TWM634999U - Computer device and expansion bay for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An expansion bay for a computer device for easy insertion and extension of an expansion component is disclosed. The expansion bay has two facing side walls, a bottom panel joining the facing side walls, and a closed end. A front cross member joins the side walls to define a front open end. A pair of springs are located the closed end that force the expansion component away from the closed end. A pair of rotating levers are mounted on the front cross member near each of the side walls. Each of the rotating levers has a pin that engages a groove on the expansion component that is inserted through the open front end. The levers are rotated via the pins engaging the grooves when the expansion component is moved into and out of open front end.

Description

Computer device and expansion bracket for computer device

The present invention generally relates to housing mechanisms for expansion units for computer devices, and more particularly, aspects of the invention relate to an expansion unit bracket having a rotating lever mechanism that allows expansion units for computer device chassis to be easily And quick release.

Computer systems (eg, desktop computers, blade servers, rack servers, etc.) are widely used in various applications. High-demand application layers, such as network-based systems, information centers, or high-density finite element simulations, can drive computing system hardware and require servers with professional capabilities. Modern servers are usually designed to provide flexibility in terms of functionality and components. One method is to design an expansion bracket, which can allow components such as cards, storage devices, or processor boards to be easily installed to enhance the basic functions of the server. Expansion bays typically include trays that support modular components. For easy servicing and parts replacement, many of the trays can be accessed without having to move the actual server chassis to access the parts. For example, some trays may slide out of the chassis, allowing components to be installed or removed. Once installed, the tray may be pushed back into the chassis.

Currently, component trays require a series of mechanical mechanisms to ensure that the tray is locked into place. For example, some trays have rotatable levers that allow an operator to move the lever to an open position to allow the tray to slide in and out of the chassis. When the tray is loaded, the tray is pushed into the cabinet and the lever is rotated to the closed position. The existing lever design is a mechanical design that allows quick access to the tray through an eject lever located on the front panel. However, existing lever and tray mechanisms are relatively complex for easy movement into the cabinet as the tray moves .

Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that allows the expansion unit to be easily removed from the computer case. There is also a need for a mechanism for holding expansion components that is mechanically simple. There is also a need for a mechanism for holding expansion components that does not require a tray to hold the expansion components within the chassis.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an expansion bracket for a computer device includes a bottom panel, two side walls, a closed end and a front open end. A bottom panel adjoins these side walls. These side walls face each other. The closed end abuts the side walls and the bottom panel. The front open end is defined by these side walls and the bottom panel. The expansion bracket further includes a first rotating lever and a first spring. The first pivot lever has a first locating feature for engaging an expansion member insertable through the front open end. A first spring is located at the closed end for forcing the expansion member away from the closed end.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned expansion bracket further includes several rollers. These rollers are located on the inside of one of the side walls and guide the expansion unit into and out of the expansion bays.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the above expansion bracket, the first positioning feature is a guide pin matched in the groove of the expansion component. Through the movement of the guide pin in the groove, the extension part is moved to turn the first turning lever.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned expansion bracket further includes a second rotating lever and a second spring. The second pivot lever has a second positioning feature for engaging the expansion member. A second spring is located at the closed end for urging the expansion member away from the closed end. The first turning lever and the first spring are disposed close to one of the side walls, and the second turning lever and the second spring are disposed close to the other side wall.

