment, regions 420e, 422e extend generally parallel to back wall 502e. Examples of such regions extending generally parallel to the sidewalls are described above. Still further embodiments may utilize other orientation or combinations of orientations. For example, such regions can extend diagonally from a front corner of the bottom component to an opposing rear corner. The skilled artisan should recognize other embodiments.
In some embodiments portions of material 402e can be removed to aid in manipulation of the various base pan components to one another. For example as evidenced from
The various embodiments described above can mitigate sagging effects caused by loading various housings with electrical components.
Although the inventive concepts have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological steps, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts in the appended claims are not limited to the specific features or steps described. Rather, the specific features and steps are disclosed as forms of implementing the inventive concepts.
The present application is a divisional of, and claims priority to, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/807,628, filed on Mar. 23, 2004.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10807628 | Mar 2004 | US |
Child | 11850952 | Sep 2007 | US |