Abstract:
An electronic apparatus includes: a housing to include a back surface having an uneven difference which is formed by a part of the back surface going backward; a card storage unit to include an first opening on the back surface of the housing and store a card substrate; and a relay substrate, provided inside the card storage unit, to include a connecter to be coupled to a connecter of the card substrate; and a second opening provided on a side surface of the uneven difference of the housing so that a bracket of the card substrate is exposed on an outside of the electronic apparatus while storing the card substrate in the card storage unit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-177656 filed on Aug. 15, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    The embodiments discussed herein are related to an electronic apparatus. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A server to be coupled via the Internet or LAN is coupled to many information processing devices such as a network apparatus or a file device. To provide a plurality of servers in one position, a rack mount method for mounting a plurality of servers by being stacked on a unit chassis called a rack may be employed. According to the rack mount method, a plurality of information processing devices including a server is effectively provided in an office or the like, so that increase of apparatuses or security management may be easily performed. 
         [0004]    An I/O card (hereinafter referred to as PCI card (including PCI express card)) that is compliant with Peripheral Component Interconnection (PCI) standard may be used as an I/O interface in the server. PCI standard includes, for example, PCI-X standard, PCI Express standard, or the like. 
         [0005]    The related technique is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-3137 or Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-173216. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    According to one aspect of the embodiments, an electronic apparatus includes a housing to include a back surface having an uneven difference which is formed by a part of the back surface going backward; a card storage unit to include an first opening on the back surface of the housing and store a card substrate; a relay substrate, provided inside the card storage unit, to include a connecter to be coupled to a connecter of the card substrate; and a second opening provided on a side surface of the uneven difference of the housing so that a bracket of the card substrate is exposed on an outside of the electronic apparatus while storing the card substrate in the card storage unit. 
         [0007]    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. 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 THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary electronic apparatus; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary housing; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary server; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary server; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary server. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    A structure for attaching a PCI card to a server depends on manufactures. The PCI card is attached to a main substrate of an electronic apparatus so as to be inserted into and removed from a main substrate. Since the PCI card is coupled to an external apparatus, a connecter used to couple a bracket of the PCI card to the external apparatus is provided. While the PCI card is embedded in the electronic apparatus, an external coupling cable is coupled to the connecter of the bracket that is exposed on the outside thereof. 
         [0020]    The PCI card may be attached to an internal main substrate from the upper surface of the electronic apparatus (the connecter of the PCI card may be coupled to the connecter of the main substrate.). An operation space in which the PCI card is attached is provided on the upper part of a housing of the electronic apparatus. According to the rack mount method for stacking electronic apparatuses, no operation space may be provided on the upper part of the electronic apparatus. 
         [0021]    When the PCI card embedded in a cassette is embedded in the housing of the electronic apparatus together with the cassette, the number of the PCI cards to be attached to the electronic apparatus may be decreased to provide the space for the cassette. Because of the cost of the cassette, the cost of the electronic apparatus may increase. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  may be a server on which a PCI card is mounted.  FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective diagram of the server. A main substrate  14  on which an electronic circuit with a server function is formed is embedded in a housing  12  of a server  10 . Inside the housing  12 , other function parts such as a cooling fan and the like as well as the main substrate  14  are provided. However, the function parts may not be illustrated in the diagram for convenience sake. 
         [0023]    A corner part of the back surface of the housing  12  is notched so that an uneven difference is provided on the back surface of the housing  21 .  FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary housing.  FIG. 2  may be a plane diagram of the uneven difference of the housing  12  viewed from above. 
         [0024]    The main substrate  14  is horizontally provided at a bottom of the housing  12 . When the main substrate  14  is horizontally provided, a connecter  32  of a PCI card  30  is coupled to a connecter  16   a  of a relay substrate  16 . The relay substrate  16  perpendicularly rises from the main substrate  14 . The PCI card  30  is inserted in the housing  12  from the back surface of the server  10 , and the connecter  32  of the PCI card  30  is coupled to the connecter  16   a.    
         [0025]    A plurality of PCI cards  30  is stacked.  FIG. 1  illustrates the PCI card  30  that is on the top. 
