Patent Description:
Modem data centers, such as cloud computing centers, house enormous amounts of information technology (IT) equipment such as servers, blade servers, routers, edge servers, etc. These individual pieces of IT equipment are typically housed in racks within a computing center, with multiple pieces of IT equipment within each rack. The racks are typically grouped into clusters within the data center.

In both public cloud service and private cloud services, service providers might need to relocate servers from one data center cluster to another cluster within the same data center, or might even need to relocate and migrate servers from one data center site to another in a different geographic location. Relocating a server means moving it from one rack to another, but different data centers, and even different clusters within the same data center, can use different types of racks. This can create difficulties because design of the IT equipment must be compatible with the rack in which it's installed.

There are many different rack configurations, but although there are some industry standards-examples include OCP open racks, ODCC Scorpio racks, and so on-there can still be large configuration differences between rack standards. The racks differ in form factor, power delivery design, cooling method, and so on. This means IT equipment such as servers must be compatible with multiple rack specifications before they can be housed in a wide variety of racks; if not compatible, the IT equipment can be difficult to implement, and might not function properly, on different types of racks. This significantly limits the server and system designs and is a challenge to OEM vendors, rack vendors, server vendors, component suppliers, and the end users. Hardware cost is critical for cloud services businesses and internet services businesses, and interoperability is an important feature for reducing hardware cost. Previous IT equipment designs allow the design to be used only in one or a small number or rack types. This lack of interoperability is a major shortfall.

<CIT> relates to an electronic device which includes: substrate unit including a signal terminal provided over a first edge of a substrate body, and a power terminal provided over a second edge that is different from the first edge; and a case including an insertion unit into which the substrate unit is inserted from the first edge, a signal connection member to which the signal terminal is coupled when the substrate unit is inserted into the insertion unit, and a power connection member to which the power terminal is coupled when the substrate unit is inserted into the insertion unit.

<CIT> relates to an information processing apparatus which includes a substrate that includes a first connector and a second connector, a backplane that includes a third connector coupled to the first connector and a fourth connector coupled to the second connector, and a metal plate attached to the backplane, in which the metal plate has an opening to which the fourth connector is attached, in which the first connector is arranged near a central part of the substrate on an end side inserted into the backplane and the second connector is arranged on each side of the first connector, and in which a clearance between the opening of the metal plate and the fourth connector increases as a distance from the third connector to the fourth connector increases.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information technology apparatus having a power delivery module including: a power delivery board (PDB) having a first side and a second side and being rotatable about a first axis between a first orientation and a second orientation; a first pair of electrical contacts positioned on the first side, the first pair of electrical contacts including a first positive contact and a first negative contact; a second pair of electrical contacts positioned on the second side, the second pair of electrical contacts including a second positive contact positioned on the second side directly opposite the first negative contact and a second negative contact positioned on the second side directly opposite the first positive contact; and a clip module coupled to the power delivery board, the clip module including a pair of power clips adapted to engage with and electrically couple the first pair of electrical contacts or the second pair of electrical contacts. The power clip module is rotatable about a second axis that is parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis so that the clip module can rotate between a first position where the pair of power clips engage the first pair of electrical contacts and a second position where the pair of power clips engage the second pair of electrical contacts.

In some embodiments, the clip module includes: a shaft; and a clip module substrate coupled to the shaft, the pair of power clips are coupled to the clip module substrate.

In some embodiments, the PDB further includes a clip mounting channel adapted to rotatably receive the shaft.

In some embodiments, the clip mounting channel includes one or more teeth to removably retain the shaft within the clip mounting channel.

In some embodiments, the clip module further includes a structural rod projecting from a surface of the clip module substrate to prevent improper connection between the power clips and the electrical contacts.

In some embodiments, the first and second positive contacts have the same cross-sectional shape and the first and second negative contacts have the same cross-sectional shape, the positive contacts have a different cross-sectional shape than the negative contacts, and each positive contact has a different length than its corresponding negative contact.

