Nortel Networks Corporation

Ciena Corporation

Thomas Charles Currie

Anthony Mayenburg

John Clayton Atkinson

Marko Nicolici

Simon John Edward Shearman

Amrish Patel

Ken McFarlane

A high density switching platform arranges multiple circuit cards interconnected by a single backplane. A single backplane has three sets of circuit cards on one side. A shared ventilation chamber on the other side of the backplane draws ambient air through each of the three sets of circuit cards independently. The air flow also allows cooling of power modules that supply power to the circuit cards. The platform allows interconnection of its circuit cards with circuit cards in adjacent platforms.

High density switching platform with interbay connections arrangement

A method and apparatus is disclosed for acoustic noise reduction using fan speed control. The acoustic noise reduction using fan speed control includes a plurality of temperature detectors disposed at a plurality of locations within an electronics equipment enclosure, each detector having an associated setpoint temperature. An error value is determined for each temperature detector, the error consisting of the difference between the detected temperature and the associated setpoint temperature. The maximum error among all error values is then identified and the operating speed of a cooling fan in is set in response to this maximum error. Advantages include providing a fan speed directly related to electronics temperature which inherently accounts for higher ambient temperatures, enclosure altitude, electronics power consumption, and air filter clogging. The acoustic noise reduction using fan speed control is particularly useful for overcoming the need to overcompensate fan speed, thereby resulting in higher than necessary noise levels in order to accommodate worse-case conditions known in the art.

Acoustic noise reduction using fan speed control

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Thomas Charles Currie