The exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to a field of storage device assembling module. More specifically, the exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to a storage device assembling module for easily detaching a storage device from an electronic device.
Storage device, such as a hard disk, is a main storing medium in computer system. The hard disk is usually assembled in a computer and mostly horizontally disposed, and wires such as a power line and a cable are needed to electrically connect the hard disk to the computer. Therefore, it is a problem about how to lay out the hard disk and the related wires using limited space in the computer. When the hard disk is need to be detached for exchanging or repairing, tools have to be used to execute the detaching work in the casing of the computer, and the related wires are pulled out and then plugged in. It is not only difficult to carry out the work, but also might damage the inner device without cautiousness, thus it is not convenient for users.
Take a computer server as an example, in order to fit assembling demands of multiple computers, the length, width and height of the casing of common rack mount server are limited so as to unify the assembling specification of the inner devices. Furthermore, other objects such as power management apparatus or heat dissipating apparatus are assembled in the casing, thus the rest space for assembling the hard disk is quite restricted. Besides, if the hard disk is still electrically connected to the circuit board by the cable which needs to be plugged in/out, or even has to be fixed by screws, the assembling time and assembling complexity for the computer would be greatly increased. Accordingly, it is an important and to be solved topic about how to effectively use the space without increasing the height and width of the casing of the server, and further improve the convenience of plugging in/out the hard disk.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a storage device assembling module for easily detaching a storage device from an electronic device.
To achieve the above object, a storage device assembling module according to the present invention for assembling a storage device in an electronic apparatus to electrically connect to a circuit board of the electronic apparatus is disclosed, which comprises a main frame, an adapter, and at least one handgrip. The main frame includes a chute structure formed a receiving space for receiving the storage device and positioning. The adapter is combined with the main frame and includes a first connecting port connected electrically to the storage device and a second connecting port connected electrically to the circuit board. A location of the first connecting port is closed to the chute, and a connecting direction of the first connecting port is substantially perpendicular to a connecting direction of the second connecting port. Each handgrip is connected pivotally to at least one side of the main frame which is away from the circuit board. The storage device assembling module could be substantially perpendicularly detached from the circuit board by pulling the at least one handgrip.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the main frame further includes a plurality of apertures, each aperture includes a through hole and an extension groove communicated with the through hole, and an aperture size of the through hole is larger than a groove width of the extension groove. The storage device assembling module further comprises a plurality of engaging member corresponding to the positions of the plurality of apertures thereby being fixed on the storage device. Each engaging member includes a column body, a buffer element and a stopping portion, the column body connects to the stopping portion, and the buffer element is disposed around the column body and keeps a gap with the stopping portion. Wherein a cross-section diameter of the column body is smaller than the groove width of the extension groove, and a cross-section diameter of the stopping portion is between the aperture size of the through hole and the groove width of the extension groove.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the storage device assembling module further comprises an assistant frame, for fastening the storage device and being detachably disposed on the main frame along the chute structure. Wherein the main frame further comprises an inner guiding track structure disposed in the chute structure, and the assistant frame comprises a corresponding inner guiding track structure. When the assistant frame slips into the chute structure, the corresponding inner guiding track structure moves along the inner guiding track structure.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the assistant frame comprises at least one cushion element, which protrudes from the assistant frame toward one surface of the main frame, and a distance between the main frame and the assistant frame is increased by the at least one cushion element.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the assistant frame comprises an operation portion, and by applying force on the operation portion along a reverse direction of the assistant frame slipping into the chute structure, the assistant frame slips out of the chute structure.
An electronic apparatus of the present invention comprises a casing, at least one storage device, a circuit board and at least one storage device assembling module aforementioned. The circuit board is disposed in the casing and including at least one connector. Each storage device assembling module is substantially perpendicularly disposed on the circuit board to accommodate each storage device thereby electrically connecting each storage device to the circuit board. Each storage device assembling module comprises a main frame, an adapter, and at least one handgrip. The main frame includes a chute structure which forms a receiving space for receiving and positioning the storage device. The adapter is combined with the main frame and includes a first connecting port connected electrically to the storage device and a second connecting port connected electrically to the connector of the circuit board, a location of the first connecting port being adjacent to the chute structure. A connecting direction of the first connecting port is substantially perpendicular to a connecting direction of the second connecting port, and the connecting direction of the first connecting port is substantially parallel to the circuit board. Each handgrip is connected pivotally to at least one side of the main frame which is away from the circuit board, and the storage device assembling module could be substantially perpendicularly detached from the circuit board by pulling the at least one handgrip.