The power delivery module further includes a rotatable connector mounted on the power delivery board and electrically coupled to the first pair of electrical contacts and the second pair of electrical contacts.

In some embodiments, the power delivery module further includes power electronics electrically coupled between the rotatable connector and the first and second pairs of electrical contacts.

In some embodiments, only one at a time of the first pair of electrical contacts or the second pair of electrical contacts is coupled to the power electronics.

In some embodiments, the first axis and the second axis are within the PDB.

In some embodiments, the first and second pairs of electrical contacts are positioned at a non-zero distance from the first axis so that there is a displacement of the first and second pairs of electrical contact between the first orientation and the second orientation.

In some embodiments, the power clip module further includes a grip, and the grip is connected to the shaft and the clip module substrate.

The information technology apparatus further includes a main board having electronic components disposed thereon; the power delivery module being electrically coupled to the main board; and a rotatable connector mounted on the PDB to electrically couple the power delivery module to the main board.

The information technology apparatus further includes a support to couple the power delivery module to a chassis within which the main board is located, the power delivery module is coupled to the support along the first axis.

Embodiments of the present disclosure, not forming part of the claimed invention, provide an electronic rack of a data center, including: a plurality of server chassis arranged in a stack, each of the server chassis including: a main board having electronic components disposed thereon; a power delivery module according to any one of above embodiments, the power delivery module being electrically coupled to the main board; and a rotatable connector mounted on the PDB to electrically couple the power delivery module to the main board.

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a described feature, structure, or characteristic can be included in at least one described embodiment, so that appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. As used in this application, directional terms such as "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "side," "lateral," "longitudinal," etc., refer to the orientations of embodiments as they are presented in the drawings, but any directional term should not be interpreted to imply or require a particular orientation of the described embodiments when in actual use.

Embodiments are described below of a rotational power delivery module having a rotatable power distribution board and a rotatable power clip module. The power distribution board is rotatable relative to a server chassis, and the power clip module is rotatable relative to the power distribution board. A safety pin or screw is used to ensure the power delivery module is retained in the proper orientation. The combined rotation of these two elements enables the power clip module to match different busbar architectures and locations in different racks while also ensuring that the corresponding positive and negative connections match the busbar designs. In operation, the power deliver board rotates <NUM> degrees and then the power clip module rotates <NUM> degrees. These two <NUM> degree rotations enable the power module to be adjusted to match different rack power architectures. Thus, the described embodiments improve the server and rack interoperability and enable dynamic adjustment of the server power delivery system location to assist forming better airflow within the server chassis. The described embodiments also improve serviceability of the power delivery design because, among other things, they can be operated without tools-i.e., the embodiments do not require physical hardware tools to operate or to service. To further improve serviceability, or reduce the need for service, the described embodiments include features that prevent improper operation.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a side view of an embodiment of an electronics rack, which is a type of IT container commonly used in data centers. In one embodiment, electronic rack <NUM> includes CDU <NUM>, rack management unit (RMU) <NUM>, and one or more server blades 103A-103D, collectively referred to as server blades <NUM>. Server blades <NUM> can be inserted into an array of server slots respectively from front end <NUM> of electronic rack <NUM>. Note that although only four server blades 103A-103D are shown, more or fewer server blades can be maintained within electronic rack <NUM>. Also note that the particular positions of CDU <NUM>, RMU <NUM>, and server blades <NUM> are shown for the purpose of illustration only; other arrangements or configurations of CDU <NUM>, RMU <NUM>, and server blades <NUM> can also be implemented. Further, the front door disposed on front end <NUM> and the back door disposed on back end <NUM> are optional. In some embodiments, there can no door on front end <NUM> and/or back end <NUM>.

