TWI846514B - Tray assembly and server - Google Patents

Abstract

A tray assembly includes: a first tray, used to install a mainboard; a second tray, detachably connected to the first tray, and used to install an expansion board; wherein, when the second tray is not connected to the first tray, the tray assembly is suitable for The tray assembly is adapted to at least one configuration of the chassis; when the second tray is connected to the first tray, the tray assembly is adapted to at least another configuration of the chassis. When the motherboard is installed on the first tray, the tray assembly can be installed on at least one configuration of the chassis, so that the motherboard can be adapted to the chassis; when the first tray is connected to the second tray, and the expansion board is installed on the second tray At this time, the tray assembly can be installed on at least one other configuration of the chassis at this time, so that the main board and the expansion board can be adapted to the configuration of the chassis; thus, at least two different configurations of the chassis can pass through the tray assembly Realize the shared main board to realize the function expansion between different chassis.

Description

Tray assembly and server

The present invention relates to the technical field of servers and their accessories, and in particular to a tray assembly and a server.

Currently, the server motherboard is usually placed on a tray, and the tray is used to connect the motherboard to the chassis. The purpose of setting up a tray is to enable the motherboard to be quickly disassembled and assembled, convenient for maintenance, and to improve the strength of the motherboard, playing a role in protecting the motherboard during the installation process.

However, for server chassis, servers with different configurations have different chassis structures, such as different chassis lengths, which results in different sizes of motherboard installation areas in different chassis. In this case, the same motherboard can only be adapted to a chassis with one configuration, and different chassis cannot share motherboards, which is not conducive to achieving chassis function expansion.

Based on this, it is necessary to provide a tray assembly and a server to solve the problem that different chassis cannot share a motherboard, which is not conducive to realizing the function expansion of the chassis.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a tray assembly, comprising:

The first tray is used to install the motherboard;

A second tray, detachably connected to the first tray, and used for installing expansion boards;

wherein, when the second tray is not connected to the first tray, the tray assembly is adapted to a chassis of at least one configuration;

When the second tray is coupled to the first tray, the tray assembly is adapted to fit the chassis in at least one other configuration.

Thus, when the motherboard is mounted on the first tray, the tray assembly can be mounted on at least one chassis of one configuration, so that the motherboard is adapted to the chassis of that configuration. When the first tray is connected to the second tray and the expansion board is mounted on the second tray, the tray assembly can be mounted on at least another chassis of another configuration, so that the motherboard and the expansion board can be adapted to the chassis of that configuration. Finally, at least two chassis of different configurations can share a motherboard through the arrangement of the tray assembly, so as to achieve functional expansion between different chassis.

Through the above structure, the motherboard cooperates with the first tray to adapt to a chassis of one configuration, and the expansion board cooperates with the second tray and can be adapted to another chassis of a different configuration after being connected to the first tray. Thus, two chassis of different configurations can share a motherboard and expand the functions of the chassis.

In some embodiments, a matching portion is provided on the first tray, and a positioning portion is provided on the second tray, and the matching portion is matched and connected with the positioning portion to achieve positioning between the first tray and the second tray.

In order to enable the first tray and the second tray to be connected quickly and accurately, a matching portion is provided on the first tray and a positioning portion is provided on the second tray. During the connection process, the matching portion and the positioning portion are first matched and connected to achieve alignment between the first tray and the second tray, and then the first tray and the second tray are stably connected through screws or other structures. Thus, by providing the matching portion and the positioning portion that match each other, the first tray and the second tray can be quickly positioned, so that the connection between the first tray and the second tray is more accurate, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

In some embodiments, the mating portion is configured as a convex portion formed on the first tray, and the positioning portion is configured as a positioning hole mating with the convex portion.

During the connection process between the first tray and the second tray, the positioning hole can be quickly mounted on the convex part. At this time, it means that the first tray and the second tray are already at the connection position, and the connection between the first tray and the second tray can be realized through the screw. The structure of the convex part and the positioning hole is simple, the operation is convenient, and the accurate positioning between the first tray and the second tray can be realized quickly.

In some embodiments, the second tray is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes spaced apart from each other, and each of the avoidance holes is used to avoid a fixing element on the chassis.

After the first tray and the second tray are connected, they need to be installed on the chassis. The chassis is usually provided with a plurality of rivets. In order to avoid interference between the first tray and the second tray and the rivets on the chassis, a plurality of avoidance holes are opened on the second tray, and the avoidance holes correspond to the rivets on the chassis one by one. Therefore, when the first tray and the second tray are installed on the chassis, the avoidance holes can smoothly avoid the fixed components on the chassis, thereby making the installation process smoother.