According to this design, the storage device assembling module of the present invention could being assembled vertically on the circuit board through the adapter, and further effectively saves the space inside the electronic apparatus. The storage device could be easily assembled on or detached from the storage device assembling module of the present invention, and the storage device assembling module of the present invention also could be easily assembled to/detached from the circuit board of the electronic apparatus, and thus the use of the wires could be decreased and the assembling time and assembling complexity could be reduced.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar elements throughout the several views:
The advantages and innovative features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Please refer to
The storage device assembling module of the present invention is for assembling the storage device on an electronic apparatus and electrically connecting to a circuit board of the electronic apparatus. In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic apparatus could be a desk-top computer, a server, a work station or other electronic apparatus having similar need of disposing the storage device. However, the present invention is not limited to the examples aforementioned. The storage device of the present invention could be a hard disk or other similar storage device.
As shown in
The adapter 20 is combined with the main frame 10. Through the adapter 20, a signal transferring interface adapting function is provided between the storage device 80 and the circuit board 210 of the electronic apparatus. The adapter 20 includes a first connecting port 21 and a second connecting port 22. The first connecting port 21 is electrically connected to a connection interface 82 of the storage device 80, and the second connecting port 22 is electrically connected to a corresponding interface 211 of the circuit board 210. A location of the first connecting port 21 is adjacent to the chute structure 11, thus the connection interface 82 of the storage device 80 which has slipped into the chute structure 11 could directly connect to the first connecting port 21 of the adapter 20. Further, a connecting direction of the first connecting port 21 connecting to the storage device 80 is substantially perpendicular to a connecting direction of the second connecting port 22 connecting to the circuit board 210, thus a change of interface connecting direction is provided.
The at least one handgrip 30 is connected pivotally to the main frame 10, and each handgrip 30 could be rotated relative to the main frame 10. When the handgrip 30 rotates to an appropriate position and angle, a user could pull the at least one handgrip 30 and therefore pull out the main frame 10 from the electronic apparatus. The at least one handgrip 30 is connected pivotally to one side of the main frame 10 opposite to one side of the main frame 10 which the second connecting port 22 has been disposed on, or to one side of the main frame 10 which is away from and relative to the circuit board 210. In this way, the user could detach the storage device assembling module 1 of the present invention from the circuit board 210 by pulling the at least one handgrip 30 toward the direction opposite to the connection direction of the second connecting port 22 (or the circuit board 210). Therefore, each handgrip 30 could be rotated to the direction which is substantially parallel to the connection direction of the second connecting port 22 (or substantially perpendicular to the connection direction of the circuit board 210), and the user could apply force on each handgrip 30. Besides, for the user conveniently operating the handgrip 30, an elastic member such as a torsion spring could be disposed at the site where the handgrip 30 has been pivotally disposed. In such way, the handgrip 30 could return to the original position automatically, but the present invention is not limited to it.
In this embodiment, for providing the storage device 80 a fixing function on the main frame 10, the main frame 10 further includes a plurality of apertures 12, each aperture 12 includes a through hole 121 and an extension groove 122 communicated with the through hole 121. A aperture size of the through hole 121 is larger than a groove width of the extension groove 122, thereby forming a calabash-shape aperture 12, but the present invention is not limited to it.
For match up the design of the plurality of apertures 12, the storage device assembling module 1 of the present invention further comprises a plurality of engaging member 40 corresponding to positions of the plurality of apertures 12, thereby being fixed on the storage device 80, so as to provide a result of the storage device 80 being fixed on the main frame 10.
Furthermore, the storage device assembling module 1 of the present invention further comprises a positioning structure 50, and the positioning structure 50 includes a fixing portion 51 and a positioning portion 52. The fixing portion 51 connects to the main frame 10, and thus the positioning structure 50 could be fixed on the main frame 10. The positioning portion 52 penetrate a opening 14 of the main frame 10, so as to provide a positioning effect after the storage device 80 slipping into the chute structure 11. During the process of the storage device 80 slipping into the chute structure 11, the positioning portion 52 would make the positioning structure 50 swing relative to the main frame 10 by the fixing portion 51 as a fulcrum according to whether the positioning portion 52 is pushed by the storage device 80.
The positioning portion 52 is an inclined plane structure having swinging-elastic. When the storage device 80 slips into the chute structure 11, the inclined plane structure would following be pushed by the storage device 80, thereby the positioning portion 52 in the opening 14 being forced to swing toward a direction away from the main frame 10 and exits the opening 14, and the slipping operation of the storage device 80 is not affected, but the present invention is not limited to it.
