Equipment mounting rack conformally mounted with optical fiber flexible plate

Abstract

The invention discloses an equipment mounting rack conformally mounted with an optical fiber flexible board, and relates to the technical field of mounting racks, the equipment mounting rack comprises a frame structure, the frame structure is provided with at least one layer of first shelf, and the lower part of the first shelf is provided with the optical fiber flexible board for interconnection between electronic equipment; the upper part of the first shelf is provided with at least two first brackets matched with the optical fiber flexible board; and the optical fiber flexible board is respectively connected with an equipment interface connector I arranged on the first brackets and a separation surface interface connector arranged on the interface frame. The optical fiber flexible plate is adopted to replace a traditional copper wire to serve as an interconnection medium in the mounting rack, the space occupied by wiring harness laying is reduced, and weight reduction is achieved; the optical fiber flexible board reduces manual wiring, has better quality consistency, can be prefabricated before the mounting rack is assembled, and is beneficial to shortening the final assembly time and reducing the working intensity of the assembly link; a laying structure is removed through structural symbiosis, cable-free high-density interconnection in the mounting frame is achieved, the structure is compact, and the space utilization rate is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mounting racks, in particular to an equipment mounting rack. Background Art

[0002] In typical equipment mounting racks in the prior art, due to the complex interconnections between devices within the rack, wiring harnesses generally adopt a tree-like or mesh-like structure, resulting in a cluttered layout. In ARINC 600 equipment mounting racks, electronic equipment is interconnected uniformly through an optoelectronic interconnection harness via a rear device interface connector. Therefore, the rear of the rack typically houses the EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnection System) wiring harness. Furthermore, the wiring harness within the rack typically requires a significant amount of space at the separation plane due to the interface size and turning radius, reducing rack space utilization. The wiring harness layout schemes for different equipment mounting racks can vary significantly, but because they all must meet the minimum bending radius, the wiring harness within the rack occupies a significant amount of space and requires numerous structures, such as wiring racks, wiring poles, high supports, and clamps, for secure support. The interface connectors between the rack wiring harness and the onboard wiring harness are typically located at a location known as the "electrical separation plane," and the separation plane interface connectors are generally GJB 599 connectors. The main drawbacks of this solution are that the rear of the equipment rack typically houses the EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnect System). Furthermore, the wiring harnesses within the rack typically require significant space at the separation plane due to interface size and turning radius, reducing rack space utilization. With the increasing functionality and quantity of electronic equipment and their decreasing size, the number and density of interfaces for optical wiring harnesses within the rack are increasing, further exacerbating the space constraints within the rack and making these issues particularly prominent.

[0003] In the prior art, patent publication number US20140210258A1 discloses an electrical cabinet for an aircraft equipped with an improved electrical connection system. The electrical cabinet includes at least one main board including sockets on a first surface, into which inserted PCBs ensure one or more electrical functions. The electrical cabinet is connected to an aircraft circuit connection system assembled into various electrical harnesses via electrical mechanisms. The electrical connection system includes at least one additional layer on the horizontal plane of the second surface of the main board, the free surface of the last additional layer including sockets each ensuring electrical connection to the aircraft electrical harness, and the additional layer or layers including tracks, which make it possible to reorganize the circuits emanating from the sockets for the PCBs so that they are consistent with the sockets for the aircraft harness. Although the patent arranges the printed circuit board at the rear of the electronic device and leads the signal through the wiring harness, it only achieves partial cable-free operation. The relevant printed circuit board does not achieve symbiosis with the structure, and the optical printed circuit board or the optical fiber flexible board needs to be reliably fixed and structurally reinforced, which wastes a lot of weight. Therefore, the printed circuit board arranged at the rear of the device still has the problems of low space utilization of the equipment mounting frame and heavy weight of the existing mounting frame. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the above-mentioned background technology, the present invention proposes an equipment mounting rack that is conformally mounted with an optical fiber flexible board, which solves the problems of low space utilization and weight reduction in the rack in the prior art.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is implemented as follows: an equipment mounting rack conformally mounted with a fiber optic flexible board includes a frame structure, at least one first shelf is provided on the frame structure, at least two first brackets cooperating with the fiber optic flexible board are installed on the upper part of the first shelf, a fiber optic flexible board for interconnecting electronic equipment is provided on the first shelf, and the first shelf and the fiber optic flexible board are connected to form an integrated structure, and the fiber optic flexible board is respectively connected to a device interface connector 1 provided on the first bracket and a separation surface interface connector provided on the interface frame.

[0006] Further preferably, the first shelf is a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite shelf, and a cavity for ventilating the electronic equipment is provided in the first shelf.

