Cablemanagementarmassembly.docx

Cablemanagementarmassembly.docx

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Cablemanagementarmassembly

Cablemanagementarmassembly

TECHNICALFIELD

Thepresentdisclosurerelatesingeneraltothefieldofelectronicsandtothestorageandmanagementofcomputerequipment.Moreparticularly,thepresentdisclosureisrelatedtoacablemanagementarmassemblyandmethodofcablemanagement.

BACKGROUND

Electronicdevicessuchascomputercomponentscanbestoredinanelectronicsracksystem,sometimesreferredtoasaracksystemorrack,toconservefloorspace.Avarietyofdifferentcomputercomponentsincludingservers,computers,storagedevicessuchasdiskdrives,tapedrives,andRAIDdrives,aswellasotherelectricaldevicescanbehousedinracksystems.StandardssuchastheElectronicsIndustryAssociation（EIA）RS-31019″rackstandardhavebeendevelopedtostandardizetheheightandwidthofelectronicsrackstofacilitateeffectiveuseofthespacewithinracksystems.

Theverticalspacewithinaracksystemisgenerallydefinedinverticalmountingunitincrements,oftenreferredtoas“U's”.AmountingunitorUistypically1.75inches.InteriorrailsofracksystemsoftenhavethreemountingslotswithineachUofverticalspaceforattachingcomponents.Racksystemsandcomponentsaretypicallysizedinmountingunitincrements.Forexample,“2U”componentsaresizedtofitwithina2Uverticalspace.“48U”and“72U”racksaresizedtohave48Uand72U,respectively,ofusableverticalspace.

Accesstocomponentsisoftenprovidedbyaslideablestructureattachedtotheinteriorrailsoftheracksystem.Thesestructuresallowtheassociatedcomponentstoslideforwardformaintenance,repair,orinstallation.Also,thebackofmanyracksystemareoftenaccessiblebyopeningapanelordooronthebackoftheracktogainaccesstothebackorrearofcomponentsstoredwithinaracksystem.

Componentsstoredwithinaracksystemtypicallyhaveanumberofcablesprotrudingfromtherearofthecomponents.Inadditiontopowercables,componentsoftenhavemultipleinputandoutputcablesconnectingonecomponenttoothercomponentsorsystemshousedwithintherackorelsewhere.Ascomponentsareinstalledwithinaracksystem,cablingintherearoftherackoftenbecomesunmanageable.Also,toallowcomponentstoslideforwardwhilemaintainingdesiredelectricalandsignalconnections,excesslengthsofcablearetypicallyprovidedbehindeachcomponent.Theexcesslengthsofcablecontributetocablemanagementproblemswithinelectronicsracksystems.Cablesmaybecometwistedandtangledormaysnagonothercablesoronothercomponents.Thesecablesoftenimpedeeffortstoinstalladditionalcomponentsandcablingorremovecomponentsandcabling.Toalleviatethisproblem,cablemanagementarmsareoftenemployed.

Acablemanagementarmistypicallyahingedassemblyattachedtothebackoftheassociatedcomponent.Thecablesareoftensecuredtothecablemanagementarm.Whenacomponentslidesintotheracksystem,thecablemanagementassemblyfoldsbehindtheassociatedcomponent.Whentheassociatedcomponentslidesforward,thecablemanagementassemblyunfoldsandextendsasnecessarytomaintainthedesiredelectricalandsignalconnections.

Whilecablemanagementarmscanalleviatesomeproblemswithinracksystems,theyoftencreateahostofnewproblems.Often,theseproblemsbeginatinstallation.Cablemanagementarmsarefrequentlyattachedtotheinteriorframeoftheassociatedrackbyanumberofindividualfasteners.Installingandremovingthesefastenerstotherearoftheracksystemcanbedifficult,frustrating,andtimeconsuming,evenforanexperiencedtechnician.Thisisespeciallythecasewhenanumberofothercomponentsandtheirassociatedcablinghinderaccesstotherearoftheracksystem.

Also,cablemanagementassembliesoftenincludethreehingedarms.Asthesearmsfoldbehindtheassociatedcomponent,theyoccupyasignificantamountofspacebetweentheassociatedcomponentandtherearoftheracksystem.Thismaycausetwoundesirableconsequences,firstthetri-foldedcablemanagementassemblymayrestricttheflowofairthroughtherearoftheracksystem,preventingvariouscomponentsstoredwithintheracksystemfromcoolingproperly.Second,thecompactedcablemanagementassemblyofteninterfereswithaccesstothecomponentsthroughthebackoftheracksystem.Specifically,whentherearpanelisopened,thetri-foldedmanagementassembliesareoftenpushedrearward,makingitdifficulttoproperlyclosetherearaccesspaneloftheracksystem.

SUMMARY

Thereforeaneedhasarisenforacablemanagementsystemthatprovidesforlesscomplexinstallation.

Afurtherneedhasarisenforacablemanagementsystemthatallowsgreaterairflowthroughtheracksystem.

Afurtherneedhasarisenforacablemanagementsystemthatfacilitatesaccesstotherearportionofarack.

