Abstract:
An electronic equipment housing includes: a housing including a housing space that houses an electronic equipment and a workbench; and a first support provided in the housing, wherein the workbench includes: a base detachably attached to the first support; a placing plate, liftably coupled to the base, configured to place the electronic equipment on a placing surface; and a lifting mechanism configured to move the placing plate with respect to the base.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-168927, filed on Aug. 15, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    Embodiments discussed herein are related to an electronic equipment housing, a housing workbench, and a drawing method. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    An electronic equipment housing (also referred to below as an “electronic equipment rack” or simply a “rack”) houses electronic equipment such as a server computer. The rack has four columns and top and bottom plates. The left and right sides are covered with side plates, and the front and rear, which are openings, are covered with doors or the like. 
         [0004]    Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-76659 discusses related art. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    According to one aspect of the embodiments, an electronic equipment housing includes: a housing including a housing space that houses an electronic equipment and a workbench; and a first support provided in the housing, wherein the workbench includes: a base detachably attached to the first support; a placing plate, liftably coupled to the base, configured to place the electronic equipment on a placing surface; and a lifting mechanism configured to move the placing plate with respect to the base. 
         [0006]    The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. 
         [0007]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a rack; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a perspective view of an electronic equipment rack; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates an example of an exploded view of the rack; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a front view of the rack; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 5A to 5D  illustrate an example of a workbench; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates an example of a support; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 7A to 7D  illustrate an example of maintenance and inspection operation for an electronic equipment housed in a rack; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  illustrates an example of an exploded view of the rack; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example of a rack with a workbench. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    When maintenance and inspection are performed for electronic equipment housed in a rack, the electronic equipment is temporarily removed to the outside of the rack.  FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a rack. Slide rails  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  are used to house the electronic equipment at a predetermined location in the rack. For example, columns  200  are erected at the four corners of the rack, and the slide rails  100  include guide rails  110  laid horizontally between the front and rear columns on the left side and between the front and rear columns on the right side, and telescoping rails  120  slidable back and forth along the guide rails  110 . The telescoping rails  120  are fixed to fixed rails  310  fixed on the left and right sides of electronic equipment  300 . When these slide rails  100  are used, the electronic equipment  300  is drawn from the rack by sliding the telescoping rails  120  along the guide rails  110  for the maintenance and inspection of the electronic equipment  300 . 
         [0018]    For example, when the slide rails  100  are used, the fixed rails  310  are installed on the left and right sides of the electronic equipment  300  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the effective width of the electronic equipment  300  may not be ensured sufficiently. 
         [0019]    For example, a rail member having a supporting surface that supports the bottom of the electronic equipment may be laid horizontally between the columns without the use of the slide rails. When the bottom of the electronic equipment is supported using this type of rail member, the above fixed rails may not be installed on the sides of the electronic equipment. The effective width of the electronic equipment may therefore be ensured. When the electronic equipment is removed from the rack temporarily for maintenance and inspection or the like, the electronic equipment is removed from the rack using a lifter or the like, for example, and the electronic equipment is placed on a floor, workbench, or the like. Then, the maintenance and inspection work is performed. Accordingly, the transfer pathway of the electronic equipment may become long, and downtime in operation of the electronic equipment may be prolonged. When the electronic equipment is removed from the rack, preparations for the maintenance and inspection may be extensive, and an amount of work for the maintenance and inspection may be increased. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a perspective view of an electronic equipment rack. The electronic equipment rack illustrated in  FIG. 2  may be an electronic equipment housing, and may be referred to as simply a “rack”.  FIG. 3  illustrates an example of an exploded view of a rack. A rack  1  includes a rack body  10 , which is a housing used to house (mount) electronic equipment  2  such as a server computer. The rack body  10  has a housing space S that may house a plurality of pieces of the electronic equipment  2  in upper and lower locations. The rack body  10  includes a bottom plate  11  laid on a floor, a top plate  12  spaced above from the bottom plate  11  and opposite to the bottom plate  11 , and a pair of side plates  13  and  14  that couple the bottom plate  11  and the top plate  12 . In the rack body  10 , four columns  21  to  24  are erected along the vertical direction between the bottom plate  11  and the top plate  12 . The columns  21  to  24  are disposed at the four corners of the plane of the rack body  10 . The upper and lower ends of the columns  21  to  24  are fixed to the bottom plate  11  and the top plate  12 , respectively. 