[0007] Further preferably, a polyimide layer is provided on the surface of the optical fiber flexible plate.

[0008] Further preferably, the fiber optic flex plate is conformally mounted below the first shelf. Alternatively, the fiber optic flex plate is embedded within the first shelf. During shelf manufacturing, it is integrally formed with the composite shelf using co-bonding, or conformally mounted to the composite shelf using secondary bonding or conventional mechanical connections after shelf manufacturing.

[0009] Furthermore, a connecting optical cable is provided on the fiber optic flexible board, and the fiber optic flexible board is connected to the device interface connector 1 and the separation surface interface connector through the connecting optical cable; the connecting optical cable of the fiber optic flexible board is also connected to a connecting component arranged adjacent to the first shelf, and the connecting component is connected to the frame structure.

[0010] Further preferably, the connecting component includes a second shelf, which is arranged parallel to the first shelf and located below the first shelf, and at least two second brackets are provided on the second shelf, and the second bracket is provided with a device interface connector 2 that cooperates with the connecting optical cable.

[0011] Further preferably, both the first bracket and the second bracket are provided with a locker for simultaneously achieving docking of the device interface connectors during the process of pushing the electronic device into the bracket.

[0012] Further preferably, the device interface connector 1 and the device interface connector 2 are blind-plug modular rectangular connectors.

[0013] Further preferably, the modular rectangular connector interfaces with 12-core and / or 24-core and / or 48-core and / or 72-core MPO / MT fiber optic modules, and leads out optical cables with corresponding core numbers into the fiber optic flexible board for signal transmission.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention adopts the optical fiber flexible board as the interconnection medium without providing structural support therefor, and the optical fiber flexible board is integrated with the composite material shelf to manufacture the equipment installation rack.

[0015] 1. Using fiber optic flexible boards instead of traditional copper wires as the interconnection medium within the mounting frame significantly reduces the space occupied by wiring harnesses and reduces weight, while also eliminating issues such as electromagnetic interference.

[0016] 2. Fiber optic flexible boards reduce manual wiring, have better quality consistency, and can be prefabricated before the installation frame is assembled, which helps shorten the overall assembly time and reduce the workload of the assembly process, and provides conditions for subsequent structural symbiosis and conformal installation.

[0017] 3. Through structural symbiosis, the strength and rigidity of the shelf itself are utilized to provide the structural support and fixing structure necessary for the fiber optic flexible board, eliminating a large amount of structure and weight, further improving space utilization and reducing weight.

[0018] 4. The fiber optic flexible board is no longer located behind the mounting bracket, making the structure unobstructed. This means that the connector and related structures are completely unobstructed, making use and maintenance more convenient.

[0019] 5. The fiber optic flexible board is no longer located at the rear of the mounting frame, significantly reducing the depth of the mounting frame (i.e., the front-to-back direction). This helps reduce the overall size, reduces weight, and makes it more compact, with high space utilization and the ability to accommodate more equipment compartments.

[0020] 6. The mounting frame is compatible with universal ARINC 600 connectors and uses MPO / MT modules to significantly increase the number of transmission cores (for example, the traditional ARINC 600 three-cavity connector can achieve a maximum of 400-core interfaces, while the 72-core MPO / MT fiber optic module can achieve a maximum of 1152-core interfaces), greatly improving the interface density.

[0021] 7. The mounting frame separation surface uses rectangular modular connectors to replace the traditional GJB599 series connectors, eliminating the layout gap required for manual operation and greatly improving the external interface density of the equipment rack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cooperation between the optical fiber flexible board, the first shelf and the connection component Figure 1 ; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cooperation between the optical fiber flexible board, the first shelf and the connection component Figure 2 ; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the optical fiber flexible board; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the optical fiber flexible board and the first shelf; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the optical fiber flexible board and the first shelf; Figure 7 1 is a side view of the conformal structure of the optical fiber flex plate and the first shelf.

