This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 110139440, filed on Oct. 25, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The disclosure relates to a locking mechanism and electronic apparatus, and in particular to a locking mechanism and electronic apparatus including a linking member for linking the connecting rod to the fastener.
With the development of technology, the application of electronic devices is also becoming more and more popular. In particular, users have higher demands on the performance of electronic devices. Therefore, there are many expansion devices and electronic components that match the electronic devices on the market, as well as the lock mechanisms that are suitable for fixing the aforementioned expansion devices. However, the existing lock mechanisms are not satisfactory in all respects, and there is still room for improvement.
The present disclosure provides a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism includes a base, a connecting rod, a fastener and a linking member. The connecting rod penetrates the base and is rotatable relative to the base. The fastener penetrates the base and is rotatable relative to the base, wherein the connecting rod is disposed parallel to the fastener. The linking member is connected to, and configured to link up with, the connecting rod and the fastener.
The present disclosure provides an electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus includes a bottom plate, an expansion device disposed on the bottom plate and a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is configured to affix the expansion device onto the bottom plate, and includes: a base, a connecting rod, a fastener and a linking member. The connecting rod penetrates the base and is rotatable relative to the base. The fastener penetrates the base and is rotatable relative to the base, wherein the connecting rod is disposed parallel to the fastener. The linking member is connected to, and configured to link up with, the connecting rod and the fastener.
The disclosure may be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The locking mechanism and electronic apparatus of some embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the following description. However, it should be appreciated that the following detailed description of some embodiments of the disclosure provides various concepts of the present disclosure which may be performed in specific backgrounds that may vary widely. The specific embodiments disclosed are provided merely to clearly describe the usage of the present disclosure by some specific methods without limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
In addition, relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom,” “upper” or “top” may be used in the following embodiments in order to describe the relationship between one element and another element in the figures. It should be appreciated that if the device shown in the figures is flipped upside-down, the element located on the “lower” side may become the element located on the “upper” side.
It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, materials and/or portions, these elements, materials and/or portions are not limited by the above terms. These terms merely serve to distinguish different elements, materials and/or portions. Therefore, a first element, material and/or portion may be referred to as a second element, material and/or portion without departing from the teaching of some embodiments in the present disclosure. Unless defined otherwise, the first or second element, material and/or portion in the claims may be interpreted as any element, material and/or portion in the specification as long as it conforms to the description in the claims.
Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It should be appreciated that, in each case, the term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning that conforms to the relative skills of the present disclosure and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless so defined in the present disclosure. In addition, the terms “substantially,” “approximately” or “about” may also be recited in the present disclosure, and these terms are intended to encompass situations or ranges that is substantially or exact the same as the description herein. It should be noted that unless defined specifically, even if the above terms are not recited in the description, it should be read as the same meaning as those approximate terms are recited.
The expansion device 20 may be, for example, a riser card or the like, and may be electrically connected to the circuit board 15. At least one electronic component 30 may be connected to the expansion device 20. For example, the electronic component 30 may adopt a bus such as PCI Express (PCIe), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The locking mechanism 100 may be configured to affix the expansion device 20 onto the bottom plate 10. The structure and operation of the locking mechanism 100 will be further described below. In some embodiments, the expansion device 20 has a top surface 21 and an opening 22 formed on the top surface 21. The top surface 21 may be located above the electronic component 30 and at least partially cover the electronic component 30 to protect the electronic component 30. The opening 22 may be a substantially rectangular opening, and may expose a part of the locking mechanism 100 in a top view (i.e., on the X-Y plane), so as to facilitate the operation of the locking mechanism 100. In the present embodiment, the locking mechanism 100 may not protrude from the opening 22 (that is, the position of the locking mechanism 100 is lower than the top surface 21), thereby reducing the probability that the locking mechanism 100 interferes with the expansion device 20.
