This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-52232, filed on Mar. 5, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The embodiments discussed herein are related to an electronic apparatus.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand that a space between adjacent large-scale electronic apparatuses, such as large-scale servers and large-scale computers be reduced as much as possible in relation to installation of the large-scale electronic apparatuses. This is because it is preferred for a large number of large-scale electronic apparatuses to be installed within a limited floor space. On the other hand, however, there may be cases where the reduction in space between adjacent electronic apparatuses (especially, the space between adjacent installed electronic apparatuses in a front-rear direction) is difficult to achieve when considering a removal operation of substrates attached inside a cabinet. The large-scale electronic apparatus includes a cabinet. On the side of a rear-face plate inside the cabinet, there are disposed one or more connectors. A fitting face of each of the one or more connectors faces on the side of a front face of the cabinet. For example, a main substrate is attached inside the cabinet. This main substrate includes connectors that face their fitting faces on the side of the front face of the cabinet. Other substrates are electrically connected to the main substrate through the other connectors. In other words, the other substrates are electrically connected in a vertical manner relative to the main substrate installed along the rear-face plate of the cabinet. In the above case, the fitting direction of the connector is vertical relative to the main substrate. Due to this fitting direction, the other substrate is preferably extracted in the vertical direction relative to the main substrate in removing the other substrate from the main substrate. When the other substrate is extracted in the vertical direction relative to the main substrate and removed from the side of the front face of the cabinet, it is desirable that a space between one electronic apparatus and another electronic apparatus is at least substantially equal to or greater than the dimension of depth of the other substrate.
Due to the circumstance discussed above, it has been conventionally very difficult to reduce the space between the installed electronic apparatuses in the front-rear direction. That is to say, a reduction in the space between the installed cabinets in the front-rear direction without considering its results have been very difficult to achieve over the years.
To address the circumstance discussed above, removal of the substrate from the side face of the cabinet allows the installation of the electronic apparatuses with a reduced space in a front-rear direction. One or more aisles for an administrator performing maintenance are provided in installing a large number of electronic apparatuses in an arranged manner. Since such an aisle typically has a certain degree of width, operations of removing the substrate from the side face of the cabinet may be facilitated by taking advantage of the one or more aisles provided beside the side faces of the electronic apparatuses.
Japanese Laid down-open Patent Publication No. 10-178289 discusses a board that is removable from a side face of a cabinet. For example, it is discussed a frame, which is formed in combination with an actuator bar having a substantially U-shaped channel, serves as a support of a circuit board. A side face part of the frame is equipped with slots that slidably receive pins extending across the channel of the actuator bar. This slot is inclined, and when the actuator bar is pushed forward, the direction of motion of the frame is converted in line therewith. That is to say, the frame is capable of being moved in a vertical direction relative to a main board disposed along a rear-face plate inside a cabinet. As a result thereof, connectors disposed at an edge of the circuit board held by the frame may be fitted, in a vertical manner, with mating connectors on a main board.
According to an embodiment of the invention, an electronic apparatus includes a cabinet which includes a first face capable of being opened, a second face vertical relative to the first face, and a third face facing the second face. The electronic apparatus further includes a first connector which is disposed over the second face inside the cabinet and a fitting face of which faces the third face, and a substrate unit which includes a second connector fitted with the first connector, a first edge included in the second connector, a second edge on an opposite side of the first edge, and an engaging part disposed on the second edge. A movable part capable of engaging with the engaging part and the substrate unit engaged with the movable part by a jig including a handle part capable of causing the movable part to move are caused to move back and forth in a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector.
The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
Since the actuator bar, described above, integrally in combination with the frame is housed within the cabinet, the actuator bar is not capable of being removed. For this reason, it is desired that the actuator bar be prepared with respect to each of the frames. Furthermore, the motion of the frame moving toward the main board is achieved by converting the motion of the actuator bar pushed forward in a horizontal direction. However, there may be a possibility that pressing force for achieving enough fitting force between the connectors is not obtained.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings. Note, however, that dimensions, proportions, and so on of respective parts may not be illustrated so that the dimensions, the proportions, and so on thereof correctly reflect an actual electronic apparatus system, in the drawings. Moreover, there may be cases where details of the respective parts are omitted in the drawings.
The electronic apparatus system 1 includes an insertion-extraction jig 6 which is attached to the detachable-attachable substrate 4 and by which the second connector 5 is inserted into, and extracted from, the first connector 3. As described above, by virtue of the reinforcement member 42 (illustrated in
The fixed substrate 7 typically called a “back plane board” is vertically disposed on the side of the rear face plate 2b inside the cabinet 2. The first connector 3 is (or in an alternative embodiment the first connectors 3 are) disposed on the fixed substrate 7.
Both of
The jig-side engaging parts 61a may have shapes capable of being engaged with the engaging grooves 41a. In consequence, friction produced during sliding can be reduced by forming their shapes as the pin-shape members, although it is also possible to form their shapes like rails.
The insertion-extraction jig 6 further includes a handle part 62 by which the operation part 61 is caused to move back and forth.
The insertion-extraction jig 6 includes a main body part 63 having pin members 63a thereon. The pin members 63a are detachably attached to the main body part 63 and are inserted through crank grooves 61b of the operation part 61, as will be described below. The handle member 62 is formed in a lever-like shape having a slide groove 62a. The handle member 62 is held via a point-of-effort shaft 64 by a shaft hole 61b formed at an end of the operation part 61 and is connected via a fulcrum shaft 65, inserted through the slide groove 62a, with the main body part 63. With the above mechanism, the operation part 61 movable relative to the main body part 63 may be achieved by applying rotational motion in which the fulcrum shaft 65 serves as a fulcrum, to the handle member 62.
