Compact front to back horizontal cooling for rack mounted chassis

1. An electronic communications cooling system comprising:

an electronic communications device providing an electronic communications module having a chassis with a front, a back and sides extending between and connecting said front and back;

a stack of line cards comprising printed circuit boards, said line cards being spaced from each other to form passageways therebetween;

an inlet side cooling plenum positioned adjacent one side of said line cards for passing influent cooling air to said passageways between said line cards;

an outlet side cooling plenum positioned adjacent another side of said line cards for receiving and passing effluent heated air from said passageways between said line cards;

dual plenum chambers positioned above or below said line cards and separated by a fluid impermeable plate, said dual plenum chambers comprising an intake cooling chamber and an exhaust cooling chamber;

at least one fan module for circulating air in said electronic communications module in a front to back flow pattern; and

said fan module cooperating with said cooling chambers, plenums, and passageways to cool heat generated by said line card by directing the flow of influent cooling air through said intake cooling chamber, said inlet side cooling plenum, and said passageways between said line cards and for directing the flow of effluent heated air from said passageways between said line cards through said outlet side cooling plenum and through said exhaust cooling chamber for front to back cooling of said electronic communications device.

2. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fan module comprises a fan tray.

3. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fan module comprises an intake fan module.

4. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fan module comprises an exhaust fan module.

5. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fan module comprises a chassis deep fan tray.

6. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fan module comprises a panel fan tray.

7. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 including at least one power supply positioned below said line cards.

8. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plate comprises a barrier wall extending diagonally between and connecting said front and back.

9. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plate comprises an upright partition extending diagonally between and connecting said sides.

10. An electronic communications cooling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electronics communications device is selected from the group consisting of: an electronic communication module, a rack-mounted electronic communications device, digital television broadcast module, digital video transmitter, digital video receiver, digital video transceiver, digital video streaming device, telecommunications device, network infrastructure equipment, network routers, network switches and combinations of any of the preceding.

11. An electronic communications cooling process, comprising the steps of:

generating heat from a stack of line cards comprising printed circuit boards in a chassis providing a frame of a housing of an electronic communications device;

emitting the heat generated from said line cards into spaces providing printed circuit board (PCB) passageways between said line cards;

cooling said electronic communications device by circulating air and carrying away said heat in the PCB-passageways, said cooling including front to back circulation of air from the front to the back of said chassis of said electronic communications device, said front to back circulation including:

directing flow of influent cooling air generally horizontally through an intake cooling plenum chamber positioned above said stack of line cards;

is passing said influent cooling air downwardly through an inlet side cooling plenum positioned adjacent one side of said stack of line cards;

propelling said influent cooling air sideways, laterally and generally horizontally across said PCB-passageways between said line cards to remove and carry heat generated by said line cards;

passing effluent heated air from said PCB-passageways positioned adjacent another side of said stack of line cards and generally opposite said inlet side cooling plenum generally upwardly through an outlet side cooling plenum;

discharging said effluent heated air through an exhaust cooling plenum chamber positioned above said stack of line cards and separated from said intake cooling plenum chamber by a fluid-impermeable plate;

deflecting the flow of influent cooling air with an inlet deflecting surface on one side of said fluid-impermeable plate in said intake cooling plenum chamber; and

deflecting the flow of effluent heated air with an outlet deflection surface on an opposite side of said fluid-impermeable plate in said exhaust cooling plenum chamber.

12. An electronic communications cooling process in accordance with claim 11 wherein said air is directed, passed, propelled or discharged by at least one fan module selected from the group consisting of: a fan tray, an intake fan module, an exhaust fan module, a chassis deep fan tray, a panel fan tray, and combinations of any of the preceding.

13. An electronic communications cooling process in accordance with claim 11 wherein said air is directed, passed, propelled or discharged by at least one fan module positioned at at least one location selected from the group consisting of: said front, back, and one of said sides of said electronic communications device.

14. An electronic communications cooling process in accordance with claim 11 including positioning at least one power supply below said line cards.

15. An electronic communications cooling process in accordance with claim 11 wherein said electronics communications device is selected from the group consisting of: an electronic communication module, a rack-mounted electronic) communications device, digital television broadcast module, digital video transmitter, digital video receiver, digital video transceiver, digital video streaming device, telecommunications device, network infrastructure equipment network routers, network switches, and combinations of any of the preceding.

