CN106611917B

CN106611917B - Carrier module and connector module

Info

Publication number: CN106611917B
Application number: CN201510688210.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李继良
Original assignee: Giga Byte Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Technical Steel Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2015-10-22
Filing date: 2015-10-22
Publication date: 2020-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-22
Also published as: CN106611917A

Abstract

The invention provides a bearing module and a joint module, wherein the bearing module is connected with a bus in a separable way, the bearing module comprises a body, an electric joint and an elastic element, wherein the elastic element is provided with at least one elastic part arranged between the body and the electric joint. When a first external force is applied to the bearing module along a first direction, the electrical connector and the bus card are combined to be positioned at a first position. When a second external force is applied to the bearing module along the first direction, the electrical connector moves to a second position from the first position along a second direction relative to the body and compresses the elastic part.

Description

Carrier module and connector module

Technical Field

The invention relates to a carrier module. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carrier module having movable electrical contacts.

Background

Data centers refer to facilities for housing computer systems and related components, such as telecommunications and storage systems, and typically include power supplies, data storage, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioners, fire extinguishers), and various security devices.

The aforementioned power supply and data storage devices typically use multiple cabinets and multiple carrier modules, which are connected to a bus (busbar) on the cabinet to supply power or transmit signals. However, in the case of a large size of the carrying module, the carrying module is often unable to be installed and fixed in the cabinet due to the error generated during the manufacturing process.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a carrying module to solve the above-mentioned problem of the prior art that the carrying module cannot be disposed and fixed in the cabinet when the sizes of the cabinet and the carrying module are not completely corresponding.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a carrier module detachably connected to a bus, the carrier module includes a body, an electrical connector, and an elastic element, wherein the elastic element has at least one elastic portion disposed between the body and the electrical connector. When a first external force is applied to the bearing module along a first direction, the electrical connector and the bus card are combined to be positioned at a first position. When a second external force is applied to the bearing module along the first direction, the electrical connector moves to a second position from the first position along a second direction relative to the body and compresses the elastic part.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second external force is greater than the first external force.

In an embodiment of the invention, a distance between the second position and the body is smaller than a distance between the first position and the body.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

In an embodiment of the invention, the elastic element is fixed on the body.

In an embodiment of the invention, the elastic element is fixed on the electrical connector.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the electrical connector is located at the second position, the electrical connector is attached to one side surface of the body.

In an embodiment of the invention, the body includes a box and a cover engaged with each other, wherein the box has a side surface, and when the cover moves toward the side surface relative to the box, the cover is separated from the box. In addition, the elastic element also comprises a stopping part which is movably arranged between the cover body and the side surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the elastic element further includes a connecting portion connected to the stopping portion. When the connecting part is pressed, the stopping part is separated from the position between the cover body and the side surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the elastic element includes a metal elastic sheet.

The invention provides a connector module, which is arranged on one side surface of a body and comprises an electric connector and an elastic element, wherein the elastic element is provided with at least one elastic part, and the elastic part is arranged between the body and the electric connector, so that a gap is formed between the electric connector and the body.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a carrier module according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the carrier module shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a partially enlarged schematic view of the exploded view shown in fig. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an elastic element according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged partial plan view of the carrier module shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the carrier module shown in fig. 1 with a portion of the housing of the cover removed.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged partial side view of the carrier module shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a carrier module disposed in a machine according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9 and 10 are schematic views illustrating a carrier module disposed in a machine according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a schematic view of a carrier module according to another embodiment of the invention.

Wherein the reference numerals are as follows:

100 main body

110 box body

111 side face

111a opening

111b holes

111c perforation

112 is raised

113 projection

114 bottom surface

120 cover body

121 hook structure

130 accommodation space

200 electric connector

300 elastic element

310 opening

320 elastic part

340 stop part

350 connecting part

400 connecting element

A1 first direction

A2 second direction

B bus

C bearing module

E electronic component

G gap

R, R' cabinet

R1, R1' groove

Detailed Description

The following describes a carrier module according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated, however, that the present embodiments provide many suitable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments disclosed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the invention.