         [0021]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in the rack body  10 , a front opening  15  and a rear opening  16  are formed such that the front opening  15  and the rear opening  16  are surrounded by the bottom plate  11 , the top plate  12 , and the pair of the side plates  13  and  14 . In the rack  1  (rack body  10 ), the side on which the front opening  15  is located may be defined as a “front” and the side on which the rear opening  16  is located may be defined as a “rear”. In the rack  1  (rack body  10 ), the side on which the top plate  12  is located may be defined as a “top” and the side on which the bottom plate  11  is located may be defined as a “bottom”. In the rack  1  (rack body  10 ), the side on which the side plate  13  is located may be defined as a “left” and the side on which the side plate  14  is located may be defined as a “right”. The side plate  13  may be referred to as a “left side plate” and the side plate  14  may be referred to as a “right side plate”. The front opening  15  and the rear opening  16  may be provided with doors by which the front opening  15  and the rear opening  16  are openable and closable. 
         [0022]    The columns  21  to  24  erected at the four corners of the rack body  10  may be referred to as a first column  21  to a fourth column  24 . The first column  21  is erected near a left lateral edge  15   a  of the front opening  15  and a second column  22  is erected near a right lateral edge  15   b  of the front opening  15 . 
         [0023]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , installation holes  25  are provided at a certain intervals along the vertical direction in each of the first column  21  to the fourth column  24 . The installation holes  25  are used to install rail members  26  to the first column  21  to the fourth column  24 . The rail members  26  are laid horizontally between the first column  21  and a third column  23 , and between the second column  22  and the fourth column  24 . Each rail member  26  has an approximately L-shaped cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and a supporting surface  26   a  that supports a bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2 . Flanges  26   b  are provided at both ends of each rail member  26  in the longitudinal direction, and installation holes  26   c  are formed on the flanges  26   b.    
         [0024]    In  FIG. 3 , three installation holes  26   c  are provided side by side in each flange  26   b  of the rail members  26 . Any number of installation holes  26   c  may be provided. The center-to-center distance between the installation holes  26   c  in the flanges  26   b  may be substantially the same as the center-to-center distance between the installation holes  25  in the first column  21  to the fourth column  24 . The rail members  26  may be coupled to the first column  21  to the fourth column  24  with fasteners such as screws or nuts, for example.  FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a front view of a rack. In the front view in  FIG. 4 , the electronic equipment  2  is placed on a pair of the rail members  26  laid horizontally in the columns  21  to  24 . Since many installation holes  25  are equally spaced along the longitudinal direction in the first column  21  to the fourth column  24 , the rail members  26  may be laid horizontally at any height in the rack body  10 . 
         [0025]    The rail members  26  are installed to the columns  21  to  24  so that the supporting surfaces  26   a  are in a horizontal position in the rack body  10 . The lateral edges of the bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2  is supported on the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26  laid horizontally in the housing space S of the rack body  10 , and the electronic equipment  2  is placed on the rail members  26 . Accordingly, the electronic equipment  2  is housed at a predetermined location in the housing space S of the rack body  10 . 
         [0026]    A housing workbench  3  provided in the rack  1  may be referred to below as a “workbench”, “work table”, or “maintenance table”. The workbench  3  is a bedplate used to take the electronic equipment  2  in and out of the housing space S of the rack  1  (rack body  10 ), and is detachably installed to the rack  1  (rack body  10 ).  FIGS. 5A to 5D  illustrate an example of a workbench.  FIG. 5A  is a top view of the workbench  3 ,  FIG. 5B  is a rear view of the workbench  3 , FIG.  5 C is a front view of the workbench  3 , and  FIG. 5D  is a side view of the workbench  3 . The workbench  3  is detachably installed to the rack  1  via supports  4 , for example, a receiver  41  and an L-shaped retainer  42  provided in the rack body  10 . The workbench  3  includes a base  31  detachably attached to the supports  4  provided in the rack body  10 , a placing plate  32  liftably coupled to the base  31 , and a lifting mechanism  33  that moves up and down the placing plate  32  with respect to the base  31 . 
         [0027]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 5A to 5D , the base  31  of the workbench  3  has a bottom surface  31   a  in a rectangular shape, a front plate  31   b  erected from the bottom surface  31   a , a rear plate  31   c , and a pair of side plates  31   d . A pedestal  331  of the lifting mechanism  33  is fixed to the inner side of the bottom surface  31   a  of the base  31 . The placing plate  32  of the workbench  3  includes placing surface  32   a  in a rectangular shape, a front plate  32   b  erected from the placing surface  32   a , a rear plate  32   c , and a pair of side plates  32   d . A pedestal  332  of the lifting mechanism  33  is fixed to the inner side of the placing surface  32   a  of the placing plate  32 . 