In addition, the locking mechanism 100 includes a base 110, a connecting rod 120, and a fastener 130. The base 110 may have a substantially rectangular structure. The connecting rod 120 may extend through the base 110 and be rotatable relative to the base 110. The fastener 130 may also extend through the base 110 and be rotatable relative to the base 110. More specifically, the connecting rod 120 and the fastener 130 may be arranged substantially parallel to each other, and respectively protrude from the base 110 from opposite sides of the base 110. For example, the connecting rod 120 protrudes from the base 110 toward the top surface 21, and the fastener 130 may protrude from the base 110 toward the circuit board 15. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may adjust the configuration of the connecting rod 120 and the fastener 130 based on the content of the present disclosure, and will not be discussed in detail below. For example, the fastener 130 may be a screw, which is suitable for being fixed in the hole 16 in the circuit board 15. The fastener 130 and the hole 16 may have corresponding threads, and the fastener 130 may be fixed in the hole 16 by rotating the fastener 130 in the hole 16. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any component is acceptable as long as the fastener 130 may be affixed to the hole 16. The connecting rod 120 may drive the fastener 130 to rotate via a linking member (for example, referring to
In some embodiments, the locking mechanism 100 further includes a frame 150 disposed around the base 110 and the connecting rod 120, so as to protect the internal components of the locking mechanism 100. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the frame 150 has a plurality of side sections 151 and an annular sidewall 152 that are connected to each other. The base 110 may be accommodated in a space S that is surrounded by the side sections 151, and the connecting rod 120 may be located in the annular sidewall 152. In addition, the frame 150 may also be affixed to the expansion device 20 via a fastener (not shown), so that the expansion device 20 may be affixed by the locking mechanism 100. For example, screws may be disposed to penetrate the frame 150 and the expansion device 20, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
In addition, the locking mechanism 100 further includes a latch 160 and a preloading element 170. In some embodiments, the connecting rod 120 has a first end 121 and a second end 122 that are opposite each other. The first end 121 may be connected to the first gear 141, and the second end 122 may be connected to the latch 160. The latch 160 may be used to operate the locking mechanism 100 (for example, to rotate the connecting rod 120), which may improve the convenience of operating the locking mechanism 100. In the present embodiment, the preloading element 170 may support the locking mechanism 100 when the locking mechanism 100 is not locked. More specifically, the preloading element 170 may be connected to the connecting rod 120 (for example, disposed at the second end 122 of the connecting rod 120), and may apply force to the connecting rod 120 to position the locking mechanism 100 at a specific position. Although the preloading element 170 is shown as a spring in this embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any element that may apply force to the connecting rod 120 to position the locking mechanism 100 is acceptable. For example, the preloading element 170 may also be a hydraulic element or any other suitable extendable element.
In some embodiments, a plurality of positioning portions 153 may be disposed in the annular sidewall 152 of the frame 150. The positioning portions 153 may be arranged along the inner edge of the annular sidewall 152 and suitable for positioning the connecting rod 120 and stably setting the connecting rod 120 in the frame 150. For example, after the connecting rod 120 is assembled into the frame 150, the positioning portions 153 may abut the connecting rod 120. Although a specific number of positioning portions 153 is illustrated in this embodiment, it merely serves as an example. Those skilled in the art may adjust the number and positions of positioning portions 153 based on the content of the present disclosure.
In addition, the frame 150 may has a first section 155 and a second section 156. In some embodiments, the main surfaces of the first section 155 and the second section 156 may be substantially perpendicular to each other. For example, the main surface of the first section 155 may be substantially parallel to the X-Z plane, and the main surface of the second section 156 may be substantially parallel to the X-Y plane, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. At least one first hole 155A may be formed on the first section 155. Similarly, at least one second hole 156A may also be formed on the second section 156. Fasteners (such as screws or any other suitable elements) may be disposed in the first hole 155A and the second hole 156A to affix to the expansion device 20. In some embodiments, the first section 155 and the second section 156 may be disposed corresponding to the expansion device 20 (for example, to be attached to different surfaces of the expansion device 20) to strengthen the fixation between the frame 150 and the expansion device 20. For example, the first section 155 may be attached to the side surface 23 of the expansion device 20, and the second section 156 may be attached to the top surface 21 of the expansion device 20, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, the second gear 142 and the fastener 130 may be first assembled together from opposite sides of the base 110. Next, the first gear 141 and the connecting rod 120 (along with the latch 160 and the preloading element 170) are assembled to the base 110 on the side that is opposite the fastener 130. Subsequently, the above structure may be combined with the frame 150 so that the connecting rod 120 abuts against the positioning portions 153 of the frame 150, and the base 110 is also accommodated in the corresponding space in the frame 150, thus completing the assembly of the locking mechanism 100. Next, the locking mechanism 100 may be combined with the expansion device 20. It should be noted that the annular sidewall 152 and the positioning portions 153 of the frame 150 may be semicircular (for example, on the X-Y plane), so that the connecting rod 120 can be easily installed to the frame 150.
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In summary, the present disclosure provides a locking mechanism and an electronic apparatus with a linkage member for linking up between a connecting rod and a fastener. By setting the linkage member to make the connecting rods and the fastener, whose central axes are offset from each other, move in conjunction, the locking mechanism may be suitable for the expansion device of a specific size, and the performance and design flexibility of the electronic apparatus may be improved. In addition, the connecting rod, the fastener and the base may have multiple contact points, so as to keep the structure of the connecting rod and the fastener as upright as possible, thereby improving the accuracy of operating the locking mechanism, or reducing the probability that the fastener of the locking mechanism cannot be locked in the hole of the electronic apparatus.
While the embodiments and the advantages of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that those skilled in the art may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the processes, machines, manufacture, composition, devices, methods and steps in the specific embodiments described in the specification. Those skilled in the art may understand existing or developing processes, machines, manufacture, compositions, devices, methods and steps from some embodiments of the present disclosure. As long as those may perform substantially the same function in the aforementioned embodiments and obtain substantially the same result, they may be used in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure includes the aforementioned processes, machines, manufacture, composition, devices, methods, and steps. Furthermore, each of the appended claims constructs an individual embodiment, and the scope of the present disclosure also includes every combination of the appended claims and embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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110139440 | Oct 2021 | TW | national |