In one embodiment, CDU <NUM> includes heat exchanger <NUM>, liquid pump <NUM>, and pump controller <NUM>. Heat exchanger <NUM> can be a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. Heat exchanger <NUM> includes a first tube having a first pair of liquid connectors coupled to external liquid supply/return lines <NUM>-<NUM> to form a primary loop, where the connectors coupled to the external liquid supply/return lines <NUM>-<NUM> can be disposed or mounted on back end <NUM> of electronic rack <NUM>. In addition, heat exchanger <NUM> further includes a second tube having a second pair of liquid connectors coupled to liquid manifold <NUM>, which can include a supply manifold to supply cooling liquid to server blades <NUM> and a return manifold to return warmer liquid back to CDU <NUM>. The processors can be mounted on the cold plates, where the cold plates include a liquid distribution channel embedded therein to receive the cooling liquid from the liquid manifold <NUM> and to return the cooling liquid carrying the heat exchanged from the processors back to the liquid manifold <NUM>. Rack <NUM> is an example of an IT rack in which embodiments of a power deliver module, such as the ones shown in <FIG> et seq. , can be used.

Each server blade <NUM> can include one or more IT components (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, memory, and/or storage devices). Each IT component can perform data processing tasks, where the IT component can include software installed in a storage device, loaded into the memory, and executed by one or more processors to perform the data processing tasks. Server blades <NUM> can include a host server (referred to as a host node) coupled to one or more compute servers (also referred to as compute nodes). The host server (having one or more CPUs) typically interfaces with clients over a network (e.g., Internet) to receive a request for a particular service such as storage services (e.g., cloud-based storage services such as backup and/or restoration), executing an application to perform certain operations (e.g., image processing, deep data learning algorithms or modeling, etc., as a part of a software-as-a-service or SaaS platform). In response to the request, the host server distributes the tasks to one or more of the compute servers (having one or more GPUs) managed by the host server. The compute servers perform the actual tasks, which can generate heat during the operations.

Electronic rack <NUM> further includes RMU <NUM> configured to provide and manage power supplied to server blades <NUM> and CDU <NUM>. RMU <NUM> can be coupled to a power supply unit (not shown) to manage the power consumption of the power supply unit, as well as other thermal management of the power supply unit (e.g., cooling fans). The power supply unit can include the necessary circuitry (e.g., an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or DC to DC power converter, battery, transformer, or regulator, etc.) to provide power to the rest of the components of electronic rack <NUM>.

In one embodiment, RMU <NUM> includes optimal control logic <NUM> and rack management controller (RMC) <NUM>. The optimal control logic <NUM> is coupled to at least some of server blades <NUM> to receive operating status of each of the server blades <NUM>, such as processor temperatures of the processors, the current pump speed of the liquid pump <NUM>, and liquid temperature of the cooling liquid, etc. Based on this information, optimal control logic <NUM> determines an optimal pump speed of the liquid pump <NUM> by optimizing a predetermined objective function, such that the output of the objective function reaches the maximum while a set of predetermined constraints is satisfied. Based on the optimal pump speed, RMC <NUM> is configured to send a signal to pump controller <NUM> to control the pump speed of liquid pump <NUM> based on the optimal pump speed.

<FIG> illustrate embodiments of busbars in information technology (IT) racks. Both <FIG> show racks when viewed from the rear. <FIG> illustrates an embodiment of a rack <NUM> having one or more pieces of IT equipment <NUM> housed therein in a vertical stack. Although IT equipment <NUM> is described below mainly as servers, in various embodiments IT equipment <NUM> can be any type of IT equipment that can be housed in a rack; examples include servers, graphics processing units (GPUs), power units, battery backup (BBU) units, power supply units (PSUs), cooling units, or some combination of these (see, e.g., <FIG>). To provide electrical power to all the IT equipment in the rack, or all IT equipment that could be housed in the rack, busbar <NUM> extends over substantially the entire height of the rack, from bottom to top. Busbar <NUM> includes two bars that act as electrical contacts: a positive (+) bar and a negative (-) bar. It is an industry standard that the positive bar is on the right and the negative bar on the left, again when viewed from the rear of the rack. In the illustrated embodiment, busbar <NUM> is positioned to the right of the rack centerline, near the right side of the rack when viewed from the rear.

