Abstract:
A computer housing ( 41 ) for free-standing use includes a computer ( 10 ) with slots for the insertion of extension cards, and further at least one card carrier ( 20 ) for carrying extension cards ( 51 ). The card carrier ( 20 ) includes a carrier connector ( 47 ) whereby the card carrier ( 20 ) is connectable, by inserting the card carrier ( 20 ) in the computer housing ( 41 ), via the carrier connector ( 47 ), with a communication connector ( 49 ) of the computer ( 10 ), at least one adapter connector ( 48 ) into which an extension card ( 51 ) is pluggable, and wherein the card carrier ( 20 ) includes a communication connection between the carrier connector ( 47 ) and the at least one adapter connector ( 48 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to electrical and electronic data processing devices, in particular to a computer housing configured to accept a plug-in card module or plug-in card carrier. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Computer housings are generally known and often are configured to accommodate extension cards. The interfaces for extension cards are standardized, currently used standards being, for example, the PCI Standard, which is gradually being replaced by the PCI-Express Standard. Typically, extension cards are plugged in a slot of a motherboard such that they are arranged vertically to the motherboard. In order to insert or replace an extension card, the housing must be opened. For cooling the computer, in particular the main processor, but also the extension cards, fans are used. 
         [0005]    WO 02/21888 A1 describes a plug-in card carrier into which an extension card may be plugged, with the extension card being arranged in parallel to the carrier card. The two cards can be inserted into a computer system chassis by a sliding movement and plugged into a plug of the chassis with the same movement. Light pipes function as guides for inserting the carrier into the chassis and are illuminated to show which of several carriers should be replaced. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    One object of the invention is to provide a computer housing for a freestanding computer which allows the easy insertion and removal of extension cards. A further object is to provide for a space-saving arrangement of the extension cards. A further object is to allow for an efficient cooling, in particular, a passive cooling of the computer and its components. 
         [0007]    These objects are solved by a computer housing for free-standing use, including a computer with slots for the insertion of extension cards, wherein the computer comprises a card carrier for the insertion of extension cards, which card carrier includes: 
         [0008]    a carrier connector whereby the card carrier is connectable, by inserting the card carrier in the computer housing, via the carrier connector with a communication connector of the computer, 
         [0009]    at least one adapter connector into which an extension card is pluggable, and wherein the card carrier comprises a communication connection between the carrier connector and the at least one adapter connector. 
         [0010]    This makes it possible to replace an extension card by pulling the card carrier out of the housing and plugging in or removing the extension card into or from the card carrier. It is not necessary to open the housing. 
         [0011]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the card carrier includes a substantially planar carrier plate defining a plane of the carrier plate, and the direction of movement when plugging in and unplugging the carrier connector is parallel to the plane of the carrier plate. Extension cards plugged into the card carrier are arranged in parallel to the plane of the carrier plate. 
         [0012]    Adapter connectors (i.e. plugs connecting the extension cards to the card carrier) extend in parallel to the plane of carrier connectors (plugs connecting the card carrier to the motherboard). They are preferably rotated, with respect to an axis normal to this plane, by ±90° or 180°. As a result, the printed circuits or circuit boards of both the card carrier and the extension cards lie parallel to one another and form a compact unit which can be pulled out by a linear movement through a narrow slot in the housing. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the carrier plate of the card carrier is, in the inserted position, arranged in parallel to the motherboard of the computer. Consequently, the carrier plate can also be inserted or removed in a movement parallel to the motherboard. Thus, the computer as a whole can be configured in a compact manner, in contrast to the usual arrangement, in which extension cards are arranged vertically to the motherboard. 
         [0014]    In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer is configured to be passively cooled when in operation. The computer is configured to be, when in operation, arranged in an upright position, and in this position both the carrier plate and the motherboard are arranged vertically and are passively cooled. This passive cooling is preferably achieved by an air current running vertically through, among others, gaps between the vertically arranged circuit boards of motherboard, carrier plate and extension card(s). Such an air current is generated automatically through an updraft or chimney effect in these gaps. “Passive cooling” means, in particular, that no fan is required for the cooling of the electronic components of the computer, in particular the processor(s). 
         [0015]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carrier connector, when being inserted, includes leading guiding elements for guiding the plug, before the plug during insertion moves into the communication connector of the computer. Preferably, the carrier connector further includes supply contacts for an electrical supply to the card carrier, which, when pulling out the card carrier are interrupted after the remaining contacts of the carrier connector, in particular after communication bus contacts of the carrier connector. Preferably, the carrier connector further includes signal contacts for a signaling connection of the card carrier, wherein these signal contacts, when pulling out the card carrier, are interrupted before the remaining contacts of the carrier connector. This allows to implement a Hot-Plug capability of the extension cards. 
         [0016]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the card carrier includes a plurality of communication connectors, preferably with a plurality of different communication protocols. These communication connectors are connected via corresponding protocol converters or bridges to the communication interface to the motherboard and so are able to communicate with the motherboard. 
         [0017]    A device detector is configured to determine the identity of devices that are connected to these communication connectors, and preferably also further parameters of the devices, and to transmit this information via the carrier connector to the computer&#39;s motherboard. This transmission is accomplished either via a dedicated status interface or via the same communication interface of the carrier connector by which the devices communicate with the motherboard. According to the type, identity and possibly also the parameters of the devices, a system software of the computer can be configured for communicating with the devices. This allows deployment of different types of devices with the same type of card carrier without having to adapt the card carrier. The card carrier mechanically carries one or more of the devices, and the communication interface of the device(s) is connected to (plugged into) one of the communication connectors. The system software can be adapted automatically according to the currently inserted types of devices, grace to the device detector on the card carrier. 
         [0018]    Further preferred embodiments of the invention follow from the dependent claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0019]    The subject matter of the invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the attached drawings, in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a cut-open view of a computer with a card carrier according to the invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  a card carrier; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  a section of a computer housing with a slot for a card carrier; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  the slot with a card carrier inserted; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 5 and 6  a plug for an adapter connector; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  a structure of a card carrier in a further embodiment. 
       
