Electronic interconnect method and apparatus

摘要

An electronics chassis has many removable boards on sleds that are interconnected by a honeycomb interconnect structure. Interconnect boards in Y-planes and Z-planes are orthogonal to each other and form cells. Cooling air flows through the cells in an X direction, parallel to surfaces of the interconnect boards. The removable boards have connectors that mate with an edge of Z-divider interconnect boards. Fans blow air through the cells in the honeycomb structure unimpeded since no boards are perpendicular to the airflow. Notches in the rear of the Z-divider boards provide airflow equalization allowing closer spacing of fans to the honeycomb structure. A sled carrier honeycomb structure is placed in front of the honeycomb interconnect structure to guide sleds into position. Sled carrier dividers are offset from the Z-divider boards to allow removable boards to align with Z-divider boards in the Z-planes, parallel to airflow.

主权项

1. An electronic interconnecting chassis comprising:
a plurality of y-plane boards, each of said y-plane boards having a normal substantially parallel to a y-axis; a plurality of z-plane boards, each of said z-plane hoards having a normal substantially parallel to a z-axis; y-z connectors that connect z-plane boards to y-plane boards, the y-z connectors making electrical connection between the y-plane boards and the z-plane boards; a plurality of z-divider boards for the plurality of z-plane boards, each z-divider board having one or more connectors for connecting to one or more adjacent y-plane boards of the plurality of y-plane boards and having a middle connector on the z-divider board near a middle edge between opposing edges of the z-divider board, and wherein each z-divider board has wiring traces that electrically connect the middle connector to the y-z connectors connecting the z-divider board to one or more y-plane boards; a plurality of removable boards, each removable board having one or more integrated circuits mounted thereon and wiring traces formed therein that connect the one or more integrated circuits to a mating connector, and each removable board being substantially parallel to the z-divider boards; a carrier structure for supporting the plurality of removable boards and for guiding each removable board into position near a middle connector of a z-divider board so that the mating connector on the removable board makes electrical connection with the middle connector on the z-divider board; and a fan bank having fans for blowing air in a direction that is substantially parallel to the plurality of z-divider boards and the plurality of removable boards, wherein the air passes in a substantially parallel path along surfaces of the removable boards and surfaces of the z-divider boards, and wherein the air is not substantially blocked by the removable boards, the z-divider boards, and the y-plane boards.