Abstract:
An air directing apparatus includes a first air directing member defining a component access passageway. A second air directing member is moveably coupled to the first air directing member, whereby the second air directing member is moveable relative to the first air directing member into a first position and a second position, wherein with the second air directing member in the first position the component access passageway is substantially obstructed and with the second air directing member in the second position the component access passageway is substantially unobstructed.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to directing air in an information handling system chassis. 
         [0002]    As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. 
         [0003]    IHSs typically include an IHS chassis having a plurality of fans that are used to cool different components of the IHS. As the component of the IHS become more powerful, along with the IHS chassis becoming smaller, the cooling of the components of the IHS raises a number of issues. 
         [0004]    One way to deal with the problem of cooling the components of the IHS is to position baffles in the IHS chassis in order to direct the air flow from the fans towards components of the IHS that need the most cooling. Such baffles allow for a more efficient use of the fans in order to provide greater cooling of the components of the IHS using the same, and sometimes fewer, number of fans. 
         [0005]    However, positioning the baffles in the IHS chassis creates obstructions in the IHS chassis that can obstruct access to certain areas of the IHS chassis. For example, during the assembly of the IHS, the IHS chassis may move along an assembly line in a particular orientation and the baffle may prevent the assembler from accessing connectors or components in the IHS chassis, which can increase factory assembly times and costs. Furthermore, the baffle may obstruct access to areas of the IHS chassis when the IHS is being serviced. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for directing air in an IHS chassis absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    According to one embodiment, an air directing apparatus includes a first air directing member defining a component access passageway, and a second air directing member moveably coupled to the first air directing member, whereby the second air directing member is moveable relative to the first air directing member into a first position and a second position, wherein with the second air directing member in the first position the component access passageway is substantially obstructed and with the second air directing member in the second position the component access passageway is substantially unobstructed. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an IHS. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2   a  is a front perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a first air directing member. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2   b  is a rear perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the first air directing member of  FIG. 2   a.    
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a second air directing member used with the first air directing member of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a chassis used with the first air directing member of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  and the second air directing member of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5   a  is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for directing air in a chassis. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5   b  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an air directing apparatus including the first air directing member of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  and the second air directing member of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5   c  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the air directing apparatus of  FIG. 5   b  being coupled to the chassis of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5   d  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the air directing apparatus of  FIG. 5   b  coupled to the chassis of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5   e  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a plurality of cables coupled to the air directing apparatus of  FIG. 5   b.    
           [0018]      FIG. 5   f  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the air directing apparatus of  FIG. 5   b  coupled to the chassis of  FIG. 4  with the second air directing member positioned in the component access passageway such that air may be directed by the apparatus. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5   g  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the air directing apparatus of  FIG. 5   b  coupled to the chassis of  FIG. 4  with the second air directing member positioned out of the component access passageway such components may be accessed in the chassis. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6   a  is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of an air directing apparatus with a second air directing member positioned in the component access passageway. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6   b  is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of an air directing apparatus with a second air directing member positioned out of the component access passageway. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network server or storage device, a switch router or other network communication device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components. 
         [0023]    In one embodiment, IHS  100 ,  FIG. 1 , includes a processor  102 , which is connected to a bus  104 . Bus  104  serves as a connection between processor  102  and other components of computer system  100 . An input device  106  is coupled to processor  102  to provide input to processor  102 . Examples of input devices include keyboards, touchscreens, and pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs and trackpads. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device  108 , which is coupled to processor  102 . Mass storage devices include such devices as hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy drives and the like. IHS  100  further includes a display  110 , which is coupled to processor  102  by a video controller  112 . A system memory  114  is coupled to processor  102  to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor  102 . In an embodiment, a chassis  116  houses some or all of the components of IHS  100 . It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor  102  to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor  102 . 