Tray structure

Abstract

A tray structure is arranged on a first guide post of a case, comprising a bracket, a slide, a second guide post, a shaft sleeve and a handle. The bracket comprises a bottom plate and a side wall. The side wall is erected on the bottom plate and has a first guide slot. The slide is movably arranged on the side wall. The slide has an oblique groove and a second guide slot. The oblique groove and the first guide slot are at an angle and at least partially overlap each other to allow the first guide post to pass through. The second guide post is arranged on the side wall and passes through the second guide slot and is movable relative to the slide. The shaft sleeve rotatably covers the second guide post and is located in the second guide slot. The handle is arranged on the slide to drive the movement of the slide relative to the side wall. The slide is movable relative to the second guide post through the rotation of the shaft sleeve and is movable relative to the first guide post through the oblique groove.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a pallet structure, and more particularly to a pallet structure with a bushing. Background Technology

[0002] Multiple circuit boards are often installed in a server chassis to meet the diverse needs of modern servers. To facilitate maintenance or replacement of circuit boards, some circuit boards are placed on a liftable tray. The tray's height is achieved by pins fixed inside the tray passing through movable grooves.

[0003] However, during the lifting and lowering of the pallet, friction may occur between the pin and the slide wall, causing uneven lifting and lowering of the pallet, and may even cause wear on the pin or slide wall. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a pallet structure to solve the problem of uneven pallet lifting process in the prior art.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention discloses a tray structure for assembly within a chassis. The tray structure includes a bracket, a slide, a second guide post, a bushing, and a handle. The bracket is disposed within the chassis. The bracket includes a base plate and a side wall. The side wall stands on the base plate and has a first guide groove. The slide is movably disposed on the side wall. The slide has an oblique groove and a second guide groove. The oblique groove forms an angle with the first guide groove. The oblique groove and the first guide groove at least partially overlap to allow a first guide post of the chassis to pass through the oblique groove and the first guide groove. The second guide post is disposed on the side wall, passes through the second guide groove, and the slide is movable relative to the second guide post through the second guide groove. The bushing rotatably fits onto the second guide post and is located within the second guide groove. The handle is disposed on the slide to drive the movement of the slide relative to the side wall. The slider can move relative to the second guide post through the rotation of the bushing, and can move relative to the first guide post through the oblique groove, wherein the direction of movement of the slider relative to the second guide post is different from the direction of movement of the slider relative to the first guide post.

[0006] According to the tray structure disclosed in the above embodiments, since the bushing can rotate relative to the slide, the slide and the bushing are in rotational line contact, avoiding the surface contact between the slide and the second guide post, thereby reducing the frictional force when the slide moves relative to the side wall, and enabling smooth operation of the tray structure movement.

[0007] The above description of the content of this invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of this invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a tray structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A side sectional view of the pallet structure.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial side sectional view of the pallet structure.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 An exploded view of the tray structure.

[0012] Figure 5 and Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the handle in the tray structure.

[0013] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A front view diagram of the tray structure.

[0014] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 An exploded view of the handle of the tray structure.

[0015] Figure 9 and Figure 10 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the operation of the handle's latching structure.

[0016] Component designation explanation

[0017] 1: Pallet Structure

[0018] 100: Bracket

[0019] 110: Base plate

[0020] 111: Opening

[0021] 120: Side wall

[0022] 120a: First side wall

[0023] 120b: Second side wall

[0024] 121: First guide slot

[0025] 200: Slider

[0026] 201: Inclined trench

[0027] 202: Straight trench

[0028] 203: Second guide groove

[0029] 204: Third guide groove

[0030] 300: Handle

[0031] 310: Side arm

[0032] 311: Through hole

[0033] 320: Grip section

[0034] 330: Clip-on mechanism

[0035] 331: Connecting part

[0036] 3311: First end

[0037] 3312: Second end

[0038] 3312a: Inclined surface

[0039] 332: First buckle

[0040] 3321: Guide slope

[0041] 333: Second buckle

[0042] 3331: Guide slope

[0043] 334: Operating component

[0044] 335: First elastic element

[0045] 336: Second elastic element

[0046] 400: Second guide post

[0047] 500: Bushing

[0048] 600: Third guide column

[0049] 2: Chassis

[0050] 21: First guide post

[0051] RC: Center of Rotation Detailed Implementation

[0052] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention; please refer to... Figures 1 to 6 ,in Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a tray structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Side sectional view of the pallet structure. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial side sectional view of the pallet structure. Figure 4 yes Figure 2 An exploded view of the tray structure, and Figure 5 and Figure 6yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the handle in the tray structure.