<FIG> illustrates an embodiment of a rack <NUM>. Rack <NUM> is in most respects similar to rack <NUM>: it has one or more servers <NUM> housed therein in a vertical stack and includes a busbar <NUM> that extends over substantially the entire height of the rack, from bottom to top, to supply electrical power to all servers that are or could be housed in the rack. Like busbar <NUM>, busbar <NUM> includes two bars that server as electrical contacts: a positive (+) bar and a negative (-) bar, with the positive bar on the right and the negative bar on the left when viewed from the rear of the rack. The primary difference between racks <NUM> and <NUM> is the position of the busbar: instead of being to the right of the rack centerline, busbar <NUM> is positioned substantially along the centerline of the rack. To allow IT equipment <NUM> to be easily moved from rack <NUM> to rack <NUM>, or the other way around, the servers <NUM> or the racks must include a power delivery module that can adapt to different busbar positions.

<FIG> together illustrate an embodiment of a power delivery module <NUM>. Module <NUM> includes two main components: a power delivery board (PDB) <NUM> and a power clip module <NUM>. PDB <NUM> is described below; details of power clip module <NUM> are described in connection with <FIG>.

Power delivery board <NUM> has a first side or surface S1 (shown in <FIG>) and a second side or surface S2 (shown in <FIG>). In one embodiment, first side S1 and second side S2 are planar and substantially parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other by a thickness of board <NUM>. In one embodiment board <NUM> is a printed circuit board, but in other embodiments it can be another type of board. Board <NUM> is rotatable about a first axis A1. In the figures, <FIG> shows first side S1 and <FIG> shows second side S2 as seen if board <NUM> is rotated <NUM> degrees about axis A1. In the illustrated embodiment a positioning screw or pin <NUM> is used to attach board <NUM> to a chassis such as a server chassis and to hold board <NUM>, and hence power delivery module <NUM>, in place. In other embodiments the mounting method may be different, so that positioning screw <NUM> may be slightly different or, in some applications, may be unnecessary.

In the illustrated embodiment first axis A1 is positioned substantially in the plane of the board and substantially in the middle of the board (i.e., W1 = W2), but in other embodiments first axis A1 need not be in the plane of board <NUM> and need not be positioned in the middle of the board (i.e., W1 ≠ W2). A rotatable connector <NUM>-that is, a connector that can function in at least two orientations-is centered on axis A1 and is positioned along an edge of board <NUM>; connector <NUM> can be used to connect power delivery board <NUM> to the main board of a server (see, e.g., <FIG>).

First side S1 of board <NUM> includes a first pair of spaced-apart electrical contacts, including a first negative contact (<NUM>-) and a first positive contact (<NUM>+). Second side S2 of board <NUM> includes a second pair of spaced-apart electrical contacts, including a second negative contact (<NUM>-) and a second positive contact (<NUM>+). The first and second pairs of electrical contacts are directly opposite each other on the board: first positive contact <NUM>+ is directly on the opposite side of the board from second negative contact <NUM>-, and first negative contact <NUM>- is directly on the opposite side of the board from second positive contact <NUM>+ (see <FIG>). Both pairs of electrical contacts are formed at or near the edge of a cut-out <NUM> formed in the edge of the board longitudinally opposite the edge where connector <NUM> is positioned.

