Patent Application
20090086456
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an ejector latch for ejecting a blade server module from a computer server chassis.
2. Background Art
A typical computer server rack is composed of a computer server chassis (“server chassis”) with a number of blade server modules (“blade modules”) disposed therein.
One or more hard drives are disposed within each blade module. The blade modules can be removed from the server chassis by disengaging the blade module from the server chassis. Important considerations in designing disengagement mechanisms include cost, reliability, and operability.
In one or more embodiments of the present invention, an ejector latch for removing a blade module from a server chassis comprising: a latch lever comprising a pivot hole near a first end thereof operable to be coupled to the blade module and a bend near a second end thereof; an ejector catch comprising a through-hole passing therethrough and a hook operable to hook onto the server chassis; and an ejector pull part comprising an integrated spring operable to return the ejector pull part to an original position after being pulled, wherein the second end of the latch lever passes through the through-hole of the ejector catch, wherein the ejector pull part is disposed on the bend near the second end of the latch lever and inside the through-hole of the ejector catch such that, when the ejector pull part is pulled, the ejector pull part slides along the bend near the second end of the latch lever and pushes on a wall of the through-hole to disengage the hook of the ejector catch from the server chassis.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
a) and 2(b) show exploded perspective views of an ejector latch according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
a) and 3(b) show side views of an ejector latch according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
a) and 5(b) show side views of a first ejector pull part of an ejector latch according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
a)-6(d) show the removal of the blade module from the server chassis using an ejector latch according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures. Like items in the figures are shown with the same reference numbers.
In embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.
Embodiments of the invention relate to an ejector latch for ejecting a blade module from a server chassis. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the invention relate to a tool-less blade module ejector latch with an integrated spring.
a) and 2(b) show exploded perspective views,
The latch lever 110 has lever portion 115 and an arm portion 117. As shown in
The ejector catch 120 has a hook 121 on a flat top side, while the bottom side is curved. The ejector catch 120 has a through-hole 123 formed therein. The through-hole 123 is narrow on one side and broader on the other side, which facilitates operation of the ejector latch.
The first ejector pull part 130 and the second ejector pull part 140 have guide portions 131, 141 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the bent end portion 111 of the latch lever 110. The first ejector pull part 130 and the second ejector pull part 140 also have flat side areas 135, 145, which facilitates gripping by the user. The first ejector pull part 130 also has an integrated spring 133 protruding from an end thereof. Between the integrated spring 133 and the main body of the first ejector pull part 130 is a thick spring base 134. Although here, the integrated spring 133 is on the first ejector pull part 130, the integrated spring could also be disposed on the second ejector pull part 140, or both ejector pull parts 130, 140.
In assembling the ejector latch 100, the arm portion 117 is inserted into the narrow end of the though-hole 123 of the ejector catch 120, such that the bent end portion 111 protrudes past the broader end of the through-hole 123. The hook 121 on the ejector catch 120 faces the lever portion 115 of the latch lever 110. The integrated spring 133 of the first ejector pull part 130 is inserted into the broader end of the through-hole 123 of the ejector catch 120, under the arm portion 117 of the latch lever 110. The bottom of the integrated spring 133 and the spring base 134 abut against the curved bottom wall of the through-hole 123 in the ejector catch 120. The bent end portion 111 of the latch lever 110 is inserted into the guide portion 131 of the first ejector pull part 130. The second ejector pull part 140 is then brought together with the first ejector pull part 130 around the bent end portion 111 such that the bent end portion 111 fits into the guide portions 131, 141, and first ejector pull part 130 and the second ejector pull part 140 form the assembled ejector pull part. Although here, the ejector pull part is formed by two separate ejector pull parts 130, 140, it could also be formed as a single piece.
a)-6(d) show the removal of the blade module 10 from the server chassis 20 using an ejector latch according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
The ejector latch 101 is a mirror image of the ejector latch 100, and works in the same manner as the ejector latch 100. Thus, explanation of the ejector latch 101 is hereby omitted. The ejector latch 100 is attached to the blade module 10 via the pivot hole 113, such that the ejector latch 100 can rotate about the pivot hole 113, by coupling the pivot hole to the blade module 10. The hook 121 on the ejector catch 120 hooks onto the server chassis 20 when inserted into a slot 21, locking the blade module 10 into the slot 21.
When a user grips side areas 135, 145 and pulls the ejector pull parts 130, 140 in the direction shown by the arrows in
The ejector latch 100 is then rotated away from the blade module 10 about the pivot hole 113, as shown by the arrows in
One or more embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following advantages. The need for an additional parts can be minimized, as the integrated spring 131 is formed as one piece with the first ejector pull part 130. This further decreases cost and increases reliability. An intuitive and ergonomic operation can be achieved because the ejector latch 100 serves as both the latch and the handle in removing the blade module 10. Part and assembly cost can be reduced, because of the tool-less assembly and the integrated spring 131.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.