[0053] In this embodiment, the tray structure 1 is used to assemble within a chassis 2, for example, a server, which can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, or as a 5G server, cloud server, or vehicle networking server. The tray structure 1 includes a bracket 100, two slides 200, and a handle 300.

[0054] The tray 100 is installed inside the chassis 2 and includes a base plate 110 and two side walls 120. The base plate 110 is used to mount electronic components of the chassis 2, such as circuit boards (not shown). The side walls 120 are respectively erected on opposite sides of the base plate 110. Two slides 200 are movably mounted on the two side walls 120. The handle 300 includes two side arms 310 and a grip 320. The side arms 310 are movably mounted on the two slides 200 and rotatably mounted on the two side walls 120. The grip 320 is located between the two side arms 310. Since the tray structure 1 is substantially the same on both sides near the two side walls 120, the structure of one side will be described below.

[0055] The sidewall 120 has a plurality of first guide grooves 121. The slide plate 200 has a plurality of oblique grooves 201 and a plurality of straight grooves 202. The number of first guide grooves 121, the number of oblique grooves 201, and the number of straight grooves 202 are all the same. The first guide grooves 121 and the oblique grooves 201 form an angle. The first guide grooves 121 and the oblique grooves 201 overlap at least partially to allow a first guide post 21 of the chassis 2 to pass through the first guide grooves 121 and the oblique grooves 201. The oblique grooves 201 are connected to the straight grooves 202 respectively, and the end of the oblique groove 201 connected to the straight groove 202 is located between the end of the oblique groove 201 away from the straight groove 202 and the base plate 110. The long axis direction of the straight groove 202 is substantially the same as the long axis direction of the first guide groove 121. The long axis of the vertical groove 202 and the long axis of the first guide groove 121 both face the bottom plate 110. In other words, both the vertical groove 202 and the first guide groove 121 are grooves extending in a vertical direction.

[0056] The pallet structure 1 further includes a plurality of second guide posts 400 and a plurality of bushings 500. The slide 200 further includes a plurality of horizontally extending second guide grooves 203. The number of second guide posts 400, the number of bushings 500, and the number of second guide grooves 203 are all the same. The second guide posts 400 are disposed on the side wall 120, and the second guide posts 400 pass through the second guide grooves 203 of the slide 200, and the slide 200 can move relative to the second guide posts 400 through the second guide grooves 203. The bushings 500 are rotatably fitted around the second guide posts 400, and the bushings 500 are located within the second guide grooves 203 and contact the wall surface of the second guide grooves 203.

[0057] The tray structure 1 further includes a third guide post 600. The slide 200 further includes a third guide groove 204. The side arm portion 310 of the handle 300 has a through hole 311. The third guide post 600 is disposed on the side wall 120, and the third guide post 600 passes through the third guide groove 204 of the slide 200 and the through hole 311 of the side arm portion 310 of the handle 300, and the side arm portion 310 of the handle 300 is movably disposed on the slide 200 through the third guide groove 204. Furthermore, since the side arm portion 310 of the handle 300 is rotatably disposed on the side wall 120 with respect to a rotation center RC, the rotation of the side arm portion 310 of the handle 300 relative to the side wall 120 is converted into the movement of the slide 200 relative to the side wall 120 through the movement of the side arm portion 310 of the handle 300 relative to the slide 200. In this way, the handle 300 can be rotated between an initial position and a raised position via the side arm 310, and the slide 200 can be moved relative to the side wall 120.

[0058] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when the handle 300 is in the initial position, the first guide post 21 is located at the upper part of the first guide groove 121 and at the end of the inclined groove 201 away from the straight groove 202, and the slider 200 has not yet been moved. During the process of the handle 300 moving from the initial position to the raised position, as... Figure 2 , Figures 5 to 6As shown, the slider 200 is driven by the side arm 310 of the handle 300, and the slider 200 is restricted by the horizontally extending second guide groove 203, so that the slider 200 can only move horizontally relative to the side wall 120 through the bushing 500 and the second guide post 400. Since the bushing 500 can rotate relative to the slider 200, the contact between the slider 200 and the bushing 500 is a rotational line contact, avoiding the surface contact between the slider 200 and the second guide post 400, thereby reducing the frictional force when the slider 200 moves relative to the side wall 120. Furthermore, during the process of moving the handle 300 from the initial position to the raised position, the overlapping portion of the oblique groove 201 and the first guide groove 121 is moved from the upper part to the lower part of the first guide groove 121 based on the horizontally moving slider 200 (i.e., vertically). This moves the position of the oblique groove 201 and the first guide groove 121 through which the first guide post 21 passes from the upper part to the lower part of the first guide groove 121, thereby causing the side wall 120 to move relative to the first guide post 21, achieving the effect of raising the tray structure 1 relative to the chassis 2. In other words, the user can hold the grip 320 to rotate the handle 300, and while rotating the handle 300, the slider 200 moves horizontally relative to the side wall 120, thereby raising and lowering the entire tray structure 1 within the chassis 2.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the distance between the connection point of the grip portion 320 and the side arm portion 310 and the rotation center RC is greater than the distance between the connection point of the side arm portion 310 and the slide plate 200 (i.e., the position of the third guide post 600 or the through hole 311) and the rotation center RC. This allows for torque amplification, achieving the effect of raising and lowering the relatively heavy tray structure 1 with a relatively small force when rotating the handle 300.