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 this disclosure belongs. It will be understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

First, referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, a carrier module C according to an embodiment of the invention mainly includes a body 100, an electrical connector 200, and an elastic element 300. The main body 100 includes a box 110 and a cover 120, and a receiving space 130 is formed therebetween, so that the carrying module C can receive and carry various electronic components E, such as circuit boards or hard disks, in the receiving space 130. The electrical connector 200 and the elastic element 300 form a connector module.

As shown in fig. 3, an opening 111a, four holes 111b and four through holes 111c are formed on the side 111 of the box body 110, wherein the holes 111b are respectively located at four corners of the opening 111a and have substantially the same distance therebetween. The electrical connector 200 can be disposed on the side 111 by a connecting element 400 (e.g., a screw or a rivet) passing through the through hole 111c, and since the position of the electrical connector 200 corresponds to the opening 111a, a lead (not shown) can pass through the opening 111a to electrically connect the electrical connector 200 and the electronic element E in the accommodating space 130.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, in the present embodiment, the elastic element 300 is fixed inside the box body 110, and has an opening 310, four elastic portions 320, a stop portion 340 and a connection portion 350. The size of the opening 310 is substantially the same as the size of the opening 111a, and the elastic portions 320 are respectively located at four corners of the opening 310 and have a slightly smaller shape similar to the hole 111b, so that when the elastic element 300 is installed inside the body 100, the elastic portions 320 pass through the hole 111b and protrude out of the side 111 of the box 110, so that a gap G (fig. 5) is formed between the electrical connector 200 and the body 100. In addition, when the elastic element 300 is fixed on the case 110, the opening 310 corresponds to the opening 111a, so that the arrangement of the conductive wires is not obstructed. In the embodiment, the gap G is between 0.5mm and 3mm, for example, 1mm, and the elastic element 300 is, for example, a metal spring.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, the connecting portion 350 of the elastic element 300 is connected to the stopping portion 340 and protrudes from the side surface 111, and the stopping portion 340 is movably located between the cover 120 and the side surface 111 of the box 110. It should be noted that, as shown in fig. 6, the plurality of protrusions 112 and the plurality of hook structures 121 are formed on the box body 110 and the cover body 120 respectively in the embodiment, so that the cover body 120 can only slide towards the side surface 111 to separate the two. When the stopping portion 340 is disposed between the cover 120 and the side surface 111, the stopping portion 340 stops the cover 120 from sliding towards the side surface 111, so that the cover 120 is firmly combined with the box 110, and thus no additional locking component is required. When the user needs to replace or maintain the electronic component E in the accommodating space 130, the user can press the connecting portion 350 to drive the stopping portion 340 to leave the position between the cover 120 and the side surface 111, and the user can slide the cover 120 toward the side surface 111 to separate the cover 120 from the box 110.

In addition, referring to fig. 7, in the present embodiment, at least one protrusion 113 is formed on the bottom surface 114 of the box body 110 for fixing the carrying module C on a cabinet R (fig. 8 and 10).

Referring to fig. 8, when a user wants to supply power or transmit signals from the electrical connector 200 to the carrying module C, a first external force is applied along a first direction a1 to move the carrying module C into the cabinet R, and the electrical connector 200 is connected to a bus b (busbar) on the cabinet R. If the size of the carrier module C and the position of the protrusion 113 are exactly matched with the cabinet R, the electrical connector 200 may be connected to the bus bar B at a position (first position) spaced from the body 100 by a distance G, and the protrusion 113 may enter the groove R1 of the cabinet R to fix the carrier module C.

As shown in fig. 9, if the size of the carrying module C and the position of the protrusion 113 are exactly matched with the cabinet R', i.e. there is an error, the user can still apply the first external force to push the carrying module C to move along the first direction a1 into the cabinet R and connect the electrical connector 200 with the bus B on the cabinet R. In this case, however, the protrusion 113 cannot enter the groove R1' although the electrical connector 200 is connected to the bus B. At this time, as shown in fig. 10, the user can apply a second external force to the carrying module C along the first direction a1, and the second external force is greater than the first external force. After receiving the second external force, the electrical connector 200 moves from the first position to a second position along a second direction a2 (opposite to the first direction a1) relative to the body 100 and compresses the elastic portion 320 of the elastic element 300. In other words, the main body of the carrier module C can move slightly along the first direction a1, so that the protrusion 113 enters the groove R1' to fix the carrier module C.