Inaccordancewithteachingsofthepresentdisclosure,asystemandmethodaredescribedformanagingcableswithinaracksystem.Inoneaspect,acomputerracksystemformountingoneormorecomputersisdisclosedthatincludesarackthathasastandardinterfaceandacablemanagementassembly.Thecablemanagementassemblyactstosecurecablesconnectingvariouscomponentshousedwithintheracksystem.Thecablemanagementassemblyincludesarackconnector,afirstdualhingeassembly,afirstarm,asecondarm,andacomponentconnector.Therackconnectormaybeformedtoreleaseablyconnecttoastandardinterfaceoftheassociatedrack.Thefirstdualhingeassemblyispreferablyconnectedtotherackconnector.Thefirstarmconnectswiththedualhingeassemblyandthesecondarmrotatablyconnectstothefirstarm.Acomponentconnectorispreferablyrotatablyconnectedtothesecondarmandisformedtoconnecttoacomputercomponenthousedwithintheracksystem.Morespecifically,therackconnectormayincludeakeyedinterfaceforconnectingwithastandardinterfaceandathreadedholeforreleaseablysecuringtherackconnectortothestandardinterfacewithafastener.Morespecifically,thefirstarmandthesecondarmmayhaveportionsremovedtofacilitateairflowthroughtheracksystem.

Inanotheraspectofthepresentdisclosure,acablemanagementassemblyisprovidedwithafirsthingeassemblyhavingadualhingeconnectedtoarackconnectorandafirstarm.Asecondarmmayberotatablyconnectedtothefirstarmandacomponentconnectorrotatablyconnectstothesecondarm.Morespecifically,thehingeassemblyincludesadualhingeassemblyconnectingthefirstarmandsecondarm.

Inyetanotheraspect,amethodformanagingcablingwithinarackisdisclosed.Themethodmayincluderotatablysecuringafirstarmandsecondarmwitheachotherandpivotallysecuringtherackconnectortothefirstarm.Therackconnectormaybereleaseablyengagedtoastandardrackinterferewithintheassociatedracksystem.Themethodmayfurtherincludesecuringacomponentconnectortoacomponenthousedwithintherackandsecuringcomponentcableswithintabsdisposedalongthefirstarmandthesecondarm.

Thepresentdisclosureprovidesanumberofimportanttechnicaladvantages.Onesuchadvantageisprovidingarackconnectorwithakeyedinterface.Thekeyedinterfaceallowsacablemanagementassemblytobeeasilysecuredtoastandardinterfacewithinanassociatedracksystem.

Havingportionsremovedfromfirstarmandsecondarmisanotherimportanttechnicaladvantageofthepresentdisclosure.Theremovedportionsoffirstarmandsecondarmfacilitateairflowthroughtheracksystem.Providingacablemanagementassemblywithonlytwoarmswhileallowingsubstantiallythesameamountofmovementofanattachedcomponentaspreviousthreearmcablemanagementassemblies,isanotherimportantadvantage.Thetwoarmconfigurationsformedinaccordancewithteachingsofthepresentdisclosuregenerallyrequirelessspaceintherearoftheracksystemwhenthecablemanagementassemblyisinitsfoldedposition.

BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEDRAWINGS

Amorecompleteunderstandingofthepresentembodimentsandadvantagesthereofmaybeacquiredbyreferringtothefollowingdescriptiontakeninconjunctionwiththeaccompanyingdrawings,inwhichlikereferencenumbersindicatelikefeatures,andwherein:

FIG.1Aisaschematicdiagramshowinganisometricviewofoneembodimentofthepresentdisclosure;

FIG.1Bisaschematicdiagramwithportionsbrokenawayshowingonedualhingeandkeyedrackconnector;

FIG.1Cisaschematicdiagramwithportionsbrokenawayshowingadetentassembly;

FIG.2Aisanisometricviewofanotherembodimentofthepresentdisclosure;

FIG.2Bisaschematicdiagramwithportionsbrokenawayshowingadualhingeassemblyandkeyedrackconnector;

FIG.2Cisaschematicdiagramwithportionsbrokenawayshowingacomponentconnector;and

FIG.3isaschematicdiagramofacomputersystemhavingvariouscomponentsmountedinaracksystemusingcablemanagementassembliesinaccordancewithteachingsofthepresentdisclosure.

DETAILEDDESCRIPTION

PreferredembodimentsandtheiradvantagesarebestunderstoodbyreferencetoFIGS.1through3,whereinlikenumbersareusedtoindicatelikeandcorrespondingparts.

ReferringnowtoFIG.1A,aschematicdiagramisshownofoneembodimentofacablemanagementassemblyaccordingtothepresentdisclosure.Cablemanagementassembly10preferablyincludesfirstarm12,secondarm14,firsthingeassembly16,secondhingeassembly15,andcomponentconnector30.Inthepresentembodiment,firsthingeassembly16ispreferablyadualhingeassemblyincorporatingfirsthinge20andsecondhinge18.Rackconnector22ispreferablyrotatablyorpivotallyconnectedtosecond