According to an implementation manner of the present invention, a computer device includes a case, a motherboard and a bracket shell. The case has two side walls and a front end. The motherboard is configured in the case and interposed between the side walls. The bracket shell is used for holding an expansion component fixed on the front of the chassis. The bracket shell includes a bottom panel, two side walls, a closed end, a front open end, a first spring and a first rotating lever. These side walls face each other. A bottom panel adjoins these side walls. The closed end abuts the side walls and the bottom panel. The front open end is defined by these side walls and the bottom panel. The first pivot lever has a first locating feature for engaging an expansion member insertable through the front open end. A first spring is located at the closed end for forcing the expansion member away from the closed end.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the above computer device, the bracket housing further includes several rollers. These rollers are located on the inside of one of the side walls and are used to guide the expansion unit in and out of the cradle housing.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the above computer device, the first positioning feature is a guide pin matched in the groove of the expansion component. Through the movement of the guide pin in the groove, the extension part is moved to turn the first turning lever.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the computer device described above, the expansion unit includes a circuit board having an edge connector matable with a receptacle extending from the closed end.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the above computer device, the bracket housing further includes a second rotating lever and a second spring. The second pivot lever has a second positioning feature for engaging the expansion member. A second spring is located at the closed end for urging the expansion member away from the closed end. The first turning lever and the first spring are disposed close to one of the side walls, and the second turning lever and the second spring are disposed close to the other side wall.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an expansion bracket for a computer device includes a bottom panel, two side walls, a closed end and a front cross member. A bottom panel adjoins these side walls. These side walls face each other. The closed end abuts the side walls and the bottom panel. The front open end is defined by these side walls and the bottom panel. The front cross member abuts the side walls to define a front open end. The expansion bracket further includes a pair of springs and a pair of turning levers. The pair of springs are located at the closed end, each spring is located proximate to one of the side walls, and each spring forces an expansion member away from the closed end. The pair of pivot levers are mounted on the front cross member proximate to each side wall. Each swivel lever has a guide pin that engages the groove on the extension that can be inserted through the front open end. As the expansion member moves in and out of the front open end, the pivot levers are pivoted by the guide pins engaging in the grooves.

The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present creation. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides examples of some of the novel aspects and features described above. The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in detail from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes for carrying out the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims .

The invention can be implemented in many different forms. Representative embodiments are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein. The present disclosure is an example or illustration of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodiments shown. In this regard, elements and limitations such as those disclosed in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections but not expressly recited in the claims should not be incorporated by implication, inference, individually or collectively, into the claims, or otherwise. For the purposes of this detailed description, unless otherwise stated, the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to". In addition, similar words, such as "about", "almost", "substantially", "approximately", etc., may be used herein to mean "at", "close to" or "almost at" or "for example, in 3- 5%" or "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances" or any logical combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a bracket for an expansion unit having a lever mechanism that allows the expansion unit to be easily released from the bracket without using the tray. The side wall of the bracket is provided with a spring that can force the expansion part to move out from the side wall. The expansion part can be pushed into the bracket to compress the spring. Two (or a pair) of turning levers can be used to easily lock the expansion unit into the bracket. Once the pivot lever is rotated and released, the spring can push the extension out of the bracket.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a computer system or computer device such as storage server 100 . The storage server 100 includes a chassis 110 having two side walls 112 and 114 . The sidewalls 112 and 114 are respectively adjoined by a bottom plate 116 . A motherboard 120 is installed between the side walls 112 and 114 . The motherboard 120 is fixed between a front panel 122 and a rear panel 124 of the chassis 110 . The motherboard 120 includes one or more components, such as a power supply, a processor (such as a CPU), a network interface card, and a memory device. A set of fan modules 130 is located near the rear of the chassis 110 . The fan module 130 generates air flow between the side walls 112 and 114 to help cool the components of the storage server 100 . The fan module 130 is configured to direct the incoming and outgoing airflows so that both the incoming and outgoing airflows move in the same direction.

In this embodiment, the chassis 110 holds arrays of hard disk drives (HDD) 140 , and the hard disk drives 140 are arranged in columns. In this embodiment, two sets of independent hard disks 140 parallel to each other are connected to the motherboard 120 . Each group has six rows, and each row has six independent hard disks 140 , which is a total of 72 hard disks 140 . In this embodiment, the hard disk 140 can be replaced by a solid state disk (SSD). The storage control board is accommodated in the chassis 110 between two sets of independent hard disks 140 .