         [0026]    When the PCI card  30  is stored in the housing  12  and the connecter  32  is coupled to the connecter  16   a  of the relay subtract  16 , a bracket  34  of the PCI card  30  is exposed from the side surface of the uneven difference of the housing  12 . Therefore, an external coupling cable  40  may be coupled to a connecter (not illustrated) provided in the bracket  34 . In  FIG. 2 , one external coupling cable  26  is illustrated as a solid line for convenience sake. The external coupling cable  26  may be thick and more than one. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrate an exemplary server.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the inside of the server  10  in which a plurality of PCI cards  30  is embedded. Each of four PCI cards  30  is horizontally inserted in a slot provided on the back surface of the housing  12 , and the four PCI cards  30  are vertically stacked in the vertical direction to be stored in the housing  12 .  FIG. 4  may be a cross-section diagram along an IV-IV line illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Inside the housing  12 , four PCI slots that are divided by an inter-PCI slot division plate  12   a  in the vertical direction are formed. One PCI card  30  is inserted in one PCI slot. 
         [0028]    The PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI slot in such a way that the bracket  34  matches an opening  12   b  that is formed on a side surface  12 A in the uneven difference of the housing  12 . When the PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI slot, the position of the connecter  32  of the PCI card  30  is opposite to the connecter  16   a  of the relay substrate  16 . Accordingly, when the PCI card is completely inserted in the PCI slot, the connecter  32  of the PCI card  30  is automatically coupled to the connecter  16   a  of the relay substrate  16 . When the horizontal PCI card  30  is inserted in a desired PCI slot, the mounting of the PCI card  30  is completed. 
         [0029]    Various connecters  18 - 1  to  18 - 10  are attached to an end part of the main substrate  14 . A space may be provided between the PCI card  30  on the lowest stage and the main substrate  14 . Therefore, the connecters  18 - 1  to  18 - 4  may be provided also in a part along the back surface of the device as an edge part of the main substrate  14  in the part where the PCI card  30  is provided. The connecters  18 - 5  and  18 - 6  may be provided also in a part along the side surface  12 A of the uneven difference of the housing  12 . The connecters  18 - 7  to  18 - 10  may be provided also in the part along a back surface  12 B of the uneven difference of the housing  12 . The connecter is provided in all the parts as the edge part of the main substrate  14  along the dashed line illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Even if the PCI card  30  is mounted from the back surface of the device, the connecter may be provided along the edge of the main substrate  14 . Therefore, regarding the mounting of the PCI card  30 , the number of the connecters to be provided on the main substrate  14  may not be limited. 
         [0030]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary server.  FIG. 5  may be a perspective view of the back surface of the server  10  before the PCI card is inserted in the PCI slot. After the PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI slot that is divided by the inter-PCI slot division plate  12   a , the back edge part of the bracket  34  is fixed to the housing  12  with screws  34   a . After the PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI slot, a PCI slot cover  20  is attached to the back surface of the housing  12  to cover the PCI slot. The PCI slot cover  20  is fixed to the housing  12  with screws  20   a . Exhaust holes  22  are provided on the entire surface of the PCI slot cover  20 , so that the air inside the housing  12  may be exhaled to the outside of the housing  12  through the exhaust holes  22 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary server.  FIG. 6  may be a perspective diagram illustrating the back surface of the server  10  to which the PCI slot cover  20  is attached. On the side surface  12 A of the uneven difference of the housing  12 , the exhaust holes  22  are provided in a part other than the opening  12   b  so that the air (warm air) inside the housing  12  is exhaled to the outside of the housing  12  through the exhaust holes  22 . The exhaust holes  22  are provided also on the entire surface of the back surface  12 B of the uneven difference of the housing  12 , so that the air (warm air) inside the housing  12  may be exhaled to the outside of the housing  12  through the exhaust holes  22 . Even if the PCI card  30  is attached from the back surface, the exhaust holes  22  are provided in a large part of the back surface of the housing  12 . Therefore, the warm air is effectively exhaled from inside of the housing  12  so that cooling efficiency may be maintained. 
         [0032]    The connecters  18 - 1  to  18 - 10  illustrated in  FIG. 3  are exposed from a back surface  12 C of the housing  12 , the side surface  12 A of the uneven difference of the housing  12 , and the back surface  12 B of the uneven difference of the housing  12 , respectively. Thus, the connecter of the coupling cable may be coupled from outside of the housing  12 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary server.  FIG. 7  may be a perspective diagram illustrating a state where an external coupling cable is attached to the PCI card  30 . Inside the opening  12   b  of the side surface  12 A of the uneven difference of the housing  12 , the bracket  34  of the mounted PCI card  30  may be exposed. A connecter used to couple the external coupling cable is provided in the bracket  34  of the PCI card  30  even though the connecter is not illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 6 . In  FIG. 7 , the connecter of the external coupling cable  26  may be coupled to each of the two connecters provided in the bracket  34  of one PCI card  30 . 
