This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง119(a) on Patent Application No. 201110301786.7 filed in China on 2011/10/8, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an expansion module for an interface card, and more particularly to an expansion module, a computer case assembly having the expansion module, and a computer system having the expansion module.
2. Related Art
A common motherboard of a computer system includes various card slots. These card slots are used to be inserted by different interface cards. A common method of installing an interface card is that the interface card is arranged perpendicular to the motherboard, and the card-edge connector of the interface card is directly inserted into the card slot.
However, in a slim type computer, such as 1 U blade severs, the height inside the inner space of the computer case is small, and it is difficult to arrange the interface card perpendicular to the motherboard. Alternatively, a transfer circuit-board is inserted into the card slot at first, and then the card-edge connector of the interface card is inserted into the expansion slot of the transfer circuit-board. Therefore, the interface card is arranged in parallel to the motherboard to solve problems caused by the small height of the computer case. For example, US Utility patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,691 B1 and R. O. C. (Taiwan) Invention Patent I329485 (also disclosed as U.S. Pat. No. 7,639,488 B2) disclose the approaches of connecting the interface card to the motherboard through a transfer circuit-board connected to the motherboard.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,691 or I329,485, the computer case is a desktop case and the interface card is set in horizontal direction. In the case of an interface card without exposed I/O ports, usually there is no mechanical connection between the interface card and the computer case; such an interface card is only fixed and supported by the combination of forces between the interface card and the expansion slot. Under such a condition, the interface card usually behaves like a cantilever beam. The interface card swivels toward the motherboard and poor contact/connection results when vibration/shock/gravitational force is applied to the interface card. Poor contact/connection makes the computer system unstable. Even more seriously, the interface card could escape from the expansion card, resulting in computer system malfunction.
In the related art, when an interface card is connected to the motherboard via a transfer circuit-board, the interface card is only supported by the mechanical connection between the interface card and the expansion slot. The support of such a mechanical connection is weak, typically resulting in poor contact/connection, or the interface card escaping completely from the expansion slot.
Embodiments of this disclosure are directed to an expansion module, a computer case assembly, and a computer system, in which the interface card is firmly fixed to solve the problem of weak support when the interface card is connected to the motherboard via a transfer circuit-board.
One or more embodiment of this disclosure provides an expansion module for fixing an interface card and connecting the interface card electrically to a main circuit-board. The main circuit-board includes at least one card slot the interface card. The expansion module includes a transfer circuit-board, an expansion slot, a carrier body, and a latch.
The transfer circuit-board includes an electrical connector disposed at an edge of the transfer circuit-board. The electrical connector is used to be inserted into the card slot. The expansion slot is disposed on the transfer circuit-board and is connected electrically to the electrical connector. The expansion slot is provided into which the interface card can be inserted and connected electrically to the main circuit-board.
The carrier body provides an accommodating space for accommodating the interface card. The carrier body includes a bottom-plate and a lateral-frame. The transfer circuit-board is mounted onto the bottom-plate and located in the accommodating space. The lateral-frame extends from the bottom-plate to define the accommodating space between the bottom-plate and the lateral-frame.
The latch is pivoted to the lateral-frame and moves between a releasing position and a latching position. The latch includes a first clamping element. In the latching position, the latch clamps and fixes the interface card with the first clamping element, so as to provide additional support to prevent the interface card from swiveling or escaping from the expansion slot.
One or more embodiment of this disclosure further provides a computer case assembly, which includes a case body and an expansion module.
The case body includes an inner space. The case body further includes a hanging rack located in the inner space. The hanging rack at least includes a hanger part.
The expansion module is used to be installed in the inner space. The expansion module includes a transfer circuit-board, an expansion slot, a bottom-plate, a lateral-frame, a hanging groove, and a latch.
The transfer circuit-board at least includes an electrical connector disposed at an edge of the transfer circuit-board. The expansion slot is disposed on the transfer circuit-board and connected electrically to the electrical connector.
The transfer circuit-board is mounted onto the bottom-plate. The lateral-frame extends from the bottom-plate to define an accommodating space between the bottom-plate and the lateral-frame, and the transfer circuit-board is located in the accommodating space.
The hanging groove is formed on the lateral-frame. The hanger part of the hanging rack is used to be embedded into the hanging groove, so as to support and fix the lateral-frame in the case body. The latch is pivoted to the lateral-frame and moves between a releasing position and a latching position. The latch includes a first clamping element. At the latching position the first clamping element of the latch is set toward the accommodating space. When the interface card is placed into the accommodating space and inserted into the expansion slot, the latch clamps and fixes the interface card with the first clamping element at the latching position. The latch provides additional support to prevent the interface card from swiveling or escaping from the expansion slot.
One or more embodiment of this disclosure further provides a computer system, which includes a case body, a main circuit-board, a transfer circuit-board, an expansion slot, a bottom-plate, a lateral-frame, a hanging groove, an interface card, and a latch.
The case body includes an inner space defined therein, and a hanging rack is disposed to the case and located in the inner space. The hanging rack includes at least one hanger part. The main circuit-board is fixed to the case body and located in the inner space. The main circuit-board includes at least one card slot.