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , a first air directing member  200  is illustrated. The first air directing member  200  includes a base  202  having a front surface  202   a , a rear surface  202   b  located opposite the front surface  202   a , a top edge  202   c  extending between the front surface  202   a  and the rear surface  202   b , a bottom edge  202   d  located opposite the top edge  202   c  and extending between the front surface  202   a  and the rear surface  202   b , and a pair of opposing side edges  202   e  and  202   f  extending between the front surface  202   a , the rear surface  202   b , the top edge  202   c , and the bottom edge  202   d . A chassis coupling member  204   a  extends from the bottom edge  202   d  of the base  202  and is substantially centrally located on the bottom edge  202   d . A chassis coupling member  204   b  extends from the front surface  202   a  and out past the side edge  202   e  of the base  202 . A chassis coupling member  204   c  extends from the side edge  202   f  and is resiliently coupled to the side edge  202   e  such that the chassis coupling member  204   c  can move relative to the side edge  202   e . A pair of cable routing features  206  extend from the rear surface  202   b  of the base  202 , each cable routing feature  206  defining a cable securing passageway  206   a  between itself and the rear surface  202   b . The base  202  defines a component access passageway  208  approximately from a point midway along the length of the base  202  to a point adjacent the side edge  202   f  of the base  202 . A component access channel  210  extends from the front surface  202   a  of the base  202  and is located adjacent the component access passageway  208 . A pivotal coupling feature  212  extends from the front surface  202   a  and the rear surface  202   b  and is located substantially centrally on the base  202  and adjacent the component access passageway  208 . A second air directing member securing feature  214  extends from the front surface  202   a  and the rear surface  202   b  and is located adjacent the component access passageway  208  opposite the pivotal coupling feature  212 . 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a second air directing member  300  is illustrated. The second air directing member  300  includes a base  302  having a front surface  302   a , a rear surface  302   b  located opposite the front surface  302   a , a top edge  302   c  extending between the front surface  302   a  and the rear surface  302   b , a bottom edge  302   d  located opposite the top edge  302   c  and extending between the front surface  302   a  and the rear surface  302   b , and a pair of opposing side edges  302   e  and  302   f  extending between the front surface  302   a , the rear surface  302   b , the top edge  302   c , and the bottom edge  302   d . A pivotal coupling member  304  extends from the side edge  302   e  and includes a plurality of arms  304   a  each defining a pivotal coupling feature channel  304   aa  and together defining a channel  304   b  between them. A securing member  306  extends from the side edge  302   f  of the base  302  such that the securing member  306  may move relative to the side edge  302   f , and defines a first air directing member securing feature  306   a  located on the securing member  306  adjacent the top edge  302   c  of the base  302 . 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a chassis  400  is illustrated. The chassis  400  may be, for example, the chassis  116 , described above with reference to  FIG. 1 , and may house some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . The chassis  400  includes a chassis floor  402   a  which may include, for example, a circuit board. A plurality of opposing side walls  402   b  and  402   c  extend from the chassis floor  402   a  in a spaced apart orientation from each other and a substantially perpendicular orientation to the chassis floor  402   a . The side wall  402   b  defines a securing channel  402   ba  that is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the chassis floor  402   a . A rear wall  402   d  extends from the chassis floor  402   a  and between the side walls  402   b  and  402   c . The chassis floor  402   a , the side walls  402   b  and  402   c , and the rear wall  402   d  define a chassis housing  404  between them. A top wall  406  is pivotally coupled to the rear wall  402   d  by a pair of pivotal couplers  406   a  and  406   b . A fan  408  is included in the side wall  402   c  and located adjacent the rear wall  402   d . A plurality of processors  410  are coupled to the chassis floor  402   a  in a spaced apart relationship from each other. A plurality of device couplers  412  extend from the chassis floor  402   a  and are electrically coupled to the processors  410  through, for example, a circuit board on the chassis floor  402   a . A plurality of IHS plugs  414  are located in the chassis floor  402   a  and may be electrically coupled to the processors  410  and/or the device connectors  412  through, for example, a circuit board on the chassis floor  402   a . An air directing member securing aperture  416  is defined by the chassis floor  402   a  and located substantially centrally on the chassis floor  402   a.    
         [0027]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a ,  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d ,  5   e  and  5   f , a method  500  for directing air in a chassis is illustrated. The method  500  begins at step  502  where the chassis  400  including an air directing apparatus is provided. The second air directing member  300  is pivotally coupled to the first air directing member  200  by positioning the pivotal coupling feature  212  on first air directing member  200  in the pivotal coupling feature channels  304   aa  defined by the arms  304  on second air directing member  300  such that a portion of the base  202  is positioned in the channel  304   b , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   b . With the second air directing member  300  coupled to the first air directing member  200 , an air directing apparatus  502   a  is provided and a cable routing channel  502   aa  is defined between the first air directing member  200  and the second air directing member  300 . The air directing apparatus  502   a  is then coupled to the chassis  400  by positioning the air directing apparatus  502   a  adjacent the chassis  400  such that the side edge  202   e  of the first air directing member  200  is located adjacent the securing channel  402   ba  defined by the side wall  402   b , the chassis coupling member  204   c  on the first air directing member  200  is located adjacent the side wall  402   c , and the bottom edge  202   d  of the first air directing member  200  is located adjacent the chassis housing  404 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   c . The air directing apparatus  502   a  is then moved in a direction A such that the chassis coupling member  204   b  and the side edge  202   e  of the first air directing member  200  enter the securing channel  402   ba , the chassis coupling member  204   a  is aligned with the air directing member securing aperture  416 , and the chassis coupling member  204   c  engages the side wall  402   c  of the chassis  400 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   d . The air directing member  502   a  may be secured to the chassis  200 , for example, by engaging the chassis coupling member  204   a  and the air directing member securing aperture  416  with a fastener. A plurality of cables  502   b  including connectors  502   ba  may be coupled to the first air directing member  200  by positioning the cables  502   b  in the cable securing passageways  206   a  defined by the cable routing features  206 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   e . The connectors  502   ba  on the cables  502   b  may be engaged with the plugs  414  after positioning the cables  502   b  in the  502   aa , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   f . In an embodiment, the component access channel  210  allows, for example, a lever on the processor  410  to rotate past the air directing apparatus  502   a  in order to allow access to the processor  410 . 