The front panel 122 includes two bays 150 that allow the insertion of expansion component sizes. Although two brackets 150 are provided in this embodiment, any number of bracket assemblies may be supported by different configurations of the front panel 122. Each bay 150 allows access to an expansion component, such as an input-output (IO) module, including an IO board with a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) specification that can be docked to a socket connector . For example, there may be a power button/reset button/several debug USB components on the front of an IO board of this size. Other types of computer devices, such as application servers, may have fewer storage devices and more bay assemblies for expansion cards. The example bracket assembly using a rotatable fastener mechanism may be used with any suitable computing device, such as a storage device (eg, just a bunch of disks (JBOD), switch, or the like.

Figures 1A-1B show the storage server 100 in a position where one of the bays 150 near the side wall 114 is empty, allowing the insertion of expansion components designed to meet specific card-like specifications, such as PCIe compatibility size specifications. Another bracket 150 near side wall 112 is inserted with an extension unit 160 as shown in FIG. 1A. It should be explained that the bracket 150 includes two rotatable levers and a spring mechanism, which allow the expansion part 160 to be inserted and held therein through the levers. When the lever is released, the spring force of the spring mechanism will cause the expansion part 160 to extend out of the storage servo 100 for device replacement, as shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2 is a close-up perspective view of the bottom of one of the trays 150 in the storage server 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B . FIG. 3 is an isolated perspective view of one of the brackets 150 in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an example bracket 150 and expansion unit 160 . The bracket 150 is designed to accommodate an expansion unit having a particular specification, such as the expansion unit 160 of said specification. Other specifications can be accommodated by changing the width, length and depth of the bracket 150, while still incorporating the disclosed quick release mechanism. In this embodiment, the expansion unit 160 is a PCIe type device. The bracket 150 has a bracket housing 210 having two side walls 212 and 214 facing each other. Side walls 212 and 214 adjoin top panel 216 and bottom panel 218 , respectively. The bracket housing 210 has an open end 220 (hereinafter referred to as front end or front open end) defined by side walls 212 , 214 , top panel 216 and bottom panel 218 . The bracket 150 further has a front cross member (hereinafter referred to as the front cross member 224 ). Front cross member 224 adjoins side walls 212 and 214 and defines open end 220 of bracket housing 210 . The closed end 222 opposite the open end 220 has a connector receptacle 226 extending through the closed end 222 . The connector socket 226 is used for docking with the expansion component 160 . The connector receptacle 226 is mounted on the motherboard 120 for power connection to the expansion unit 160 .

The expansion unit 160 can be moved into the loading position of the bracket 150 . The loading position allows the expansion component 160 to be completely surrounded by the bracket housing 210 . The components in the chassis 110 can then be electrically connected to the expansion unit 160 . The extension unit 160 may be extended to an extended position as shown in FIG. 2 which enables the extension unit 160 to be removed from the bracket 200 (as shown in FIG. 5 ).

The side walls 212, 214 each have a series of rollers 230 and 232 extending from respective inner surfaces of the side walls 212 and 214, respectively. Rollers 230 and 232 are aligned with each other to guide expansion member 160 to and from the stowed and extended positions. In this embodiment, each side wall (such as side wall 212) has three rollers 230, and these rollers 230 are distributed between the open end 220 and the closed end 222 at intervals, so that one of the rollers 230 is close to the open end 220, and the other roller 230 is close to the open end 220. Near the center of the side wall 212, there is another roller 230 near the rear closed end 222. The rollers 232 located on the side wall 214 are arranged at similar positions on the inner surface of the side wall 214 .

The closed end 222 at the rear includes a support rod 234 . The support rod 234 has two springs 236 and 238 attached thereto. Springs 236 and 238 are compressed when expansion member 160 is in the stowed position. In this embodiment, one of the springs 236 is closer to the side wall 212, and the other spring 238 is closer to the side wall 214. The elastic force released by the springs 236 and 238 forces the expansion part 160 to leave the bracket housing 210 of the bracket 150 and be in the extended position shown in FIG. 2 . More than two springs may be used to provide elastic force for the expansion member 160 .