A clip mounting channel <NUM> is formed or attached to board <NUM> in the plane of the board, and the mounting channel is positioned between the positive and negative electrical contacts in each of the two pairs of electrical contacts. Clip mounting channel <NUM> is designed to rotatably receive a clip module <NUM> so that the clip module can rotate about a second axis A2 defined by the clip mounting channel and/or a shaft of the clip module. In the illustrated embodiment, second axis A2 is substantially parallel to first axis A1 and is spaced apart from the first axis by a non-zero distance W3. At least part of power clip module <NUM> fits within cut-out <NUM>, and the power clip module is designed to provide clips that electrically connect one of the two pairs of electrical contacts (<NUM>+/<NUM>- or <NUM>+/<NUM>-) to a busbar. Details of clip module <NUM> are discussed below in connection with <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates the electrical connections between components on board <NUM>. Power conditioning electronics <NUM> are mounted on one of surfaces S1 or S2. In the illustrated embodiment the power conditioning electronics are mounted on surface S1, so that it is shown in solid lines in a view of S1 (see <FIG>) and in dashed lines in a view of S2 (see <FIG>). The power conditioning electronics condition the power received from the busbar at one of the two pairs of electrical contacts (<NUM>+/<NUM>- or <NUM>+/<NUM>-) before it is output to the IT equipment through connector <NUM>. In various embodiments, power conditioning electronics <NUM> can include voltage regulators, rectifiers, or other power conditioning and control elements.

To ensure that the power electronics <NUM> can condition power received from electrical contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- on side S1 or from electrical contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- on side S2, board <NUM> includes traces or connections that electrically couple the first and second contact pairs to the power conditioning electronics, so that each pair of contacts has its own circuit routing to the power electronics. In the illustrated embodiment trace pair T1 on side S1, shown in solid lines, electrically couple the first pair of contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>-, also shown in solid lines, to the power electronics. Trace pair T1 includes a trace T1+ that is coupled to contact <NUM>+ and a trace T1- that is coupled to contact <NUM>-. Similarly, trace pair T2 on side S2, shown in dashed lines, electrically couple the second pair of contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>-, also shown in dashed lines, to the power electronics. Trace pair T2 includes a trace T2+ that is coupled to contact <NUM>+ and a trace T2- that is coupled to contact <NUM>-. Operation of power clip module <NUM>, further described below, ensures that at any time only one of the two pairs of contacts (first pair <NUM>+/<NUM>- or second pair <NUM>+/<NUM>-) will direct electrical power to the power electronics. Because connector <NUM> will be used to connect the PDB to the IT equipment's main board regardless of the orientation of board <NUM>, only a single pair of traces <NUM> is needed between the power electronics and connector <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the positioning of the pairs of electrical contacts on directly opposite sides of board <NUM>. As also discussed above, first side S1 includes a first pair of spaced-apart electrical contacts, including a first negative contact (<NUM>-) and a first positive contact (<NUM>+). Second side S2 of board <NUM> includes a second pair of spaced-apart electrical contacts, including a second negative contact (<NUM>-) and a second positive contact (<NUM>+). The first and second pairs of electrical contacts are directly opposite each other on the board: first positive contact <NUM>+ is directly on the opposite side of the board from second negative contact <NUM>-, and first negative contact <NUM>- is directly on the opposite side of the board from second positive contact <NUM>+ (see <FIG>). Clip mounting channel <NUM> is positioned in board <NUM> in between the pair of oppositely-positioned electrical contacts.

As a safety feature to ensure proper connection of a positive power clip to a positive contact and a negative power clip to a negative contact (see, e.g., <FIG>), both positive contacts have one cross-sectional shape and both negative contacts have another. In the illustrated embodiment, positive contacts <NUM>+ and <NUM>+ both have trapezoidal shapes with the long parallel edge of the trapezoid on their respective surfaces (S1 for contact <NUM>+ and S2 for contact <NUM>+). Similarly, negative contacts <NUM>- and <NUM>- both have trapezoidal shapes with the short parallel edge of the trapezoid on their respective surfaces (S1 for contact <NUM>- and S2 for contact <NUM>-). Although both the positive and negative contacts have the same basic cross-sectional geometric shape (a trapezoid in this embodiment), for purposes of this disclosure different orientations of the same basic geometric shapes are considered different cross-sectional shapes. In other embodiments, the positive and negative contacts can have use different geometric shapes than shown. As an additional safety feature, within each pair of electrical contacts the positive and negative contacts can have different lengths; among other things, this gives immediate visual confirmation of which contact is positive and which negative.

