The present invention relates generally to a locking mechanism, and more specifically, to a locking mechanism for riser modules in computing systems.
Computing systems typically have electronic components housed in a chassis. Examples of computing systems include desktop computers, blade servers, rack-mount servers, etc. For organizational purposes, the electronic components can be grouped or housed in cages within the chassis of the computing system. For example, Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) riser cages or PCIe riser modules can be used to house one or more PCIe riser cards that accept one or more PCIe cards. In some examples, the PCIe cards can be graphics processing unit (GPU) cards, network interface cards, PCIe storage cards, etc. The electronic components housed in the chassis may need to be replaced or serviced by a service technician. During service, the electronic components may need to be removed. Gaining access to electronic components housed in cages (e.g., PCIe riser cages) may require removal of the cages to replace or service the housed electronic components. Physical force exerted by the service technician to remove the cages in the chassis can be excessive. The present disclosure provides solutions that at least reduce difficulty associated with assembling and disassembling caged components of computing systems.
The term embodiment and like terms, e.g., implementation, configuration, aspect, example, and option, are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this disclosure and the claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the claims below. Embodiments of the present disclosure covered herein are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the disclosure and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. This summary is also not intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim.
According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a computing system includes a chassis and a cage. The chassis includes one or more locking hooks. The cage includes a handlebar, a bar-linkage assembly, and a crank coupled to both the handlebar and the bar-linkage assembly. Rotating the handlebar from an unlocked position to a locked position lowers the cage relative to the chassis until the cage is locked in the one or more locking hooks of the chassis.
In some implementations, the bar-linkage assembly includes a first bar, a second bar, a third bar, and a fourth bar. The second bar is coupled to the first bar, the third bar, and the fourth bar. The fourth bar is coupled the crank. The first bar and the third bar engage with the one or more locking hooks of the chassis. In some implementations, rotating the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position rotates the first bar in a same direction as the handlebar and rotates the third bar in an opposite direction than the first bar and the handlebar.
In some implementations, rotating the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position increases (i) an angle between the second bar and the first bar and (ii) an angle between the second bar and the third bar. In some implementations, the first bar includes a first locking protrusion and the third bar includes a second locking protrusion. The first and second locking protrusions engage the one or more locking hooks of the chassis to facilitate lowering the cage relative to the chassis. In some implementations, the locking protrusions engaging with the one or more locking hooks of the chassis causes the cage to lower relative to the chassis when the handlebar is rotated from the unlocked position to the locked position. In some implementations, the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion move toward each other when the handlebar is rotated from the unlocked position to the locked position.
In some implementations, the chassis further includes one or more guides coupled to the second bar to prevent a rotation of the second bar. Rotating the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position causes the second bar to move along the one or more guides toward the crank. In some implementations, the first bar includes a first gliding section and the third bar includes a second gliding section so that rotating the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position causes the second bar to glide along the first gliding section and the second gliding section.
In some implementations, at least a portion of the second bar has a curvature that matches a curvature of the crank. In some implementations, the crank has a teardrop shape, and the crank is coupled to the bar-linkage assembly at the tip of the teardrop shape. In some implementations, the cage includes one or more electronic components with a first connector such that lowering the cage relative to the chassis mates the first connector with a second connector on a circuit board of the computing system.
According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a computing system includes a chassis and a cage. The chassis includes a locking hook. The cage includes a handlebar, a bar-linkage assembly, and a crank. The handlebar is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. The bar-linkage assembly has a plurality of interconnected bars. At least one bar of the plurality of interconnected bars has a locking protrusion. The crank couples the handlebar to the bar-linkage assembly. The crank rotates in response to movement of the handlebar. Rotation of the crank causes engagement or disengagement between the locking protrusion and the locking hook. The locking protrusion is engaged to the locking hook in the unlocked position. The locking protrusion is disengaged from the locking hook in the locked position.
In some implementations, the plurality of interconnected bars includes a first bar, a second bar, a third bar, and a fourth bar. The second bar is coupled to the first bar, the third bar, and the fourth bar. The fourth bar is coupled the crank. The locking protrusion is a plurality of locking protrusions located on the first bar and the third bar. In some implementations, movement of the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position involves rotating the handlebar. The movement of the handlebar causes the first bar to rotate in a same direction as the handlebar. The movement of the handlebar causes the third bar to rotate in an opposite direction than the first bar and the handlebar.
In some implementations, movement of the handlebar from the unlocked position to the locked position increases (i) an angle between the second bar and the first bar and (ii) an angle between the second bar and the third bar. In some implementations, at least a portion of the second bar has a curvature that matches a curvature of the crank. In some implementations, the plurality of locking protrusions engaging with the chassis causes the cage to lower relative to the chassis of the computing system, when the handlebar moves from the unlocked position to the locked position. In some implementations, the plurality of locking protrusions moves toward each other when the handlebar moves from the unlocked position to the locked position. In some implementations, the first bar and the third bar are coupled to the second bar at opposite ends of the second bar.