Bottom panel 218 is generally flat and has alignment features, such as alignment pins 240 and 242, for engaging and aligning expansion unit 160 (shown in FIG. 5). The bottom of the expansion unit 160 may be configured with pin slots that interengage with the positioning pins 240 and 242 to hold the expansion unit 160 in a fixed position relative to the side walls 212 and 214 of the bracket housing 210 of the bracket 150 . Although two alignment pins 240 , 242 are used in this embodiment, any number of alignment pins or other mechanisms may be used to align and engage the expansion member 160 in place on the bottom panel 218 . Additionally, the bottom panel 218 may have pin slots as alignment features, and the expansion member 160 may have matching alignment pins within the slots.

In this embodiment, the front cross member 224 supports two rotatable lever assemblies 250 and 252 . Lever assemblies 250 and 252 each include a lever plate 260 . The lever plates 260 are rotatable to approach or move away from the front cross member 224, respectively. The lever plate 260 includes opposite wider ends 262 and narrower ends 264 . The wider end 262 is rotatably mounted adjacent the side wall 212 or 214 . A side plate 266 is attached vertically to the narrower end 264 and is partially attached to the wider end 262 of the lever plate 260 . The lever plate 260 further has a bottom surface. A guide pin 268 protrudes from the bottom surface of the lever plate 260 near its wider end 262 . The wider end 262 of the lever plate 260 includes a pivot mechanism that allows the lever plate 260 to rotate relative to the front cross member 224 . A side of the side plate 266 close to the narrower end 264 has a spiral barrel knob (hereinafter referred to as the knob 270 ). Attached to the knob 270 is a pin (not shown) protruding from the side plate 266 on the opposite side of the knob 270 . Lever assembly 252 is identical to lever assembly 250 , and thus lever assembly 252 has identical components to lever assembly 250 , including lever plate 260 , guide pin 268 and knob 270 .

In this embodiment, the expansion unit 160 has a circuit board 280 mounted on a housing 282 having a front plate 284 attached to a base plate 286 . One side of the circuit board 280 is fixed near the front panel 284 . The front panel 284 is attached to side panels 288 and 290 . The opposite edge of the circuit board 280 includes an edge connector 292 . The edge connector 292 can be plugged into a corresponding connector receptacle 226 extending from the closed end 222 of the cradle housing 210 . In this example, edge connector 292 complies with the PCIe standard, however other types of connectors may be used. The front panel 284 includes a top surface 294 with two grooves 296 and 298 on opposite sides of the top surface 294, respectively. The slots 296 engage corresponding guide pins 268 protruding from the bottom surface of the lever plate 260 . FIG. 6A shows a close-up perspective cross-sectional view of the guide pin 268 on the lever assembly 252 and its corresponding groove 298 . As shown in FIG. 6A , the groove 298 is "L" shaped having lateral sides 610 and a body 612 . The body portion 612 has an open edge 614 that allows the guide pin 268 to pass in and out of the groove 298 . The lateral side 610 has a closed end 616 .

When the expansion member 160 initially extends into the bracket housing 210 through the open end 220, the lever assembly 252 is extended such that the lever plate 260 is rotated away from the front cross member 224 (see FIGS. 4-5). When the front plate 284 reaches the guide pins 268 of the lever assemblies 250 and 252, the respective guide pins 268 enter the grooves 298 and 296, respectively. Thus, the guide pin 268 of FIG. 6 will enter the corresponding body portion 612 through the opening edge 614 of the grooves 298 and 296 . As the extension member 160 is pushed further into the bracket housing 210 , the guide pin 268 will be pushed toward the lateral side 610 causing the lever plate 260 to pivot to the front cross member 224 . Once the lateral side 610 is fully inserted into the bracket housing 210 , the guide pin 268 will contact the closed end 616 of the lateral side 610 of the groove 298 .

FIG. 6B is a close-up perspective view of the pivot assembly that enables the lever assembly 252 to rotate relative to the front cross member 224 . Figure 6C is a close-up exploded view of the components of the pivot mechanism. An attachment bracket 620 has a base plate 622 and a vertical side plate (abbreviated as side plate 624 ). The base plate 622 has two rivet holes 626 that allow the base plate 622 to be attached to the front cross member 224 . Side panels 624 are attached to a pivot bracket 630 . The pivot bracket 630 has a support plate 632 , and the support plate 632 is attached to the side plate 624 by rivets inserted into the rivet holes 634 . A pivot plate 636 is attached perpendicular to the support plate 632 and is oriented parallel to the attachment bracket 620 of the lever assembly 252 . Pivot plate 636 has a hole 638 formed therethrough.