         [0028]    The method  500  then proceeds to step  504  where the second air directing member  300  is moved into the component access passageway  208  defined by the first air directing member  200 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5   b ,  5   d ,  5   e  and  5   f , the second air directing member  300  has been pivoted about its coupling to the first air directing member  200  such that the second air directing member  300  is located in the component access passageway  208 . With the second air directing member  300  located in the component access passageway  208 , the second air directing member securing feature  214  is positioned in the first air directing member securing feature  306   a  to secure the second air directing member  300  in the component access passageway  208 . The method  500  then proceeds to step  506  where air is directed from a fan with the air directing apparatus  502   a . The top wall  406  may be pivoted about the pivotal couplers  406   a  and  406   b  such that it becomes substantially level with the top edge  202   c  of the first air directing member  200 . The fan  408  may then be operated, causing air to flow through the chassis housing  404  while that air is directed over components in the chassis housing  404  by the air directing member  502   a . In an embodiment, the device couplers  412  may include heat producing components such as, for example, memory devices, and the processors  410  may include heat sinks coupled to them such that the air flow through the chassis housing  404  from the fan  408  is used to cool the memory devices and the processors  410  through the heat sinks. 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a ,  5   a  and  5   g , the method  500  then proceeds to step  508  where the second air directing member  300  is moved out of the component access passageway  208 . The top wall  406  is pivoted about the pivotal couplers  406   a  and  406   b . The second air directing member securing feature  214  may be moved out of the first air directing member securing feature  306   a  by deflecting securing member  306  towards the side edge  302   f  of the second air directing member  300 . The second air directing member  300  may then be pivoted about its coupling to the first air directing member  200  such that the second air directing member  300  is located out of the component access passageway  208 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5   g . The method  500  then proceeds to step  510  where components are accessed through the component access passageway  208 . With the second air directing member  300  located out of the component access passageway  208 , components such as, for example, the processors  410 , may be accessed by a user through the component access passageway  208 . The component access passageway  208  is particularly helpful when an IHS is being manufactured on an assembly line and the user is accessing the chassis from a position opposite the rear wall  402   d  such that access to the processors  410  would be impeded by the air directing apparatus  502   a  without the second air directing member  300  being moved out of the component access passageway  208 . Furthermore, with the second air directing member  300  moved out of the component access passageway  208 , the top wall  406  may not be closed due to the engagement of the top wall  406  and the second air directing member  300 . This ensures that the second air directing member  300  must be located in the component access passageway  208  when the top wall  406  is closed so that the air directing member  502   a  functions optimally. Thus, a method and apparatus are provided that allow air to be directed in a chassis but also allows access to components in the chassis through the apparatus directing the air in order to allow an IHS to be easily built in the chassis. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , in an alternative embodiment, an air directing apparatus  600  is substantially similar in design and operation to the air directing apparatus  502   a , described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2   a ,  2   b ,  3 ,  4 ,  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d ,  5   e ,  5   f  and  5   g , with the provision of a second air directing member  602  replacing the second air directing member  300 , a slidable coupling feature  604  replacing the pivotal coupling feature  212  on first air directing member  200 , and the cable routing channel  502   aa  defined my the first air directing apparatus  200 . The slidable coupling feature  604  may extend from both the front surface  202   a  of the first air directing member  200 , illustrated in  FIG. 6   a , and the rear surface  202   b  of the first air directing member  200 , not shown. The second air directing member  602  is coupled to the slidable coupling feature  604  using methods known in the art. The second air directing member  602  may slide along the length of the first air directing member  200  in a direction B in order to move the second air directing member  602  in and out of the component access passageway  208 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b . In an embodiment, the first air directing member  200  and the second air directing member  300  or  602  may have various geometries to allow for varying component geometries that may protrude past the air directing apparatus  502   a  or  600 . 
         [0031]    Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.