Server

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119( a ) on Patent Application No(s). 201611140797.0 filed in China on Dec. 12, 2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The disclosure relates to an electronic device, more particularly to a server.

With development of electronic technology, servers have become a data process system which is widely used in many fields. A server usually has a motherboard, power supply, various types of computer disk, fan etc.

In order to provide better service for users, server manufacturers are trying to improve the performance of their servers. Generally, the performance of the server is increased with the amount of the components in the server. For example, the storage capacity of the server will be increased if the amount of the hard disks is increased. In another example, the heat dissipation capability of the server will be increased if the amount of the fans is increased.

The present disclosure provides a server which is favorable for the expansion of the components therein.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides a server including a motherboard, a base, a back plate, a hard disk and a fan module. The base is fixed on the motherboard. The back plate is placed upright on the base. The back plate and the base jointly form a fan accommodating space and a hard disk accommodating space. The back plate has a first side face and a second side face. The first side face faces the fan accommodating space. The second side face faces the hard disk accommodating space. The back plate is electrically connected to the motherboard. The hard disk is located in the hard disk accommodating space and electrically connected to the back plate. The fan module is located in the fan accommodating space and electrically connected to the back plate. The fan module is electrically connected to the motherboard via the back plate.

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a server according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the server in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a fan module in FIG. 2 ; and

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the fan module in FIG. 2 .

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 . FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a server according to one embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the server in FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a fan module in FIG. 2 , and FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the fan module in FIG. 2 .

In this embodiment, a serve 10 is provided. The server 10 includes a motherboard 100 , a base 200 , a back plate 300 , a plurality of hard disks 400 and two fan modules 500 .

The motherboard 100 is mounted with, for example, a central process unit (CPU), a graphics card, a memory and an expansion card (not shown). The base 200 is fixed to the motherboard 100 via a fastener 600 . The base 200 has a plurality of fastening holes 210 and a plurality of blocks 220 .

The back plate 300 is, for example, a circuit board. The back plate 300 is placed upright on the base 200 , and is electrically connected to the motherboard 100 . The base 200 and the back plate 300 jointly form a fan accommodating space S 1 and a hard disk accommodating space S 2 which are respectively located on two sides of the back plate 300 which are opposite to each other. The fastening holes 210 and the blocks 220 of the base 200 are located in the fan accommodating space S 1 .

In addition, the back plate 300 includes a first side face 310 and a second side face 320 . The first side face 310 faces the fan accommodating space S 1 , and the second side face 320 faces the hard disk accommodating space S 2 . The first side face 310 has a first connector 311 . The second side face 320 has a plurality of second connectors 321 .

The hard disks 400 are located in the hard disk accommodating space S 2 . Each hard disk 400 has a fourth connector 410 . The fourth connectors 410 of the hard disks 400 are respectively electrically connected to the second connectors 321 of the back plate 300 .

The fan modules 500 are located in the fan accommodating space S 1 . Each fan module 500 includes a frame 510 , two fans 520 and a plurality of fasteners 530 . The frame 510 further includes two mounting holes 511 . Each of the mounting holes 511 is, for example, a pear-shaped hole. Each of the mounting holes 511 has an enlarged portion 511 a and a reduced portion 511 b . The enlarged portion 511 a has a first width. The reduced portion 511 b has a second width. The block 220 has a third width. The first width of the enlarged portion 511 a is greater than the third width of the block 220 , and the second width of the reduced portion 511 b is less than the third width of the block 220 . The two fans 520 are mounted on the frame 510 . Each fan module 500 has a third connector 550 , and the two fans 520 are electrically connected to the third connector 550 . However, the present disclosure is not limited to the amount of the mounting holes 511 . In other embodiments, the frame may include only one mounting hole.

The mounting hole 511 of the frame 510 is slidably mounted on the block 220 of the base 200 . The third connector 550 of the fan module 500 is electrically connectable to the back plate 300 , so that the fan module 500 is able to be electrically connected to the motherboard 100 via the back plate 300 . In addition, the fan module 500 further includes a fixed elastic plate 540 . The fixed elastic plate 540 is fixed to the frame 510 and has a plurality of fastening structures 541 . The fastening structures 541 are detachably hooked to the fastening holes 210 , so that the fan modules 500 are fixed to the base 200 .

In this embodiment, the server 10 further includes a cable assembly 700 . The third connector 550 of the fan module 500 and the back plate 300 are connected to each other via the cable assembly 700 . The cable assembly 700 includes two cable connectors 710 and 720 , and a cable part 730 connected to the cable connectors 710 and 720 . The cable connectors 710 and 720 are electrically connected to the first connector 311 and the third connector 550 , so that the fan module 500 is electrically connected to the back plate 300 .

In this embodiment, the mounting holes 511 and the blocks 220 are able to be connected without using screws, which is favorable for efficiently assembling the fan modules 500 to the base 200 .

In this embodiment, the server 10 further includes a holder 800 . The holder 800 is fixed to the base 200 and located in the fan accommodating space S 1 . The holder 800 and the back plate 300 are separated apart from each other. The holder 800 and the back plate 300 jointly form a space S 3 therebetween, for cable management. The cable connectors 710 are mounted on the holder 800 , and at least a part of the cable part 730 is located in the space S 3 , for the cable part 730 to be tidily placed in the space S 3 .

In this embodiment, the fan module 500 further includes two guiding protrusions 560 . The guiding protrusions 560 are mounted on the frame 510 . The holder 800 has four guiding holes 810 . When the fan module 500 is mounted on the base 200 , the guiding protrusions 560 respectively penetrate through the guiding holes 810 , so that the third connector 550 is precisely connected to the cable connector 710 on the holder 800 . However, the present disclosure is not limited to the amounts of the guiding protrusions 560 and guiding holes 810 . In other embodiments, the fan module may include only one guiding protrusion, and the holder may only have one guiding hole.

In this embodiment, the fan module 500 further includes a casing 570 . The casing 570 is fixed to the frame 510 . The casing 570 has an accommodating space S 4 . The third connector 550 , the cable assembly 700 and the holder 800 are located in the accommodating space S 4 .

According to the server as discussed above, the back plate is mounted on the base, and the back plate and the base jointly form the hard disk accommodating space and the fan accommodating space. Therefore, the fan and the hard disk share the same back plate; that is, the back plate is configured as a fan back plate and a hard disk back plate, simultaneously. Therefore, it is favorable for increasing the amounts of the hard disk and the fan in a limited space.

In addition, the fan modules are connected to the back plate via cable assembly, which is favorable for efficiently assembling the fan modules to the back plate.

Furthermore, the holder fixed to the base is separated apart from the back plate, so there is a space formed between the holder and the back plate for cable management. Therefore, the cable assembly is able to be placed in the space, which is favorable for improving the space utilization.