The wider end 262 of the lever plate 260 has a pivot barrel 640 inserted into and through the aperture 638 of the pivot plate 636 . Pivot barrel 640 is free to rotate within bore 638 . Thus, the lever plate 260 rotates relative to the pivot plate 636 on the axis of the pivot barrel 640 . The pivot barrel 640 has an aperture 642 that engages a locking screw 650 to secure the pivot barrel 640 to the pivot plate 636 . A spring 660 is nested onto the exterior of the pivot barrel 640 to bias the lever assembly 252 away from the front cross member 224 .

The rollers 230 of the side walls 212 guide the side plates 288 of the expansion unit 160 as the expansion unit 160 is pushed through the open end 220 of the bracket housing 210 . Similarly, the rollers 232 of the side walls 214 guide the side panels 290 of the expansion component 160 . FIG. 7 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of one of the springs 660 on the closed end 222 of the bracket housing 210 . As described above, the expansion member 160 is pushed toward the closed end 222 of the cradle housing 210 to the fully loaded position. Expansion member 160 is guided by guide pin 268 in lever assemblies 250 and 252 which interact with grooves 296 and 298 and rollers 230 and 232 . When the expansion unit 160 is pushed into the bracket housing 210, the positioning pins 240 and 242 (as shown in FIG. The expansion component 160 is aligned with the corresponding bracket housing 210 .

The expansion member 160 has tabs 710 extending from the ends of the side panels 288 and the bottom panel 286. Tab 710 contacts spring 236 and another similar tab extending from side plate 290 contacts spring 238 . The force of expansion member 160 being pushed to engage edge connector 292 to connector receptacle 226 (shown in FIG. 2 ) compresses springs 236 and 238 through tabs 710 such as on side plate 290 . As shown in FIG. 7 , support rod 234 is reinforced to further enable attachment to rear rear supports 720 and 722 such as springs 236 to strengthen cradle housing 210 against spring forces from springs 236 and 238 .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example expansion unit 160 fully inserted into the cradle housing 210 . The extension unit 160 is held in place in the bracket housing 210 by locking the lever plates 260 of the lever assemblies 250 and 252 within the front cross member 224 by the knobs 270 . Once the expansion unit 160 is fully inserted into the bracket housing 210 , the expansion unit 160 is held in the bracket housing 210 by pushing the knobs 270 of the lever assemblies 250 and 252 . When the lever assemblies 250 and 252 are fully rotated to the front cross member 224 , the pins of the attachment knob 270 may be inserted into corresponding holes (not shown) in the front cross member 224 . Knob 270 is pushed so that the pins engage into holes in front cross member 224 such that they lock lever assemblies 250 and 252 to front cross member 224 by means of a friction fit.

When the lever assemblies 250 and 252 with the knobs 270 are turned in opposite directions, the pins are released from the holes in the front cross member 224 (as shown in Figures 9 and 10). When the lever assemblies 250 and 252 are released, the spring force released by the springs 236 and 238 forces the expansion member 160 away from the bracket housing 210 . When the expansion member 160 is released, the side panels 288 and 290 are guided by respective rollers 230 and 232 . When the expansion member 160 is released, the elastic force released by the springs 236 and 238 causes the grooves 296 and 298 to move relative to the guide pin 268 in FIG. 2 . A pin such as guide pin 268 is forced out of closed end 616 and into body portion 612 of groove 298 . As the expansion member 160 is pushed out of the cradle housing 210 , the guide pin 268 away from the closed end 616 rotates the lever assembly 252 away from the front cross member 224 . Eventually, guide pin 268 of lever assembly 252 moves out of slot 298 through opening edge 614 . Likewise, the guide pin 268 of the lever assembly 250 moves out of the slot 296 and rotates the lever assembly 250 away from the front cross member 224 .

