Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sean Conor Wrycraft

Jay Kevin Osborn

Gerald Ronald Gough

Andrew John Yair

Paul Jeffrey Garnett

John David Schnabel

James Robert Kitchen

Helenaur Wilson

Stephen David Sparkes

Stephen Paul Haworth

Brian Benstead

William George Gates

Richard John Harris

Andrew Donovan

There is provided a drive carrier. The drive carrier is configured to receive a media drive and is also configured to be removably receivable in a receiving location of a computer system. The drive carrier includes a base portion, a handle portion and a latch mechanism for securing the carrier within the receiving location. The base portion and the handle portion are configured to co-operate to operate the latch mechanism on insertion and/or removal of the carrier from the receiving location, for inserting and/or removing the carrier from the receiving location and operating the latch mechanism with a single movement of the handle portion.

Drive carrier

An electronics module comprises a housing; and a plurality of electronic and electrical components for example fans. The module includes electromagnetic shielding for example perforated panels side walls etc. that is associated with the housing and/or the electronic components, and which provides a Faraday cage for the electronic components. The shielding is constructed so that one or more of the components can be removed from the module while the module is in operation substantially without affecting the integrity of the Faraday cage. The module enables certain components thereof to be replaced without adding to the downtime of the system or increasing electromagnetic interference.

Electronics module

A rack-mounted assembly () comprises one or more racks, each capable of containing one or more printed circuit boards (PCB) (), interconnected by a backplane () which is located along the bottom of a shelf (). This position of the backplane () allows the rear wall of the rack-mounted assembly to be perforated, thereby permitting a cooling airflow for the PCBs to pass in through the front of the assembly and then out through the back. An insertion mechanism is provided to allow a PCB to be inserted into a rack. To achieve this, the PCB must first travel backwards into the rack-mounted assembly, and then downwards into engagement with the backplane (). In one embodiment, this is accomplished by supporting the PCB from a hanger () which moves in and out of the rack-mounted assembly along a guide rail (). The hanger includes slots () that retain pins () from the PCB. The slots are orientated diagonally upwards and backwards. A compression spring () is also provided to urge the pins (and hence PCB) forwards. Upon insertion, the hanger moves along guide rail () until the PCB abuts a stop (). At this point further insertion of the hanger forces the pins () to move along slots () in opposition to spring (), thereby driving the PCB down into engagement with the backplane ().

Rack-mountable systems

An electromagnetic (EM) shielding assembly shields an electronic component mounted on a circuit board. The assembly includes a shielding portion that is electrically conductive and can be mounted adjacent an electronic component that it is desired shield. The shielding portion at least partially surrounds the component, thereby providing a degree of EM shielding. The assembly also includes at least one resiliently biased electrically conductive connection member in electrical communication with the shielding portion. The connection member is operable electrically to connect the shielding portion to a predetermined voltage by bearing down upon an electrically conductive contact of the circuit board.

Integral heatsink grounding arrangement

In some embodiments, an electronics assembly may include a frame with a motherboard and a plurality of daughterboards. The frame may have an opening opposite the motherboard to allow insertion of the daughterboards into the frame or removal of the daughterboards from the frame. An injector/ejector mechanism for each daughterboard may be located on the daughterboard or the frame. The frame may further include a flange that extends along the frame at or adjacent to the opening and on which the injector/ejector mechanism of each daughterboard is attached or engages at different locations along the length thereof. The flange may be divided into separate sections that correspond to the different locations to allow the flange to flex at any location along the frame during insertion of a daughterboard without the flexing affecting the position of any adjacent location of the flange with respect to the motherboard.

Electronics assembly

A heatsink for a memory module includes a substantially planar contact portion for forming a thermal contact with the memory module and for mounting the heatsink on the memory module. One or more formations for emitting heat are also provided, the formations for emitting heat being in thermal communication with the contact portions.

Memory module cooling

An electronics assembly, for example a computer that may be employed as a network server, has an enclosure, and a plurality of heat-generating components such as microprocessors located inside the enclosure. One or more fans may be provided for maintaining a through flow of air for cooling the components of the assembly. The heat-generating components are located within the enclosure in line with the direction of the flow of air, and the heat-sinks have a configuration such that the air flows over them in parallel. The heat-sinks may each have a flat base for mounting on the component, and a cantilevered portion having one end located on the base, and another end that extends beyond the base and over the base of the other heat-sink, but not in contact with it.

Electronics assembly with arrangement for air cooling

There is described a motion control device for preventing free-fall of electronics modules during vertical movement into or out of a supporting structure. The system comprises a rotatable element on the module or structure engageable with surface on the structure or module, respectively, for rolling movement therealong. The rotatable element is provided with a clutch or brake to provide resistance to rotation at least when the module is moving downward relative to the structure. The rotatable element may be a gear engageable with a toothed rack, or a friction roller engageable with a friction surface.

Motion control device

An electrically powered cooling unit (), such as a fan unit, is mountable on a support structure () within a housing (), for example a computer housing. The support structure () can mount one or more electrically powered cooling units (). Each cooling unit () includes an electrical connector () fixed relative to the cooling unit and cooperable with a connector of the support structure, so that offering the cooling unit up to its mounting position completes the electrical connections between the cooling unit and the support structure. In alternative embodiments, a single structure is used both to physically support and electrically connect the cooling unit () to the support structure ().

Cooling units

A rack for an electronics assembly comprises: The cable management system ensures that the assembly can be pulled out of the rack by the required distance irrespective of the depth of the rack.

Cable management system

A rack for an electronics assembly may have a supporting frame and a slider mechanism with a first part that is supported by the frame and a second part that supports the electronics assembly. The slider mechanism may be configured to allow the assembly to be moved out of the rack. The rack may further include a cable management system for supporting cables located at the rear of the assembly. The cable management system may have an articulated arm with a first end coupled to the assembly and a second end coupled to the first part of the slider mechanism so that bending of the arm accommodates movement of the electronics assembly. The cable management system may allow the assembly to be pulled out of the rack by the required distance irrespective of the depth of the rack.

A modular electronic circuit is described wherein circuit boards extending across the width of circuit module are removable through an access opening substantially coextensive with the front face of the module. A hinge component for mounting an access door and a grip for extracting a module from a mounting rack is also described.

Rack-mounted module access

An ejector mechanism ( ) for a circuit board ( ) and back plane ( ), the ejector mechanism being operable to provide resiliently biased engagement between a first part ( ) of an electrical connector ( ) and a mutually engaging second part ( ) of the electrical connector ( ), the first and second parts of the electrical connector providing electrical connection for a plurality of electrical channels between the circuit board on which the first part is mounted and the back plane on which the second part is mounted. The ejector mechanism comprises an engaging projection ( ) and a lever arm ( ) pivotally mounted on one of the circuit board and the back plane and configured to engage the engaging projection ( ) forming part of the other of the circuit board and the back plane.

Circuit board ejector mechanism including flexible coupling

A system unit includes a media drive bay. The media drive bay includes a metal drive bay housing configured to receive a media drive. A connector is provided to interface with a connector on a received media drive. A resilient tongue integral with the media drive bay housing is operable to urge onto a received media drive to hold the media drive in place and to ground a casing of the media drive. A detent is provided for latching a latching member attached to the media drive casing. The media drive can be a commercially available media drive for non-removable use, the media drive being modified by the provision of the latching member to provide for removability.

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Sean Conor Wrycraft