In some embodiments, the second tray is provided with a reinforcing member, and the reinforcing member is extended along the width direction of the second tray. Since the width of the second tray is much greater than the length of the second tray, the molded sample of the second tray is prone to arching, which reduces the flatness of the second tray. By providing the reinforcing member, the second tray can be reinforced to a certain extent, so that the flatness of the second tray is within an acceptable range.

In some embodiments, the reinforcement is configured to be formed by bending an edge of the second tray toward the first tray.

In some embodiments, when the expansion board is mounted on the second tray, an edge of the reinforcement member exceeds an edge of the expansion board on a side of the second tray facing away from the first tray.

When the tray assembly on the chassis is disassembled and replaced, the tray assembly and the mainboard and expansion board on the chassis are usually disassembled as a whole. The chassis is provided with various components, and the various components are protrudingly arranged on the chassis. For example, a hood PIN is protrudingly arranged on the chassis.

Therefore, on the side of the second tray facing away from the first tray, the edge of the reinforcement exceeds the edge of the expansion board, so that when the tray assembly is disassembled, even if the tray assembly collides with the hood PIN and other devices on the chassis, the part of the reinforcement that exceeds the expansion board will first contact the hood PIN and other devices, thereby reducing the probability of collision between the expansion board and other devices on the chassis and protecting the expansion board.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a server, comprising a mainboard, an expansion board and the tray assembly as described above, wherein the mainboard is connected to the expansion board, and the mainboard is detachably disposed on the first tray, and the expansion board is detachably disposed on the second tray.

Thus, quick disassembly and assembly between the mainboard and the first tray, and between the expansion board and the second tray can be realized.

In some embodiments, the mainboard is provided with a clip-on connector for connecting to the expansion board.

In some embodiments, the server further includes a chassis, and the tray assembly is detachably mounted in the chassis.

The above-mentioned tray assembly and server, when the mainboard is installed on the first tray, the tray assembly can be installed on at least one chassis of configuration, so that the mainboard is adapted to the chassis of such configuration; and when the first tray is connected to the second tray and the expansion board is installed on the second tray, the tray assembly can be installed on at least another chassis of configuration, so that the mainboard and the expansion board can be adapted to the chassis of such configuration; thus, at least two chassis of different configurations can share a mainboard through the setting of the tray assembly to achieve functional expansion between different chassis.

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understandable, the specific implementation of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the attached drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the directions or positional relationships indicated by these terms are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operate in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection between two components or an interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly defined. For those with ordinary knowledge in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description such as "above" or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in the present invention are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a tray assembly 100, including a first tray 10 and a second tray 20, wherein the first tray 10 is used to mount a mainboard 201, and the second tray 20 is detachably connected to the first tray 10 and is used to mount an expansion board 202. When the second tray 20 is not connected to the first tray 10, the tray assembly 100 is adapted to a chassis of at least one configuration. When the second tray 20 is connected to the first tray 10, the tray assembly 100 is adapted to a chassis of at least another configuration.

Specifically, the first tray 10 can provide a mounting and supporting base for the mainboard 201, and can improve the strength of the mainboard 201, thereby playing a certain protective role on the structure of the mainboard 201. Similarly, the second tray 20 can provide a mounting and supporting base for the expansion board 202, and can also improve the strength of the expansion board 202, thereby playing a certain protective role on the structure of the expansion board 202.

It should be noted that the motherboard of the current server is usually placed on a tray, and the motherboard is connected to the chassis through the tray. The purpose of setting up the tray is to enable the motherboard to be quickly disassembled and assembled, convenient for maintenance, and to improve the strength of the motherboard, playing a role in protecting the motherboard during the installation process.

However, for server chassis, servers with different configurations have different chassis structures, such as different chassis lengths, which results in different sizes of motherboard installation areas in different chassis. In this case, the same motherboard can only be adapted to a chassis with one configuration, and different chassis cannot share motherboards, which is not conducive to achieving chassis function expansion.

The tray assembly is used to connect the motherboard and the chassis in the server. However, the lengths of chassis of different configurations are different, and the middle position of the chassis is designed to be used to install the motherboard. When the lengths of different chassis are different, the lengths of the area on the chassis used to install the motherboard are also different.

For example, for two chassis with different configurations, A and B, since B needs to support seven additional hot-swappable fans, and the installation positions of the fans are usually fixed, the positions of the fan connectors on the motherboard that plug into the fans are also fixed. At this time, the length of the area for installing the motherboard in the chassis with configuration B is greater than the length of the area for installing the motherboard in the chassis with configuration A. In this case, A and B cannot share a motherboard.

For the above situation, the size of the first tray 10 can first be matched with the size of the area in the chassis of the A configuration for mounting the motherboard 201. The motherboard 201 is mounted on the first tray 10, and then the first tray 10 is mounted in the chassis of the A configuration to achieve assembly.