         [0034]    After the PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI slot, the connecter of the external coupling cable  26  may be coupled to the connecter of the bracket  34  from the side surface  12 A of the uneven difference. Therefore, the space of the uneven difference may be an operation space for coupling the external coupling cable  26  or a space in which the external coupling cable  26  coupled to the PCI card  30  is extended. 
         [0035]    The server  10  on which the PCI card  30  is mounted may be loaded on the rack.  FIGS. 8 ,  9 ,  10 , and  11  illustrate an exemplary server.  FIG. 8  may be a perspective diagram of the rack  50  on which the server  10  is mounted viewed from the front side thereof.  FIG. 9  may be a perspective diagram of the rack  50  viewed from the back side thereof.  FIG. 10  may be a front view of the rack  50 . The rack  50  may store stacked thirteen servers  10 . If the servers  10  are stored in the rack  50 , the upper surface and the lower surface of the server  10  get close to or contact another server  10 . Accordingly, the exhaust hole may not be provided on the upper surface or the lower surface of the server  10 . Since the structure of the rack does not consider the exhaust from the side surface of the server  10 , the exhaust hole is not provided on the side surface of the server  10 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 11  may be a cross-section diagram along an XI-XI line illustrated in  FIG. 10 . The rack  50  includes a pair of front columns  54  and a pair of posterior columns  56 , and the front columns  54  and the posterior columns  56  support side walls  52  located on the right side and the left side. When the server  10  is stored in the rack  50 , the side surfaces of the server  10  get close to the front columns  54  and the posterior columns  56 . Therefore, the exhaust may not be performed from the back surface of the rack  50 . Many exhaust holes  22  are provided on the back side of the server  10 , and the server  10  may be efficiently cooled. 
         [0037]    The PCI card  30  to be exchanged is removed from the PCI slot of the server  10  to exchange the PCI card  30  mounted on the server  30 . After the operation of the removed PCI card  30  is stopped, the external coupling cable  26  is removed from the PCI card  30 . The above-described operation may be easily performed in the operation space provided in the uneven difference on the back side of the server  10 . 
         [0038]    The PCI slot cover  20  is removed from the back surface of the server  10 , and the PCI card  30  to be exchanged is removed from the PCI card slot. The direction in which the connecter  32  of the PCI card  30  is removed from the connecter  16   a  of the relay substrate  16  may be similar to the direction in which the PCI card  30  is removed from the PCI card slot. Therefore, when the PCI card  30  is removed, the PCI card  30  may be removed from the relay substrate  16 . 
         [0039]    After the operation of the PCI card  30  to be exchanged is stopped, the PCI card  30  may be easily removed from the server  10 . Therefore, the server that is subjected to maintenance and inspection is removed from the rack, and the operation for opening the housing of the server  10  and removing the internal PCI card is not performed. The PCI card  30  is individually removed from the relay substrate  16 . Therefore, during the operation of another PCI card  30  that is coupled to the relay substrate  16  coupled to the PCI card  30  to be exchanged, a desired PCI card  30  may be removed from the server  10 . 
         [0040]    Since the PCI card  30  is mounted without using the cassette that stores the PCI card  30 , the operation for removing the PCI card from the cassette after removing the coupling of the cassette and the PCI card may not be performed. 
         [0041]    The PCI card  30  is removed, and another PCI card  30  is attached to the server  10 . For example, another PCI card  30  is inserted in the PCI card slot. Since the PCI card is inserted in the PCI card slot, the connecter  32  of the PCI card  30  is coupled to the connecter of the relay substrate  16 . The attachment of the PCI card is completed. 
         [0042]    When another PCI card  30  is completely inserted in the PCI card slot, the PCI slot cover  20  is attached to the back surface of the server  10 . The removed external coupling cable  26  is newly coupled to the connecter of the bracket  34  of the PCI card  30 . The operation for exchanging the PCI card  30  is completed, and the operation of the exchanged PCI card  30  is confirmed. 
         [0043]    Simply the desired PCI card  30  may be exchanged while the operation of another PCI card  30  is maintained. The housing of the server  10  may not be opened and the relay substrate may not be removed. Complicated operation for removing or coupling the external coupling cable from or to a plurality of PCI cards may not be performed. Since the number of the operation processes is small, operation mistakes of the maintenance and inspection operation may be reduced. While the server  10  is stored in the rack  50 , the maintenance and inspection operation is performed simply by the operation from the back surface. When the heavy server  10  is not removed from the rack  50 , a single worker may perform the maintenance and inspection operation. Since the cassette is not used, the operation for removing the PCI card from the cassette, storing another PCI card in the cassette, or attaching the cassette to the server may not be performed. 
         [0044]    All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of 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 embodiment(s) of the present invention(s) has (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.