[0024] In the figure: 1. Frame structure, 2. First shelf, 2-1. Cavity, 3. First bracket, 4. Device interface connector 1, 5. Connecting optical cable, 6. Optical fiber flexible board, 7. Separation surface interface connector, 8. Second shelf, 9. Second bracket, 10. Device interface connector 2, 11. Locker. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown in Example 1, a device mounting rack for conformal mounting with a fiber optic flexible circuit board (FFP) comprises a frame structure 1, on which is mounted at least one first shelf 2. The first shelf 2 is a composite material shelf. A fiber optic flexible circuit board 6 for interconnecting electronic devices is disposed at the bottom of the first shelf 2. The first shelf 2 and the FFP 6 are connected to form an integrated structure. Mounted on the top of the first shelf 2 are at least two first brackets 3 that mate with the FFP 6. The FFP 6 is respectively connected to a device interface connector 1 (4) disposed on the first bracket 3 and a separation surface interface connector 7 disposed on the frame structure 1. The first shelf 2 is a composite material shelf. Multiple, preferably three, first brackets 3 are mounted on the first shelf 2. The structure and dimensions of the first brackets are adjusted and selected based on the mounting equipment to enable blind-mating, quick-release installation of the corresponding electronic equipment. A device interface connector 1 (4) is disposed at the rear of the bracket. The FFP 6 interconnects the devices and the mounting rack's separation surface connector via the FFP 6. The FFP 6 is connected to the composite material shelf as an integrated structure. The fiber optic flexible board 6 is used instead of the traditional copper wire as the interconnection medium in the installation frame, which greatly reduces the space occupied by the wiring harness laying and achieves weight reduction; the fiber optic flexible board 6 reduces manual wiring, can have better quality consistency, and can be prefabricated before the installation frame is assembled, which is conducive to shortening the final assembly time and reducing the workload of the assembly process; the fiber optic flexible board 6 is connected to the first shelf 2 and installed on the frame structure 1 to form a mounting frame to achieve structural symbiosis. Through structural symbiosis, the laying structure is eliminated, further improving space utilization and reducing weight, realizing cable-free high-density interconnection of the electronic equipment compartment in the installation frame, with a compact structure and high space utilization.

[0027] like Figure 1 、 5As shown in Figures 7 and 8, Example 2 is a device mounting rack conformally mounted with a fiber optic flexible plate. The first shelf 2 is a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite shelf. A cavity 2-1 is provided within the first shelf 2 for ventilating the electronic equipment. The first shelf 2 is a box-shaped structure that primarily serves as a structural support. The cavity 2-1 is used to provide an air duct for ventilating the equipment. A polyimide layer is provided on the surface of the fiber optic flexible plate 6. The fiber optic flexible plate 6 can be prefabricated and conformally mounted to the lower portion of the first shelf 2. The polyimide on the surface of the fiber optic flexible plate 6 has good compatibility with the epoxy resin of the shelf. During the shelf manufacturing process, the shelf can be integrally formed with the composite material shelf by "co-bonding." Alternatively, after the shelf is manufactured, the shelf can be conformally mounted to the composite material shelf by "secondary bonding" or conventional mechanical connection. This not only eliminates the need for supporting and reinforcing the fiber optic flexible plate 6, but also makes the overall structure more compact and reduces weight.

[0028] The other structures are the same as those in Example 1.

[0029] like Figures 4-6 As shown in Example 3, a device mounting bracket conformally mounted with a fiber optic flex board is shown. The fiber optic flex board 6 is embedded within the first shelf 2. The polyimide on the surface of the fiber optic flex board 6 has good compatibility with the epoxy resin of the shelf. During the shelf manufacturing process, the polyimide can be integrally formed with the composite shelf using a "sandwich embedding and co-curing" process. This not only eliminates the need for supporting and reinforcing the optical printed circuit board or fiber optic flex board 6, but also makes the overall structure more compact and reduces weight.

[0030] In this embodiment, a fiber flex board 6 is provided with a connecting optical cable 5, which connects the fiber flex board 6 to the device interface connector 1 and the separation surface interface connector 7 via the connecting optical cable 5. The separation surface interface connector 7 is located on the side of the frame structure 1 and is preferably an EN4165 or EN4644 rectangular modular connector. The equipment rack has a separation surface located on the side and uses EN4165 or EN4644 rectangular modular connectors to achieve a high-density interface layout. In addition to the internal interconnection wiring of the fiber flex board 6, the remaining wiring, which is transferred via optical fiber in the form of MPO / MT modules, is ultimately connected to the equipment rack separation surface connector to establish an interface with the outside of the equipment rack.