The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides an example of some of the novel aspects and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes for carrying out the present invention, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Additional aspects of the disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
The disclosure, and its advantages and drawings, will be better understood from the following description of representative embodiments together with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only representative embodiments, and are therefore not to be considered as limitations on the scope of the various embodiments or claims.
Electronic components in one or more cages provided in computing systems can be difficult to access. The cages sometimes have to be removed before the electronic components can be accessed. Cage removal can be a time-intensive activity involving exerting pulling and pushing forces that may damage components within computing systems. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a locking mechanism that facilitates installing and removing cages in a chassis of a computing system. The locking mechanism reduces an amount of force and effort exerted by a service technician when the service technician is connecting and/or disconnecting electronic components provided in the cages. The locking mechanism also facilitates connecting (or disconnecting) the housed electronic components to (or from) a circuit board installed in the chassis.
Various embodiments are described with reference to the attached figures, where like reference numerals are used throughout the figures to designate similar or equivalent elements. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and are provided merely to illustrate aspects and features of the present disclosure. Numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of certain aspects and features of the present disclosure, although one having ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize that these aspects and features can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, with other relationships, or with other methods. In some instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail for illustrative purposes. The various embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts or events are necessarily required to implement certain aspects and features of the present disclosure.
For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed, and where appropriate, the singular includes the plural and vice versa. The word “including” means “including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like, can be used herein to mean “at,” “near,” “nearly at,” “within 3-5% of,” “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances of,” or any logical combination thereof. Similarly, terms “vertical” or “horizontal” are intended to additionally include “within 3-5% of” a vertical or horizontal orientation, respectively. Additionally, words of direction, such as “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “above,” and “below” are intended to relate to the equivalent direction as depicted in a reference illustration; as understood contextually from the object(s) or element(s) being referenced, such as from a commonly used position for the object(s) or element(s); or as otherwise described herein.
Referring to
The crank 106 in
The first bar 116 is coupled to the body 101 of the riser cage 100 at a first pivot 112. The first pivot 112 can include a bearing that facilitates rotating the first bar 116 in a plane parallel to the body 101 of the riser cage 100. The first bar 116 includes a first gliding section 118. The first gliding section 118 is a spacing in the first bar 116 that allows the second bar 122 to glide along the first bar 116. The first gliding section 118 also facilitates rotating the first bar 116 relative to the second bar 122.
Similarly, the third bar 142 is coupled to the body 101 of the riser cage 100 at a second pivot 144. The second pivot 144 facilitates rotating the third bar 142 in the same plane where the first bar 116 rotates. The third bar 142 includes a second gliding section 138. The second gliding section 138 is a spacing in the third bar 142 that allows the second bar 122 to glide along the third bar 142. The second gliding section 138 also facilitates rotating the third bar 142 relative to the second bar 122. In some implementations, when the locking mechanism 103 is in the unlocked position, an angle between the first bar 116 and the second bar 122 is about 115 degrees, and the angle between the third bar 142 and the second bar 122 is also about 115 degrees. The first bar 116 and the third bar 142 include a first locking protrusion 114 and a second locking protrusion 140, respectively.
The second bar 122 is coupled to the first bar 116 and the third bar 142, at a first end 120 and a second end 136, respectively. The first end 120 and the second end 136 includes a bearing, button, fastener, or some other type of coupler, for joining the first bar 116 and the third bar 142 to the second bar 122. When the locking mechanism 103 is in the unlocked position of
The fourth bar 130, coupled to the crank 106, is lifted up and down by the crank 106 as the handlebar 104 rotates counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively. The fourth bar 130 is coupled to the second bar 122 at a third pivot 128. As the crank 106 moves the fourth bar 130 up and down, the fourth bar 130 pulls the second bar 122 up and down at the third pivot 128.
In
In some implementations, the second bar 122 is not a straight bar as shown in
In some implementations, the second bar 122 does not include the curvature and the location of the first pivot 112, and the second pivot 144 is at an elevation that is lower than the crank 106. In some implementations, when the second bar 122 is a straight bar, a length of the first gliding section 118 (
Although the disclosed embodiments have been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur or be known to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein, without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the disclosure should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority from and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/260,307, filed on Aug. 16, 2021, titled “The effort-saving mechanism design of PCIe Riser Module assembled in the server chassis,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20150103492 | Wu | Apr 2015 | A1 |
20210274667 | Lin | Sep 2021 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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102791103 | Nov 2012 | CN |
Entry |
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TW Office Action for Application No. 111110328, dated Oct. 18, 2022, w/ First Office Action Summary. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20230051799 A1 | Feb 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63260307 | Aug 2021 | US |