When a user wants to repair or replace the electronic component E in the carrier module C and take out the carrier module C from the cabinet R', the electrical connector 200 is returned from the second position to the first position by the elastic force of the elastic element 300. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, when the electrical connector 200 is located at the second position, the electrical connector 200 is attached to the side surface 111, i.e., there is no gap between the electrical connector 200 and the body 100 (fig. 10). In some embodiments, there is still a gap between the electrical connector 200 and the body in the second position, but the distance between the second position and the body 100 is smaller than the distance between the first position and the body 100.

Referring to fig. 11, in another embodiment of the present invention, the elastic element 300 is fixed on the electrical connector 200 to form a connector module, so that the hole 111b on the side 111 can be omitted. When receiving the second external force, the elastic portion 320 may be compressed by directly abutting the body 100. In some embodiments, the electrical connector 200 may also have a hollow structure, the hole 111b may be disposed on the electrical connector 200 and communicated with the hollow structure, the elastic element 300 may be fixed to the electrical connector 200 and disposed in the hollow structure, and the elastic portion 320 penetrates through the hole 111b, so that a gap may be generated between the body 100 and the electrical connector 200 through the elastic portion 320.

The first external force for connecting the electrical connector 200 and the bus B can be adjusted by the shape and structure of the electrical connector 200 and the bus B, and the second external force for moving the electrical connector 200 relative to the body 100 can be determined by the elastic coefficient of the elastic portion 320. In addition, the number and the position of the elastic portions 320 can be adjusted according to design requirements, and are not limited to the number and the position shown in the drawings.

In summary, the present invention provides a carrier module. Because a gap is formed between the body of the bearing module and the electric joint, and the second external force for moving the electric joint relative to the body is larger than the first external force for connecting the electric joint and the bus, when the sizes of the cabinet and the bearing module are completely corresponding, the cabinet and the bearing module can be combined by only applying the first external force, and the external force required to be applied is saved. When the sizes of the cabinet and the bearing module do not completely correspond, the user can apply a second external force to enable the electric connector to move relative to the body and compress the elastic part in the gap, so that the bearing module can be fixed even if the groove on the cabinet or the protrusion of the bearing module has errors.

Although embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described above, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification, but it is to be understood that any process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, method and steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that will be obvious to one skilled in the art from this disclosure may be utilized according to the present application as many equivalents of the presently available embodiments of the present application are possible and equivalents may be developed in that way. Accordingly, the scope of the present application includes the processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, and steps described above. In addition, each claim constitutes an individual embodiment, and the scope of protection of the present invention also includes combinations of the respective claims and embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and combinations of claims and embodiments are within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A carrier module detachably connectable to a bus, the carrier module comprising:

the body comprises a box body and a cover body which are mutually clamped, wherein the box body is provided with a side surface, and when the cover body moves towards the side surface relative to the box body, the cover body is separated from the box body;

an electrical connector; and

an elastic element having at least one elastic part, wherein the elastic part is disposed between the body and the electrical connector, wherein when a first external force is applied to the carrier module along a first direction, the electrical connector is engaged with the bus and located at a first position, and when a second external force is applied to the carrier module along the first direction, the electrical connector moves from the first position to a second position along a second direction relative to the body and compresses the elastic part;

the elastic element also comprises a stopping part which is movably arranged between the cover body and the side surface of the box body;

the elastic element also comprises a connecting part which is connected with the stopping part, wherein when the connecting part is pressed, the stopping part leaves between the cover body and the side surface.

2. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the second external force is greater than the first external force.

3. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein a distance between the second position and the body is less than a distance between the first position and the body.

4. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

5. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the resilient element is secured to the body.

6. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the resilient element is secured to the electrical connector.

7. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the electrical connector is attached to a side of the body when the electrical connector is in the second position.

8. The carrier module of claim 1, wherein the resilient element comprises a metal dome.

9. A connector module disposed on a side of a body, the body including a box and a cover engaged with each other, the box having the side, wherein the cover is separated from the box when the cover moves toward the side relative to the box, the connector module comprising:

an electrical connector; and

an elastic element having at least one elastic part, wherein the elastic part is arranged between the body and the electrical connector to form a gap between the electrical connector and the body;

10. The connector module according to claim 9, wherein the resilient element comprises a metal dome.