         [0028]    The lifting mechanism  33  may be a pantograph-type jack. The lifting mechanism  33  includes, for example, the pedestals  331 ,  332 , a pair of lower arms  333 ,  334 , a pair of upper arms  335 ,  336 , a screw member  337 , and a handle  338 . One end of each of the pair of the lower arms  333 ,  334  is swingably coupled to the pedestal  331 . One end of each of the pair of the upper arms  335 ,  336  is swingably coupled to the pedestal  332 . The other ends of the pair of the lower arms  333 ,  334  and the pair of the upper arms  335 ,  336  are swingably coupled to each other via coupling shafts. A pantograph-type jack of related art may be used. When the handle  338  is manipulated to rotate the screw member  337  in one direction, the upper arms  335 ,  336  and the lower arms  333 ,  334  rise. Therefore, the pedestal  332  installed on the placing plate  32  moves away from the pedestal  331  installed on the base  31  of the workbench  3 , and the placing plate  32  (placing surface  32   a ) goes up with respect to the base  31 . When the handle  338  is manipulated to rotate the screw member  337  in the opposite direction, the upper arms  335 ,  336  and the lower arms  333 ,  334  fall gradually to a horizontal position. Therefore, the placing plate  32  (placing surface  32   a ) goes down with respect to the base  31 . 
         [0029]    Notches are formed in the front plate  31   b  of the base  31  of the lifting mechanism  33  and the front plate  32   b  of the placing plate  32 , and the screw member  337  and the front plates  31   b ,  32   b  may not interfere with each other while the placing plate  32  is going down to the base  31 . The base  31  has a pair of insertion holes  31   e  formed along the front-back direction in the base  31 . The pair of the insertion holes  31   e  are located near the pair of the side plates  31   d  and have openings to the rear plate  31   c  of the base  31 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 6  illustrates an example of a support. The supports  4  support and fix the workbench  3  to the rack body  10 . The supports  4  include the receivers  41  set in the first column  21  and the second column  22  erected on the left and right of the front opening  15  of the rack body  10 , and the L-shaped retainers  42  detachably attached to the receivers  41 . The receivers  41  may be fixed parts, and the L-shaped retainers  42  may be installation members. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , each L-shaped retainer  42  is a member having an approximately L shape in a planar view, and has an attaching part  421  and a supporting part  422  that are orthogonal to each other. The L-shaped retainers  42  are formed of metal, for example. 
         [0031]    The receivers  41  are provided in the first column  21  and the second column  22 , and each receiver  42  is formed as a tubular member having an attaching hole  411  to which the attaching part  421  of the L-shaped retainer  42  is detachably attached. The shape of the attaching holes  411  of the receivers  41  corresponds to the shape of the attaching parts  421  of the L-shaped retainers  42 , and the attaching holes  411  may be, for example, quadrilateral in cross-sectional shape. Any shape of the attaching parts  421  of the L-shaped retainers  42  and any shape of the attaching holes  411  of the receivers  41  may be used. 
         [0032]    The attaching holes  411  of the receivers  41  extend along the height direction (vertical direction) in the rack body  10 , for example, the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) in the first column  21  and the second column  22  erected in the housing space S of the rack body  10 . The receivers  41  are provided at a plurality of places and equally spaced along the vertical direction in the first column  21  and the second column  22 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the receivers  41  are provided in a pair at places of substantially the same height in the first column  21  and the second column  22 . By inserting the attaching parts  421  of the L-shaped retainers  42  into the attaching holes  411  of the receivers  41 , the L-shaped retainers  42  are attached to the receivers  41 . The supporting parts  422  of the L-shaped retainers  42  are insertable into the insertion holes  31   e  formed in the base  31  of the workbench  3 . By inserting the supporting parts  422  of the L-shaped retainers  42  attached to the receivers  41  into the insertion holes  31   e  formed in the base  31  of the workbench  3 , the workbench  3  is attached to the rack body  10 . 
         [0033]    In the rack  1 , when maintenance and inspection work is performed for the electronic equipment  2  housed in the housing space S of the rack body  10 , the workbench  3  is attached to the front side of the rack body  10  (see  FIG. 2 ).  FIGS. 7A to 7D  illustrate an example of a maintenance and inspection operation for an electronic equipment housed in a rack. In  FIGS. 7A to 7D , the electronic equipment  2  housed in the housing space S of the rack body  10  is drawn to the workbench  3 , the maintenance and inspection operation is performed, and then the electronic equipment  2  is housed in the housing space S again. 