<FIG> together illustrate an embodiment of a clip module <NUM>. <FIG> is a plan view, <FIG> a cross-sectional view. Clip module <NUM> includes a shaft <NUM> connected to a grip <NUM>, and a board or substrate <NUM> connected to grip <NUM>. Shaft <NUM> is sized and shaped so that it can be rotatable received inside clip mounting channel <NUM>-that is, received in the clip mounting channel <NUM> in a way that allows the shaft to rotate within the channel (see, e.g., <FIG>). A spring <NUM> is positioned surrounding shaft <NUM>.

In one embodiment, grip <NUM> can be a single plate that attaches to one surface of substrate <NUM>, but in other embodiments grip <NUM> can be a pair of spaced-apart plates, so that one plate can be attached to one side of the substrate <NUM> and the other plate can be attached to the other side of substrate <NUM>. In one embodiment, shaft <NUM> and grip <NUM> can be manufactured as a single piece, but in other embodiments, shaft <NUM> and grip <NUM> can be separate pieces that are attached together, for instance by a fastener. In one embodiment, substrate <NUM> is sized and shaped to fit in cut-out <NUM> in board <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, substrate <NUM> is rigid and planar and has substantially the same thickness as board <NUM>, but in other embodiments it need not be planar nor have the same thickness. In one embodiment, for instance, substrate <NUM> can be a small printed circuit board of a piece of printed circuit board.

Clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>- are attached to substrate <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment both clips extend above and below substrate <NUM> (see, e.g., <FIG>), but in other embodiments they need not extend above and below. Positive clip <NUM>+ is adapted to receive the cross-sectional shape of positive contacts from board <NUM> (i.e., contacts <NUM>+ and <NUM>+), and negative clip <NUM>- is adapted to receive the cross-sectional shape of the negative contacts on board <NUM> (i.e., contacts <NUM>- and <NUM>-). The sides positive clip <NUM>+ and negative clip <NUM>- that do not receive the electrical contacts (i.e., the side opposite where the electrical contacts are coupled) are adapted to be electrically coupled to a rack busbar. Although in the illustrated embodiment clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>-extend above and below board <NUM>, at a given time clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>- will only be connected to one pair of contacts on board <NUM>-either the first set of contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- on side S1 or the second set of contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- on side S2. Contacts <NUM>+ and <NUM>- are illustrated in <FIG> to illustrate how clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>- engage the electrical contacts, but the contacts are not part of clip module <NUM>. As discussed above, as a safety feature the sides power clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>- that couple with the electrical contacts are designed in a customized shape, such as a trapezoidal shape, to ensure that each power clip can only be coupled to the correct electrical contact-i.e., positive clip to positive contact and negative clip to negative contact.

<FIG> illustrates an embodiment of a clip mounting channel <NUM> engaged with clip module <NUM>. In operation, shaft <NUM> is rotatably inserted into clip mounting channel <NUM>-i.e., inserted in a way that the shaft can rotate about its axis and the axis of the mounting channel (both of which correspond to second axis A2, see <FIG>). Clip mounting channel <NUM> can include one or more teeth <NUM> that engage shaft <NUM>, so that shaft <NUM> remains in place within the clip mounting channel while allowing shaft <NUM> to rotate, meaning that the entire clip module <NUM> can also rotate. Teeth <NUM> have several functions: (i) they allow the clip module to be easily inserted in the mounting channel and fixed in the longitudinal direction once inserted; (ii) they allow the clip module to be moved axially (i.e., along axis A2); (iii) teeth <NUM> and spring <NUM> enable power clip <NUM> to be pulled out a certain distance and, after the power clip module is rotated, spring <NUM> provides a force to pull the power clip module back to the inserted location. Teeth <NUM> can be designed so that shaft <NUM> and spring <NUM>, and hence clip module <NUM>, can be removed from clip mounting channel <NUM> with the application of enough force. This ensures that clip module <NUM> can be replaced with another module if needed, for instance if clips <NUM>+ or <NUM>- become bent or otherwise damaged.