[0060] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the base plate 110 may have multiple openings 111. The number of openings 111 is the same as the number of first guide grooves 121, and the openings 111 are respectively connected to the first guide grooves 121. In this way, when the handle 300 is moved to the raised position, by lifting the grip portion 320 of the handle 300, the head of the first guide post 21 can be smoothly disengaged from below the base plate 110 through the straight groove 202 and the openings 111, thereby lifting the entire tray structure 1 away from the chassis 2 and completing the disassembly of the tray structure 1 from the chassis 2.

[0061] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the quantities of opening 111, first guide groove 121, oblique groove 201, straight groove 202, second guide groove 203, second guide post 400 and bushing 500 are not intended to limit the present invention, but can be adjusted according to the actual situation.

[0062] Please refer to the following: Figures 7 to 10,in Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A front view diagram of the tray structure. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 An exploded view of the handle of the tray structure, and Figure 9 and Figure 10 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the latching structure of the handle.

[0063] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the handle 300 may further include a latching mechanism 330. The latching mechanism 330 includes a connecting portion 331, a first latching portion 332, a second latching portion 333, and an operating member 334. The connecting portion 331 is movably disposed inside the grip portion 320, and the connecting portion 331 has a first end 3311 and a second end 3312 facing each other. The first end 3311 is fixed to the first latching portion 332, and the first latching portion 332 can move relative to the grip portion 320 with the connecting portion 331. The second end 3312 abuts against the second latching portion 333, and the second latching portion 333 is rotatably disposed on the grip portion 320. The operating member 334 is disposed on the connecting portion 331 and located outside the grip portion 320, and the operating member 334 can move relative to the grip portion 320 with the connecting portion 331.

[0064] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, when the handle 300 is in the initial position, the first latch 332 hooks onto one of the two side walls 120a, and the second latch 333 hooks onto one of the two side walls 120b, thus jointly restricting the rotation between the handle 300 and the side walls 120. While holding the grip 320, the user can use their fingers to flick the operating member 334 away from the first side wall 120a, causing the connecting part 331 and the first latch 332 to move away from the first side wall 120a relative to the grip 320, thereby releasing the latch of the first latch 332 onto the first side wall 120a. Simultaneously, the second end 3312 of the connecting part 331 pushes the second latch 333, causing the second latch 333 to rotate relative to the grip 320 and move away from the second side wall 120b, thereby releasing the latch of the second latch 333 onto the second side wall 120b. In other words, after the user holds the grip part 320 of the handle 300, he can release the locking relationship between the handle 300 and the side wall 120 by operating the operating member 334. Then, after rotating the handle 300 from the initial position to the raised position, the entire tray structure 1 can be separated from the chassis 2. The entire operation can be completed with just one hand, which is very convenient.

[0065] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the second end 3312 of the connecting portion 331 may have an inclined surface 3312a on the side away from the operating member 334. This allows the second end 3312 to push the second buckle 333 to a position farther from the rotation center of the second buckle 333, thus generating a larger torque. It also provides clearance when the second end 3312 pushes the second buckle 333 to rotate, ensuring that the rotation of the second buckle 333 is not interfered with by the second end 3312.

[0066] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the latching mechanism 330 may further include a first elastic member 335 and a second elastic member 336. The first elastic member 335 is disposed on the grip portion 320 and abuts against the connecting portion 331. The second elastic member 336 is disposed on the grip portion 320 and abuts against the second fastening portion 333. Thus, after the user moves the connecting portion 331 and rotates the second fastening portion 333 by manipulating the operating member 334, the elastic restoring forces of the first elastic member 335 and the second elastic member 336 respectively reset the connecting portion 331 (along with the first fastening portion 332 and the operating member 334) and the second fastening portion 333.