         [0034]    For the maintenance and inspection operation, the L-shaped retainers  42  are attached to a pair of the receivers  41  for the electronic equipment  2  to be drawn from the housing space S. The pair of the receivers  41  may be a pair of receivers provided at substantially the same height in the first column  21  and the second column  22  erected on the lateral edges  15   a ,  15   b  on both sides of the front opening  15 . By inserting the attaching parts  421  of the L-shaped retainers  42  into the attaching holes  411  of the receivers  41 , the L-shaped retainers  42  are attached to the receivers  41 . The supporting parts  422  of the pair of the L-shaped retainers  42  are inserted into the left and right insertion holes  31   e  of the base  31  of the workbench  3 . As a result, the workbench  3  is attached to the rack body  10  via the pair of the supports  4  including the receivers  41  and the L-shaped retainers  42  as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . 
         [0035]    The electronic equipment  2  is slid over and along the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26 . The direction in which the electronic equipment  2  housed in the housing space S is drawn from the front opening  15  for the maintenance and inspection operation is referred to as a “drawing direction DP”. The rail members  26  are laid horizontally along the drawing direction DP. As illustrated in  FIG. 7A , an operator slides the electronic equipment  2  over the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26  along the drawing direction DP to draw the electronic equipment  2  from within the housing space S to the placing surface  32   a  of the placing plate  32  of the workbench  3 . In the rack  1 , the workbench  3  is attached to or detached from the rack  1  via the supports  4 , and therefore the electronic equipment  2  may not be removed from the rack  1  when the maintenance and inspection operation is performed. Since the electronic equipment  2  to be inspected is easily drawn simply by installing the workbench  3  at the height corresponding to the electronic equipment  2 , convenience for the operator may be improved. Since the electronic equipment  2  is not removed using a lifter or the like, the transfer pathway of the electronic equipment  2  may be shortened during the maintenance and inspection operation. Downtime in operation (running) of the electronic equipment  2  may be reduced. Since the electronic equipment  2  is drawn from the housing space S of the rack body  10  and then the maintenance and inspection operation is performed for the electronic equipment  2 , an amount of work desired for the maintenance and inspection may be reduced. 
         [0036]    When the electronic equipment  2  is placed on the placing surface  32   a , the supporting parts  422  of the L-shaped retainers  42  may bend under due to the weight of the electronic equipment  2 , causing the front edge side of the placing surface  32   a  to lower (see  FIG. 7B ). If the placing surface  32   a  of the placing plate  32  lowers (sinks) due to the weight of the electronic equipment  2 , the height of the bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2  may be lower than the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26 . Thus, it may become difficult to put the electronic equipment  2  back on the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26 , increasing an amount of work for housing the electronic equipment  2  in the housing space S. 
         [0037]    The workbench  3  attached to the rack body  10  includes the placing plate  32  liftably coupled to the base  31 , and the lifting mechanism  33  that moves up and down the placing plate  32  with respect to the base  31 . If the front edge side of the placing surface  32   a  of the workbench  3  lowers due to the weight of the electronic equipment  2  drawn to the placing surface  32   a , the handle  338  of the lifting mechanism  33  is manipulated to raise the placing plate  32  relatively from the base  31  (see  FIG. 7C ). The operator may easily raise the position of the bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2  to the height corresponding to the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26  in this manner. Accordingly, the electronic equipment  2  may be easily brought into and housed in the housing space S by sliding the bottom surface  2  of the electronic equipment  2  over the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26  (see  FIG. 7D ). 
         [0038]    In the rack  1 , even if the slide rails are not used, the electronic equipment  2  is easily drawn to the workbench  3  without removing the electronic equipment  2  from the rack body  10 , and then the maintenance and inspection operation is performed. When the maintenance and inspection operation for the electronic equipment  2  is completed and the electronic equipment  2  is to be housed in the housing space S, even if the height of the placing surface  32   a  of the workbench  3  lowers, the electronic equipment  2  may be easily housed in the housing space S with the lifting mechanism  33 . Therefore, the operator may perform the maintenance and inspection operation for the electronic equipment  2  easily. 