    
    
       [0026]    The reference symbols used in the drawings, and their meanings, are listed in summary form in the list of reference numbers. In principle, identical parts are provided with the same reference numbers in the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows, in a partially cut-open view, a computer  10  with a housing  41 . The housing  41  is, for example, covered with a housing cladding  42  and raised by means of feet  43  over the surface on which the computer  10  is standing. The housing  41  forms the supporting frame on which the components or units of the computer  10  such as processor(s), volatile memory (RAM), mass storage devices such as hard disks, CD and/or DVD-drives, interface adapters, power supply and/or batteries etc. are mounted. These components or units are arranged at both sides of a cooling channel. The cooling channel is made up of a plurality of single air channels  9 . The cooling channel runs in a vertical direction along the entire height of the housing  41  and is defined or formed by cooling bodies or cooling plates with cooling ribs  8 , for example, a processor cooling body  11  and a hard disk cooling body  21 . In the cooling channel, an air current is created, leading from an air intake opening  91  to an air outlet opening  92 . The current absorbs heat from the cooling bodies and transports it away by convection. Consequently, the computer  10  is designed to be operated in the orientation a shown, that is, with vertically arranged cooling plates. In this normal mode of operation of the computer  10 , a motherboard  14  is also arranged vertically. The motherboard  14  is arranged in parallel to the processor cooling body  11  and carries the main processor(s) and further electronic components of the computer. 
         [0028]    A card carrier  20  is arranged with a carrier plate  46  in parallel to the motherboard  14 . The card carrier  20  alone is shown in  FIG. 2 . It comprises on the one hand a carrier connector  47  with a plug  52 , which is pluggable into a communication connector of the slot  49  of the computer  10 . On the other hand, it comprises one or more adapter connectors  48 , into each of which an extension card  51  is pluggable. A handle  50  serves to pull out the card carrier  20 . In  FIG. 2  an extension card  51  is schematically indicated, on the visible side of the carrier plate carrier plate  46 , by dashed lines. Preferably, another extension card is also arranged on the opposite, not visible side of the card carrier  20 , plugged into a corresponding second adapter connector. The extension card(s)  51  is/are also arranged in parallel to the carrier plate  46  and to the motherboard  14  and, thus, are also arranged in a vertical orientation. Consequently, the extension cards  51  also can be passively cooled by a vertical air current. In further preferred embodiments of the invention, more than two parallel extension cards  51  are present, and are, for example, made contact with and held by corresponding adapter connectors  48  arranged in parallel to one another. 
         [0029]    One or more of the extension cards  51  can be addressed via the adapter connector(s)  48  by another communication bus than that of the carrier connector  47 . For this, the card carrier  20 , in a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises a converter  57  or bridge which converts the different communication protocols into one another. Preferably the communication protocol of the carrier connector  47  conforms to the PCI-Express-Standard (“Peripheral Component Interconnect Express”, abbreviated as: “PCIe” or “PCI-E”). This is an extension standard for connecting peripheral devices to a computer. The communication protocol of an adapter connector  48  either also corresponds to the PCI-Express Standard, such that no protocol conversion is required, and a galvanic connection can be made between the carrier connector  47  and the adapter connector  48 . Alternatively, the communication protocol of an adapter connector  48  conforms to another standard, such as the older PCI-Standard, making a converter  57  necessary. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the card carrier  20  comprises exactly one first adapter connector  48  according to the PCI-Express-Standard, and exactly one second adapter connector  48  according to the PCI-Standard. Alternatively, it comprises exactly two second adapter connectors  48  according to the PCI-Standard. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  shows a section of the computer housing  10  with a slot for a card carrier  20 . The card carrier  20  is slidingly insertable through an opening in the housing  41  along a carrier guide  56 , until the carrier connector  47  slides into a communication connector  49  and optionally engages with a snap-in connection. The configuration with the card carrier  20  inserted is shown in  FIG. 4 . A front plate  58  of the card carrier  20  covers the opening in the housing  41 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows a plug  52  of an adapter connector  47 . The plug  52  comprises leading guiding elements  53 , guiding pins or studs, leading supply contacts  54  and following signal contacts  55 . The guiding elements  53  guide the plug  52  when sliding into the slot  49 , before the electrical contacts make contact. The supply contacts  54  are leading with regard to the other electrical contacts, such that when the plug slides in, they are the first to make contact. Conversely, when pulling out the plug  52 , the supply contacts  54  are the last to be interrupted, in particular after the bus contacts  59 .  FIG. 6  schematically shows a cross-sectional view through a plane of the plug  52  with leading and retracted contacts, assuming that the opposing contacts of the jack corresponding to the plug all have the same height. Of course, all or some of the different lengths of contacts can also be realized in the jack instead of the plug. 