The transfer circuit-board includes an electrical connector disposed at an edge of the transfer circuit-board. The electrical connector is inserted into the card slot. The expansion slot is disposed on the transfer circuit-board and connected electrically to the electrical connector.
The transfer circuit-board is mounted onto the bottom-plate. The lateral-frame extends from the bottom-plate to define an accommodating space between the bottom-plate and the lateral-frame, and the transfer circuit-board is located in the accommodating space.
The hanging groove is formed on the lateral-frame. The hanger part of the hanging rack is used to be embedded into the hanging groove, so as to support and fix the lateral-frame in the case body.
The interface card is located in the accommodating space, inserted into the expansion slot, and connected electrically to the main circuit-board. The latch is pivoted to the lateral-frame and moves between a releasing position and a latching position. The latch includes a first clamping element. At latching position, the latch clamps and fixes the interface card with the first clamping element, so as to provide additional support to prevent the interface card from swiveling or escaping from the expansion slot.
According to embodiments of this disclosure, the latch clamps and fixes the interface card, so as to provide additional support. Consequently, the interface card is firmly fixed between the bottom-plate and the lateral-frame. Through the combination of the latch, the bottom-plate, and the lateral-frame, the expansion module prevents the interface card from swiveling toward the main circuit-board or escaping from the expansion slot, thus improving computer system operational stability.
This disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus not limitative of this disclosure, wherein:
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The pivoting piece 320 is pivoted to the top plate 122 of the lateral-frame 120 and located in parallel to the top plate 122, such that the latch 300 is pivoted to the lateral-frame 120. The first blocking piece 331 extends perpendicularly from the pivoting piece 320. The second blocking piece 332 extends perpendicularly from the first blocking piece 331, and the second blocking piece 332 is arranged perpendicular to the pivoting piece 320.
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The first clamping element 310 clamps one edge of the interface card 900 when the latch 300 moves to the latching position L. Meanwhile, the two adjacent edges of the interface card 900 are respectively blocked by the first blocking piece 331 and the second blocking piece 332. Consequently, the first clamping element 310 provides additional support to the interface card 900, and the first blocking piece 33 land the second blocking piece 332 prevent the interface card 900 from escaping from the expansion slot 220.
When the latch 300 moves to the releasing position R, the first clamping element 310 releases the interface card 900, and the first blocking piece 33 land the second blocking piece 332 also move away from the interface card 900. At this time, the interface card 900 can be removed from the expansion slot 220, or another interface card 900 can be inserted into the expansion slot 220.
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When the latch 300 moves to the latching position L from the releasing position R, the first blocking piece 331 of the latch 300 contacts the lug 124. Furthermore, the expansion module 3 further includes a fixing part 340. An example of the fixing part 340 is a push-pin lock. The fixing part 340 is used for penetrating the first blocking piece 331 and being fixed to the lug 124, so as to fix the latch 300 at the latching position L. The push-pin lock one of the examples of the fixing part 340, in other examples, the fixing part 340 is a hook, a thumb screw, etc.
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As described previously, the expansion module 3 is used to be installed in the inner space. The expansion module 3 includes a transfer circuit-board 210, an expansion slot 220, a carrier body 100, and a latch 300. The carrier body 100 includes a bottom-plate 110 and a lateral-frame 120.
Corresponding to the hanging rack 410 and the hanger part 420, the carrier body 100 further includes a hanging groove 125a form on the lateral-frame 120. The hanger part 420 of the hanging rack 410 is used to be embedded into the hanging groove 125a, so as to support the carrier body in the case body 400. In an example, the hanging groove 125a is formed at an edge of the back plate 125 of the lateral-frame 120.
The computer system 1 includes the above-described case body 400, a main circuit-board 800, the above-described expansion module 3, and an interface card 900. The expansion module 3 includes a transfer circuit-board 210, an expansion slot 220, and a carrier body 100. The carrier body 100 includes a bottom-plate 110 and a lateral-frame 120.
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As described previously, the interface card 900 is inserted into the expansion slot 220 on the transfer circuit-board 210, so as to be connected to the main circuit-board 800 through the transfer circuit-board 210. As the electrical connector 211 of the transfer circuit-board 210 is inserted into the card slot 810, the lateral-frame 120 of the carrier body 100 is placed into the case body 400 and located corresponding to the hanging rack 410. The hanger part 420 of the hanging rack 410 is then embedded into the hanging groove 125a. The hanger part 420 and supports and fixes the carrier body 100 in the case body 400, so as to form the computer system 1.
The latch 300 clamps and fixes the interface card 900 to provide additional support, so as to firmly fix the interface card 900 in the carrier body 100. When vibration, shock, or gravitational force is applied to the interface card 900, the carrier body 100 prevents the interface card 900 from swiveling toward the main circuit-board 800 or escaping from the expansion slot 220, so as to improve the operation stability of the computer system 1.
While the present invention has been described by the way of example and in terms of the embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201110301786.7 | Oct 2011 | CN | national |