         [0039]    In the rack  1 , since the rail members  26  having the supporting surfaces  26   a  that support the bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2  are fixed to the rack body  10 , the fixed rails for fixing the expandable rails of the slide rails may not be installed on the sides of the electronic equipment  2 . Therefore, the horizontal width dimension of the electronic equipment  2  may be substantially the same as the horizontal width dimension of the front opening  15  formed between the first column  21  and the second column  22 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Accordingly, the horizontal width dimension of the electronic equipment  2  may be ensured largely up to the inside dimension between the first column  21  and the second column  22 . 
         [0040]    In the rack  1 , the columns  21  to  24 , in which to lay the rail members  26  horizontally, are erected at the four corners of the housing space S of the rack body  10 ; the rail members  26  are laid horizontally along the drawing direction DP in which the electronic equipment  2  is drawn from the housing space S. Therefore, when the electronic equipment  2  is drawn from the housing space S for the maintenance and inspection operation or the like, the bottom surface  2   a  of the electronic equipment  2  may slid in the drawing direction DP in which the electronic equipment  2  is drawn, along the longitudinal direction of the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26 . Accordingly, the electronic equipment  2  may be easily drawn from the housing space S of the rack body  10  to the outside. 
         [0041]    In the rack  1 , the receivers  41  of the supports  4  are provided at a plurality of places along the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) in the first column  21  and the second column  22  erected in the housing space S of the rack body  10 . Therefore, the L-shaped retainers  42  are attached by selectively using the receivers  41  placed near the housing height of the electronic equipment  2  to be drawn from the housing space S of the rack body  10 , and the workbench  3  is attached via the L-shaped retainers  42 . Accordingly, when the electronic equipment  2  is drawn to the workbench  3 , if the placing surface  32   a  lowers due to the weight of the electronic equipment  2 , the handle  338  may be less manipulated to match the height of the placing surface  32   a  of the placing plate  32  with the supporting surfaces  26   a  of the rail members  26 . For example, the height of the placing surface  32   a  may be matched with the height of the supporting surfaces  26   a  accurately and easily by fine-tuning the height of the placing plate  32  relative to the base  31  with the lifting mechanism  33 . The rack  1  that increases convenience and further lightens workload for the operator may be provided. 
         [0042]    The supports  4  include the receivers  41  set in the first column  21  and the second column  22  erected on the left and right of the front opening  15  of the rack body  10 , and the L-shaped retainers  42  detachably attached to the receivers  41 . The base  31  of the workbench  3  is supported by the L-shaped retainers  42  attached to the receivers  41 . Therefore, when the operator performs the maintenance and inspection operation for the electronic equipment  2 , the workbench  3  is attached via the L-shaped retainers  42  by selectively using a pair of the receivers  41  provided at the height corresponding to the electronic equipment  2  to be inspected. A pair of the L-shaped retainers  42  suffice regardless of the number of the set receivers  42 , and a cost may be reduced. 
         [0043]      FIG. 8  illustrates an example of an exploded view of a rack. A plurality of the receivers  41  are provided along the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) in the third and fourth columns, in addition to the first column  21  and the second column  22 . The height of each receiver  41  in the first column  21  to the fourth column  24  is substantially the same in each of the columns  21  to  24 . The receivers  41  may be provided in the third column  23  illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The structure of the rack  1  and other components illustrated in  FIG. 8  may be substantially the same as or similar to the structures illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 6 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example of a rack with a workbench. In  FIG. 9 , the workbenches  3  are attached to both front and rear sides of the rack  1  illustrated in  FIG. 8 . In the rack  1 , the receivers  41  are provided in the third column  23  and the fourth column  24  erected on the lateral edges on both sides of the rear opening  16 , and therefore the workbench  3  may also be attached to the rear side of the rack  1  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The method of attaching the workbench  3  to the rear side of the rack  1  may be substantially the same as or similar to the method of attaching the workbench  3  to the front side of the rack  1 . Since the electronic equipment  2  in the housing space S is drawn from any of the front opening  15  and the rear opening  16  of the rack  1  to the outside, the rack that increases convenience for the operator may be provided. 
         [0045]    As the supports  4  used to attach the workbench  3  to the rack body  10 , the receivers  41  installed in the rack body  10  and the L-shaped retainers  42  detachably attached to the receivers  41  may be adopted in combination. The supports  4  may be fixed to the rack body  10  in an integrated manner. As the lifting mechanism  33 , a pantograph-type jack may be adopted, or another mechanism that moves up and down the placing plate  32  with respect to the base  31  of the workbench  3  may be adopted. The lifting mechanism  33  may be operated by manipulating the handle  338 , or the lifting mechanism  33  may be operated by a motor or the like. 
         [0046]    All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.