         [0032]    The signal contacts  55  (or only a single signal contact  55 ) follow the other contacts or bus contacts  59 , such that, when inserting the plugs  52 , they are the last to make contact, in particular after the bus contacts. Conversely, when unplugging, at least one of the signal contacts  55  is the first to be interrupted, which is detected by circuitry on the card carrier  20  and allows shutting down of the extension cards  51  in a controlled manner before the other signal contacts and the supply  54  is interrupted. 
         [0033]      FIG. 7  schematically shows an inner structure of a card carrier  20  in a preferred embodiment of the invention. This inner structure can be combined with the outer structure according to the other figures. The card carrier  20  with the carrier plate  46  preferably comprises, as already described, the carrier connector  47 , the adapter connector  48  and a converter  57  for converting the communication protocols between these two connectors. Preferably, this is a conversion between PCI (for an extension card  51 ) and PCI-Express (for the carrier connector  47 ). The card carrier  20  preferably also comprises further communication connectors  62 . These are also communicatively connected, via the converter  57  or via separate, dedicated converters (not shown), to the carrier connector  47 . These converters accomplish the communication between the carrier connector  47  and corresponding communication connectors  62 . The communication connectors  62  are, for example, serial interfaces according to one of the Standards RS-232, USB, USB-2, Firewire, etc. or interfaces for hard disks, such as SATA I2C, SMB etc. 
         [0034]    The card carrier  20  preferably comprises a device detector  61 , which monitors the communication connectors  62  and is configured to determine the configuration of the communication connectors  62  and information about further devices  64  connected to the communication connectors  62 . For this purpose, the device detector  61  is able to communicate via the communication connectors  62  with the attached devices  64 . Information on the attached devices  64  comprises in particular an identity of the device such as a unique identifier, and/or a type of device such as “GSM-Module”, “WLAN-interface”, “GPS-unit”, “harddisk”, “DVD-drive” etc, as well as parameters of the device  64 . Such further devices are preferably mounted on, i.e. mechanically connected to and carried by, the card carrier  20 . The device detector  61  is configured to transmit this information via a status interface  63  to a configuration unit of the computer  10 . The configuration unit is preferably implemented in software and configures the system software of the computer  10 , for example, by loading drivers for the connected and detected devices  64 . 
         [0035]    In the  FIG. 7  the device detector  61  and the converter  57  are shown as separate units, but they can also be realized by a single hardware unit. Also, the status interface  63  can be led, as part of the electromechanical carrier connector  47 , but as a dedicated physical interface separated from the PCI-Express-interfaces, to the motherboard and the remainder of the computer  10 . Alternatively, the information on the devices is not transmitted over a dedicated physical status interface  63 , but via the PCI-Express-interface. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0036]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 8 
                 cooling rib 
                 20 
                 card carrier 
               
               
                 9 
                 air channel 
                 41 
                 housing 
               
               
                 10 
                 computer 
                 42 
                 housing cladding 
               
               
                 11 
                 processor cooling body 
                 43 
                 feet 
               
               
                 14 
                 motherboard 
                 46 
                 carrier plate 
               
               
                 21 
                 hard disk cooling body 
                 47 
                 carrier connector 
               
               
                 22 
                 hard disk 
                 48 
                 adapter connector 
               
               
                 49 
                 communication connector, slot 
                 57 
                 converter 
               
               
                 50 
                 handle 
                 58 
                 front plate 
               
               
                 51 
                 extension card 
                 59 
                 bus contacts 
               
               
                 52 
                 plug 
                 61 
                 device detector 
               
               
                 53 
                 guiding elements 
                 62 
                 communication connector 
               
               
                 54 
                 supply contacts 
                 63 
                 status interface 
               
               
                 55 
                 signal contacts 
                 64 
                 further device 
               
               
                 56 
                 carrier guide 
                 91 
                 air intake opening 
               
               
                   
                   
                 92 
                 air outlet opening