Please refer to
As shown in
Through the structure design of the column body 41 (for example, let the cross-section diameter of the column body 41 near the stopping portion 43 larger than the aperture size of the buffer element 42), a gap is kept between the buffer element 42 and the stopping portion 43 when the buffer element 42 is disposed around the column body 41, thereby facilitating the engaging member 40 to slip into the corresponding trough aperture 12, as shown in
Please refer to
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As further shown in
Contrarily, when detaching the storage device 80 relative to the main frame 10, a force needs to be applied on the positioning portion 52 of the positioning structure 50 first to make the positioning portion 52 swings toward the direction away from the main frame 10 by the fixing portion 51 as the fulcrum and leave the opening 14; then the back moving limitation of the storage device 80 can be removed. Next, moving the storage device 80 along the reverse direction of the storage device 80 slipping into the chute structure 11, and each engaging member 40 can be moved from the extension groove 122 to the through hole 121 of the corresponding aperture 12 and left the through hole 121. Accordingly, the storage device 80 can be continually moved along the reverse direction of the storage device 80 slipping into the chute structure 11 until the storage device 80 slips out the chute structure 11.
In addition, as further shown in
Following please refer to
As shown in
Contrarily, when the user want to detach the storage device assembling module 1 of the present invention from the circuit board 210, he or she can rotate the handgrip 30 relative to the main frame 10 to the direction which is substantially parallel to the connection direction of the second connecting port 22 (or substantially perpendicular to the direction of the circuit board 210), and then pull the handgrip 30 toward the reverse direction of the connection direction of the second connecting port 22. The second connecting port 22 can be substantially perpendicularly detached from corresponding interface 211 of the circuit board 210. The two guiding track structures 13 of the main frame 10 further slip out the corresponding guiding track structures 212a of the support member 212, and the detaching operation of the storage device assembling module 1 of the present invention is completed.
Please refer to
The present embodiment is a variant of the aforementioned first embodiment. As shown in
Wherein the main frame 10a further includes an inner guiding track structure 15 disposed in the chute structure 11a, for providing assistant fixing effect and moving stability of the assistant frame 60 when slipping into the chute structure 11a.
Please refer to
As shown in
The assistant frame 60 further comprises at least one cushion element 62, each cushion element 62 protrudes from the assistant frame 60 toward one surface of the main frame 10a, thereby increasing the distance between the main frame 10a and the assistant frame 60. Because engaging elements or screwed-fixing elements are needed to fix the storage devices 80 on the assistant frame 60, the possibility of affecting the assistant frame 60 slipping into the chute structure 11 by these elements can be prevented through the design of the at least one cushion element 62. In this embodiment, each cushion element 62 could be designed as a bending structure disposed at the periphery of the assistant frame 60, or a convex lump structure inside the assistant frame 60. A corresponding structure of the main frame 10a could be designed to collocate with the aforementioned bending structure, thereby providing a position limiting function when the assistant frame 60 is moving.
In addition, the assistant frame 60 further comprises an operation portion 63 disposed also on one side edge of the assistant frame 60, for providing a function of pull out the assistant frame 60 from the chute structure 11. The user could apply force on the operation portion 63 along the reverse direction of the assistant frame 60 slipping into the chute structure 11, and thus the assistant frame 60 could slip out of the chute structure 11.
Please refer to
As shown in
Please refer to
In order to more clearly interpret the effect and the practicability generated by the structure design of the storage device assembling module 1a according to the present invention, please refer to
As shown in
In an electronic apparatus 200 such as in a casing 230 of a rack mount server, under the situation that the width and the height of the casing 230 are limited, and some objects such as power management devices or heat dissipating devices are assembled in the casing 230, the space for assembling the storage device assembling module 1a inside the casing 230 is restricted. Through the structure design of the storage device assembling module 1a according to the present invention, the storage device 80 could be assembled substantially perpendicularly relative to the circuit board 210 in the casing 230 but with a assembling direction substantially parallel to the circuit board 210, and the storage device 80 still could be electrically connected to the circuit board 210. By the vertical assembling type of the storage device assembling module 1a according to the present invention, the space in the casing 230 could be effectively used and planned. Also as shown in the figures, when the user needs to pull out the storage device 80 or repair the circuit board 210, he or she only needs to open the top cover of the casing 230 and turn the handgrip 30 of the storage device assembling module 1a up, and then the storage device assembling module 1a could be pulled out of the circuit board 210 as described above. The effect of toolless plugging-in/out could be achieved on as to raise the convenience of the assembling.
It is noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are only for illustration. It is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012 1 0121015 | Apr 2012 | CN | national |
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