As an additional safety feature, clip module <NUM> can also include a structural rod <NUM> along one edge of substrate <NUM>. Structural rod <NUM> projects substantially normally from the surface of substrate <NUM> (see, e.g., <FIG>). Structural rod <NUM> is a safety feature to prevent connection of clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>- to the wrong set of contacts by preventing rotation of the clip module <NUM> around shaft <NUM> to an orientation that would allow an improper connection. Structural rod <NUM> can also be used to help rotate the power clip module (see <FIG>).

<FIG> together illustrate an embodiment of the operation of a power delivery module such as power delivery module <NUM>. The views shown in these figures are views from the rear of a rack. In the illustrated embodiment, power delivery module <NUM> is mounted to a server chassis (e.g., a server housing) <NUM> by a support <NUM>; the server also includes other elements not shown in this drawing. Power deliver module <NUM> is rotatably attached to support <NUM> with axis A1 intersecting support <NUM>. And, as described above, clip module <NUM> is rotatably coupled to board <NUM>, so that clip module <NUM> rotates about axis A2.

<FIG> illustrates a position of power delivery module <NUM> that would be suitable for use in a rack whose busbar is on the right side of the rack when viewed from behind, as shown in Fig. 1A. In this position, the power deliver module is coupled to a busbar by the power clips, which in turn are electrically coupled to electrical contacts <NUM>+ and <NUM>- on side S1 of board <NUM>. To allow the server to be used with a rack whose busbar is in the middle of the rack (see Fig. 1B), contact <NUM> (see <FIG>) is disconnected from the main board of the server and the power delivery module is rotated <NUM> degrees about axis A1, from the position shown in <FIG> to the position shown in <FIG>.

In the position shown in <FIG>, the power clips on clip module <NUM> are moved where they can connect to the center busbar, but they remain electrically coupled to electrical contacts <NUM>+ and <NUM>-, which because of the rotation of the module <NUM> between <FIG> are the wrong set of contacts to make the proper positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative electrical connections to the busbar. To reorient the power clips so that they are correctly oriented and coupled to the correct set of contacts (i.e., contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- in <FIG>) the clip module is rotated <NUM> degrees, from the position of <FIG> to the position of <FIG>. In the orientation of <FIG>, then, the power clips are in both the correct position and the correct orientation to make an appropriate connection between electrical contacts <NUM>+/<NUM>- and the central busbar (see also <FIG>). Connector <NUM> (see <FIG>), can then be inserted into the main board of the server to create an electrical power path from the busbar, through the power delivery module, to the server.

<FIG> illustrates the operation of structural rod <NUM> (see <FIG>). Structural rod <NUM> is a safety feature that projects from one side of clip module substrate <NUM> to prevent the clip module from being rotated into a position that would result in an inappropriate electrical connection. In the illustrated embodiment, structural rod <NUM> projects from substrate <NUM> in such a way that when power deliver Board <NUM> is rotated <NUM> degrees from the position of <FIG> to the position of <FIG>, the structural rod makes contact with the server chassis <NUM> and partially rotates the clip module. By rotating the clip module this way, structural rod <NUM> prevents the clip module <NUM> from remaining in its original orientation relative to board <NUM> (shown in <FIG>), which is not the appropriate clip position for the new orientation of board of <FIG>. Instead, the structural rod requires the clip module <NUM> to be rotated <NUM> degrees (clockwise in the illustrated view) about axis A2 to the new correct position of <FIG> before the clips can be coupled to the busbar. Structural rod <NUM> thus prevents incorrect implementation.