The operation part 61 includes the crank grooves 61b with which the pin members 63a are engaged. In addition, the operation part 61 is caused to move back and forth in the fitting direction of the first connector 3 and the second connector 5 by the pin members 63a relatively moving along the crank grooves 61b by the handle member 62 being operated. That is to say, the operation part 61 is retractably attached to the main body part 63.
The insertion-extraction jig 6 with the structure described above is not only capable of moving the operation part 61 back toward the main body part 63 as illustrated in
In addition, the main body part 63 includes a positioning member 63b (in
In installing or removing the detachable-attachable substrate 4 into or from the cabinet 2, the insertion-extraction jig 6 assumes the state as indicated by
Altering a width “a” of the crank groove 61b allows an insertion-extraction stroke “b” to be adjusted.
Next, the guide member 8 included in the cabinet 2 will be described with reference to
The position of the guide piece 8a1 is specified such that the second connector 5 does not impede the first connector 3 when the insertion-extraction substrate 4 is installed inside the cabinet 2.
In addition, the guide member 8 includes stoppers 8b and 8c at a far side in the installing direction of the detachable-attachable substrate 4. When the detachable-attachable substrate 4 is installed inside the cabinet 2, the detachable-attachable substrate 4 is pressed thereinto until the detachable-attachable substrate 4 comes in contact with the stoppers 8b and 8c. A plurality stages of such guide members 8 is disposed inside the cabinet 2.
Note that the detachable-attachable substrate 4, which has been installed into the cabinet 2 inside which the first connector 3 and the second connector 5 has been fitted with each other, may be kept in a state where the detachable-attachable substrate 4 is only put onto the guide member 8 or may be fixed to the guide member 8 with screws and so on. With the fixation, influences due to vibration or the like of the detachable-attachable substrate 4 may be alleviated.
Next, how to use the insertion-extraction jig will be described.
In installing the detachable-attachable substrate 4 inside the cabinet 2, the insertion-extraction jig 6 is attached to the detachable-attachable substrate 4. To attach the insertion-extraction jig 6 to the detachable-attachable substrate 4, first, as described with reference to
When an end of the detachable-attachable substrate 4 has come in contact with the stoppers 8b and 8c, and the installation of the detachable-attachable substrate 4 into the cabinet 2 is completed, subsequent thereto, operation of fitting the second connector 5 with the first connector 3 is carried out.
To fit the first connector 3 with the second connector 5, as illustrated in
The forward motion of the operation part 61 allows the detachable-attachable substrate 4, on which the substrate-side engaging part 41 (engaging grooves 41a) is engaged with the jig-side engaging parts 61a, moving toward the fixed substrate 7. Then, as illustrated in a lower part of
After completion of the fitting of the first connector 3 and the second connector 5, as illustrated in
The insertion-extraction jig 6 after completion of the fitting operation of one detachable-attachable substrate 4 may be used for the subsequent operation of inserting or extracting the other detachable-attachable substrate 4.
On the other hand, when the detachable-attachable substrate 4, having been installed inside the cabinet 2 inside which the second connector 5 has been fitted with the first connector 5, is removed from the cabinet 2, an operation inverse to the installation operation is performed. That is, first, the handle member 62 is caused to stand, the operation part 61 is inserted from the side of the side face 2c of the cabinet 2 while maintaining the state where the operation part 61 is moved forward, and the jig-side engaging parts 61a are engaged with the substrate-side engaging part 41. In other words, the pin members 63a of the jig-side engaging parts 61a are slid along the engaging grooves 41a until the pin members 63a come in contact with the stopper 8b, so that the jig-side engaging parts 61a is engaged with the substrate-side engaging part 41. With the above operation, the state illustrated in the lower part of
Thereafter, the handle member 62 is operated so that the handle member 62 is inclined as illustrated in the upper part of
After the second connector 5 has been extracted from the first connector 3, the detachable-attachable substrate 4 is caused to be slid on the guide member 8 with the insertion-extraction jig 6 to remove the detachable-attachable substrate 4 from the side of the side face 2c of the cabinet 2 while maintaining the state where the handle member 62 is inclined. At this point of time, increasing friction force between the substrate-side engaging part 41 and the jig-side engaging parts 61a while applying force on the side where the handle member 62 is further inclined facilitates the removal of the detachable-attachable substrate 4 and the insertion-extraction jig 6 adapted to be joined together.
As described hereinabove, use of the insertion-extraction jig 6 according to the embodiment not only allows the installation and the removal of the detachable-attachable substrate 4 into and from the side of the side face 2c of the cabinet 2 but also allows the insertion and extraction of the second connector 5 into and from the first connector 3. As a result thereof, when the cabinets 2 are installed, a space between the cabinets 2 spaced apart in the front-rear direction is capable of being reduced.
At this point of time, the insertion-extraction jig 6 is capable of exerting strong fitting force between the connectors and strong extraction force by rotating the handle member 62. Moreover, such force is capable of being made stronger with greater momentum being produced by making the handle member 62 longer.
In addition, since the insertion-extraction jig 6 is capable of being detachably attached to the insertion-extraction substrate 4, preparing only one insertion-extraction jig 6 allows the insertion-extraction operation for the plurality of detachable-attachable substrate 4 to be carried out. That is, preparing the insertion-extraction jig 6 with respect to each of the detachable-attachable substrates 4 is unnecessary, and thus, this is more efficient.
The electronic apparatus system according to the embodiment includes an advantageous effect in which an insertion-extraction jig capable of inserting and extracting a substrate to and from a side face of a cabinet is detachably attached to the substrate, so that strong fitting force between connectors may be achieved.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the present inventions have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-52232 | Mar 2009 | JP | national |