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bracket 150 illustrating the lever assemblies 250 and 252 released. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of storage server 100 illustrating lever assemblies 250 and 252 being released. By springs 236 and 238 pushing expansion member 160 out of cradle housing 210 , lever assemblies 250 and 252 are rotated away from front cross member 224 . At this point, the guide pins 268 have moved out of the respective grooves 296 and 298 . The extension part 160 is thus partially projected out of the cradle housing 210 . Thus, the user can grasp the front panel 284 of the expansion unit 160 and pull the expansion unit 160 out of the bracket housing 210 for replacement or repair. Another extension part 160 identical to the extension part 160 can then be inserted into the now empty carrier housing 210 .

An exemplary spring and swivel lever assembly enables easy insertion and release of the expansion unit in the cradle housing. The example assembly enables a simple mechanism to support expansion components without the use of trays.

As used in this creation, the terms "component", "module", "system" and the like generally refer to a computer-related entity, hardware (such as a circuit), a combination of hardware and software, software or associated with one or more An entity related to the operation of a machine for a specific function. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor (eg, a digital signal processor), a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. As an illustration, an application running on the controller as well as the controller can be the components. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Additionally, a "device" may take the form of specially designed hardware; general-purpose hardware specialized by the execution of software thereon that enables the hardware to perform specific functions; software stored on a computer-readable medium; or a combination thereof.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms and the description "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent the terms "comprises", "comprises", "has", "has" or variations thereof are used in the detailed description and/or claims, these terms are intended to be used in a manner similar to the word "comprising". included.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be construed to have a contextual meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and will not be used in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined. This is explained.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent changes and modifications will occur or become known to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. Furthermore, although a particular feature of the present invention may have been disclosed for one of several embodiments, that feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, as may be required and advantageous for any given or particular application. . Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments. On the contrary, the scope of protection of this creation should be subject to the scope of the appended patent application and its equivalents.

100: storage server 110: Chassis 112, 114: side wall 116: Bottom plate 120: Motherboard 122: Front panel 124: Rear panel 130: Fan module 140: hard disk 150: Bracket 160: Expansion parts 200: bracket 210: bracket shell 212, 214: side wall 216: top panel 218: Bottom panel 220: Open end 222: closed end 224: Front cross member 226: connector socket 230, 232: Roller 234: support rod 236, 238: spring 240, 242: positioning pin 250, 252: lever assembly 260: lever plate 262: wide end 264: narrower end 266: side panel 268: guide pin 270: Knob 280: circuit board 282: shell 284: front plate 286: Bottom plate 288, 290: side panels 292:Edge Connector 294: top surface 296, 298: Groove 610: Lateral side 612: Body Department 614: Opening edge 616: closed end 620: Attachment Bracket 622: Substrate 624: side panel 626: Rivet hole 630: pivot bracket 632: support plate 634: Rivet hole 636: pivot plate 638: hole 640:pivot barrel 642: opening 650: Locking screw 660: spring 710: Lug 720, 722: rear support

Through the description of the following embodiments combined with the accompanying drawings, the invention will be more clearly understood and better understood: FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a computer system having an example bracket for holding an expansion device; Figure 1B is a perspective view of the computer system of Figure 1A with an expansion unit partially removed from the bay in the chassis; Figure 2 is a close-up perspective view of the bottom of an example lever mechanism and component carrier in the computer system of Figure 1A; Figure 3 is an isolated perspective view of an example lever mechanism and expansion unit partially inserted into a bay of the computer system of Figure 1A; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the example expansion part and lever mechanism of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a separate exploded view of the example expansion part and lever mechanism of Figure 2; Figure 6A is a close-up partial perspective view of the interaction between the guide pin of the lever mechanism and the groove of the expansion part in Figure 5; Figure 6B is a close-up perspective view of the pivot assembly of the lever mechanism; Figure 6C is an exploded view of the pivot assembly of the lever mechanism; Fig. 7 is a close-up perspective view of the lever mechanism spring corresponding to the expansion part of Fig. 2; Figure 8 is a perspective view of an example expansion unit in a fully inserted position; Figure 9 is an isolated perspective view of an example lever mechanism with the lever unlocked to allow the expansion member to be pushed to an extended position; Figure 10 is an isolated perspective view of the example tray with the lever unlocked to allow the expansion unit to be pushed to an extended position; Figure 11 is an isolated perspective view of the example tray with the lever unlocked to allow the expansion unit to be pushed to an extended position; and Figure 12 is an isolated perspective view of the example tray with the lever unlocked to allow the expansion unit to be pushed to an extended position.