<FIG> illustrate, in plan view, the operation of a power delivery module <NUM> shown in side view in <FIG>. <FIG> illustrates power delivery module <NUM> in the orientation of <FIG>, and <FIG> illustrates the power deliver module in the orientation of <FIG>. As seen in <FIG>, the power deliver module <NUM> is positioned at the rear of chassis <NUM>. Connector <NUM> is electrically coupled to the main board <NUM> of the IT equipment within the chassis. The first side S1 of board <NUM> is positioned facing upward, so that the clip module, and hence clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>-, are positioned near the right side of the chassis, where the clips can be electrically connected to the positive and negative rails of a busbar <NUM> positioned near the right side of a rack. In this orientation, lateral side A of board <NUM> is closest to the center of the rack and lateral side B is closest to the right side of the rack.

<FIG> illustrate the result when, starting with the configuration of <FIG>, board <NUM> is rotated <NUM> degrees about axis A1, and the clip module <NUM> is rotated <NUM> degrees about axis A2. In this configuration, connector <NUM>-which, as described above, is rotatable so that it can connection with main board <NUM> in at least two orientations-is electrically coupled to the main board <NUM> of the IT equipment within the chassis. The second side S2 of board <NUM> is positioned facing upward, so that the clip module, and hence clips <NUM>+ and <NUM>-, are positioned near the middle of the chassis, where the clips can be electrically connected to the positive and negative rails of a busbar <NUM> positioned near the middle of a rack. In this orientation, lateral side A of board <NUM> is closest to the right side of the rack and lateral side B is closest to the center of the rack. It can be seen disclosed embodiments of a power deliver module allow servers to be interoperated on both rack architectures with different busbar locations. The embodiments can be also integrated to the other power components such as PSU and BBU. In other embodiments the form factor of the PDB can be designed and optimized based on the power delivery design such as busbar locations in different rack architectures and designs.

Other power delivery module embodiments are possible besides the ones described above. For instance:.

Claim 1:
An information technology apparatus comprising:
a power delivery module (<NUM>) comprising:
a power delivery board (PDB) (<NUM>) having a first side (S1) and a second side (S2) and being rotatable about a first axis (A1) between a first orientation and a second orientation;
a first pair of electrical contacts positioned on the first side (S1), the first pair of electrical contacts including a first positive contact (<NUM>+) and a first negative contact (<NUM>-);
a second pair of electrical contacts positioned on the second side (S2), the second pair of electrical contacts including a second positive contact (<NUM>+) positioned on the second side (S2) directly opposite the first negative contact (<NUM>-) and a second negative contact (<NUM>-) positioned on the second side (S2) directly opposite the first positive contact (<NUM>+); and
a clip module (<NUM>) coupled to the power delivery board (<NUM>), the clip module (<NUM>) including a pair of power clips adapted to engage with and electrically couple the first pair of electrical contacts or the second pair of electrical contacts, wherein the power clip module (<NUM>) is rotatable about a second axis (A2) that is parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis (A1) so that the clip module (<NUM>) can rotate between a first position where the pair of power clips engage the first pair of electrical contacts and a second position where the pair of power clips engage the second pair of electrical contacts;
a main board (<NUM>) having electronic components disposed thereon, the power delivery module (<NUM>) being electrically coupled to the main board (<NUM>);
a rotatable connector (<NUM>) mounted on the power delivery board (<NUM>) to electrically couple the power delivery module (<NUM>) to the main board (<NUM>); and
a support (<NUM>) to couple the power delivery module (<NUM>) to a chassis (<NUM>) within which the main board (<NUM>) is located, wherein the power delivery module (<NUM>) is rotatably coupled to the support (<NUM>) along the first axis (A1),
wherein the clips are configured to be electrically connected to positive and negative rails of a busbar of a rack.