When the chassis of configuration B needs to be assembled, the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are first connected, the mainboard 201 is installed on the first tray 10, and the expansion board 202 is installed on the second tray 20. The expansion board 202 here is a fan mainboard 201 provided with a fan connector, and the fan mainboard 201 is connected to the mainboard 201. Then the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 together with the mainboard 201 and the expansion board 202 thereon are installed in the chassis of configuration B to complete the assembly.

Through the above structure, two chassis with different configurations can share the motherboard 201 and realize the function expansion of the chassis.

In addition, the detachable connection between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 can be realized by screwing. Specifically, a first screw hole is opened on the first tray 10, and a second screw hole matching the first screw hole is opened at a corresponding position of the second tray 20. The first tray 10 and the second tray 20 can be connected by screwing the screw into the first screw hole and the second screw hole, and the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 can be separated by unscrewing the screw.

Of course, the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 may also be detachably connected by other connection methods, such as by snap connection or adhesive connection, which will not be elaborated here.

Please refer to FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, a matching portion 11 is disposed on the first tray 10 , and a positioning portion 21 is disposed on the second tray 20 . The matching portion 11 is matched and connected with the positioning portion 21 to achieve positioning between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 .

In order to quickly and accurately connect the first tray 10 and the second tray 20, a matching portion 11 is provided on the first tray 10, and a positioning portion 21 is provided on the second tray 20. In the connection process, the matching portion 11 is firstly matched and connected with the positioning portion 21, so as to realize the alignment between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20, and then the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are stably connected through screws or other structures.

By providing the matching portion 11 and the positioning portion 21 that cooperate with each other, the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 can be quickly positioned, so that the connection between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 is more accurate, thereby improving the assembly efficiency.

In some embodiments, the matching portion 11 is configured as a protrusion formed on the first tray 10, and the positioning portion 21 is configured as a positioning hole that matches the protrusion.

Specifically, the protrusion is a circular protrusion, and the positioning hole is a circular hole that matches the circular protrusion. During the connection process between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20, the positioning hole can be quickly mounted on the protrusion. At this time, it means that the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are already in the connection position, and the connection between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 can be achieved by screws.

The structure of the protrusion and the positioning hole is simple and easy to operate, and can quickly achieve accurate positioning between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20.

In some embodiments, the second tray 20 is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes 22 spaced apart from each other, and each avoidance hole 22 is used to avoid a fixing element on the chassis.

It should be noted that after the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are connected, they need to be installed on the chassis. The chassis is usually provided with a plurality of rivets. In order to avoid interference between the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 and the rivets on the chassis, a plurality of avoidance holes 22 are provided on the second tray 20. The avoidance holes 22 correspond to the rivets on the chassis one by one. Therefore, when the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are installed on the chassis, the avoidance holes 22 can smoothly avoid the rivets, making the installation process smoother.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, a reinforcing member 23 is disposed on the second tray 20 , and the reinforcing member 23 is extended along a width direction a of the second tray 20 .

It should be noted that the second tray 20 is used to install the expansion board 202, and the width of the expansion board 202 is often much larger than the length of the expansion board 202. The length of the expansion board 202 refers to the dimension in the direction of connection between the expansion board 202 and the mainboard 201, while the width of the expansion board 202 refers to the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the length.

When the width of the expansion board 202 is much greater than the length, the width of the second tray 20 is also much greater than its own length in order to match the expansion board 202. As a result, the molded sample of the second tray 20 is prone to arching, which reduces the flatness of the second tray 20.

By providing the reinforcing member 23, the second tray 20 can be reinforced to a certain extent, so that the flatness of the second tray 20 is within an acceptable range.

In some embodiments, the reinforcing member 23 is configured to be formed by bending the edge of the second tray 20 toward the first tray 10. That is, the reinforcing member 23 is provided as the entire folded flat edge on the second tray 20, which has a simple structure and can reinforce the flatness of the second tray 20.

In some embodiments, when the expansion board 202 is mounted on the second tray 20 , the edge of the reinforcement member 23 exceeds the edge of the expansion board 202 on the side of the second tray 20 facing away from the first tray 10 .

When the tray assembly 100 on the chassis is disassembled and replaced, the tray assembly 100 and the mainboard 201 and expansion board 202 thereon are usually disassembled as a whole. The chassis is provided with various components, and the various components are protrudingly arranged on the chassis. For example, a hood PIN is protrudingly arranged on the chassis.

Therefore, on the side of the second tray 20 facing away from the first tray 10, the edge of the reinforcement 23 exceeds the edge of the expansion board 202, so that when the tray assembly 100 is disassembled, even if the tray assembly 100 collides with the hood PIN and other devices on the chassis, the part of the reinforcement 23 that exceeds the expansion board 202 will first contact the hood PIN and other devices, thereby reducing the probability of collision between the expansion board 202 and other devices on the chassis, thereby protecting the expansion board 202.