[0067] In this embodiment and some embodiments of the present invention, the first buckle 332 has a guide slope 3321 on the side away from the operating member 334, and the second buckle 333 has a guide slope 3331 on the side away from the operating member 334. Thus, during the process of the handle 300 returning from the raised position to the initial position, the guide slopes 3321 and 3331 abut against the upper end of the side wall 120, thereby pushing and rotating the first buckle 332 and the second buckle 333 towards the center position of the grip 320, respectively. After the first buckle 332 and the second buckle 333 have passed the upper end of the side wall 120, they are reset and re-hooked onto the side wall 120 by the first elastic member 335 and the second elastic member 336.

[0068] According to the tray structure of the above embodiment, since the bushing can rotate relative to the slide, the slide and the bushing are in rotational line contact, avoiding the surface contact between the slide and the second guide post, thereby reducing the frictional force when the slide moves relative to the side wall, and enabling smooth operation of the lifting and lowering of the tray structure.

[0069] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims attached to this specification.

Claims

1. A tray structure for assembly within a chassis, comprising: A bracket for mounting inside the chassis, the bracket comprising a base plate and a side wall, the side wall being erected on the base plate and having a first guide groove; A sliding plate is movably disposed on the side wall. The sliding plate has an oblique groove and a second guide groove. The oblique groove forms an angle with the first guide groove and the oblique groove and the first guide groove overlap at least partially, so as to allow a first guide post of the chassis to pass through the oblique groove and the first guide groove. A second guide post is disposed on the side wall, the second guide post passes through the second guide groove, and the slider can move relative to the second guide post through the second guide groove; A bushing rotatably fits around the second guide post, and the bushing is located within the second guide groove; as well as A handle is mounted on the sliding plate to drive the sliding plate to move relative to the side wall; The slider can move relative to the second guide post through the rotation of the bushing, and can move relative to the first guide post through the oblique groove, wherein the direction of movement of the slider relative to the second guide post is different from the direction of movement of the slider relative to the first guide post.

2. The pallet structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes a third guide post, wherein the slider has a third guide groove, the handle has a through hole, the third guide post is disposed on the side wall and passes through the third guide groove of the slider and the through hole of the handle, the handle is movably disposed on the slider through the third guide groove, the handle is rotatably disposed on the side wall, and the rotation of the handle relative to the side wall is converted into the movement of the slider relative to the side wall through the movement of the handle relative to the slider.

3. The pallet structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slider further has a straight groove connected to the oblique groove, the long axis of the straight groove being substantially the same as the long axis of the first guide groove, and the long axis of the straight groove facing the bottom plate.

4. The pallet structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base plate has an opening that is connected to the first guide groove.

5. The pallet structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handle includes a side arm, a grip, and a latching mechanism. The side arm is rotatably mounted on the side wall, allowing the handle to rotate relative to the side wall between an initial position and a raised position. The grip is mounted on the side arm. The latching mechanism has a first latch, which is movably mounted on the grip. When the handle is in the initial position, the first latch hooks onto the side wall to restrict rotation between the handle and the side wall. The first latch can move away from the side wall relative to the grip to release the latch from the side wall.

6. The pallet structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The configuration includes two side walls and two side arms, with the two side walls positioned on opposite sides of the base plate. The two side arms are rotatably mounted on the two side walls. A grip is positioned between the two side arms. The latching mechanism includes a connecting portion and a second latch. The connecting portion is movably located inside the grip and has a first end and a second end. The first end of the connecting portion is positioned at the first latch, and the second end of the connecting portion abuts against the second latch. The second latch is rotatably positioned... The handle is positioned on the grip portion; when the handle is in the initial position, the first buckle is hooked onto one of the two side walls, and the second buckle is hooked onto the other of the two side walls to restrict rotation between the handle and the side walls. The first buckle can move away from one of the two side walls relative to the grip portion, and drive the second end of the connecting portion to push the second buckle to rotate away from the other of the two side walls relative to the grip portion, so as to release the hooking relationship between the first buckle and the second buckle on the two side walls.

7. The pallet structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The buckling mechanism further includes a first elastic member and a second elastic member, the first elastic member being disposed on the gripping portion and abutting against the connecting portion, and the second elastic member being disposed on the gripping portion and abutting against the second buckling portion.

8. The pallet structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The latching mechanism further includes an operating member disposed on the connecting portion. The operating member is movable relative to the grip portion and located outside the grip portion. The first latch portion and the second latch portion each have a guide slope on the side away from the operating member.

9. The pallet structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second end of the connecting portion has an inclined surface on the side away from the operating member.

10. The pallet structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The distance between the connection point of the grip portion and the side arm portion and the rotation center of the side arm portion on the side wall is greater than the distance between the connection point of the side arm portion and the slider portion and the rotation center of the side arm portion on the side wall.

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