150: Bracket

160: Expansion parts

212, 214: side wall

216: top panel

218: Bottom panel

220: Open end

222: closed end

224: Front cross member

230, 232: Roller

234: support rod

236, 238: spring

250, 252: lever assembly

260: lever plate

262: wide end

266: side panel

270: Knob

280: circuit board

282: shell

284: front plate

286: Bottom plate

288, 290: side panels

294: top surface

296, 298: Groove

Claims (10)

An expansion bracket for a computer device, comprising: two side walls facing each other; a bottom panel adjacent to the side walls; a closed end adjacent the side walls and the bottom panel, and a front open end defined by the side walls and the bottom panel; a first pivot lever having a first locating feature for engaging an expansion member insertable through the front open end; and A first spring located at the closed end is used to force the expansion member away from the closed end. The expansion bracket for computer devices as described in claim 1 further includes: A plurality of rollers, located inside one of the side walls, are used to guide the expansion unit into and out of the expansion bracket. The expansion bracket for a computer device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first positioning feature is a guide pin matched in a groove of the expansion component, Wherein through the movement of the guide pin in the groove, the expansion part is moved to rotate the first turning lever. The expansion bracket for computer devices as described in claim 1 further includes: a second pivot lever having a second positioning feature for engaging the expansion member; and A second spring located at the closed end is used to force the expansion part away from the closed end, wherein the first rotating lever and the first spring are disposed close to one of the side walls, the second rotating lever and the first rotating lever The two springs are arranged close to the other side walls. A computer device comprising: A case with two side walls and a front end; a motherboard, configured in the case and interposed between the side walls; and A bracket housing for holding an expansion unit fixed to the front end of the case, the bracket housing includes: two side walls facing each other; a bottom panel adjacent to the side walls; a closed end adjacent the side walls and the bottom panel, and a front open end defined by the side walls and the bottom panel; a first pivot lever having a first locating feature for engaging an expansion member insertable through the front open end; and A first spring located at the closed end is used to force the expansion member away from the closed end. The computer device as described in claim 5, wherein the bracket housing further includes: A plurality of rollers, located inside one of the side walls, are used to guide the expansion unit into and out of the bracket housing. The computer device as claimed in item 5, wherein the first positioning feature is a guide pin matched in a groove of the expansion part, Wherein through the movement of the guide pin in the groove, the expansion part is moved to rotate the first turning lever. The computer device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the expansion unit includes a circuit board having an edge connector matable with a receptacle extending from the closed end. The computer device as described in claim 5, wherein the bracket housing further includes: a second pivot lever having a second positioning feature for engaging the expansion member; and A second spring located at the closed end is used to force the expansion part away from the closed end, wherein the first rotating lever and the first spring are disposed close to one of the side walls, the second rotating lever and the first rotating lever The two springs are arranged close to the other side walls. An expansion bracket for a computer device, comprising: two side walls facing each other; a bottom panel adjacent to the side walls; a closed end adjoining the side walls and the bottom panel, and a front cross member adjoining the side walls to define a front open end; a pair of springs at the closed end, each of the springs located proximate to one of the side walls, and each of the springs urging an expansion member away from the closed end; and A pair of pivoting levers mounted on the front cross member proximate each of the side walls, each of the pivoting levers having a guide pin engaging a groove in the front opening insertable through the front open end on the expansion unit, Wherein when the expansion part moves into and out of the front open end, the rotation levers rotate through the guide pins engaged in the groove.

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