16. An electronic communications cooling system, comprising:

a rack-mounted electronic communications device providing an electronic communications module having a chassis comprising a frame of a housing with elongated substantially parallel longitudinal sides including a longitudinal intake side and a longitudinal outlet side and lateral substantially parallel transverse sides extending between and connecting said longitudinal sides, a top surface providing a top extending between and connected to said longitudinal sides and said lateral sides, an underside comprising a bottom surface providing a bottom positioned below and substantially parallel to said top surface and extending between and connected to said longitudinal sides and said lateral sides, a front comprising, one of said lateral sides, and a back positioned opposite of said front and comprising another of said lateral sides; said chassis containing;

at least one upright vertical stack of line cards extending longitudinally in said chassis, a card cage for receiving and holding said line cards, each of said line cards comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) with electronic circuitry and electrical components thereon, said line cards being vertically spaced from each other to form generally horizontal PCB-passageways therebetween, said electrical components and said line cards generating heat in said PCB-passageways;

an inlet upright side cooling plenum providing an upright inlet duct section positioned laterally from said line cards and pneumatically communicating with said PCB-passageways for providing an inlet cooling pathway for passing influent cooling air downwardly and to said PCB-passageways;

an outlet upright side cooling plenum providing an upright outlet duct section positioned laterally opposite of said inlet duct section and laterally from said line cards and pneumatically communicating with said PCB-passageways for providing) an outlet cooling pathway for receiving heated air from said PCB-passageways and passing the effluent heated air upwardly;

dual plenum chambers in general horizontal alignment with each other and positioned above said line cards below and in proximity to said top surface of said chassis, said dual plenum chambers being separated and partitioned by a diagonal upright vertical barrier wall providing a fluid-impervious baffle, deflector, plate and partition, said dual plenum chambers comprising an intake cooling chamber providing an inlet compartment and an exhaust cooling chamber providing an outlet compartment;

said intake cooling chamber having an intake opening and mouth providing an intake port positioned in proximity to said front of said chassis for ingress of influent ambient air and an exit opening providing an outlet port positioned in proximity to said longitudinal intake side of said chassis for egress of influent ambient air;

said barrier wall having an upright inlet deflection surface providing an intake vane facing towards said intake cooling chamber for directing and deflecting the influent ambient air from said intake port to said outlet port;

an input fan tray providing an intake fan module and assembly positioned above said line cards and pneumatically communicating with and positioned adjacent said intake cooling chamber and said inlet cooling plenum for drawing influent ambient air into said intake pun through said intake cooling chamber and injecting and propelling said influent ambient air downwardly through said inlet cooling plenum and generally horizontally through and laterally across said PCB-passageways to said outlet cooking plenum;

said exhaust cooling chamber having an inlet opening providing an inlet port positioned in proximity to said longitudinal outlet side of said chassis for ingress of is effluent heated air from said outlet cooling plenum and an exhaust opening comprising a discharge vent providing an exhaust port positioned in proximity to said back of said chassis;

said barrier wall having an upright outlet deflection surface providing an outlet vane facing towards said exhaust cooling chamber for directing and deflecting the effluent heated air from said inlet port to said exhaust port in said exhaust cooling chamber; and

an output fan tray providing an exhaust fan module and assembly positioned above said line cards and pneumatically communicating with and positioned adjacent said exhaust cooling chamber and said outlet cooling plenum for drawing effluent heat air from said PCB-passageways and upwardly through said outlet cooling plenum and injecting and propelling said effluent heated air through said exhaust cooling chamber and exiting said effluent heated air through said discharge vent in proximity to said back of said chassis at a temperature greater than said ambient air.

17. An electronic communications system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said rack-mountable electronic communications device is selected from the group consisting of: a digital television broadcast module, digital video transmitter, digital video receiver digital video transceiver, digital video streaming device, telecommunications device, network infrastructure equipment, network routers network switches and combinations of any of the preceding.

18. An electronic communications system in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

said fan trays comprise longitudinally-extending chassis deep fan trays including an input chassis deep fan tray extending longitudinally along and in proximity to said longitudinal intake side and an output chassis deep fan tray extending longitudinally along and in proximity to said longitudinal outlet side;

said intake cooling chamber comprises a converging generally triangular contraction and compression intake cooling chamber converging toward said back of is said chassis;

said exhaust cooling chamber comprises a diverging generally triangular expansion exhaust cooling chamber diverging toward said back of said chassis; and

said barrier wall comprises a substantially planar barrier wall extending longitudinally and diagonally connecting said front and back of said chassis.

19. An electronic communications system in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

said fan trays comprise laterally-extending panel fan trays including a front panel fan tray extending laterally along and in proximity to said front of said chassis and a back panel fan tray extending laterally along and in proximity to said back of said chassis;

said intake cooling chamber comprises a generally triangular intake cooling chamber as viewed front said top;

said exhaust cooling chamber comprises a generally triangular exhaust cooling chamber as viewed from said top; and

said barrier wall comprises a substantially planar barrier will extending laterally and diagonally connecting said lateral sides.

20. An electronic communications system in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

said barrier wall comprises a backplane or a midplane;

said line cards comprise an array of different level dual-in-line cards; and

power supplies are positioned below said line cards in proximity to said bottom of said chassis.