Based on the same concept as the above-mentioned tray assembly 100, the present invention provides a server, including a mainboard 201, an expansion board 202 and the above-mentioned tray assembly 100, the mainboard 201 is connected to the expansion board 202, and the mainboard 201 is detachably disposed on the first tray 10, and the expansion board 202 is detachably disposed on the second tray 20.

Specifically, the mainboard 201 is detachably mounted on the first tray 10 by screws, and the expansion board 202 is detachably mounted on the second tray 20 by screws, thereby enabling quick disassembly and assembly between the mainboard 201 and the first tray 10, and between the expansion board 202 and the second tray 20.

Furthermore, the expansion board 202 is configured as a fan mainboard 201, on which five fan connectors are disposed to solve the connection problem of hot-swappable fans on chassis of different configurations.

In some embodiments, a clip-on connector for connecting to the expansion board 202 is provided on the mainboard 201. Thus, the expansion board 202 is connected to the mainboard 201 through the clip-on connector.

In some embodiments, the server further includes a chassis, and the tray assembly 100 is detachably mounted in the chassis. Specifically, the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are detachably mounted in the chassis by screws, so as to realize the quick disassembly and assembly of the tray assembly 100.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the motherboard 201 needs to be installed on a chassis of A configuration, the motherboard 201 is first installed on the first tray 10, and then the first tray 10 is installed to a specific area on the chassis.

When the motherboard 201 needs to be installed on the chassis of configuration B, the positioning holes on the second tray 20 are firstly connected with the protrusions on the first tray 10, so that the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are quickly positioned at the connection position. Then the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are locked by screws to achieve a stable connection between the two.

Furthermore, the mainboard 201 is mounted on the first tray 10, and the expansion board 202 is mounted on the second tray 20 by screws. At the same time, the expansion board 202 is connected to the mainboard 201 through the clip-on connector on the mainboard 201. Then, the first tray 10 and the second tray 20 are mounted to specific areas on the chassis.

When the present invention is used, when the mainboard 201 is mounted on the first tray 10, the tray assembly 100 can be mounted on at least one chassis of a configuration, so that the mainboard 201 is adapted to the chassis of the configuration. When the first tray 10 is connected to the second tray 20 and the expansion board 202 is mounted on the second tray 20, the tray assembly 100 can be mounted on at least another chassis of a configuration, so that the mainboard 201 and the expansion board 202 can be adapted to the chassis of the configuration. Thus, at least two chassis of different configurations can share a mainboard through the arrangement of the tray assembly 100 provided by the present invention, so as to achieve function expansion between different chassis.

The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that for those with ordinary knowledge in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be based on the scope of the attached patent application.

100: tray assembly 201: motherboard 202: expansion board 10: first tray 20: second tray 11: mating part 21: positioning part 22: avoidance hole 23: reinforcement a: width direction

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a tray assembly in some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a first tray and a second tray in some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second tray in some embodiments of the present invention.

100: Tray assembly

201: Motherboard

202: Expansion card

10: First tray

20: Second tray

Claims (9)

A tray assembly is characterized in that it includes: a first tray for mounting a mainboard, the mainboard being provided with a clip-type connector; and a second tray detachably connected to the first tray and for mounting an expansion card, the mainboard and the expansion card being connected via the clip-type connector; wherein when the second tray is not connected to the first tray, the tray assembly is adapted to a chassis of at least one configuration; and when the second tray is connected to the first tray, the tray assembly is adapted to the chassis of at least another configuration. The tray assembly as described in claim 1 is characterized in that a matching portion is provided on the first tray, and a positioning portion is provided on the second tray, and the matching portion is connected to the positioning portion to achieve positioning between the first tray and the second tray. The tray assembly as described in claim 2 is characterized in that the mating portion is constructed as a protrusion formed on the first tray, and the positioning portion is constructed as a positioning hole that cooperates with the protrusion. The tray assembly as described in claim 1 is characterized in that a plurality of mutually spaced avoidance holes are provided on the second tray, and each of the avoidance holes is used to avoid the fixing elements on the chassis. The tray assembly as described in claim 1 is characterized in that a reinforcement member is provided on the second tray, and the reinforcement member is extended along the width direction of the second tray. The tray assembly as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the reinforcement is configured to be formed by bending the edge of the second tray toward the first tray. The tray assembly as described in claim 5 is characterized in that when the expansion board is installed on the second tray, the edge of the reinforcement member exceeds the edge of the expansion board on the side of the second tray facing away from the first tray. A server, characterized in that it includes a mainboard, an expansion card, and a tray assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a clip-type connector is provided on the mainboard, the mainboard and the expansion card are connected via the clip-type connector, and the mainboard is detachably provided on the first tray, and the expansion card is detachably provided on the second tray. The server as described in claim 8 is characterized in that the server further includes a chassis, and the tray assembly is detachably mounted in the chassis.