Docking system having elastic rail portions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11455019-B2
Application number	US-202016947842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2020
Priority date	Aug 19, 2020
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

A docking system for facilitating a connection of an electronics module to a mating connector comprises first and second rails. Each rail has an elongated guide slot for receiving a corresponding guide portion of the electronics module during sliding movement of the electronics module toward the mating connector. A first elastic structure is located on the first rail. The first elastic structure has a first engagement portion extending into the elongated guide slot of the first rail. A second elastic structure is located on the second rail. The second elastic structure has a second engagement portion extending into the elongated guide slot of the second rail. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are configured to engage the guide portions of the electronics module and to resist movement of the guide portions in a direction generally perpendicular to the sliding movement of the electronics module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A docking system for facilitating a connection of an electronics module to a mating connector, the docking system comprising:
first and second rails that are separated from and oppose each other, each of the first and second rails having an elongated guide slot, each of the elongated guide slots receiving a corresponding guide portion of the electronics module during a sliding movement of the electronics module toward the mating connector, each of the elongated guide slots of the first and second rails are U-shaped and defined by two opposing walls and a connecting wall between the two opposing walls;
a first elastic structure formed as part of one of the opposing walls of the first rail and separated from the connecting wall by a slot in the one of the opposing walls such that the first elastic structure has two first fixed ends and a first curved middle region between the two first fixed ends, the first elastic structure being a thin member such that the first curved middle region has first upper and lower curved surfaces that are curved downwardly toward the elongated guide slot to form a bow shape for the first elastic structure, the first lower curved surface defining a first engagement portion extending into the elongated guide slot of the first rail; and
a second elastic structure formed as part of one of the opposing walls of the second rail and separated from the connecting wall by a slot in the one of the opposing walls such that the second elastic structure has two second fixed ends and a second curved middle region between the two second fixed ends, the second elastic structure being a thin member such that the second curved middle region has second upper and lower curved surfaces that are curved downwardly toward the elongated guide slot to form a bow shape for the second elastic structure, the second lower curved surface defining a second engagement portion extending into the elongated guide slot of the second rail;
wherein the first engagement portion of the first elastic structure and the second engagement portion of the second elastic structure are configured to engage the guide portions of the electronics module, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion being further configured to urge the guide portions against the other ones of the two opposing walls of the guide slots and to resist movement of the guide portions in a direction generally perpendicular to the sliding movement of the electronics module.

2. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein each of the elongated guide slots has an insertion end at which the electronics module is to be inserted, each of the elongated guide slots further having a terminal end adjacent to the mating connector, each of the first and second elastic structures being located along the elongated guide slots at a middle region between the insertion end and the terminal end.

3. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second rails include fastening regions for permitting the first and second rails to be fixedly mounted to other structures, the first and second rails being fixedly mounted such that the distance between the first and second rails is approximately the width of the electronics module.

4. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein a height of the elongated guide slots in regions outside the first and second elastic structures is greater than the height of the guide portions of the electronics module, the first and second elastic structures extending into the elongated guide slots, the extending of the first and second elastic structures reducing the height of the elongated guide slots at the first and second elastic structures to be less than the height of the guide portions.

5. The docking system of claim 4 , wherein the first engagement portion of the first elastic structure and the second engagement portion of the second elastic structure are configured to engage the guide portions of the electronics module during insertion and during operation of the electronics module.

6. The docking system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second elastic structures transition from a first shape to a second shape in response to the first and second engagement portions engaging the guide portions of the electronics module.

7. The docking system of claim 6 , wherein the first and second elastic structures transition from the second shape to the first shape in response to the electronics module being removed from the first and second rails.

8. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein the electronics module is one of the group consisting of an Open Compute Project (OCP) module and an HDD storage module.

9. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second elongated guide slots receive laterally extending flanges of the electronics module, the laterally extending flanges being the guide portions.

10. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second rails are made of a polymeric material, the first elastic structure being integrally formed with the first rail, the second elastic structure being integrally formed with the second rail.

11. The docking system of claim 1 , wherein the electronics module includes a module connector, and the first and second elastic structures assist with aligning the module connector with the mating connector for making a mechanical and electrical connection.

12. A method of connecting an electronics module to a mating connector, the electronics module including first and second guide portions, the method comprising:
inserting the first guide portion of the electronics module into a first elongated guide slot associated with a first rail, the first elongated guide slot being U-shaped and defined by a first pair of opposing walls and a first connecting wall between the first pair of opposing walls;
inserting the second guide portion of the electronics module into a second elongated guide slot associated with a second rail, the second elongated guide slot being U-shaped and defined by a second pair of opposing walls and a second connecting wall between the second pair of opposing walls;
while the first guide portion of the electronics module is within the first elongated guide slot and the second guide portion of the electronics module is within the second elongated guide slot, moving the electronics module toward the mating connector; and
while the electronics module is moving toward the mating connector, limiting movement of the electronics module in a direction generally perpendicular to the movement toward the mating connector, the movement being limited by engagement of the first guide portion with a first curved middle region of the first elastic structure associated with the first rail, and
wherein the first elastic structure extends into the first guide slot from one wall of the first pair of opposing walls toward the other wall of the first pair of opposing walls, the first elastic structure being formed as part of one of the opposing walls of the first rail and being separated from the connecting wall by a slot in the one of the opposing walls such that the first elastic structure has two first fixed ends and the first curved middle region between the two first fixed ends, the first elastic structure being a thin member such that the first curved middle region has first upper and lower curved surfaces that are curved downwardly toward the elongated guide slot to form a bow shape for the first elastic structure.

13. The method of claim 12 , further including a second elastic structure extending into the second guide slot from one wall of the second pair of opposing walls toward the other wall of the second pair of op

Assignees

• Quanta Comp Inc

Inventors

• Chang Chun
• Chen Chia-Chun
• Chen Ta-Wei
• CHEN Zhao-hong

Classifications

• G06F1/187 Primary

  Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives · CPC title

• H01R13/631

  for engagement only · CPC title

• H01R43/26

  for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device (structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629) · CPC title