[0031] The other structures are the same as those in Example 2.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 4As shown in Example 4, a device mounting rack conformally mounted with a fiber optic flex board (FFP) 6 is shown. The connecting optical cable 5 of the fiber optic flex board 6 is also connected to a connection assembly located adjacent to the first shelf 2. The connection assembly is connected to the frame structure 1 and located below the first shelf 2. The fiber optic flex board 6 can be used to connect electronic equipment adjacent to or above the first shelf 2. The fiber optic flex board 6 is generally conformally mounted to the bottom surface of the upper shelf. The connection assembly includes a second shelf 8, which is arranged parallel to and below the first shelf 2. The second shelf 8 is provided with at least two second brackets 9, each of which is equipped with a second device interface connector 10 that mates with the connecting optical cable 5. The second device interface connector 10 is an electronic device interface connector 1 4. The electronic equipment installed on each of the two adjacent shelves shares a fiber optic flex board 6. The flex board internally crosslinks the signals between the two layers of electronic equipment. Specifically, the two layers of electronic equipment interface connectors 4 are connected via MPO / MT fiber optic modules in the form of optical fibers, and other interfaces are also connected via MPO / MT modules in the form of optical fibers.

[0033] In this embodiment, both the first bracket 3 and the second bracket 9 are provided with quick-release lockers 11 for simultaneously docking the device interface connector 1 4 while pushing the electronic device into the bracket. The number of first brackets 3 on the first shelf 2 and second brackets 9 on the second shelf 8 is preferably three or more. Multiple electronic devices on each layer are mounted on the shelf via the brackets. The structure and size of the second bracket 9 are adjusted and selected according to the installation equipment. It adopts a "blind plug-in quick-release" installation structure - that is, an interface connector is provided at the rear of the bracket and a quick-release locker 11 is provided at the front of the bracket. The interface connectors are docked while the locker is used to push the device into the bracket. Device interface connector 1 4 and device interface connector 2 10 are blind-plug modular rectangular connectors. Specifically, the device interface connectors on the first bracket 3 and the second bracket 9 are both blind-plug connectors, and the blind-plug connectors are preferably standard ARINC600 modular rectangular frame connectors. The modular rectangular connector interfaces with 12-core and / or 24-core and / or 48-core and / or 72-core MPO / MT fiber modules, and leads out optical cables with the corresponding number of cores to the fiber flex board 6 for signal transmission. Specifically, the ARINC 600 modular rectangular frame connector uses 12-core and / or 24-core and / or 48-core and / or 72-core MPO / MT fiber modules for interface, and leads out optical cables with the corresponding number of cores to the fiber flex board 6 for signal transmission.

[0034] The other structures are the same as those in Example 2 or 3.

[0035] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An equipment mounting frame for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate, characterized by: The invention comprises a frame structure (1), wherein at least one first shelf (2) is provided on the frame structure (1), at least two first brackets (3) matched with an optical fiber flexible board (6) are installed on the upper part of the first shelf (2), an optical fiber flexible board (6) for interconnecting electronic devices is provided on the first shelf (2), and the first shelf (2) and the optical fiber flexible board (6) are connected to form an integrated structure, and the optical fiber flexible board (6) is respectively connected to a device interface connector (4) provided on the first bracket (3) and a separation surface interface connector (7) provided on the interface frame.

2. The device mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first shelf (2) is a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite shelf, and a cavity (2-1) for ventilating electronic equipment is provided in the first shelf (2).

3. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A polyimide layer is provided on the surface of the optical fiber flexible plate (6).

4. The equipment mounting frame for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The optical fiber flexible plate (6) is conformally mounted on the lower part of the first shelf (2).

5. The equipment mounting frame for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The optical fiber flexible board (6) is embedded in the first shelf (2).

6. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 1, 2, 4, or 5, characterized in that: The optical fiber flexible board (6) is provided with a connecting optical cable (5), and the optical fiber flexible board (6) is connected to the device interface connector 1 (4) and the separation surface interface connector (7) through the connecting optical cable (5); the connecting optical cable (5) of the optical fiber flexible board (6) is also connected to a connecting component arranged adjacent to the first shelf (2), and the connecting component is connected to the frame structure (1).

7. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connecting assembly comprises a second shelf (8), the second shelf (8) being arranged parallel to the first shelf (2) and located below the first shelf (2), the second shelf (8) being provided with at least two second brackets (9), and the second brackets (9) being provided with a second device interface connector (10) cooperating with the connecting optical cable (5).

8. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first bracket (3) and the second bracket (9) are both provided with a locker (11) for simultaneously achieving docking of the device interface connector 1 (4) during the process of pushing the electronic device into the bracket.

9. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, or 8, characterized in that: The device interface connector 1 (4) and the device interface connector 2 (10) are both blind-mate modular rectangular connectors.

10. The equipment mounting bracket for conformal mounting with an optical fiber flexible plate according to claim 9, characterized in that: The blind-plug modular rectangular connector interfaces with 12-core and / or 24-core and / or 48-core and / or 72-core MPO / MT optical fiber modules, and leads optical cables with corresponding core numbers into the optical fiber flexible board (6) for signal transmission.

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